Char Reviews ‘Out Of The Woods’
What would it be like if you married your high school sweetheart? Would you be divorced or still happily married? Sarah asks herself this question in “Out of the Woods” by Hannah Bonham-Young, a novel that delves deep into the journey of self-discovery. 
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, achievements, losses, stages, and phases. 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 memoriam 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 between them, and doubts begin to grow. 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 near breaking, Sarah and Caleb make the spontaneous decision to 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 to find their way back to their roots.
This book markets itself as a second-chance romance, but to me, it was more about finding oneself. So while I enjoyed it, it didn’t fit that trope. The writing was very well done and lyrical. When reading books, that is one thing I look for. I love it when books are well-written; however, the characters are a massive part of it. While I thought Hannah’s writing was terrific, her main characters were flat. The side characters were great, and I enjoyed them. Sarah was somewhat entitled and needed therapy. Caleb felt like a rich boy through and through. He did grow in the story, and I did enjoy that. Overall, I enjoyed this book, but I don’t think I’ll pick it up again. I am glad that we read this book for the book club. Although we all had a few things we didn’t like, we all enjoyed it.
