Out on a Limb is one of my all-time favorite books, so I was super excited for the follow up novel featuring Caleb and Sarah! I loved these high school sweethearts in the first book, so it was so much fun getting to know them even more.

No surprise, but I loved everything about them and this book! It was fun following Sarah and Caleb reconnecting on a couples’ retreat. The major theme of this book was about growth both personally and in relationships. Sarah’s and Caleb’s individual and collective growth was super evident and made me love this even more.

Hannah Bonam-Young is such an incredible writer!

I received this book as an E-ARC and I didn’t know exactly what to expect going into it. I loved Out on a Limb and I was scared I would just miss Win and Bo, but this book exceeded my expectations!
I don’t think I have ever related to a character more than I related to Sarah. Sarah and Caleb showed what a true and honest marriage looks like. They both showed what honest communication, self awareness, and endless support looks like in a relationship. A lot of books tend to romanticize the miscommunication and toxic parts of relationships, but this books did the exact opposite and I loved it.
Please read this book!!

I didn't realize until I started reading that this book is the same friend group as "Out on a Limb" so if I wasn't already excited to read this one, now I couldn't wait! Hannah Bonam-Young has really hit her stride as a writer with these two books. I was a little skeptical about whether the plot of this one would work for me, but I shouldn't have been b/c I LOVED it!

There's something refreshing about the idea of a romance where the couple is already together and working out a way to stay together... while also discovering more about their own growth and life trajectory. Growing together, it turns out, makes for a great romance novel!

Thank you to Dell, Hannah Bonam-Young, and @netgalley for my advanced copy.

First and foremost, I would like to thank the Publisher, author and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this Arc. Thank y’all so much!

Out of the Woods is a never ending exploration of love, identity, and rediscovery.

You get to meet high school sweethearts Sarah and Caleb Linwood, now married for seventeen years; the novel delves into their journey as they both confront personal and shared challenges.

When Sarah’s independent endeavor falters and Caleb steps in uninvited, tensions rise, prompting the couple to embark on a week-long wilderness retreat aimed at rekindling their bond.

Through moments of humor, vulnerability, and growth, Bonam-Young crafts a narrative that underscores the complexities of long-term relationships and the enduring power of connection.

This book actually spoke to me as I have been married for a decade. No marriage is perfect and I took would struggle with self identity and communication.

This book made me cry and laugh while also showing that even the most picture perfect relationships can be a rollercoaster of a ride.

Out of the Woods is an interconnected standalone set after Out on a Limb. You don't have to read the first book in order to enjoy this one, but I do recommend it because it was incredible.

Sarah and Caleb have been married for a long time and they love each other deeply. But Sarah is starting to wonder who she is outside of being his wife. The couple has grown distant since the death of Sarah's mother to ALS. They decide to go on a couple's hiking retreat to help them rediscover themselves. This was an absolutely beautiful story of self discovery and finding yourself in the face of challenges and obstacles. This story was heartwarming, heartbreaking and incredibly humorous all at the same time. I found myself laughing, crying and swooning throughout the story. I loved how the characters worked together through their issues and really put forth the effort needed to rekindle and reconnect with one another instead of letting their past get in the way of them moving forward. The slow burn between the couple was also amazing and the spice was so good. Hannah Bonam-Young is definitely an auto-buy author for me at this point and I cannot wait to read more of her wonderful stories.

Read if you like:
▪️ marriage in crisis
▪️ high school sweethearts
▪️ forced proximity
▪️ found family
▪️ emotional romance + romcom
▪️ couples retreat in the wilderness

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinions.

A really nice read about two people who have been married for so long that they've lost each other along the way. I really like how the author delves into the harder parts of static relationships.

This was a really good read! Very relatable. Alot of people loose who they are as a couple let alone as an individual. There was growing together and self discovery. I also love that it was set in a camping retreat!

4.5 ★ thank you Dell for the ARC! I loved Out on a Limb & felt quite similarly about this one. I have not read a lot books with the “marriage in trouble” trope but I really enjoyed how Sarah and Caleb always felt like they were going to work it out in the end and that the issues they are facing were entirely real but also manageable and able to be worked out throughout the course of the novel. I loved seeing Bo&Win&Gus again as well as all of the new side characters. The pacing was great and I loved the writing style.

this book was so fun! at first, i was almost off put by Sarah. she seemed whinny, but i am so glad that i gave her the chance to grow. as someone who also got married young, i really loved the perspective of young love growing. Sarah says something beautiful about being planted next to the person you love and growing with them. Caleb and Sarah figured out how to do just that, even when they hate the outdoors and had to camp out there for the week. i am sad to never read another book with Win, Bo, Sarah or Caleb, but this was such a good way to end their little story. i loved it.

I started the book strong, as it was normally not a trope I would read. I was going well and knowing about the thoughts of both the couple and them talking about what they want from each other to other people instead of with them. But as I kept on reading, when they would just overthink a certain thing and make it a big deal, I was like okay one time, two time. I just lost interest at the end. I love the writing of the author. I have read her previous books and loved it. I would have posted a review, but I really couldn't finish the book, and I can't publish a review if I dnf'ed. So, sorry for it. I love your writing though. If I had to rate based on how much I read I would say, it would be 3.5 starts, just for her writing instead of the actual story. <3

Have you ever cried in the woods near Forks, Washington? I have, thanks to the ARC of Out of the Woods I read while camping. I once again need to thank @hotgirlbookshelf for putting me on to Hannah Bonam-Young's books - you were right and you found me a new fave author. Unsurprisingly, Out of the Woods was another banger - further cementing Hannah Bonam-Young as an autobuy author for me. 
 
