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lmm0's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
If I had to sum up this book in one word, it would be “wholesome” 🥹
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Ableism, Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Suicide and Death of parent
Minor: Abortion
samone2's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
sometimes you're searching for flaws in a book but there are none. this book was perfect and Win & Bo are perfect.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy and Cancer
Moderate: Death of parent, Ableism, and Suicide
Minor: Emotional abuse, Abortion, and Toxic relationship
ambercunningham's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Oh my god. Bo. That’s it. That’s the tweet. I am obsessed with these two. This book is sweeter than candy and I ate it the fuck up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Cancer, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Mental illness, and Sexual content
noladawnreads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Cancer
Moderate: Death of parent, Suicide, and Ableism
Minor: Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Abortion
meeklovestoread's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This is one of the best romances I've ever read and by far the healthiest couple dynamic I've ever witnessed. I LOVE this book! I ADORE this book! Gentlemen, please take notes from the beautiful, the gorgeous, and the thoughtful: ROBERT AUGUST DURNAD!!!!🥰😍 The ULTIMATE book boyfriend! He's beaten everyone. I don't think anyone is doing it like him. Oh my gosh! I love him! I love them! Their dynamic is literally chef's kiss, no crumbs! I love Win! She's the sweetest and the friendships in this book were literally everything to me! Sarah and Win! Sarah, Win, and Caleb! Bo and his friends! Even the relationship between Bo and his dad, loved! Side eye to Winny's mother.😒 Honestly, I only have a few qualms about this book. I don't know the first two spice scenes didn't do it for me. I don't know. Bo seemed a little different when he was having sex sometimes, I don't know. But the third time, for some reason it did it for me, I don't know. And I'm a little annoyed we never found out about how Bo got injured, not that we were necessarily entitled to know, but the curiosity was there. I wish that was explained, but other than those couple of things this book was literally perfect! I don't really have a problem with the accidental pregnancy trope; I couldn't care less to be honest so that didn't bother me. However, when going in I'd like to preface by saying that this book's plot literally centers around Win being pregnant and Win and Bo's dynamic so if you're looking for a crazy plot you're not going to get it here, but I kid you not it's worth it to witness Bo and Win's dynamic and the friendships in this book! This is honestly the sweetest book ever and I recommend everyone read it!
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️.5/5
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️.5/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy
Moderate: Grief and Sexual content
Minor: Cursing, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse
cortanasreadingnook's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Kindly check the TWs of Out on A Limb before reading.
This is an absolutely hilarious adult romantic comedy about two strangers accidentally falling in love along the way of having a baby together. I am a sucker for the pregnancy trope and this was exactly what I needed. Bo and Winnie are one of the bestest, most adorable MCs i’ve read in contemporary romance this year. Helena Bonam-Young knows her way through a romcom and she’s managed to accentuate longing and passion between two people who agreed to only be friends. Reading this felt so instrinsically intimate, and at the same time it delves into great physical disability rep, periods of grief, and traversed through emotional trauma, as well as recovery. Not only that, but this book is strongly all for women having full autonomy of their bodies and reproductive health and for that, I truly admire the writing. Furthermore, I’ve noticed this book has an uncanny ability to make a reader feel when everything finally falls into the right place at the right time. I could vouch for a number of books who feel like a Taylor Swift song and this was totally it! I wouldn’t mind a Bo in my life. My heart just felt so full as I read this. Despite the initial attraction between our two leads, there was no rushed romance but all fun and sweet moments.
Oh and the smut was chef’s kiss <3
P.S. I got slightly turned off after a brief mentioning of Velaris, which is a fictional place set in a popular book series written by a zionist.
This is an absolutely hilarious adult romantic comedy about two strangers accidentally falling in love along the way of having a baby together. I am a sucker for the pregnancy trope and this was exactly what I needed. Bo and Winnie are one of the bestest, most adorable MCs i’ve read in contemporary romance this year. Helena Bonam-Young knows her way through a romcom and she’s managed to accentuate longing and passion between two people who agreed to only be friends. Reading this felt so instrinsically intimate, and at the same time it delves into great physical disability rep, periods of grief, and traversed through emotional trauma, as well as recovery. Not only that, but this book is strongly all for women having full autonomy of their bodies and reproductive health and for that, I truly admire the writing. Furthermore, I’ve noticed this book has an uncanny ability to make a reader feel when everything finally falls into the right place at the right time. I could vouch for a number of books who feel like a Taylor Swift song and this was totally it! I wouldn’t mind a Bo in my life. My heart just felt so full as I read this. Despite the initial attraction between our two leads, there was no rushed romance but all fun and sweet moments.
