Beautifully written story of an intense love between Ivona and Vlaho starting when they were 19 yrs old and students…set in Croatia.
They marry and then divorce several years later due to infertility issues. The divorce is Ivona’s answer to the problem ..for Vlaho to be able to have a family..such an unselfish act due to her fierce love for him.
They are both devastated, though she carries a secret as to “why” and what pushed her to divorce him.
Two years later when Vlaho remarries… Ivona is included in many of the family functions… (which emotionally kills her) and several years later she meets another man, which Vlaho can’t handle.
This story is very gripping and atmospheric …. a story of lost love and second chances.

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

I came into this book really interested in how it depicted a young woman's life in a changing country, as the synopsis was really drawing me in towards that aspect of the novel, but I was blown away at this is a such a good and well-written story. In the end it's a novel about the shifting circumstances, grief, loss, and hope in one woman's life, especially with that background of Croatia becoming a democracy and changing before her eyes. As she comes of age, so does her country. The prose in this novel is quite stunning, and I highly recommend it if you're looking for a novel that feels like a piece of art.

Slanting Towards the Sea by Lidija Hilje is a spectacularly beautiful debut novel. It is a novel of love and loss, of grief and acceptance, of pain and healing. The overall tone of the book balances the gorgeous prose of literary fiction and the accessibility of commercial fiction, leaving this reader feeling as though Ms. Hilje spent years poring over each and every word, in order to capture the poetry of a non-native language, while ensuring the story was not lost in its own words.

The descriptions of the Croatian seaside, small city and olive groves made me yearn for a place I’ve never been. The love between Ilona, the main character, and Vlaho, the love of her life (and she of his) is exquisitely painful. We also know that theirs is a love that can’t reignite, for so many of the reasons life presents.

Typically, I read more mainstream fiction, skewing toward historical titles rather than contemporary literary fiction. This book has shown me that I can enjoy more literary works, that they, too, can provide plot, deeply drawn characters and don’t sacrifice the beauty of language at the same time. That Ms. Hilje wrote this book in a non-native language makes it all the more impressive.

I hope to see a long and successful writing career from this author.

NOTE: I was provided an advance copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. As an unpublished fellow writer, Lidija’s debut is both an inspiration and a caution to ensure my own work is crafted to the highest standards I can meet.

A moody atmospheric love story that moves back and forth in time to tell Ivona's story, the story of her love for Vlaho and for her olive grove. It's also a story of Croatia and how much things changed over a relatively short period of time. Ivona and Vlaho met at university, married, and then divorced for a reason that will not be told until deep in the novel. He's now married to Marina, who was Ivona's friend first, and they have two small children that Ivona dotes on. All is not well though because Ivona's father's business has failed as the economy tanked and they are about to default. Enter Asier, who might be the savior for Ivona's land, or not. I wasn't impressed with this initially but then Hilje's writing pulled me in and I realized that it's so much more than the latest novel about a struggling 30 something woman. Yes Ivona is struggling but this plot is fresh and compelling. Hilje brings both Croatia and her characters alive. It's an accomplished debut. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. This is terrific-highly recommend.

i currently feel empty after reading this. this is a story about loss, grief, longing, love, and self preservation. the main character, ivona, is still close friends with her ex-husband and his new wife (while still feeling in love with him), taking care of her father, while figuring out what she wants to do with life since she's not where she thought she'd be nearing forty.

when a new man enters her life, it starts a chain of events that starts to put a lot of what ivonia has been dealing with under the spotlight. i was HOOKED from the beginning, i wanted to know why her and her ex got divorced and where the story was going. i was completely invested in her life and the relationships she had with these characters.

the ending genuinely broke me. such an open ending that left me feeling devoid of love lol.

the writing was stunning. absolutely beautiful for a debut novel. very moving, poignant, and was able to capture certain emotions perfectly. i will definitely be reading anything this author writes! such a fantastic debut!

Set in modern day Croatia, Slanting Towards the Sea follows Ivona and Vlaho as they fall in and out of love over the course of two decades. Though I did appreciate how the author was able to interweave Croatian history with Ivona's story, while reading Slanting I struggled often with the prose. The protagonist's emotions are consistently over-explained and the pacing is clunky-- there is a "reveal" one third through the novel that is hinted at many times before with a heavy hand. Still, I recommend giving this novel a try, as is much to appreciate on a plot level.

Ever since my husband and I discussed fitting a short trip to Croatia in between his two European work conferences the summer of 2017 (ahhh, life before children), my ears perk when I hear anything about that country. Alas, we couldn't make the flights work, and ended up going to Stockholm for a couple days instead (still incredibly lovely!), and at this point, Croatia tourism has kind of exploded. Regardless, when I saw this debut novel was available for download on Netgalley, I went for it, even though I hadn't heard anything about it.

