I’m not big on character-based stories, but Hannah Bonam-Young might have cracked the code for me.

This book includes:
🌲 high school sweethearts
🌲 marriage in trouble
🌲 story of healing and independence
🌲 dual timeline
🌲 lovable characters
🌲 character-based storytelling
🌲 a pinch of spice

While the plots aren’t extremely prominent in this author’s books, this plot was definitely stronger than the last book. I did appreciate that I read “Out on a Limb” first because it gave me context behind Caleb and Sarah and allowed their story to hit the ground running.

I teared up a few times during this book, because it’s more than just their growth as a couple, but also her healing from the loss of her mother. The character growth was very solid and true to them, as well as how it tied into their history.

Hannah Bonam-Young is a master as writing romance which feels like a warm hug even while going through some pretty tough things.

I really enjoy when you can tell an author is writing from a place of experience and not just what they think will sell. The authenticity is what draws me to HBW. And her writing style and execution of a spicy scene doesn't hurt either.

I'm not a huge fan of second chance romance but this worked so well. It is very much a character driven story. If you like your main characters to be authentic messes then you'll love this.

I truly felt like I went to therapy with Sarah & Caleb. Their emotions were my emotions. Honestly, at first, I did not care for Sarah. I thought she was a bit unlikeable and felt like she needed to go therapy by herself. I identified with Caleb more because I felt like he was totally underappreciated by his wife. I took "Out of the Woods" personally because it had some aspects of my own relationship thrown into this book. Yikes!

As I continued on reading, I realized that Caleb did have things he needed to work on. No one is perfect. I did enjoy seeing them work out their issues and reconcile. There is one quote that stuck out to me the most:

"A lot of people will say relationships are fifty-fifty, but I think that's a load of rubbish. We all have seasons where we require more from our partner. The trick to a long, lasting relationship in my professional experience is not getting stuck at a set percentage."

Excuse me, Hannah! How did you know I needed to hear that?

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this arc!

I lost count of the number of times this book made me tear up. There is something about marriage in crisis books that just absolutely destroy me in the best possible way.I was beyond excited to read this book from the moment it was announced, because I knew Hannah Bonam-Young would do the trope justice–and do it justice she did.
Out of the Woods is an exploration of love and marriage, of course, but also grief both as it occurs and its lasting impact. The story is told partially in flashbacks, giving some glimpses of the beginning of Sarah and Caleb’s relationship, but largely focusing on Sarah’s relationship with and loss of her mother in her teenage years. This loss is woven into the fabric of Sarah and Caleb’s love story, and as the story goes on, we see an unraveling of all of the ways this has affected their relationship and both of them as individuals. There was so much care given to the depictions of both grief and a struggling relationship. Sarah’s pain was visceral, and seeing her heal is a healing experience with the reader. There is so much heart in this book, it bleeds from the pages.
All of that said, there was something about the book that fell short of usurping Out on a Limb as my favorite of Hannah Bonam-Young’s works. Like all of Hannah’s books, it’s reaching to balance the humor and lightness of a romcom with these heavy, emotionally loaded topics. This one just doesn’t strike that balance quite as perfectly as Out on a Limb. I think it wasn’t sure where it settled, leaving moments where I didn’t quite know what I was supposed to expect or feel from the book. Don’t get me wrong, this was solidly a five star read, but I think having Out on a Limb as the first book in the series–which struck that balance with a precision I don’t think I have ever read before–left this one falling the slightest bit flat by comparison.

Out of the Woods has solidly cemented Hannah Bonam-Young as a favorite author, and I can’t wait to see where she goes from here.

OOTW was very anticipated, and while I had my doubts (I am a bit cynical, I will admit) I have to say it held up. I loved getting to know more about Sarah and Caleb, who were first side characters, and I liked to see the dynamic of Win, Sarah, and their mothers in flashbacks.

I fear this book ate me up! It was so good, between the sweet golden retriever mmc who just wants to live his wife but just was clueless on how she was truly doing and the main girl character loves her husband but she forgotten how to put her self first and is trying to rediscover herself and truly be the best for herself and for her marriage. Hannah Bonam Young will forever be an insta buy author.

