This book was a rollercoaster of emotions. Sarah was such a relatable character for me and I loved every second of finally getting her story. Definitely recommend reading Out on a Limb first followed by this book immediately!

this book felt like home. what i mean by that is that this was THE book where i actually felt i was reading parts of my life. i related so much to sarah and not only that, but i actually read some of lines to my husband and he even related so heavily to the things caleb did/said. i felt so seen, held, and almost cherished while reading this book. it had all of my favourite elements that i love in a romance but most importantly i had the most wonderful time. i cried, i laughed, and i truly felt so transported into this novel. HBY really knows how to create a swoony romance that feels SO relatable, raw, and real! i love sarah and caleb so so much and think so many people are going to ADORE!!!!

I will read anything Hannah Bonam-Young write at this point. I love Out on a Limb a lot and I feel like this book really hits close to home. Out of the Woods is about Sarah and Caleb’s story and their marriage crisis. I feel like I can relate to their story a lot. My husband and I met when we were very young. We were innocent and naive. I would say we basically grew up together and we are still growing with things that life throws at us!

Even the healthiest relationship can become stagnant. You start having doubts and wondering the “what ifs” about the pasts and “who are you” without your partner. The most important thing is to realize that communication is key and try to be proactive to make changes. No marriage is perfect! Caleb and Sarah’s relationship had been struggling for some time and they were in desperate need for a change. They go to this couples retreat. The retreat gave them an opportunity to do things outside their normal routines which help Sarah and Caleb self-reflect, communicate, and find each other again.💕

Like most romance books, this has a happy ending. However, while reading the book, it was an emotional rollar coaster for me. The flashbacks and present time made me smile, swoon, cry, laugh, frown, blush, and all sorts of feelings. I feel like my heart was shattered and the pieces were glue back together at the end. This is how great the writing is when you feel all the emotions that no other books has and the things in this book feel so real and relatable to life. I am so grateful that I had the honor to read this ARC. Thank you so much Dell romance, netgalley and Hannah Bonam Young. 🫶🏻

Overall: 4
Spice: 2

Being married for 20 years to a successful trust fund baby has the FMC trying figure out her place in the world. While on a camping trip meant to bring them together, one of the MC’s has an accident and sends the other MC into a panic. Sometimes all you need is a different perspective to realize you right where you need to be.

Hannah Bonam-Young writes romance books like no one else! After Out on a Limb was able to make me love the Accidental Pregnancy Trope, I fell in love with the Marriage in Crisis Trope in the second book. Such a great love story, that isn't like other romance books, with great characters and amazing writing.

We all know that it's not a romance if there isn't an HEA, but for me it's not a GOOD romance if it doesn't have a good bit of self-discovery OUTSIDE of the romance, and Bonam-Young does that so so well! This is a story of HS sweethearts who are going through it and end up at an outdoor therapy retreat. I have a love/hate relationship with hiking as a whole (I feel like this one does a great job of illustrating why that would be!) but it's so sweet and watching these two come together is a joy.
💛

HANNAH <3

You can truly do no wrong.

I am so grateful to have received this ARC.

This book chewed me up and spit me out in the best way! I highlighted so many things that were incredibly relatable.

Spoiler Free Review incoming:

This book is about discovery within your relationship and yourself. Something I'm sure so many of us can relate to. Sarah and Caleb are HS sweethearts and have found themselves in a bit of a rough patch. This landed them on a trip to an outdoor therapy retreat. (Looooove an outdoors setting).

There are complexities to this story, and the amount of love these two feel for each other truly pours out through the pages. It was intense and emotional and beautiful to read.

This book is full of so many things I love

Dual POV
Past/Present POV
BANTER
Outdoors
Lover Boy
High School Sweethearts
BO & WIN

It is a perfect story and a big thank you to PRH and Net Galley for the ARC.

HBY can do no wrong!!! I loved this book so so much.
Hannah had a way of writing stories that i absolutely love.
I haven’t read many marriage in crisis books and I have to say this one felt so special. Although our characters were having a difficult time in their relationship, you could still feel the love between them, and know that they cared about each other throughout the entire book.
I did some shed some tears in the last 100 or so pages and that’s been come to be expected reading a HBY book

Hannah’s books are always so good, and this one didn’t disappoint whatsoever. Out Of The Woods is a book about Sarah and Caleb. They got together in high school and have always been the “it” couple. Everyone wants the love that they have for each other. But sometimes what you see isn’t always what it seems, Sarah and Caleb’s relationship is struggling and they are in dire need of a change if it’s going to last. Caleb is a workaholic and comes from a very successful and wealthy family (a family that hasn’t really ever acted like they approve of Sarah). After a charity event that Sarah wanted to put on herself and prove that she could do something on her own goes to crap, due to the help of Caleb, Sarah is at her end with how she feels about herself and her marriage. Sarah soon finds out about a hiking/camping off the grid couples retreat and convinces Caleb that this is what they need to do to find out if they are really meant to be. So the couple sets off on the trip, and during the time navigate many troubles, do counseling, and spend the time figuring things out. To find out what the outcome was you’ll just have to read the book. What I can say is that this book was one of my favorites of the year and once I started reading, I couldn’t stop. Sarah and Caleb are the characters you spend the entire time rooting for, and all of the additional characters were just as amazing!

