We all go through times in our life where we question everything that we’ve done add in grief that can just create a perfect storm of uncertainty about everything. Goals we haven’t accomplished or that fell to the wayside of life. It’s a very relatable struggle to feel and at its core I think That’s what this novel examines. Along with the struggles of marriage and how you navigate that relationship when you don’t seem to know who you are or what you want anymore. It’s a normal thing to experience in a marriage and not really discussed a lot so people end up feeling so alone. That’s one of the things I love so much and HBY she always examines themes that are so relatable but not wildly discussed. I laughed, I cried oh boy did I cry, it made me think about my own life and how Sarah’s struggles reflected my own. How I don’t want to wait ten years to live the life I want and that grief doesn’t always get easier but we do get stronger.

Out of the Woods🏕️🔥🪵⛰️☕️

Talk about a punch to the heart….

I don’t know how to start this. Hannah has the ability to give with each of her books a different perspective to this world. Her ability to write tender and soft as well as the same characters who have so much passion for each other is truly a gift. I will always love a marriage in trouble trope. Seeing the want and longing to fix a marriage will always hit.

Caleb and Sarah had me heart, again they chucked it out of my body, left it on the ground for the duration of the book, then when the book was close to finishing, it returned to me. Like my faith in relationships came with this book 🫀‼️

To fear not being enough is common. And Caleb and Sarah immediately wanted to reconcile their love and work on their differences to make them stronger. And my absolute favorite part???? The unscheduled “I love you’s” because yeah, we need to say “I love you” more in times where it isn’t required or established but also in times where we just feel the need to let them know.

The way this man had me feral🫣😮‍💨 also he brought her kindle so she didn’t lose her reading streak??? Babe I’m on the floor ✨

Anywaysssss to my gals who had to grow up fast and early because of circumstances in life, and to the ones in your life who came in and carried you along the way never expecting anything in return but your love, may you enjoy and cherish this book the way I did and may this book heal a little part of you🩵🌦️

Thank you times a billion NetGalley, Dell Romance, and Random House for the e-arc of Out of the Woods, out today! Happy release day, Hannah🫶

You’ll Find:
- Marriage in Trouble
- High School Sweethearts
- Acts of Service
- Flashback Scenes
- Outdoor Scenes
- Reader Girl x Geeky Boy
- Caleb’s Scruff, Hair, and Glasses 😚

I’m holding this book so close to my heart 💖 I absolutely loved Cay and Sar’s story and felt so compelled to them, along with everyone in their hiking group. The dynamic within the Reignite group was so well-balanced, and I loved how they were all connected in some way. The bond between Libby and Sarah was such a beautiful part of the story. Libby’s youth made their connection even more authentic, and the way they both navigated the loss of their moms felt so real and heartfelt. It really got to me emotionally.
As someone who has experienced the loss of a parent and the grief that comes with it, a lot of this book really hit home for me. One quote that stuck with me was: “It can sometimes be difficult for me to feel grateful for what I have because I’m thinking about what I lost or what I could lose.”

5⭐️2.5🌶️
Wowowow! Ok I loved Out on A Limb but this… THIS was even better!!
The marriage in trouble trope is SO underrated - I love when they have history and it just needs some working on. Swoon. Also the spice in this book?! Unexpected and GLORIOUS.
Caleb and Sarah are high school sweethearts, have been married for just over a decade and begin to realize that they just don’t have a spark anymore.
Cue… trip to the woods for group therapy and hiking sessions.
Hannah is just so good at developing her characters and making them SO loveable. If you loved Out on a Limb, I highly recommend you read this one!!

Tropes:
-high school sweethearts
-marriage in trouble
-dual timeline
-grief rep

Sarah and Caleb are high school sweethearts who married young. After a flopped event hosted by Sarah is saved by her well-intentioned husband, she feels alone and adrift in their relationship. She asks that they go on a nature retreat to reset their relationship.
Marriage in crisis as a trope is not one of my favourites, but Hannah does a good job of painting the picture of Caleb and Sarah’s relationship patterns. She still manages to create sexual tension in a story where the characters have been together for 17 years. I found Sarah to be slightly annoying as a FMC. She heavily relies on Caleb to hold her up, which is why she wants to go on the retreat in the first place and it does create a character growth arc for her. The pacing was slightly slow, but if you like a dual timeline story, this might be a good fit for you.
I give it a 3.5 star rating, rounded down because of the pacing and my lack of connection to either character.

