Broken Country is a gem of a book. I’m not one to read any book where a dog dies, even if I know about it ahead of time, but I took a chance anyway. This book was nicely paced, engaging, and the characters were very well written. I will search out this author in the future as she writes in a style I enjoy. Take a chance and pick this one up. Five stars and a great story.

Broken Country is a gripping, emotionally charged novel that pulls readers into its world of hardship and hope. The characters are complex and relatable, and the setting feels alive with tension. The story explores themes of resilience and redemption, making it a thought-provoking read. While some parts could have been more tightly woven, the compelling narrative and strong character development make it a memorable book. Highly recommended for fans of contemporary fiction.

All the stars for this brilliant book that captured my heart! The story is in dual timeline and takes place in the English countryside in 1968. Beth and Frank live on a farm with Frank's brother Jimmy, helping out quite a bit. One day, a dog shows up and attacks their sheep. Jimmy shoots the dog, and a boy named Leo comes screaming and is devastated about his pet. The boy's father is none other than Beth's first love, Gabriel, a famous novelist who has just divorced and moved back to his country home nearby. This sets off a chain of events that is shocking yet so poignant and beautiful.

We are taken back and forth from 1968 back to 1955. The coming of age summer where Beth and Gabriel fall in love. A misunderstanding happens between Beth and Gabriel when he leaves for Oxford, which ends their relationship. Beth feels horrible about the dog, and Leo misses his mother while she misses her son, who recently passed away and was about the same age. She gets Leo a puppy and starts helping Gabriel out with Leo, much to the chagrin of her husband, Frank. As things progress and secrets are kept, emotions are high, and it's obvious that someone will get hurt. Jimmy has a volatile personality due to a drinking problem.

This poignant and beautiful book has everything in a great novel. There is grief and loss, romance and love, a family saga, a love triangle, coming of age, and a sensational murder trial with gossiping townies. The prose is engaging, and the characters capture your heart. You are rooting for everyone even though you don't know if you should. There are several unexpected twists and turns that add depth to the story and make it so compelling. This is a masterpiece of literary fiction. Be sure to read it. It will be one of the most talked about books of 2025 and has already been optioned for the screen by Reese Witherspoon. This is being compared to Where the Crawdads Sing, but I disagree. It is much better! This riveting book will stay with me for a long time.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster - Simon Books, and Claire Leslie Hall for an advance reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

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Omg this book!! It deserves all the stars. It’s been a hot minute since a book completely captivated me. I could not put it down. And that ending had me crying my eyes out. Everyone needs to read this book. It is perfection. It has everything you could want in a book, love, heartbreak, loss, mystery, and forgiveness.

Beth was able to pick up the pieces of her teenage life after her first love, Gabriel broke her heart. And Frank was the one to help her and put the pieces back together. They have had a perfect, happy marriage since then. Unfortunately, their son passed away in a tragic accident, and that was when the cracks began to form. They just hadn’t realized it yet.

Then one day, Gabriel moves back to the country and right down the road. He has a son of his own, who is around the same age as Beth’s son when he passed away. Beth starts spending more time with Gabriel and his son, and the love triangle develops.

You know from the very beginning that a murder/death has occurred and someone is on trial for it. You just don’t know who. The book keeps you guessing through out the entire story. You won’t want to put it down until you know what happens.

This is a must read book. I gave it five stars. I will probably think about this book everyday from here on out. Thank you NetGalley for the arc copy.

This was a fast-paced read throughout. I was on the edge of my seat for most of the book, looking forward to reading each chapter. I was expecting a more jarring ending, but was pleased with the ending overall.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my advanced copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for sharing this incredible book's digital review copy with me in exchange for my honest review.
From beginning to end, this book had me emotionally invested. I loved Clare Leslie Hall’s writing style. At first this seemed like the standard “love triangle” type of story but was definitely way more than that! This is absolutely a Five Star read and I would definitely recommend this book to other readers.

