At this point, I will read Hannah’s grocery list.
Honestly… what the hell is in her writing, crack?!

Sarah and Caleb have been together since they were 14 and fall into a comfortable routine in their daily lives. But for Sarah, she’s always had to rely on others. Wanting more for herself and from their relationship, she convinces Caleb to go on an outdoor couples retreat to get them out of their funk.

This is a beautiful story about finding yourself alongside those you love. The last 20% had me absolutely sobbing. I didn’t know if I could love this as much as Out on a Limb but… here we are.
Thank you Random House for the ARC
5✨ (could my first read of 2025 possibly be one of my favorites of the year?)

I was really looking forward to reading my first book from this author but the colorful language really let me down. I didn’t feel like it was tasteful when utilized. Otherwise, the high school sweetheart story line was very sweet. I loved how time flashed back to the past to allow the reader to gain a full understanding of their story!

Hannah Bonam-Young writes the most magical, heartwarming romance books. I was a bit wary going into this one, because as much as I love HBY writing and books, I was afraid I wouldn't have much to relate to in Out of the Woods. I knew this book was about a marriage in crisis and a long term marriage, and as those aren't tropes I typically love to read or relate to, I was afraid this wouldn't be the book for me. But boy did this prove me wrong! I LOVED the growth of both Sarah and Caleb throughout this book and seeing them both get more secure in their own identities and in their relationship.

Out of the Woods follows Sarah and Caleb, who are Wyn and Bo's best friends from Out on a Limb. Sarah and Caleb have been together since in high school, supported each other through the darkest of times, and married when they were 18. Now over a decade later, they have hit a lull in their relationship, where things just dont feel the way they used to. Sarah is really struggling with her purpose and passion as a human in her own right, and she suggests trying out a couples wilderness retreat to try and connect with each other again. At the wilderness retreat, Sarah and Caleb are forced to really identify the issues they have been struggling with internally and within their marriage, all helped by the guidance of the other couples on the trip.

This book made me so happy and yet was such an emotional read. The work that both Sarah and Caleb put in during their wilderness retreat to dive deep into themselves and figure out their needs and wants in life, and how they learned to communicate that to each other, was so beautiful. Sarah and Caleb grew so much. I could really relate to Sarah, in her people pleasing role. Sarah really needed to learn to see herself as a separate person than Caleb, which is hard when you have been in a relationship for so long. I loved seeing Sarah really figure out her purpose and trying to identify what she wanted in life. Her struggle felt very true to people in their 20s and 30s. The topics that HBY touched on as usual were handled with such care and beautifully written/woven into the story. And I LOVED seeing Wyn and Bo have a small role in the background. I loved this book!! Thank you to Dell Romance for the free book!!

HBY has done it again!! She just has this inexplicable way of telling stories that is so special. I felt Sarah's frustration, happiness, anger and sadness over her life and I cried when she cried and laughed when she laughed. I also think I teared up/cried at almost every chapter, which is a testament to HBY's cadence and innate storytelling.

Caleb and Sarah were previously established characters from her previous book Out on a Limb, but she gave us such a fresh and vulnerable look into their relationship that felt so real! I historically don't like marriage in crisis books because they make me feel so sad because it feels like a third act for a good chunk of the book and i just feel hopeless! but HBY filtered in "then" chapters of Caleb and Sarah meeting and falling in love that kept the seed of hope and love between them alive.

i loved seeing them work out their issues and conflicts while still keeping each other in their hearts and just being so committed to each other! and Caleb???? now that's a man who YEARNS!

thank you Dell Romance and Netgalley for this eARC, it's out 1/28!!

A powerful, well-researched story that draws you in from the start. A compelling and rewarding read from cover to cover

Really enjoyed this book. I loved seeing Win and Bo more. This book had so much heart. I cried a few times and that’s not something I normally do. I really loved seeing Caleb and Sarah go through life and come out the other side even better.

This book was eye opening on how to reconnect with your partner. Yes it is a fiction novel, but man I am taking pointers from this!!! Its was beautifully raw and I loved every minute of it!

This author truly knows how to grasp a readers attention and hold it tightly throughout the entire book. She writes as if she’s lived through these moments and honestly she might be my top romance author!!

