3.5 stars

Ivona divorced her husband, the love of her life, nine years ago, for reasons known only to herself and her mother-in-law.

So, while she is legally divorced, she remains emotionally tied to her ex-husband and in a strange turn of events, she finds herself as a godmother and auntie to his children, and close friends with him and his new wife.

When she meets a new man, the delicate balance of the friendship triangle is upset, and long held feelings and secrets are brought forth.

Croatia is as much a character in this novel as are Ivona and Vlaho. Just as the geography of Croatia slants towards the Adriatic Sea, it’s an analogy that mirrors the characters’ emotional journeys. Their lives are affected by societal pressures, parental expectations, and a country that has known only conflict and is in the early stages of democracy. How can I judge characters who lived through such tumultuous times?

The themes of life, loss, regret and grief affected me deeply. This is a sad emotional journey, and it was difficult to be in Ivona’s head throughout the entire book. The choices made by the characters were often frustrating and difficult to fathom. I’m not a fan of romantic angst, so that likely affected my opinion.

Romanticizing some of the events did little to endear the characters to me. For the most part I enjoyed the writing but then a sentence like this completely took me out of the story:
“The sun droops on the horizon, heavy and red like a zit about to burst”. (Please note this is an ARC, so it’s possible the final publication may be different. Let’s hope so)

I have very mixed feelings about the book, vacillating between 3 & 4 stars, so I’m going with 3.5 stars. I almost dnf’d several times in the middle, but the story was somehow compelling enough to keep me reading and it’s still one I’d recommend, with caution. The characters are well-developed and show growth as the story progresses.

I appreciated the Croatian setting, a story written by a Croatian author. I won’t soon forget this story

I had the strangest reaction to this book and have change my rating a number of times. On the one hand, I disliked all the characters presented and on the other hand even though I was sorely tempted to stop reading, I found myself drawn back into the saga of Ivana and Vlaho.

Against the background of a new democratic Croatia, the couple found one another and developed an obsessive love. They considered themselves made for one another until a tragedy struck and Ivana divorces the love of her life.

Later Vlaho remarries a friend of Ivana and the lives of the three become intertwined as we find reasons for the new marriage with a mountain of pathos as Ivana fights her love or maybe obsession with Vlaho. When a new man enters Ivana's life, the threesome becomes a foursome with many repercussions. Iana is also tasked with caring for her ill father and their relationship adds to the sadness of Ivana's life.

Ivana is a person full of anguish and misery. She seems to wallow in it, and is fearful of moving anywhere else. The bleakness of her life puts her deeper and deeper into a pit of melancholy and mourning from which she is unable to escape.

Vlaho suffers as well, for giving up on the girl of his dreams. It's a pity party of unbelievable proportions and as I read to the end, I had to wonder if the two of them suffered from tinges of masochism.

This is not an uplifting book whatsoever, but one that brings the reader into the doldrums as you can't quite understand how people so unhappy could be be apart.

Hard to decipher, hard to get your hand around, this book is assuredly different and one that many like myself will find they walk a fine line on whether they like it or hate it.

This cover sold me right away. It’s stunning!!

Ivona divorced her husband Vlaho ten years ago. They remain friends and she is a part of his new family’s lives. This story undercovers Ivona’s story. From the past and her marriage to Vlaho and in the now, as a single, 38 year-old searching for her place in this life.

This book had some hits and some misses for me.

What I loved:
•This felt like such a unique story. Like a coming of middle age story! I’ve never read a book quite like this and I love when that happens!

•I LOVED the writing. I cannot believe that not only is this a debut, but English isn’t the author’s first language! Truly well done.

•I so appreciated that these characters in their late 30s and 40s acted like actual adults…. Until the 75% mark.

Which brings me to what missed the mark for me:
•The choices Ivona and Vlaho made to be unfaithful to his wife ruined this story for me. I completely understand that cheating and infidelity happens in the world… all the dang time. But this felt like it was romanticizing being unfaithful at worst and treated as justifiable and okay considering the circumstances at best.

Slanting Towards the Sea by Lidija Hilje
This hauntingly beautiful, love story will stay with you forever. Lidija’s prose is evocative and doesn’t simply pluck at your heart strings; it snaps them, almost to the point of breaking. The imagery, tied so closely to the seaside where the novel takes place, is raw, visceral, full of power. Just like the sea itself. My heart broke for Ivona and the sacrifice she feels compelled to make for her one true love, Vlaho. She has so many responsibilities and regrets but she soldiers on and it is this stoicism that draws the reader over to her side. The setting of post-war Croatia also informs so much of the story, especially the circumstances foisted on Ivona due to a lack of well-paying jobs. Despite so much of her life being beyond her control she has agency and the reader roots for her as she seeks meaning, happiness and fulfillment. Book clubs will find much to ponder, delight in, and discuss. Truly a must-read for 2025.

