Another HBY masterpiece. 🤌🏻✨ I laughed, I cried (from happiness, anxiety, sadness, everything in between) and my heart grew a few sizes. The smut was also hot as HELLLLLL

Thank you to Dell and NetGalley for the chance to read this eARC. You made my year, kids.

Out of the Woods, from conception was going to strike such a personal note with me that I was almost afraid to start it. Sarah and Caleb so clearly love one another but get lost, as so many of us do, in the day to day minutiae of life and wanting to Grow Up and Stay The Same Forever And Ever Amen that resentment builds towards their favorite person with no discernible outlet until a spark causes a big explosion.

Anyone who’s partnered knows how hard it is to walk back from those moments, especially anyone who’s been with their partner for more than half of their lives. (Dear reader: it’s me, hi)


This story not only crystal captures what that love can feel like - suffocating, liberating, painful, freeing, amazing - but also the ability to fall in love with every single version of your person as they change and age and the beauty and relief of being on the same page. Without exaggeration, this story is a gift straight from HBY to our hearts. Sarah and Caleb are incredible, and their found family with Win, Bo, and Gus continues to stoke a warm flame of familiarity in my heart that will not fade anytime soon. Simply, I couldn’t recommend this enough.

From loss, love and the ties that lead us back to one another.

Married at nineteen, Sarah and Caleb’s early love cradled lifelong challenges. When Sarah’s mom is diagnosed with ALS and passes away, their lives are turned upside down. Nearly a decade later, Sarah is overcome by this shift in their relationship—and if she’s always been the woman in need of saving. In an effort to reconnect, they embark on a camping trip tailored for couples. Will they make it out of the woods or does it set off in a forest fire?

I’m coming back for more, Hannah Bonam-Young!

5⭐️!!! Hannah Bonam-Young you’ve done it again!! I have never read a romance like this!

This follows Sarah and Caleb (if you have read out on a limb they are Win and Bo’s best friends). They have been in each others lives for 17 years and it was so interesting reading a romance book where the couple is married. They go on a hiking trip for couples because they fear they heading in a direction they don’t want in their marriage.

First I have to say, Sarah is so relatable. Her inner monologue is one of the most relatable things I have ever read. Her daydreaming random scenarios of her in fantasy novel is so me lol. I loved how vulnerable and real their romance felt. It is dual timeline and shows moments from Sarah’s past. Some of these moments were very emotional (yes I did cry a lot) and others involved the beginning of her relationship with Caleb.

I absolutely loved this book and cried so much at the end (especially in the epilogue) because these characters deserve the word! Also another round of applause for having characters with great communication skills.

Thank you Netgalley and Dell Romance for this ARC!

{Review posted to goodreads on 8/31/24}

This book is probably my favorite read of 2024. Hannah always hits it out of the park and this is now exception. We meet Caleb and Sarah in Out on a Limb and they have been together since high school and got married very young. They seem happy and like they have it all together. We learn that one of the downfalls of getting married at 19 is that you don't really have time to figure out who you are and Sarah is feeling stuck. They decide to go on a week long couples camping retreat to help bring them back together.
It is beautiful and heartbreaking. It is also spicy and romantic. There is no third act breakup and such good moments of communication as the book goes on. I cannot recommend this book more!

Really great book, absolutely love both characters! Very great and empathetici way of portraying grief and how difficult it's going through it.

4.5 ⭐️

Marriage is hard, but so is the love Sarah and Caleb have for each other. Out of the Woods is the companion novel to Hannah’s prior book, Out on a Limb, which I highly, highly recommend reading.

Out of the Woods focuses on high school sweethearts Sarah and Caleb, who first met in tenth grade and got married at eighteen for seventeen years. Sarah is hosting a fundraiser to raise awareness about ALS in honor of her late mother. However, she falls short of her fundraiser goal, and Caleb helps out with the deficit, unbeknownst to Sarah’s chagrin. Caleb’s action results in Sarah’s revelation, and realizes she doesn’t have any outstanding life achievements to be proud of and becomes angry at Caleb for inserting himself into her problem. Their dispute develops into a silent war where Win, Sarah’s best friend, informs Sarah of a camping trip for couples where she could use the trip as an outlet to reflect and think about what she wants out of life. Sarah is initially against the idea but ultimately decides to join the trip with Caleb as a way to break normalcy and remind themselves of who they were before their years of marriage.