I loved Caleb and Sarah's story. The emotion and relatability in this book is incredible. It was so amazing to read as Caleb and Sarah found their connection again and found their way back to each other. Hannah perfectly captured a story that showcases the challenges and obstacles that people often face in their marriages. The story was beyond beautiful.

I loved seeing Bo, Win and August in this story too. The found family in this series is so wonderful and heartwarming.

Thank you to Dell Romance and Hannah Bonam-Young for the ARC.

4.5⭐️ Hannah does it again with another real, raw and honest depiction of love. Sarah and Caleb’s love story felt so personal and beautiful. So often in romance books, we get cookie cutter love stories that seem to be the “ideal” love story, however this book feels like real life love. If you’re married or in a relationship, I truly think you will be able to relate to certain aspects of this book. Marriage and relationships are hard. They are filled with ebbs and flows, ups and downs, and this book is the perfect representation of that.

What to expect!
-marriage in crisis
-high school sweethearts
-first love
-dual timelines

I really loved the dual timeline of this book! It worked so well with the story. We get to see them fall in love, drift apart and everything in between. We see Sarah and Caleb walking on eggshells, coasting in their relationship, and avoiding difficult conversations. They have serious built up resentment toward one another. However, you can see how much they love and care for each other despite the difficulties they are having in their marriage.

The camp setting was super fun. The side characters were also entertaining. Caleb was an absolute angel. Seeing him struggling quietly and terrified to lose Sarah, truly ripped me into shreds. Reading about Sarah’s grief and loss was also a sucker punch. She had some incredible character growth. I also loved seeing the quirky and fun side of Sarah and Caleb’s relationship. You can tell they are each other’s best friend! Of course I devoured the Bo and Win content!!! My all time favs.

Thank you so much Dell Romance for the ARC copy!!

This was an amazing eye opening, thought provoking, and romantic read. Sarah and Caleb have been through so much in their 17 years together and have ended up on different pages. They decide to reconnect on an unplugged hike through the woods. The problems between Sarah and Caleb were so relatable and the writing of the issues and the resolution were beautifully done. I would highly recommend this book!

ˋ°•*⁀➷ <b>4.5</b> ✰

<blockquote>⋆𐙚₊˚”When you’re not near, you occupy every corner of my life. Half of my thoughts are about you. All of my dreams involve you. My hopes and fears and purpose revolve around you.” ⋆𐙚₊˚⊹</blockquote>

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

the story follows Sarah and Caleb Linwood, a couple who have been inseparable for 17 years, always supporting each other through life's highs and lows. But lately, Sarah has been questioning who she is outside of her marriage. Determined to prove her independence, she takes on a big project, a fundraising gala in honor of her late mother, only to see it fail. Caleb steps in to help, unasked, which only deepens the tension between them.

Old resentments bubble up, leaving them wondering if they’ve grown too far apart since their teenage wedding. To save their relationship, they join a wilderness couples retreat, even though neither of them is outdoorsy. The trip is full of challenges, but it forces them to confront their problems and figure out if they can rediscover the love that brought them together in the first place.


➳ my thoughts:
This book was truly beautiful.

Marriage in crisis trope is always going to do it for me, there is something special and realistic about that trope, the way it delves into the raw, vulnerable layers of a relationship that was once filled with love and promise but has since become strained. It forces characters to confront not only their partner's flaws but also their own, revealing how time, unspoken resentments, or external pressures have eroded their bond. it captures the reality that love isn’t always easy or perfect; it’s a choice made repeatedly.