Ivona and Vlaho had that once in a lifetime kind of love. That all-encompassing, sweet affection and devotion to each other, despite any hardships. Which is why the reader is left wondering how, now, they've been divorced for a decade and Vlaho is remarried with two children. What on earth happened? To further complicate things, current Ivona has a close relationship with Vlaho and his wife, even acting as godmother to one of their daughters, all while still yearning for Vlaho. Through slow and gentle development, among the backdrop of a newly independent nation, Hilje lays it all bare for us in a way that feels oh-so-real.

I happened to be reading this book simultaneously with Abby Jimenez's debut, The Friend Zone, and there are a surprising number of similarities in these stories, including the female main character quietly martyring herself without explaining the full details to the person she loves. That particular point drives me crazy, as that sort of "sacrificial love" never makes sense to me. Talk to your person, please! But Hilje treats her characters with such compassion and care, that I found even that forgivable.

This story is a quiet and beautiful one, and I think it will capture many readers this summer, after it releases on Tuesday! Many thanks to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Slanting Towards the Sea was an absolutely stunning debut! The writing was completely captivating and immersive and poetic and beautiful.

Ugh the way this book made me feel! This book does a deep dive into the relationship between Ivona and Vlaho and explores the topics of grief, love, and depression. This book is so messy but felt so real.

The character development in this book was just so good! While I didn’t agree with a lot of Ivona’s decisions, I felt like I could understand where she was coming from and empathize with her.

I have never read a book based in Croatia and I really enjoyed reading about the culture there and getting some history.

I would definitely recommend this one! I cannot wait to read the author’s next book.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the arc

This novel was such a delightful surprise, and it will certainly be at the top of my list for favorite books of 2025. I’ve never read a book about Croatia and I feel like Croatian culture, politics, geography, daily life, and food were main characters in the book. This story gave me a lot of compassion for messy situations and flawed people trying their hardest, as well as the concept of true love. If you appreciate character-driven novels with deep exploration of individual motivations, this book is for you. The closest comp I could think of for this book is The Paper Palace, which I also loved. In the last couple years, I’ve realized how much I value understanding a character’s internal motivations for the actions they take. If I can’t understand why a character is doing something (especially if it’s a blatantly wild choice), I am just not invested and will likely DNF. I read this book suspiciously at times, wondering if the characters would be consistent, and if little details would end up being plot holes. But I was infinitely satisfied with everything that ended up happening in this novel, and I never would’ve expected any of it.

To sum it up, I found Slanting Towards the Sea to be fresh, smart, literary, timely and unforgettable. It’d make an excellent book club choice, but I could also see it winning literary awards. The best of both worlds for me!

Big thanks to @netgalley @simonandschuster for the complimentary eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this ARC.

Set in Croatia, A woman with fertility issues divorces her husband. They remain part of each other’s lives, even as he remarries and has the family they were not able to create. her life is stalled by underemployment, an ailing parent and societal expectations. she is given a rare opportunity that alters the course of her life, and the love triangle she is in.

This is possibly one of the best novels I’ll read this year. It given human texture to the political policies that shape our lives, and what happens when women can’t meet the expectations of the people around them.

🫒 Unfortunately, this book was a bit of a miss for me. While I appreciated Ivona’s hardships and struggles — and the inside look at becoming an adult in Croatia— she drove me a bit crazy.

🫒 What I liked…
- focus on infertility and its fallout
- complexity of adult relationships
- learning about Croatia and what it’s like to live there

🫒 What didn’t work for me was Ivona. She drove me a bit nuts, tbh. Between the woah-is’-me’ing and the bad decision making I just couldn’t. Plus, this was so slow and I just could not get into it. I almost DNF’d a couple of times and I kinda wish I did.

🫒 This wasn’t for me BUT it already has a nearly 4.5 rating on Goodreads, so clearly, I’m just one opinion. Who is this for then? Read it if you like…
- slower, character-driven pieces of literary fiction
- characters who struggle for decades before finding their way
- you’re ok with some sketchy relationship decisions

“But we longed for home—for the oxygenated skies, the centering that is the sea. It is deeply ingrained in us, Dalmatians, this yearning to return home. Like we are born with a homing beacon, this need is always present, a rope tightening, pulling us back.”

Learning about a completely unfamiliar place while consuming a tender and thought provoking story, is truly one of the joys I hold as a reader. This new debut by author Lidija Hilje is that type of gift.

Set in the early years of democracy in Croatia, the growing pains of the country itself mirror that of the characters contained within the narrative. Framed within a twenty year timeline, Ivona has found love, lost love and entered into a complex love triangle, exacerbated by family members surrounding the trio. The unique economic challenge of a country just coming into its own is both a blessing and a curse, and layers in roadblocks into every decision.

References to the coastal town create a reprieve from deep themes of grief, unrequited love and regret, offering a cadence to the story which made this hard to put down. The metaphors of olive trees, blossoms and oils are subtly woven into each chapter and the unstable foundation of the land and the family dynamic artfully tips the reader toward the unexpected.

With similar tones of Claire Leslie Hall’s Broken Country and Lily King’s Writers and Lovers I am expecting this to be one of the most talked about novels of Summer 2025!

