I never like reading a sequel to a book but I hope desperately for a second book featuring Ivona. She is flawed, she is complicated, she isn’t necessarily someone I would want to be friends with, but she is struggling with many things women struggle with and is completely relatable. The descriptive scenes draw you in to beautiful enchanting locations which in a way become characters as well. The fact that this is the author’s first book AND she wrote it in English is incredible. I can’t wait to read the author again, even if it’s not about Ivona.

A mesmerizing debut novel that is a beautifully written love story of family and homeland. Set in Croatia soon after the country gained independence, Ivona is a college student where she meets, falls in love with and ultimately marries Vhalos. When devastating news is delivered to Ivona, she struggles with her love for Vhalos but ultimately sets him free and returns to the family home to care for her ailing and difficult father and to assume responsibility for the family’s failing business. When a new man enters Ivona’s life, she must face decisions that require her to deal with the losses, grief and left behind dreams of her past. Mesmerizing in its descriptions of the characters as well as the beauty of Croatia, this story is powerful, emotional and hopeful. I hope readers will find this debut as exquisite as I did.

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster and Lidija Hilje for the opportunity to be an early reader for this beautiful story. Publication date: July 8

Oh my Gosh, I’m almost too gutted to write this review of the gorgeous Slanting Towards the Sea, an exquisite love story, a triangle of sorts, that simply swept me away. In Ivona, Hilje has created a character so complex, so deep, so beautifully written, that we can’t not root for her. We relate so much to her issues, her inner struggles, and her miss-steps, resonating perhaps with the mistakes we can’t help but make as human beings. Ivona is at once so complex, stubborn— resentful at times—so imperfect and yet so relatable and lovable that I wanted to envelop her in a hug. From my reading chair in California, she took me to a seaside town in Croatia with language at once lyrical and powerful. A transcendent and deeply moving book. I advise having tissues nearby.

Set against the coastal beauty of Croatia, Slanting Towards the Sea tells a melancholic love story that ebbs and flows, mesmerizingly so, and in line with the sea of its evocative title. Ivona and Vlaho meet young, they are married but then divorced whilst continuing to hold something together that neither of them is courageous enough to call love.

Lidija Hilje draws her readers so close to her first-person protagonist Ivona, that we feel her woes, we suffer her emotions and we empathise her "Overthinking. Overfeeling. Overreacting." In this particular scene, like every other moment of the novel, the heat of the Croatian day, the pebbles, the sand, "the sea burb[ling] softly between the rocks" and all its beautiful, sensory details are brought to life with Hilje's magnificent use of imagery and emotive vocabulary. Ivona's life is clearly as mottled as the Adriatic Sea and its history. She shares with the reader her tragedies, broken relationships and family demands, but eventually we also see a central core of resilience in Ivona, that pushes her to stay strong and persevere in spite of the barriers hindering her getting what she truly wants, as we see to some extent in later chapters.

Really though, this novel has so much to explore, perhaps too much to include in this review; mother-daughter relationships, duty towards parents in sickness, family heritage, infertility, identity, and much more. Hilje's writing offers interior thoughts of a vulnerable daughter who is torn by cultural imposition and Croatian traditions, that lead her to make decisions to please a mother-in-law, her mother, her father, and even Vlaho, her ex-husband himself, ultimately resulting in her separating from him. 

Ivona seems drawn to self-sabotage her happiness, by breaking away from Vlaho, who she sees as the love of her life, whilst continuing to obsess and yearn for him. For example, Ivona divorces Vlaho, encourages his marriage to her friend Marina, tries to find love with another man Asier, yet obsesses about how her actions may impact Vlaho's second marriage and his life. This fits with the ebbing and flowing of the metaphorical sea. The literal Adriatic Sea of the novel is what Ivona considers central to drawing the two of them together, regardless of their shifting circumstances, in much the same way as her country and family holds onto her.