The book focuses on Win and Bo’s best friends Sarah and Caleb. They’ve been married since they were teenagers and it shows in the beginning of the book how they’re going through a rough patch. Win tells Sarah to do this retreat for couples who are struggling and Sarah and Caleb decide to do it (even though this retreat is solely outdoors and they are NOT outdoorsy at all.)

The couple walks on eggshells while discussing hard topics and they discover new ways to communicate and to dive into the harder topics. This book not only is enjoyable reading, I feel like you can take pointers from it because EVERY marriage is hard.

Throughout the book you see past Sarah’s life, and current day. Seeing how Sarah deals with things and how Caleb struggles to see what’s actually wrong and pretends it’s ok is so authentic.

This book was beautifully written and I’ll recommend it to everyone.

I LOVED this!! Sarah and her struggle to find herself after losing her mother is such a real depiction of grief and Young did an incredible job at taking us (the reader) through that journey with her characters.

This book did an amazing job at showing the reality of relationships after loss. Caleb and Sarah found themselves going through the motions without reconnecting in an effective way. I loved reading about their journey of healing and what it takes to make a relationship work. I also really liked how we got to see what they were like when they were young and why they fell in love in the first place. It was beautiful seeing them repair such a beautiful thing.

This story reminded me that if love is meant to prevail, it will but it still requires work.

Caleb and Sarah are now my favorite HBY couple because they beat the odds and came out stronger and better on the other side. I can;'t wait to reread this in the future.

Thank you Dell & NetGalley for the free eARC!

This book is about grief, finding yourself, and reconnecting with your partner. Communication is a big theme in this book, and I think the main characters communicated very well and very maturely.

I found myself relating a lot to Sarah. I have felt some of the same things as Sarah does since she married young and struggles to find something in the world to call her own. By the end of the book, I felt so proud of her and hopeful that someday I can find my purpose too.

This book got very deep at times. It has alternating timelines from 17 years ago when Sarah and Caleb first met, to the present. First of all, I loved seeing their relationship from the very beginning. It made their connection feel so much stronger to me. But, being in the past is very emotional because not only do we see Sarah and Caleb become a couple, but we see Sarah’s mom succumb to her illness. I cried almost every single time that was even mentioned. If parent sickness is a trigger for you, I would be aware of that!

Finally, my favorite part of the whole book! I really enjoyed seeing more of Win and Bo from Out on a Limb! The friendship between the four of them is a true found family. They support and care for each other no matter what, no matter where, no matter when.

If you loved Out on a Limb or any other Hannah Bonam-Young book, you definitely need to read this! Release day is January 28, 2025.

I can’t even put into words how beautiful and heartfelt this book was! I completely fell in love with Sarah and Caleb even more after reading Out on a Limb. 🩷 not only was their journey so raw and beautiful, but I also adored seeing their character growth throughout the book. My heart just completely broke for Sarah and I can’t even count how many times I cried!! I loved how we saw the beautiful parts of marriage, but also the hard parts that people don’t tend to talk about as much.

Thank you so much to the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I loved Out on a Limb, so when I heard about Out of the Woods, I couldn’t wait to read it! I found Sarah to be relatable, and I enjoyed reading from her perspective. I liked getting a story about an already established couple and seeing what they go through after years of marriage. The conflicts they dealt with felt realistic and made for an emotional story. I do feel like it started to drag on a little, and at times I struggled with getting through this book. That being said Hannah Bonam-Young is an author that I’ve enjoyed so far, and I look forward to reading more of her books. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing - Ballentine for the arc.

Where do I even start?! This was perfection, utterly heartbreaking, I couldn’t put it down and I’m probably going to have to read it again soon because I was crying so much I probably missed some sentences. My whole heart was broken and put back together learning about Caleb and Sarah’s relationship, their struggles and growth. I don’t even know how to properly put into words what this story means to me, the relationships between Sarah and Win from the start and how they lean on each other, the dedication they have to each other. I will never forget this book.

This was my first book from Hannah Bonum-Young and I cannot believe it's taken me this long to pick one of her books up because they're are just the right blend of tugging on your heartstrings with emotional vulnerability, but also tender and sweet romance. I don't ever really gravitate toward marriage in crisis romances, but this just hit the spot - I found myself relating to Sarah quite a bit and it just warmed my heart to see how in love and vulnerable Caleb was without being a complete doormat (for a lack of a better word). He was still flirty, but also had flaws that we see both him and Sarah work on throughout the experience. Overall, just a solid read and I'd definitely recommend you pick this up when it releases (this month!). Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Enjoyed this story and complemented the others well.

