Book Review
Out of the Woods by Hannah Bonam-Young

What Its Got
A marriage in distress
A personal journey of growth
Bereavement
Bo and Win cameo
Multiple POV ( past and present)
High school sweetheart Love
Poor vs privileged upbringing
Close family relationships vs cold ones

FMC - Sarah
Your inner narrator and my inner narrator sound like siblings- soo many thoughts/ comments/speculations sounded familiar
( I will be bringing this up with my therapist)

MMC- Caleb
Patience of a Saint!!! Loved his easy going attitude, his willingness to be open to therapy, his humour, how his upbringing taught him what he wanted and did not want from a partner, from life… le sigh

Hannah B!!!!!!!
Damn gurl!!!! I think this may be my fav from you.
You have a gift my Dear! A knack for putting everyday trials and tribulations into words… for seeing the depth and scope of meaning behind life’s little Things-
And its those little Things that mean soo much in a relationship , whether its a parent, child or spouse.
I had to put my book down and just breathe…. Several times…. My therapist is Gonna hear about all of it- she thanks you for MY financial contribution to her practice
😩🥺😭🥰

Thank you to Hannah , Dell romance and Netgalley for my digital ARC in return for an honest review. Opinions expressed are my own.

I was reeeeally excited to get a chance to read Sarah and Caleb’s story a bit early! Thank you NetGalley and Dell!!

The journey in this one is great. I think you really see HBY’s growth from Next of Kin, her first self-pub (now trad pubbed!) novel. And I had really enjoyed NoK!

This one didn’t quite hit the Out on a Limb high for me but that’s okay. This journey was so fun and I also love a solid marriage-in-crisis. Caleb is a gem of men.

If you enjoy romance at all, you should easily enjoy this.

This book was really cute! I really enjoyed reading parts with Win and Bo again. I do think the male main character had some red flags at times when it came to reassuring the female main character. The spice was good but some parts made me cringe a little bit which isn't something I've ever had an issue with from this author, only with this book. Overall though a cute, quick read

I’ve been a huge fan of Bonam-Young’s writing since the beginning, and this is no exception – you can feel the way these characters love each other, and the ways they’ve slowly disconnected over the years. This particular story is likely to resonate with women’s fiction fans more than romance readers, as it’s very much focused on our heroine’s personal journey of self-reflection, with the romance taking a backseat for much of the book. I will say that it was a little odd to read a marriage in crisis “romance” solely from the wife’s perspective, with her husband appearing on the page only about a third of the time – maybe less. It definitely was not as romance-focused as I would’ve preferred, but the story was still very good. I loved the exploration of marrying young and evolving as people together, knowing that you love your partner but still feel isolated from them. There are some good therapy moments and a look into grief, which was interesting. I did not connect to the romance as strongly as I’d like – I still feel like I barely know the hero – but I did enjoy the book, and I devoured it in one sitting.

The story follows Sarah, a woman who is coming to the realization that her marriage is in trouble. Sarah and Caleb fell in love as teens and have been together ever since, but they have very different opinions on how things are going. While Caleb is happy in their marriage, Sarah feels like she’s stuck in place, never truly having bounced back after the death of her mother and unintentionally becoming a bored housewife after setting aside her dreams. When Sarah suggests that they attend a week-long couple’s therapy retreat in the woods, Caleb is crushed. As the two push their limits and connect in a way they never have, their marriage is put to the test.

Marriage in trouble is a trope that I love, and I’m such a huge fan of Bonam-Young – and Out on a Limb – that I couldn’t wait to dive into this. Not gonna lie, it was a bumpy start for me. We’re exposed to Sarah and Caleb’s marital problems at a fundraiser for wealthy donors, and I did not find the characters relatable one bit. However, as we get to know Sarah better, it was much easier to empathize with her. Her mom’s death was a turning point in her relationship with Caleb, and it’s shaped her life in the years since. That grief is a major part of the story, so Sarah and Caleb’s relationship can’t be repaired without diving into those feelings as well. I wish more of the flashbacks focused on their marriage, so we could see them in a happier, healthier time. I could absolutely feel their love in the present day, but I really didn’t understand why Caleb was so happy with Sarah. Definitely some pieces missing there. Their present-day journey was great though, and I loved how gone Caleb was for his girl. He was sweet, loving, loyal, and patient – genuinely too good to be true, though wildly oblivious lol. I liked the second half quite a bit, and there’s an authenticity to the story that shines throughout. Not a home run for me, but still very solid.

