“Out of the Woods” by Hannah Bonam-Young is such a beautiful, emotional ride that hit all the right notes for me. It’s about Sarah and Caleb Linwood, high school sweethearts who’ve been married for a long time but are starting to feel a little lost in their relationship. To get back on track, they go on a week-long wilderness trip to reconnect and, honestly, it’s such a heartfelt journey.

The story dives deep into what it means to grow with someone over time, and it totally pulls at your heartstrings. It’s not just about falling in love but staying in love, which makes the romance even more meaningful.

It’s a curious fact that I read this right now and I’ll be getting married in less than two weeks now. I cried, reflected and felt SO proud of these characters. This made my head going into marriage with a newfound appreciation for the little things, for choosing a kind person as a husband and being truly understood. And a lot of what I read will for sure be imprinted in my brain for a long time, the one quote that struck the most to me being: “If you give me the space to grow, I’ll plant myself next to you. Always.” It’s a book I’ll make sure to read again as a reminder of that. Thank you so much for Netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC, the publisher and Hannah Bonam-Young, for such an incredible story. All thoughts are my own.

Read nearly a quarter of this book and gave up. Sarah was a brat and Caleb didn't want to talk. Also felt like the author couldn't get her mind out of the gutter long enough to create and actual storyline for me to get invested in.

Once again, HBY has written a relatable, warm story full of heart. I took my time with this one, relishing in Caleb and Sarah’s story. It feels like witnessing one chapter of their lives, with a few glimpses at their early days told through flashbacks. Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the arc- the joy I felt getting access to this early was pure glee.

Some highlights for me with this one:
-I cried 4x. Teared up numerous other times
-Bo and Win! And Gus!
-the person we experience early on is not the best version of Sarah, her struggles and frustrations and response to them are super relatable. Her low self esteem and insecurities are painful to read- which speaks a lot to Hannah’s talent.
-there’s an element to Sarah’s past that tugged at a raw spot for me, but how that played out at the end was deeply satisfying!

I’m grateful to Hannah for writing these stories and sharing these characters with us.

Thanks to NetGalley, Dell Romance and PRH Audio for the ARC/ALC.

This might be the first book I have read by Hannah Bonham-Young but I don't think it will be my last. I thought this book was super adorable and I loved the chemistry between Sarah and Caleb. I am very much looking forward to Hannah's next book

As far as the audiobook goes, I thought Victoria Connelly did a great job with the narration and I would definitely listen to more books narrated by her in the future!

Thanks to NetGalley, Dell Romance and PRH Audio for the ARC/ALC.

"Out of the Woods is my love letter to all of us who met their soulmate before they had the chance to fully meet themselves."

I started off 2025 with my first ever eARC and I'm so incredibly lucky it was Hannah Bonam-Young's incredible book, Out of the Woods. The story follows Sarah Linwood as throws a fundraising gala in memory of her late mother who passed away from ALS. Fail or succeed, the event was Sarah's opportunity to prove to everyone and especially herself that she was capable of doing something on her own. As the evening progressed, it was becoming clear that they were far from reaching their goal and once again, she was a damsel in distress with her safety net of people there to save her at every moment. The world seems to crash around her as she tries to figure out exactly who she is without her husband, Caleb, there to save the day once again.

"Name one thing that I should be proud of, Caleb. Something that's only mine. Something that I've done entirely on my own."

After 17 years of marriage, Sarah and Caleb decide to go on an outdoor couples retreat to reevaluate their marriage and address the changes they both felt were brewing. I completely fell in love with Sarah and Caleb's story. The beginning of their relationship was unveiled slowly as we bounced between two timelines. We see how Sarah came to be and how her past has forced to become an adult when her mother needed her most.

Hannah draws you in and never lets you go until the very last page. She had me laughing out loud at times and ugly crying the next. Sarah and Caleb's story will always be in my heart and mind. Thank you, Hannah, for this incredible gift of story.

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

If only there were a way to rate a book a bajillion out of five stars.... I think that is the only way I could accurately rate "Out of the Woods" by Hannah Bonam-Young. I want to say I've never had a book make me laugh/sigh/huff/cry so much as this one did but that would unfortunately be a lie since ALL of HBY's book have made me do all of those things (in the best way, I assure you). But I will say "Out of the Woods" made me feel these on an especially deep level. Here's why...

From her characters to their backstories to the manner in which they live/laugh/love, every single second of it feels real and raw and beautiful. Being in a nearly ten year relationship, I've felt a lot of what Sarah & Caleb have felt. Maybe not the same type of loss that is so significant to Sarah, but I've grieved experiences and people in other ways that made me feel so woven into fabric of this story. The beauty of their story that I heard Hannah say (on an IG Live maybe?) recently is that Sarah & Caleb love each of all of this book. Never do these two not love one another. They're both desperate to get back to the other but be their own people. It's so easy to lose yourself in a partnership and it's refreshing to read their story and how HBY doesn't shy away from that.

