Broken Country is a coming of age story, romance, and mystery all wrapped up in one. Beth and Frank have married for a decade when Beth’s first love, Gabriel, unexpectedly comes back into her life. In that decade Beth and Frank have run their farm, raised a son and tragically lost that son. Jimmy, Frank’s younger brother, has never gotten over their mother’s sudden, tragic death. He deals with this trauma by self-medicating with alcohol. Old flames are rekindled and tragedy befalls the Johnson family once again.

This story is broken up into five parts where we learn about the different people in Beth’s life, her history and her present: Gabriel, Bobby, Jimmy, Frank and Grace. Within each part we get snippets of the trial in addition to bread crumbs leading us closer to the full story of what happened. The chapters are short, which helps the story move along at a perfect pace. The twists were nicely unpredictable. The romance and the drama were a little Lifetime-esque. Some of the characters were more caricature than real people to me.

Overall Broken Country is an engaging, quick read, I highly recommend.

What a heartbreak of a novel, and I mean this as a compliment. A love triangle spread across decades, we follow Beth in the present day (late 1960s) during a murder trial, 1968 as her husband Frank and she continue to reckon with the death of their son, Bobby; 1950s as Beth falls in love with Gabriel, the son of a rich family in their rural town, and dreams of going to Oxford to become a writer. Prepare yourself for an emotional rollercoaster of a book and be forewarned that there is both animal & child death.

This is not the type of novel that I usually find myself drawn to - it's a mystery, love triangle, historical fiction all in one - and I really enjoyed it. The writing is so excellent and puts you firmly in Beth's head as she falls in love, deals with the heartbreak of losing her son, and follows the murder trial that further changes her life. Absolutely add this to your TBR as soon as possible.

Thank you so much to Simon & Schuster and to NetGalley for giving me an advanced copy.

“Broken Country” by Clare Leslie Hall is a story set in England in the 1960s and 1970s. I generally don’t enjoy a multiple time-lined story, but in this case, it works well. The book opens when a farmer shoots a neighbor’s dog when it kills his newborn sheep. The neighbor, it turns out, is Beth’s first love from when she was a teenager. Gabriel has moved back to his family’s beautiful home with his ten-year-old son. A friendship begins and the reader learns that what happened in the past is not so easily forgotten.

I enjoyed this book a lot, although I felt at times Beth’s husband Frank was way more saintly than a man would generally be when faced these circumstances. Perhaps he is the “perfect” man which really doesn’t exist. Many thanks to Net Galley and to the publisher for an ARC of this book. My opinions are my own.

Wow! What a great book. This will be a huge hit. It literally has everything you could want in a story. Definitely recommend.

This book wrecked me in the best way. I was so eager to read this story, I found myself wanting to read the next page before I’d even finished the last.

This story follows two distinct timelines, present time and before. The transition between was seamless and carried the story flawlessly. I was emotionally invested from the very first page. I adored Beth, and couldn’t help but feel for her as she battled internally between her husband, Frank, and her old flame, Gabriel. I’m so grateful to netgalley for this ARC and can’t wait to recommend it to all of my friends!

A heartbreaking, complicated story. It pulled me in right from the start and was full of real emotions and enthralling situations.

I admit that at first I felt very frustrated at the miscommunications and thoughtlessness of the characters throughout the book. However, what makes this book so beautiful is that it tells a story of flawed people making flawed decisions just as we see every day in real life. People do miscommunicate and make reckless decisions all the time and terrible things come from those decisions. This story felt so real, which made it all the more terrible.

It had potential to be a five star read for me but the pacing was off and I felt disconnected from the story at times. But it was also so captivating and heartbreaking that I can predict it will be a popular book this year.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

I predict this will be one of the most talked about books of the year! I'll admit that the "love triangle" described in the synopsis initially almost caused me to set this book aside, but I'm so glad that I stuck with it, despite it not being one of my preferred tropes. Clare Leslie Hall did a fantastic job weaving together the multiple timelines and unraveling the plot along the way. I ended up not being able to put this book down and read it in two sittings, which is a rare feat with three young children! I just had to find out what happened. By the end of the story the love triangle felt almost understandable and relatable, which is not usually how I feel after reading about affairs in books. I thoroughly enjoyed my reading experience until the very end, which I unfortuantley didn't love. However, overall I still really liked this book and can see it being one that many will enjoy- readers of mysteries, romance, and literary/contemporary fiction alike will find something to love in the pages of "Broken Country".