Give me every HBY book for every release! She blows me out of the water every time. I just site and read cover to cover. I love the characters so much I never want to put the book down. Their story draws me in and I find so much comfort in their story that I feel like I am living in it with them. She has such a way with words.

Wow. Even though I’ve never been disappointed by a HBY novel, this one was extra special. The dual timelines played perfectly. I am Sarah and Caleb’s biggest fan. Out On A Limb is a fun, sweet, romcom with so much depth and meaning that you feel like you’ve fallen in love with the characters. Sarah and Caleb are high school sweethearts who are now in their 30s, totally different people than they were when they made that vow. Do they try to reconnect or go their seperate ways? How about a week in the woods together to decide? Perfect! Thank you HBY, and NetGalley for an ARC for this beautiful novel. I’m so grateful.

Hannah Bonam-Young has once again written a beautiful book that had me sobbing an ungodly amount of times. I adore a marriage-in-crisis book and Hannah executed it flawlessly. From Sarah’s struggle with who she is outside of her marriage to the vulnerability displayed by both of them as they relearned each other, I could not have loved it more!!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in return for an honest review.

Sarah and Caleb. 💕 You follow these high school sweethearts as they try to figure out their future. Things are not as easy as they were before Sarah’s life changed forever but she’s finally ready to find herself. She’s ready to start finding what she wants and how she wants her relationship to look. Sarah and Caleb embark on their journey during a 7 day couples retreat. Along the way they meet incredible new people while trying to figure what they want for their future. This story is so beautiful and a roller coaster of emotions. I didn’t expect to love this story as much as Out on a Limb but I did! I definitely recommend both books!

First of all, thank you so so much NetGalley for providing me with this ARC.

Secondly IM OBSESSED. I love love love myself a little marriage fixer upper book, and it might just be my favorite genre of all time. I love the depth of the ins and outs of love, and Caleb and Sarah sure had their ups and downs.

I won’t spoil anything, but just know you must read this book. I went to the bookstore asap and bought it to have on my shelf for a reread one day because I just know these characters will live in my head rent free (and ofc bought out on a limb bc I need more of Hannah’s writing asap).

Thank you so much again NetGalley for this fabulous ARC, and I can happily say I was well entertained and satisfied with this book.

So I wasn't expecting this story after "Out On A Limb," but I am SO happy this exists! This book follows the OG friends- Caleb and Sarah. They've been together FOREVER- really, since High School. Sarah can always count on Caleb to be there for her. He more than proved that when he stayed with, and married her, all while her mother passed from ALS. But Sarah is asking the question, "Is this REALLY what I want for the rest of my life?" After a fight caused by Caleb 'stepping in to help' Sarah feels that their marriage is in desperate need of help before it can't be fixed. Away they go on a special couple's retreat... in the woods. During their time, Caleb and Sarah struggle, but they're finding neither of them is ready to let go without a fight. This book was brutally honest and amazing to read. The journey that Sarah and Caleb go on is relatable and believable. I couldn't put this book down and never wanted it to end! Warning- there is parent death throughout the story as well as some other triggers including injuries and blood. #NetGalley #NetGalleyARC #ARC

Hannah is quite honestly my favorite author. I'm not usually a lover of the marriage in peril, but after reading Out on a Limb, I knew I wanted to know more about Sarah and Caleb. This book made me cry multiple times and as someone who's never been married, I was still so moved by the way the characters worked through their issues.

Cute with well-thought-out characters. It felt a bit like two different stories with a change of focus between the marriage restoration of the hiking encounter and the family and career changes of the hospital and epilogue. Didn’t strike me as a romance book, but rather a character driven fiction with some spicy scenes.

This was a very emotional read for me. I wish more authors wrote about married couples, this was an emotional read for me. It had so much depth, I am still unpacking my feelings. I will definitely be recommending it to others and adding Hannah to my favorite authors.

