Another masterpiece from Hannah—at this point, I’m not even surprised. This book somehow healed parts of my life I didn’t even know needed fixing. That’s the magic of certain stories: they sneak up on you, rearrange your soul, and leave you wondering how you ever lived without them.

Hannah delivers a stunning, emotionally rich novel told through dual timelines—past and present—blending heartache, hope, and hard truths into a swoon-worthy but deeply realistic narrative. She doesn’t romanticize a marriage in crisis. Instead, she tackles it head-on with brutal honesty, giving equal weight to the struggles and the love between Caleb and Sarah. Through a wilderness retreat (because what better way to fix your relationship than surviving the great outdoors?), she explores therapy, communication, and the sheer work that goes into healing. Special shoutout to Helen and Yvonne for their therapy sessions—someone give these women a medal.

“He’s so familiar to me now that I feel myself having to concentrate to truly see him. As if he was a mural passed every morning on the way out the door or the lyrics to a favorite song I’ve sung along to a million times. Beautiful. Special, even. But known.”

Sarah Linwood owns my heart. She’s confident, funny, and spontaneous, yet deeply introspective, struggling with self-worth and the feeling that she hasn’t accomplished enough. Her journey felt so raw and real, especially in the way she wrestled with her identity outside of being a wife. I loved how her growth was organic—messy, complicated, and entirely hers.

“Life kept going, the Earth kept spinning, everyone moved on, but I stayed still.”

And then there’s Caleb Linwood—resident nerd, husband extraordinaire, and the kind of man who makes you believe in love. Hannah writes the best male characters, and Caleb is no exception. He’s the stable one, the protector, the guy who always gives more than he takes. But underneath his steady exterior, he struggles with his own fears of not being enough. Seeing him fight for his marriage, for Sarah, for himself? Absolutely swoon-worthy.

“I hope that if you have to rewrite your life, you won’t erase my part in it, that you’ll let me stay a part of your story.”

Caleb and Sarah’s love story spans over a decade, from teenage soulmates to a couple trying to navigate the realities of adulthood. Their intimacy, their deep-rooted friendship, and their sheer belief in each other made every moment between them gut-wrenching and beautiful. They felt real—the kind of couple you root for with your whole chest. The book perfectly captures what it means to love someone not just in the easy moments but through the tough, uncertain, and painful ones too.

“It is you. And your heart is mine in the way that our home or our neighborhood or my favorite movie is mine. Mine but not for me alone. Your heart is mine to care for, to treasure. But it will never be just mine.”

What truly sets this book apart is how it approaches marriage: as something that requires work, patience, and, above all, understanding. Caleb and Sarah don’t just magically fix their problems overnight. They put in the effort, communicate, and choose each other every single day. It’s not about grand gestures but about showing up, even when it’s hard. And watching them rebuild their relationship—amidst the chaos of the wilderness, no less—was nothing short of breathtaking.

“I don't want to wait ten years to have the life we want. You are the only thing that matters to me, and I'm tired of pretending otherwise.”

Beyond the romance, the book shines with its portrayal of friendship and found family. Bo and Win are the kind of best friends everyone needs—loyal, honest, and always ready to offer a reality check. Then there’s Nina, Helen, Yvonne, and Libby, each adding their own warmth and wisdom to the story.

And let’s talk about that epilogue. Win and Bo having their fourth kid (this man was born to be a dad), Sarah and Caleb adopting a dog, and Sarah finally following her dreams? My heart = completely healed.

This book was everything—heartfelt, deeply moving, and beautifully written. Hannah did it again. A masterpiece, through and through.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an advanced readers copy of this book.

I finished this book a few days ago and have been having a hard time finding the words for a review. In a nutshell, I really really loved it and I feel like I can't do it proper justice. This story sucker punched me in the feels in the best way, and I'm still churning it over in my head days later. [Just read it for yourself.]

However... While I'm older than the MCs and my husband and I were not high school sweethearts, this story resonated more with me than I expected it to. I feel like we don't get enough representation for real-life marriage struggles in the romance genre. There was no third-act breakup, no harmful miscommunication, no deception - just LIFE. The MCs were so obviously devoted to each other but found themselves struggling. Their challenges were so very relatable - we've all been there! (And if you say no to that, you're lying. No marriage is perfect.) My husband and I have been married for 15 years, together for almost 20. Keeping the fire burning is *WORK* and this book showcased that in the best way. The communication was raw and healthy while their growth together was perfect.