If you haven't read a HBY book, go read Out on a Limb and then pick this one up. These books were the perfect duo - all the characters are relatable, the stories are realistic and unputdownable, and the love stories are incredibly swoony. All of Hannah's writing is amazing and addictive, but something about the way she writes about her characters' experiences just really resonates with me. 
 
This story was told in dual timelines. We first meet Sarah and Caleb (in their present timeline) at a rocky point in their relationship - their marriage is in desperate need of saving. I think having the dual timelines helped define and add emotional investment to their relationship for the reader - it also added stakes for the peril their relationship was in.  
 
Even though Sarah and Caleb's marriage in the present timeline is in a rough spot, it's easy to see why they were fighting to hard to recover it. They were just so good together - with the tension that can only come from loving someone for a very long time. As they reconnected and found themselves, it was impossible to root not only for them to be happy but also for them to be their truest selves.  
 
Please take this as your sign to go read HBY's books if you haven't already - Out of the Woods was emotional, swoony, and filled with characters that are impossible to not relate to. I can't wait to read her next book!

Different from a lot of the contemporary rom coms I'm used to reading. I loved the idea of a couples retreat for Caleb and Sarah to figure their marriage and their relationship out by finding themselves in the process for each other. The characters are like able and facing real emotional challenges and figuring out how their past life experiences are shaping and molding who they are as individuals, but also weighing it with their marriage with each other. The setting makes the book feel like a huge in the rain. It's sweet with a sprinkle of spice and the side characters make you love the book even more.

Out of the Woods was a heartwarming, inspiring, and hopeful romance by Canadian author Hannah Bonam-Young. This was my first time reading one of her titles, and I'll definitely be sticking around for more! Out of the Woods is the sequel to Out On A Limb, which I haven't yet read (*adds to tbr*). However, the author does note that the books don't have to be read in order, and I can vouch for that!

Out of the Woods combines humor (think non-outdoorsy people embarking on a week-long, off the grid hiking/backpacking trip) with serious topics, such as degenerative disease, loss of a family member, marriage/relationship tensions, and trauma. However, the tone in this story is hopeful and you can expect a happily-ever-after ending... of course, with a little spice sprinkled in the mix!

Read if you like...
🌲 Hiking
🫂 Stories of friendship
🥰 "It was always you" romance trope
😊 Happily ever after endings

🙏Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for a gifted advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What could possibly go wrong with two people who have not much outdoor experience? Loved the romance that took place in my favorite place! There is couple time in detail for those wondering!

Hannah is one of my favorite authors. I have loved every book I've read by her so far. Out of the Woods, was no exception! I can related to Sarah's independence so much, when you feel like you are just "someone's wife or girlfriend" and you don't have a personality of your own. It was different in the way that typically with a romance, you see a couple from the beginning, you see how they grow. This one was different as we see them in the late stages of a relationship.

⛺️ Book Review ⛺️

I'm so glad I finally got to jump on the Hannah Bonham-Young bandwagon. I loved Out of the Woods and I can't wait to read the rest of her books! Thanks to @dellromance for the ebook.

✔️ Childhood Friends to Lovers
✔️ Then and Now
✔️ Marriage in Trouble
✔️ Forced Proximity

Sarah and Caleb have been together since high school but all is not well between them. Sarah signs them up for a couple's retreat that involves a weeklong excursion of hiking and camping and getting in touch with feelings and communicating them. Getting a chance to talk and reflect brings up a ton of feelings, angst, and lots of spice haha.

Maybe it's my life stage but I adore a marriage in trouble read. I think because, when done well like here, you can see the love that still exists and all the messiness getting in the way. And when the couple does the work to fight their way back to love?? There are few things swoonier.

I loved Caleb from the jump but it was easy to see why his eager-to-please persona would be annoying to Sarah. 😂 I also thought the overall message about figuring out to be happy in yourself/with yourself is important if you want to share your life with someone.

The folks in the campsite were mostly nondescript for me - there were fun moments but I didn't connect with any of them. When Win (Sarah's bff) was finally on page, that was the found family fix I really needed.

Overall, I loved it and highly recommend. It feels like a quiet read in that the plot was mostly emotional until the end, but it was exactly the kind of read I loved. 5⭐️

Steam 🔥🔥🔥
Banter 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️
Swoon 💕💕💕💕💕

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I love this author and how she develops couples with the plot they're in. I really enjoyed the journey with this couple and finding their way to a better place. Cute read,

I really enjoyed this book! I really enjoyed how it was about reconnecting with your partner and the growth both of the characters when through.

Such a fun, sweet book! Loved the concept of the book being set in a couple’s camping retreat. It does have two different time periods from the fmc’s pov which I felt added a lot of depth to the character. I never got bored while reading this book, and I feel like it could be relatable for a lot of people in long term relationships. Bonam-Young’s writing flows so well and never seemed to lull. I don’t typically read a lot of rom-com’s because the comedy aspect can sometimes be a little cringe, but I truly did enjoy this book! Thank you NetGalley/the publisher for the ARC!

Hannah has done it again! How can I be laughing anf crying all within a few pages of each other?! Sarah and Caleb are such well written characters. So nuanced and real. You could pluck them off the page and place them in your life. I love the way Sarah and Caleb's journey plays out before us. We have these beautifully flawed characters just trying to love each other as they navigate the very real path of what it means to grow up together while being in a relationship. I also LOVED getting to see Win and Bo from Out On a Limb in this book too. I missed them. Hannah is amazing. I will read everything she writes. Instant buy author for sure!