I loved the different time lines from past and present to give you a full picture. Audrey is about to get married when Fred shows up and she once thought he was the one. She can’t help but feel this is a sign? Then so many bad omens start happening at the wedding and she wishes her father was there to talk to.

Aubrey has had a difficult relationship with her mother and she has been holding a lot of guilt. She is glad Hillary is there to talk her off the ledge.

I just enjoyed all the raw emotion in this book and how vulnerable and real Audrey was that made her so likable and relatable.

This book is about love, relationships, family, friendship, forgiveness, and moving forward. It is just so beautifully written and entertaining.

What would you do if the one that got away shows up to your wedding as your future sister-in-law’s date?

Such an interesting plot line and I loved how you get snippets here and there as you’re reading along. I loved seeing into Audrey’s past to see how she met Fred and all the moments that led up to her falling in love with Josh too. The past and present chapters made the story flow so nicely. Being inside Audrey’s head will have you feeling all the emotions she’s feeling. It’s quite a rollercoaster ride, so be prepared for all the ups and downs. With lots of disastrous and romantic moments you’ll be sure to love this book too!

Thank you so much NetGalley & G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the advanced reader copy.

I love books that go back and forth in time! It all leads up to her decisions for her wedding and I liked getting background knowledge on her choices. I was hooked! I loved the characters and the story development.

Thank you NetGalley and Sophie Cousens!

I hate to say it, but I didn't love this one.... ah! *covers face*
Audrey's "What If" guy shows up unexpectedly the night before her wedding. Her first love. Unresolved love. Question mark of her past. The book is told in flashbacks from her previous relationship to present day occurrences at her wedding. While I loved some of the characters and parts of the story - I just didn't connect with Audrey. I couldn't decide if she loved Josh or just **wanted** to love him. She went from praising him to listing his faults. I found myself frustrated with Audrey for not having a backbone and making up her mind. There was just too much indecision and unsettled moments for my heart to handle. Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was a cute, if not forgettable, book. I enjoyed the storyline and writing style, and I even liked the flip flopping timelines which converged at the end of the book. Overall a cute story of love and the challenges of life. Thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

'Before I Do' hooks you right away and keeps you guessing til the end. The novel starts with a wedding that seems to have a runaway bride. Next, the author takes you back through the life of the main character, Audrey, right up to the wedding weekend. Granny Parker's "bad omens" were hilarious, but then Audrey starts to wonder if she is making the right choice and how life may have played out differently.

Sophie Cousens' writing style is delightful as always, but I found the characters frustrating and unlikable. In my opinion, I liked 'Just Haven't Met You Yet' much more.

However, this book was entertaining and fans of Sophie Cousens' should read.

Sophie Cousens never disappoints. This was a very quick, enjoyable read & it would make a perfect Hallmark movie!!

I love a good Sophie Cousens romance. While this has one minor hiccup near the end, the story still delights. Before I Do time travels back and forth between Audrey and Josh’s wedding day and the bride’s past where formative days that shape fate and her decisions. At the forefront, at her rehearsal dinner, Audrey faces a man from her past with whom she shared one magical day six years earlier. From there, the wedding day is marred with several calamities, all making Audrey question her decisions. The story takes you in several directions that I didn’t predict. It was a fun journey. In the end you will root for Audrey and her happiness.
Thank you NetGalley and Putnam for an ARC of this book in exchange for my review. This book releases on 10/11/22.

Thank you to NetGalley, Putnam Books, and Sophie Cousens for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Before I Do brings us Audrey who is entering her wedding day when she is suddenly confronted with the worst kind of question: is true love only about choosing your partner or is there really such a thing as soul mates? With this book Sophie Cousens gave us something so much more than just another romance story. This story was not only a romance story, but a story of forgiveness, a story of second chances, a story of healing, and a story of family. Relationships play a key role throughout the entire plot: between Audrey and Fred, Audrey and Josh, Audrey and her mom, Audrey and all of her Mom’s husbands (especially Benedict). The book flashes back and forth between several different timelines and jumping around between the years. I thought it would be hard to follow, but it really wasn’t. I found myself being more impatient because I needed to know what had happened in the past as soon as possible. Granny Parker was high-key the best character, providing both comedic relief and sound advice. I honestly expected myself to be Team Fred (the what-if guy from Audrey’s past who shows up at her wedding out of the blue at the date of her husband-to-be’s sister), because I like my rom-coms to be a bit on the unrealistic romance side. However, I found myself firmly Team Josh the entire story and was rooting for him and Audrey to pull out the win. Ultimately, I found this story to be a testament to what true love/commitment actually looks like: hard work, choosing the other person, and happiness.

I enjoyed this book and got a lot more from it than expected. The characters were fantastic, but it really unpacked all the possible doubts than anyone would have before they say, “I do.”

