I really liked the premise of this book and looked forward to reading it. While I did enjoy the story, it was too slow for me and I just did not feel I was able to connect with these characters.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall.

This book was a wonderful begining of the year, read during a snowstorm, can't put down experience. Broken Country is at its most basic a love triangle. At times I was very frustrated with the main character. But she is human. The imagery, the time period, and the story all kept me turning the pages even while wishing I could savor each one. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

This is a powerful book about forgiveness - both of others and ourselves. BROKEN COUNTRY has it all: passionate romance, betrayal, impossible choices, grief and loss - even courtroom drama.

On top of a compelling story, which truly does have the twists and pacing of a really good thriller, Clare Leslie Hall’s writing about love - both young, electric love and the deep, well-worn love of marriage - is beautiful. The way she writes about life on a farm is gorgeous. The characters are imperfect humans who make decisions I might not have, but that’s the beauty in the story.

I flew through the last quarter of this book because I simply had to know how it ended. This book squeezed my heart and kept me totally entertained. It’s an easy 5 star read for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher Simon & Schuster for an early digital copy of BROKEN COUNTRY in exchange for my honest feedback.

An amazing book because:
1. Shows how emotion can be written in black and white text that pushes into the human heart.
2. The formatting of the book does a beautiful crescendo of time, telling of events, and development of relationships.
3. The character development. I felt so much heart for all of the characters. I ached for their losses.
4. The length was perfect. The pacing was right on.
5. The ending was a chef's kiss. One of the best endings I've ever read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the gifted e-ARC.

Wow! This book was absolutely amazing. Thank you so much NetGalley for this ARC. It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book this good. It has me captivated and eagerly turning pages to find out what happens next. Romance, tragedy and deceit. It had spins and turns I never saw coming. What a fabulous story!

"Broken Country" by Clare Leslie Hall tackles heavy themes of love, loss, and tragedy, addressing sensitive topics such as child and animal death, alcoholism, and gun violence. Despite the emotional weight of the story, I found it challenging to connect with the narrative and characters. The pacing felt slow and meandering, and I struggled to stay engaged, often feeling more frustrated than moved by the unfolding tragedies. The predictability of the plot twists further detracted from the experience, making the story feel more like a setup than a natural progression.

That said, I recognize I’m in the minority. While the book didn’t resonate with me, I can see why it might deeply connect with other readers who appreciate its themes and emotional depth. Because of this, I’ll still recommend Broken Country during reader’s advisory, as I believe many will find it powerful and compelling.

Thank you to Clare Leslie Hall, Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for sending me the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall is an epic love story, filled with all the requisite secrets and betrayals found in sweeping romances. You'll feel for all the characters as they navigate through loss and grief, making decisions that forever change the trajectory of their lives. There are no bad guys here: only flawed humans navigating the chaos of love, second chances, and sacrifice. The ending was a bit expected, with a few surprises thrown in, and tied up a little too neatly, and not an ending I would have wanted, but all in all, a satisfying read. Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read this wonderful book.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc. It was a mix of mystery/thriller and romance. It had me hooked the entire time. The battle the female main character had of who she once was and who she was now was very emotional. I gave this book a 5 stars.

I adored this read! Essentially a love triangle and family drama, the plot centers on Beth, and her life in a small farming community in England. As a dog arrives on her farm and attacks her families sheep, her husband takes desperate action, shooting and killing the attacking dog as the neighbor and his son arrive to retrieve him. Thus setting off a series of events that change all three lives, and others. In dual timelines, we learn of Beth's teenage relationship with the neighbor, Gabriel, exposing the differences in class, education and upbringing that eventually work to drive them apart. Now years later, grieving the loss of their own son, Beth and her family are drawn into the lives of Gabriel and his son Leo, reigniting their old passions. Soon, a death occurs in Beth's family leading to a sensational trial setting her two loves against one another, all wrapped in a twist I did not see coming! A very emotional, compelling, historical novel, well worth the reading!

