I never thought I would eat up a marriage in crisis book, Hannah just has a beautiful way of writing romances with real issues this story is about a marriage in crisis you see the characters grow, heal from past wounds, grief and finding yourself again while being married. Hannah is the Queen of emotional romances that rip you and put you back together. Whatever she writes I’ll read it

oh my god?
and just like that, HBY does it again. she writes a book that is truly so authentically heartfelt and beautifully, in such a way that it takes her readers along for the journey, ripping our hearts out of our chests and putting them back together again better than she found them.
Sarah and Caleb hold a special place in my heart, and i love that HBY decided to feature the marriage in crisis trope because it shows us the reality of love and loving someone for a long time, and that you are bound to change. and in order to love, you need to grow. the vulnerability that HBY gives to her characters is top tear, and just has such a way of getting to me.

Hannah truly has an amazing gift of being able to blend these vulnerable, emotional moments with humor and acceptance, and GROWTH of her characters.

some quotes to take with you 💗

• “i brought it and a solar charger. i didn’t want you to lose your reading streak. downloaded a couple of extra books too.”✨
• “too tired? i would climb mountains for the chance to watch you come undone, baby.”🔥
• “if you give me the space to grow, i’ll plant myself next to you. always.” 🌱
• “you can go as far as you need to, but you’ll always be a part of me. you will always be the second voice in my head. the force that surrounds me. the source that i pull my inspiration from.”
• “i don’t want easy. i don’t want anyone else. i want you, sar. i want to be the only man ever lucky enough to be loved by you.” 😭
• “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.” 🌙

thank you to dell and netgalley for the eARC 😭

Thank you Random House and NetGalley for this ARC!

Such an intimate and heartwarming read that really hit close to home for me! We follow Sarah & Caleb in Bonam-Young’s latest book as they navigate a rift in their marriage prompted by an identity crisis and need for change on Sarah’s part. As high school sweethearts who have spent most of their life together, the two try out a week-long hiking trip as a way to reconnect.

As someone who also married their high school boyfriend, the themes of identity and growth were all too familiar and extremely validating! It’s impossible to not intertwine your identity with someone you have been with for ages, and equally as easy to fall into a rhythm of life that feels scary to change. I have to applaud Bonam-Young for writing such a realistic depiction of a marriage and not making this overly dramatic! I related to both Sarah and Caleb through the entire novel, finding both to be likable and complex characters. While this book was full of raw, emotional moments, we also got plenty of laugh out loud moments & intriguing side characters! Seriously, this book felt like therapy at some points for me- almost like the author was in my head! I cannot recommend this book enough!!

Review posted on Goodreads and StoryGraph on January 31, 2025.

Being married is a journey and reading about Sarah and Caleb’s love had me smiling, laughing, and sobbing at 2am. I adore reading Hannah Bonam-Young’s books because the way she writes makes you feel like the characters are friends in your own life. I rooted on Sarah and Caleb throughout reading and their growth chapter by chapter was spectacular. There were so many deep moments that made me relate being married, so many hilarious moments that made me laugh, and took me on such a beautiful journey. This was yet another 5 star read that is for sure one of my favorites. 💖💖

Where do I even begin? Hannah really gave us an absolute romantic work of art with this book. As someone who is very skeptical of high school sweethearts and their ability to maintain a happy, healthy marriage long term, I loved this book. Hannah never fails to give us a book that can resonate with her readers.

I loved getting to see Sarah and Caleb navigate through their hardships and work to have their marriage thrive. Their conflict was so relatable and its so refreshing to see a couple find their way back to each other instead of giving up when times get tough.

The new characters we met along the way were the perfect addition to this book. I also love how these characters each helped out in Sarah and Caleb finding their way back to each other in their own special way. I hope we get to see some of these characters again one day :)

The setting of being literally out in the woods added so much room for jokes and funny elements to the book. Seeing them work on their communication while also pushing themselves out of their comfort zone with being in the woods was great!

Also, the spice? Everything. Enough said.

I truly had a great time reading this and went through all the emotions, as Hannah often causes me to do.

Thank you Hannah Bonam-Young, Dell Romance, and Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!!

Hannah Bonam-Young has done it again. 4.25 stars!