The MMC reminded me so much of my husband - a sweet and caring man who turns up for the ones he loves - while on the flip-side, I really identified with the FMC and her self-doubt and "life's purpose" struggle. Caleb and Sarah are just like you and me; real people dealing with real life. I'd be lying if I said I didn't start Googling "marriage counseling camping retreat" after this. I did, however, take notes on the journaling front. I liked the progress they made through writing things down and started that for my own relationship. (Learning things from books is fun!)

I'm not typically a "book highlighter", but this one just kept me making note after note. Hannah has a way with words and it shows. I laughed, cried, gasped, and cheered my way through this book.

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

As for content, you will deal a lot with the loss of a parent (at a young age) from a terminal illness. The spice is spicy (oh so deliciously spicy) but not plentiful. What you do get is gooooood though. The tension is hot and when the dam breaks, hoooo boy. 🥵

I think it's important to mention that this is the follow up to "Out on a Limb", and while reading the first will help you better relate to Caleb and Sarah, it's not critical to this story. (Especially since the first book deals with pregnancy, and that can sometimes be difficult for some readers.) Don't let hang-ups from the first keep you from reading this.

📚Trope(s): Fist Love, Young Marriage, Grumpy/Sunshine, Sweet/Nerdy MMC, Spunky FMC
What you get: 🏕️🇨🇦👓🫦
⭐️Plot: 5/5
🔥Chemistry: 5/5
🌶️Spice: 3/5

I absolutely adored this book! This was my first read where the characters are already married and I just love that. As someone who also married my high school boyfriend, I found a lot of the feelings the main character described really resonated with me and I understand the feelings of needing to find yourself after leaning on someone else for so long. I really enjoyed this book and definitely recommend!

After being together for 17 years, Sarah begins to wonder who she is outside of her marriage with Caleb. The solution? Join a group hiking trip designed to help couples through rough patches. Can they make it out of the woods and back to their roots?

Hannah Bonam-Young does it again!

I loved the romance, the vulnerability, and the healing between Sarah and Caleb. Their relationship and the struggles they went through were so real, raw, and relatable. I laughed, I cried, and I screamed, so you know I had a great time reading their story.

Would definitely recommend!

Hannah Bonam-Young never disappoints. Her books are so emotionally rich and raw, and yet, they don’t leave you feeling discouraged and exhausted. Out of the Woods had that perfect HBY blend of messy realness with humor and heart. This book is the perfect, most beautiful example that love is choice, and it must be made repeatedly, every single day, to form a sustainable relationship.  
This book gives me so much hope for love that is this beautiful.

Format - E ARC

Rating- ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Spice- 🌶

Series- N/A

Troupes- Marriage on the rocks, forced proximity, getting out of your comfort zone, camping


Hanna has freaking done it again! There are few authors who can get me to read outside of my comfort troupes and she has become one of them.

This Marriage in trouble story features our favorite high school sweethearts Sarah and Caleb from “Out on a limb”. Sarah is at a cross roads in her life, she married her supposed love of her life but did she do it for the right reasons back then? And other then that what has she accomplished since? Caleb brings in good money and takes wonderful care of her but he works a lot. After a week long argument and a chat with Win Sarah decided what they need is a wilderness retreat to reconnect with her dear husband and hopefully she can find what she’s missing in life. The Catch? She and Caleb are more outsidey people and less outdoorsy.

As I said this is not one of my preferred troupes but damn if Hannah didn’t suck me in and keep me reading as these two navigate their way though the forest and their Marriage problems along side a hilarious and wonderful cast of Characters. Over a decade of Marriage and these to still know how to keep things new in the Spice department. So needless to say yes recommend this book and yes your gonna wanna read it now.

Thank you Hannah, Random House and Netgalley for this advance copy, all opinions are my own.

3.5 stars

while this wasn’t my favorite hby book i still thoroughly enjoyed it. i do think it was marketed incorrectly as i wouldn’t label this a marriage in crisis more like a journey of self love and finding one’s purpose in life after marrying so young. not once did i question if sarah & caleb weren’t going to make it out on the other side. most of their turmoil came from sarah’s lack of communication for how she was feeling and her putting everyone else’s needs before her own.

this book deals with grief pretty heavily and i thought hannah did such a beautiful job writing a heavier topic like that one. it was clear how obsessed caleb is with sarah and how much he wants her to be happy but also needing to learn that he can’t fix all of her problems for her.

the plot of this one was enjoyable and i liked all the side characters a lot and thought the overall character development for everyone was a positive experience. i really enjoyed seeing sarah feel more like herself again and understanding/learning her self worth.

i do think there could’ve been more tension in this one and more honest communications involved but overall i really enjoyed it still just not as much as some of hby’s other books

If you are a fan of Out on a Limb, I think that you will love this one! It follows the story of Sarah and Caleb and catches up with them in a rough spot. This story has cozy romance written all over it. It however was not one of my favorites. I thought Out on a Limb was just so-so and wanted to give another one of Hannah Bonam Youngs books a try. This however didn't resonate with me and was too cutesy. If cozy romance is what you are looking for, I think you will love it!