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

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read the ARC for this book. This book was perfect for summer reading. Ivona is a complicated character and I didn't always agree with the decisions that she made; however, I continued to be curious about how her choices would impact her life.

A stunner of a debut. Beautifully written, great sense of place. I so enjoyed spending time in Ivona’s world.

Some books arrive like a tide you didn’t know you were waiting for—quiet at first, then all-consuming. Slanting Towards the Sea is that kind of novel: exquisitely vulnerable, achingly intimate, and steeped in the haunting beauty of the Croatian coast.

Lidija Hilje’s debut is a tender meditation on loneliness, longing, and the impossible closeness that can remain between people, even after the relationship ends. Ivona, once a brilliant dreamer, now finds herself drowning in debt, disillusionment, and the demands of caring for her ailing father. But it's the slow unraveling of her connection to Vlaho—her ex-husband and the love of her life—that left me breathless. Their story, set across two decades and one unforgettable summer, is both unsettling and deeply human.

Hilje captures the ache of unfulfilled potential with poetic precision. Every sentence feels like a tide pulling you deeper, each emotional twist both inevitable and surprising. The love triangle at the heart of the novel isn’t explosive—it’s quietly devastating, composed of sidelong glances, unsaid truths, and the fragile peace that exists when we love more than one version of our past.

Fans of Jhumpa Lahiri, Elena Ferrante, or the melancholic intimacy of Julian Barnes will feel at home here. But Hilje’s voice is all her own—lush, lyrical, and full of quiet revelations that linger long after the final page.

A sea-swept tale of memory and desire, Slanting Towards the Sea is a stunning exploration of how we carry our old loves and old selves with us, even as life insists we move on.

A haunting, poetic debut that captures the impossible intimacy of lost love and the fragile hope of starting over.

The writing in this book is exquisite. I cannot believe this is a debut. I'm not a huge fan of romance plotlines, and we definitely have some melodrama here, but this is a great book. I learned a lot about Croatia and got to reflect on my own losses and grief. I call that a win.

This was an interesting story. It kind of felt depressing at some moments but I kept with it because that doesn’t bother me. I felt for the FMC and was rooting for her all along. Grief is a hard thing to experience and I think the author did a great job handling it with care and authenticity. The writing was great and I appreciated the descriptive details of the setting.

Slanting Towards the Sea by Lidija Hilje

The synopsis of the story made me think that this story would be too sad for me but after I read the review of a friend, I realized I wanted to read this story and I'm glad I did so. The main character, Ivona, makes decisions that infuriate me. She is her own worst enemy to a massive degree and she not only hurts herself but also she hurts others.

Growing up wasn't easy for Ivona, with an angry father and a mother who didn't know how to show love. The coastline of Croatian was beautiful but the country had been in such turmoil and there is a shrinking down rather than a growing. Ivona gets a degree that should allowed her to have a flourishing career but she gets it as any jobs in her field have dried up. Any jobs, at all, are hard to come by, and while the man she loves is able to have a career that has him eager to leave the home each day, Ivona is floundering. Then she gets news that just seems to her be a neon sign that her life is worthless. From this point Ivona is the planner, creator, and instigator of the demise of any kind of satisfying life at all.

It's amazing that Ivona remains in the life of the man who will now become her ex husband and in the life of his new wife. Ivona accepts misery as if it's always been her mantle to wear. She wallows in staring at the past, in searching out social media that will hurt her, and in spending time in situations that are difficult and bound to stab her with deep wounds. But I could never feel sorry for Ivona, she causes so much of her pain and seems to allow herself to steep in it. If anyone deserves the hurt she is feeling, it is Ivona.

This is not the kind of character I enjoy spending time with and I get upset with characters that make bad decisions and continue to make them. Yet, I did feel for the characters, and despite Ivona's actions and inactions, I cared and I wanted her to change, to see things differently, to try a different path, to stop what was not working for her and would never work for her. I got so caught up in the book and the characters and there is growth among them. I would never have expected this story to have such a satisfying (to me) resolution, one that I could live with and feel was a good thing. Lidija Hilje has written a book that I could feel and understand even when I didn't like what I was feeling.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for this ARC.

I wasn’t in love with this book but there were parts that I really enjoy and resonated with me. I enjoyed the themes of grief, longing, hope, timelessness, culture and history. It was fascinating to read a bit more of Croatian history. While I grappled with the decisions many of the characters made, I found this to be a very human book.

5 stars. I can’t believe this is a debut. So so good. And that it’s set in Croatia is a first for me. Author Lidija Hilje has given us this beautifully written story of deep emotional love and loss.. of longing and sadness.. and in her creation of these complex characters you come to care for, you feel their emotions twofold.
Our MC Ivona has a strength I’d be lucky to have if in the same situation. As the story moves along Hilje dangles, just out of reach.. the reveal to a must-find-out secret only known by Ivona and her ex-mother-in-law. This kept me on a rollercoaster of emotions and I loved every minute ❥ Do recommend! Pub. 7/8/25

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.