Interestingly, I found the relationship between Ivona and Marina, her  student friend with whom she learned Italian in the past, to be a powerful one. In the narrative, every time Ivona speaks of Marina, describes her actions or interacts with her, it is with unchecked kindness and thoughtfulness towards how Marina may be feeling in response to Ivona's actions. Marina fits with ease, empathy and understanding into what could be described as a fatally flawed relationship between Ivona and Vlaho. In effect, Marina is used by Ivona as a body replacement in the relationship Ivona chose to leave, but conversely Marina is respected and valued by Ivona, which for me makes Marina a likable presence in the novel. On a similar note, for some reason, Marina welcomes the presence of Vlaho's ex-wife Ivona in their family set-up and up to a point, the trio works. Until it doesn't, and then the sadness imbued by mistaken actions turns their 'family of three' towards tragedy. 

Wow to Lidija's incredible scenic descriptions of her Croatian setting, not to mention the way she has embedded language and idioms, insights to history and cultural traditions, the food and dishes of such a beautiful, vibrant setting into her writing. 

This debut novel is spectacular, rich with discussion points and hauntingly beautiful.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Simon and Schuster Publishing in the US and Daunt Publishing in the UK for allowing me to read and review Lidija Hilje's wonderful first novel.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback!

I picked this up on a whim when sorting through my eARCs and i was instantly drawn in. Lidija Hilje's prose is beautiful, slightly tinged with sadness and evocative of the place. I have never been to Croatia, but the ways in which she described the coast and its people made me feel as if I was there. Watching Ivona make decisions (good and bad), learn and come into herself was a wonderful experience. This is a book that will live in my brain for a long time after. Highly looking forward to reading another book from this author.

Gorgeous scenery mixed with a complicated, emotionally resonate love triangle, Lidija Hilje is a new author to watch in the literary genre!

These characters felt so real and so human. It felt like I was reading someone’s actual life story. The cover and title drew me in and I’m very glad they did. Amazing book!

Thank you Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the early galley of this book.

As soon as I saw that it is set in Croatia I knew I wanted to read it (amazing cover also contributed in this decision).
The story sucked me in from the first page. We learn right away that Ivona is having a hard time in her life and divorce with her husband carried some sort of secret. Of course I wanted to know what happened and what will happen next.
I think Ivona as a character was very complex and many would find her unlikable and that's a shame. Author did an amazing job describing Balkan culture and history and how it shaped our characters, and I can only hope that readers will be able to not only connect with Ivona but actually step into her life and understand her.
The writing is beautiful, there is something special about lawyers writing novels, they have a unique way with words and sentences. I always wanted to visit Croatia and this book only ignited this desire.
I hope readers find this book at the perfect time of their lives and love it as much as I did.

This was lovely, lyrical, and rich—a wonderful debut that realistically captured a horribly complex relational dilemma. I look forward to reading more from Hilje.

Slanting Towards the Sea is a poignant story of love, loss, and self-discovery set against the breathtaking Croatian coastline. Ivona's journey, marked by regret and resilience, feels deeply human as she navigates complex relationships with her past, her ex-husband, and a new connection. The novel masterfully captures the weight of missed chances and the healing power of love, making it a heartfelt and memorable read.

I stayed up waaaay too late finishing Slanting Toward the Sea.

My favorite type of books are ones that examine what happens when good people face tough situations and there are no easy answers. Ivona and Vlaho’s love story should have been simple and straightforward, but family expectations and living in a complicated country cause them to veer off course. This story toggles back and forth between the start of their relationship and present day. At several points along the way, I was sure I knew where the story was headed, but I was surprised again and again. This is an achingly beautiful debut that examines what happens when you grasp great love and then it slips through your fingers.

I’d be remiss in not adding how much I enjoyed learning about Croatia, which I knew embarrassingly little about beforehand. It’s a complicated country, and Ivona has complicated feelings about it, which added such a unique element to the story.

