This book was something oh so special. Like seriously, No Notes!

"We've opened our hearts, let the ugly out, and welcomed each other's darkness with kind regard."

As a gal who is married to her high school sweetheart this one hit so close to home. I knew the moment that I read Hannah's author note in the beginning that Sarh & Caleb's story was going to be so relatable. I felt every single possible emotion while reading, and it was absolutely PERFECT! I literally laughed out loud and sobbed big fat tears.

Sarah & Caleb's story is one of young love, self discovery and learning to grow together after experiencing loss and grief. Not only was their situation so relatable for me, but their story was beautifully messy and every bit of me felt for them.

This is my new comfort read, and I absolutely cannot wait to force everyone that I know and love to read it. Thank you HBY for giving us this story!

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group & NetGalley for this ARC in exchange of my honest review. All thoughts are my own!

What do you do when loving each other is no longer enough? Sarah & Caleb started dating at 14 and were married at 19. Now, over a decade later, so much of who Sarah is, is wrapped up in Caleb - and she’s struggling with her identity. So, Sarah & Caleb ultimately go physically into the woods on a 7 day camping retreat, in order to reignite their flame & get “Out of the Woods”. (Side note, I got OOTW as a surprise song mashed with Getaway Car hehe).

This book impacted me in a way no other book has before. I have major main character syndrome & try to picture myself as the fmc in every book, but with this - I did not have to try very hard. (I too would easily fall victim to becoming a cult member, but that’s not the point I’m making). Her struggles were so real & honest, as was her wondering brain. & CALEB? One of the greatest golden retriever mmc’s (welcome to the best book bfs of all time list). I don’t know if I’ve ever rooted for two people more than them & now that I’m finished reading the book, I would like to request a 10 season minimum sitcom about Sarah, Caleb, Win, Bo, Gus (+ all their future kids), and every single person who was on that retreat.

Overall, this whole story takes a deep dive into the most vulnerable parts of life & left me feeling less alone. It’s always a nice reminder that we don’t need to be great by anyone else’s standards but our own.

WWMGD?

“I am a simple creature, at my core. Give me books, sunlight, water, and a handsome man looking at me like I’m some rare jewel, and I’m all set. Especially when it feels like a long time since I’ve shined for him.”

I have enjoyed all of Bonam-Young's previous novels, with Out on a Limb being my favorite. I was excited to be back with the same cast of characters. I adore Bonam-Young's writing and this book did not disappoint. The story follows Sarah and Caleb as they navigate their marriage and work through some long term problems. I liked the overall story and message, but I really wished that we got Caleb's POV. Sarah's point of view was all over the place and painted Caleb in a not so great light a lot of the time, but for really minor reasons. I think having his point of view would have brought more depth to their story and relationship. It also did seem at times that Sarah had some deeper issues going on that would need to be addressed more thoroughly than just a week long camping retreat. She spends a lot of the time maladaptive daydreaming due to unprocessed trauma and if that was addressed it was very briefly. Overall, I liked the story, but it wasn't my favorite of HBYs.

Jaw is on the floor. HBY never fails to astound me. Wow this book is so incredible and lovely and emotional and honest. I was hooked from the dedication.

Hannah delivers yet another 5 star book! This was one of the most beautiful, moving, and honest romances that I’ve ever read. It follows a couple through moments that many romance authors don’t always want to write about but Hannah does it with ease and proves that romances don’t have to be all sunshine and rainbows because couples who love each other can and will go through tough times. This book also touches on hard topics that are handled with such care and because you go through the hardships with the characters, it makes you feel like you actually know them and are experiencing everything alongside them.

This book is for the Amy March girlies, the perfectionists who are often too hard on themselves, the fixers who try to protect their loved ones, people who feel like they should have it together but don’t yet, anyone who has lost a loved one, couples who have spent more of their life together than apart, and, of course, romantics. Most importantly, this book is for anyone who wants it to be for them because Hannah writes approachable love stories for anyone who needs a little more comfort and love in their life!

