Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall is a haunting and beautifully written exploration of love, loss, and resilience in a land marked by hardship. The story follows Anna, who returns to her rural hometown to confront her past and rebuild what’s left of her family’s fractured legacy. Hall’s prose is rich and atmospheric, capturing the raw beauty of the landscape and the quiet strength of its people.

I was moved by Anna’s journey and Hall’s portrayal of how place and memory intertwine. It’s a novel that speaks to the power of healing, even when surrounded by scars.

For readers who appreciate lyrical, deeply emotional stories about family and belonging,

***Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Omgggggg this story BROKE me!!!!!!! I wasn’t expecting what this story brought to the table at all. I know it came highly recommended, but it took me a while to get used to the writing style…I didn’t know how hard this one would hit me.

I was shocked when I was approved for this arc right in the middle of an extremely busy week with little down time. I tried to squeeze reading it into every day a tiny bit at a time until I got halfway through when it actually hurt me to put it down. TORTURE!!! Once you get hooked into this story there is just nothing else you want to do until you finish it.

I don’t want to dive too deep into the story because I don’t want to give away anything at all, but OMG I did not see any of that ending coming. A few times a thought would pass through my head, but I waved it right off…never would I have guessed the ending…nor would I want to!!

This story had twists and turns, ups & downs, funny moments and sobbing moments. A little bit of everything. The characters were so well written that I honestly could not decide where I wanted the story to go. My heart felt torn so completely that it could have ended in so many different ways with so many completely different endings and still would have been unforgettable.

I hate doing this because I feel like trigger warnings could potentially spoil the story, so here’s your warning to read no further if you want ZERO SPOILERS! Highly recommend this five star read to all!!!

-don’t read if you cannot stand cheating in a story or affairs
-love triangle
-second chance love
-drinking problems, alcoholism
-death of a child
-talk of abortion
-elite family dynamics vs. farm family dynamics

Hope that helps!! I am letting everyone I know how much I felt from this book in Facebook groups as well as friend groups. This is the review I left on goodreads copied & pasted. I would absolutely read this one again (in fact I already started from the beginning) and I cannot wait to own a hard copy!

I was intrigued from page one, and fully immersed by the end of the second chapter.  There is a thread of mystery woven through this tragic story that's centered around loss; the loss of first love, the loss of a child, the loss of self.  Clare Leslie Hall has done an incredible job writing relatable characters that are real and likable.  Though I commonly find an enemy among the main characters in novels, their dispositions all felt understandable because of the way their experiences were told.  

The timeline, spanning two decades, is easy to follow, and everything falls beautifully into place as the story wraps up.  It's heartbreaking at times, but hints of hope can still be found.  The characters developed beautifully as time advanced and my investment in each never wavered.  

My heart hurt for the many ways each relationship was knit together and ripped apart.  I could put myself in each character's shoes and understand the actions they chose to take.  I was quite surprised by some parts of the ending, but I really enjoyed the way the story was wrapped up.  

I'll be looking out for other books written by this author in the future.  I highly recommend Broken Country. 

5 Stars
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advanced copy.

This was such a beautiful and emotional story about first love, heartbreak, tragedy, grief, and hope—I was in tears when I finished it. It had a hint of mystery/suspense that kept me turning the pages, although I also found myself trying to slow down so I could stay in this story for longer. This book will definitely stay with me for a long time, and I know everyone will be talking about it when it comes out next year!

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I have just come from my front porch where my whole neighborhood probably heard me say aloud “I loved this book!!!” Thank you to NetGalley and to S&S publishers for an ARC of Broken Country., but especially thank you to Clare Leslie Hall for this propulsive beautiful novel about what one moment can change lives forever.

This book gave me Atonement vibes in its lush descriptions of a small farm town in England and the three main characters. I adored Beth and Frank’s story and was on the edge of my seat turning the page. This is an intense love story that is not a romance. It blows my mind that it was a debut. Fantastic writing and propulsive plot. Loved it!!!!

Wow. Everyone ~Including the sheep and the dogs ~ pulled heartstrings from beginning to end.
The characters are so well written and alive on the pages. By the time the story was put to rest
all of my questions were answered and the world was back in balance. There was so much
heartbreak and so much vulnerability but it was so real and when things are set right the whole
story is even more wonderful.
My thanks to Simon & Schuster for the download copy of this book for review purposes.

Have I already found the best book of 2025? “Broken Country” is a beautifully-written novel about love, grief, and the choices we make. It’s emotional and heartbreaking, with well-thought out characters and an easy to follow dual timeline. The fact that this is a debut author is unbelievable; I cannot wait for her future work.

Thank you so much for allowing me to read in advance!

Broken Country is everything I look for in my reading - wonderfully complex characters, a setting that I can lost in, and a mystery that keeps me guessing. I will be looking for more from Clare Leslie Hall. Highly recommended to all!

Oh, my heart. I don’t even have the words for this but it was absolutely incredible. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Broken Country kept me on the edge of my seat with the many twists and turns all the way to the end. The duel timelines were easy to follow and helped with character development. Hall delivered an emotional heartfelt story that compelled me to keep reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for letting me read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book really snuck up on me… at first I was having a hard time getting into it, but then I found myself so deep into the story that I couldn’t bring myself to put it down. It’s a beautiful story of complicated love and human beings being imperfect, mixed with grief, longing, and nostalgia. It’s a beautiful book and I really enjoyed it. I also was not expecting any sort of plot twists or anything and there was pretty interesting one at the end. It really added to the emotional depth of the book, I feel!

