Sophie Cousens refers to Before I Do as a jigsaw puzzle. Using her analogy, she has put all of the pieces in place to create a beautiful picture.

It’s the story of a young woman who suddenly has another chance with the might-have-been from her past. Unfortunately, timing being what it is, she’s about to marry someone who loves her very much … and as she has to keep reminding herself, she loves him too.

Through near and far flashbacks, Cousens tells the story of Audrey’s love interests, how she met them, how she lost them, and how she found them again. The flashbacks can get confusing so readers have to check the chapter headers to stay in sync with the story. Worth it? Absolutely.

Watching our flawed heroine work through her choices, pay the price for her mistakes (and her ego), and grow as a result was delightful. I won’t tell you the ending but I promise you that I was completely invested and unsure of how things would end. Literally, I was so nervous that Audrey would make the ‘wrong’ choice that I had to put the book down and walk away.

Oh yes, I picked it back up again! And I’m glad I did. The ending is wonderful and there’s a side character who absolutely steals the show. Now, I have to read all of her books and I can’t wait!

Before I Do by Sophie Cousens is scheduled to be available on October 11, 2022.

I received a digital ARC through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I was hooked on this book from the very beginning! The characters were adorable and I loved their love story. Even with the rotating timelines in the story, it was easy to follow.

Before I Do turned out to be such a surprising read. Audrey is a lovable character who is so incredible but so unsure of herself. I like how the chapters alternate between Audrey’s wedding day and events of the past. I had no clue how the plot would turn out until the end. Excellent read!

This might be my favorite Sophie Cousens’ book so far! Audrey is caught between past and present when a person from her past unexpectedly shows up at her wedding festivities. From there, we jump from timeline to timeline piecing her life together as she grapples with what is meant to be and does fate really exist at all. I was left guessing how it was going to end and which direction she would choose and it did not disappoint. I loved the characters (as always, she creates the best ones!) and the message was really beautiful.

I would read Sophie Cousens’ grocery list. Her stories are immersive experiences. “Before I Do” raises thought-provoking questions and challenges your conception of love. I loved this book (I binged read it) and am eagerly anticipating her next work!

Thank you Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for providing me with an arc of 'Before I Do' in exchange for an honest review.

Wow this book took me on a WHIRLDWILD of emotions! From smiling and laughing out loud with the characters to crying actual tears for them, I simply couldn't put it down. This novel by far exceeded my expectations and made me fall in love with Sophie Cousens' writing even more.

'Before I Do' is a story about the nuance of choice and how oftentimes we let the notion of having an infinite amount hold a certain degree of power over us. On the day of Audrey's wedding, a past lover shows up unexpectedly making her doubt the man she's about to marry. Could this be fate? Overwhelmed by the omens that keep occurring leading up to the ceremony, we go back in time between chapters to learn about how the past is playing such a significant role in the present.

One of my biggest takeaways from this book is that it's easy for us to mourn the lives we aren't living. It's easy to wish we'd developed other talents and said yes to different offers, however we can't tell if any of those other versions of ourselves would have been better or worse because we can only live the life that we are currently leading. There was so much to Audrey’s story and this book took me in a completely different direction than I thought it was originally going. The plot had me at the edge of my seat not knowing which guy Audrey was going to end up with. Completely unrelated but I absolutely loved every character in this book, it was very clear that each one was written thoughtfully and with so much detail. The grandma in particular stood out to me the most, I loved seeing her pop up throughout the book. I usually am not one for 3rd person POV books however it was written so well it didn't bother me at all.

One thing I think that should be noteworthy is that I believe there could've been more diversity amongst the characters and a slight TW (panic attacks, sexual harassment) proceeding the first chapter but overall this book was phenomenal and I recommend it to all my romcom lovers!

I absolutely freaked out when I got approved for an ARC of Before I Do, @/Sophie Cousens’ latest novel. Before I Do is one of my most anticipated releases for 2022. Both of Sophie Cousens’ other novels were highly rated from me and her newest was no different.

