We've made it to my last book of 2024! I got the ARC months ago but put off reading it and because I wanted to wait until closer to release date (just under a month now!) and savor it. While it didn't usurp Next to You and Set the Record Straight as my fave HBY books, there's just something so easy and comforting about reading her stories that it still felt like a pleasant ride despite some of the more emotional content and I always love that about her writing!

We met Sarah and Caleb in Out on a Limb, and learned that the couple started dating as teens and married really young right before her mom died from ALS. In this book, they hit a boiling point as Sarah realizes she never got to figure out who she was on her own or what to be proud of that is just hers. The two very not-outdoorsey people end up on a week-long hiking retreat for couples because neither of them want their marriage to end. While finally addressing heavier issues they need to, they discover how to better rely on and support each other, and also to rely on and trust themselves (make sure to read Hannah's author note and CWs).

It was great to learn more about them and their backstory via short flashbacks between each chapter. I love Sarah's personal journey from beginning to end of book, and Caleb is still the hot nerdy gentleman, now opening himself up to emotional growth. The chemistry between them only sort of went away and is charged up as emotional intimacy returns, but they're not supposed to have sex during the trip (that makes this book a bit lower spice).

I know I don't always connect as deeply to marriage in crisis stories even when they're good (Freya and Aiden's book in the Bergman series comes to mind), but that's also why I have absolutely no doubt it will become a favorite for a lot of Hannah's readers who do relate to and love the trope. Regardless, I still enjoyed it and am so glad and grateful that I got to read it a little early so I can now promote it right before release date (Jan 28/25). Thank you to Hannah, Dell Romance, and NetGalley for the arc!

So I started reading this figuring I would make a dent and keep going tomorrow. No. I sat and finished the whole damn thing and it felt like it only took 30 minutes.

Y’all I haven’t cried this much at a book since Beach Read… yeah. It’s that good.

I think in this series HBY does an amazing job of taking real life scenarios that people don’t commonly write about and makes you stare them in the face and recognize how normal and okay they are. Disabilities? No worries you have a completely normal love story just like real life. You feel like your marriage is failing? That’s normal. It is fixable and it will be okay.

These are plot lines I never thought I’d like but here we are. Totally in love with the characters and their stories.

Love that they got their own book. It was sweet.
We get to see a little of how Win and Sarah's background. We also see how Sarah and Caleb got to together and their grown together, as well them self's.

I was lucky enough to read this after reading Out on A Limb. I am a huge HBY fan and she is my newest auto-buy author. Fantastic story with wonderful character depth.

I’m crying that was so so beautiful! This book is about Caleb and Sarah, who are high school sweethearts and have been together for 17 years. When Sarah begins to questions her identity outside of her relationship with Caleb, she decides to have a gala to celebrate her mother and raise funds and awareness for the disease that took her mother from her. When that doesn’t go as planned, and Calebs steps in to save the hard work put into it, this unravels the tension and both Sarah and Caleb are led to reevaluate their relationship. Although, in order to try and save her marriage, Sarah proposes they go on this expedition in the woods, where they are able to reconnect. They are forced to confront their grievances and fears, communicate openly and create a new foundation for their relationship for the years to come. I loved this novel, it showed a ton of personal growth from both characters, I could feel their love on every page and all I wanted for them was to hug and kiss it out, this book really shows how important communication is in a relationship, no matter what kind!

As someone who loved Out on a Limb, I can happily say that Out of the Woods is just as good, if not better!

Bonam-Young masterfully conquers difficult subjects such as, grief and marriage troubles, with such grace and empathy. Sarah and Caleb’s emotional journey is just so beautiful and tender, and I will be thinking about it for a long time.

A gigantic thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

🌲Camping
🌲Flashbacks
🌲Single POV
🌲High school sweethearts
🌲Marriage in crisis

Review: This book can be read as a stand alone but I highly recommend Out on a Limb first! Out on a Limb is absolutely perfect & you can get a feel for Sarah & Caleb’s relationship. Sarah & Caleb were high school sweethearts & got married at 19. This book is different, not about a couple falling into love but rejuvenating their love they already had. They’ve been married 10+ years at this point but have hit a slump. Win, Sarah’s bestie recommended a camping marriage trip for them. The book is all about this hiking trip with flashbacks to the past, which I loved. The flashbacks help us see why the two fell in love & the trauma they endured along the way. I love Sarah & Caleb. I love their humor & banter with one another. I love their relationship even with this little bump in the road. I took off a star bc the conflict was resolved too easily. The third act was also kind of random. It feels like not that much happened either. BUT I love the characters & the writing, so I didn’t really mind! All in all, a great read.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, & the author for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Another book set in the same world as Out on a Limb? Sign me up!

Out of the Woods is an interconnected standalone book following Out on a Limb (which is SO GOOD), and it didn’t disappoint. We get a peek into the lives of two high school sweethearts who have been married for over 10 years and run into some challenges. Sarah and Caleb agree to go on a week long outdoor couple’s adventure to see if they can reignite their relationship. The heavier topics are balanced out with the humor you would expect from two very much not outdoorsy people going on a remote hiking and camping trip. It is impossible for me to sum up the journeys they took in this book, you’ve got to read it yourself - trust me, it’s worth it!

