Out on a Limb

Out on a Limb by Hannah Bonam-Young is a contemporary romance that celebrates the love between two characters who also happen to have a limb difference. Win, who was born with a smaller right hand, enjoys a steamy one-night stand with Bo, who wears a leg prosthesis. The resultant surprise pregnancy brings the two together, moves them past previous relationships that have wounded them, and leads to a fulfilling connection as partners and parents. Light in tone and infused with wry humor, the novel explores themes of The Challenges of Expectant Motherhood, The Healing Power of Healthy Relationships, and Perceptions About Disability and Ableism. 

Bonam-Young debuted with her Next series, which became a “BookTok” sensation and includes Next of Kin (2022) and Next to You (2022). Dell, an imprint of Penguin Random House, acquired and released these titles and Out on a Limb. Bonam-Young is known for writing diverse characters who overcome life’s challenges with humor and determination. Out on a Limb is unique for its personal touch since the author herself lives with a limb difference. 

This guide refers to the Dell paperback edition published in 2024.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of illness, death, death by suicide, emotional abuse, ableism, mental illness, sexual content, and cursing. 

Plot Summary

Winnifred June McNulty, or “Win,” a single 20-something, is proud of the sexy pirate costume she wears to her friend Sarah Linwood’s annual Halloween party. She strikes up a lively exchange with an attractive man named Bo, who is also dressed as a pirate. Win claims that she deserves to win the costume competition and removes her fake hook to reveal that she has a less developed right hand. In return, Bo shows off his prosthetic leg. Attracted by his humor and good looks, Win invites Bo to join her in Sarah’s spare bedroom. Win assures Bo that she’s taking birth control when they find that there are no condoms. They have sex, and Win feels disappointed when Bo leaves soon after, as their intimacy moved her. Bo embraced all of her and even kissed her hand.

Six weeks later, Win is shocked to learn that she’s pregnant. She’s always wanted a baby but understands the challenges since single mothers who lived together raised her and Sarah. Sarah’s mother was a second parent to Win and helped her come to terms with her limb difference, insisting that Win not hide or be ashamed. Sarah’s husband, Caleb Linwood, helps Win track down Bo, who was previously engaged to marry Caleb’s sister.

Win meets Bo to inform him of the pregnancy and is surprised but touched when he assures her that he wants to be part of the baby’s life. He reveals that he had part of his leg amputated due to cancer. Win is glad to have Bo with her at the first ultrasound appointment, and afterward, she invites him to Sarah and Caleb’s for a game night. Bo fits easily into Win’s friend group and takes her home when she experiences morning sickness. Confronted with Win’s shabby apartment, Bo suggests that Win move in with him. Win is reluctant at first, as her previous live-in relationship ended badly. However, she soon settles into Bo’s cozy house and enjoys learning more about him, including his “nerdy” qualities.

Win and Bo fall into a companionable domestic rhythm, sharing meals, watching movies, and talking about their pasts and their families. Win tells Bo about her ex, Jack, whom she supported through graduate school but who didn’t support her dream of opening a summer camp for kids with disabilities. Bo reveals that he held on too long to his relationship with Caleb’s sister, who, in the end, couldn’t handle his cancer and subsequent surgery. Win meets Bo’s friends when he hosts a Dungeons and Dragons game, which includes Caleb. Though Win promptly informs Sarah where her husband is, the game fascinates both her and Sarah, and Win sees a new side to Bo.

While she finds Bo attractive, Win believes that they should not complicate their co-parenting agreement with sex. Bo, despite his attraction to Win, respects her wishes. Win loves swimming and works as a lifeguard in the summers, and a fellow lifeguard offers her the chance to instruct a young boy who has a limb difference like Win’s. Inspired by her success at coaching, Win approaches Bo about creating a financial plan. Bo is excited to help. He believes that Win can do anything she wants, including parenting, even though Win confesses her fears that her smaller hand might impede her mothering skills. Over lunch at Bo’s friend’s restaurant, they decide on a name for their child, August. Win realizes that she and Bo are a good match on many levels.

By the time she’s 19 weeks into her pregnancy, Win is thoroughly in love with Bo. Sarah encourages Win to take the leap and tell him. Bo’s father, Robert, visits from France, and Win finds him utterly charming. With his father sleeping in Bo’s bed, Win invites Bo to share her bed, furthering the emotional intimacy between them. At her next ultrasound appointment, Win is slightly ashamed of the relief she feels at seeing that the baby is developing typically in every aspect. Bo understands, and Win hopes that his feelings for her are deepening, too.

On the night of Bo’s 30th birthday party, the last barriers between them come down. Win learns that Bo isn’t still attached to his ex, as she feared, and she learns about his mother’s death when he was a baby. She initiates a new level of intimacy by kissing him, followed by enthusiastic sex. The next morning, they both make their heartfelt declarations of love. Bo feels that Win has helped him heal from the difficult recovery he had after his cancer and surgery. Win feels that Bo and the baby have helped her get unstuck in her life. Bo also wants to help finance Win’s camp so that she can get started on her dream. After a baby shower where a surprise visit from Win’s mother moves her, which Bo arranged, Bo asks Win to marry him. The Epilogue takes place 10 years later and shows the two of them as happy parents of three lively girls, and the Bonus Epilogue describes their wedding day.