What a fantastic read! A well written character study of a woman with clear voice, intention, and relatability.

I appreciated not only the creative ways in which Croatian history, culture, and landscape is woven throughout in a way that is loving but also honest.

A deeply personal, moving, and honest contemporary lit read that is quiet but impactful in its delivery of happiness, purpose, love/marriage, womanhood, and the choices made, good and and bad and grey, that make us who we are.

Highly recommend this fast paced, character driven read I couldn’t get enough of!

I was hooked from the very first line: “Sometimes I stalk my ex-husband.” Slanting Towards the Sea is the kind of novel that, when you finish, you immediately flip back to page one because you need to experience it again, to trace every emotional thread, every luminous detail. I wanted to linger with my new friend Ivona; her character will stay with me for a long time.

Lidija Hilje is a rare talent: funny yet deeply thoughtful, able to crush your soul and stir the ache of impossible love while still exuding warmth. Her writing is a beautiful synthesis of the wisdom she has gathered through life, and there is so much to learn, feel, and savor in this story.

I’ve always dreamed of visiting Croatia, and now, through this novel, I feel as if I’ve wandered its stunning, bewildering seaside landscapes myself. More than that, I feel as if I’ve been welcomed into the characters’ lives, as though they’ve become old friends whose family gatherings I long to join.
I look forward to reading many more books from this gifted author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the advanced reader copy of this unforgettable debut.

Wow!!!!!
I haven’t read a more tenacious- gripping heartfelt-heartbreaking-unforgettable love story this tenacious years.
The descriptive and elevated tone—from debut author Lidija Hilje’s (Croatian novelist and Book Coach) — is:
….sooooo engaging…
….sooooo mournfully and beautifully written…
….efficacious and unsparing…
….thoughtful, compelling and spectacularly generous with such real & profound storytelling…
THAT …
….I felt everything deep in my bones: the love, the repressed love, the regrets, the aching, the grief, the sorrow…
WITH …
….vivid depiction of lovers separated. The sadness left in my heart was explosive and penetrating.
THEN …
….there is the magnificent setting: Croatia

Dubrovnik


The olive grove


Flowers blowing from the olive trees


How many nineteen year olds have a passion about pomace, polyphenol oxidase, and hydroxytyrosol? Ivona did! Her education was biological engineering, but she worked in a stationary store.
She had a possible opportunity to work in Italy.
And even before that, she had gotten a perfect score on a midterm in parasitology — and a professor, Tomasek, was taking a team of students to a competition in New York.
Ivona knew that opportunities like these didn’t present themselves often, not in Croatia. Yet she didn’t take a chance.
Also we learn later that getting a work visa for any place was a bureaucratic nightmare.
REGARDLESS…
Ivona didn’t want to be separated from Vlaho— not even for two weeks to go to New York.
Vlaho didn’t want to be separated from Ivona for even a day —
SO?
….why the divorce?

It seemed like something always took precedence over Ivona taking a chance to have the career she wanted. Either fear of separation from Vlaha or - later - who would take care of her ailing Dad?
BUT STILL …
….why the divorce?

Readers ‘do’ learn the reason for the divorce - fairly soon - but in a novel broken into five parts — there is more emotionally phenomenal intrigues to come.
Other characters - more background stories to learn -other business and personal problems to solve.

This book is marvelous. The type of book where we lose track of time… forget about the laundry or going to the gym.
But
….if you happen to be a reader like me who loves to pause, think, and contemplate not only the gorgeous sentences, the geography & history, but the relationship issues at hand…
Then…..
….you might slow yourself down. (as I did)

I can’t wait to read another novel by Lidija Hilje. She’s my new favorite ‘author-discovery’ this year.

A few other excepts (non-spoilers):
“The day is hot. I sit on the shore, take my sneakers and socks off, and dip my toes into the still-cold water. it pinches and pricks against my skin. The small pebbles mixed with sand scrape against my soles. The sea burbles softly between the rocks”


Pasticada &
Gnocchi in Dubrovnik (one of the food descriptions mentioned)


*Slanting* - [the perfect word chosen in the title of this novel]
….The symbolism of "slanting" generally relates to bias, perspective, or a distortion of information. It suggests a departure from a direct or neutral presentation, often implying a one-sided or skewed viewpoint.

There’s so much more to say about this novel —
I LOVED IT!!!
MOST READERS will also love it!!!!

