Leaving feedback even though I haven't read this yet because I have heard so many great things about it! I can't wait to read it. Sounds like a real winner.

I am going to be honest, I am listening and reading this and I cannot get thru the first several chapters. I am NOT sure if it’s slow or just not a topic or subject matter that is appealing to me. I stopped! Sorry.

3.5 stars rounded up. My one-sentence review of Broken Country: Frank deserved better.

Set in rural England in the late 1960s, with flashbacks to the mid-50s, Broken Country is about a love triangle between Beth, her husband Frank, and her past boyfriend Gabriel and its tragic, far-reaching consequences. I absolutely understand all of the glowing five-star reviews for this book because it checks a lot of boxes: relationship drama, thriller vibes, flawed characters, moody storytelling, and a vivid, idyllic setting on a sheep farm. Clare Leslie Hall is a gifted storyteller, immersing the reader completely in the world of the book, and she taps into lots of emotions without it feeling overwrought.

But still, I wanted more from Broken Country. The character and relationship development wasn’t as in-depth as I was hoping it would be; the romantic relationship in the past timeline felt like instalove, and I found myself struggling to buy into the chemistry between Beth and Gabriel. Given the events of the book, it’s obvious that their connection was strong, but I never really felt it. I couldn’t connect with the characters, and even though I usually love messy protagonists who are imperfect and make terrible choices, I didn’t love Beth. Her lack of remorse was frustrating, and also felt like a missed opportunity for Hall. I wanted the book to really destroy me by exploring topics like love, desire, painful choices, and sacrifice in a meaningful way, but the characters just didn’t guide the story deep enough to get me there. As a result, Broken Country for me was a story that was compulsively readable, and definitely beautifully told…but not resoundingly meaningful.

Just wrapped up Broken Country, and wow—what a beautifully tangled web of love, loss, and secrets. Hall's writing is lyrical and immersive, painting the Dorset countryside with such vividness that you can almost feel the damp earth and hear the rustle of the fields. The narrative weaves between timelines, gradually revealing the depth of Beth's relationships and the secrets that bind—and threaten to unravel—them. The suspense builds steadily, keeping you guessing about the true nature of the characters' pasts and the events leading up to a mysterious death.

This was a terrific read and the story was laid out so well. There are two timelines shifting between the past and present of the three main characters: Beth, Gabriel and Frank. I don't want to say anything about the plot because while it's not actually a mystery genre, there's kind of a mystery element to it as the author unfolds the history that ultimately led to a momentous event. She kept the intrigue and guessing going almost the whole time and did so in such a skillful manner. As a reader, I was torn between who I was rooting for and commiserating with. And for those who are parents, this book touches deeply on the love a parent has for their children and how that love can affect all actions and decisions, whether good or bad. As well, the role of a parent and the impression they make can affect a child all their life too. The author did an amazing job encompassing family love, parental love, romantic love and friendship too, into this one unique story. It was full of longing, nostalgic, heartbreaking, and bittersweet moments.

This book had me hooked from the beginning! It was absolutely enjoyable and jam packed with so much!! It contained two timeless, moving back and forth from past to present. It was heartbreaking but had such a unique story!

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!!

Fantastic read! I found myself in the story and was so UPSET with the main character at times but I loved the outline and the storyline. Very good read.

Oh my goodness this book was so flipping good!!!!

Ah..... I loved this debut so much and I could not get through this one fast enough!

I can def tell this is going to be one of the phenomenal debuts of 2025! I haven't read such a debut like this in so long.

Addicting, beautiful, and heartbreaking. I was thinking about this book long after I finished it and my heart soared with the amount of passion I had for this story!!

Get this one your list!!

5/5 stars

i loved reading this book. been a long time that a throughly enjoy a book. the setting, characters the story. a beautiful love story and a great mystery all in one. easy read. recommended to all. many book clubs are now reading this. don't miss it.

"Everyone played a part in the tragedy."

