Okay, I don't want to delve too far into the actual plot of this book, as I want this review to remain as spoiler-free as possible. I will be delving a bit into Out on a Limb though, so if you haven't read that one and want to go in completely blind... what are you doing!? Go read the masterpiece that is Out on a Limb by Hannah Bonam-Young™ and then come back here.

Those who know me, know that I do NOT shut up about Out on a Limb. I'm disabled with an upper-limb nerve injury from birth. Win and Bo and their story mean everything to me, and always will.

With my love for OOAL, I was so, so, so incredibly excited for Sarah and Caleb Linwood's story. This book didn't disappoint one bit. This story bounces between Sarah and Caleb's past and their present, and I think the way everything weaves together really serves the storytelling.

Being in Sarah and Caleb's marriage is so different than the experience of having them as side characters in OOAL. Something that HBY is excellent at though, is realistic characters that feel grounded in reality. They almost feel tangible.

Though I didn't marry my high school sweetheart, I was in a relationship with my first boyfriend from the ages of 15-23. Hannah has talked about how her and her husband met when they were extremely young, and that they got married young. In OOAL, the personal connection go Hannah's own disability really serves to tell an authentic story. In this case, you can really sense the authenticity in the intricacies and subtleties of Sarah and Caleb's marriage. Things that would be hard to nail without lived experience.

Hannah's books have all been fantastic, and I think she's a stellar, extremely talented author. If you haven't preordered this book yet, I highly suggest reading Out on a Limb first, and then picking Out of the Woods up when it comes out! I'm so grateful to have received an advanced reader copy of this book. A special thank you to Hannah Bonam-Young (the legend, herself), to NetGalley, and to Random House Publishing Group. All opinions are my own and no AI was used in the generation of any part of this review.

P.S.
As much as I love Bo with all my heart, Caleb definitely tested me on that. Some dark curly hair, a beard, and glasses? Sign. Me. Up. HBY knew that if Bo were a brunette, he would have been unstoppable.

Okay wow! I absolutely loved this whole book! It got me right in the feelings and I was crying literally every other chapter. It was just so raw and real, two people going through a hard time in their marriage and figuring out how to move forward. The camping trip was super entertaining and the flash backs really flowed well.

5⭐️s UH!! I love @authorhannahby’s books. Couldn’t believe I got to read the arc of Out of the Woods. I’m so grateful to Hannah, @netgalley, and @dellromance for this opportunity.

Caleb and Sarah met and married young. They didn’t want anyone else. So, why wait? Now they’re older and accomplished. Well, Caleb is. Sarah feels like she hasn’t done anything with her life. Tonight is her night however. She set up the fundraising gala for ALS in honor of her mother. Sarah is mortified when the numbers aren’t as high as she planned. As usual, Caleb to the rescue. She just needed to fail or succeed on her own for once. The wedge in their marriage is even bigger now.

Caleb doesn’t fully understand what’s wrong and Sarah can’t explain it completely either. With the help of Wyn and Bo, they will take their place in a camping retreat. This will give Sarah and Caleb the tools to dig deep and truly see where they are going in their lives individually and together. Not to mention if they can even survive in the woods.

This has all the things I love about Hannah’s writing. Tension, banter, quirky characters, and emotional growth in the best ways. If you’ve read any of her other books, you will not be disappointed. Coming January 28th!! Plenty of time to read her other books if you haven’t. Highly recommend Out on a Limb since it ties into Out of the Woods. They are both interconnected stand alones.
#outofthewoods #outinalimb #hannahbonamyoung #advancedreadercopy #netgalley #dellromance #bookstagram #lovereading #booklover

First, let me just say Out on a Limb is one of my favorite books and I loved Sarah and Caleb in that so I was excited for their individual story!

This book was so sweet and the navigation of grief and self-discovery was written so well! Hannah truly has a way with words and being able to relate to her characters! This was sweet and emotional. Sarah and Caleb’s love for each other was so pure in just seeing how much they cared for each other and were willing to put in the work for their relationship! So good!🫶🏾

I'm so glad that Sarah got her story. This one was beautiful on so many levels. Who hasn't gone through life and wondered what their life purpose was?

