f you’re looking for a book to help transport you for a bit, Slanting Towards The Sea is a good choice. The novel, a debut by Lidija Hilje, takes place off the Croatian coast - giving the reader a sense of the locale, as well as the politics that affect the main characters’ lives.

The book is centered on Ivona and takes the reader through about 20 years of her life as she falls in love, deals with devastating heartbreak, and attempts to move forward. (Check content warnings.)

I loved the writing, the setting and found this book to be super compelling. I didn’t always agree with the decisions these characters made, but I found the book to be a very interesting character study. They showed growth by the end, and I wanted to know what was going to happen to them!

I think this book gives people a lot to discuss, and would make for a great book club pick!

The writing in this book really draws you in and I was hooked from the beginning with these characters.
They way they revolve around each other and support each other, even though it is in an unconventional setting.
This will be a great book club read, as there is much to discuss.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

Some novels just shine with a special light, and Slanting Towards the Sea is one such gem. This heartbreakingly beautiful story explores themes of love, grief, and regret and is honest and unsparing in its delivery. I was deeply moved by this book, readers. I loved learning about Croatian culture and found that this novel was a sensory experience in and of itself with its vivid imagery and lush prose. I wanted to savor it. Also, I absolutely couldn't. This was a read that truly had it all - characters that pop off the page, lyrical writing, a strong sense of place... just luminous from start to finish. And did I mention it's a debut?! I can't wait to see what Hilje releases in the future.

We are often drawn to other people for a multitude of reasons. Some with good intentions and good outcomes. Some with blind intentions that simply weave their way into unfertile ground producing only anguish and resentment.

Lidija Hilje is a Croatian author who is writing in English......her second language. It is remarkable just how deeply poignant and succinct her writing becomes in Slanting Toards the Sea. Hilje takes on the story of Ivona and Vlaho, two young college students who find themselves in each other's pathways one night. The connection begins slow and steady and then rivets up to a steady drum beat. They become smitten with one another. Marriage follows.

Lidija Hilje keeps a secret hidden in the dark shadows. But when it breaks open in the sunlight, it will come down to decisions influenced by what is far better for the greater good. But the greater good is always in the mind's eye. What one believes is self-sacrifice turns into long strings attached. We become affixed to memories, emotions, and perspectives. Those gallant decisions seem to turn on us. Misery pulls up a chair and over stays its welcome.

Slanting Towards the Sea is definitely character driven. Hilje allows us to experience their strengths and their definite flaws. And it all goes back to those decisions whipping in the wind. That's why the character of Ivona frustrated me to no end. My heart pumped in her direction only to be shattered time and time again. Hilje sees to that throughout this novel. She likens Ivona to a tree felled in the forest that no one heard fall......not making a sound.

And yet I am so grateful for having experienced Slanting Towards the Sea. Not every relationship follows the rules of the road. We are all such complicated individuals who stand rigid in our own personal world. Then there's the cover art that is definitely a draw created by the artist Hana Tischler. And it is an emotional experience to read this one. See if you don't agree.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Simon & Schuster and to the talented Lidija Hilje for the opportunity.

Thank you @netgalley and @simonandschuster for this Advanced Reader’s Copy. I couldn’t put this book down, it is beautifully written and evokes such deep emotion. It is heartbreaking, hopeful, healing, and devastating all at the same time. I learned so much about Croatia and loved the way the author captured so much of the country’s beauty and difficult political landscape.

Ivona found her soulmate, Vlaho, and lived happily married until something indescribable came between them. She divorced him out of love, and the secret of this decision holds her back and represses her for years. He has moved on with Marina and has two beautiful children. Ivona is improbably part of the family, but when she starts seeing a man, the careful balance constructed by all is upset. Truths and innermost feelings are revealed.

#slantingtowardsthesea #lidijahilje #bookstagram #arcreader #netgalleybooks #netgalleyreviewer #netgalleyreview #fivestarreads #fivestarreview

This is a beautiful and heartbreaking story set in Croatia of Ivona and Vlaho, once young lovers turned married couple, now divorced but still deeply intertwined in one another's lives. The setting of this book was magical, and I learned a lot about Croatia and what life is like there. The author makes so many astute observations about love, heartbreak, and longing, and the book is so well written. Also, how gorgeous is this cover?? If you like love stories that aren't romances and are looking for a slow and sad novel this summer (my kind of summer reading!) I recommend this!

