Truth, this novel started out slow for me and took me until about 30% to get fully invested. Normally, I would have DNF'd, but something kept nudging me to continue. Once I got to 35%, I didn't want to stop reading. I had to force myself to sleep.
I kept thinking to myself that this would be a four star book for me, but then the ending... the ending immediately made it five glorious stars for me when I bawled my eyes out. If you decide to read this one, hang in there. It's worth it!!

Beth. Frank. Bobby. Jimmy. Nina. Gabriel. Leo. (Toxic)Tessa. What a cast of characters they all turn out to be. I don't want to say much about the actual story because I don't want to give anything away. This is a must-read and it takes place in the English countryside.

This is what I will say pertaining to the story...
Young love is difficult to make last even in the best of situations. It can work out, but there's often so much growth and maturing that happens with age, so it's understandable when it fizzles out. Sometimes, young love ends in a fury of heartbreak, tears, and unforgivable circumstances. The one thing I didn't like about Beth and Gabriel's story was the lack of communication, but I do realize there wouldn't have been a story without it, but dang, does it suck.

This is a novel of happiness, heartbreak, tragedy, grief, secrets, and lies. Grief has a way of changing people for better and for worse. It's when people get stuck in it that it becomes a problem often with severe consequences. Life is full of choices. We never know how the choices we make will affect us years down the road or what we may have done differently until we're forced to examine it in a different light or until tragedy strikes.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for this eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A sweeping drama about first loves and true loves and what happens when they collide. I loved the dual timelines and the descriptions of different kinds of love. I loved the mystery unraveling and I especially loved the ending.

3.5 stars

This is the hardest review I’ve had to write in quite awhile. While I’ve only seen rave reviews of this one, it left me feeling very annoyed and frustrated. I am definitely an outlier with my opinion because this really is a bookstagram darling at the moment (I hough I do anticipate more dissenting opinions as more people read it after it’s release on Mar 4).

Let’s start with the good: I LOVED the writing! Hall transported me to the pastoral countryside where Frank and Beth tended their herd of sheep and lived a simple life. I felt deeply connected to this part of the story as it really reminded me of my own dad who tends to his mama cows and calves the same way Frank loves his sheep.

What I disliked the most about this book were the characters, their decisions, and their lack of growth. This book deals with a lot of tough themes (unrequited love, enduring love, guilt, shame, regret, and forgiveness), and while @runningandreading and @novelvisits really helped me see new perspectives, I ultimately don’t understand them. Frank is by far and away my favorite, but by the end, his weakness and inability to stand up for himself left me frustrated.

As I said earlier, I will be curious to see how this holds up as more people read it!

If you choose to read only one of my book recommendations this year, let it be this one!

🌳 REVIEW: BROKEN COUNTRY 🌳

By Clare Leslie Hall

📖 SUMMARY: In 1960s England, Beth and her husband Frank live a quiet life on their farm, and they’re doing as well as they can after the death of their son Bobby a few years ago. Everything changes when Beth’s brother-in-law shoots a dog that was attacking their sheep. The dog belonged to the son of her first love, Gabriel, the man who broke her heart over a decade ago and just moved back to the village. Beth enjoys spending time with them, because Gabriel’s son Leo reminds her of the child she lost. Unfortunately, it’s a small village, and people talk… soon, Beth is forced to deal with the consequences of letting Gabriel back into her life — consequences that become deadly.

💭 THOUGHTS: This book has easily become one of my favorite books of all time. I was immediately drawn into the story by the setting & characters, all of whom are so beautifully written, genuine, and flawed. You’re never sure where the story is going, especially with the love triangle — who will Beth choose? Her husband, with whom she built a life, or her first love, with whom she once dreamed of her future? I won’t tell, but I’ll promise you one thing — that ending will make you cry. I cannot say it enough: I LOVE this book, and can’t wait for more people to read it.

Thank you so much to @ Simon schuster @ NetGalley for the advanced copy. This comes out March 4.

✨ MADE ME FEEL: 😭💔😭💔😭💔😭

🥰 YOU’LL ENJOY IF: you liked WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING or ONCE THERE WERE WOLVES

This story is emotional and so rich. The reader is so close to the lives of the characters that it is hard to separate reality from fiction. The plot is highly enjoyable and a top tier read for a reason.