Hannah, thank you for always telling such viscerally real stories of love no matter what shape or form they may come in. I will forever be a fan of yours.

Growing up my great grandmother always told us “I like you” and when I asked why her response was “I’ll always love you but it’s important that I like you too.” and I’ve thought about this a lot after losing her in 2019. Out of the Woods embodies this so perfectly and I couldn’t have loved this book more.

Very rarely do we get romances that focus on long-term relationships and the struggles these couples face as they learn and grow. Hannah did such a phenomenal job of capturing the struggles of still learning yourself and growing while also knowing you found your person. Will they like the new you even though they fell in love with the old you? Have we become complacent in the life we live?

Out of the Woods follows high school sweethearts, Sarah and Caleb, as they embark on a week-long camping trip to help them reconnect and find themselves outside of their relationship. Every part of this book is filled with emotion and little moments. It keeps its lightheartedness while handling difficult topics. This was absolutely a five star read there was never any doubt from the moment I opened the book. I loved seeing both the past moments of Sarah and Caleb’s relationship from high school to the present day. It felt like I could really understand where Sarah’s mind was throughout the story because of this. Hannah I love you!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you so much to Hannah and Dell for an eARC!

I have been following Hannah Bonam-Young since reading her first book, Next of Kin. I felt a connection to her writing and as I've read her new books, the connection keeps growing, therefore I was ecstatic to get an eArc (thank you Hannah, NetGalley & Dell!) of the latest release in exchange for an honest review. With her latest, Out of the Woods, Hannah gives us a closer look at Sarah and Caleb, the seemingly perfect couple in her prior book, Out on a Limb. Sarah and Caleb hit an unexpected bump in their marriage which forces them to look deeply in their relationship as separate entities versus as a couple and figure out what they really wanted out of life.

I absolutely loved Out of the Woods! Sarah and Caleb give us a different view of the marriage in crisis trope, something that can be so true to many of us who married younger than expected. Hannah portrayed them in a way that was true to their character, respectful of their relationship and centered on their love for each other. Reading about Sarah's past, the way she and Caleb came together and witnessing the challenges they faced so early in life, just made their journey and end so much sweeter. I loved the plot of this book, which was exactly what Caleb & Sarah needed to make the the time and meet halfway.

The side characters were great in what they contributed to the plot, much of which I felt was advice I would also take for myself. I found myself constantly empathizing with these characters and their world; which isn't typical for other books I read. I guess that's the beauty of Hannah's writing, it paints a vivid picture of the characters and their challenges, takes you on a journey that feels just as rewarding for you as it does for the couple. Though it is early in 2025, I am convinced that Out of the Woods will a top read for the year.

I read Out on a Limb right before reading this and loved how this booked picked up the timeline of Out on a Limb. For those who have read Out on a Limb, it is Win and Bo's story. There are a few remarks by Win of how in love Caleb and Sarah are and how seemingly perfect their life is. Reading Out of the Woods was beautiful, heart wrenching, and had me crying the last hour of the book. I enjoyed how it went back and forth between two different timelines and how it wasn't necessarily a traditionally boy meets girl and falls in love storyline. Caleb and Sarah are married and have been married for several years when the story begins and as a reader you follow along with the trials of growing together rather than growing apart. This was different from the many other romances I've read and was such a good book!

I stand by my word that you can't go wrong with Hannah Bonam-Young's books. I love all of her books, and Out of the Woods was no different.

Even though it has a theme/trope I’m not usually a big fan of, she managed to keep me hooked from start to finish. I also loved that at no point do the characters regret their marriage or stop loving each other deeply – the focus here is on something else.

The way the characters develop and overcome their fears and grief is just amazing. I really love Hannah Bonam-Young’s writing.

✨ARC REVIEW✨

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

🥾Identity crisis
🥾marriage retreat
🥾grief healing
🥾flashbacks

I made sure to read Out On A Limb right before this so Sarah and Caleb were fresh in my head. Once I started I couldn’t put it down. I love this series so much.

Please don’t think this is a marriage in crisis book. Yes, they go on a relationship retreat and yes they work on their relationship but Sarah makes it very clear that she has no regrets marrying Caleb and would always pick him. This said, it’s what I like most about the book. I was nervous after falling in love with them during Win and Bo’s story that I would see the destruction of a marriage with this one and that’s not the case.