I really enjoyed this book, it took me by surprise how much I felt while reading it, I loved out on a limb I really don’t remember that much of it, so when I saw that there was a book coming out about Win’s friends, I got really excited and I had high expectations for it. It is safe to say that the expectations were met. I just wished the flashbacks chapters were a little bit longer because they were so cute.

This is my second book by Hannah and I can say that she has a way with her writing and how she blend emotional parts with humor involved to make the read more engaging and enjoyable. I was either crying or laughing while reading it. This can be read as a standalone but seeing more about Win & Bo in here after reading out on a limb was everything, seeing how now they have their little family gave me so much joy🥹

CHAPTER 14!!!!! besties chapter 14😭
grab your tissues when you start that chapter because I've never seen a claim of love as beautiful and magical as the one in that chapter. I was bailing my eyes out at 4am because I think no one in real life is going to be able to express <i>love</i> the way Caleb and Sarah did for each other in that chapter.

This is more than a simple romance book between Caleb and Sarah, it’s about discovering your true self, it’s about growing, trying to heal the wounds of the past and to focus on the present

“Humans are typically just stumbling through this life, making mistakes and trying again. Anyone who says anything different is trying to sell something.”

The reason why this is not 5 stars is because I found the ending to be a little underwhelming for me, the last 15% were super random and kind of changed completely the vibes of the book for me. Also got triggered by mentions of one religion lol, that’s on me tho because I didn’t read the content warning and the sex scenes were a bit cringe imo but it was still a very emotional read.


➳ characters:


ೃ࿐sarah

“But I went from someone’s daughter to caretaker to someone’s wife. I never got the chance to exist on my own.”

If you are going through a rough time in your life in which you aren’t sure what you are supposed to be doing, or you think you are behind the others, that you have wasted your time, that you are lost. Then you’re going to relate to Sarah.

She is dealing with grief after losing her mom, she married Caleb when they were young and even when she knows that he is for her, she doesn’t know who she is without Caleb.

She is going through an existential crisis in her thirties and the book focus more deeply on that factor rather than anything else. Even though I’m not experiencing the same things as Sarah, I still resonate with her, mostly because I’m also wondering what I’m doing with my life lmao. Nonetheless I loved seeing her growth, how she finally started to find her way back into herself.

”I feel directionless, because I don’t really know my own feelings or wants or desires. I just sort of live in some . . . middle. Not really pleasing myself or performing what is expected of me.”

ೃ࿐ caleb

“He is my steadfast, easy, contented man. Something solid in a world that constantly seems to shift on its axis. Caleb has always been safe.”

I have a weakness with male characters that wears glasses🤭 the moment I saw the glasses on the cover I knew that I was going to love Caleb. But what I love the most about Caleb apart from his glasses is how caring he is, he is shy, protective, patient, kind, sweet, amazing, he is a husband. To be honest the book focuses more on Sarah so I feel like we don’t get to know that much of Caleb, I would love to have a few chapter from his pov😕 I still love him tho.


˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥˚✿ °. the linwoods:
⤷ high school sweethearts ᡣ𐭩

They are never getting divorced🫡 I love them together so much, their kind of love is the one that makes me wonder if it really exists in real life. I could actually feel the way they love the other just by their actions, by the things they said to each other.

I can’t say anything about being married because I’m not🤸🏻‍♀️ but from the things I’ve seen around me I can tell that it’s easy to forget about yourself when you are in a relationship, the line between “us” and “me” begins to blur, overtime, you might prioritize the other person’s needs, dreams, and identity so much that your own sense of self fades into the background. And that is exactly what happened between Sarah and Caleb, they had been together for so long, they have been through high and low with each other and that was affecting their relationship.

“A lot of people will say relationships are fifty-fifty, but I think that’s a load of rubbish. We all have seasons and periods where we require more from our partner. The trick to a long, lasting relationship in my professional experience is not getting stuck at a set percentage.”

I adored seeing them getting to know the other again, seeing them falling in love one more time.