Thank you to Ballantine and NetGalley for an early copy.

In "Out on a Limb", Sarah and Caleb are depicted as a put-together couple, successful and settled in their home. This book explores the underlying tension in their relationship and focuses on the two growing as individuals in a couple. While this can be read as a standalone, I appreciated seeing the contrast between the couple and seeing Sarah and Caleb evolve in this book. HBY did an excellent job balancing between their different timelines, as we saw the two develop from high school sweethearts to a 17 year relationship. This is not a concept often explored in romance novels and I really like how HBY explored this story, however, I felt the ending was rushed.

thank you to HBY for writing this book and netgalley for the arc

i had never read a marriage in crisis romance before this one and after finishing i don’t think there’s any need to because they’ll all get compared to this.

sarah and caleb’s story was so deeply emotional and relatable. they both went through so much at such a young age that i could not imagine going through. they had their problems that come with being too comfortable in their roles within their lives but their love was so evident for each other and it’s the type of love i could only dream of having one day.

i’m not sure yet where this one sits on my rankings for HBY books but it was definitely one of my favorite books i’ve read in the past couple months. i loved sarah and caleb as characters and as a couple and i loved getting to see flashes of win, bo, and baby gus.

Out on a limb was easily one of the best books I have read this year so naturally, I was very excited when I received this arc! And it did not disappoint. It was cute, funny, and emotional. I loved seeing Sarah and Caleb grow together. The story was really well done and it almost felt like I was there with them.

I usually don't enjoy marriage in trouble trope or like effort to save marriage trope but I wanted to give it a try since I enjoyed Out On A Limb.
I did enjoy this book, it had a nice pace and didn't make me absolutely hate the guy just for her to end up with him again, I was kind of confused through this book but towards the 3/4 way I did start to understand.
The characters weren't my favorite but I did like the emotional depth and ability to connect to them.

Switching between the present where Sarah’s unmoored by her life and marriage and the past when her mother’s ALS progressed to death, Hannah Bonam-Young’s Out of the Woods is a wonderful tearjerker.

Sarah’s unhappiness with her life comes to a head when the fundraiser she puts together in honor of her mother fails to reach its goal. Her husband, Caleb, donates the final $120,000 and brings out the big check, once again rescuing her like a knight in shining armor. But Sarah is sick of feeling like a damsel in distress, a non-participating character in her own life. She needs a change, and when a friend suggests a wilderness couples therapy retreat, she tells Caleb that that is what she wants to try. Through the thick and thin of the forest trees, they will root out the roles they’ve fallen into.

Sarah and Caleb’s journey was a hard one, and the last tragedy of Caleb’s concussion and hospitalization might have been a bit much for an already sad story, but it was definitely worth reading.

I will read anything Hannah B-Y writes. She is absolutely my favorite author find of 2024! I loved this book just as much as I loved Out on a Limb. Very excited to see more from her! I love the disability rep, the character development, the relationship development, everything. Her books are flawless and this is no exception! Thank you for the ARC :)

another winner by HBY! thanks so much to netgalley for the ARC. it took me a while to get to this book because i knew once i finished this, i probably won't be reading another HBY book until 2026 and that made me sad.

her characters are so wonderful to get lost into. was rooting for them both throughout. i love a well executed marriage in crisis story.

not giving this 5 stars only because they didn't make me feel as feral as winbo did.

Out of the Woods by Hannah Bonam-Young was a quick, well-written and heartfelt romance. I really didn't expect anything less from Bonam-Young and she delivered! I loved the fact that the story revolved around a married couple who truly do love each other but just kind of lost their way. It's not something you commonly see in romances and I loved it. I loved how the 'issue' of the plot was resolved and the character development. I will say that the thing I enjoyed the least about this book was the dual time line. Yes, I did enjoy seeing how the relationship between the two love interests started but it focused SO MUCH on the mother and like I get that it's a big part of the FMC storyline but still, it was the least interesting part. It clearly was still interesting enough, though, because I inhaled this book in two sittings. Overall, I will definitely be recommending this romance to people looking for something with heart.

