I will continue to read everything that Hannah Bonam-Young writes. This was such a beautifully emotional read that had me tearing up multiple times. I loved how much focus there was on communication and making sure to focus on the importance of your feelings. It was refreshing to read a book about a couple with rich history who work on their relationship before it is too late with a feel focus on their love.

I seriously love Hannah Bonam-Young’s books—there’s just something about the way she writes that you don’t come across very often. That extra something is what makes her stories such a great experience every time.

Out of the Woods is no different. Going on the journey with Sarah and Caleb was such a fun, heartfelt ride. It felt like getting a glimpse of what happens after the happily ever after, with all the tough conversations and real growth they both go through. It was honest, emotional, and totally unique—definitely not your average romance.

Can’t recommend it enough. Read it now and thank me later.

Thank you for my earc of this book. I loved this story and often find friends to lovers, second chance, and love stories based on long-term, existing relationships so interesting and swoony. I love the history and the dynamics between a fully fleshed out relationship that has some wear and tear.
I loved reading about Sarah & Caleb and thought the dual timeline format worked really well for their relationship.
Overall, a really enjoyable romance.

Content warnings: death by complications to ALS (discussed quite frequently and a prominent plot point), abandonment by a parent, teenage pregnancy, money troubles, distant parents, sudden death of a parent, sex, pregnancy, medical detail (ICU), head injury, blood.

As someone who has been in a relationship since I was 16 (I’m now 32), this book hit me right in my soul!!!

“If you give me the space to grow, I’ll plant myself next to you. Always.” This quote made me absolutely sob.

The only plot point I found slightly odd was Caleb being hospitalised. It felt like it was only there for our female main character to have a reaction rather than it actually being ABOUT Caleb. It also felt a little OTT, the treatment he received for the injury/accident that actually occurred.

I will definitely read more from this author as I enjoyed it!

I absolutely loved Out of the Woods, it was a fantastic follow up to Out on a Limb

Hannah Bonam-Young had me choked up from the author’s note, so I knew I was going to be in a good ride and it didn’t disappoint 🙌

I loved the changes Sarah and Caleb went through, individually and as a couple. It’s not often you read romance books about a marriage in crisis, which gave it a point of difference and a freshness. I also felt like I could resonate a lot with Sarah, not just because we have the same name but because she was relatable as all hell - she was flawed, loving, thoughtful, strong and didn’t like that it felt as though others saw her as weak or in need of constant support and saving

I will be recommending it to my friends!

This was such a breath of fresh air. Truly a beautiful romance from a perspective that is not explored enough in the genre. I’m a big fan of the second chance trope, so I feel like this story of an established couple going through ups and downs is my next new favourite. Great writing and character development as always from this author.

My second Hannah Bonam-Young book and I really enjoyed this one! A lot of fun, cute moments and can't wait for her next

I was excited to get the ARC for this book but then felt like it was never top of my reading list. Something about a struggling marriage wasn’t the most appealing, especially during a difficult time personally, and so it took me a while to start reading but I’m so glad I did.

In the end, I did really enjoy the book but found it very emotional, I ended up blubbing in lots of places and in the final quarter, I was crying almost all the time. I think this was probably an overreaction based on my own personal circumstances, although Caleb and Sarah’s story is both beautiful and a little heartbreaking, before you even consider their circumstances following an incident on their hiking trip. A lot of my crying involved tears of happiness or in response to moments of sweetness, while some was quite cathartic – not everything was sad, or emotional!

What’s so nicely done here is the subtle touch that shows an incredibly realistic relationship. Caleb and Sarah have been together since they were teenagers, and that level of intimacy and knowledge of another person comes across so beautifully here, as does their real fear that they could lose each other due to poor communication, or a lack of understanding of each other’s needs.

For me, my favourite element of the book is something that is incredibly rare in a romance novel; that the couple are childfree by choice. It’s openly discussed and agreed upon by both, and it is something that has been checked in over the years of their marriage. It’s also something that doesn’t single them out as bad people - they love their niece and other children in the story, it’s really positive representation.

Was a 4.5 stars out of five for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bedford Square Publishers for the ARC, this is my honest opinion.

Not my fave of Hannahs books but I do love a lighthearted, easy romance read. There was so many feet kicking moments.

This romance novel is a tender and deeply emotional journey that captures the beauty of love, growth, and resilience. The author’s writing has grown, showcasing a refined balance of heartfelt storytelling and genuine emotion. The characters are richly developed, with remarkable depth that makes their struggles and triumphs feel incredibly real.

This is my first read by Hannah and it won’t be my last. This story was so raw, vulnerable and emotional. I feel like I have every emotion under the sun.

Sarah and Caleb were a joy to read. I had so much fun with their story. Having issues in their marriage they decide to go to a relationship hiking retreat in the woods. The entire group they joined on the hiking trip was hilarious. They helped them grow and learn so much about not only themselves but their relationship. You could tell Sarah and Caleb truly loved each other so much but as all relationships do they have some issues to work on. The reunion between them and finally working through the issues was just perfect.

