This author is new to me, and I happily grabbed my free ARC of this one from Penguin and Netgalley.

It took me a little while to connect with these characters. I found many parts of the story really cute. I also think some of this is annoying and sad.

Audrey and Josh are good together, but I found myself becoming annoyed by her immaturity and the dysfunctional relationship with her Mother.
I enjoyed how the "bad omens" and ridiculous situations (around the wedding) kept popping up.
See? Conflicted.

I am not really a fan of the bouncing back and forth between the past and present (in the chapters), but once I got accustomed to that, the read was smooth.

Things resolved as I expected. I am conflicted on how much I enjoyed this one. On the one hand, it was fun, sweet, and romantic. On the other hand, I was irritated by her self-sabotage and his cluelessness. Ultimately, this is easy to read, and evoked many different emotions from me.

I do recommend this read, and I am voluntarily leaving my review.

Before I Do
Sophie Cousens
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
No steam

What if’s and what could have been is a question reflected upon in this book. Audrey and Josh are set to be married but when a series of “bad omens” or fatuous interventions start happening including her future sister in law showing up with a man that Audrey spent the best day of her life with six years ago - she begins reflecting on what ifs.

Told over varying timelines the story explores all the possibilities of what if and what could have been while interjected with the hard truth of reality in that everything is not always perfect and the perception of perfection is an illusion.

Such an interesting concept and I have to admit my soft spot for Bad Jeans Josh. Audrey struck me as a bit selfish and entitled but very likely driven by her environment growing up. I loved the circumstances that brought Audrey and Fred to meet. It’s easy to remember being young and easily getting swept in something that feels so special. I was easily transported and able to feel the loss of sketching that could have been something good and think about all the possibilities that could have happened if the circumstances were different.

This book confirms the reasons that I will always read anything that Sophie writes. She writes such a unique story where the reader is easily lured into the story as a sideline character and you’re part of the storyline.

Overall I enjoyed this book. We follow Audrey and Josh leading up to their wedding. With flashbacks included, we’re spanning about 25 years.

In my opinion, there were too many flashbacks and they really jumped all over the place. Don’t get me wrong, the flashbacks ended up all being good and useful to the story, but it was just a lot for me personally.

Audrey was a hoot throughout the book and Hillary has been one of my side characters lately. I would still recommend giving this a read if you think it sounds interesting!

🌟🌟🌟/5

Before I Do is told in dual timelines (present to her past). Audrey is marrying Josh and it’s the rehearsal day for the wedding. Josh’s sister brings a date to the rehearsal dinner, it’s Fred the one who got away that Audrey still thinks about. This book starts out slow but does pick up. A quick fun read. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the E-ARC. This is my own opinion.

This was an amazing read, from the questions this story raises and answers, to the personal growth and unpacking of trauma that Audrey went through, both Fred and Josh as characters, the wonderful cast of side characters, to the multiple timelines. I think this story was so well done! I love dual timelines and non-linear storytelling, so my interest was immediately piqued, and Cousens didn't disappoint! The way Cousens perfectly transitioned from the present timeline to the past, and back again, was wonderful; it felt like we, as readers, were right there with Audrey as she unpacked her past and recalled specific events. I found myself very immersed in this story of questioning fate.

When the guy who swept you off your feet, who gave you your first real meet-cute and took you spontaneously traversing through the city for a day, disappears for years on end and then just so happens to show up at your wedding....yeah, I felt for Audrey because I, too, would have been questioning all the decisions that led me to that point. I would have internalized every bad thing that went wrong on my wedding day and taken them as signs that maybe Photo Booth Fred was "the one" too. But this story digs deep into what fate is, if anything at all, and how you have to let go of the "what if's" and the "could have been's" because they aren't real.