As a huge fan of Out on a Limb, I was excited to hear about this book that would feature the same characters again, except the main female character's best friend would be taking the lead.
And it did not disappoint.

The main trope of this book is 'marriage in crisis' and I'm usually a sucker for this trope because I like hearing how a couple fell in love, what made them special, what pushed them apart, and how they work together to find their way back to each other. This book had that same essence to it.
The tone of this story was what caught me by surprise, but in a good way. While OOAL had a cheeky, quirky and humorous tone to it, this book really went deep, unpacked a lot of hard topics, and was emotionally driven. It had me in tears one too many times...no complaints tho!

In this story we follow Sarah and Caleb who are high school sweethearts that got married young, and now fifteen years later their marriage is on the rocks, but they want to find their way back to each other. They end up going on a marriage retreat in the woods (featuring other couples that were both realistic and humorous), and they navigated the tough parts of their marriage, the good parts, the parts they never speak on and the parts they wanted back.
The conversations in this book were so realistic and relatable, and I appreciated how the author made Sarah a bit unlikable at first, because it gave her room to grow and allowed the reader to see her growth and change. She had to come to a lot of realizations herself, and it became evident that she was unlikable at first because of her negative view of her life purpose and self worth.
Caleb was simply adorable, and I appreciated seeing the work he put in himself, and watching him come to realizations about their marriage and relationships, being willing to open up, and still being obsessed and attracted to his wife even after all these years.

It was also refreshing to get the cameos of Bo and Win (and baby Gus!) sprinkled here and there in the book.

I will say I wanted more of Caleb's story, and wanted to see how exactly the dynamics of his relationship with his parents started changing. We were just told this, and I wanted to actually see it. Also the end was a wee bit dramatic, but it served as a necessary agent to get somethings squared away.

Definitely recommend this one.

3.25⭐, 2.25🌶️

"And 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."

This wasn't my book unfortunately , which I hate cause everyone else seems to be loving this book substantially more than I do. There were parts I really liked - the emotional effects I got with Sarah and her relationship with her mom, the love Caleb continued to show her throughout the entire book, the excitement at the end of the trip - however, while I enjoyed that all, the book just felt slow paced and too quiet for me.

I did not feel this was a real "marriage in crisis" storyline, it felt more like Sarah just having a mini life crisis, and taking that out on her husband unnecessarily. All of their problems being resolved over a few conversations during a 5 days camping trip was unrealistic and just showed that Sarah needed therapy.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest and unpaid review!

I have seen so many rave reviews for Hannah Bonam-Young (my fingers definitely wanted to type Helena Bonham Carter 😜) so I was psyched to finally read one of her books. Out of the Woods follows Sarah and Caleb, high school sweethearts who have been married for eleven years and truly love each other. But loving each other and seeing each other are two different things, and lately Sarah is feeling a bit invisible. Sarah has relied on Caleb to be her rock ever since her mom died, but after a decade of that dynamic things are feeling stagnant. Sarah doesn’t feel like she has accomplished anything she can be proud of and she wants Caleb to be her husband, not her emotional crutch. When her best friend suggests a week long couple hiking retreat to reconnect and reignite, Sarah convinces Caleb to go, despite neither of them being outdoorsy. They will hike, meet new people, delve into their emotions, and contemplate their future.

This was such a unique take on a romcom since Sarah and Caleb are already married and have no desire to be apart. It definitely veers away from the usual tropes we all know and love and gives us a different perspective. Out of the Woods shows that the HEA doesn’t come automatic with the wedding rings, that marriage is about communicating and seeing your partner and supporting them in the ways they need it. I did find that it lulled a bit here and there, maybe because the conflict didn’t seem as dire, but I genuinely enjoyed their relationship and journey as well as the side characters. I can’t wait to read more by Bonam-Young!

Hannah's books will always be so special to me!! Out of the Woods delivered an honest and moving exploration of grief, relationships, and love through the many stages of life.

This story follows Sarah and Caleb, high school sweethearts that met and married early in life. While Sarah is navigating the loss of her mother and contemplating her career direction, the pair find themselves struggling to connect. It's then they decide to attend a hiking retreat that focuses on couples therapy and healing.