What if the one that got away showed up at your wedding? This is the question that Audrey, the novel’s almost-bride protagonist is wrestling in the few days leading up to her wedding. Audrey has met her match, Josh is mister-perfect, Prince Charming, and her opposite in almost every way. When he asked her to marry him, it was a no brainer, but she couldn’t get those lingering thoughts of Fred out of her head. Fred and Audrey had an off-chance meeting and missed connection that she has thought about for the past six years, and now he’s at her rehearsal dinner. So, what should she do?

This book brought me to tears and had me cracking up all at the same time. One thing I love about Cousens’ stories is the chaos in the plot but also in the lives of her protagonists. Audrey is easy to relate to because as much as the reader has no idea what she should do, she doesn’t either. You feel like you’re living in the story with her, trying to make this decision that could alter the rest of her life.

The side characters in this story provide some of my favorite comic relief that I’ve seen from a rom-com in a while and I enjoyed Hillary to no end. Audrey’s relationship with her mom adds to her story as well just making her journey toward love all the more difficult but also special. There’s no shortage of love of laughs in Before I Do and I highly recommend to anyone looking for a heartfelt and fun romance!

Special thanks to @/netgalley @/putnam and @/Sophie Cousens for this advanced copy! Pub day is October 11!

rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers. I enjoyed this book and the way the timeline jumped back and forth. I thought it would be confusing when I started the book, but intimately I did think it contributed to the storytelling. I found the book hard to get into at first, but after about 25% in, I was fully
Invested in Audrey and the men in her life.

"Love changes us, there's a metamorphosis. Everyone I've loved has changed the shape of my heart."

One day until Audrey and Josh's wedding, should be nothing but wonderful leading up to the happiest days of their lives, except it's a long string of bad luck. Dead bats are the least of Audrey's worries when her what-if man from an unforgettable day seven years ago shows up at the rehearsal dinner as her SIL's date. Audrey starts to question everything, including whether or not she's marrying the right man in just a days time.

This book was infuriating to read, but in a satisfying and addicting way. Cousens takes us through the past, meeting Fred (her what-if man), meeting Josh (her fiancé), and her relationship with her parents. It's one of those stories where you go in and you have no idea what man Audrey is going to choose, but as you hear more of her past, you definitely have a favorite and are rooting for her to pick the right guy and groaning in frustration when she teeters in the other direction. No spoilers, this is just too good, and you haaave to experience all the feelings yourself.

I loved the set up of this book. As frustrating as Audrey was, Cousens did a great job of rounding out her story, and her choices, and thoughts make sense the more you uncover about her past. You can't help but feel for Audrey and understand a little bit why her head has been in the clouds. The ending was perfect, everything that happened needed to or I'm sure readers would be peeved with all characters involved.

A wonderful romance that takes you through the MC's journey right along side her through every stage in life. We got to see Audrey fall in love with Fred, Josh (NOT JAMES!), her friendships with Clara and Hillary, and her relationship with both her parents. A quick read, but very well written.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam, and Sophie Cousens for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

↠ 4.25 stars

Thank you Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for providing me with an arc of Before I Do. I had a great time reading it!

Before I Do is about a woman, Audrey, who we meet the night before her wedding day. She is going to marry Josh who is a very particular and sweet man. But in walks in Fred, a man who Audrey had one perfect day with years ago. The story is told through flashbacks to when Fred and Audrey first met and when Audrey started dating Josh. As the book goes on Audrey starts to question her relationship with both men and where her fate lies.

Here are my thoughts:

This book had me HOOKED from the first page. I stayed up late reading the ending because I was dying to know what happened (and that's saying a lot because I have a newborn at home and I need sleep!). I read This Time Next Year last year and I loved it so I had high hopes for this book. Sophie did not disappoint!