Oh and the smut was chef’s kiss <3
P.S. I got slightly turned off after a brief mentioning of Velaris, which is a fictional place set in a popular book series written by a zionist.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Ableism, Injury/Injury detail, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Abortion, Suicide, and Misogyny
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I enjoy most books for what they are, & I extract lessons from them all. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
Gosh, I love HBY!!! This was absolutely delightful, endearing, and heart-warming. I have really enjoyed HBY's past 3 books & this one absolutely lived up to my love of those!!!
This is first-person, present tense POV of Win. This is not a spoiler, because the author's note in the very beginning gives you warning, plus the premise kind of gives it away, but I really don't mind the surprise pregnancy trope! I love Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake by Mazey Eddings (highly recommend if you're a neurodivergent honey!), and I think we need to normalize more stories like this, because they feel authentic. Why do we hate when others don't particularly plan to get pregnant, but then decide "yeah, let's do this!" and a sweet lil baby is born? I don't really see the ick as long as both parents are willing/enthusiastic with the best intentions, and HBY wrote it so tenderly here!
Win is witty, goofy, loyal, and messy. She is working at a cafe, plus lifeguards during the summer, bringing her annual income to a whopping $26k (this is relevant later). The last thing she expects is to get pregnant after a Halloween/pirate one-night-stand with a guy who literally got dressed and bounced the moment they came. Win was also a surprise baby for her mom, and has been third-wheeling her best friends Sarah & Caleb, who are a couple (who also hosted the Halloween party where Win & Bo hook up) forever!
Bo is pensive, kind, and gracious! He is truly a book boyfriend to remember. I loved how he handled every single conversation about a hard topic, whether it was family, past relationship trauma (Bo’s past with an ex Cora & Win’s past with toxic ex Jack), disabilities, medical history, and more. I loved Bo's proposal of living costs and how to split it between himself and Win, based on their incomes, rather than simply going Dutch on everything. That was the point in the book where I was completely sold on him hahaha.
I loved both of these characters' journeys & their slow burn together was so satisfying. NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP OR MASSIVE CONFLICT EITHER!!!!! I think a theme in romance is that we all want to feel *chosen* rather than a product of circumstance or convenience, and that is something that comes up again in Bo & Win's journeys with this unplanned pregnancy. There were also some incredibly & beautifully human conversations about ableism, how being part of a marginalized group expands one’s empathy, & some inherent biases & thoughts parents have about having children. I really appreciated the conversations & inner dialogue Win had with Bo about this. HBY did a beautiful job illustrating this!
I listened to the audiobook via Libro FM & I highly recommend it. Victoria Connolly did a fantastic job :D
representation: body diversity (Win is explicitly described as loving to eat, and her midsection showing that, which I realllyyyyy appreciated - more variety in body types in romance please!), FMC has a smaller limb for one of her hands, MMC has a prosthetic leg/is an amputee, character is a cancer survivor, different family makeup (some people don't grow up with both parents! some people navigate loss/grief very early in life!), found family!
steam rating: 2.5/5
see content warnings below <3
side note: There's a throwaway line in here that says "Brittany from Walmart knows what she did!" as they discuss customer service reps, and I am on a mission to find a redeemable Brittany in fiction. We are the goddamn worst wahhhhhhhhh
Gosh, I love HBY!!! This was absolutely delightful, endearing, and heart-warming. I have really enjoyed HBY's past 3 books & this one absolutely lived up to my love of those!!!
This is first-person, present tense POV of Win. This is not a spoiler, because the author's note in the very beginning gives you warning, plus the premise kind of gives it away, but I really don't mind the surprise pregnancy trope! I love Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake by Mazey Eddings (highly recommend if you're a neurodivergent honey!), and I think we need to normalize more stories like this, because they feel authentic. Why do we hate when others don't particularly plan to get pregnant, but then decide "yeah, let's do this!" and a sweet lil baby is born? I don't really see the ick as long as both parents are willing/enthusiastic with the best intentions, and HBY wrote it so tenderly here!
Win is witty, goofy, loyal, and messy. She is working at a cafe, plus lifeguards during the summer, bringing her annual income to a whopping $26k (this is relevant later). The last thing she expects is to get pregnant after a Halloween/pirate one-night-stand with a guy who literally got dressed and bounced the moment they came. Win was also a surprise baby for her mom, and has been third-wheeling her best friends Sarah & Caleb, who are a couple (who also hosted the Halloween party where Win & Bo hook up) forever!
Bo is pensive, kind, and gracious! He is truly a book boyfriend to remember. I loved how he handled every single conversation about a hard topic, whether it was family, past relationship trauma (Bo’s past with an ex Cora & Win’s past with toxic ex Jack), disabilities, medical history, and more. I loved Bo's proposal of living costs and how to split it between himself and Win, based on their incomes, rather than simply going Dutch on everything. That was the point in the book where I was completely sold on him hahaha.