OOTW is a book about the adversities of marriage and the struggles of finding yourself and proving your worth. It’s a book that highlights the importance of communication between two people who, despite knowing each other for the majority of their lives, still need to confide in each other with constant affirmation. But most of all, it’s a book that touches on the grief of losing a loved one at a young age all while trying to find a purpose in life and a sense of independence and self. Sarah is such a relatable character. She became so used to taking care of her mom and being known as Caleb’s other half for seventeen years that she had forgotten who she was as a person or what accomplishments she had achieved. Caleb, on the other hand, is such a dependable and loyal partner. His unwavering love for Sarah is steadfast, resilient, and genuine which goes beyond his own needs. He is the ideal husband material and the ultimate green flag.

Hannah pens a heartwarming, poignant, and vulnerable book about the highs and lows of marriage and how two people could complete and complement each other without necessarily needing to save each other in terms of complications, yet instead provides a safe and respectful space to resolve any obstacles in confidence. I loved this book so much! It was so good to revisit Sarah, Caleb, Win, and Bo. Especially Bo with baby August. I can’t wait to read Hannah’s next book and future releases!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Dell, and Random House for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

out of the woods🏕️💍
5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you SO MUCH to Netgalley and Random House for a copy of an eARC in exchange for an honest review. As soon as this book was announced, I knew I had to get my hands on it immediately. I LOVED Out On A Limb and was so excited to read about Sarah and Caleb’s story. I’m a sucker for second chance romance, so this was perfect. 🤩

I loved the concept of a couples therapy camp and learning to communicate better in their marriage. This hit home for me because my husband and I are high school sweethearts and have been married since we are 19 (just like sarah and caleb). Although we don’t have problems in our marriage like Sarah and Caleb are having, I personally think EVERY relationship could use work. No matter how happy you may be, it will never be perfect, and that’s okay!❤️

I liked the flashback chapters and getting to see Sarah and Caleb grow closer when they were younger, and then again when their marriage needed work. This book was so adorable and made me cry so many times. I also loved seeing Win be such a supportive friend to Sarah. Their friendship is amazing and it was refreshing to see Win & Bo again.

This book had me feeling ALL the emotions and I’m so grateful to have read it. The romance was so sweet and their chemistry is so palpable. 🤭

This releases January 28th, 2025 so make sure to go preorder it!🌲


My review will be posted in a few days on my instagram, @hardback.honey

It wasn’t as good as Out on a Limb but it was still really cute. A story of love, loss, grief, of finding yourself as an individual but also in a relationship.

Make sure to pick it up when it comes out on January 28th, 2025.

Thank you netgalley for the eARC.

i love love love this book!!! it was so beautiful & gut wrenching!! if out on a limb is one of the sweetest books i've ever read, out of the woods is one of the most hopeful books i've ever read!! hannah bonam-young does it AGAIN!!! this is another incredible book that is going to make you cry, swoon & laugh all in one chapter and multiple times throughout the book. hannah has such a gift for taking characters on this beautiful journey of growth. watching sarah & caleb fall deeper in love & better understand themselves & THRIVE?? i am still in tears...

there are so many ICONIC moments throughout the book that seriously will leave you gasping for air... is it because of caleb's HOTNESS? is it because of the TRAUMA?? is it because of those HILARIOUS lines? is it because of the absolute life WISDOM hannah writes? truly could be any one of these because i was gasping at all of them.

there were so many times where i had to set down my kindle and contemplate life because hannah's words just hit me right in the gut. i cannot explain to you how raw and emotional but also tender and heartwarming this book is. & it's still has the most rom-com-movie-type scenes??? I LOVED IT SO SO SO MUCH!! the flashbacks were everything!! the snippets of win, bo & gus were everything!! the reignite crew are everything!! caleb is SO HOT! & he has the biggest heart!! god i love him! sarah is amazing! a true friend & even greater wife. i really really love how hannah wrote so much depth into her. being able to understand why she was hurting and what her dreams are was a special kind of beautiful. i am in awe!! i could go on and on about how incredible this book is !!!!!

thank you Dell Romance & Netgalley for the eARC! this is my honest review.