5 stars!!

Every Hannah Bonam-Young book I read becomes my new favorite. Out of the Woods is beautifully raw and authentic - a love story filled with heart and joy, but also pain and challenges.

The "marriage-in-crisis" trope usually gives me anxiety, but I never once questioned that Sarah and Caleb's love for each other was real, or that they wouldn’t find a way to work things out. It felt more like a story of two people trying to navigate marriage while one of them is feeling lost and having an internal crisis, than the typical marriage-in-crisis setup. I love that Hannah took Sarah and Caleb out of their comfort zone and into the woods for a retreat - it allowed for the perfect opportunity and setting for vulnerability and growth.

I also love, love, loved seeing my sweet baby angels Bo, Win, and Gus again!! The dynamic of their whole friend group just warms my heart and brings me to tears. It was so special to see Win show up for Sarah, just as Sarah did for her in Out on a Limb.

I cried (a lot), I laughed (a lot), and I swooned (a lot) - Hannah is masterful at blending together humor and wit with depth and emotion and I love every second of it. It’s such a privilege to read her work, and I'm eagerly awaiting People Watching's release!

Thank you to Hannah for the ARC! 💕

book review: 4.5 stars

Hannah Bonam-Young… I am obsessed with you. NO ONE DOES COMFORT ROMANCE LIKE HANNAH. I open her books and it feels like someone is hugging me.

OUT OF THE WOODS is the sister-novel to OUT ON A LIMB (one of my all time faves). It follows Sarah and Caleb who have been together for 17 (!) years, ever since they were teenagers. They can’t imagine their lives without one another, but lately Sarah can’t stop wondering if she’s formed *too much* of herself around Caleb. If she’s not there, can she stand on her own? She needs the space to find out, but Caleb loves supporting her and doesn’t understand why she needs change and a little space. So, they set out on a week-long wildness retreat to reconnect…

This book had my heart from page one. You can tell Hannah poured her heart & soul into this one. There is soo much love and vulnerability and care within these pages. The whole story is incredibly well-crafted with dual-timelines. We really get a feel for these character backstories and why they are they way they are. I love when character’s actions ~actually make sense~. The romance between these two is tender and screams “I know you, I love you, I will always love you.” My heart melted… a must-read.

While I enjoyed Hannah's newest book, I didn't quite love it as much as Out on a Limb. I'm not sure the "marriage in crisis" trope is the trope for me. I liked the realistic issues Caleb and Sarah faced from being together since their teenage years. Hannah did a great job showing how you can lose yourself over the course of time, especially after a traumatic event of losing a parent. I think a dual POV for a marriage in crisis book would be ideal. Readers were able to see Sarah grow as an adult and take charge in her relationship. Ultimately to me, it felt like Caleb did not grow and change nearly as much as Sarah did. Overall, I enjoyed this title and am excited for Hannah's future works! Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a review of Out of the Woods!

I absolutely LOVED this book.

It can be hard to grow together when you find your person young. You start to wonder if you missed out on anything. But that doesn’t have to be the case - and you can still grow as an individual while walking alongside your soulmate in life. HBY beautifully captured this in Out of the Woods.

This book was so emotional and beautiful I LOVED IT. Coming from Out on a limb I was excited to dive back into Hannah Bonam-Young writing and this did not disappoint. These characters felt so real, honest and vulnerable I couldn’t help but relate (even though I’ve never been married lol). Sarah’s quarter life crisis was so real and I could relate so hard to how lost she felt and how confused and unsatisfied she was with her life and finding her purpose (especially with how it related back to her mom and not wanting to let her down). Caleb wasn’t perfect (especially in the beginning) but he was SO WILLING TO DO ANYTHING for his wife and that’s what truly got to me. I appreciate the conflict of this book because of honest and real it was and seeing them overcome their challenges both personal and in their relationship was so healing and beautiful. This book also had such GOOD tension and chemistry, I absolutely loved seeing a married couple who was still so invested and in love with each other despite the hardships.