A heartbreaking story about marriage, loss, guilt, and a tragedy. Beth is married to Frank, living a small town life on a farm. She loves her life, loves her husband - but they have had a tough few years. They lost their son to a tragic accident just a few years ago and it's hard, to see past their own guilt and sadness.

There is also a before - we learn more about Beth and her first romance, the first man she fell in love with. He was new to their small town and matched her wit and loved to write, just like she did.

The story takes you through the past and now - as they work through a new tragedy. It isn't clear, at first, how these parts all come together. But the story is broken in parts and makes it very easy to start to piece in together. After Part 1, I found the story to be very fast paced. I wanted to know what happened and how this would all conclude. What an amazing story that broke my heart.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Not the usual genre of books I read, but I’m so glad I decided to try something new and gave this a shot! Broken Country is a beautifully crafted story and one of the best books I’ve read so far this year.

Absolutely one of my favorite reads of the year. The writing is top tier. When you combine a murder mystery with complex characters, simmering passion, love triangles and heartbreak? It can only amount to a masterpiece. I see this book winning awards and would recommend it to all.

Genre: Historical Fiction/Mystery

Format: Audio/E-book

4.5🌟 - I really liked it!

I absolutely devoured this book in just about a day! I picked this for my IRL book club, and it was such a good pick! I was compelled to continue reading the whole book, and wanted to know what was going to happen next!

I did not anticipate the little twist at the end, but I thought it blended multiple genres really seamlessly! A love triangle, a murder, and a slow-burn suspense! The setting was so immersive! I felt truly swept away and captivated by the story.

Loved the audio version of this one as well!

Can’t wait to see this one adapted one day!

Broken Country blew me away. While many readers focus on the love triangle, what really stood out to me was how powerfully the novel explored guilt—how it lingers, reshapes relationships, and quietly drives people to make impossible choices. The emotional weight carried by each character felt so raw and real, especially as the story slowly unraveled the past and its consequences.

The writing is haunting and beautiful, with moments that stopped me in my tracks. It’s not just about romance—it’s about reckoning, regret, and the complicated ways we try (and sometimes fail) to make things right. This is one of those books that stays with you, long after the final page.

Be still my beating heart - this book was simply perfection to me. It was one that felt like a saga. It stretched over the lifetime for these people, and you felt it. Their lives changed and existed and changed again. But the land stayed the same. Always the land and the farm. But their feelings and pain and loss was a real and tangible thing that you could feel. It was just such an emotional read and beautifully done. I adored it.

The story revolved around Beth. She loved two men - - and they both loved her - - in different ways but both very powerfully. It would eventually be the downfall of all of them. Gah, I sometimes wish I could read it again for the first time. So good. It really got into the heart of the matter with character and personalities and insecurities. We all have a weakness - - some just hide it better than others. There are several characters in this book with weaknesses, and they all play off of one another and have an impact on the overall storyline. It's a very intricately woven plot.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

Beth and her gentle, kind husband Frank are happily married, but their relationship relies on the past staying buried. But when Beth’s 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 years ago. Gabriel has returned to the village with his young son Leo, a boy who reminds Beth very much of her own son, who died in a tragic accident.

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.

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.

This book is absolutely beautiful!! Reese and I typically have very different taste, but I would agree with her on this one. I will be honest that I was about to DNF 75 pages in, but I kept going. The ending makes up for any doubts I had in the beginning, but my only critique would be that it starts a little slow. I found Beth annoying and Frank is a saint, but it all comes together in the end and is tragically beautiful.

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, and the author for an ARC of this book. This is the author's US debut book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Literary Fiction | This book is SAD. Let’s just start there. If you can’t tolerate dogs dying and child loss (9 year old) then I don’t think this book if for you. I was SO conflicted with this book and had to pause a few times and come back to it. The writing is beautiful and I really had to know the ending, but the beginning is rough. You know the boy is going to die but the scene doesn’t play out until past the 50% mark so there is this building dread knowing it’s coming. Once you get past it the book picks up in pace and I couldn’t stop reading. It really is a beautiful tragic story and I see why so many people love it. In my phase of life, it just wasn’t enjoyable.