Personally, I loved how this book deconstructs the idea of a soulmate, of "the one." Audrey thought it was Fred because he made her feel alive, gave her a rush of adrenaline, and was the impulsive reflection of herself at the time. He was confident in his insecurity, in his instability, just as she was. And Josh was the complete opposite; he was secure, he was assured, he was everything that Audrey had never fallen for before because it meant facing what she would rather keep swept under the rug. She was so used to chasing after an idealized reality. And I think a lot of people, myself included, might believe their person is supposed to make you feel butterflies, feel anxious, and unsure of what is to come. When we really should be looking for the person that makes us feel the reverse––safe, secure, and settled.

All of this to say, this book in general, but also Audrey as a character, is very relatable, and I highly recommend this book!!

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this eARC!! (:

A huge thank you to Putnam books for giving me a free digital arc in exchange for an honest review. I will do my best to keep this review spoiler free since this is an anticipated release.

Sophie Cousens has delivered again 👸🏻!This story was beautiful. Audrey is not a typical romance novel protagonist. She is deeply flawed, processing trauma, and has no idea what she’s going to do with her life. I loved her because she was such a real and relatable character. Her journey of healing, self discovery, and growth was so genuine.

I loved the relationships in this book. Not just the romance, but the friendships and family relationships. The characters were flawed and somewhat dysfunctional at times but that made them feel like real people. I am sad to no longer be hanging out with them.

Without going into spoilers, I will say this book did a fantastic job of balancing light hearted rom com and handing heavy subject matter. The heavy content in this book was relevant to the story and absolutely needed to be there.

I loved this one! Everyone please read this when it comes out!!!

While I tend to love books with back and forth timelines, I found that this one jumped a little bit too much around for me to truly enjoy it. However, by the end of the book all of the timeline tie up pretty well. That all being said, this is a charming what-if style novel that takes place over the course of a wedding weekend.

Before I say I do had it all and I really enjoyed this book. I like her stories and they all are great and I will read more of the books.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for the ARC!

This book is one that I truly truly wanted to like but couldn’t. The premise was super interesting and I went in without reading the reviews because I don’t like to be influenced by what others think.

However, it was really hard for me to get into the book and I think it was mostly to do with the characters. I had a really hard time liking them, with the exception of Clara but she was sort of forgettable.

Listen, it doesn’t matter how happy you are, how complete you feel, at some point, even in passing, the conversation of “what if?” Will come up. But, I just thought that in this particular case it was not necessarily warranted. Maybe it had to do with the instability that Vivien exposed her daughter to. Maybe it had to do with the fact that there are people that will always second guess everything, but this book was not it for me.

Josh was super bland, Fred was whatever, Audrey is really annoying and I just didn’t find myself rooting for anyone.

The writing however, was excellent. My review has nothing to do with Sophie Cousens as a writer because that… that she is, she is a great writer. I just felt like not every story needs to be told.

I have read Sophie Cousens last book this time next year and I was hoping to be just as impressed as I was then. I was not disappointed! From the expert writing that kept me engaged start to finish to the interesting concept of the book and the "what if" of it all. I love second chance romances and I would consider this to be a second chance of sorts. Excellent book that I would recommend to everyone!
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was hooked from the first page, and the alternative timeline was very fun to read! This book will have you at the edge of your seat; you won’t want to stop. You’ll feel all the highs and lows, but it was a wonderful ride. Highly recommend!
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Randomhouse for the advanced e-book copy.

I thought this book sounded interesting but it poses on a whole set of questions that don't seem realistic so I just didn't want to go further in.

This one was a hard one for me. I found I started to dislike Audrey as the book wore on. Josh seemed like such a great guy and Audrey was rude and selfish from the beginning. I should've known by the synopsis of this book that I might not like the storyline. If Josh was a bad guy and she was having doubts, it would've been easier to understand Audrey's actions. This book just fell kinda of meh for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

What if an old fling showed up on your wedding day? Well, that's exactly what happens to Audrey.

I really liked the concept of this book. It's such an interesting thing to think and read about, especially if you're a chronic over-thinker. I enjoyed that aspect very much!