Out of the Woods gently reminds us that even the best marriages or relationships require work. Communication, patience, and meaningful compromises are essential, but they don't always come easy. I loved how these two were able to open up to each other in this setting. There's always a lot of self introspection when I pick up a HBY novel and for that I will always be grateful. Sarah and Caleb had a beautiful journey and of course I loved all the special cameos from Win, Bo and Gus too.

So grateful for the arc, Dell & Hannah, thank you again! Out of the Woods is available now.

4.5 stars

Ah! As someone who has been with their partner for over 2 decades, I was impressed with how this book navigated long-term relationships. It felt realistic, almost frighteningly so. It was also cool to read a romance where the main characters are already together and have to find their way back to each other. So many other romance books focuses on everything that happens before you decide to be together forever.

I have never related to a book so much in my life! Hannah truly knows how to write about real life situations and experiences. The emotions were raw and real. I loved watching them find their way back to each other! I am so lucky to be able to read Hannah’s work! She’s a phenomenal story teller and I will always always root for her! Hannah has a fan for life!!

I was so excited for this one, I love a good marriage in peril story, but this wasn’t that. Their marriage was never actually in peril, they just needed to step out of their comfort zones. I feel like honestly, not much actually happened. There wasn’t that falling back in love story that I really needed. I listened and read, and tbh if I had just been physically reading, I don’t think I would’ve finished.

I loved this book so much !! Another great book by Bonam-Young !!

"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."

••••••••••

Expected publication : January 28, 2025 — ♡

The way Hannah Bonam-Young so beautifully writes the vulnerability of finding yourself with each love story never ceases to amaze me. She’s an auto-buy author for me for this reason, and each addition to the collection of her work solidifies that feeling.

Sarah and Caleb were a couple who always felt like a sure thing. We saw the way their love for each other shined in Out on a Limb, and that love remained effervescent in their own story, Out of the Woods. What Hannah showed us, though, as that there are times when even a sure thing can experience a rough patch. A love that endures time, trials, and tribulations, is one that still needs work. These high school sweethearts knew from the moment they laid eyes on each other that they’d experience a lifetime of firsts-and lasts-together. But what came with those experiences was a gradual shift toward being two halves of a whole instead of two people fully realized, building a lifetime of love together in the little things while maintaining a sense of individuality. That shift causes Sarah to wonder who she is outside of the relationship, and if the decades worth of grievances that have lain under the surface is enough to rock their foundation. In an effort to repair what’s broken, Sarah and Caleb join a retreat to the woods to work on their relationship, and what we get is a path of healing and hilarity on the way.

The themes of identity and grief were handled so well through Caleb, Sarah, Win, and Bo! I loved seeing how this family showed up for each other, even through the rough times and even when it was hard. This felt like an incredibly realistic depiction of what it’s like to find your way back to happiness in your relationship when you truly love the person you’re with. I loved the timeline of getting to know past Caleb and Sarah, how their relationship was built, and how they got to where they are now 💛 this was the perfect way to see this group in their happily ever afters 🫶🏽

4/5🌟 | 1.5/5🌶️

This was so real and so raw and so freaking beautifully written!!! I’m not sure how HBY writes books with so much emotion, but wow this book had me in. my. feels.

I just adore Caleb & Sarah so much. As someone who also got married young, I could relate to Sarah on so many levels! Their journey of self discovery and healing was so beautiful.

“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.”

💍 marriage in crisis
🏕️ wilderness retreat
🔥 spicy outdoorsy scene
🤍 self discovery x healing
👩🏻‍❤️‍👨🏻 high school sweethearts
✌🏻 dual timeline
💔 grief from the loss of a loved one

I’ll read anything HBY writes and I am so grateful to have received an early copy of this book!

4.5⭐️
Sarah and Caleb can be called nothing but soulmates. TRUE soulmates. Can one possibly find such perfect match in real life???

Hannah really made us beg for a Sarah/Caleb book since meeting them in OOAL because they are just the most fun deeply in love couple. And in OOTW you get to see both their backgrounds but mostly sarah’s and realize how truly through it they’ve been together.