I loved the main character Audrey. She's the kind of girl you relate to very easily. She has some Daddy/Mommy issues that she clearly needs to work on. I really liked both Josh (the man she is supposed to marry). I just love how the book made it seem like there was going to be something wrong with Josh. Like that would explain Audrey's doubts. But instead, he's just a big lovable, and caring man who may or may not have some OCD tendencies.

The other side characters were funny and endearing. Clara was beyond relatable and Hillary was amazing. Even Granny Parker, who I wanted to scream at during one scene, was someone I wish I had in my corner.

I could write a whole loooooonnnnngggg paragraph about her mother but I won't I'll just say, "Wait until you meet her. She's a trip!"

Lastly, I'm very happy with the ending and couldn't have thought of a better way to wrap it up. I really think Before I Do makes you think about soul mates. I'm not sure if I believe in them but I know that people come into our lives for a reason. and I think Fred came to the wedding that day so Audrey could finally realize who her true love is!

Before I Do is told in the third person with intricately woven multiple timelines which is presented in such a fantastic way!

Audrey and Josh are polar opposites, where Josh lives by lists and planning Audrey is spontaneous and unorganized. In 3 years of being together they get engaged. After a series of outrageous (some quite hilarious) “bad omens” as Granny Parker dubs them events happen and the arrival of Audrey’s “what-if” guys appearance at the rehearsal dinner it has Audrey questioning whether fate is trying to tell her something or if it’s just pre-wedding jitters.

This story had me riding the emotional rollercoaster right alongside Audrey as she tries to interpret her feelings and beliefs. Is love about finding your soulmate or is love about putting in the work, not giving up, and being a team? I felt like I was rooting for different scenarios throughout the whole book and left me guessing the whole way through.

Cousens created depth in the story as Audrey struggles with finding her worth. Her journey was definitely relatable as she unpacks her personal traumas and baggage which allows for her personal growth.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my review!

Honestly at this point I would read Sophie Cousens' grocery list!! This pulled me in and made me fall in love with the characters so quickly! Absolutely smashed it!!!

This book did not pull me in. I gave it until page 100 before I finally called it quits. I just had a hard time connecting with the characters.

Audrey is preparing to get married, when disaster strikes again and again, including the guy that got away. Is Audrey prepared to get married or will her past come back to haunt her?

This story jumps back and forth between real time and years past, letting you see how everything in her past has shaped her into the person she is today. You see her relationship unfold with her fiance and how a chance encounter led her to carry a picture in her wallet for years and wonder "what if".

A lovely story, that captured my attention from start to finish with incredible laugh out loud moments.

i think at this point i would read anything sophie cousens has written. this review is belated but i read this ARC a while ago and absolutely loved it! everything was effect and i fell in love with the characters. thank you so much for the opportunity to read this gem!!!

Special thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of Before I Do.

I am a big fan of Sophie Cousens books because she always takes a romcom & gives it even more than you would expect. While her books are always feel good reads, they also include more depth than a stereotypical romcom & that’s why she is a must purchase author for me.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book & would recommend to anyone looking for a feel good story!

I’m looking forward to having a physical copy of this one on my bookshelf when my preorder arrives :)

Do you ever read a book and feel like the author pulled the story out from within you? This book feels exactly like that, almost like the author made me bare my soul to her so she could craft this.

I went into this story expecting it to be one of those cliche “same time every day the main character relives that Pivotal Moment in her life, constantly stuck in different lives until she realizes what the correct decision was all along.

Oh how wrong I was.

This story follows our FMC, Audrey, across the span of years. Decades, even. With each chapter a different time in her life. Normally, I don’t like stories written this way as the constant time change never allows me to fully connect with the story at hand. While there were times reading this book that I skipped a flashback or two, for the most part I enjoyed reading the brief glimpses into Audrey’s past. Fred made my heart skip a beat like Audrey, and I even found myself silently rooting for him and her to work out. Without spoiling the ending, I will say that I was pleasantly surprised. I found it to be a little corny, but overall very realistic and mature.