Fortunate enough to get an ARC for this great story. Caleb & Sarah were fun and this was a great spin on a second chance love. Sarah’s processing of grief was beautifully written and I found myself crying in one moment, giggling in the next. I love Hannah's writing style and find myself eager to turn the page and get to the next moment with the characters. Caleb & Sarah are beautifully written and their love story is keeping Out of the Woods at the top of my best of 2025 list.

Out of the Woods is such an emotional rollercoaster of a book, that hit a little too close to home. The story is highly relatable for anyone who has lost their own identity in a relationship.

Sarah and Caleb married too young, that they didn’t get to experience life without each other. Going into this book I wouldn’t say that their long term marriage was on the rocks mainly because they had so much love for each other the entire book. However, neither of them knew who they really were and were tired of the roles they each played.

Honestly, I had to put this book down a few times and take a break. At some points it was too much for me personally. I was not expecting such a gut-wrenching read.

It’s a deep story about finding yourself and discovering who you are and want to be, becoming more independent, and how important good communication is. All lessons that need to be learned.

If you want to feel every emotion that exists, this is a book for you!

This was not what I was expecting. This is about a couple in love, and always wanting, no matter what hiccups and bumps they hit in their relationship, to be with each other 100%. This book can be relatable for anyone in a long term relationship.

You love your person but what if all you know of yourself is being with that person. Sarah wants to be more independent in the sense of what she brings to the table and contributes to the world and to herself. She’s a stay at home wife and wants more but doesn’t know where to start. And in true couple fashion- she has conversations in her head that don’t make it to her husband and gets annoyed when he doesn’t understand what she wants. Flip side- Caleb has always been the safety net, the fixer. And though he will do anything for his wife, he wants the opportunity to not be the sound support and let go a little.

You never lose sight of their love in this story and follow on their journey of individual and their relationship growth.

This was a lighthearted story of remembering to communicate with your person, let go of your stubbornness a bit, say I love you and mean it, and know you are strong together but it’s okay if you need to grow and change in your years together. It doesn’t mean you don’t want to be together, you are just entering new chapters in your life together and it can be the best thing for you both.

Out of the Woods is a masterpiece in writing that I need everyone to read now, with tissues in tow. I definitely recommend reading Out On a Limb right before hand, yes it'll be an emotional rollercoaster but in the best (healing) way. OOTW is a love letter to those who have found their soulmates at a young age and later in life, feel like that's their whole identity. I cried and then immediately called my Mom wondering when we could make lasagna together (our specialty). Hannah writes the most serious topics with grace and love and I immediately know I am in safe emotional hands with her books.

Sarah and Caleb have been together since early high school years. They got married young and now, Sarah is trying to figure out who she truly is besides being a wife. Being married is great but that's all she feels she has done. Questioning everything, her best friend gives her a pamphlet to a couples camping retreat that is meant to help couples reconnect and communicate. She's hoping this'll get them "out of the woods" and give her who she is meant to be.

This book is perfect. Sarah and Caleb are everything to me. Hannah has a magical way of making you feel seen in her characters and always leaves you feeling so full. My emotions were at the surface the whole time I was reading and every time I read this book is as magical as the first time. Well done, HBY. You are a genuis.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story of Sarah finding herself while also finding the love that was always there within her relationship. Out of the Woods is a beautiful romance that tackles tough topics such as losing a parent at a young age & working through grief while having the love of your life by your side the whole way through. One of my favorite parts of this book was getting to see more of Sarah & Win's friendship & getting to know Sarah & Caleb as a couple! I loved Out on a Limb so very much, I was so excited to jump into reading this book & IT WAS BEAUTIFUL! I feel so much for Sarah & empathized with her heavily. I highly recommend this book & Out on a Limb. I'm so excited to recommend it to customers who come to shop at my bookstore!