When I saw the book cover for Slanting Towards the Sea by Lidija Hilje, I immediately wanted to read it. The title, the cover art, the description... Beautiful. Typically, I feast on literary fiction and embrace the pace. However, this one was a miss for me. I ended up DNFing at 50%.

Usually, I push through to the end of pretty much any book. And as much as I wanted to know what came of the characters, in this case, I was also okay not knowing.

The pacing is very slow. By the time I made it to 50%, not much had happened, and I lost interest. The main character, Ivona, is a complex character, for sure, but not one I connected with. She's deep and emotional, but so consumed by grief that I didn't feel like she had much personality or backstory beyond that.

I still gave this one two stars because the writing was beautiful and the concept was there, but the execution was just off.

If you're interested in reading Slanting Towards the Sea, you may enjoy it more than I did. As of this post, it has 4.54 stars on Goodreads, so it's obviously clicked with some people, I'm just not one of them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

While the author is talented and writes well, I found this too slow. I was on vacation while reading it so maybe it was my mood and atmosphere. I had a hard time getting into it in the beginning. Those who like very character based stories may enjoy this but at the time I needed something more fast paced.

"Your hands are cold," he said as if this had surprised him, and then he leaned in to kiss me. And when he did, something inside me reoriented itself, my world sotly tipping into his direction, as if he himself were the sea." Lidija Hilje, Slanting Toward the Sea

Thank you @netgalley and @simonandschusster for this advance egalley

Slanting Towards the Sea by Lidija Hilje

The writing of this novel is oustanding! Only sharing quotes as this book must be read!

"But going back to my maiden name felt like trying to wriggle myself into my old high school jeans. It didn't fit anymore, and suddenly I was a stranger to all my identities."

"It wasn't until years later that I saw her words for what they really meant. If people want to love you, they do, no matter how flawed you are. But if they aren't inclined to love you, nothing you say or do, no amount of your own goodness, can make them change their mind."

"He was weightless, yet never held anything more substantial."

This book was so incredibly beautifully written that I cannot even put into words the emotions that I felt while reading this engrossing novel.

The author spun the romance of Ivona and Vlaho in a way that tore my heart apart. The struggles and the risks each took to be selfless and selfish were beautiful yet ugly all rolled in one.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review. I loved every extraordinarily honest writt en word. Even if I was screaming at the characters to make better decisions.. #NetGalley #SimonBooks @SimonBooks

I was already eager to read this book because it's set in Croatia - a country very important to me and my family. Not only that, it's set along the Dalmatian coast, in a city I always visit on my way to my dad's home island. So when I received an ARC of this book, I was very eager to read!

I'm not sure where to begin, there were so many aspects I love... But I'll start with the setting. To see Croatia rendered so beautifully on the page... and by a person who is so intimately acquainted with it, was truly special. Hilje brings the setting to life with such poignant clarity, from the salty sea, bracing bura wind, and the rustle of olive trees. You truly feel like you're there.

But she also delves deeper. Because while Croatia may look like a pretty postcard, the book also captures the frustrations underneath, the reality of living there, things I've seen online or heard from my own family. The struggles of succeeding in a country that often doesn't feel like it's on your side.

But by far, my favorite part of this book was the complicated relationships between the characters. If there's anything I love more than a love story, it's a messy one. And this one truly is messy -- I say that adoringly. Without giving too much away, this book pierces straight to the core of the beautiful, soul-seeing side of love but also the brutal side. The ugly side. The consuming side. I was shocked and elated, haunted by the protagonist's story and Hilje's words.

A gorgeous, gorgeous debut. I can't wait for more stories by Lidija Hilje.

I wanted to love this one, but it felt extremely slow to me and the stakes didn't feel high enough for the "love triangle" - I've heard amazing things and the Goodreads reviews are fab, so definitely try it for yourself and you be the judge.