I found myself connecting to Audrey in a way I haven’t with a FMC before. I’m in a long term relationship and have often wondered “what if” myself. Rarely have I been forced to look at what “what is” and I LOVED that this book forced me to do that.

All around a solid 4.5 star read. I would have preferred this to be a two-part story (then vs now), as I was taken out quite a bit when the time jumps interrupted a pivotal scene. Thank you to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4796409222

This book was a super cute read. I really appreciated that it wasn't a stereotypical romcom where the female is a "perfect" character, rather, I laughed with Audrey, cried with Audrey, got mad at Audrey, and rooted for Audrey. I also really enjoyed the supporting characters as well - absolutely adored Hillary and Clara. The multi-timeline POV was effective in engagement of the three characters' stories! Also I genuinely had no idea how the book was going to end, and as a serial predictor and theorizer, it was so refreshing and fun to read this one that kept me guessing!

Another delightful romcom from Sophie Cousens with a thoughtful examination of the nature of love and marriage.

Audrey runs out of her wedding, alone, and with a big bump on her head. We are then whisked back in time not only to the events of the hours leading up to the wedding but also to several key moments in Audrey’s life.

Six years ago, Audrey met cute with Fred and had a deliriously romantic day with him. But he never called back and over the next week Audrey’s life fell apart: she fractures her relationship with her mother and ruins her chances of being able to study astronomy (though the fact that she thinks Pluto is a planet probably wouldn’t help her chances either).

Three years later, Audrey meets Josh and eventually they start dating. But they’re chalk and cheese: Josh is a planner and organizer, Audrey is messy and spontaneous. Even as they get engaged and move in together, there’s a niggle in the back of Audrey’s mind: should she settle for this quotidian love with its tax returns and crumbs in bed, or should she be looking for something larger and more romantic. When Fred turns up at her wedding, is Fate sending her an answer?

The novel has a slightly complicated timeline, but always comes back to the spine: the hours before the wedding. The author takes on serious topics of sexual harassment, death of loved ones, and self-doubt, but she has a light hand and a sure touch with blending these in with the com element without belittling genuine feelings. The rom side is quietly powerful, driven by the question of whether soul mates exist and if you should be content with anything less.

As ever with a novel of this nature, there is an abundance of witty and charming, but thinly sketched out support characters including Hillary, Audrey’s old “nactor” (a nanny who is also an actor), her best friend Clara who is dealing with the strain of young twins, and Brian, one of Audrey’s two stepdads. More substantial are Audrey and Josh, as well as Audrey’s mother, Vivian, an actor (though we’re only told that, there’s little evidence of it) and serial bride.

For me, this is a superior example of the romantic comedy genre and I had a thoroughly enjoyable few hours in the frothy and fizzy company of Audrey, Josh, and co. If romcoms are your cup of tea too, I highly recommend it.

Thanks to Putnam and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

Thank you to Putnam and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I enjoyed “Just Haven’t Met You Yet” and was very excited to read another book by Sophie Cousens. Before I Do starts with the bride running out of the church with a bump on her head, trailing a turmoil of emotions. It proceeds to take the reader on a roller coaster run between past and present, where we see all the events and decisions that lead up to this moment.

Audrey is a flawed, but lovable character. The people in her life, especially her mother and her many lovers and husbands, have greatly influenced how Audrey sees the world and love. Somewhat surprisingly, she is not jaded about love and remains hopeful. She does however, spend a lot of time thinking about the past and what ifs.

For anyone who has considered “the one who got away” or what would’ve happened if you chose someone else to spend your life with, this novel is for you. It explores deep topics, but doesn’t take itself too seriously. The wedding antics, the supporting cast, and Josh’s steamy romance novel loving grandmother all provide comic relief. My favorite scene had to be on the plane - it made me laugh out loud.

This book would make a great gift for a soon to be bride, your best friend, your sister or yourself. It reminds us to treasure those who love us, to live in the present and to be honest in our relationships. This is all advice that is worth it’s weight in gold.