Review: Out of the Woods - Hannah Bonham-Young

Review: Out of the Woods - Book #2 Out Series - Helena Bonham-Young - January 2025

I'll be honest with you all—contemporary romance has felt a bit blah to me lately. I've been in such a reading slump with the genre, picking up book after book only to set them down halfway through with a shrug. But then Out of the Woods came along and completely broke that spell. From the first few chapters, I was hooked, and more surprisingly, I found myself genuinely enjoying a romance novel again.

What really got me about this story is how personal it felt. Sarah and Caleb are high school sweethearts who've been together for seventeen years, and there's something so real about watching them navigate that question we've all wondered at some point: Who am I outside of this relationship? Sarah's struggle to prove her independence while simultaneously loving her husband hit close to home for me. My own partner and I have been together for years, and I saw so much of our dynamic reflected in these pages , the comfortable rhythms, the unspoken resentments that can build up, the fear of losing yourself in a "we."

The premise absolutely fascinated me: when Sarah's fundraising gala fails and Caleb swoops in to save the day (despite her wishes), the cracks in their marriage become impossible to ignore. Their solution? A grueling couples' hiking retreat to work through their issues. Now, I am decidedly not an outdoorsy person , give me a cozy blanket and a good book over a tent any day but the idea of a relationship retreat like this captivated me. The concept of deliberately putting yourself in challenging circumstances to reconnect and grow closer feels both terrifying and brilliant.

Watching these two nature-averse people stumble through the wilderness while simultaneously trying to find their way back to each other was equal parts hilarious and heartwarming. Hannah Bonham-Young has crafted a story that's both a comedy of errors and a deeply moving exploration of long-term love. It asks the hard questions: Are we the same people we were at seventeen and eighteen ? Are we supposed to be?

If you've been in a reading slump like me, or if you're looking for a romance that feels grounded and real while still being utterly charming, Out of the Woods is exactly what you need. It's about falling back in love with the person you chose and choosing yourself too.

Highly recommended for fans of: second-chance romance, fish-out-of-water humor, and anyone who's ever wondered if love is enough. I am now excited to go back and read Book #1 Out on A Limb.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4oUP0TI