This is a book that makes you believe in love. I’m not married, I’ve never been in a relationship but one day-i want my relationship to be as perfect as this in all its imperfections.
Sarah and Caleb show you how marriages can go through bumps and remain strong, how two humans can go through a lot and stay glued still out of deep adoration and appreciation for each other.
That there’s no such thing as “going through a rough time alone” because one is always there for the other. One is always standing behind the other to help them rebuild whatever gets broken.

HBY, you’ll forever have me as reader.

Out of the Woods by Hannah Bonam-Young follows up her outstanding contemporary romance Out on a Limb with the story of Win’s dearest friend Sarah and husband Caleb. Sarah and Caleb are high school sweethearts who married young (19) and from the outside everything seems perfect. More than a decade in Sarah is making it known how dissatisfied she has grown. Win recommends the couple heads to the woods on a marriage retreat.

Hannah Bonam-Young simultaneously hit home in a devastatingly relatable why while filling me with hope. I also married young (early 20s) and have lived the same struggle of feeling directionless that Sarah experiences. There were moments in the book that felt like looking in a mirror and called for serious self reflection. She managed to balance this with heartfelt swoon worthy moments from Caleb and some HOT intimacy. I was incredibly moved by her writing and story.

Would recommend without hesitation to contemporary romance readers who love depth and character development.

⭐️4.5/5
🌶️3-5 spicey scenes, a few in flashbacks
Would reread? YES!
Would recommend? Absolutely, but with caution, if you are sensitive to grief (death of a parent)
👀Single POV, Dual timeline

Excited for everyone to get to know Caleb & Sarah in their book. I recommend reading Out on a Limb first as it gives context to these characters and Bo and Win who make appearances.

Tropes & Themes
🌲High school sweethearts
🌲 Marriage “in trouble”
🌲 MMC wears glasses
🌲 Couples group marriage therapy retreat
🌲Complexities of LOVE
🌲The importance of open- without judgment - communication
🌲 Learning to trust in those you love even if you aren’t sure in yourself
🌲 He makes a lot of money, she’s never had a job/a thing - and she’s unsure about not having SOMETHING that’s hers
🌲Reconnecting and second chances

The best part of this book, for me, is that Sarah and Caleb go on this camping couples therapy trip, even though neither of them like the outdoors. They just know they have to do SOMETHING to get on the same page and reconnect in their relationship. They take a leap of faith, and trust that giving their relationship attention will help 💕 It can be hard to talk when you don’t know what’s bothering you and can’t sort how you’re feeling - I appreciate that they took the leap anyway.

The author's note had me in love with this book before the story even began. Hannah Bonam-Young pours her heart out in the pages of her books, and the result is a story that makes you laugh, makes you cry, and makes you FEEL.

Sarah and Caleb are a couple who married young, before they were given the chance to grow up and find out who they really were. Now in their thirties, Sarah feels lost in life and in her relationship. The pair go on a week-long wilderness trip in an attempt to learn more about themselves and re-establish their once unbreakable bond.

I loved the dual timeline of this story, allowing us to watch Sarah and Caleb fall in love and care for one another through some very dark moments. Sarah's mother passed away when she was still a teenager, and that lost has hung heavily over her every choice since then. Seeing the close relationship they shared and the way their wedding came to be made my heart ache, though they have plenty of joyful moments as well. Hannah handles tough topics with care and sensitivity while giving us room to breathe and laugh on the next page.

The wilderness retreat was a fun setting, and the other couples add plenty of levity to the story. Watching our couple re-connect out in nature made me smile, and I just adored their relationship, their banter, and their care for each other that was at the heart of all their choices.

This book was unique in its focus on a marriage in crisis, and I really enjoyed reading a different kind of romance. Bravo to HBY for another incredible book that I'll be screaming about for months to come!

I received this book as an ARC, thank you to the publisher and Netgalley. 4.75/5 This book was an absolute treat. It's the story of a beautiful love and learning how to change and grow while still retaining a relationship. We can plant our trees next to each other every time and still give ourselves room to thrive There are some hard topics in this book, including death so read up on the triggers if that might be a problem for you. Hannah handles these topics with sensitivity while also keeping the book hilarious and fun. The way she navigates the two remind me of Abby Jimenez's style so if you enjoy her work, you may want to pick this one up!