This book deals with real life issues. Illness, insecurity, finding oneself, relationship issues. It’s so relatable. I feel like I’m reading about a friend. It’s a nice palate cleanser from the fluffy stuff. I’d love to see the stories of the supporting characters in this book. It was that much fun. Highly recommend.

I was not a huge fan of this book. I think I had a hard time with the main couple already being married so there was even less tension about if they would end up together, and you don’t get to see the early days of their relationship. I liked some of the flashbacks but some were so sad it just killed the momentum of the book. Overall it was just ok.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an early copy!

This book hit home and discusses how sometimes marriage can become monotonous in day to day life. I loved watching Sarah and Caleb go through this journey to discover who they are without the other. Most importantly they learn that their love for eachother is still there.

Reviewed on goodreads

this book!!!! college sweethearts from out on a limb! diving deeper into this world is magical. i am also a sucker for relationship in distress stories and this one did not disappoint !!! obsessed with this book, it was such a joy to read!!!

Hannah Bonham-Young does it again! Out on a Limb will always be one of my favourite books—I absolutely adored it. So, as you can imagine, I couldn’t wait to venture into Out of the Woods, and thankfully, it exceeded all my expectations. I love a well-written romance with believable depth, strong emotional pulls, and just the right touch of humour. Out of the Woods ticked all those boxes and so many more. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Out of The Woods is sure to be one of the best contemporary romances of 2025. This book is completely perfect, I laughed and I cried. Going in, I wondered how you could possibly write a book in the genre about a long term married couple? How could that plot line stay interesting? Sarah and Caleb were high school sweethearts married at 19. Sarah’s single mother, Marcie, lost a battle to ALS just 3 months after Sarah and Caleb’s wedding. Sarah wonders who she is without the relationships in her life, going from daughter to caretaker to wife. What better way to reset their marriage than a long camping hike away from all connection to the rest of the world.

This heartwarming book has themes of love, grief, and connection. I love the friendship between Sarah and her best friend Win. Although I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review, I’ve already preordered a hard copy as I will read this again and again.

The dialogue is just wonderful, there are at least 10 sentences in this book that made me shiver in their authenticity. Hannah Bonam Young is a very gifted writer, not only in her stunning characterizations, but in everyday observations. This is not one to miss!

Book to be published January 28, 2025.

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

Spice: 3/5 🔥
✨ 4.5/5 ✨

Hannah Bonam-Young does it again. She has such a way of making her characters feel so relatable and real!!

Tropes:
marriage in crisis
flashbacks 
Bo & Win cameos
high school sweethearts 
therapy

I don't typically like second chance romance books, but I really loved every moment of this one!! This book was funny, sweet, deep, and a little spice - it takes you on quite the ride (in a good way) I loved the duel timeline and the connection we made with the MC (and side characters) Hannah did such a great job of making me really root for Sarah and Caleb the whole time and felt all the emotions they did.

10/10 suggest picking this one up 01/28/2025 💖

I’m so glad I got to read about Caleb and Sarah’s story🥹 The love that they have for each other is written so well. I think this book has a heavy emotional cloud over it with serious topics but also a great bit of comedy to balance it. I also really enjoyed all the other characters in the book and thought each of them played a good part in Caleb and Sarah’s story.
Also loved that we got to still have Win and Bo in this story🥹

* Thank you to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for this advance copy and huge thank you to Hannah Bonam- Young as well!

@authorhannahby strikes again. The love and human-ness she bakes into her characters is just so lovely to read. I loved Sarah and Caleb and their second chance. I even screenshot one of their confessions of love to each other and sent it to my husband. So wonderful.

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

I’m trying to think if there’s another author that brings me as much comfort as HBY, and I don’t think there is. This book was a balm to my soul. I don’t have much in common with either Sarah or Caleb, and yet I was filled to the brim with joy. The balance between happiness and sorrow, the optimism… I can’t say enough good things about Out of the Woods. Thanks to Dell and PRH for the ARC.

I read this book a few months ago and forgot to leave a review. Like most books I read, I have forgotten almost everything about it. So here is what I remember :)
Out on a Limb will always be on my top books list. I adored it. I couldn’t wait to read Out of the Woods. Thankfully, I was not disappointed. I love a well-written romance book with believable depth, big emotional pulls, and just the right amount of humor. Out of the Woods checked all the boxes for me. I was so excited to have the opportunity to read a book early on NetGalley for the first time.