This is a delightful book of young love that does not work out as planned. Later in Life Beth and Gabriel’s lives cross paths again and the love sizzles. During their time apart Beth has married a kind and compassionate farmer, Frank and they lost several children. This story has it all from love, loss, mystery, forgiveness, strength of character and deep emotions. This is writing at its best and I absolutely loved it. I highly recommend this book. It is easy reading and very hard to put down.

I wish to thank Net Galley and Simon & Schuster Publishing Co. for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed this advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I wasn't sure going in to reading this book if I was going to like it or not. It's not my typical genre to read. The synopsis had me intrigued, though and I'm grateful to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was hooked almost from the start. There was such rich character development and you felt like you were on the farm with these characters. It was a slow burn in the best possible way. The twists at the end, while not surprising looking back, still threw me.

I loved the characters, the heartbreak and redemption they faced, and just everything about this book. So impressive for a debut author. Many debut books are forgettable, but not this one.

If you love romance, drama, mystery, and/or historical fiction, this book is for you. Highly recommend.

What a beautiful book. Highly recommend.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, this is the type of book that makes reading enjoyable, it really is THAT good. I look forward to reading more by her other name, Clare Empson.

I passed the halfway point last night and could not put the book down this morning, finishing it in one fell swoop. I found myself crying my way through the ending, utterly destroyed by the twists and turns, rather shocked by how much I cared about these characters. The way Clare writes characters that are flawed and human and yet I care so much about, is truly artful. She describes a world I have never seen and yet I understand entirely.

I won’t spoil too much more as the description is very accurate and I think its worth the read.

My one gripe with this book is the beginning - it did not grip me and I DNF’d three times before I finally read it. I'm so glad I did. I could see myself rereading this book many times over the years.

Ohmygosh - this book was so good! I may have been reading it at 3am. It just grabs you and sucks you into the drama. This story alternates between the present and the past (which I love). Big thanks to NetGalley, publishers and author for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Trigger warning - death of a child.

I went into this book mostly blind. I saw ‘love triangle’ in the blurb and immediately hit request. When I opened it and saw there was a murder involved it became all the more interesting. For the most part, I enjoyed this read. It was a little rough in the beginning with the short chapters and time changes but eventually I got used to it and enjoyed getting a glimpse into the past. It almost reads as a diary from Beth with everything being kind of a quick recap from her point of view.

While still in high school, Beth falls in love with Gabriel, the heir to an estate that border’s her family property. He is rich, handsome and leads a glamorous life. She is smart, spunky and very much below his social status. Their romance lasts for the summer but when Gabriel leaves for Oxford, they quickly break up. Beth marries a local farmer and lives happily until tragedy strikes her family. As they are recovering, Gabriel returns to the estate with his young son. His marriage has broken up. Beth and Gabriel are reacquainted and she feels torn between Frank, her loyal husband, and her old love. Then their world explodes when one of the family is killed. Hall does an excellent job of using multiple time lines to integrate a present day murder trial with the backstory which begins when Beth is in high school. I couldn’t put it down. The character development and writing are excellent! I highly recommend it. I thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC. I predict this will be one of the best books of 2025.

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ 𝔼𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕪 𝕊𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕝𝕖 𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕣 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕊𝕜𝕪 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜! ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹

This book. WOW. This book is mf INCREDIBLE! 😭😭 sobbing. It was so fucking beautiful.

Masterpiece! All the stars!

“𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓯𝓪𝓻𝓶𝓮𝓻 𝓲𝓼 𝓭𝓮𝓪𝓭 … 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓪𝓷𝔂𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝔀𝓪𝓷𝓽𝓼 𝓽𝓸 𝓴𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓲𝓼 𝔀𝓱𝓸 𝓴𝓲𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓭 𝓱𝓲𝓶.”

Gripping and atmospheric, with a perfect mix of love, mystery, and tension. And already optioned for film!