This book was SOOOO good! It navigates love in all different forms. Your first. Your rebound. Your true one. The love between a mother and child. The love between a new member of the family (daughter in law). Love on the other side of tragedy. Love that ends in divorce. Newfound love. Enduring love. Just WOW! I was so blown away by these characters and this setting. The way that Clare wove together this tragic love triangle was beautifully done. I loved the dual timelines. I loved the crushing reality of these characters. We had Beth who was a wife, a mother and someone's lover. We had Frank who was her husband and had loved her since he was 13. We had Gabriel who was her first everything but let their class differences and a miscommunication get in between them. I loved the class differences that were also depicted in this. Frank and Beth were HARD workers. They were farmers. Gabriel was a writer and living in his family's estate. The way these three are tied together is heartbreaking.

Beth knows her family is on the lower side of wealth but doesn't really know what that looks like until she meets Gabriel. The boy who lives in the big house on the hill. The boy who steals her heart at 17. The boy who convinces her to apply to college. Who supports her in her poetry. Who makes her feel unlike anyone ever has. The boy who she gives everything to. But then he is the boy who leaves to go to college. The boy who she visits but feels a shift in. The boy who lets her go without a fight.

Now today Beth is married to Frank. The man who has loved her since after Gabriel. The man who is the father to their son who is no longer here. She doesn't know how to navigate their love anymore. Do they talk about it? Or is this just what it is? And now Gabriel is back in town with his son. And Beth finds herself drawn to him like a moth to a flame. She can't help feel that she has to clear the air with him. Why did he leave without a fight? Why is he back? What happened to his marriage? Beth knows this relationship will end badly. But she finds herself not caring. She finds herself forgetting the tragedy that is her life when she is with Gabriel. She finds herself wondering what has happened. And then another tragedy strikes. And Frank steps up like she knew he would. And now she truly realizes how much she loves him and what he represents to her. All that he has sacrificed for her. How much he loves HER. And so she stands by. She does the right thing and walks away from her first love for her TRUE love.

The way that I sobbed at the end of this was just messy. I felt SOO many things while reading this. It's a love triangle gone terribly wrong with some mystery thrown in. Frank had my whole heart this WHOLE book. I wanted to shake Beth to wake up and realize what she had. But recognized that grief can cloud things when you are in it. Watching Beth realize the love she feels for Frank is beyond anything she feels for Gabriel was satisfying and also sad. Watching Beth navigate being on the other side of motherhood was devastating. Watching her wake up to what she was letting slip through her fingers was wonderful. This was just SUCH a well done book. While it was tragic it was beautiful and ended on SUCH a good note!! I can't recommend this one enough yall!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

A complex family saga wrought with drama, secrets and emotions. With two characters *I think* were written for the reader not to like, and one to feel empathy towards, I was wrapped in the deception of a possible love triangle of a married woman and the hurt and fallout from losing a child (tropes I normally do not care for nor read). The story opens with a trial and continues to fill in the blanks of what happened with a dual timeline. I appreciated the dramatic unraveling of truths and revelation secrets, as well as the character developments and dynamics. 4.25 stars

4 stars-
Broken Country started off with a bang, immediately pulling me into the story. However, as the novel progressed, the pacing slowed way down. The author spent a lot of time exploring Beth's backstory, and while I usually enjoy multiple timelines, this one didn’t work as well for me — the past timeline didn’t feel like it added much to the present-day events.

This book was much more character-driven than I typically enjoy. There were also multiple sex scenes that, in my opinion, didn’t add anything to the story. They weren’t overly explicit, but I personally prefer closed-door romances, so after a while, they just started to annoy me.

Without the ending, I probably would have rated this book around 3 or 3.5 stars. However, the ending truly redeemed the reading experience for me — the twists and how everything played out touched me emotionally. I found myself gasping, crying, and then crying some more.

In the end, despite my frustrations with parts of the book, I’m really glad I read this story. The emotional payoff was powerful!

thanks to netgally and Simon & Schuster for an advance copy in exchange for an honest opinion.