The main character, Audrey, seemed to be easily swayed and also deflated by people in her life until she finally figures out what she wants. It is very ironic how her wedding day seemed to be about everyone else and everything that could go wrong, did go wrong.

The writing cadence shifting back and forth from present to past made it more interesting.

Thanks to Penguin Group Putnam Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced copy. I will definitely be checking out the authors other books!

WHAT A BOOK!

Who hasn't had the one who got away, and wondered about this exact situation? There was even an XKCD comic about it.

Amazing book, I loved it

5 stars, absolutely no question about it.

Damn, what a ride. This book started off with a bang and it kept me hooked the whole way through.

Let's start with the characters: They were all nuanced and SO well developed.
Vivien was such a wonderfully complicated mother. Seeing how she shaped/carried herself throughout each of her relationships and how Audrey experienced it was a great way to show how it affected their relationship through the years as well as how it affected Audrey on a fundamental level.
We got to see Josh through several different lenses as Audrey's perception of him changed throughout the book - not just prior to their relationship, but even during the days preceding the wedding/during the wedding/and after. We really got to know him as a multidimensional character and got to see why he and Audrey complement each other so well.
Getting to know Fred started of as the meet-cute to end all meet-cutes. The reader is caught up in the whirlwind that is Fred just like Audrey was. It's so easy to fall in love with him and see him as "the one that got away" and root for him, especially in the beginning. Slowly, we begin to see the "what if" that Fred represents as exactly that - a fantasy.
Audrey, my sweet nervous wreck of a bride, I sympathize with you. The way she was written as a character was fantastic. As the reader, I was firmly on her side throughout the book. I felt her highs and lows, her complete lack of surety during the big moments, and the way she felt adrift in her own life. Was she flawed? Absolutely. She was selfish, flighty, and wasn't ready to accept the "why" behind her hesitation in marrying Josh. But that, paired with the way the book was structured, made her a relatable (if sometimes unreliable) character. Something I loved about her progression (thanks, Granny Parker) was how she finally took ownership of her flaws and actively worked to address them in order to fix her relationship.

Structure: I LOVED the way this was written, jumping between time points and giving us context that way. It was a great way to show her whirlwind with Fred, the natural growth of her relationship with Josh, and the other events that shaped Audrey along the way. I think that if it had all been given chronologically, it would run the risk of feeling overwhelming/stale at times.
The way the story was written also had me questioning things along the way. Who would she end up with? Is Josh the love-match we think he is? Is Fred?? And my favorite - WHO did Josh take on their honeymoon trip?? (Because yeah, f*ck Harriet) I knew where we would end up but the "how" of it was unclear and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.

Favorite takeaway from this book: There are hundreds of ways that things could have worked out and hundreds of reasons why they didn't and holding onto that doubt is a sure fire way to ensure you end up miserable and living in the past.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for providing me with an arc of ‘Before I Do’ in exchange for an honest review.

Audrey is less than a day away from marrying the love of her life, Josh, when a blast from the past shows up! Old fling Fred randomly shows up and completely throws off Audrey and causes doubt in her choices. She is now reminiscing on every decision she has made when it comes to Josh and Fred, and she’s wondering if she has made any right choices in her life.

This book took me on a wild ride. I felt so many things all throughout! There were twists and turns and so many surprises. The prologue was incredible and absolutely hooked me. I also really enjoyed the flashbacks going back and forth from the past to the present day. It really helped me with connecting to each part of Audrey’s life and how that may have impacted her on her wedding day. Sophie wrote this in a way that makes it seem like each man is perfect for Audrey, and at the same time they’re completely not. Audrey kept going back and forth, she’s wondering if either man is right for her. There was also background on her mother, whose choices make clear that she didn’t provide Audrey with a good example of how to choose the right man. No wonder she’s confused! I also really resonated with Audrey with the way she was wishing she had a different life. It’s very relatable. Sometimes we can get swept away with the idea of something, and it can be hard to accept what is!

I enjoyed the themed of fate and chance. It’s intriguing to wonder what things in life we actually make happen and what things are simply meant to be for us! I also enjoyed the message of ~ you are worthy of love whether you are put together in life or not ~ I loved that so much! Sometimes I feel like I need to have everything right in my life for me to feel even ‘ready’ for something to start. But honestly, who’s ever ready?

Audrey is about to marry Josh, but she keeps thinking about the "what-if's" from 7-years ago when she "met" Fred at a photobook. Audrey and Fred shared one magical day together, with the hopes of many more, but fate tore them apart and they never had their chance. All those years go by and he walks into her rehearsal dinner with her future sister-in-law, throwing her state of mind into a tail spin.

I love Sophie Cousens. Her books always rope me in and keep me turning the pages. This book was no exception. The timelines jump from present day Wedding, to 6/7 years ago when Audrey met Fred (and was dealing with her Mom's current relationship), and the last 4 years since she's met Josh. You start thinking one thing about each character, and rooting for certain ones, but as the story continues it goes down paths you didn't expect. I really was rooting for Audrey and felt she was relatable as she was flawed.