Thank you @simonbooks & @ClareLeslieHall for the gifted copy.

Broken Country is one of those books that you think about long after finishing. The writing was perfection, a perfect mix of romance and mystery. The descriptions of the farm and country side made me feel like I was there. I couldn't put this book down! It was such an emotional journey that had me feeling all the feels. I was fully invested in the characters, their stories, and the choices they made. This book is told in dual timelines and short chapters which made for a quick read. It deals with coming of age, love, tragedy, grief, and forgiveness.

I highly recommend adding this one to your TBR.

Some books pull you in slowly, but this one had me hooked from the very first line—and I read it in a single day. It’s hard to pin down a single genre because it weaves together so many elements seamlessly. Set in the English countryside during the 1960s, it captures the social attitudes and expectations of the time, making it feel like a historical fiction novel. It’s also a love story, with a gripping love triangle capturing the raw intensity of first love and the love you choose. The richly drawn characters and emotional depth give it the feel of literary fiction, particularly as it explores coming-of-age themes. And just when you think you have it all figured out, a mystery unfolds, leading to a trial that adds an edge of suspense. Heartbreaking yet impossible to put down, this is the kind of book that will stick with you for awhile.

“Broken Country” is a captivating and unforgettable story. Part love story and part mystery, the novel takes place in 1968, with flashbacks to 1955. At the beginning of the novel, we learn that someone has died and that someone is on trial for murder. As the story progresses, the pieces of the puzzle fall into place. This genre-bending novel was incredibly atmospheric and full of suspense and surprises. The beautiful writing, short chapters, and intriguing mystery had me turning pages late into the night. This is a story that will stay with me for a long time.

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

I wouldn't call this book a mystery but more a family drama & love triangle that slowly unfurls out of order. The tension is in how the intertwining of all these characters will be resolved. It is a bit of a slow start but once the romances begin the reader is swept up in trying to figure out how this will all tie to together in the past, present & future. The end of the book does not dissapoint with secrets revealed & plot twists. It was an enjoyable book with characters that had depth & honesty.

Set in a small town and rural landscape, Broken Country blends domestic drama with literary fiction, evoking the same atmospheric and emotional depth as Where the Crawdads Sing and The Paper Palace. The novel unfolds across three alternate timelines, weaving a rich, layered story of love, forgiveness, grief, anger, and hope.

While the book starts off a little slow, I wasn’t sure where it was headed—which made the unexpected turns all the more rewarding. The love triangle at the heart of the story is beautifully written, and Hall’s prose is both captivating and evocative.

This is also the first book I’ve read that incorporates the miscommunication trope in a way I actually enjoyed! It felt organic to the story rather than frustrating, adding to the emotional depth and complexity of the characters’ relationships.

If you enjoy literary fiction with a deeply emotional core and an immersive sense of place, Broken Country is well worth the read.

Beautiful story of love and forgiveness intertwined with a plot twist I didn’t see coming. Do we really ever forget our first love or are they always a part of our life journey. This book was hard to put down.

Reading Broken Country has left me broken as I reached the final words of closing, but in the best way possible. Sad, tearful, a bit hopeful... all the feels. Through Clare Leslie Hall's lyrical writing skills, I became completely immersed in the world of 1950s, 1960s Dorset. The story started strong, but at a slower pace, building the scene beautifully. By the end I was tearing through, both wanting to read the ending but at the same time, not to reach that point of finality.

Beth is married to Frank and is happily a farmer's wife. But someone from her past reenters her life, and life changing complications will arise. To have a love triangle in a story is nothing new, but in my wizened age I am very impatient with romantic tropes. This was not that. There was so much raw emotion, beautifully expressed, coming off the pages. Through Beth, we see it is possible to love two people, even though she knows there can be no happy ending to this story.

The first line of the book lets us know there has been a tragedy. "“The farmer is dead. He is dead, and all anyone wants to know is who killed him.” It will take some time to understand what the reference is, and Hall juggles so many puzzle pieces I never even knew were there in front of me. The conclusion, which I did not see coming, was thrilling and satisfying. Broken Country is a book filled with so much sadness, but ultimately, it is hopeful and uplifting, in the way that real life doesn't always have perfectly tidy endings.