😭 this book! It was a beautifully written story about rekindling love and finding yourself. I enjoyed the changes between the past and present and seeing the importance of communicating in a relationship. It was a cute story of Sarah and Caleb and their rediscovery of their relationship. Cute, meaningful and a little spicy too 🙌🏻

I really enjoyed this book. The characters feel like people you know, and Caleb and Sarah’s story is so precious and rich with history. This book tackles heavier themes than I expected. The exploration of found family, grief, marriage issues, and the healing nature of being outside were woven into a seamless story about two characters you can’t help but root for. My only qualm is that this story wasn’t quite as escapist as Out on Limb, with moments of real stress and danger that felt more relatable and made it harder to unwind with!

Beautiful book and beautifully written. I am a sucker for "A love worth fighting for" MS. Hannah you did your thing with this one *Chef Kiss*

I absolutely adored Caleb in Sarah when I read Out On A Limb so the second I found out they were getting their own book I knew I had to read it asap. As always with HBY books this was so heartfelt and endearing to read and had many laugh out moments. There were also scenes that I couldn’t help but shed a tear. At the dynamic between Sarah family in her younger years was so relatable to me and made me love her so much more.

*This was an e-arc from NetGalley*

Minor spoilers in this review.

How I read it: ebook (on a Kindle)

Themes: middle age "crisis" (30), high school sweethearts, marriage, child-free, heeling in the outdoors, grief, and legacy
Spice: there are detailed sex scenes in the book (and it was enjoyable)

Similar to: Out on a Limb by Hannah Bonam-Young

I did enjoy this book, and found it refreshing for a marriage to experience issues (as it does, naturally) and not have it end in cheating or divorce. If you are reading this because you enjoyed the 1st in the series Out on a Limb, you will continue to appreciate the same literary universe. I love being able to read up on characters I loved from a previous book and see what they are up to well after their book ends. That being said, I did like Out on a Limb more than this book. I connected more with the characters and found myself more invested than in this book. I loved the ending and LOVED the epilogue.

I would recommend this book. I gave 4 stars because I like it a lot, but would not re-read it.

HANNAH I FREAKING LOVE YOU.

The way this women writes men should be study cause they are the definition of perfection. This book was a warm cup of coffee on a rainy day. Holy crap I LOVED this book. Caleb and Sarah have my whole heart. I cried so many times and laughed just as much. There are not enough words for how much I loved this book.

If you read this read out on a limb first it will make the experience better.

I cannot wait to hand sell the crap out of this book.

Thank you NetGalley

SCREAMING AND CRYING IN THE WOODS RIGHT NOW!!! hannah bonam-young could do now wrong. i love sarah and caleb with my whole heart

LOVED this one! I fell in love with Sarah and Caleb in Out On A Limb and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one. I love romances where it’s a “second chance” for the lovers and how they have to communicate and grow with each other. As always, the banter was on point. And we even got some sexual tension! Loved it. Will recommend!

I was (and am) so excited for this novel. Caleb and Sarah hit home incredibly close as someone who also married someone she dated from a very young age and who went through struggles as both people had to grow into adults and personalities beyond youth. Sarah is incredibly relatable as a main character, her internal monologue really allows you to get a feel of where she's coming from and it's not just a naggy, unfulfilled housewife vibe, not that I ever think HBY would stoop to that. She's not unhappy in her marriage per se, but in her life and the marriage issues she experiences are a side effect of that level of feeling unfulfilled. I was able to relate to her on a personal level beyond just understanding and that made the experience of the novel incredible.

That said, I did give it a 4 not a 5 mainly because I didn't feel that the Caleb drama was necessary. I think I would have preferred a shorter novel if it meant they just...found happiness because the delicious tension and the plot and the spice would have held the story fine for me without that element. It did, however, add an element of time to make them take on their 10-year ideas sooner rather than later, so I can understand where it comes from.

Overall a fantastic book about meeting your person very young and dealing with the growing pains of adulthood and expectations within and outside of that relationship. Poignant, touching, sexy, sassy, and legitimately funny, this book had something for any reader.

Spice rating: 3/5
Overall rating: 4/5

I graciously (and excitedly) received this novel as an ARC via NetGalley, the review is given freely and in my own words.