This is a beautiful book. Evocative descriptions of the Croatian coastline, a sympathetic main character struggling with so much loss, and trying to find the courgae to move on, and a love triangle—I was mesmerized from the first page. Ivona's ex, whom she still loves, has remarried, although he keps Ivona close. She's the godmother to his children, a friend to his new wife. When someone new appears, he stirs from his complacency. To move forward, Ivona must face her painful past and her complicated, deep attachments to him and to a property she can no longer afford. Her bravery as she assumes these challenges is deeply moving. I loved it.

Set in Croatia, Slanting Towards the Sea is a literary gem, haunting in its beauty. In simplest terms, it's a love story between a man and a woman who meet as students, later marry and divorce, but who, we learn, never fell out of love. But the scope of Slanting is expansive, embracing political and economic changes in the once war-torn country, changes that have limited the range of choices to be made by the story's narrator, Ivona. At heart, the story is about choices, our own and the ones we feel are forced upon us. It's also about the power and the limitations of love.

The writing is sensual, the settings sublime. The reader is literally transported to Croatia and can smell the ocean, feel the lushness of the olive groves, hear the seasonal winds. Lyrical references to the sea are laced throughout, underscoring the author's love for her native land.
As Slanting begins, Ivona is in her late 30s and living with her father. The only one of two siblings caring for him after he suffered a debilitating stroke, Ivona is working against impossible odds to rescue her father's dream to run a hotel on land they own but can no longer afford. The relationship between father and daughter is fraught, but with an unspoken tenderness underlying it.

In backstory, we see the younger Ivona fall deeply in love with Vlaho. The two build a life together, a fragile union at times as Ivona's career choices are limited by the constraints of Croatia's economy and social policies. Their marriage is eventually shattered by a medical diagnosis and a terrible secret. Vlaho remarries and has children; Ivona remains a friend to Vlaho and his wife and is godmother to their daughter. When years later, Ivona begins a relationship with another man, the delicate balance among the threesome is upended.

As Ivona and Vlaho face an emotional reckoning, life-changing choices must be made. Along the way, there are lies and betrayals, but these are not bad people. They are simply humans aching for love.

As a reader, I ache with them.

Meaningful, poignant, and purposeful. A beautiful story of grief, love, and the inevitable. It roped me in from page 1 with its welcoming and thoughtful prose.

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

This book was fantastic and entertaining to read. I loved learning about a new-to-me country and setting. The characters appeared authentic and the situations they find themselves in were well written. I liked the author and hope for more of their work soon. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Oh, this beautiful book! It was my perfect read. I absolutely adored it. The viewpoint character Ivona shares her heart and soul with us - we feel everything she feels as she navigates love and heartbreak, making impossible choices, facing the unfacable, The setting - Croatia - was so vividly portrayed, it's definitely a character in the story. Through Ivona, we experience Croatia's beauty, its traditions and the way it frustrates and disappoints its citizens. This added layer of interest worked so well with the narrative playing out on the page, complicating Ivona's decisions. My only regret about this book was that I read it far too quickly because I wanted to know what happened. I will definitely be reading it again. Soon.

This book broke my heart in so many different ways. Lidija writes in a way that brings you right into the characters' stories from the very beginning, brilliantly using beautiful figurative language while weaving the lost love story of Vlaho and Ivona. We go on a journey between the past and present where over the course of 20 years, we watch their love story bloom, grow, and devastatingly fade away as people come and go and life continues on. I loved so many things about this novel...the language, the setting of beautiful and complicated Croatia, the thought-provoking story. This would be an excellent book club pick.

a beautiful debut about love, family & life with characters that felt real, flawed and human. the cover drew me in to this story and i'm happy i read this.. so many quotes highlighted that really made me pause, think and feel for a second. will definitely be looking forward to lidija hilje's future works!

thank you so much netgalley and simon & schuster for the arc 🤍