Thank you so much to Hannah and NetGalley for allowing me to read this arc!

The first book in the Out series set the bar SO high, I was worried if I would love this one as much, but I was very very wrong to worry about that.

I absolutely adored Sarah and Caleb’s story with my whole heart. The exploration of grief, identity and the importance of communication, paired with the beautiful relationships between the main characters and the sisterhood between Sarah and Win, had me crying sooo many times.

I think the way that the characters open up their hearts to one another and push through their insecurities for the better of their future was such a wonderful sentiment and Hannah captured these moments so perfectly. I think we so often put aside our dreams for the sake of our loved ones, and the way the book turned out healed me in a million different ways.

I saw someone say this book broke their heart, then healed it again - and that is the perfect description of this work of art.

Also - Caleb🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️the man you are.

I was delighted when I was approved for this arc, after loving Set the Record Straight and Out on a Limb. I was so intrigued by the synopsis and this book delivered on everything I wanted.
I absolutely loved Caleb and Sarah, their romance and the relationship journey they go on together throughout the book. These characters felt so real, and what they go through is so relatable, it felt so close to my heart. I highlighted so many quotes and even sobbed uncontrollably at some points. And whilst the book is emotional, there are so many positive, joyous scenes, including some fantastic spice which Hannah Bonam-Young always excels at.
I also loved the close knit community with Win and Bo from Out on a Limb, these books are so well matched and it felt like a true continuation of their romance as well. This was certainly another win for Hannah Bonam-Young, she is quickly becoming one of my favourite romance writers and I'm already looking forward to whatever she publishes next.
5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, Bedford Square Publishers and Hannah Bonam-Young for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy.

Review posted to Goodreads and The StoryGraph.

4.5⭐️

Happy release day to this amazing book 🫶🏼🍂🌲

I was so so lucky to receive an early copy of this book and I devoured it in one sitting. Hannah is one of my auto-buy authors and Out On a Limb is an all time favourite of mine, so I’ve been counting the days down for this to release and it didn’t disappoint.

I adored this book with my whole heart! Sarah and Caleb came across like the perfect carefree couple in Out On a Limb, so I was beyond intrigued to read what they went through for their marriage to be in crisis. Hannah writes such perfectly imperfect characters and unique romances; the idea of having met your soulmate too young and wanting to know yourself outside of that was such an interesting plot for a romance. When Sarah and Caleb hit this obstacle, they embark upon a hiking trip with other couples to try and reconnect. This part of the story made it so fun and introduced a lot of interesting characters too!

I wasn’t expecting to resonate with Sarah so deeply but her character is one I’m going to hold close to my heart for a long time. On the surface she’s hilarious, put together and easy to be around but underneath that she’s an overthinker, worried about saying the wrong thing and unable to figure out her place in the world. Hannah wrote her journey of self discovery to utter perfection, I was rooting for her the whole way.

Caleb is THE book husband, the man is utterly perfect. He adored every single part of Sarah and I love that he allowed himself to be so vulnerable on the hiking trip they go on. He never hid his worries of exploring this side of things but only because he couldn’t picture his life without her. I could literally feel the love Hannah poured into this reading the way he talked about her.

The flashbacks fit into this so seamlessly and my heart honestly ached for Sarah at the scenes describing her grief over losing her mother. And of course I was squealing at the scenes where we got to see her continuing dynamic with Win & Bo!

This is an incredibly thoughtful and heartfelt read that I will be thinking about for a long time. Thank you so much for gifting me an early copy of this gorgeous book to read ✨

Another amazing hit from Hannah Bonham Young. Her writing just keeps getting better and better I honestly can’t decide I love best because she always creates unique stories that no one else is writing and that’s what makes her books even more special because they feel like they can’t be replicated the story deals with grief and loss as well as rebuilding and strengthening a relationship

So happy I am back in this world with these characters. I adored reading Out in a Limb and to now read about Caleb and Sarah’s story has made the series feel whole. To also see Win and Bo’s relationship continue to strengthen together as supporting characters in this book was so wholesome. This is a dual timeline story following the couple in the present day, going on a wilderness retreat in order to reconnect with each other and the past showing them becoming ‘high school sweethearts’.

The couple go on a week long hiking trip to Camp Reignite, to try and find each other again after Sarah’s attempt to prove herself at a fundraiser goes wrong and the couple get into a rough patch. Hannah’s writing allowed me to really imagine what the trip would be like: the scenery, the smells, the atmosphere really immersed me in this book and with the characters themselves. (Would I hate being at that camp in real life, yes but did I love being there fictionally, also yes).

This book sent me through so many emotions. From laughing to happiness to sadness, both the past and the present chapters experienced it all. The way Sarah experiences the death of her mother and the continuing of grief throughout the story was deeply emotional and her character development working through her own personal battles with her life was heartwarming to read.

Caleb is also such a wholesome husband. All he has wanted to do since they were high school is to make Sarah feel happy. He has supported her and been her rock for the past seventeen years and doesn’t want anything to change. To see Caleb grow into an even more wholesome person was so lovely. Embracing the trip and doing what he can to help save their marriage and both going on a journey of self-discovery made the book so good.