Beth, now a farmer's wife, is thrown back into the memories and long lasting tentacles of first love,, when her brother in law shoots a dog which happens to belong to the son of the man she first loved as a young girl.
Gabriel, now an accomplished and successful author, suits emotions in Beth that she believed yo be non-existent.
The story goes back and forth between past and present as it wends its way through strife and tensions within her village.
Characters are okay but not remarkable, for me, and the back and forth toggle gets a bit
wearing at times.
Easy read but not a classic.

Following the story of Beth, Frank.& Gabriel was heartbreaking and beautiful all at the same time. It’s been quite some time since I’ve loved a book so much!! Well done!

This is one of those books that you will read very quickly!

I heard a review from someone else that this book has Where The Crawdads Sing vibes (without the suspicious origins) and I’d agree they are very similar type of read without having any similarities in setting, characters and plot.

Broken County is a stunning US debut that had me hooked from beginning to end. Clare Leslie Hall has established herself as an auto-read author for me with just one book, because this one has everything. Broken Country is the story of Beth and the two men she loves. Stay with me here, I'm not a big fan of love triangles either. It also has a mystery, personal secrets, and compelling character development.

This book is beautifully written and perfectly paced for a literary drama. Some chapters are from "before," some from 1968, and some from "the trial." Hall slowly reveals Beth's heartbreaking story and uses each of these timelines so effectively to build character depth and propel the story forward.

I'd recommend going into this one without much knowledge; dive in and get to know these characters. If you enjoyed Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson or Mercury by Amy Jo Burns, I think this is an excellent pick for you. This book wowed me and had me in tears.

Thank you Netgalley & publisher for this e-arc of Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall

This is a Historical Fiction or Mystery novel. 4.5*; a family drama/love triangle.


Synopsis:
"The farmer is dead. He is dead and all anyone wants to know is who killed him. When her brother-in-law shoots a dog going after their sheep, Beth doesn’t realize that the gunshot will alter the course of their lives. For the dog belonged to none other than Gabriel Wolfe, the man Beth loved as a teenager—the man who broke her heart all those years ago. Gabriel has returned to the village with his young son Leo, a boy who reminds Beth very much of her own son Bobby, who died a few years earlier. As Beth is pulled back into Gabriel and Leo’s lives, tensions around the village rise, and jealousy rears its ugly head. Beth and her gentle and kind husband Frank are happily married, but they have their fair share of secrets, and their relationship relies on the past staying buried. And when the truth begins to come out, events spiral out of control, this time with deadly consequences. Beth is forced to make a choice—between the woman she once was, and the woman she has become. 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."

Things I liked:
• The time-period/ the farm
• The main characters/ the family
• The ending

Things I disliked (if you can call it that):
• Tragic story
• The love triangle
• Loss triggers

I can see why this book's reviews compare it to Where the Crawdads Sing; I draw closer parallels to One For The Blackbird and One For The Crow; life can be tragically beautiful.

This book started off good, then got a little too slow for me, then around 65% got much better and I enjoyed it until the end. There were a lot of unexpected twists that kept me hooked. I'm giving it three stars because of the drop-off in enjoyment and also because I felt like it was hard to keep track of how much time passed in each chapter. I also couldn't really connect to the characters.

It took me a bit before I could write this review because I had to let my heart calm down first. Man, this book was like riding a rollercoaster of emotions because just when I thought I was "okayish", Hall hits me with another big hill to climb and come down off of.

I think books that are "real life" and so raw with emotion are more difficult to find these days and that's what I loved most about this book. The characters were believable and I felt like it could easily be someone I know. Be ready for your heart to be tugged in several directions, but it will all be worth it!

I already know this is going to be one of my top books of 2025! I cannot wait to read more by Clare Leslie Hall. Bring them on! Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As I was finishing this book while standing in line to vote, I was grateful for the Kleenex in my purse! I did not expect this story to take me in as it did. The story starts off as a slow burn as you get to know the characters and who they are within the different timelines of the story, but before you know it, you are sucked into this story and will be surprised to look up and realize you are not on the Blakely farm with this family. Broken Country is a love story on a deeper level and as with any love story in a small country town, secrets abound and you will not see them coming! Highly recommend this compelling story that leaves you wanting to know more. Thank you for the e-arc!!

Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall is an unforgettable story that I am still thinking about. I felt so many different emotions while reading this book! I was drawn to the cover and name of this book immediately. On a normal day, a random dog runs into Beth and her husband Frank's farm and begins to attack the sheep. Her husband's brother has to put down the dog. Beth is shocked to see that the dog belongs to the man she loved as a teenager (Gabriel) and he has moved back to town. His son Leo reminds Beth of her son Bobby, who died a few years earlier. Ever so slowly, Beth is pulled back into Gabriel's life. The tension between Beth and Frank begins to climb. What happens next is earth-shattering for everyone involved.

This novel is told in dual timelines which ratchets up the gut-wrench factor. It keeps you guessing and has a thriller element, which I like. The romance and love aspect is more of a slow burn. It's like the author shows you both sides of the coin and I can't say more without giving anything away. The tenderness concerning the children made me tear up many times. This is a story that could happen in real life, to anyone you know.

Overall, I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars. When a book makes you feel almost every emotion in the book so to speak, and you still think about it days later, that's a winner for me. I felt so many emotions reading this book. You will love this book if you like Where the Crawdads Sing or authors similar to Kristin Hannah. I recommend it!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.