This book is stunning in all aspects. The writing is absolutely beautiful. The setting (Croatia) is breathtaking. The characters are deeply flawed yet somehow relatable. It's layered and emotional. I read this book slowly because I wanted to savor every word- I was absolutely mesmerized.

𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝗪𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬:
Unforgettable
Coming of Age
Sensual
Choices
Messy
Regret
Sparsely lyrical
Literary
Deep in my bones

Thank you to @simonbooks for the early reader copy. #SlantingTowardsTheSea

“Feeling in constant pain is actually quite common, among highly intelligent people.”

“Yeah”
“Back home, all things slant towards the sea.”

“But sometimes, love can work more like osmosis, it can imbue you slowly.”

Thank you Simon and Schuster!
Pub Date: July 8, 2025!

A story on making the biggest mistake and continuing to face it until you realize you can’t anymore.

Let me start by saying that the writing in this book is beautiful and I really loved the setting of the story. It takes place in Croatia and the imagery described was really beautiful. However the story for me was very messy. Lots of miscommunication and secrets. I didn’t really understand the logic behind a lot of the main female characters decisions. I found her choices to be really immature and really only geared toward impacting herself without really thinking of the repercussions of others. The miscommunication of the story really made me dislike a lot of the characters and I struggled a lot to connect with them. The only one I enjoyed was Asier he was so kind and I just want to hug him.

I could see people loving this story, but also could see mixed reviews!

Grief, regret, and longing. Ivona divorced her the love of her life, Vlaho, years ago but their lives remain entangled even though he has remarried and has two children now. Nothing about Ivona’s life has turned out the way she wanted. She doesn’t have the career or family she dreamt of and she feels shackled as her elderly father’s caregiver. When she meets a man who makes her see beyond the bleakness of her current circumstances his entry into her life upsets the balance she and Vlaho have obtained and bitter truths are revealed.

Ivona is a rich character. While I cannot imagine making the decisions she does in this book, I could not help but understand and empathize with her. Teh trajectory of her journey both seemed inevitable but also kept me turning pages worries about what what was to come.

I love how Croatia was just as important a character, with its own struggles and beauty.

Definitely a book I would recommend

I was drawn to read this book from the lyrical title and the gorgeous cover. This is the story of Ivona who divorced her husband, the love of her life, for reasons only known to her and her mother-in-law. Ivona maintains a friendly relationship with her ex-husband and his new wife and their young children. Set in Croatia, there is a tone of melancholy throughout the book. The writing is beautiful and the character-driven story kept my interest as something different for a summer read with some heft.

I really savored this one, a poignant and atmospheric story set in Croatia. Lidija writes beautifully, and sparingly, about disappointment, lost love, and how we sabotage ourselves in the name of sacrifice. There's an old world stoicism to the characters that adds depth and dimension, and perfectly conveys their fragile sense of hope. An astonishing debut by a gifted writer!

I treasure this women's fiction novel because the characters are impressively nuanced. The settings makes me want to travel to Croatia, especially the community of Zadar, and because now I dream of attending an olive oil tasting and swimming in the Adriatic. As in real life, the antagonists are not villainous; they are complex individuals who have suffered, and their varying gradations of fear produce ripple effects on the emotions of those in their lives, therefore propagating generations of mild trauma that messes up their decision making. It's realistic, and I'm so impressed by how the author helps me identify with a main character who experiences emotions much more intensely than I do. The novel made me reflect on how I experience change, what I owe to the people I love as their lover, friend, and wife, and the effect of physical landscape on my outlook in life. Thank you, Lidija!

4.5 stars. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. It’s hard to put words to my thoughts on this book. It felt incredibly sad throughout most of it as you watch Ivona struggle with loss and sacrifice, but there were glimmers of hope here and there too. The setting in Croatia near the Adriatic Sea was moody and beautiful as was the writing of this story. I kept wanting Ivona to finally find herself and move beyond the circumstances she’d been stuck in forever, but at the end of the day it was a story about the truth of raw, deep love and there was a lot of beauty in that.

gorgeously lyrical and literary work with some awesome vibes. the story is interesting and the relationships are fantastic. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.