I haven’t felt such a longing for ‘more please’ (another continuation perhaps? in Croatia?)
or a film adaptation? —
MORE PLEASE!
I’ll read ANYTHING Lidija Hilja writes.

A few more images for fun:
babuska doll
Slavic ornamentations



Zadar


Zagreb


The sea colors were vibrant: blues and turquoise: sparkly and translucent. The greens of the vegetation were verdant and lush.
A pebbled beach…abalone shells… or spectacular sunsets … the song of cicadas-
summer-night walking with music and tourists…. smells of of seashells… seeing the yachts and sailboats along the promenade.

“Slanting Towards The Sea” by Lidija Hilje is a beautifully written debut….a story of love and heartbreak. The reader is pulled in immediately. The complexities— inquisitiveness—as well as the ‘reader-pauses’ for reflection are all brilliantly intertwined together.

Congratulations to *Lidija Hilje*
FAVORITE DEBUT of the year
…..
AND…. a few times I
thought about my favorite movie when I was a teenager growing up:
“Splendor in the Grass”
Famous Quote:
“Though nothing can bring back the hour of splendor in the grass, glory in the flower, we will grieve not; rather find strength in what remains behind”

After hearing glowing praise for Slanting Toward the Sea from fellow readers whose tastes I trust, especially noting its Croatian setting and the promise of a complex triangular love story, I couldn’t wait to dive in. I had a strong feeling this would be one of my top reads of summer 2025, if not the favorite. I’m so grateful to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read an early copy.

So many novels are described as love stories, but few truly earn that label. In 2025, only two have struck me as deeply felt and expertly crafted: Lily King’s The Lover and this one.

Slanting Toward the Sea is Ivona’s story, her family’s story, exploring how she came to find herself back in her childhood home with her father, separated from the love of her life, and how her path was shaped by the political and economic realities of a newly independent Croatia, where even promising young minds faced limited opportunities.

It’s difficult to summarize a novel this rich. The relationship between Ivona, Vlaho, and Marina, the former wife, husband, and his new wife, offers a powerful and uncommon dynamic, but the story is about so much more than their love triangle. This is also a novel about the lingering weight of family traumas, and how the grief, conflict, and emotional wounds of Ivona and Vlaho’s parents continue to echo through their own choices, their marriage, and their inner lives.

Some of the most affecting moments come when one character sees the trauma shaping someone else’s behavior while remaining unable to recognize the effects of their own past. These subtle recognitions and blind spots give the novel remarkable emotional depth.

Ivona’s perspective is so intimate and vivid that we feel her emotions as if they were our own: her loneliness, insecurities, longing, and love, along with her fragile, anxious hopes for the future. She is a character filled with emotion, but without a safe space or anyone she feels truly understands her.

At the same time, this is a novel about marriage, motherhood, and the weight of expectations, especially those placed on women. One of the most powerful questions running through the story is, where is the line between a truly selfless act and one rooted in fear?

There is so much to reflect on and discuss in this layered and passionate novel. This was a five-star read for me, and I will remember this story, these characters, and the vivid Croatian setting for a long time to come.

Beautiful and heartbreaking. This is a novel to remind you that nothing in life is black and white, and things are so often not what they seem. Ivona and Vlaho's story made me feel human in a way no book has in recent memory.

Set on the coast of Croatia, this novel tells the story of Ivona, a 38-year-old divorcée living with her ailing father and maintaining a relationship with her ex-husband, whom she left, and his new wife and children. She is extremely unhappy with her life, but constrained by the people around her and the country she lives in. Things start to seem changeable, however, when she goes to an olive oil convention and meets a scientist working on olive oil and a developer who might be able to take the hotel Ivona's family has been renovating off of her hands. The writing was gorgeous without being overwrought and I found myself pausing multiple times in my reading to mull over a line.

It's been quite a while since I've read something so remarkably beautiful. I battled between not wanting to put it down and wanting to make this read last forever. By the end of it I was crying tears of happiness for Ivona, while also being so devastated for her. If this is Lidija's debut, I can't wait to read more from her.

I feel so fortunate to have read an early release of this book. What a gorgeous debut! The author fills the pages with exquisite writing and gives you all the "feels" in this love triangle story about a woman who has to find her own way amongst many setbacks in her hometown in Croatia. The writing is beautiful.

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon and Schulster, and Lidija Hilje for the ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. Ivona and Vlaho are a divorced ex-couple that have a tenuous friendship that also involves Vlaho's new wife, Marina. The book is set in Croatia.