♬⋆.˚caleb & sarah mini playlistᰔ

⤷ love in the dark ⟡ adele
⤷ those eyes ⟡ new west
⤷ helium ⟡ sia
⤷ will you cry ⟡ gracie abrams
⤷ this is me trying ⟡ taylor swift


💌tropes:

ꨄ︎ highschool sweethearts
ꨄ︎ marriage in crisis
ꨄ︎ self discovery
ꨄ︎ flashbacks
ꨄ︎ found family


-‘๑’- my favorite quotes
possible spoilers mentioned

・❥・“If you give me the space to grow, I’ll plant myself next to you. Always.”

・❥・“Your heart is mine to care for, to treasure. But it will never be just mine.”

・❥・“I don’t want to wait ten years,” he says softly, in almost a whisper, “to have the life we want. You are the only thing that matters to me, and I’m tired of pretending otherwise.

・❥・You have to shine on your own. And you will, baby. I know you will. Because you shine brighter than anyone I’ve ever known.”

・❥・You love so deeply, it’s hard for me to understand. It seems exhausting, but you do it anyways. You leave yourself open for anyone who needs a safe place to land, even near perfect strangers. That is all, uniquely, individually, perfectly you. Something to be proud of that is all yours.”

・❥・“All of me is and will always be yours.” His smile unfurls slowly as his eyes linger on our hands. “Me too,” he says, his voice slightly choked.

・❥・”He holds me like I’m a treasured, precious, delicate thing, drifting his hands up and down my back in slow comfort.”

・❥・”If your future peace means leaving, so be it. But don’t think for a single second you could ever truly leave me. You can go as far as you need to, but you’ll always be a part of me. You will always be the second voice in my head. The force that surrounds me.”

・❥・“I don’t want easy. I don’t want anyone else. I want you, Sar. I want to be the only man ever lucky enough to be loved by you.”

・❥・ “Often, we can find ourselves playing what-if instead of recognizing what we can do now to build the life we want. The truth is the past is one of the only things as stubborn as us humans.”

・❥・”Plenty of people who’ve had to pave their own way still consider themselves unsuccessful. Feeling inadequate tends to be a relatively common experience when we struggle with our self-esteem. You could have been miserable all the same, even if the timing were different or with a degree or career you felt proud of.”

・❥・“Life kept going, the Earth kept spinning, everyone moved on, but I stayed still.”


thank you so much netgalley, dell and prh publishing for the e-arc

I reaffirm myself as a fan of Hannah!

When I read Out the Limb, I totally fell in love with the author's pen, and I fell head over heels in love with Bo and Win, as well as Sarah and Caleb.

So, my reaction when I found out that they would be getting their own book and that it would deal with the trope of marriage in crisis, I was on cloud nine, when I was approved for the ARC, I was the happiest and couldn't believe my level of luck.

So after devouring the story and having time to process my excitement.

Sarah and Caleb (Win's best friends), have what many define as the perfect marriage, high school sweethearts and still together after many years, with Caleb as a successful businessman, living with great financial stability and doing everything he can to help Sarah.

But despite this great life, Sarah feels that her life is not fulfilling, and she herself questions how she can feel that way when she has everything, and that she should be grateful for it, but that dissatisfaction is more for her own life than for her husband, as she feels she hasn't had to challenge herself at any point and always ends up leaning on Caleb and he solves everything.

This leads this couple zero fan of the outdoors to join a camp as part of a marital support program.

I wasn't sure what I could take away from this trip, but I've loved the new development this couple has, even though they may be in different orbits at times.

We got more BoWin and little Gus moments, so I'm the biggest fan.

As always the author's pen is the best, so I'm just looking forward to reading more.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for giving me access to this amazing ARC.

I fell in love with Caleb in Out on a Limb, and adore Sarah so much, so I knew I needed this book ASAP! Luckily I was approved for an ARC and I ate it right up.