It's the characters that drop this rating down for me. At first, I felt for Audrey. But as the book went on and she ignored the opportunities to resolve the issue, I just didn't really care for her. Also, the "love" interests were not very nice. I would have preferred if she ended up by herself. SPOILER but I can't believe that one of her love interests said that she was hard to love and like we are just going to brush past that? That's not very nice guy of you. Also, her mother? Enough said.

Overall, I think this book is worth the read, as characters are subjective (mostly). I think the plot is really entertaining and I think the "what-if" aspect is relatable.

Before I Do is going to be one of those books that I will think about all the time.

The day before Audrey’s wedding, her “what if” guy shows up?!?! Is it a sign? Is it a coincidence??? What does it mean? What should she do!?!?!

Audrey is a character that I could really relate to because life is hard and there’s so many things out there and there’s so many decisions and it’s overwhelming and I want to find my place and what I’m meant to do but it’s just so hard.

I really loved this book and I am going to recommend it to all my friends when it comes out October!

This was such an entertaining novel from Sophia Cousens! I read her debut This Time Next Year back when it was a GMA Book Club Pick and loved that one too!

It’s the night before Audrey’s wedding, when in walks in a man from her past, immedaitely followed by bad omen and after bad omen. With more than just wedding jitters, Audrey nerves quikcly unravel and she begins to doubt every decsion she’s made since meeting her soon to be husband!

Although this is a light romance, it can be very emotional at times. Yet, it’s filled with fun and quirky moments. I thought the moments set in the past really brought Aubreys world to life. I didn’t love this book as much as This Time Next Year, but it was still entertaining nonetheless

Sophie Cousens does it again! Her books are brilliant! I love how she develops her characters and makes them so relatable. This book is no exception, similar to her previous books, her characters are charming and easy to connect with. She draws readers in and totally captivates them. I love her writing and you better believe her books are an automatic book buy for me. I highly recommend pre-ordering her new release, you won’t regret it!

Overall, I liked this book. You’re probably wondering why I rated it 2 stars if I liked it — there are two big reasons why my rating went down so low.

The first reason being the writing narrative. This book was written in a third person nonlinear timeline, and when I say nonlinear, I mean the timeline was all over the place. It was not consistent or convenient for the reader.

At this point, I probably would’ve given the book a 3 or 4 star rating. But then…

The second reason my rating is so low is because of the ending. I’m not going to give anything away, but I was shocked when Audrey chose who to be with. The options were Josh, the man she was marrying, or Fred, “the one that got away”. Throughout the book, I thought the author was dropping clues by painting one of the two to be an awful man. But then that was the one she chose?!

With the exception of the narrative timeline and the ending, I would’ve liked this book a lot more. I will say that it was an entertaining read but those two factors really impacted my thoughts on this book.

What happens if “The One that Got Away” showed up the night before your wedding…as your future sister in law’s date? This is the question at the center is Before I Do - another romance hit from Sophie Cousens!

I’ve come to love her writing so much. While not as spicy as many recent rom-coms, Cousens combines her signature endearing main character and entertaining side characters to create a perfect cast that keeps you turning the pages. I love the dual timelines and couldn’t wait to see how things played out between Audrey, Josh & Fred. Definitely a fun and tender fall read!

Thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and NetGalley for this arc!

Sophie Cousens is slowly becoming a must read author for me! I loved This Time Next Year and Just Haven’t Met You Yet.

This book had a lot to do with fate and soulmates. It sort of reminded me of Meant to Be Mine and Dream On.

I enjoyed the different timelines and how we got to see Audrey’s relationship develop with Josh and the day she met Fred.

The one character I couldn’t stand was Audrey’s mother. No wonder Audrey had such issues and cold feet. And I don’t think her mom really got called out much for her behavior. Just sort of forgiven.

There were definitely points when I was frustrated with Audrey. But I mostly felt sorry for her. She needed to talk to someone. And maybe get a therapist.

I think this book is not what you expect and might surprise you!