AHHHH this book was amazing!! I literally cried multiple times. As much as I loved the relationship between Sarah and Caleb, I loved the relationship between Sarah and her mother - and how that affected her relationship with herself so much more! Such a beautiful story about a woman learning to love herself while she falls back in love with her husband. Also I need a whole spinoff just of Helen, her wife (whose name I forgot) and Libby.

HBY has never done me wrong. HBY are a comfort read for me, while pulling on my heart strings.
Out of The Woods is a book of self discovery, not only of yourself in a romantic relationship but with the relationship within yourself.
Sarah & Caleb high school sweethearts find themselves in what feels like a make or break it situation after a fight at a gala that Sarah put on. After suggestion from Sarah’s friend, Win, they find themselves in the place they least belong or expect..the outdoors to camp.
Everything about this is perfect. The past/present POV, the banter, & the storyline. I laughed & cried with this book. Thank you to Random House Publishing group and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
Review posted on Goodreads on 10/16/24 and will stay there indefinitely and it will be posted on my personal instagram on publishing day.
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/209220944-

Hannah the GIFT that you are!!!!🧎‍♀️🥹🫶 how do you reach into my brain + heart + soul every time?! This book was like therapy to me!❤️‍🩹

✨marriage in crisis
✨high school sweethearts / first loves
✨they’re on a hiking therapy retreat! there’s spicy tent scenes! there’s healing! there’s humor!
✨Caleb is a sweet sweet cinnamon roll of a man😩and he means so so well and he melted me even when he was being clueless!!
✨Bo + Win make appearances🫂
✨grieving a lost parent
✨flashbacks

I highlighted 19823 things, I read multiple passages out loud to my husband to say “THIS!!! I needed to hear THIS!!”, I felt seen, I felt joy! I just love HBY’s way with words and story telling (and the spice was also goooood) and just ugh no notes! 💘💘

🌲 Caleb and Sarah 🌲

Thank you to NetGalley and penguin random house for letting me read a copy of OOTW early.

This book hit so close to home for me. I related to Sarah and her messy brain more than I would like to say. This book was sweet, giggly and heartwarming. BRB while I go reread chapter 14 over and over again. Thank you HBY for ripping my heart out, destroying it, SOMEHOW fixing it then putting it back. That was an emotional journey for me and I think everyone should go on that journey too!

I think the story could have had more depth, maybe more insight on the marriage and their “issues” or a display of Caleb coming to Sarah’s rescue more often. I loved the flashbacks, it made my reading experience soooo much more emotional. Also, I love that Win and Bo still got to be apart of the story too! I really thought HBY was going to do us dirty at the end and I was just as scared as Sarah the whole time.

This was a really emotional book for me, in the best ways. But I had to pause it at times. I wish I had my own Caleb 🩷

High school sweethearts, Sarah and Caleb, are in need of reigniting their spark and seek a nature counsel session. The friendships found throughout were beautiful, as well as the growth shown from each Sarah and Caleb. And I absolutely love when books are connected- so seeing Win, Bo, and August from Out on a Limb, was such a treat. I love the different relationship dynamics with all of them.

Sarah and Caleb were high school sweethearts and have been married for 17 years. Their relationship is starting to fray on the edges a little bit, worrying Sarah. When her best friend, Win, suggests the couple goes on an outdoor couples counseling trip they decide to go. Fighting with the woods along the way, the two of them meet new friends and rekindle the relationship they know and love.
I knew I was going to love this book, I mean Hannah Bonam Young just has the ability to write an amazing book, especially in a trope I’m usually not a fan of. I still don’t understand how I love Out on a Limb so much, but that’s a discussion for another time. I loved the time skips, the friendships, the conversations, the late night tent talks, all of it. I can guarantee that I will be rereading when my preorder copy comes in the mail. Because I absolutely did not expect to get my hands on an ARC… honestly this is probably the most excited I’ve been for an ARC.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Dell Publishing for an eARC of this book!

Sarah and Caleb are high school sweethearts who have always been steady. Always been there for each other through the good and the bad, grief, accomplishments, and everything else along the way in their 17 years together. But now, Sarah is questioning whether she knows herself without him. Everything she's ever done...Caleb has been there to pick her up and fix everything. She decides to throw a charity gala to honor her late mother and to prove to herself and her peers that she can do big things on her own. She has a purpose. The event fails, and it's Caleb to the rescue...again. This brings up all of their issues, and doubt begins to come into view about their relationship. Are they still the same people there were when they got married? Are they still meant to be? To fix the relationship they decide to go on a wilderness-therapy retreat. They both want to be together and be right for each other and be able to be there for each other properly. This is a hilarious choice for two people were are not outdoorsy. Along with fighting for their marriage, they'll be fighting nature.

As someone who married their high school sweetheart, and has been married 14 years, I knew this book was going to massively break me. What I didn't realize is that Hannah's intro would already have me crying! "...to all of us who met their soulmates before they had a chance to fully meet themselves." I died right then.