Caleb is such a golden retriever, and I love that he was there for Sarah during some of the hardest times in her life.

This one gave me all the feels, and to see Sarah on the journey of finding herself was the story I didn't know I needed in my life.

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Publishing for my advanced reader copy. I can't wait to see what else this author comes out with!

Out of the Woods follows Sarah and Caleb as they go on a relationship retreat in the great outdoors. Their week away is filled with ups and downs, friends made along the way, and lots of conversation to try and save their marriage after getting married young. Their relationship is sweet and I love that Win and Bo (the main characters in Out on a Limb) were still involved in this storyline. I teared up multiple times throughout the book and want all the best for everyone in this series!

One thing I didn't love was the use of "holding down the fort" as the phrase has an offensive origin, but the rest of the book does a great job at being inclusive and diverse with the characters.


Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

I don't think I have ever read a marriage-in-crisis romance before (maybe once?). That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed Out of the Woods. I just absolutely adore Hannah Bonam-Young's writing. She writes such real, raw stories with such depth, while also being fun and romantic, and this was no different.

I didn't like Out of the Woods quite as much as Out on a Limb (which is especially surprising considering I really do not like the surprise pregnancy trope — Bonam-Young did it SO WELL though), but nevertheless this was still such a beautiful story and I loved Sarah and Caleb's characters.

If you liked Out on a Limb, or just like romances with a good plot and lovable characters, pick up Out of the Woods when it comes out January 28, 2025!

This was a true delight! So many books focus on relationships at the beginning or ending - but what about the middle?

Sarah and Caleb met as teenagers, got married at 19, and have now been together for seventeen years. Their relationship is really wonderful in a lot of ways and they’ve been through so much together. After a fundraiser doesn’t go as planned, Sarah begins to wonder who she is, independent of her husband and their relationship. In the midst of this conflict, the two of them decide to embark on a nature-filled couples retreat.

I loved the way this novel explored Sarah and Caleb’s relationship, what was working, and what wasn’t. This book also navigates a lot when it comes to grief and the loss of a parent, as Sarah reflects on her experience losing her mom at 19 to ALS. As someone who lost her mom at 13 I related to many of Sarah’s feelings and how this loss caused her to show up in the world.

I really enjoyed the overall premise, storytelling and dialogue. And could fully relate to Sarah and Caleb as someone who is not outdoorsy at all (though would be game for trying something out of my comfort zone to work on my relationship)

I haven’t read Out on a Limb (whose characters play a supporting role in this book) but it’s now on my TBR for sure.

Huge thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley, I had the absolute honor of reading the second book in this series by Hannah Bonam-Young!

I didn’t expect to enjoy this as much as I did, and I am grateful for every word I read and analyzed because this is truly a beautiful piece.

Reading romance usually entails a beginning, we got so much more with this one. Out of the Woods reminds us what living in the moment should be. We read and imagine the main characters experiences as they look into themselves after ten years of marriage and realize not everyone is perfect and has everything figured out.

It’s the joy of love after the ‘happily ever after’ and the key focus is that it isn’t always sunshine and rainbows. It’s a fictional version of something that is raw, real and so beautiful to the human experience.

Out of the Woods is filled with realistic situations with a hint of cheeky banter and fun times. These characters I will hold near and dear to my heart, as they helped me look past the rose-colored lenses of a perfect love story and gave me imperfectly perfect.

Out of the Woods by Hannah Bonam- young was unlike any romance book I’ve ever read. This was my first time reading a marriage in crisis book and I enjoyed it. I really love the way HBY writes romance and tells a story. I loved Sarah and Caleb and that we got to see the way they love each other deeply and were able to work through their issues. While I did enjoy Out on a Limb a bit more this was still amazing. It portrayed a story of love, loss, grief and to finding yourself as it’s never too late. I can’t wait to read more books by HBY!

Tropes in this book:

- Marriage in Crisis
- High school sweethearts
- past/ future timelines

Thank you to Netgalley and Dell for the e-arc!

This book was utter perfection. I fell in love with these characters and will now go back and read the previous stories in this series. The relationship between Caleb and Sarah was everything. They are high school sweethearts who embark on a couples retreat to bring them closer together. I’m so happy these two got to keep their happy ever after. Can’t wait to read more by Hannah Bonam-Young. Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC.