4.25 ⭐️
I am so so thankful to have received an arc of this book! Out on a limb was my favorite romance of last year! This is a sister book to that one where we follow Sarah and Caleb. I thought this book was so unique because it follows a couple that is already together. I will say though, this book hits hard. A lot of it is like reading a therapy session and it handles some hard topics. I think many people will be please with this book as much as I was!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this advanced copy!

I loved the way this book was written. There were funny and clever moments that I wasn’t expecting. The way the past is woven in with the present gives a better understanding of the characters and their relationship, and god were they so cute together as teenagers. Caleb is incredibly sweet and generous and supportive… and so in love with Sarah. Top tier book husband. You can’t help but love these two. All the side characters were fun and interesting too. I really appreciated how grief was covered in this book. It’s a tough topic, but it was very relatable. The spicy scenes were so delicious and the amount of spice made sense with the story. Highly recommend!
4.5⭐️ 3🌶️

If it wasn’t for parental duties, I would have read the book in a single sitting. It was so refreshing to read a romance book that reflects the difficulties of marriage and the beauty that can come from sticking through them. I felt seen by this book in ways I have not experienced through books before, and I want to say thank you to Hannah for that 💕

If you enjoyed Every After Always by Chloe Liese, then this is definitely up your alley!

My only reason for deducting a star is that I wanted to see even more!

This was such a beautiful written book!!
The relationship between these characters definitely is relatable to a lot of other people so it was easy for me to read. The true meaning of this book which I believe is about healing; really spoke to me and moved me. The FMC character was so relatable because there’s so many people who have lost a parent at a young age and as a result had to grow up faster than most people. Sarah finding who she is without her mom and not completely relying on Caleb was a lovely journey. I have to say I loved that I’ve finally read a book with my own name (Sarah) being used so that was fun. The banter between Caleb and Sarah is the true definition of marrying your best friend that you’re utterly comfortable and in love with. This couple made me laugh and cry and all the things! My favorite part of this book was Caleb’s letter to Sarah; I CRIEDDDDD. The letter was full of pure emotion, power, and true love for her and I couldn’t get enough of it. Caleb’s character was who I want in a man in more ways than one. He was so sweet and understanding and willing to do anything for his marriage and to make it right again. I loved that we still got Win and Bo dialogue because I absolutely loved the first book in this series about them! It sounds like this series has come to an end but it ended seamlessly and I can’t wait to read more from Hannah.❤️Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC and provide feedback.

This book was EVERYTHING. Caleb and Sarah? Emotional warfare, I laughed and I cried (a lot). Their story was raw, messy, and so real it hurt (in the best way, obviously). The dual timeline was genius, it made their love and struggles feel so layered and genuine. Caleb’s devotion was swoon-worthy and Sarah’s journey of self-discovery hit wayyyy too close to home. My only gripe was that I needed more time with the conflict bc for me it wrapped up a little bit fast for my taste but honestly, this book broke me and put me back together. I’ll be shoving it into everyone’s hands ASAP

Thank you Random House Publishing and Netgalley for the E-arc!

Hannah has a gift for writing emotional vulnerable and heartwarming novels. I appreciate how real and honest her storytelling is.

Out of the Woods is a real marriage in crisis novel that tackles personal identity and the main characters own relationship. Throughout the book, I could really feel the passion that Hannah had for this novel.

This novel has a dual timeline, I think seeing exactly how Caleb and Sarah's relationship began was important to their dynamic and as to why they were having problems. Although, I wasn't a big fan of some of the chapters, it helped paint a better picture for these characters.

I think Caleb and Sarah are two very honest characters who wanted to save their marriage. I think that the camp setting had a great premise but do I think that was enough for the relationship? Not really.

This book felt too fast, in order for the camp setting to feel "realistic" and 'necessary" for their relationship it needed to be more filling. We only got to see a couple of moments in which camp felt useful to their relationship but that alone wasn't enough.

The ending felt to sudden and rushed for my taste, I would've liked a different conflict and solution to this novel because the ending felt too random and out of the nowhere.

I liked seeing the complexity between Caleb, Sarah, and their relationship. And think this is worth checking out.