Truly, I have no notes. This book started off 2025 on a high note for me. I adore Sarah and Caleb, their story, their love. I think maybe I see a bit of myself and my marriage in theirs and that’s why but that’s ok.

Loved this book. I enjoyed reading about Sarah and Caleb love over the years. I enjoyed reading about their friends Win and Bo. It is definitely a winner book just like all of Ms. Hannah books.

Hannah has done it again folks!

I’ve only read a few ‘marriage in crisis’ books but I’ve loved every single one of them. I think this one takes the cake though.

After 17 years together Sarah and Caleb have settled into their relationship, but sometimes that’s not a good thing.

I loved the back and forth timeline. It really gave us insight into what they’ve been through, both together and apart (while also being together, if that makes sense?) All relationships have their ups and downs, but they seemed to always be on the up… until they weren’t.

Caleb, like most men, never knew there was something wrong until it blew up in his face. He struggles to understand and fix it, but it’s Sarah (via Win) that takes initiative. They go on a week long hike to save their marriage, and boy do things get shaken up!

The connection these two have is something I think everyone would aspire to have in their own relationships. They absolutely belong together. Them loving each other was never the issue.

“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.”

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

What a beautiful pleasant surprise this book was! I feel so so lucky to receive an early copy of this book from NetGalley and Random House Publishing because I have now found a new favorite romance writer in Hannah Bonam-Young.

I think this may be the first romance book i’ve read with an established couple. Sarah and Caleb were high school sweet hearts who got married very young. Present day, they’ve hit a bump in their marriage and go on a couples wilderness retreat to work on themselves and their marriage. There are some laugh out loud moments while two self proclaimed anti outdoors people try their hand at hiking and camping and some tear inducing, heart breaking moments through Sarah reflecting on her mom, who sadly passed away not too long after Sarah and Caleb married due to ALS. I’ve never cheered or wanted a couple to succeed more than Caleb and Sarah and was not disappointed.

This is my first book by Hannah Bonam-Young. From what I see online, the author has some serious fans. This is the second book in a series, and not having read the first, perhaps I am missing something.

While the premise for this book was a fresh take on relationships, there was one big reason I didn't LOVE this book: Sarah.

Personally, there was nothing great about this character. She was spoiled, whiny, and quite frankly, incredibly immature. The author tries to create a deeply flawed character that has had to deal with big issues at a young age, but instead it just read to me as a spoiled brat.

Aside from that, I did enjoy the storyline and the psychology behind a potential week in the woods/therapy workshop this could be.

Fans are - and will be - fangirling over this book. Not having read the first, I didn't feel left out or that anything was missing, and will work as a stand alone novel.

This book felt so incredibly relatable to my current life. It was almost hard to read because I just kept getting hit in the face with real feelings and emotions. I loved every part of this book. (full review coming soon)

I absolutely positively loved loved LOVED this book! It highlighted so perfectly how as we get older our minds may change and grow and that’s ok and it’s better when you do it with your heart aligned with another!

I love a marriage in trouble trope but this one is by far my favorite one. I finished this book in one day I couldn’t stop once I started. 5 stars

3.5 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!
I was really looking forward to this because Out on a Limb was one of my favorite romances I read in 2024.
This was an inter-connected, but stand alone novel about Sarah and Caleb from Out on a Limb.

I didn’t feel as connected to Sarah and Caleb as I did to Win and Bo. I did really appreciate the fact that they are a long-time married couple and the focus on how it can be hard to grow and change individually while in a long-term relationship. They also touched on loss and grief in this book in a great way.
Overall, I enjoyed it, but felt the story was a bit rushed. It was supposed to be a couple expecting issues going on a wilderness retreat. I was expecting there to be a big thing for them to overcome, but it felt like that piece was rushed and they spent most of the time totally fine with each other and happy and horny 😅

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

Pretty sure I will now be getting a paper airplane tattoo.

This book was so so beautiful. I found Caleb and Sarah’s young love and their relationship dynamics incredibly relatable. I just love my hot nerd who loves to take care of me 😂

Hannah really captures what it’s like to grow up with your partner. It’s an odd thing to meet your person so early. But when you’re able to learn and grow closer rather than drift apart during life changes, it’s absolutely amazing.

Sarah is reflecting on her life and realizing it’s not what she pictured. It’s time for some big changes and a shift in how she views the world. But navigating those things with a partner who doesn’t want change is no easy feat.

Caleb is just Ken. He’s stuck in his ways and not sure how to do things differently. But oh boy is he obsessed with his wife. Throughout any disagreements through the book, that much is crystal clear. These two love each other deeply.

Thank you HBY for writing yet another beautiful masterpiece that I’ll be recommending to others for years to come.