4.5⭐️
Hannah bonam-young can do no wrong in my eyes!!
this was such a good book and I loved getting to dive into Sarah and Caleb and their relationship. And as always in HBY’s books, there’s always good messages and takeaways. Will definitely recommend!!

I don’t feel like I should put all the opinions I want to in here, so I will just leave it with a 2 star rating and move on

Hannah Bonam-Young is a fierce new author with a unique voice striving to reach new depths of readers and I am here for it!

I adore Hannah and adored this book. Be prepared this has characters from her previous books but if you haven't read them, it's absolutely ok to not have.

Hannah's unique voice is evident in her unique story telling abilities. Telling two stories simultaneously, both past and present, this tale of a long married couple realizing their lives aren't quite as rosy as thought is intense, beautiful, and incredibly emotional. Seeing their past selves and current lives, Sarah and Caleb find themselves having to grow together as they've grown apart. Steamy, fast paced, with great side characters, lots of humour, and the perfect amount of romance, this book is simply fantastic. Another win for sure but it made me smile, laugh, and tear up. Bravo.

I really liked Out of the Woods. Who doesnt love a huge (rich) nerd loving his highschool sweetheart????? If you like second chance romance and childhood sweethearts then this is the book for you. Hannah Bond-Young has done it again!!! Out on a limb is the bomb dot com. Out of the woods knocked it out of the park!! i really enjoyed reading this book. I will say personally it is more character driven than plot heavy. While that is fien for me, it did knock down the overall rating because sometime in the middle I was getting very bored. But other than that this book is a delight and enjoyed every bit of it!

Thank you netgalley for this ARC for this unbaised review!

have been torn apart & slowly, lovingly put back
together 😭 this is an overwhelmingly loving, beautiful, honest, exciting, perfect story. it so authentically shows the way love, grief, joy, fear, acceptance, & fun all coexist together in life & in relationships.
I simply adored everything about this story: the characters, the plot, the details to scenery & character development, the overwhelming love in all its beautiful imperfect forms. Caleb & Sarah go on such a journey together spanning years, heartbreaks, excitement, growth, and evolving relationships, always choosing to stay and love one another in every season of life. the way they open necessary but difficult conversations and keep showing up to love one another, both throughout their relationship and in their little trip into the woods, is so heartbreaking and heartwarming to read. they deserve all the happiness, joy, love, and peace with each other and seeing them live their happily ever after was the most special reading experience.
I am so happy I got to read this beautiful story as an are and look forward to many, many rereads
to come.
thank you so much for the arc :)

I literally want to unhinge my jaw and pour everything and anything Hannah writes directly into my body. I want to consume it, be it, be IN it.

There is such bone-deep, aching tenderness in every one of her characters. The full-hearted, all-encompassing affection they have for the people they love makes my chest feel like it is going to crack open. There were points where I was crying just because I love them so much??? Nothing sad was even happening. Sad stuff did happen though and I cried then too 10/10 would put myself through that again.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I was already so in love with Caleb and Sarah from Out on a Limb, so I knew going into this one that I would continue to love them both no matter what struggles they had with each other. And boy howdy was I right.

The yearning, the apprehension, the hesitancy and love and fear and the sheer, wild-eyed desperation. The fact that their love for each other is apparent (at least to us) even when they’re unable to show it to each other. Them doubting each other only because they were doubting themselves.

Getting to watch them make their way back to each other while also watching them figure themselves out was so refreshing and heartwarming and also made me want to scream into the sky (in a good way obvi). Win and Bo being there to support them just as fully as they were in Out on a Limb. The open, earnest love they all share.

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

Now if you’ll excuse me I’m about to plant my face into my pillow to scream

My new favorite HBY book. This was so cute. Caleb and Sarah were adorable. It was low stakes, but the two still had issues to figure out and there were plenty of beautiful/emotional moments. Thankfully it focused on their issues and didn’t add any unnecessary OW/OM drama!