Sarah is such a beautifully complex character. On the surface she seems to have everything she could ever want, but of course the reality is never that simplistic. Her struggles are all so real and relatable, from the grief of losing her mother, the intricate feelings of not knowing one’s self after so long with a partner, to wrestling with the idea that she really isn’t all that happy in her life and needs to make difficult changes.
Caleb is the definition of “if he wanted to, he would”. From day one he showed up for Sarah and remained her constant, steady rock as they literally grew up together, which is such a respectable level of dedication. Now, with the sudden realization that maybe their marriage isn’t doing too well in Sarah’s eyes, he’s ready to do whatever it takes to fix things, and make changes for the future of their relationship as well. That’s a MAN.
I loved the portrayal of marriage in this because it really felt captured just right between Sarah and Caleb. They loved each other so intensely, and knew each other like the back of their hands, but after so long together became stuck in the day to day and lost sight of the bigger picture, which is so understandable. Seeing how they were able to get back to each other and become even better was heartwarming.

The camp setting was a lot of fun, especially from the perspective of a couple who doesn’t really do the outdoors, because same. We meet some great characters who each contribute to the experience in unique ways and even become friends, which I loved.

I loved how much of Win and Bo we got in this one as well. I wasn’t ready to let any of these characters go after Out on a Limb and being able to jump right into Out of the Woods was so comforting.

Once again, Hannah Bonam-Young has crafted an incredibly moving and deeply resonating story of love. She has truly become an auto-buy author for me.
Thank you so much for this gifted eARC via NetGalley!

100000/10 no notes. This was romance book PERFECTION. Literally one of my favorite romance books ever. I almost want to say I liked it better than Out on a Limb—which I didn't even think would be possible—but both books are amazing in their own right.

First off, such a refreshing read in the sense that it didn't follow typical romance book formulas. There wasn't the "meet-cute," then "fall in love," then third act breakup. Nor was it the classic second chance romance book. I loved how it followed two characters almost at a crossroads personally and maritally. Sarah and Caleb dealt with realistic personal problems and relationship issues, and I totally think this is going to resonate with people in long-term relationships and marriages. And while it was raw and emotional, it wasn't too devastating or heavy. The first third of the book was giving You're Losing Me and My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys by Taylor Swift, which made me unwell lol.

I just adored Sarah and Caleb. They both had their flaws, but I appreciated how hard they were willing to try with each other. Thinking you met your soulmate at too young of an age before you got the chance to find yourself was such an intriguing theme. And the off-the-grid hike was the perfect reflective, forced proximity environment for the two of them to confront their problems and grow as a couple.

Also the flashbacks were perfectly integrated into the story. The scenes with Sarah's mom? Definitely tearing up. I loved seeing how Win, Sarah, and later Caleb grew up together. Sarah and Win's female friendship especially is everything. And the friendship between the two couples is everything too. Plus the pacing was great...read in one sitting. Just everything about Out of the Woods was beautiful. I couldn't recommend more! And the paper airplane references to the song Out of the Woods. I love it.

Thank you so much to Dell Romance for sending me an ARC of Out of the Woods. As always, my reviews are one hundred percent voluntary and all opinions are my own :)

Thank you to NetGalley, Dell and Ms. Bonam-Young for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

I am new to this author's work but I see that this was a HUGE hit for many readers so I feel a little awkward giving a 3 star rating. Frankly, after manic pixie dream girl, "marriage in trouble" is my second-least-favorite trope so I requested this book in hopes that all the rave reviews might redeem it.

What most intrigued me about this book was Sarah's feeling that after many years of marriage to Caleb - literally since age 18 - she found herself unsure of her direction in life, what she had to show for herself, and whether she was capable of standing on her own two feet. A quarter-life existential crisis, if you will. I was ... very... surprised to read that Sarah is a stay-at-home wife, enabled by Caleb's highly-paid tech CEO position. I totally understand delaying university in a paralysis of grief but... and I'm not trying to upset anyone but, woman, what do you DO all day? What is stopping you from taking a class while Caleb is at work? From getting a part time job? From volunteering? It didn't strike me that Sarah had any real DRIVE to do anything for herself and then she just... blamed it on Caleb. No. Just, no. I don't have patience for that. I could not believe that the first thing she tried to do for herself in what, seven years? is throw a giant fundraiser gala. I hate to say it but I found myself in Caleb's corner, as he endlessly supported Sarah in literally WHATEVER she wanted to do.