This book was special, in a way no other book was so far. The story, the characters, and every single emotion that they went through was so relatable, and so close to my heart.
Have you ever read a book that makes you fall more in love with your life, inspires you to help yourself/your family and just makes you feel whole?! (if you have, please gimme recs :D) this was one such book for me and I don't know how Hannah Bonam-Young has done this again and so beautifully well!

Out of the Woods is an absolute MASTERPIECE.

Caleb & Sarah were both beautiful in their own way. Their story is one that will make you believe in love, make you cry, laugh, and squeal with joy. Their story is so RELATABLE and on so many levels! This is not a superficial girl meets boy love story - but is one that deals with complex emotions, one that deals with "What do you do when love is not enough in a marriage?" and is one that shows that a display of vulnerability is a strength in a relationship.

I cannot begin the describe how incredibly well Hannah as described the loss of Sarah's mother and the grief that comes with it - and how that grief played a major role in shaping Sarah's character.
I love how we got to see the past and the present from Sarah's POV which gives us so much insight into how the base of their relationship was established. Even though the book is from Sarah's POV only, we do get a lot of insight into Caleb's mind and his thought process behind his fears, his need to make everyone happy and how that made him 'him' and affected his relationships.

The best part of this book was the portrayal of how real and vulnerable the marriage between Sarah and Caleb was. It was incredibly easy to fall in love with Caleb and Sarah and root for them. I haven't stopped thinking about these two and their love for each other through everything!

Cannot recommend this book enough.

Thank you to Dell and NetGalley for the ARC!

Hannah Bonam-Young is a literary genius and I will forever love every book she puts out. Out of the Woods is an absolutely MASTERPIECE and Hannah takes on the marriage-in-trouble trope perfectly.

Caleb and Sarah’s story is so beautiful, it will make you cry and laugh and squeal with joy. This book is so unbelievably relatable on so many levels and I truly feel like every reader will connect with these two.

The way that Hannah writes Sarah’s struggles with losing her mother so young, the grief that follows and how it shapes her is extremely well-done. We get to see the ways that it has affected her outlook on herself, her relationship, and her overall purpose in life. The lost feeling that Sarah has, the feeling that we have really nothing to show for ourselves, is something I think we can all relate to on some level. And while this book is written in Sarah’s perspective, we also get to see deeper into Caleb and his need to make everyone around him happy. His fears of change, no matter how big or small, and how that has affected his relationship is handled so well.

Hannah does an incredible job at showing the highs and lows of a long-term relationship, of love and marriage. Caleb and Sarah’s relationship is so realistic and presented in such a vulnerable way, it is incredibly easy to fall in love with them and root for their growth. We get to see Caleb and Sarah wade through the murky waters their relationship is in and while it made me want to bawl my eyes out at times, it was so beautiful getting to see how deeply these two love each other.

I loved this book so much, and haven’t stopped thinking about these two for weeks. I cannot recommend this one enough!!!

I really enjoyed Caleb and Sarah’s story. A marriage in trouble romance is not easy to write. As always I enjoyed the warm, cozy feel of Hannah’s writing.

It obviously had a very different feel than Out on a Limb. I will say that the first half of this book felt a bit heavy, rightfully so because Sarah and Caleb have been through a lot. But I wanted more tension and romance between them. As I was getting to the end of the book, while I was enjoying it, it all felt a little anticlimactic. So I understand why the twist was thrown in, but it felt out of place to me. I also wanted more time with Bo and Win but they were apart almost the entire book!

Overall enjoyed and still recommend but out on a limb was forever my favorite.

I was in at the beginning - a couple has a conflict and the story is set up that they need to work through their issues. I liked that they weren't just screaming at each other; it felt like a mature couple trying to work through somethings. But rather quickly the conflict just wasn't there. Sarah and Caleb are obviously still in love and they both say they are not breaking up. Which is fine and probably realistic for the most part. But it made the plot lose any stakes whatsoever.

The story turned into two people just hanging out in the woods with a quirky group of people (who get pushed to the side and are not really developed at all). Sarah and Caleb barely argue; they barely have issues to work through.

