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.

This story follows Sarah and Caleb, a married couple who have been together for 17 years. They’ve supported each other through some some incredibly hard times (notably the loss of Sarah’s mother when she was 19) but they now feel disconnected and are struggling in their marriage. They embark on a week long couples wilderness retreat to reignite the spark in their relationship.

Oh what a book! This story had so much substance and depth to it! It touched on a number of heavy topics including terminal illness and grief, as well as how we change as we age and how that impacts our relationships. Each topic was fully explored and was beautifully handled. In particular I appreciated the discussions around grief, which I felt were extremely touching and very realistic.

This book made me laugh, cry, and I came away with so much respect and love for both of our main characters (as well as the author for her brilliant work!)

This was my first Hannah Bonam-Young book, but it certainly won’t be the last! This story was so much more than your standard romance book.

Out of the Woods by Hannah Bonam-Young is a heartfelt and emotional story about love, identity, and the struggles of long-term relationships. Sarah and Caleb Linwood, high school sweethearts married for 17 years, find themselves drifting apart as life’s challenges pile up. Desperate to reconnect, they embark on a week-long couples’ hiking retreat that forces them to face their issues head-on.
The story beautifully captures the complexities of marriage—how easy it is to lose yourself in a relationship and how hard it can be to rebuild. Sarah and Caleb’s journey is both raw and inspiring, filled with honest communication, emotional breakthroughs, and heartfelt moments that brought tears to my eyes. I loved the flashbacks to their earlier years, which showed the foundation of their love.
This book felt like a therapeutic experience, offering hope and realism about what it means to grow together. Highly recommended for fans of emotional, character-driven stories!

This was absolutely incredible. I didn’t expect to feel so much and learn so much from so early on. Such a beautiful story and SERIOUSLY worth reading. Chef’s kiss!

I absolutely adored this book!

After reading Out on a Limb, I was so excited to read this one and get more from the characters Sarah and Caleb, and this book delivered!

I don’t know what HBY puts in her books but whatever it is I eat it up!

I loved the exploration of relationships and how you can lose yourself within one , especially when you e been together for a very long time.

The characters just feel so real I loved every moment of this.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my e-arc copy 💕

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My first 5 star read of 2025 and I couldn't have wanted a better book for it!

Sarah and Caleb relationship felt so real and you don't often see the struggles of relationships enough in books. At first I was skeptical about the idea of a couple therapy hike but I ended up loving it! Something about them being disconected from the world as having to face their struggles without a way to procrastinate or avoid it all made it a lot more emotional to read. Their heart to hearts during the hike and how they worked through their struggles made me tear up on multiple occasions. If I was to sum up how I see their relationship it was be what marrying your best friend looks like and lets me real thats the dream. I loved the little flashbacks we got of their relationship over the years and how they really are just two best friends.

I love Win and Bo so so much and their daughter August is the cutest. Win really is the best friend we all need.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this an an arc!

Out of the Woods comes out January 28th and I cannot recommend it enough.

Thank you so much to Hannah Bonam-Young and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

I was not prepared for this book to be my first 5 star read of the year, but I’m not sorry and nothing will change my mind about how flipping amazing this book was! This book made me feel so many things!! I have no words for how it made me feel and everything I feel like I learnt from this book. It felt like one big therapy session and I will think about this book for a long time to come.

After reading out on a limb, Sarah and Caleb were some of my favourite people, they had me cry laughing on many different occasions so reading this book healed apart of my heart knowing that not every relationship is smooth sailing and its normal. This entire book broke me and healed me at the same time.

After so many books having the miscommunication trope, this was the complete opposite, this was about little communication causing a marriage to struggle and what they need to do to save and change the dynamic of their relationship. I fell in love with how they learned to love each other again.

Sarah was such a strong character, who dealt with so much at a young age and knew no differently from her current life as a stay at home wife, so good on Sarah for voicing her opinion and showing her vulnerable side when she wasn’t happy. Seeing her stand up for her relationship when so many people would give up is so inspiring and I can’t remember the last time I felt so strongly over a book.

And then Caleb is your classic golden retriever, so in love and oblivious but would do anything for those he loved. I feel like this entire book was such an eye opening experience for both main characters but seeing Caleb be so open and willing to try, even though at first he was confused and couldn’t see the problems, the more they spoke and argued, the more the cracks started to show and he became more understanding of the things they both needed to work on in order to save their marriage.

This books is more accurate of how a couple can be after so long married and they get stuck in a rut, it was very refreshing and felt more realistic then the expected happily ever after.

Watching them come back together was so natural and I loved their story, their progression as a couple but also as individuals. I will rave about this book for months to come and I can’t wait to see what’s next for Hannah Bonam-Young

4.5

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC!

I think I’m going to find reviewing this book slightly difficult because I don’t think I have read anything like it. This is a marriage in trouble romance but the so called conflict is so mundane (in the best way) that it makes you feel so deeply.

I fell in love with these characters (not having read Win and Bo’s story) and Sarah and Caleb are true soulmates. I felt the depth of their love through every single page and this book had some of the best character development and depth I have ever read. Such an amazing read, all around!

i actually teared up at portions

Sarah and Caleb made my heart hurt so much throughout this book at least the humorous side characters helped soften the blow

LOVED IT and will definitely be reading the next !!

A real honest novel - Caleb and Sarah are the original high school sweethearts who find themselves in their early thirties in a relationship crisis. A chance of making or breaking their marriage comes along in the form of a week long couples retreat style get away. I like how the author showed the build up of gem getting together versus the present day storyline interwoven throughout the book - I've only marked it down to 4 stars as I just didn't like Sarah - at times her resentment came across as being spoiled and I couldn't warm to her. This was the first novel I have read by this author & I'm definitely intrigued to read more. Thanks to Net Galley for the advanced copy

4 Stars!

Hannah Bonam Young can do no wrong and this second chance romance following two high school sweethearts who are trying to rekindle their marriage was such a refreshing romance!

This felt really different to other Romances I've read recently. Their love story felt so comfortable and familiar and more true to life. I loved watching them grow both together and separately as people.

I'm a huge fan of this author and will read whatever she writes! Already looking forward to seeing what she does next.