This was an enthralling, beautiful love story from the first page all the way until the end with exceptionally gorgeous writing. Hilje managed to write a moving love story that is so realistic that there were times I forgot I wasn't reading about an actual couple, a rare feat for a work of fiction. There is a pivotal moment when Ivona makes a devastating decision and the single sentence that describes what pushes her to make her choice was perfect. Even when the main characters were making difficult choices, their personalities had been so clearly laid out that the choices made at least some sense. I am so excited for this to come out so I can get a physical copy.

This was such a beautifully written coming of age novel written for the ones who love sad fiction. Ivona divorced the love of her life, Vlaho, a decade ago, but their lives have remained intertwined. It was so emotionally charged that I had to pause frequently to just sit with the story… the feelings of longing and sadness were palpable and the descriptions of Croatia were stunning and captivating.

Ivona was such a complex character and though her decisions were sometimes questionable, my heart ached for her as she learned to grow. I felt so much while reading this story. Filled with raw emotion, love, loss, and the complexities of human connection, I won’t forget about this quiet novel anytime soon. I can’t believe this is a debut!

+ character driven
+ love & loss
+ personal growth
+ strong female
+ beautiful setting

A thought-provoking look at the choices we feel we must make that can ultimately lead to owing more to others than to ourselves. Set against the mesmerizing Croatian landscape, this beautifully written work helps us understand the importance of honest communication and flexibility.

I’m not sure I’ve ever read such a deeply realized protagonist. From the start, Ivona felt as real to me as a best friend of 20 years. More real maybe, in some magical and spectacular way, because of the authors exceptional talents. A story about once-in-a-lifetime love, how our parents shape the adults we become, and the fallout from bad decisions. Every line of this book has been painted with delicate, considered strokes and it has touched me deeply. Perfect for fans of My Brilliant Friend and Writers and Lovers. I find it hard to believe this is the authors debut. So looking forward to her next book.

This is a luscious book. The scenery and settings in Croatia are immersive, and the characters are well drawn and relatable. There's so much emotion in the complexity of the choices this protagonist is facing and the author does such a wonderful job exploring these and bringing the reader along on the heroine's journey. I read it all in one gulp.

Thank you to Simon Books and NetGalley for the early copy of this book!

4.5 stars rounded up

It’s a gorgeous portrait of first love, family, and rediscovering your identity after loss and heartbreak. Set in Croatia, it follows Ivona as she grapples with caring for her aging father, family debt, and the continued fallout from her divorce from Vlaho, who is remarried and now has two children. It also flashes back 20 years to the beginning of Ivona and Vlaho’s whirlwind love story, as they come of age in a newly democratic country.

In the present, Ivona is cautiously friends with Vlaho and his new wife, Marina, but her burgeoning relationship with a new man forces her to choose between a new life and her first love, whom she still deeply and secretly loves.

A love story is at the heart of this book, but I would say it’s more literary than romance. It’s also character-driven yet somehow fast-paced, so I was able to lose myself in the story, even in the middle of a reading slump.

I don’t think I’ve ever read a book set in Croatia, so I was happy to learn more about this country and its tenuous recent history.

Overall, it was a gripping, emotional story that I think will resonate with readers. I would note however, that infertility is a central theme of this book.

SLANTING TOWARDS THE SEA is a layered, emotionally charged story that explores the magnetic pull of first love and the aching stillness that follows heartbreak.

Spanning twenty years and anchored by one life-changing summer on the Croatian coast, the novel follows Ivona, who long ago divorced the love of her life, Vlaho. Yet despite their marriage ending, she remains tethered to him through friendship, family ties, and unresolved longing even as he remarries and builds a new life. When someone new enters Ivona’s world, the balance between past and future shifts once more.

I couldn’t look away from this mesmerizing debut. Lidija Hilje delicately unpacks the complexities of identity, desire, and the lives we imagine for ourselves. It’s a haunting, lyrical journey through memory, hope, and the quiet spaces in between.

📚 READ THIS IF YOU:
🌊 Want to be transported to a vivid Croatian seaside setting
🖋 Are in awe of lyrical prose written in an author’s second language
💔 Gravitate toward nuanced stories of love, loss, and emotional entanglement

RATING: 5/5
PUB DATE: July 8, 2025

Such a breathtaking look at the paradox between life and love. I cannot even begin to count the number of times I held my breath and counted my own heartbeats as time and again the words on the page gave me pause to consider how simple yet complex life can be. How it is a struggle for some to occupy themselves and not feel the need to apologize for taking up space, to learn to accept their strengths as well as their flaws. To give themselves permission to comfortably be where they are in life and that it is okay and even admirable to want more and to claim their joy. Simply put, this was joy and heartache beautifully balanced.