Then in the last quarter we get an injury that makes Sarah...what? I guess it was meant for her to face her fears from her mom being sick? But even that wasn't completely set up.

I still really like Bonam-Young and will continue to read whatever she writes. This one just fell a bit flat and didn't deliver what it was advertised as.

This is a marriage in crisis story done in the most respectful beautiful way possible remember Hannah made us all love the accidental pregnancy trope so trust me when I say she will make you love the marriage in crisis tripe. In the first chapter of this book, Caleb does what he usually does for Sarah and saves the day the only difference is Sarah is tired of being saved. She wants to deal with it, she's been saved by Caleb since she was 14 and she starts to wonder what has her life come to. In 10 years, she still sees her life with Caleb but unless something changes, they are headed for some serious trouble, so they head for weeklong, off the grid therapy in the woods. Individual and group introspection.

Not only does it save themselves, but it also saves each other. This book is dual timeline and goes back to their beginning, we also get to see how Sarah and Win were raised in their chaotic household. We also get to see more of Win and Bo. Hannah brings out all the feels as usual so get ready for them. This is such a beautiful and special book. It talks about grief, mental health, and love in such a special way. There is some on page couples and individual therapy and parental abandonment.

Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review, as always, all words are my own.

Out on a Limb is one of my favourite books of all time, so I was so excited to be given the privilege of reading an early copy of the second book in this series. My favourite part of Hannah Bonam-Young’s writing is her ability to depict real and raw relationships. It is always so heartwarming to read about the real adversities individuals may face within their relationships and be able to connect to them in some ways. As someone who has been in a relationship since high school myself, I was able to relate to Sarah and Caleb’s relationship and some of the challenges they face on a deeper level. Getting into a relationship so young it is easy to wonder who you are as a person, without your other half. I have never read a book that was able to depict a high school sweethearts relationship in such a realistic manner.

I really loved how they rebuilt their relationship through a wilderness therapy. Allowing them to meet and observe other couples rather than working on the problems they faced in a clinical one-on-one setting was a very unique touch.

Another aspect I loved was the flashbacks to their relationship in high school. It allowed me to get a deeper understanding of why Sarah came to resent Caleb in some ways as just her saviour during her challenges in life.

Overall this was hands down one of my favourite books from this year. Hannah Bonam-Young gave us another book where readers could immerse themselves in a realistic and emotional relationship that took us through the challenges people may go through in their lives. Sarah and Caleb will forever live in my heart.

Rating: 4.5 ⭐️

I'm a huge fan of Out on a Limb and was thrilled to receive this ARC. If you aren't familiar Sarah and Caleb are the best friends from Out on a Limb. This book follows their struggles a married couple, especially that of a couple who married very young.

I thought HBY did a great job with the flashbacks to Sarah, Caleb, and Win from when they were young and first met. Flashbacks can feel a little out of place at times but they flowed really well here and helped us understand the bigger picture of the couple. In order to try and reconnect and work out their martial issues, Sarah and Caleb take part in a hiking/camping retreat where we meet a few other couples. I really enjoyed the side characters here and how different they each were.

The only real issue I have is with Sarah because I had issues connecting with her fully. It felt like the issues in the marriage were more along the lines of personal struggles. And that was totally understandable! It just felt like she wanted Caleb to be upset too when in his mind, things were just fine at home. She tended to space out a lot when others were talking and honestly, I wonder if that's part of their struggle at home. No one was stopping her from going back to school, or finding something outside of the home. The fact that she let some random person from her teen years really affect her path in life (becoming a writer) was just mind blowing to me. Yes, when we're teens our idols are everything, but as we grow we learn they're just people like us and don't actually know everything.

All in all I did enjoy the story, it was just missing that connection I had with all the characters in the previous book.

Oh my, did I ever love this book. I discovered Hannah Bonam-Young with Out on a Limb, and was thrilled when I got an ARC of Out of the Woods. And it really delivered.

It follows the story of Sarah and Caleb, featured in Out on a Limb, as they hit a bump in their marriage and go on a wilderness couples retreat to see if they can reconnect. The wilderness component wasn't a favorite part of mine going in, but I ended up enjoying it a lot as a great setting for the story to explore Sarah and Caleb's personalities, histories and their current relationship. It was funny, touching, heartbreaking and full of hope. I highly recommend it.