Out of the Woods was worth every second of my time. I laughed, I cried and everything in between. Hannah’s way with words especially with expressing emotions are so beautiful. The men that she write are such YEARNERS and boy am I happy that this lost art is being revived. Sarah and Caleb… Sarah really irritated me but she went through so much and Caleb, sweet cinnamon roll too pure for this world! I fell in love with everyone including Win and Bo over and over again. I was really savoring this book and took my time cause it’s such a treat.

I found though I related a lot to how Sarah feels as a married woman. It’s so hard sometimes to enjoy the now and not think of all the negatives while seeing everyone be happy. While also trying to establish who you are as just you. But the security, connection and communication with your partner is needed in order to progress as a unit/family. Anyone young and in a relationship/marriage could really benefit from this book.
Also the BIG MOMENT in the book had me SOBBING it is one of my fears

Thank you NetGalley and PRH for the arc!

I love this series! Hannah has a wonderful way of writing likeable, realistic characters that make you want to cheer for them throughout. In out of the woods we are reintroduced to Caleb & Sarah from Out on a limb. They're married high school seeethearts who have been together through it all. Sarah is feeling a bit lost in their relationship and Caleb is scared of change. They sign up for an outdoor couples retreat where hilarity ensues. An accident gives them the scare of a lifetime and they realize they're exactly where they're supposed to be. I loved the way they worked on themselves, and their relationship. I was cheering them on all through the end. Also it's always a delight to revisit characters from a connected series as we saw with Win & Bo from out on a limb. I highly recommend this book as well as this author!

Out of the Woods is beautifully written filled with emotional depth, sizzling chemistry and laugh out loud moments. Sarah and Caleb are two of the most likable characters I have ever read about. They are complex and have their faults but at their core they are good people who love each other and that makes for an amazing story. I fell in love with every single one of these characters and I cannot wait to see what this author does next.

What do you do when you love each other but the communication between you both has hit a wall?
You head out into the woods for a couples retreat, to rediscover the path to love and UNDERSTAND each other, and also see what makes you feel complete as an individual.

Out of the Woods, was Sara & Caleb's time to shine.
The couple, that seemed perfect, showed that nothing is truly perfect; that life is about working together and love while a huge part of a relationship but not the only thing that matters. I loved the growth and actually thought that we witnessed through the retreat journey. Watching the pair communicate and talk about the break down of their relationship, while also seeing the flashbacks of how their relationship began and how her mother's death affected the pace of it all. They are made for each other but we see it admitted that their future was rushed.
That honesty was a refreshing element.

Also, I was so ready to literally RAGE, if this ended tragically with *that* moment but so glad it didn't.
Hannah had me sweating for a bit there haha.

Side Note: While is is definitely nice to read 'Out on a Limb' before this to understand the sweetness of Win & Bo, the side characters, you can 100% read this book by itself.

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

This book hit WAY TOO HARD, RAW, and BEAUTIFUL. 😭✨

I never thought the "marriage crisis" trope would be for me, but this book completely changed my mind. Don't worry they're together throughout the entire story!

The plot focuses on Sarah finding her way back to herself without depending entirely on Caleb, her husband. After 17 years together and a charity gala where Caleb "saves" Sarah, she realizes she doesn't know who she is without him. What better way to reconnect and face their insecurities than a couples retreat in the woods called Reignite? 🏕️🪵

While you can read this as a standalone, I highly recommend starting with Out on a Limb first to get a deeper sense of their dynamic. Who are they as a couple? They’re best friends with incredible banter who say whatever’s on their mind except for the hard stuff. When it comes to certain topics, you can see them walking on eggshells, and this book dives right into those avoided conversations.

Hannah Bonam-Young absolutely nailed it, giving us not only the goofy side of marriage and a past timeline of their relationship from the start, but also the raw emotion of Sarah’s perspective. Watching her try to express how she feels in their marriage, while Caleb struggles to see what’s “wrong,” is so authentic and heart-wrenching. The way their conversations unfold is beautifully written 🥹.

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.