I mean, come on already.

I liked the descriptions of life on the farm. I didn't like much else. I think there was just too much happening. There are three different time frames and everything centered on a flat and quite frankly, very annoying love story. None of the twists were surprising or well done and I just feel pretty annoyed by the entire thing.

I did read it in a little over one day though. So there is that.

I received an e-arc from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

"Broken Country" is an atmospheric, tense family drama set in the English countryside. It opens with an unnamed farmer's death and an accused person on trial. A collection of flashbacks then begins: on the same farmland years ago, young Beth and Gabriel fell in love. From two very separate families and upbringings, their relationship eventually dissolves. Beth moves on and marries Frank with whom she enjoys a peaceful life until tragedy strikes. In the midst of their grief, Gabriel returns to town with his son Leo and Beth realizes her feelings towards him are far from unresolved. As the stakes escalate, so does the uncertainty of the present day trial's verdict.

There are a few things that set this book apart: the moral grayness and ambiguity of its characters, and its sheer tragedy. There are no clear villains, more so a series of unfortunate circumstances where no one can come out a winner. This is a theme I thoroughly appreciated in the story: it would have been so easy to make this another bland murder-mystery but Hall conveys so much empathy for every single character I truly didn't want any of them to be revealed to be the murder suspect in the end. The farming backdrop was also beautifully rendered, as well as the unique dynamics that exist in small rural communities. She nailed the ending, and a poem on the last page left me in tears.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Everyone is going to be talking about Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall. It’s is a book that encompasses so much of humanity— a family drama, coming of age, and a love story that spans decades.

I was immediately drawn in by Clare Leslie Hall’s writing. So beautifully written and a book that made me feel all the feels.

I went in to Broken Country blind not knowing what to expect and ended up devouring the book in a mere few hours. It is going to be sticking with me for a long time.

I highly recommend Broken Country. It will most definitely not only be a favorite of the year, but a favorite of all time. This book reminds me why I’m a reader and learning about the complexities and empathy of others.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for an advanced copy of this book!

This was beautiful, character-driven filled with secrets, heartbreak, and the extent of what you do for love. The hardest thing for me was figuring out the way I was hoping this would play out. I genuinely loved the dynamics of the characters. Their families. The secrets. But in the end, the ending we got couldn’t have been better. Frank is just an angel on earth and I’m so happy he got his happy.

Thank you Netgalley.

I didn’t want this book to end! So well written and I will 100% read it more than once! And I need many more from Clare!!! Bring them on :)

Thank you @simonandschuster and @netgalley for this advanced copy ❤️

Me wiping my tears - I can’t say enough glowing things about this book. This is what a true story is supposed to be like. Bravo, @clarelesliehall - you’re a masterful storyteller.

The synopsis says it all: A sweeping, sexy 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.

This story was somehow quiet and explosive. I felt so deeply for every character and was fully invested in the outcomes of their lives. By the end I had to excuse myself from the living room and the noise of my kids because I knew I needed a good cry. This is a story that will definitely stick with me.

What a tragic, beautifully written book. Broken Country tells a story of breaking & putting yourself back together again (multiple times) & finding your way through heartbreak.

The author, Clare Leslie Hall, has done a magnificent job with this mystery novel. It has all the great elements to become a best seller. I was stunned at the end, yet the book kept me so engaged throughout the entire read with the twists and turns that are certainly realistic as well.
Thank you so much #Netgalley and #Simon&Schuster for providing me this ARC. Clare Leslie Hall will be a hit with US readers and I hope there is more to come! Absolutely 5 stars!

One of the best books I’ve read in recent months. This love story is absolutely beautiful. A gripping tale of love had, lost and all the complications and versions of another love found as well. Heartbreaking and heartwarming in one.

Broken country review:
♾️⭐️
WOAH THIS BOOK IS INSANELY AMAZING. Literary genius. Striking, evocative, and intense. It’s like it knocked the wind out of me for the 24 hours it took me to read it. It’s so good that I am really, truly, struggling to capture my feelings about it in words. Ugh I am so awestruck.