I loved both of these characters' journeys & their slow burn together was so satisfying. NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP OR MASSIVE CONFLICT EITHER!!!!! I think a theme in romance is that we all want to feel *chosen* rather than a product of circumstance or convenience, and that is something that comes up again in Bo & Win's journeys with this unplanned pregnancy. There were also some incredibly & beautifully human conversations about ableism, how being part of a marginalized group expands one’s empathy, & some inherent biases & thoughts parents have about having children. I really appreciated the conversations & inner dialogue Win had with Bo about this. HBY did a beautiful job illustrating this!
I listened to the audiobook via Libro FM & I highly recommend it. Victoria Connolly did a fantastic job :D
representation: body diversity (Win is explicitly described as loving to eat, and her midsection showing that, which I realllyyyyy appreciated - more variety in body types in romance please!), FMC has a smaller limb for one of her hands, MMC has a prosthetic leg/is an amputee, character is a cancer survivor, different family makeup (some people don't grow up with both parents! some people navigate loss/grief very early in life!), found family!
steam rating: 2.5/5
see content warnings below <3
side note: There's a throwaway line in here that says "Brittany from Walmart knows what she did!" as they discuss customer service reps, and I am on a mission to find a redeemable Brittany in fiction. We are the goddamn worst wahhhhhhhhh
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Ableism, and Grief
Minor: Suicide and Abortion
spines's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
this is such a sweet romance, i have absolutely nothing bad to say about this book. It’s so heartwarming and lovely and soft and the characters are all super lovable and sweet.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy
Minor: Cancer, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Ableism
jillkaarlela's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Taylor Swift songs: “Lover”, “King of my heart”, “peace”
Age rating: 16+ (4 steamy chapters, 1.5/5🌶️
If you want to believe in love again, true unconditional love, read this book! I’m so serious!!! I never EVER thought I would love an unexpected pregnancy trope book, but here I am, crying happy tears over this book three times. I think this unexpected pregnancy trope works because both Win and Bo have always wanted a kid, but never knew/had the right time. So it’s not like this child is unwanted by any means, but the way the child gets there is unconventional. They both really really wanted this child, now that they know it’s an option. This child brings them so much joy!! (When he finds out, he cries tears of joy! Like, come on!) It makes my heart happy, even as someone who doesn’t like/want kids. I know they will give the child so much love. If any book couple will stay together forever, and is meant to be together in every lifetime, it’s Win and Bo. Nothing can convince me otherwise. This is a perfect book, no notes.
Bo is genuinely one of my favorite book boyfriends ever because he is one of the most caring and genuinely loving men ever!! I don’t usually love blondes, but I’ll forgive it this time. He’s a 6’5” gentle giant, cinnamon roll man, with glasses!! And he’s a huge nerd, which we loveeeeeee!! He’s just perfect.
Also the discussions of disabilities were SO IMPORTANT!! They were handled with so much care and thought and nuance. I appreciated this representation so much, as someone with a chronic illness/disability.
TW: grief, disability discussions, ableism, postpartum depression (past, off page), suicide (past, off page), cancer (past, off page), emotionally abusive/toxic relationship (past, off page)
Age rating: 16+ (4 steamy chapters, 1.5/5🌶️
If you want to believe in love again, true unconditional love, read this book! I’m so serious!!! I never EVER thought I would love an unexpected pregnancy trope book, but here I am, crying happy tears over this book three times. I think this unexpected pregnancy trope works because both Win and Bo have always wanted a kid, but never knew/had the right time. So it’s not like this child is unwanted by any means, but the way the child gets there is unconventional. They both really really wanted this child, now that they know it’s an option. This child brings them so much joy!! (When he finds out, he cries tears of joy! Like, come on!) It makes my heart happy, even as someone who doesn’t like/want kids. I know they will give the child so much love. If any book couple will stay together forever, and is meant to be together in every lifetime, it’s Win and Bo. Nothing can convince me otherwise. This is a perfect book, no notes.
Bo is genuinely one of my favorite book boyfriends ever because he is one of the most caring and genuinely loving men ever!! I don’t usually love blondes, but I’ll forgive it this time. He’s a 6’5” gentle giant, cinnamon roll man, with glasses!! And he’s a huge nerd, which we loveeeeeee!! He’s just perfect.
Also the discussions of disabilities were SO IMPORTANT!! They were handled with so much care and thought and nuance. I appreciated this representation so much, as someone with a chronic illness/disability.
TW: grief, disability discussions, ableism, postpartum depression (past, off page), suicide (past, off page), cancer (past, off page), emotionally abusive/toxic relationship (past, off page)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Suicide, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Ableism, and Cancer
megj23's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Sexual content, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Cancer and Cursing
Minor: Suicide, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Ableism, Death of parent, and Death