This story is told in a nonlinear timeline following the storyline of Beth who meets her rich and very handsome neighbor, Gabriel Wolfe, who wants to be an author. Beth also want to further her education studying literature and hopes to become an author too. They fall madly in love but it only lasts a couple months past that summer. Fast forward to 1968, Beth is now married to farmer, Frank Johnson, and living the life of a working farmer's wife along with Frank's brother Jimmy. Neighbor Gabriel Wolfe has returned home to Meadowlands, divorced and with son Leo who is close to the age of the son Beth and Frank lost. When Beth sees Gabriel again, sparks fly again. I really enjoyed this book and all the flawed characters with all of their drama who made this a very interesting story.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC of this very interesting book that is a real page turner.

I’m not a big romance reader but enjoy emotional depth romances especially when blended with other genres. Broken Country is a potluck of genres—historical fiction, romance, mystery, and literary fiction. While it’s been compared to Where the Crawdads Sing, Broken Country stands firmly on iits own, offering not just one but two love stories—one fiery and passionate, the other rooted in deep compassion and sacrifice.

Clare Leslie Hall’s debut novel shines thanks to her well-crafted, multi-dimensional characters: Beth, Frank, and Gabriel. Their personal histories and evolving relationships are layered with nuance, making them relatable yet unpredictable. Although I’m not typically a fan of love triangles, I found myself captivated by Beth's character, even when her decisions seemed rash and driven by impulsive passion. At times, I felt her choices could lead her toward self-destruction, but that complexity makes her journey so captivating. Hall creates such emotional depth that I couldn't help but reflect on the consequences of actions, sacrifice, and the tangled web of love and regret.

I’m a mystery lover at heart! So I love all the unexpected plot twists, especially with the “The Trial” chapters, which add a layer of suspense that gradually builds. The way Hall carefully unravels the details of a crime, with a trial playing a key role in the narrative, had me on the edge of my seat. By the time I discovered the truth about who was on trial, I was thoroughly invested in the storyline. The conclusion of the trial packs a punch I didn't see coming.

As for the ending? It’s one of the most satisfying conclusions I’ve read in a while. It simply leaves you breathless and gives you a sense of closure at the same time.

Other Highlights: Short chapters, great side characters, emotional rollercoaster, small town drama, sharp prose

Thank you to #SimonSchuster and #NetGalley for the DRC of #BrokenCountry. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

This is an engrossing and heartbreaking story about relationships - first loves, parents & children, marriage and brothers - and all the ways those relationships shape, break and save a person.

Set in the English countryside with a dual timeline (1955 and 1968), it centers on Beth, her husband Frank and their quiet, farming life. Beth is still grieving the tragic death of her son when her first love, Gabriel, returns. Soon Beth's whole world is turned upside down as she must face the consequences of her actions.

Part coming of age/first love, part murder mystery/court drama, this is a well written novel that will keep you turning the pages and thinking about the characters long after you've finished the book. Definitely recommend.

“It’s strange, the patchwork stories we tell someone when we want them to catch up, a shortcut to knowing us, as if such a thing were possible.”

The opening pages of this fantastic new novel drops us right into a trial…a farmer is murdered, and readers won’t find out who it is or why it happened until the final few chapters.

What spools out with the most amazing, lyrical writing is the past and present story of Beth, her husband Frank and her teenage love Gabriel. The English countryside in the 1960s is a character in and of itself and gave this book a perfect balance of sense-of-place and character study. Dripping with nostalgia throughout, the story of love, loss and life changing guilt took my breath away. The core protagonists are buoyed by a stellar cast of supporting characters, written with a brutal elegance I have seen in very few works of fiction. Typically I hand write a list of characters while reading, but Broken Country was so seamless in its dual timeline pacing, that I was able to simply immerse myself in the storytelling. What a gift to readers who consume many books and have an appreciation for an economy of words.

This novel will especially appeal to fans of Shelley Read’s Go As A River!

Many thanks to Simon & Schuster and Net Galley for the early copy in exchange for my honest review.