For fans of The Notebook, The Unmaking of June Farrow, and Kristin Hannah. This book cracked my heart to pieces. One for Beth’s lost son, one for her grieving husband, and one for the life she might have had with Gabriel.
I mean, what a seriously heart-rending story. I was immersed and immediately felt so connected to the characters. I had to keep telling myself that it is fiction and I need to calm down. Its not often I come across a book that makes me feel the full scope of human emotions that this book possesses.

What it’s about: A this book is written in multiple timelines winding you through a criminal trial that is unfolding now, the events that led up to the crime, and Beth’s life before from her youth through her motherhood, and the loss of her child. Gabriel was her first love, her first heart-break. Frank is the man who picked up the pieces, he made her a mother and they continue to grieve the loss of their son Bobby.
A few years later when Gabriel returns to his family home down the road from Beth, she finds it difficult to stay away from his son Leo who reminds her of the child she lost. Animosity blossoms at the growing relationship between Gabriel and Beth and long kept secrets refuse to stay hidden as this story unfolds.

This is my favorite read of 2025 full stop.

Really fascinating book spanning a few timelines from 1950s to 1970s in a small village in England. We know the story is about a woman caught between two men, but the actual story unfolded in a fascinating way, and I went back and forth on what "happily ever after" would look like. However, we got some surprises and twists in the book (and it did change my mind a bit). Good ending and I really enjoyed the book overall.

This was a gripping, emotional, tense, and compelling novel that genre bends into romance, drama, thriller, and mystery combined. At first this seems to be a story about a love triangle set in a small village in the English country side. However, as the story begins to unfold there is also a criminal trial happening that is teased as well. The story flows from past and present and will take you on a haunting, heartbreaking, and unforgettable journey into the life of Beth, a simple country woman in love with two men. Beth was a captivating character as she grapples with love, loss, heartbreak, and grief. There is a feeling of a coming of age story as well as family drama interwoven into the plot. All the characters were raw, flawed, and felt real. I was not prepared for such an emotional journey and will admit that there were a few moments that had me in tears. I was pulled into the story from the beginning and how the story builds created such tension and suspense that I had to read it as fast as possible. The writing was phenomenal and I could imagine being in the English country side, the small farm, and the courtroom. I was absolutely blown away by this novel and it will probably be one of my favorite books of 2025.

Thank you Net Galley and Simon & Schuster for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

THIS BOOK.

It is absolutely beautiful, magical, and emotional. I have no idea how I am going to recover from this book.

This story is about so much more than a love affair. It is about Beth, a young woman who grew up in a modest home with teachers for parents, who finds herself falling in love with a man who is her complete opposite. Gabriel is born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but has no interest in pursuing the careers his mother wants him to pursue, like doctor and lawyer. He is a writer and it is how he and Beth first bond as young adults.

As the story unravels, the reader comes to learn what circumstances led to Gabriel and Beth's relationship ending, how Beth came to marry Frank, how Beth and Frank lost their son in an accident, and how Beth finds herself once again in Gabriel's, and his son Leo's, life.

This story was full of flawed, very human characters. It was also a beautiful story of a young woman finding herself, owning her truth, and being okay with who she is and was.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I know it's only January, but this book will be tough to beat as a favorite for the year.

This story is haunting…tragic and painful. However, this is a beautiful story of love lost and reborn that will stay with me for a long time! Loved it!

This is exactly what makes reading so powerful. It’s been ages since a book gripped me the way Broken Country did. Every page drew me in completely, and I genuinely felt sad when the story came to an end. Without a doubt, this is my favorite book of the year, and I’m urging everyone to add it to their list immediately. The emotions this book evoked were raw and intense—love, heartbreak, grief, anger, and sadness. You might want to have tissues on hand because the ending is deeply moving.

The story alternates between two timelines: the "Before" of 1955 and the "present" of 1968. A trial is also central to the plot, though the full details of it aren’t revealed until the conclusion. The narrative flows so smoothly and beautifully that there’s no confusion or lingering questions. The short chapters made it easy to get lost in the story and keep turning pages. The characters are so well-crafted that they feel like people you know personally, and connecting with them comes effortlessly.

I won’t delve too much into the plot since the synopsis covers it well, and honestly, I’m still at a loss for words. What I do know is that the characters—Beth, her husband Frank, and Gabriel—will stay with me for a long time.

This book is truly deserving of every single star. 🌟