I listened to the audio version of this book and highly recommend it if you get the chance. And as others have said, this would make an excellent movie. I just don't know if they can do the author's words justice. She took what could have been a tired old trope and turned it into great literature, in my opinion.

Thank you, thank you to NetGallley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Also thanks to the author and the publisher, Simon & Schuster.

Five minutes into Broken Country, and I knew it would be a 5 star read for me! Clare Leslie Hall weaves an intriguing narrative with a dual timeline, set in the small, quiet town of Heston, North Dorset. The way she writes makes the book feel like an unraveling mystery - who is the dead farmer, and what secrets is Beth hiding about the incident?

Beth, the protagonist, is a woman who seems to have everything, married to Frank (the greenest flag ever), and living a quiet life on her farm. But beneath her outwardly peaceful life, she’s mourning her son Bobby, who tragically died in a tree-falling accident on their property.

Their quiet, routine life is shaken when Beth’s brother in law, Jimmy, shoots a dog viciously attacking her sheep (a scene that had me in tears). To Beth’s shock, the dog belongs to Gabriel Wolfe, her first love. Gabriel has returned to town, divorced, and living with his young son Leo, who much to Beth's discomfort, reminds her so much of Bobby. Things are starting to get juicy, right?

As Gabriel reenters Beth’s life, she’s forced to confront the whirlwind romance they once had. Spending more time with him and Leo, despite Frank’s discomfort, sets off a chain of events that no one saw coming. Frank, being the kind and understanding man he is, doesn’t intervene, though the tension is palpable. Jimmy on the other hand is another story. As you can expect, the love triangle eventually leads to an unexpected tragedy, a plot twist that took me completely by surprise!! I did not see that coming at all!

This book is a brilliant blend of mystery, secrets, and twists that keep you on the edge of your seat. The emotional depth and the rawness of the characters had me hooked from start to finish. I absolutely loved it, 4.5/5! I hope that someday Reese Witherspoon will choose this book to turn into a movie. It would make an amazing adaptation! Thank you NetGalley and publishers for the ebook.

This book has all the elements of a love story and a literary thriller with a murder trial, but this description fails to capture what makes this book special. The impossible choices and consequences when faced with the dilemmas these characters face makes it a propulsive and heartbreaking read.

I am NOT a fan of love triangles but the writing and characterization elevate it far above books with similar themes. I was pulled into their lives from the first page to the last. We know from the beginning someone was killed but we don’t know who or the details until later.

A few plot developments could be seen as predictable but did I care? No! The writing and emotional depth more than compensated for it. And there was still an unexpected surprise (or two) in store.

Set in a rural English village in the 1960s the environment is in itself a character in this story. I loved the descriptions of life on an English farm. The before chapters set in the 1950s gives context to the dilemma which these characters will face in the future.

I was completely captivated with this emotional, heartbreaking story, and finished it in less than 24 hours. I closed the last page with tears in my eyes and a sigh of satisfaction.

This is the story of a love triangle between Frank, Beth and Gabriel. It’s a heart wrenching story. It moves back and forth in time, which was a bit disruptive for me. It’s a passionate story full of drama, romance, love, family tensions, grief and loss. It’s a captivating must read

Broken Country is a beautifully written book about a love triangle between a husband and wife and the man she loved years ago. Beth and Frank are happy with their quiet life, working on the farm, until Gabriel comes back into their lives with his young son. Beth is town between the man she used to love and her husband, whom she still loves. This story is filled with tragic events that all lead to a crime that alters their lives.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publishers for allowing me to read this advanced copy for my unbiased opinion.

This booksta darling wasn’t quite in the genres that work for me but I appreciated the ways it combined mystery, romance and historical fiction in a very intriguing manner and I can definitely understand the love for it. I really appreciated the way it looked at first love and how all consuming it can be.

Oh what a story! I pretty much put the rest of my life on hold while I read this book. Alternating between various timelines and relationships, the author gradually reveals clues as to what really happened. If only different choices had been made along the way, could a tragedy have been avoided? Thanks to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster and the author for an advance copy to read and review.