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!

where do i even begin!!!! this book is utter perfection. i absolutely fell in love with sarah and caleb during the moments we saw of them in out on a limb, and was so excited for their story. this book is so beautiful and so is their story. caleb and sarah’s story truly is one of the most heart wrenching and just beautiful stories ive read. the way that we get to watch them fall back in love and learn to communicate with eachother was perfection. sarah is such a strong, badass fmc, and i loved her growth so much. caleb is such a sweet baby and ugh he’s perfection, and the way he loves sarah is beautiful. not only is this book showing them grow together, but on their own as well. watching sarah stand up for what she wants to accomplish, and learning to go after what she wants, even if it means failure, is so inspiring to see as a young woman. the way hannah bonam-young tackles grief is just breathtaking. i am truly in awe by this woman’s writing!! i loved caleb and sarah’s story so dearly.

thank you so much to netgalley, dell publishing, and hannah bonam-young for the arc copy of out of the woods!

So I’m a fairly new fan of Hannah Bonam-Young books. I read “Out on a Limb” earlier this year and freaking loved it. Like top romcom of 2024 loved this book. So when I heard on Hannah’s instagram that we were getting a companion novel following Caleb & Sarah I was pumped. Then when I got the email that I got approved for this arc I have never screamed so loud.

“Out of the Woods” is a fantastic companion novel that deals with the story of love, loss, and grief. This book also does a fantastic job of allowing our characters to re-find themselves as individuals but also as a healthy couples relationship.

I will admit It wasn’t as good as “Out on a Limb” but it was still really cute and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of reading it. I highly recommend this book it’s definitely not one to miss. Make sure to pick it up when it comes out on January 28th, 2025. Big thank you again to NetGalley & Dell Publishing for providing me an arc!

Blown away. Honestly. I wasn’t sure at first. There is a lot of pain and sadness in the first 50% of the book but the payoff by the end leads to a deep, thoughtful and touching story with just the right amount of spice.

I was sobbing at one point.

I like that the book had flashbacks, as this couple were high school sweethearts and having marriage struggles. I liked being able to see how they started and where they went.

Hannah’s books have all been amazing. Must read for sure.

Being back in an HBY book was like being wrapped up in a warm blanket. I was so torn between reading it in one day or trying to make it last! Caleb & Sarah’s story hit so close to home, and opened my eyes to things in my own marriage. Being married to my own high school sweetheart, being a stay at home mom for 5 years and suddenly having to find myself again after my daughter goes to kindergarten- there were SO many similarities. My gosh, what a beautiful story. It was so validating that these are all real things other people feel, and that I’m not alone. I laughed out loud, I cried, every emotion was pumping through my body. When they’re making their lists for where they want to see their life in 10 years, I was balling. Seeing them finally have conversations they put off for so long was just a breath of fresh air. The slow burn usually drives me nuts but holy moly seeing them reconnect on an emotional level with all their lust filled moments had me 100% invested. I didn’t even mind the wait! This book contained so many heavy topics that could have made it though to read, instead it was done so beautifully that I could reread it again immediately. I cannot wait for everyone to get their hands on this book. I love this series and it will forever be one of my favorites.

This quote at me rollllllling on the floor.
“I don’t even fight it this time. Because what the fuck? Who is this bodice ripper and what has he done with my soft-spoken, gentle, nerdy-ass husband.”

Perfection. The conflict between the married main characters felt so real that it made me squirm. The author handles this so well, and I can't wait for friends to read it so I can discuss. As always she handles tough issues with tact and care. Five stars for sure!

This was PHENOMENAL!!!! Out on a limb is one of my favorite books EVER, and seeing the announcement for this one had me giddy with joy! I am so grateful to have received an arc.

For all the gals with their high school sweethearts, I think this will hit you particularly hard. Growing with a person and never really on your own and how that may affect your person. There were so many parts in this book where I was like, mhm yes that's so true. Even when Sarah was being unfair. This is also for the gals who have gone through more than others at a young age. We are different because of how quickly we had to grow up. Sarah always felt like she was doing too little, being too little, or just wasn't enough. She, since her mom died young, had to grow up early. With traumatic life events, sometimes there's no room to "dream". No room to find yourself because all you're trying to do is survive.

Enter Caleb, Sarah's to-be comfort person, who she leans on codependently through her mother's death, and so on.

Let's just say that on a personal level I felt every aspect of this book. I too have struggled with finding myself and my "passion" when the privilege of having one was never available for me. As someone who's also been with someone since HS, I do find myself relying on that person for probably too much.

While it all sounds sad, there are wonderful moments in this book! Win and Bo make their reappearance which made me SO happy. Sarah and Caleb have some good banter here and there. The side characters (their hiking buddies) are also funny.

This story was handled with poise. With real emotions, real experiences, and real mental processes. It felt like looking through a mirror. I adored every single second of this and could hardly put it down.