And let’s not forget they are VERY much in love. 💕 Sarah just wants to grow as a couple, which means finding herself and communicating how she feels, so she doesn’t feel lost within the relationship. If that doesn’t hit you straight in the feels, I don’t know what will. 😭 PERFECTION. 💖

“𝑾𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌 𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓’𝒔 𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔 𝒐𝒖𝒕. 𝑰’𝒎 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕.” 𝑯𝒆 𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒂𝒍𝒎 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒚 𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒕, 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒓𝒂𝒑𝒊𝒅𝒍𝒚 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒂𝒏. “𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒚 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔, 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕.”

Tropes
🪵 marriage in crisis
🪵 high school sweethearts / first love
🪵 reader girl x geeky boy
🪵 first person POV (FMC)
🪵 past and present timeline
🪵 spicy outdoor scenes

Another magical, heartwarming, enchanting read from Hannah Bonam-Young!! I knew going into this that I was going to love this story because I LOVE a marriage-on-the-rocks romance- I don’t know what it is about that trope but I just gobble it up every time! This book (like ALL of HBY’s books) was the perfect blend of heartfelt, steamy and fun with scenes that had me giggling, blushing and inevitably crying🥹 I love all of the characters that Hannah writes but I especially loved Sarah & Caleb and their story as someone who doesn’t want children but still wants a happy ending herself! I think that’s something that is underrepresented in books because not every happily ever after looks the same. The communication between Sarah and Caleb was just so good, and seeing them work through their problems while still loving each other so deeply was such a special part of this book. I feel like HBY’s writing just feels so real. Like it doesn’t feel like I’m reading a romance book, it feels like I’m reading someone’s actual story and that’s what makes her books so special.💗 I will literally be recommending this book to everyone when it comes out so be prepared to be sick of hearing me talk about it🤭✨

I have never read a romance novel about a couple who is already married. I didn't know what to expect but knew that Hannah Bonam-Young wouldn't miss! And she totally hit it out of the park. I found it extremely relatable, as I too got married young, not having much experience in life yet.
Caleb and Win were childhood sweethearts but each came from very different backgrounds. Win is struggling now as an adult, feeling codependent, like she never got to grow as a person without Caleb.
They both are not outdoorsy people, but they go on a couple's backpacking retreat to reignite their marriage. This leads to hilarious moments together and with the group (the "what hill would you die on" fireside chat had me on the floor. I've literally never laughed so hard in a book). They also dig deep as individuals and as a couple. I even told my husband that he should read this one because it's so realistic, relatable, and heartwarming.
Hannah is really good at adding real life trials into her books and she did a beautiful job at addressing grief and loss in this one.
My only qualm was that I wished we could have seen more of Win and Caleb in real life after the retreat, especially since I grew to love them so much!

Thank you NetGalley and PRH for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!!

After how much I liked Out on a Limb, when I saw that there was a book with these protagonists, I was very excited.
Following them on this journey has been wonderful and the author's way of dealing with certain topics is brilliant.
I don't usually like jumps to the past too much, but I think it's done in a way that's completely natural and you're so immersed in the story that I didn't mind.
Sarah's mother's part seems so necessary to me to know her more...
It hasn't made me feel as much as the first in the series, so that's why it gets 4.5 stars.
Looking forward to reading more from the author.

Overall, I think I would rate this a 3.75 ⭐️This book felt like free therapy in all of the best ways covering topics of grief & struggling marriage. This book is specifically about high school sweethearts in a marriage rut, but I think anyone in a relationship could benefit from reading about Sarah & Caleb’s marriage & all they discover and learn throughout their journey overcoming their rut. One problem I had with this book was how seemingly easy their marriage problem was resolved. It seemed like their marriage was really in trouble, yet they overcome it fairly quickly. If the premise of the book is a struggling marriage, it should probably struggle a little more… In addition to that, it never really seemed like their marriage was truly at risk which I think took a little bit of it out for me because I knew there was no chance of separation. The weird sex scenes and cringy sex talk at the end of the book also bothered me—not a fan. Overall, the general story was good & written well & I loved seeing glimpses of Bo & Win. Would definitely recommend reading Out on a Limb first to build the love for them before reading this book. Much more wholesome.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.