A wonderful, unique take on second chance romance with endearing characters who you will be invested in from the first page! This book solidified Hannah Bonam-Young as an auto buy author for me! I could not love this book more! I had pre-ordered it as soon as it was announced and will absolutely be rereading it when it is published in January.

5⭐️

First off, I am SO SO grateful to have been given the opportunity to read this ARC. Hannah writes emotions so well, and Next of Kin and Next to You were the books of hers this year I read that seemed to emotionally wreck me. Well fear not, Out of the Woods had me sobbing and rooting for Sarah and Caleb from the very first to the very last page.

Maybe I am biased, but I think Hannah writes human connection so well. Reading Out of the Woods I felt the push and pull in Sarah and Caleb's relationship, the support from their friends and family, and almost felt like I was living through their experience. I know that the characters did some healing/growth/ therapy in the book, but this book feels like a type of therapy for me as well. Love is complicated and comes in many forms, and I feel like that is always shown so well in Hannah's books.

This was a really fast read and I could not put it down. It is so nice to visit the Out on the Limb cast once again. Ugh, this was just perfection. I can't wait for this to be published so my book club and I can read it together and laugh, cry, and root for Sarah and Caleb's journey.

Thank you SO much to Hannah's team and NetGalley for allowing me to read this early.

I will publish my review on Goodreads and Storygraph two weeks before publication!

This companion novel to Out on a limb and the author's debut traditionally published romance is a wonderful marriage in trouble story that deals with some heavy topics as childhood sweethearts Caleb and Sarah find themselves struggling and embark on a weeklong counselling camping trip with a group of other couples.

Heartfelt and told with flashbacks from the years when the couple first meet, fall in love and are there for one another during the hardest time of Sarah's life when she loses her single mother to ALS. I really loved that we got to see the couple rekindle their relationship and learn to truly communicate better.

There was some great cameos from Bo and Win and their daughter Gus and this book does such a great job exploring toxic parental relationships, grief, loss and learning how to chase after your dreams to live the life you really want, even if it means starting over later in life.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review! Highly recommended for fans of books like Ever after you by Chloe Liese or Do I know you by Emily Wibberly and her writer partner husband, Austin Siegemund-Broka (other marriage in trouble second chance contemporary romances).
1 like

Hannah Bonam-Young will never disappoint! I loved Sarah and Caleb in Out on a Limb, and I literally squealed when I saw they would be getting their own book.

Their story is so earnest. I love how introspective, articulate, and self-aware Sarah's POV is. This book handles some really uncomfortable feelings about doubting yourself, your relationship, and your life trajectory & does so with such eloquence.

I loved how the undercurrent of Sarah and Caleb's love never waivers. Their relationship was messy but the love never left and wasn't tainted.

I love the dual timeline, learning about how their relationship started and how it still played an active role in their relationship in current time. The evolution of their relationship was so fun to read about.

HBY just balances seriousness and levity perfectly. Her heavy topics were handled with the respect and reverence they deserve and the lighter moments didn't distract or take away from that. I really can't think of anything I would change.

Also Caleb is a dream. Sarah is hilarious. I cannot wait for my physical copy to come in in January! Thank you x100000 to Dell & PRH to the arc <33333

Even though I have more pressing reader copies, I started this one as soon as I got it because I couldn't wait. This book is a romance but its female protagonist's growth was the center of the novel for me. I enjoyed every aspect of the book and even thought the ending felt a bit too dramatic, it was perfect for Sarah and Caleb. The grief was very well written, and the small glimpses at Sarah and Caleb's teenage years made their love story more endearing. It was a great read.

This book is seriously ♾️⭐️. I loved Sarah and Caleb in Out on a Limb so I was so excited to hear they were getting their own book. This book was so beautifully written - it made me giddy, cry, laugh and so emotional. I relate to Sarah so much. Her grief over the death of her mother, the start of the breakdown of his relationship with Caleb and her questioning her identity was amazingly portrayed through these pages. I felt her pain and emphatized with her. It was so refreshing to read her POV and her inner monologues. She is funny, witty and so insightful. Caleb is the best too. I love how understanding and loving he is. He loves Sarah so much and it was pretty adamant throughout the book that that never changed no matter what they were going through in their marriage. The camp and the side characters there was so entertaining and funny as well. There were many great quotes and insights from their time camping and hiking about finding one self and giving yourself grace. I truly love Helen and Yvonne's conversations with Sarah. Lastly, I love reading about Bo, Win and Gus. Yes, this book is truly about Sarah and Caleb but I think this is a great book to highlight Sarah and Win's friendship as well. They truly are sisters for life!