I highly recommend grabbing this book!

"If you give me the space to grow, I'll plant myself next to you. Always."

The least relatable book I've ever read is one that is beautifully written, with great character development and Bonam-Young's signature sense of humor sprinkled throughout. I'm a 23 year old who has never been in a relationship, and I found myself falling in love with these two thirty-somethings who have been together since they were 14. Sarah and Caleb were absolutely delightful, and the love Bonam-Young has for her own husband (whom she also married young) is evident in every page. How lucky we are that HBY chose to write such a personal story yet again!

The ending wasn't my cup of tea, but it likely is yours, so don't be swayed against this. I greatly enjoyed this one, and I can't wait to meet HBY in a few short weeks!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for an eARC in exchange for my honest review

I just finished this for a second time and somehow it was even better this time around. I love this book so much it makes my heart ACHE in such a good way. I love Hannah’s writing and I love her characters and I love their love for each other. This book is everything GOOD! And I already can’t wait to read it again 🥹

———

I am feeling so thankful I got to read this already. It feels so special to be able to read a book you’ve been anticipating since the second it was announced a little early. I’m so grateful for this little life that I’ve created for myself and the cute little things I get to do because of it.

THIS IS THE BOOK! I have loved every single one of Hannah’s books, OOAL is one of my absolute favorites. But this one is so special. There is something SO GOOD about Hannah’s writing. She writes with so much love and hope and fun and is able to balance it all with not so shiny parts of life - feeling lost, grief, and not knowing what’s next. This was so beautifully written and I loved every single second.

First and foremost I love Sarah and Caleb SO MUCH. They love each other SO MUCH. I love the life they built for themselves. They’ve been together since they were kids and still never looked back, it was never going to be anyone else for them and I LOVE that for them SO MUCH. I LOVE the two of them and Win. Their little trio makes my heart SO HAPPY. And not to mention adding Bo (and Gus!!) into their family was SO easy. They are the sweetest family.

I loved that we got to see the other side of them. They were, and really still are, the couple to look up to in OOAL right? They had it together, they were happy, they were in love, stable, all of the things (and of course they ARE those things)! But learning that that’s not totally accurate felt so honest, because not everything is always as it seems. I also loved that we got to see how hard they worked to fix things, they had a real reality check and even though it was so scary, they needed to change something. The outdoor hiking trip was honestly the perfect backdrop, it was the exact opposite of what I ever imagined Sarah and Caleb doing and it made perfect sense for that to be the place they figured things out.

I loved the flashbacks and I loved seeing Sarah and Win’s childhood! I loved seeing how easily Caleb fit right into the chaos that was their life. He was so loved by all four of those women and he needed that so much.

I feel like I could talk about this FOREVER. And I’ll never be over this book.

Thanks so much to Dell for this ARC in exchange for an honest review I am so eternally grateful 🥹

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

This book was amazing. Very raw and very real. I think the author really hit the mark with the marriage in trouble issues that the characters were having with each other.

Whew. This book made me feel every single emotion in the history of planet earth. It threw my heart in a blender, made me laugh, made me feel all warm and fuzzy, made me reflect on my own grief, and made me grateful for everyone I have in my corner.

Out of the Woods prominently focuses on the highs and lows of marriage, the importance of friendship, and the unbearably tragic waves of grief. I love that Hannah didn’t shy away from discussing the harder parts of some of these topics. She put a spotlight on them and it made this book feel all the more real.

Though I’m not married, I think this is a great read for any couple in a committed relationship! There was a point when I was reading when I wish I had bought a journal just for this book. I took away so many nuggets of wisdom that it truly felt like a 300-page therapy session in the best of ways.

Hannah has a way of ripping your heart out one page and making you laugh until you cry the next. A way of making you want to jump into the book so you can become a part of this friend group. And of making every one of her characters feel real, raw, and relatable.

You genuinely feel for Sarah and Caleb throughout this book. I adored them in Out on a Limb so it was so nice getting to spend more time with them despite the circumstances. I especially loved the dual timeline so I could get a better understanding of their relationship. And I adored the glimpses we got into the future and all the scenes with Win and Bo!

Before you read, please grab tissues, buy a journal, grab some water (for dehydration from all the tears), and prepare to hug your loved ones the minute you reach the final page.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Dell for this arc!
*** will update with social media links after I publish a review after the pub date

4.25⭐
PG-13 🌶️

Marriage in crisis novels are my catnip and my spouse and I really like hiking... Obviously I was going to enjoy this book! Sarah and Win's best friendship is what has truly stolen my heart though.

💕ARC REVIEW💕

• Out of the Woods by @authorhannahby •

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“All of me is and will always be yours.”

This was such a wonderful read. I loved Out on a Limb and was immediately ready to dive into this book and I loved it just as much. I think Hannah is becoming one of my new fav authors. 😏 Thank you to @authorhannahby and @netgalley for sending me this arc!

#bookstagram #booksbooksbooks #books #bookstagrammer #bibliophile #booklover #booklove #readersofinstagram #booktok #bookreview #bookrecommendations #bookreader #bookclub #bookclubofinstagram #fiction #fictionbooks #tbr #tbrpile #arcreview #netgalley

Loved everything about this book!