3.5/5⭐️ 1.5/5🌶️ 0/5😢

Out of the Woods is one of my most highly anticipated reads of 2025. I am a huge fan of HBY books and the author’s unique writing style that makes her characters and plots interesting without being too over the top. They feel so real and comforting!

While I enjoyed many parts of this book, especially the cameos from Win, Bo and Gus, the actual romance fell flat for me. My main issue is that I simply could not connect with Sarah as the FMC. I found her conflict to be hard to understand (personally) and had very very little empathy for. I did absolutely adore Caleb and appreciated their ability to work through there martial issues and reconnect. The side characters were cute and the resolution to the book was satisfying.

Overall this was a solid read and I can totally see others really enjoying this book. Unfortunately, Sarah’s non-stop pity party for her past choices took out the “comfort” I love so much in HBY’s writing and left me sad for most of the book.

bonam-young is known for her beautiful romance books, but i wasn’t prepared for just how much i would enjoy this. it’s rare a romance makes me cry but this had me close to sobbing. an aching, tender marriage in trouble romance made unique by bonam-young’s mastery of prose and of her genre. an absolutely incredible read.

I was honored to receive an early version of this (thank you NetGalley!). Out on a Limb was by far my favorite book in 2024, so getting a chance to read Out of the Woods ahead of the release was like a dream.
Hannah Bonam-Young does what a lot of authors don't do: she writes realistic people-who are worthy of love— in realistic situations. This book was no different.
Honestly, I highlighted SO many quotes in this book and am going to talk about them in therapy. This is a raw story about a woman who-despite seemingly having what many women aspire to have-finds herself lost and purposeless. 100% relatable!
This read less like a romance book and more like a learning-to-love-yourself book, which was a refreshing take imo. Where Out on a Limb was a love letter to accepting what (and who) life hands you, Out of the Woods is a love letter to not being complacent in life while also keeping true to yourself and those you love.
It gave us a glimpse into more of Win and Bo, but showed us a completely different angle on Caleb and Sarah.
My only wish was that we got more Caleb. He was there, but he felt more of a background character. But I'm torn because if he was in the foreground more, it might not have been the same book. But because we got to watch Win and Bo fall in love, I felt like I missed some of that with Sarah and Caleb, despite the beautiful flashbacks.
Overall, I loved this book and can't wait for more from this author!

A-ma-zing! Loved this book so much. I’m so happy to have gotten the opportunity to read this book! I’ll have a more detailed review closer to the release date!

3.75.
I was really intrigued by Sarah and Caleb after seeing their relationship and friendship to the MCs in Out on a Limb, so this was very exciting to pick up! I really enjoyed the exploration of diving into the struggles married couples may face, especially if they married very young, and I think Sarah and Caleb's love was so special and pure. With that being said, I did struggle with their conflicts in this because it felt less "marriage in crisis" and more like "Sarah in crisis." The stakes felt extremely low to me and there wasn't a single time in this book I thought they would face divorce simply because it felt like the major disconnect in this book came from Sarah's own disappointments within herself and not necessarily within her marriage. I really just wanted them to talk to each other more effectively, but I'm glad we eventually got there.

I loved this book! I could relate to the characters getting married young. As they got older they started to drift apart but they still loved eachother. The characters go camping and find themselves again. This book was sweet with spice. I was smiling through the book.

Out of the Woods is not my first Hannah Bonam-Young book and it won't be my last! She is a local author to me(I would love to meet her) and I enjoy her writing style. This novel was a bit of a departure for her I feel. She always tells a great story with character development but, this time it wasn't as spicy as usual. I identified with the main characters Sarah and Caleb with their long term relationship challenges and the premise of the story was engaging. I look forward to reading more from Hannah.

Thank you Net Galley, Hannah Bonam-Young and Random House Ballantine for the opportunity to preview this title. The opinions shared are my own.

Out of the Woods is expected to be released Jan. 28, 2025.

I don’t know if there’s enough worlds in the English language to convey how much I love Sarah and Caleb’s story. While in Out on a Limb they come off as the friends who have everything together in this you can see how much these characters go through. This one is going to live rent free in my head for a while.