Ooo, this is going to be a buzzy book for 2025!

When a dog attacks their sheep, the Johnson’s have no choice but to protect their livestock. It sets off a series of events that will change all of their lives forever.

There was just something about the writing that had me completely enthralled. Beautiful but not pretentious and easy to read. Somehow encapsulating romance, family drama, mystery, and thriller elements, about halfway through I picked it up and couldn’t put it down.

This was very close to 5 stars for me, but I struggled to really love the characters of Beth and Gabriel. They are complex and flawed, and the decisions they make as teenagers are understandable, their struggles as adults are less so. Regardless, the story pulled me in and is likely to keep any reader hooked, and would be an excellent book club pick (I think it is going to be a celebrity pick, and I could see it being a movie/tv series as well).

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster.

Note - there are several bedroom scenes, but they are mostly brief and only involve a paragraph or two.

Wow Broken Country was a completely surprising delight to read!

After being offered an early copy, I decided to grab it because the plot sounded interesting. It sucked me in almost immediately and the only thing that stopped me from tearing through it was the fact that I was doing a scheduled buddy read.

I loved the time jumps in this book and how it always left you wanting a little more. The chapters were short and it helped keep the pace fast. The characters all felt real in that they were flawed and you could follow their line of thinking when they made decisions.

I was really surprised by a lot of things in this book, there were several twists I did not see coming! The end was so perfect it made me cry (and I rarely cry at books).

Highly recommend this one! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

4-4.5 stars
Drama, tragedy, mystery, and romance in an English village. Well done and sometimes heartbreaking, although a few of the decisions some characters made were hard for me to fathom. Just talk to each other, people! Highly recommended.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-ARC of this book.

This book is so good! I will admit that it took me a minute to get into it, but once I did, it was hard to put down. It's got historical fiction, mystery, and lots of family drama.

The characters are all so well developed, and I loved them all! I am a big fan of Diane Chamberlain, and this book reminded me of her. I will read this author again!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC and give my honest review This is my first book by this author. Her book was a very sensitive and emotional story. It’s one of those books that grabs you and takes you on quite a ride. You will feel all the feels…….from love,to loss and learning to forgive. So get ready for a book that will leave its mark on you.

An epic and beautifully written love story! Beth is happily married living on the farm when her first love, Gabriel suddenly comes back in town with his son and is living on a neighboring property. Their worlds collide and the feelings resurface between them putting her in the middle of a love triangle with Frank who has been a steady and loving rock for her through the loss of their son and the man she always thought she'd be with forever. Gabriel. There are dual plotlines that take us back and forth from the present where someone is on trial for a murder back to the time when she and Gabriel fell in love leaving you to wonder who was murdered, who is the killer and will they be convicted. I loved, loved this book and recommend it to anyone who loves romance entertwined with mystery.

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

What a dynamic book! This book is told in alternating time periods; before, 1968, and 1970 ish. The chapters are short and just hint at something more, so I found myself reading this much too quickly and yet not fast enough as I tried to figure out what had happened. What happened before and what happened in 1968 to get us to 1970 ish. How did it fit together? What happened? Also, was that the truth?

Ugh, this was such a great book. The pacing was amazing with keeping three interwoven plots going, and yet there were chapters where I was so frustrated because it didn't feel like it moved the story along but the problem was really me, or more depressingly, Real Life, that kept me from reading this in one sitting.

I picked this one from Netgalley and I'm thankful I did.

“Broken Country” is an emotionally gripping, heart-breaking story that will stay with you long after the last page is read. It’s a story about love, and loss, guilt, and remorse. It’s about the fragility of life and the consequences of our choices. It’s about learning to move forward and the possibility of second chances. “Broken Country” is all of these things and then some. It’s also a top read for 2025, setting the bar quite high for all those that shall follow.

Loved this book! I cant stop thinking about the story and these characters. Likely will be a top book of the year for me.

An interesting love triangle story with twists and turns. I got into this story right from the start and kept reading. It’s a great book.