I have pre-ordered this book last July and I cannot wait to reread it when it comes to me in late Jan/early Feb. Thank you to NetGalley, author Hannah Bonam Young (you are amazing! Ilysm) and her publisher for the early copy. It's truly been a pleasure reading this masterpiece.

Goodreads review:
I cannot even begin to describe how much I loved this book.

This book is such an interesting spin on contemporary romance because it’s what happens AFTER the honeymoon. When life gets predictable. When you are so comfortable with each other. When you hit a rut.

I laughed, I cried and oh gosh I related as a woman who so dearly loves her soulmate who has been with me for 10 years … AND we’ve been through some stuff.

I am such a HUGE fan of Hannah Bonam-Young and this book did not disappoint.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishing team for a copy of the ARC in exchange for an honest review and I cannot wait for you all to fall in love with this book in January as much as I did ❤️

This book is so so special, Hannah has a way with words that just gets me every single time. Sarah and Caleb's relationship is so so sweet, it makes me emotional, I loved how they navigated how they felt and how much they grew together. One of my favorite things about Hannah's books are the found family, I absolutely adore Win, Bo, Gus, Caleb and Sarah's little family and how much they love each other, I'll write a. more coherent review closer to release day but this story means EVERYTHING to me, thank you so so much to delromance and to netgalley for sending this my way, ill be forever grateful.

4.5⭐️
"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."

I wholeheartedly loved this. So soft, so adorable. This is a marriage in trouble, childhood sweethearts, camping trip romance! Hannah Bonham-Young really hit it out of the park.

Sarah and Caleb have been married for seventeen years- they started dating when they were 14, and have been going strong ever since. But now, Sarah finds herself questioning her purpose. She doesn't believe she has anything to be proud of, anything she's accomplished in her life. Her marriage is in a slump- her and Caleb love each other, but don't communicate. She doesn't know who she is outside of her marriage, without Caleb. So they decide to go on a camping trip, which is a sort of a week-long relationship counselling session.

The relationship between Sarah and Caleb is so good. You can feel the chemistry and love between them, they're right next to each other but still have so much longing to be closer. They begin to truly communicate on this trip, and are so understanding and accepting of each other. It's really so well done. The therapy sessions are so subtle as we see our characters grow and come to new realizations.

They're also just SO CUTE. Caleb is husband goals. The banter and enjoyment and just true friendship between him and Sarah are so much fun. The scene where he reads his hot takes to the group had me laughing out loud, with Sarah good-naturedly ribbing him the whole time. You can really tell just how well these two know each other.

I think the flashbacks here worked well. Not sure long chapters and not even all focused on Sarah and Caleb's relationship, but enough to give us an understanding of Sarah's early life and how she came to be who she is.

Thank you to Netgalley and publishing team for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Out of the Woods by Hannah Bonam - Young 🪵🐿️🏕️
🌲 Release date: January 28th, 2025 🌲

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sarah and Caleb have been the picture perfect couple for what seems like forever. Married at 19 they’ve been together through all that life has thrown at them. Sarah’s mom develops ALS and tragically passes away which alters the course of Sarah’s life. Caleb becomes her support system and her rock which is exactly what she needs, until it becomes all she sees in their relationship. The damsel in distress and the hero. They decide to go on a camping trip designed for couples to reconnect. Throughout the trip they meet new friends, learn more about each other and ultimately go through something life changing.


This was one of the best books I’ve ever read. I related to Sarah so much throughout the whole book. The way she feels like she has accomplished little to nothing is something that I struggle with. It’s hard to see everyone around you making big strides in their career and financial goals while you “stand still” and don’t know what you want to do. The strength she found to pursue what she really wanted to do was so inspiring and makes me excited for my future when trying to decide what direction I want to go in. Each character in the story brought so much and I love it when you get to know the side characters. Overall this is a story that will stick with me forever and I am so grateful I got the chance to read it when I did.