Before I Do by Sophie Cousens

Before I Do

by Sophie Cousens

A heartwarming and playful novel about the ones we love and the ones we lose by the New York Times bestselling author of This Time Next Year
 
What would you do if 'the one that got away' turned up the night before your wedding?



    Head-in-the-stars Audrey is about to marry down-to-earth Josh. Though they are polar opposites, they have a healthy, stable relationship; Josh is just what Audrey needs. But romance should be unpredictable and full of fireworks, and as the big day approaches, Audrey’s found herself wondering if Josh really is "The One."
 
    So, when Josh’s sister shows up to the rehearsal dinner with Fred, Audrey’s "What If? guy"—the man she met six years ago and had one amazing day with—Audrey finds herself torn. Surely Fred’s appearance the night before she is due to get married can’t be a coincidence. And when everything that could go wrong with the wedding starts to go wrong, Audrey has to ask herself: Is fate trying to stop her from making a huge mistake? Or does destiny just have a really twisty sense of humor?

Reviewed by The Romantic Comedy Book Club on

5 of 5 stars

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The streak continues! Three books by Cousens and I have read each one in under 24 hours because I simply couldn’t put it down!

Sophie Cousens has the ability to pick you up, wrap you in such an engaging story where time cease to exist, and then puts you back down feeling lighter than air. I always finish her books with a smile on my face and a bounce in my step, this one was no exception.

Before I Do revolves around that pesky question “What if?” that many of us focus on when we aren’t 100% sure of the decisions we have made. What if we took a different job? What if we dated someone else? What if we didn’t open the door, answer the phone, said yes to the dress? We follow Audrey through her journey where she constantly questions where her life would be if she had gone right instead of left, taking one action over another. To make matters more confusing, she has the chance to relive one of her “What if’s” six years later, on the day before her wedding.

What I liked about this book: EVERYTHING!! The adrenaline from this book was insane. There were moments that I found myself hopping up and down because I just couldn’t take the suspense of what was happening. I would skip ahead just to see the outcome so I could calm down enough to finish the chapter (I have done this with a couple of well written books so kudos Cousens!) The humor of this book is classic to the other two books I have read by Cousens. Her laugh out loud moments will stick with you, even when you put the book down (I rethought what happened to Ben and found myself laughing unexpectedly as I crossed a parking lot. Poor Ben!). What I honestly love the most about Cousens books are the stories within the story. Along with the humor there are real life/relatable situations and struggles. What Audrey experienced as a young adult and how much of that shaped her life was heartbreaking. Josh's story as a young boy, if I could have reached through the pages and hugged him, I would have!

What I didn’t like about this book: Honestly, it hasn’t nothing to do with the story Sophie envisioned by I REALLY would have liked to have seen Benedict get his comeuppance! Again, I know it wouldn’t have had anything to do with the story but I would have taken it as a bonus or a news flash that he was arrested or his career was ruined in some way for being the awful human being that he was.

True to form, Cousens jumps from past to present throughout the story but makes sure the story is still easy to follow. Written with such truth of what love is versus what love should be, this is a book I would definitely read again and recommend!

Thank you NetGalley for providing me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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  • 13 September, 2022: Reviewed