Out on a Limb was my top book of last year, so I was very excited to dive back into that world of characters. We first meet Sarah and Caleb in OOAL, as Win and Bo's best friends. Sarah and Caleb throw a Halloween party each year and that is where the epic event of Win and Bo takes place. So, we have gotten to know these characters a little bit before hand. I love Sarah. Her chaotic energy and brain are so funny. She is truly all over the place. She can be a little rough, but she is such a lover and a softy for those she chooses. Then we have Caleb and his calm and sturdiness, he's such a care taker. They compliment each other so well. Caleb is her safe place. Their views of their relationship match their personalities perfectly. I loved their chemistry. I was laughing out loud throughout this book...these two in nature was really too good. The steam was definitely steaming. Oh my god THESE TWO had me. Jaws on the floor.

There were so many relatable moments for me between these two. I screamed over Caleb's long showers....That was too real. Also Caleb bringing along her kindle to retreat and Sarah thought that was the sweetest thing he's ever done. Obsessed. It's the little things. Their relationship just felt very honest, real and vulnerable...I really loved that.

Would highly, highly recommend this book...along with all of Hannah's books because they are all so good. You'll have butterflies, you'll cry, you'll swoon, you will laugh...oh my god....you will always laugh. I loved that this book switched from past to present throughout the story. That really added so much depth to the story and characters. Perfect romcom. Always.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reading copy! This was a sweet story that I enjoyed by Hannah Bonam-Young. This is the follow up to Out on a Limb, which was one of my favorite reads this year. This story is very different, being a marriage in trouble plot, but it’s based on the best friend of the female main character from Out on a Limb. The love story is from a high school romance of Sarah and Caleb to marriage to hitting a rough spot so they go on a couples retreat in the woods to find each other again. I think that Bonam-Young is a master at inner thoughts and dialogue - she balances sadness and sweetness really well. Though this is four stars, I will say I think this book had too much going on - grief from a parent death of ALS, marriage issues, mental health issues, and issues at the retreat. But overall this was a sweet edition to Bonam-Young’s work and I will continue to read her - she’s a great romance writer. Side note, I have a parent who is dying from ALS right now, and the author did NOT get that experience correct - if any authors are thinking about writing about ALS experiences, please use a sensitivity reader (would be happy to help) or do more research. To be fair, almost every romance I have read does not get this right at all. Overall I recommend this book for fans of Bonam-Young, contemporary marriage in trouble romance, and hiking - they are out in the woods 🙂

I don't usually like to read books about couples whose marriage is in trouble because I don't enjoy the amount of conflict and sadness and I'd much rather read about couples falling in love. But I really wanted to read this book because I absolutely fell in love with Sarah and Caleb (Sarah in particular) in Out on a Limb. And Hannah Bonam-Young absolutely delivered here!

It was never in doubt how much Sarah and Caleb love each other, and I think that made the real difference here. That is, of course, helped along if you connected with them in the previous book. It's not strictly necessary, but I really recommend reading that one first! The conflicts between them were so understandable, and the flashbacks to the beginning of their relationship (a plot device I also usually dislike) only underlined both their love and the issues they were struggling with. I loved their deep and sometimes painful conversations, but Hannah also infused so much joy and humor into the story.

Bonus points for a very strong third act, and also the way Win and Bo were integrated into the story.

Out of the Woods comes out in January 2025, and I highly recommend it! Thank you to Dell and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Loved this! So tender and engaging. Love this author's writing style, and felt like this was a very realistic yet new depiction of long-term relationships and the realities of changing over time.

•Story ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
•Vibe ⛺️⛺️⛺️⛺️⛺️
•Writing ✏️✏️✏️✏️✏️
•Characters 🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼
•Spice 🌶️🌶️

•Description of the book:
Have you ever felt like you just haven’t had a successful-fulfilling life? Like everyone around you is doing great amazing things, and you’re just stuck… Well, Sarah Linwood feels the exact same way. After marrying her high school sweetheart and losing her mother to ALS, Sarah has just been stuck. Stuck in her productivity, her life, her feelings, in heartbreak, in mourning. Even with knowing that she absolutely loves her husband, she feels like an absolute failure and thus believes she isn’t enough and wants out. That is until her bestie, Win, recommends a couples camping/hiking retreat. Here she finds that she isn’t the only one that’s hurting, her husband is too. It’s up to both of them to figure out how to communicate and rekindle their flame before it’s too late.

Notable parts:
•Caleb being by Sarah’s side through the good and the bad times.
•Win & Sarah’s best friendship
•The beautiful relationship between Sarah and her mother
•Paper Airplane notes

•Thoughts:
As a 30 something year old currently facing some tough life trials, this book hit home. I don’t specifically love seeing or hearing that others are “suffering” or going through a midlife crisis, but it was beautiful reading that the bump in the road can always be crossed. That the small problems of today won’t be there tomorrow. That with a little bit of love, understand and patience, we can conquer it all.

Appropriate for who?
Adults, 18+

Would I recommend?
Absolutely yes yes and yes

Would I read the sequel?
If there was one, a million times yes.

Would I read more from this author?
Yes!