Hannah Bonam-Young

Out of the Woods

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

being together since high school, it’s understandable sarah and caleb has reach a sort of standstill in their marriage so off to the woods they go, to not just figure what is going on with their marriage but to also figure out what is going on with themselves

a touching, emotional story about a marriage with realistic problems between high school sweethearts that have been together for so long as well as grieving the loss of a parent. this story felt so real and raw especially with the emotional flashbacks with sarah’s mom and the glimpses of young love between sarah and caleb. so emotionally vulnerable  

I especially love the narrative writing! lively and you can hear sarah’s personality 

sarah’s inner conflict where she felt like she hasn’t achieved much in life was very relatable. very giving this is me trying - "So I got wasted like all my potential” // “I was so ahead of the curve, the curve became a sphere”

I love caleb my acts of service king !!! And his love for sarah reminds me of those soft, calming types of love that sarah truly needed especially in high school.

with that being said, this book is very slow pacing where it felt dragging and boring at times. Also, in terms of a marriage in crisis book, this felt very bland. Idk how to explain it like this felt lacking for me. 

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

18 - one direction 

being together since high school, it’s understandable sarah and caleb has reach a sort of standstill in their marriage so off to the woods they go, to not just figure what is going on with their marriage but to also figure out what is going on with themselves

a touching, emotional story about a marriage with realistic problems between high school sweethearts that have been together for so long as well as grieving the loss of a parent. this story felt so real and raw especially with the emotional flashbacks with sarah’s mom and the glimpses of young love between sarah and caleb. so emotionally vulnerable  

I especially love the narrative writing! lively and you can hear sarah’s personality 

sarah’s inner conflict where she felt like she hasn’t achieved much in life was very relatable. very giving this is me trying - "So I got wasted like all my potential” // “I was so ahead of the curve, the curve became a sphere”

I love caleb my acts of service king !!! And his love for sarah reminds me of those soft, calming types of love that sarah truly needed especially in high school.

taylor swift songs

soon you’ll get better 

marjorie

cardigan 

right where you left me 

this is me trying

begin again 

with that being said, this book is very slow pacing where it felt dragging and boring at times. Also, in terms of a marriage in crisis book, this felt very bland. Idk how to explain it like this felt lacking for me. 

❓ #QOTD How did you meet your significant other?

🦇 High school sweethearts Sarah and Caleb Linwood have always been a sure thing. But after 17 years, Sarah has to wonder: who is she without her other half? Caleb always seems to step in to save the day, making her the damsel. 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. Can they navigate their way out of the woods and their messy uncertainty to find their way back to their roots?

💜 First of all, I'd like to reassure readers that no, you don't have to read Out on a Limb to enjoy this book. Out of the Woods focuses on Sarah and Caleb's relationship (friends of the FMC in book one). Let's break it down: 

✨ Characters: We're given very little about each character independent of the other. Sarah is deep in grief while Caleb is...well, he seems perfectly supportive and loving, but that's unfortunately stifling Sarah. Once they begin to work through their problems, they're cute together, but there's no major depth. I will say that Sarah is incredibly relatable. She feels stuck and uncertain of who she is outside of her relationship, but it feels like she takes that out on Caleb when he's simply content (and there's nothing wrong with that). It does highlight the importance of recognizing who you are outside of a relationship (a lesson some people haven't learned, which then affects the relationship).

✨ Plot and Pacing: Usually, I love a flashback to show rather than tell. Unfortunately, the CONSTANT flashbacks slow the pace down. They don't show us moments that really define Caleb and Sarah. The plot (Sarah having an identity crisis and feeling like a NPC in her own marriage) had a lot of potential, but ALL the introspection leaves the story dragging. There's just not much going on.

✨ Romance: The absolute best moment for me was Sarah realizing Caleb brought her e-reader so she wouldn't lose her (nearly 2,000-day) reading streak. The little flowers and notes they left for one another were precious. Their relationship is well-established, and they heal with each other, which is sweet. There is smut, so, enjoy that. 

✨ Mystery/Suspense: Alluding to a moment that occurred between Sarah and Caleb as young adults without revealing it entirely would have given the story an element of tension and suspense, both of which were lacking. 

✨ Tone/Prose: Sarah's narration is relatable, but her constant, page after page of introspection adds nothing to the story. A little more descriptive language while we're in the woods could have placed readers in the moment, but instead, we're stuck in Sarah's head. 

