Out of the Woods by Hannah Bonam-Young: My Book Review
Check out my book review of Out of the Woods by Hannah Bonam-Young, her latest romance book release AND the She Reads Romance Books Book Club February 2025 Book of the Month!
*Disclosure: This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Out of the Woods
by Hannah Bonam-Young
Category: Contemporary Romance
Tags: Married Couple, Outdoors
Published January 2025
Amazon | Goodreads
Rating: โ
โ
โ
โ
Book Boyfriend: โ
โ
โ
โ
โ
Out of the Woods Summary:
High school sweethearts Sarah and Caleb Linwood have always been a sure thing. For the past seventeen years, they have had each otherโs backs through all of lifeโs ups and downs. But Sarah has begun to wonder . . . who is she without her other half?
When she decides to take on a project of her own, a fundraising gala in memory of her late mother, Sarah wants nothing more than to prove to herselfโand to everyone elseโthat she doesnโt need Calebโs help to succeed. Sheโs still her motherโs daughter after all, independent and capable. That is, until the event fails and Caleb uninvitedly steps in to save the day.
The rift that follows unearths a decade of grievances and doubts. Are they truly the same people they were when they got married at nineteen? Are they supposed to be?
In a desperate attempt to fix what they fear is breaking, Sarah and Caleb make the spontaneous decision to get out of their comfort zones and join a grueling hiking trip intended to guide couples through rough patches.
What follows is a life-affirming comedy of errors as two nature-averse people fight their way out of the woods in order to find their way back to their roots.
Out of the Woods: My Review
Hannah Bonam-Youngโs writing is exquisite. I will read ANYTHING this woman writes.
As soon as Hannah Bonam-Young announced that she was giving us Sarah and Calebโs story in Out of the Woods it instantly became one of my most anticipated new romance books of 2025.
I had fallen in love with these two from reading Out on a Limb, her amazing hit of 2023, but getting this up close and personal with Sarah and Caleb for their own story was such a gift.
An even better gift is having Hannah join us this February in the She Reads Romance Books Book Club to discuss this book which is our February 2025 Book of the Month!
Itโs a rarity to get a romance book that focuses on a married couple because you think married couples already have their happily ever after but those of us who are married know that marriages have their ups and downs โ even for those who find their soulmate in the eleventh grade.
I LOVED that Hannah gave us a married couple but with a storyline that wasnโt tried and done before (such as focusing on fertility struggles or infidelity), focused simply on the fact that these characters were at a bit of a crossroads in their relationship.
Sarah and Caleb are honestly couple goals because despite the hardship that had them trekking in the woods for a week, they are two people who love each other wholeheartedly and completely and who are willing to do the work and to communicate to make their lives even better.
I love how Hannah normalizes that even people who love each other to pieces have their ups and downs and need some outside assistance to get them through a tough time. Sarah realized that couples therapy might not have been the way to go for them but the week out of the comfort zone was the trick.
Sarah was the wild, quirky friend to Win in Out on a Limb, but you see a different side to her in this book. Sheโs a woman struggling with her purpose in life, stuck in the space after taking care of and losing her mother to having no direction but a husband who is her caretaker and rescuer whenever she needs it.
Caleb himself was frustrated that Sarah wasnโt happy with her life, as good as it looked on the outside, but Sarah represents the woman in all of us who find ourselves at a time and place in our lives when weโve lost our way, or simply want more.
Of course, Sarah is one of the lucky ones to have such a loving and caring husband like Caleb. This man is truly a unicorn among men. He is completely and utterly devoted to his wife and has been since the age of 17. His steadfastness, his patience, his kindness and his ability to step back and truly try and understand his wife were just awe-inspiring.
While Sarah and Calebโs story was obviously front and center, I loved seeing more of their friendship with Win and Bo, the new characters they connected with (Libby, Yvonne, Helen and their fellow trekkers) and even how their relationship with Calebโs parents had a moment (go Sarah!).
This book and EVERY book by Hannah is a must-read. I cannot wait to see what she gives us next.
*Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.
More By Hannah Bonam-Young:
Related Book Lists:
Pin This:
