In 1955, Gabriel and Beth meet in the summer and quickly become an item. When Gabriel goes away to university, a misunderstanding leads to the end of their relationship; Beth comes home to marry Frank who has been in love with her since they were 13 years old; Gabriel marries Louisa who Beth thought was always the better match for him.

13 years later Gabriel is back in his home town with his son Leo; Beth is living on the farm with Frank where they have been grieving over the death of their son over the past 3 years. Sparks between Gabriel and Beth reignite but no one expected the chain of events to follow.

This book was so much more than I expected. Thank you Netgalley, the author and publisher for the ARC!

This storyline is incredibly moving and has a poetic, mysterious quality to it. I'm currently torn between giving it 4 or 5 stars, but I will round it down for now because I'm not a big fan of some of the themes explored. However, the writing is beautiful, and you will definitely feel a range of emotions while reading it. I highly recommend adding this to your TBR. This book is destined to become a classic.

Thank you, Simon & Schuster, for sending me the ARC.

'A sweeping love story with the pace and twists of a thriller, Broken Country is a novel of simmering passion, impossible choices, and explosive consequences that toggles between the past and present to explore the far-reaching legacy of first love.'

What to expect:

✨Emotional read
✨Tragic past
✨Love triangle
✨Second chance romance
✨Family secrets
✨Small-town drama

Publication Date: March 04, 2025 - I think this may be your sign to go preorder if you haven't already!!

As always, all thoughts are my own. ✨🖤

Broken Country is a novel set in the 1950s and 1960s Dorset, England. It is a great story about a love triangle over 2 decades. The English countryside setting is full of beautiful imagery and of broken promises. Longing and regret. And a murder mystery, the man accused of the murder is full of guarded secrets. 
 
Broken Country is not a novel about choosing between the past and the present. Beth loved Gabriel, her first love, and it shaped her. So did Frank, the man who built a life with her after Gabriel was gone. Neither love eclipses the other. Both define her. The woman she is now exists because of them both. The novel refuses to rush this reckoning, keeping the love triangle unresolved until its final pages.
 
The themes are passion, regret, and the complexities of human relationships.. It emphasizes class differences, sexuality, and gender during its eras. The key themes include lost love, death of a child, infidelity, classism, and forgiveness.
 
A well-written, interesting story to the very end.

HEADLINE: 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐬 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐲𝐩𝐞.

An emotional story of love, loss, guilt and grief. A look at how choices shape our lives. Perfectly formed and utterly breathtaking & heartbreaking. It left me sobbing and filled with joy. The whole package- drama, love, mystery & pitch perfect pacing. Gorgeous from start to finish.

Broken Country is a poignant novel set in the English countryside, exploring love, loss, and buried secrets. The story follows Beth, who is torn between her stable marriage to Frank and her past with Gabriel. When a gunshot disrupts their farm, it reignites old emotions and unravels a decades-long tale. The book shifts between timelines, revealing Beth’s youthful romance with Gabriel, her life with Frank, and the devastating aftermath of tragedy. With themes of forbidden love, second chances, class differences, and the consequences of past choices, the novel also explores grief, justice, and the emotional weight of secrets. Clare Leslie Hall’s writing draws readers into the characters’ emotional turmoil, with the three-timeline structure adding depth despite occasional pacing issues. Beth’s character arc, from naive girl to woman confronting painful truths, is compelling, and her relationships—with Gabriel, who teeters on toxicity, and Frank, whose devotion makes his fate heartbreaking—add to the novel’s emotional impact. While the shifting timelines and character arcs may frustrate some, Broken Country is an emotionally charged and beautifully written story that blends romance, mystery, and drama, leaving readers reflecting on love, sacrifice, and the consequences of the past.

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I was not quite sure what to expect with Broken Country. It has been compared to Where the Crawdads Sing and to be honest that is why I chose to read this book. But I did not feel like the book was anything like Crawdads except for the description of nature.

1960s in a small rural English village is where this story begins. You quickly learn that Beth and her husband, Frank are working hard on their farm. The descriptions of the countryside and nature are outstanding. I felt like I was standing in this book. There is immediate tension when the farmer has to shoot a dog that has attacked their sheep. Unfortunately the dog belonged to a young boy who has recently moved to the area, is missing his mom, is not happy in his new surroundings, and doesn't fit in at school.

The story flips between 1960s, "Before", and the "Trial". The reader knows that there has been a murder or death but Hall leaves the readers in the dark at who has died. Is it Frank, Frank's brother, or Beth's first love Gabriel, who is the father of the young boy.

Hall also reveals that Beth and Frank have lost their son. She does not immediately tell us how he died but we know he is younger. His death has greatly impacted the entire family just like his birth impacted their entire family.

I am not going to say much more because I think readers need to just go in blind and read the book. I did feel that the middle of the story lagged a bit so that is why I am giving it 4 stars. Otherwise it is a great book with well developed characters. This is a story that will stick with me for some time.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

"You have to fool yourself into thinking you already are the thing you want to become. That's what my father says."

I couldn't put #brokencountry down, I'm giving it four stars, and these characters do stay with you. HOWEVER, I found some plot points to be a bit contrived (what late 50s parent, Catholic, gives her daughter a diaphragm?). I get that Beth's parents may have been a little forward-thinking but still. And we don't get to really know them, either. They are paragons of goodness and virtue, whereas Gabriel's mother (never meet the father) is anything but - polar opposites. Beth's husband, Frank, is also a paragon of virtue, whose actions prove over and over again he's not realistic. I also get that Beth's desires form a good bit of the conflict, but how selfish? how self-centered? how many lives ruined? And how much tragedy can one couple endure?

So my four stars are conflicted. Easy to read, compelling but a little over the top. Felt manipulative.

P.S. Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC.

Beth and Frank live a quiet life in rural England. One day Frank's brother Jimmy has to shoot a dog that is killing their flock of lambs. When the owner of the dog appears, it is Beth's first love, Gabriel, and his son. Beth is thrown back into memories of her and Gabriel's summer together and how their relationship fell apart. As Beth and Gabriel become close again as she cares for his son after school, she is reminded of the son she and Frank tragically lost and of her reignited feels for Gabriel. This timeline is interspersed with a murder trial in which the details become clearer as the book progresses.

This literary fiction novel is part romance and part mystery. I could have done without the very graphic love scenes and all the yearning. This was also a somewhat quiet book, filled with grief. It did remind me a little of Where the Crawdads Sing in tone but was completely different in regard to plot and characters. I liked this book overall, but not as much as many of the overhyped reviews. It did feel well crafted, which added to my appreciation of it, but it was not necessarily to my taste.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

What a tragic, love triangle of a story. Clare Leslie Hall wraps you into this family drama, feeling for the various types of heartbreak that these characters endure. The reader goes through all of the emotions as they watch these characters love, lose and try to heal from all the tragedy that they endure. It is going to be a favorite of 2025.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC!

“The farmer is dead. He is dead, and all anyone wants to know is who killed him.”

BROKEN COUNTRY is a bit different than my usual fare - historical fiction that incorporates romantic and crime fiction elements. I found a lot to like here, and will definitely be interested in whatever Clare Leslie Hall writes next.

I think the pacing in particular is what didn't quite work for me. It felt like the story was drawn out to fit the length of the book - I wanted more happening or it all to happen more quickly.

I do think this genre mashup will make a great book club pick.

As Beth is pulled back into Gabriel’s life, tensions around the village rise and dangerous secrets and jealousies from the past resurface, this time with deadly consequences. Beth is forced to make a choice between the woman she once was, and the woman she has become.

I think my whole issue with this book is Beth. I am not usually too judgmental of characters, but I HATED the way she treated her husband, Frank. He did not deserve what he got. Which is probably why this book is getting so many five stars. It is emotional, it is tricky and it is full of secrets!

What makes this whole book is the ending. And it does have quite a bit to wade through to get there. But, it is worth it. There is a twist, and yes, I figured it out but then changed my mind. And it gives you another reason to love Frank!

Need a novel which will make you mad, sad, and curious all in the same paragraph…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest opinion.

“Lives should be measured in intensity.”

Great choice for your monthly book club selection Reese’s Book club‼️

A debut?!! What the WHAT?! Ughh my heart can’t take the emotion in this one. I felt it viscerally. The character development is superb.

I was absolutely not ready to say goodbye to these characters when this book ended. Not even close. This novel touches upon a vast array of emotions and is simultaneously a thriller, a murder mystery, a family drama, and a romance. 100/10 highly recommend. I could see this being optioned for film rights and I would for SURE be watching it.

Thank you to Netgalley, Simon & Schuster, and the author for the ARC.

I've read Broken Country in a span of 2 days. I couldn't put it down. I knew it was a love triangle story which made me hesitant to accept the widget I was sent. After seeing the early glowing reviews I decided to give it a go.

Calling this book just a tragic love triangle story would be doing it a disservice. Hall's use of murder trial scenes and intentionally obscuring the identities of the suspect and the victim until the second half of the book added the story a mystery element. In addition to all that there are some twists and turns that were somewhat predictable but overall I found this book highly readable. I would have preferred a little less melodrama at the end but that might be just a me thing:)

The rest of this review might be a bit spoilery for anyone who hasn't read the book yet. Proceed with caution...


Broken Country was not a happy book. Beth and Frank are reeling from a devastating loss. From the start the reader knows heartbreak is imminent. It is clear that Beth is going to break her commitment to her husband. She knows and she still does it. It was hard to empathize with Beth for me. Beth and Arthur's second chance felt more like an unresolved longing, more lust than love. It felt like Beth was trying to relive her days as the carefree young woman she was before all that heartbreak altered her. That being said I wanted more depth from their summer of love from years ago. A more drawn out story that will convince me of their bond. I wasn't convinced that one would risk so much for "the one that got away" but having said that I acknowledge Beth was deeply scarred. Arthur and his son sort of became her happy "borrowed" family.

his book is a genre bending mash up - it has a love triangle, a court trial, a murder mystery (we don’t know who was killed just that there was a murder from the beginning), coming of age, family, love, second chances…there’s so much here!

I loved my reading experience and there were twists and turns that I didn’t know I needed or expected throughout! This story had me turning the pages and I loved it!

Broken Country is a suspenseful, twisty, and well paced story that keeps you guessing until the end.

Frank is what all men should strive to be, and I’ll never get over how this man loves Beth and their family.

3 stars

Beth and her husband are happily married, but that happiness relies on the past saying the past. So when Beth’s brother in law shoots Gabriel Wolfe’s dog as it is actively attacking their sheep, it creates a dramatic ripple affect that changes the course of their lives.

I went into this book blind and highly recommend that approach. This is an atmospheric family saga love story mystery that I could not put down! I was emotionally invested with all the characters from the start and was in tears by the end. Hall did a fantastic job of ramping up the intrigue and tension and introduced some twists and turns I did not see the coming. Highly recommend this one and it will most likely be in my top list this year.

When Beth’s brother-in-law shoots a stray dog, she never expects it to crack open her past. The dog belongs to Gabriel Wolfe—the man who once broke her heart. Now he’s back in the village with his young son, a painful reminder of the child Beth lost.

As old emotions resurface and village tensions rise, long-buried secrets threaten to destroy the life Beth has built.

I would highly recommend this gripping novel of love, regret, and the dangerous pull of the past.

Thank you NetGalley for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

What more can I possibly say about this bookstagram favorite that hasn’t already been said? It deserves all of the hype that it’s been receiving and then some. I think it will appeal to many readers because it has a little bit of everything: historical fiction, romance, mystery, and suspense. If you love genre-mashups, then BROKEN COUNTRY by Clare Leslie Hall is definitely for you.

The plot is steady and exciting, the characters are flawed and complex, and the drama is plentiful. You will definitely be entertained! It’s a very juicy story full of secrets, lies, betrayal, infidelity, tragedy, and so many jaw-dropping twists and turns. There’s also an on-going hint of mystery that will keep you on your toes.

I must say that this novel threw me for a massive loop. I went in completely blind, and didn’t even skim the synopsis. From the cover alone, I was expecting a wholesome family drama set in the 1800s. It gave me Little House on the Prairie vibes. Ha! Boy, was I ever wrong. Don’t let this simple and traditional cover deceive you!

READ THIS IF YOU ENJOY:

- Shocking twists and turns
- Marriage and motherhood
- Family drama and dynamics
- Alternating timelines
- Complex and flawed characters
- Genre mash-ups
- Young/first love
- Second chance romance
- Love triangles
- Reflections on loss and grief
- Murder trials
- Murder mysteries/whodunnits
- Fast-paced and exciting plots
- Emotional reads

I didn’t give this one a full five stars, and I honestly cannot pinpoint what or why exactly, but something was holding me back. Something about the writing style just didn’t sit right with me. It felt choppy and perhaps a little dry at times. I base my ratings and reviews on a gut feeling, and this one just didn’t give me those “five star feels” like I had hoped. Still a damn good novel, though.

4.5/5 stars for BROKEN COUNTRY! It’s out now!

#SimonBooksBuddy

Broken Country captivated me from the first page. This book will definitely be one of my favorite books of the year!

The story is told between alternating timelines - before 1955 and the present, 1968. The seamless nature of this story was flawless. The chapters were short, enticing the reader to keep turning the pages of this memorizing story. This is a story of lost, new and renewed love. It also weaves a story of what one will endure to protect the ones we care about. These characters lives intersect at a life-altering junction.

Thank you, Simon & Schuster

Liked this, didn't love. Excellent story telling and a moving plot but found myself disinterested and skipping over in the end