The epilogue was a perfect ending to such a lovely journey and left me feeling satisfied with their story. I cannot wait to go and buy the paperback so see it on my bookshelf.

Fave quotes to convince you to read the book:

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

“And your heart is mine in the way that our home or our neighbourhood or my favourite movie is mine. Mine but not for me alone. Your heart is mine to care for, to treasure. But it will never be just mine.”

“The comfort of having my family in one place. How glad I am to know and be known by them all. The relief of sensing that it will all be okay. The knowledge that we’ll all be here for one another if it ever isn’t.”

Honourable mention:
“ raw dogging the mud” had me dying!! Hannah the visuals in my mind was not something I wanted!

Miss Hannah has done it again! Thank you to the publisher for this ARC because this was an absolutely pleasure as per usual and I expected nothing less from this author! I adored Out On A Limb last year so this was wonderful to re-visit Hannah’s writing style again and similar characters.

We got to see specific characters again such as Win and Bo from book one which felt so special seeing where they’re now at in life. Let alone getting the POVs of Sarah and Caleb who I adored! The romance was so glorious and heartfelt and I couldn’t put this down I read it in one sitting.

My overall rating across social platforms is sitting at a strong 4.5, my only slightly gripe being I wish we had a bit more focus on the activities in the woods, but personal preference really!

I enjoyed the level of spice in this too and am glad Sarah and Caleb waited because it felt all that more special towards the end!

The plot was super fresh and I love books set in the woods this was so cute and fun little adventure for them! The last 20% had me STRESSED though! Which I didn’t expect and honestly think it brought them closer together. You truly don’t realise what you’ve lost or are about to lose until the last minute sometimes.

I was so excited when I received this as an ARC. I have been anticipating this read since I read out on a limb.
First of all, I’d like to say how much I enjoyed this book and love this series. I absolutely adore Caleb and Sarah, when I found out about their own book I was over the moon.
I loved meeting all the new characters and seeing Caleb and Sarah interact with some really interesting couples! Their relationship throughout their story felt raw and so realistic - this book was like a breath of fresh air and it was so clear Caleb and Sarah were soulmates.
With that being said, one thing for me personally that I didn’t enjoy as much was the amount of flashbacks in the story. I completely understand the importance of them for understanding their relationship but I would have loved a bit more time with their current relationship and I think this would have personally helped me to see the depth of where they are now.
I also would have loved Caleb’s POV for this story, I think it would have added more emotional depth overall.

Overall, this book is a must read if you loved out on a limb!
Thank you to netgalley and Bedford square publishers for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review!

Where do I even start?
The thing I’ve noticed about Hannah’s writing is the truth and heart behind every little thing. You feel these characters SO deeply which I love.
It’ll take me a long time to ever forget Caleb and Sarah…I was a bit skeptical going in since I fell so hard for Win and Bo so I didn’t know how I’d feel for an already married couple.
BUT the tears I’ve cried?! This was a story about falling back in love, and recognising all the past and healing but learning to look forward to what you want in each other. A lot of this really resonated with me and I think that’s why I was full on sobbing near that 80% mark…iykyk.

PS: all us book besties deserve a man to take our e-reader to the forest WITH a way to charge it in case when we didn’t think about it…that’s my love language and why Caleb is my favourite ever. Easy 5 stars once again for this author.

3 stars
Content Warning: death of a parent from ALS and subsequent grief and trauma, accident resulting in hospitalisation in the ICU, references to marijuana consumption, questioning religious practices/spirituality
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy to review. All thoughts are my own.

After thoroughly enjoying Out on a Limb by this author, I was excited to apply for this read. However, I never got invested in Out of the Woods as I did the first book in this interconnected standalone world.

Both Sarah and Caleb worked fantastically as supporting characters in the first book, but as the main protagonists, I quickly lost interest. They weren't bad characters, and some of the obstacles and individual growth they needed to go through was cathartic to read. I just never warmed up to the concept. Sure, couples counselling combined with a week-long camping retreat away from reality is a good idea, but the supporting characters in this setting and the main protagonists often felt just placed together, rather than working to progress the storyline along. It often felt like the dialogue was "kooky" to be lighthearted between the campers, or jumping into a world of emotions, only to then move on to the next scene. The flow was interrupted by the back and forth of serious then lighthearted again, and I grew bored, admittedly. I didn't care for the other campers, and I rolled my eyes multiple times at the moments when the ladies running the camp would just appear to give sage advice and then leave again.

Sarah is our main narrator and I thought I would have a lot to relate to her, especially with her mother's illness and subsequent death, but it took me quite a long time, up to the accident, to really like her. From that moment on, I appreciated the book a whole lot more and even cried with the characters struggling with this situation. Interestingly though, I got annoyed when it was resolved so quickly and then rushed into the epilogue. I would have enjoyed reading more of Sarah and Caleb back in the real world after the accident and seeing how they turned their relationship around for the better in practice, not a skip in years later to their happily ever after. Considering the title of this book, I would have hoped to see that progress on page and out of the woods, quite literally.