When NetGalley approved this book I literally dropped all the books I was reading and made this a priority. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Putnam Books for the e-Arc!

Before I Do is available 10/11/2022!

A big thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam/G.P. Putnam's Sons for the opportunity to read this digital ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Audrey is a flighty, head in the stars kind of woman, and Josh is a down to earth, sweet & constant man who brings out the best in Audrey. Audrey and Josh are about to get married, but bad omens continue to surround the wedding day until the biggest of omens makes Audrey rethink if Josh is really "the One." Enter Fred, "the One who got away", who shows up as Josh's sister's plus one to their wedding. Will his presence unravel the wedding, or will they persevere?

I think this is my personal favorite of Sophie's works! I went through all of the emotions in this book: I teared up, laughed a ton (Granny Parker was a blessing), and even got angry. I was a BIG Josh fan, and didn't care much for Fred. Josh deserved so much better than what Audrey put him through! The supporting characters also had some drama of their own, which kept things interesting. I couldn't deal with Audrey's mother, and actually rolled my eyes multiple times from her dialogue. 🙄

I love the multiple timeline aspect, as it kept me engaged and trying to guess the final ending, I appreciate that the author allowed us to look deeper into those "What If" questions surrounding love that we all face at one point or another. While I didn't agree with everything that Audrey did, I did end up loving the ending of this book!

Tropes: meet cute, opposites attract

CW: panic attacks, sexual harassment, infidelity

This book comes out on October 11, 2022!

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for an ARC of Sophie Cousens’s Before I Do in exchange for an honest review.

Let’s begin with a synopsis. It’s the night before Audrey is supposed to marry Josh when Fred, the “one that got away,” unexpectedly shows up to her rehearsal dinner. This occurrence, as well as other things that go wrong through out the day leading up to and day of the wedding, she is thrown into a tailspin of doubts. Is Josh who she is supposed to marry or is fate telling her otherwise?

This book is told from Audrey’s point of view throughout different times in her life: her history with her Fred, her history with Josh, her history with her mother’s many husbands who have been in her life and how they have affected her, and, of course, present day. These timelines of these stories are mixed chapter by chapter. I loved reading all of the stories. It helped to explain why Audrey was struggling so much with what she should do with her future. The relationship between Audrey and Fred and also between Audrey and Josh were night and day. While reading the book, I struggled with who I thought she would and should end up with. I thought Cousens did a fabulous job showing the true struggle real life can throw your way with decision making and also how people internalize situations they think they are responsible for. I really enjoyed this book and recommend it, along with the other books by Sophie Cousens that I have also read including this Time Next Year and Just Haven’t met You Yet.

#SophieCousens #BeforeIDo #Romance #ContemporaryFiction
#Fiction #Weddings #Doubts #TheOneThatGotAway
#WhatIf #OppositesAttract

This book is adorable!

Audrey and Josh are an unlikely couple…polar opposites that have some how made it to their wedding day. There are so many mishaps leading up to the big day that Audrey starts to question if it’s just a run of bad luck or fate trying to change her path? It makes her question everything…and on top of everything “the one that got away” shows up at her rehearsal dinner…oh dear!

This was such a fun read! Romcom perfection!!!

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for this opportunity!

I’m a sucker for rom-coms; especially, in the summer. The plot was cute & I loved the ending. While this one did not disappoint, it wasn’t my favorite by Sophie Cousens. It’s a light, easy binge read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Let me preface this review with 2 things:
1. I love Sophie Cousens' books
2. I hate cheating/infidelity being romanticized in stories

That being said, I did love this newest release from Sophie. Without giving too much away, I was uncomfortable part way through this book, wondering how she was going to wrap things up, but ultimately I loved how it came together.

We meet Audrey after she has just run out of the chapel in the middle of her wedding. Unsure what preceeded this, the story unfolds in alternating timelines including present day during her wedding and in the past (jumping around to different critical points in time).

The gist is this: the night before her wedding - Fred shows up. Six years ago, she had one magical day with Fred and then they just seemed unable to find their way back to each other. However, she is on the cusp of marrying Josh, a down-to-earth guy who no one thought was really head-in-the-stars Audrey's type. Is Fred's arrival a sign? Whether or not it is, it sets off a reaction in Audrey where she is questioning if she is doing the right thing. While Fred's arrival is the impetus for pushing her there, we soon learn that her mother's ongoing infidelity and failed marriages, as well as Audrey's emotional baggage are much more at play than anyone realized.

This is a story about love, loss, family and destiny.

This was a good read. While it wasn't something I would usually choose for myself, I found myself enjoying the story. I have some patrons in mind already, so I'm going to purchase a couple of copies for the library. I think it'll be well-received in our collection.