To be completely honest, I could get behind Sarah being frustrated by being stuck in an unrewarding career, or a dead-end job that didn't suit her passion, or even perhaps struggling to get a job in the first place. But the fact that she was able to just sit at home on her hands, for years, funded by Caleb's hard work, made her very difficult for me to relate to. So few people can afford to let grief halt their life for that long; it came across as self-indulgent.

The therapy retreat seemed more like Sarah's growth journey than Sarah-and-Caleb reconnecting and working through their issues. I feel like Caleb's one real issue (how he runs his company) had to do with his own personal career goals and nothing to do with Sarah. On the other hand, Sarah had plenty of issues (largely grief, but also her identity crisis) that she either resented Caleb for, or linked him to, sometimes unfairly. I felt like Sarah was waiting for motivation to just drop in her lap the way that Caleb's support did.

On the plus side, the other retreat attendees were a lot of fun, and I enjoyed descriptions of some of the exercises and activities. In a minor way I felt as though I had a secondhand therapy session, which did encourage me to make some small changes to my own life. And Sarah's friend Win, whom I understand is the heroine of another book, seems like a fun character. I might give her book a try.

At the time of this review, Out of the Woods has an absolutely phenomenal rating, so please disregard my review if you think you might like it. It wasn't a winner for me but I can see many people really enjoying this. YMMV as always.

Book synopsis: Sarah and Caleb Linwood were high school sweethearts, and they have been the backbone for each other for the past 17 years. Sarah started to lose her sense of self and wondered what it would be like if her life had been different and met Caleb later in life. With the help of their friends Win and Bo (from Out on a Limb), Sarah convinces Caleb to go on a hiking trip that is geared towards helping couples through rough times. Will this non-outdoor couple make it through the outdoors along with finding themselves as individuals and as a couple again?
My review: this story is a multi timeline of events, but is solely focused on the current and is very clear what timeline you’re in. We are able to see flashbacks of the early stages in their relationship, especially since there are a lot of factors that contribute to aspects of their relationship in the current timeline. I wish it was a dual POV so we could see what was going through Caleb’s mind with all of this, granted we do hear his input, but it’d be a different perspective. I loved seeing their love and care for the children even though they don’t/wont have children themselves. Overall I loved the characters and the message from this book. But also the epilogue! 💕

Perhaps my expectations were a bit high based on so many friend recommendations to read Out on a Limb this just didn’t knock it out of the park for me. High School sweethearts with a marriage in crisis go on an outdoor adventure couples retreat. The conflict felt a bit flat and was hard to get into the book, the second half picked up and I started rooting for the characters. Will likely still read the first book in the series and look for more by this author. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for this ARC for an unbiased review.

So I really liked the first 60% of this book. I like that this is the story of people who have already been together for sometime. I like that this shows a couple doing the work and gives a great representation for therapy. My problem with this book is the couple basically resolved all of their issues and I still had a decent amount of book left. I spent some time wondering why I was still reading. Then there was an external conflict that provided some drama further along in the story. But it didn’t really add that much to the character’s personal growth or growth as a couple, in my opinion so it just kinda lost me. So I still recommend this if you are looking forward to it. I just personally got a little bored by the ending.

There are so many books that I read and say “I loved that so much.” Then there are books that just hit different. That change a part of you, that really have you thinking, that you can’t and never want to stop thinking about.

I felt that way about the very first HBY book I read (looking at you, OOAL) almost two years ago < I still think about Bo and Win often >>>> Hannah writes romance in a way that hits you in the gut in the best way possible. The topics she touches on, the connections she forms are unlike any other. Her books are like a hug to my soul.

I’ve loved Sarah and Caleb since the moment I read Out On A Limb, and to say I am honored to have been able to read their story early is the understatement of the century. It’s one thing to write a love story, it’s a completely different experience to read about two people who have loved each other for years but feel lost in the midst of their marriage and need to fight their way back to each other.