🦇 Major thanks to the author and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #OutoftheWoods

❝ It’s the cursed roles we’ve been stuck in since the eleventh grade. The gallant knight riding in on his white horse is here to save me once again. And shit, if being the damsel in distress isn’t getting old. ❞

❝ “I brought [your e-reader] and a solar charger. I didn’t want you to lose your reading streak. Downloaded a couple of extra books too.” ❞

❝ I am a simple creature, at my core. Give me books, sunlight, water, and a handsome man looking at me like I’m some rare jewel, and I’m all set. Especially when it feels like a long time since I’ve shined for him. ❞

❝ “If you give me the space to grow, I’ll plant myself next to you. Always.” ❞

❝ “We have the rest of our lives to fuck each other’s brains out. I’m here to get your heart back first.” ❞

Jazelle H

🦇 Out of the Woods Book Review 🦇

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

❓ #QOTD How did you meet your significant other?
 
🦇 High school sweethearts Sarah and Caleb Linwood have always been a sure thing. But after 17 years, Sarah has to wonder: who is she without her other half? Caleb always seems to step in to save the day, making her the damsel. 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. Can they navigate their way out of the woods and their messy uncertainty to find their way back to their roots?

💜 First of all, I'd like to reassure readers that no, you don't have to read Out on a Limb to enjoy this book. Out of the Woods focuses on Sarah and Caleb's relationship (friends of the FMC in book one). Let's break it down: 
✨ Characters: We're given very little about each character independent of the other. Sarah is deep in grief while Caleb is...well, he seems perfectly supportive and loving, but that's unfortunately stifling Sarah. Once they begin to work through their problems, they're cute together, but there's no major depth. I will say that Sarah is incredibly relatable. She feels stuck and uncertain of who she is outside of her relationship, but it feels like she takes that out on Caleb when he's simply content (and there's nothing wrong with that). It does highlight the importance of recognizing who you are outside of a relationship (a lesson some people haven't learned, which then affects the relationship).
✨ Plot and Pacing: Usually, I love a flashback to show rather than tell. Unfortunately, the CONSTANT flashbacks slow the pace down. They don't show us moments that really define Caleb and Sarah. The plot (Sarah having an identity crisis and feeling like a NPC in her own marriage) had a lot of potential, but ALL the introspection leaves the story dragging. There's just not much going on.
✨ Romance: The absolute best moment for me was Sarah realizing Caleb brought her e-reader so she wouldn't lose her (nearly 2,000-day) reading streak. The little flowers and notes they left for one another were precious. Their relationship is well-established, and they heal with each other, which is sweet. There is smut, so, enjoy that. 
✨ Mystery/Suspense: Alluding to a moment that occurred between Sarah and Caleb as young adults without revealing it entirely would have given the story an element of tension and suspense, both of which were lacking. 
✨ Tone/Prose: Sarah's narration is relatable, but her constant, page after page of introspection adds nothing to the story. A little more descriptive language while we're in the woods could have placed readers in the moment, but instead, we're stuck in Sarah's head. 

✨ The Vibes ✨ 
🏕 Adult Contemporary Romance 
⛺ Camping
🏕 Couples Therapy
⛺ Flashbacks
🏕 High School Sweethearts
⛺ First Person POV
🏕 Loss of a Parent/Grief
⛺ Part of a Duology

🦇 Major thanks to the author and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #OutoftheWoods

💬 Quotes 
❝ It’s the cursed roles we’ve been stuck in since the eleventh grade. The gallant knight riding in on his white horse is here to save me once again. And shit, if being the damsel in distress isn’t getting old. ❞
❝ “I brought [your e-reader] and a solar charger. I didn’t want you to lose your reading streak. Downloaded a couple of extra books too.” ❞
❝ I am a simple creature, at my core. Give me books, sunlight, water, and a handsome man looking at me like I’m some rare jewel, and I’m all set. Especially when it feels like a long time since I’ve shined for him. ❞
❝ “If you give me the space to grow, I’ll plant myself next to you. Always.” ❞
❝ “We have the rest of our lives to fuck each other’s brains out. I’m here to get your heart back first.” ❞

While this book is heavy subject matter - it hit super close to home for me. I absolutely loved it. 

I was lucky enough to receive this ARC - I am an out on the limb Stan and I was soooooo excited to get this one

Sarah and Caleb are high school sweethearts with some heavy backstories that they don’t really deal with when they are young and it come around to start hindering their marriage. Will they come out together in the end? 

Brittany Peterson

While this book is heavy subject matter - it hit super close to home for me. I absolutely loved it. 

I was lucky enough to receive this ARC - I am an out on the limb Stan and I was soooooo excited to get this one

Sarah and Caleb are high school sweethearts with some heavy backstories that they don’t really deal with when they are young and it come around to start hindering their marriage. Will they come out together in the end? 

What you can expect:

- marriage in crisis 

- high school sweethearts 

- a outdoorsy marriage retreat 

- light spice 

- heavy subject matter 

- reminiscing about parental loss 

Out of the Woods

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