Loved Caleb and Sarah's development and how they were perfectly imperfect, yet they fought with every fiber in themselves for their love. They never gave up on one another, they had an amazing support system in their found family/childhood friends (Win + Bo) and new friends (their campmates), and they never gave up on themselves. The deep soul searching within this book in order for them to come back together as better wholes was beautiful!! It's like what people say: you have to be at 100% and your partner at 100% so you can make 200%, there is no half and half--there is leaning on one another for support in times of need which we see and which was another beautiful example to this--so you can come to one another and be whole-selves.

I was of course soooo happy to read Win, Bo, and Gus's appearances in OOTW! Every time they came up I got so happy, and I'm so happy to add Caleb and Sarah to my list of "couples I love".

Hannah Bonam-Young has never put out a book where I have finished and said I disliked it. I've fallen in love with all of her characters, their storylines and her writing style every. single. time.

Thank you to Ballantine/Dell Romance, Hannah Bonam-Young and NetGalley for this amazing ARC!

I had the absolute pleasure of reading this one early & it did not disappoint. I may have even loved it more than the previous book (Out On A Limb). I haven't read a whole lot of marriage in trouble or marriage reconciliation romances, but after reading this one I will definitely be seeking out more. Sarah & Caleb's journey to finding themselves again - both as individuals and as a couple - was something truly beautiful to witness. The love between them was extraordinary & I just absolutely fell head over heels for them.

At this point, I will read Hannah’s grocery list.
Honestly… what the hell is in her writing, crack?!

Sarah and Caleb have been together since they were 14 and fall into a comfortable routine in their daily lives. But for Sarah, she’s always had to rely on others. Wanting more for herself and from their relationship, she convinces Caleb to go on an outdoor couples retreat to get them out of their funk.

This is a beautiful story about finding yourself alongside those you love. The last 20% had me absolutely sobbing. I didn’t know if I could love this as much as Out on a Limb but… here we are.
Thank you Random House for the ARC
5✨ (could my first read of 2025 possibly be one of my favorites of the year?)

I was really looking forward to reading my first book from this author but the colorful language really let me down. I didn’t feel like it was tasteful when utilized. Otherwise, the high school sweetheart story line was very sweet. I loved how time flashed back to the past to allow the reader to gain a full understanding of their story!

Hannah Bonam-Young writes the most magical, heartwarming romance books. I was a bit wary going into this one, because as much as I love HBY writing and books, I was afraid I wouldn't have much to relate to in Out of the Woods. I knew this book was about a marriage in crisis and a long term marriage, and as those aren't tropes I typically love to read or relate to, I was afraid this wouldn't be the book for me. But boy did this prove me wrong! I LOVED the growth of both Sarah and Caleb throughout this book and seeing them both get more secure in their own identities and in their relationship.

Out of the Woods follows Sarah and Caleb, who are Wyn and Bo's best friends from Out on a Limb. Sarah and Caleb have been together since in high school, supported each other through the darkest of times, and married when they were 18. Now over a decade later, they have hit a lull in their relationship, where things just dont feel the way they used to. Sarah is really struggling with her purpose and passion as a human in her own right, and she suggests trying out a couples wilderness retreat to try and connect with each other again. At the wilderness retreat, Sarah and Caleb are forced to really identify the issues they have been struggling with internally and within their marriage, all helped by the guidance of the other couples on the trip.

This book made me so happy and yet was such an emotional read. The work that both Sarah and Caleb put in during their wilderness retreat to dive deep into themselves and figure out their needs and wants in life, and how they learned to communicate that to each other, was so beautiful. Sarah and Caleb grew so much. I could really relate to Sarah, in her people pleasing role. Sarah really needed to learn to see herself as a separate person than Caleb, which is hard when you have been in a relationship for so long. I loved seeing Sarah really figure out her purpose and trying to identify what she wanted in life. Her struggle felt very true to people in their 20s and 30s. The topics that HBY touched on as usual were handled with such care and beautifully written/woven into the story. And I LOVED seeing Wyn and Bo have a small role in the background. I loved this book!! Thank you to Dell Romance for the free book!!

HBY has done it again!! She just has this inexplicable way of telling stories that is so special. I felt Sarah's frustration, happiness, anger and sadness over her life and I cried when she cried and laughed when she laughed. I also think I teared up/cried at almost every chapter, which is a testament to HBY's cadence and innate storytelling.

Caleb and Sarah were previously established characters from her previous book Out on a Limb, but she gave us such a fresh and vulnerable look into their relationship that felt so real! I historically don't like marriage in crisis books because they make me feel so sad because it feels like a third act for a good chunk of the book and i just feel hopeless! but HBY filtered in "then" chapters of Caleb and Sarah meeting and falling in love that kept the seed of hope and love between them alive.

i loved seeing them work out their issues and conflicts while still keeping each other in their hearts and just being so committed to each other! and Caleb???? now that's a man who YEARNS!

thank you Dell Romance and Netgalley for this eARC, it's out 1/28!!