A review by clairebartholomew549
Out of the Woods by Hannah Bonam-Young

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I loved this book so much - which isn't a huge surprise since Bonam-Young's Out on a Limb was such a joy for me. Our protagonist Sarah is in her early thirties and has been married to her high school sweetheart since she was 19, but she feels like her life is static and she is not doing anything with herself. She and her husband Caleb go on a weeklong hiking trip called Reignite to mend their communication issues and get themselves out of their rut, and along the way, they figure out what they want and who they want to be. 

This book just felt so real and honest. There really aren't enough romance books written about what happens after the happily ever after, let alone a decade into marriage, and I so appreciated how this book delved into who Sarah and Caleb were as a couple but also how much Sarah struggled to figure out who she was period. It also has beautiful insights about what it means to evolve with your partner, and how your relationship might need to look different at different times to support each other. The spice is spicy, the dialogue is snappy and emotionally devastating when it needs to be, and Sarah and Caleb are deeply complicated, flawed, loving characters who you root for. This is a true gem.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random Publishing Group - Ballentine for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!

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