Out of the Woods

A Novel

By: Hannah Bonam-Young

Narrated by: Victoria Connolly

“Absolute, utter perfection.”―Chloe Liese, USA Today bestselling author of Only and Forever

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A married couple joins a week-long wilderness expedition to help them reconnect in this heartfelt companion novel to the viral TikTok sensation Out on a Limb.

High school sweethearts Sarah and Caleb Linwood have always been a sure thing. For the past seventeen years, they have had each other’s backs through all of life’s 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 herself—and to everyone else—that she doesn’t need Caleb’s help to succeed. She’s still her mother’s 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.

©2025 Hannah Bonam-Young (P)2025 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Tenderness, humor, and heat. Hannah Bonam-Young writes love stories that stay with you.”—Elena Armas, author of The Fiancé Dilemma

“Absolute, utter perfection. Out of the Woods is tender and wise, heart-achingly honest and radiantly hopeful. I couldn’t love it more.”—Chloe Liese, USA Today bestselling author of Once Smitten, Twice Shy

“Hannah Bonam-Young continues to be one of my very favorite writers. She writes with joyful tenderness and a true appreciation for the characters she’s created, and a sweeping, all-consuming belief in a well-earned happily ever after.”—B.K. Borison, USA Today bestselling author of Business Casual

Just okay

SPOILER ALERT IN THIS REVIEW:

I wanted to like this book, I really did. It came highly recommended by a few friends and the ratings overall are great but, for the life of me, I can't figure out why. Maybe it's just me or the mood I was in when reading this book. I feel the author could have done so much more to flesh out this relationship and missed the chance to write a truly meaningful story. The beginning was okay and somewhat boring in many places. Then the book got significantly better but still missed the mark on the grief aspects considering how much of the couple's relationship issues centered on the loss of one of the main characters. I do not typically mind spice in a book no matter how graphic. The spiciest part of this book was far too long and graphic and, frankly, took away from the main story line. I almost DNF the book right there but I'd stuck with it that long and I very rarely DNF any book as I feel there must be a point to the story or there wouldn't be a book. The ending was good but it's a shame it took so long to get there.

HBY tells a heckuva story!

Between the narration and the story, this author really provided a wonderful reading experience. I definitely recommend!

Their love for one another

Bringing love back into their lives in the most intimate and passionate way possible. Love the plot and story line.

Amazing.

This story had me crying and laughing in equal measure. It was so hard to listen to the first part of the book because it’s hard to watch people who are so good together bicker and not get along and partially freeze each other out. Once they got to reignite it was beautiful to watch them open up and grow together and change because while change is hard it’s necessary sometimes. These two absolutely stole my heart and Hannah’s writing was beautiful. The story was perfect!

Relationships

Loved the book! Loved that it spoke about grief and no matter how long you’ve been with someone, communication and wanting to grow together is work.

HBY does it again!!

This author does such a great job of capturing all the emotions, a great plot with also great spice. This book just came out in January. I savored it as long as I could, until it was devoured. Anxiously waiting for her next book release, People Watching, later this year!

Obsessed

Absolutely loved this audiobook! The story was emotional and kept me hooked from start to finish. The narrator did an amazing job bringing everything to life. Definitely a must-listen!

Out of the woods

After reading and loving out on a limb I knew I had to read this one when it came out. This type of book isn’t my typical read plot wise but I am so glad I finished it. What a beautiful story. I love how open the dialogue was with everything throughout this book and the epilogue ughhh how can you not cry happy tears reading this book.

Disappointed

I was so excited for HBYs newest book but this fell flat for me. It didn’t even feel like the same author wrote this book.

Not for me

I knew going into this I'm not really into romance genre or smut... but given all the rave reviews of the author and being on multiple "most anticipated" lists, I gave it a try. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. The conflict wasn't strong enough for me and I didn't really care about the characters, which meant I wasn't really invested in their story or any sort of growth they were supposed to be showing during their time in the woods. A lot of people seem to enjoy it, but not my cup of tea.