Hannahhhhhhhh!!!! You have DONE. IT. AGAIN. Every time this author publishes a book I'm like ah yes. my new fav. and then she releases ANOTHER and That One becomes my favorite. Hannah Bonam-Young I would read your grocery lists. This was beautiful and heartbreaking and so so human I felt like crying almost the entire time. I love when characters find their way back to one another. Marriage-in-trouble can be difficult to read, but it is such a catharsis and so so worth it in the end.

“If you give me the space to grow, I’ll plant myself next to you. Always.”

Thank you for the free book Dell Romance. All opinions are my own.

A marriage in crisis, but make it a love story - is how I would pitch this book.

Sarah and Caleb fell in love in high school, during a time of heightened emotion, got married at nineteen and survived the death of Sarah’s mom soon after. Sarah doesn’t know what her life would be like without Caleb there to swoop in and save the day but she knows that she needs to do something to prove to him that she is ready to stand on her own two feet. Refusing to give up on their dream of forever, Caleb and Sarah embark on a couples retreat camping trip with the hope of getting out of their comfort zones and reconnecting with one another.

I first fell in love with Sarah and Caleb in Out on a Limb and was so excited to get a deeper glimpse into their lives. From the description, I knew that this one would be heavy but I was grateful for the care that Hannah Bonham Young took in her discussions of grief and healing. What I loved most about this book was the idea that, as people, we evolve throughout our lives so of course our needs change too. But how do we adjust and still hold on to each other? Communicating and being open to change is the only way a relationship can grow and yet still remain a permanent fixture in our lives.

I absolutely loved the way this book came together. If you are a fan of rom-coms with a deeper story, then this one's for you.

I read + listened to 𝘖𝘶𝘵 𝘖𝘧 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘴 and I finished it in under 12 hours! This was such a refreshing read, I loved how much Caleb and Sarah loved each other and beat the odds despite getting married right out of high school. Sarah is going through a difficult time feeling stagnant and needs her husband to acknowledge that she isn’t the same teenager grieving her mother’s death and ready to take on more. As many couples do, they find themselves in need of putting in the work and making their relationship a priority. I love the character developments throughout the book. The duel timelines in the book show us the horrible pain and grief Sarah experienced and how Caleb was always there for her, despite him being a teenager himself. I can’t express just how sweet their story and love is for each other, they would do anything for one another and that even means attending a relationship retreat camping in the woods for a week!

Ohhhh this was so good and unexpectedly very emotional!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Simply put, “Out of the Woods” follows Sarah and Caleb, two high school sweethearts, who venture on an outdoor wilderness trip to try and save their crumbling relationship.

This book tackles grief, loss, loneliness, self reflection, friendship, love, desperation, and change. It switches between past and present timelines. With this, we see how their relationship begins, how it becomes stagnant, and how they build it back up.

This writing style is very engaging. Every time I picked the book up, I struggled to put it down. I would not hesitate to recommend this, whether or not you have enjoyed a book from HBY in the past. This will especially work for fans of marriage in trouble/ turmoil, second chance, or childhood lovers tropes.

The only reason this book is not 5 stars for me is that I found myself wanting to skim through the past timelines to get back to the present. While the past perspective was necessary, it started to feel a little repetitive for me.

Ultimately, this book takes you on a tumultuous journey, but the ending is very satisfying and leaves you yearning for even more of Sarah and Caleb’s journey.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dell publishing for this advance copy of Out of the Woods by Hannah Bonam-Young. This one published this past week and is available for purchase today!

I’ve heard quite a bit about Hannah’s work from her other book taking place in this world (Win’s book), Out on a Limb, but I would argue you can absolutely read this one without having read Out on a Limb, although the events in this book take place after where our characters already have their happily ever after. This was my first book by this author, and I found her writing style to be so easy to read, and her characters were very developed. While this one was a romance, it was more about finding each other again and really working through differences - I wouldn’t call it second chance, more of an exploration of evolving into the people we’re meant to be. I really loved it.

Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC. This one is out today for purchase!

'Out of the Woods' by Hannah Bonam-Young is a romantic comedy, following a married couple who is trying to relearn how to be a couple after realizing that their long standing pattern isn't serving them anymore. They go on a wilderness retreat to try rekindle their relationship.

I loved that this book was a romance focused on a married c0uple. I think there are too few options in the romance genre revolving around currently married people. Bonam-Young is a recent favorite of mine for her ability to create realistic, likeable characters and I have always appreciated the representation of diverse experiences in her work. Bonam-Young manages to expand that world in 'Out of the Woods.'

Thank you to Hannah Bonam-Young and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for a honest review of 'Out of the Woods.'