They’ve endured so much together, and this story beautifully showcases how marriage is raw, and it’s not always easy, and sometimes we lose ourselves and don’t know what to do or who we are, but to have a partner willing to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to face any challenge WITH you, head on- true love at work.

As with any HBY book, I laughed -out loud-, I swooned, I cried.. you are going to love Sarah and Caleb’s story.

♾️ stars, 10/10 chance I will think of Sarah and Caleb as often as I think about Bo and Win and Matt and Lane and every other character she’s even written/will write.

hannah bonam-young creates magic every time she sets out to tell a story and it’s always a privilege to read her words. this book is raw and real and while it’s a love story for the ages, it’s not without its hardships. you’ll feel their hurts and sympathize with both of them, and you’ll find yourself rooting for two people harder than you ever have before.

i would say this is a book about life after the happily ever after, getting to see what goes on after the wedding bells and the honey moon stage. it’s about two people who have been married for half their life but got a little lost somewhere along the way. it’s romantic and epic and everything i love about HBY’s books.

“I hope that if you rewrite your life, you won’t erase my part in it.”

It’s no secret that Out on a Limb is one of my favorite books, and while I fell in love with it because of Bo, Win, and the incredible disability representation in it (as well as Hannah’s ability to masterfully craft a beautiful romance filled with depth), I also fell in love with it for our married side characters, Sarah and Caleb.

What I loved more is when Hannah announced they’d be getting their own book. Because not only do they have a beautiful and heartbreaking love story, but she helps them acknowledge that every love story goes through hard times.

The character growth in this story is phenomenal. The underlying message of loving the person you’re with but not loving yourself and needing to reclaim your own identity is not only relatable but also something that so many people need to hear. It’s hard enough to adapt to your own needs as you grow up, but to have to do it alongside someone else makes it a challenge to not get lost within the relationship.

I saw a lot of myself in Sarah’s character, and this one tugged at my heart every step of the way. I love that the message wasn’t about her partner not being right for her, but rather trying to find herself again within and outside of her marriage. Outside of her comfort zone, especially.

I will pick up any book Hannah ever writes. I will pick up her grocery list or the random notes she might scribble in the margins of one of her favorite books. Her books make me feel seen in a way I sometimes don’t even see myself until I read them.

Beyond that, it’s also funny. Somehow Hannah manages to balance the heavier emotions and conversations with banter and playful interactions—and because of that, I can never put them down.

“If you give me the space to grow, I’ll plant myself next to you. Always.”

Don’t miss out on this beauty. You will surely regret it if you do:
- Marriage in crisis
- High school sweethearts
- No third act breakup
- Found family
- Flashbacks / dual timeline
- Self-discovery

CW: loss of a parent, ALS diagnosis

Wow I loved this one! Sarah and Win have been together since they were in high school. When Sarah’s fundraiser to bring awareness to ALS (the disease that took her mother) flops, she’s sick of Caleb swooping in and saving the day yet again. She knows she isn’t ready to give up on their relationship, but she also knows she needs more. A week in the woods to reconnect and communicate sounds like the perfect road to reconciliation.

As someone who met her partner very young, I truly felt a connection to Sarah. Her struggles with finding her purpose and something to feel passionate about? Yeah, I can relate. Aside from Win, Caleb is the person Sarah knows best, but even after all these years she struggles with communicating with him. I love how accurately the author depicted the ups and downs you go through after being in a relationship for that long. And even when exploring the low moments she also managed to perfectly capture the random and funny moments. I actually laughed out loud a few times.

Writing this novel with two timelines was really impactful. We get to see the start of Sarah’s and Caleb’s relationship all the way back in high school, but we also get to see Sarah’s relationship with her mother, who isn’t in the present day chapters. My heart broke for Sarah (and Win, Aunt June, and Caleb) as we see how Marcie’s death devastates them.

Out of the Woods is my first novel by this author, but I will definitely be going back and reading Win and Bo’s story. I loved all of these characters so much!

Thank you to Dell and NetGalley for a review copy.