A stellar, literary masterpiece that is sure to be the top read of 2025! I'm honestly speechless after finishing this book.

I took the night to kind of process it all. Because it is A LOT. I did however text a bunch of my close friends right after finishing it and demand they add it to their TBR right then and there lol.

And listen - this is being compared to the likes of Where the Crawdads Sing which is fine and all, but I loathed that book and loved this one. So pay no mind to that comparison if you weren't a fan of Crawdads.

⨾༊󠀺 Quick Summary ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹

In 1955, Beth meets Gabriel Wolfe, the son of the wealthy family in her small English farming village, and they begin a summer romance. In 1968, Beth lives on a sheep farm with her husband Frank and his younger brother Jimmy, in the same village they grew up in. One day, she learns that Gabriel has returned to his ancestral home, with his young son, Leo, after divorcing his American wife.

Beth becomes wrapped in their lives, after a tragic accident requires Jimmy to shoot Leo's dog to save their newly born lambs, when she gives Leo a puppy and promises to help train him.

The dual timeline follows the beginning of the romance between Beth and Gabriel in 1955, and the rekindling of their relationship in 1968 as well.

From the beginning of the novel, we know someone is dead, and Frank is on trial for their murder. The book fills in the pieces of exactly what happened as the timelines move forward.

Love triangles are always complicated, but this one is one for the ages. Sex, lies, and an irreversible accident that sends a small town spinning.

⨾༊󠀺 My Thoughts ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹

This book. Besties! No words I can say will do this book justice. I'm just totally blown away. The prose - BEAUTIFUL and EXQUISITE. The story is so atmospheric and really just whisks you away to this small country town.

I think the author did an incredible job at concealing many things from us. For a good while I wasn't sure who I liked and who I didn't. They're authentic and real. So well rounded and relatable.

I sobbed so many times reading this - this book wrung me out emotionally. I was so invested with every single one of the characters over here biting my nails (which I don't do) just dying to find out what happened.

From cover to cover this was an amazing story. Short chapters, beautiful writing, an engaging and consuming story that will have you flipping the pages into the wee hours in the morning to find out what exactly happened on this farm... you will want to untangle the entire thing and when you do - you will be shocked.

Packed with twists and unbelievable revelations. I cannot recommend this book enough!

Anticipated Release - 03/04/25

╰⪼ 🧡Young Love
╰⪼ 💛Love and Loss
╰⪼ 🌳Torrid Affair
╰⪼ 🧡Murder Trial
╰⪼ 💛Dual Timeline
╰⪼ 🌳Coming of Age
╰⪼ 🧡Forbidden Love
╰⪼ 💛Family Drama
╰⪼ 🌳English Country Side Setting
╰⪼ 🧡Emotional Tear Jerker
╰⪼ 💛Mystery/Romance/Tragedy

Please read the TW's if needed. I'm sure there's a ton in here.

Buddy reading with my lovely Fairuz Please be sure to check out her thoughts as well! 💐

⋆✴︎˚｡⋆ Connect with me on Instagram ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹

✨ Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the advanced digital copy - all thoughts are my own. ✨
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Broken Country is a book that takes you on a heartbreaking emotional rollercoaster through love, loss, hard choices, forgiveness, sacrifice, and second chances. Told in alternating timelines, you are taken on a journey through Beth’s story with the jumps in time slowly filling in the blanks. This story shows how one small second/one simple choice can change everything and alter so many lives. I finished it in one day because I couldn’t put it down! Very compelling read that I think will make it to the top of the charts. Thank you to Clare Leslie Hall, Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest review.

“The farmer is dead … and all anyone wants to know is who killed him.” With an opening line like that, Broken Country grabbed my attention from the start and kept it throughout. It is an intriguing, fast-moving story with many unexpected twists. The characters are all engaging, especially the three main characters who form the “love triangle.” But everyone, whether their role is large or small, contributes to the building up of tension leading to the tumultuous climax. As Beth reflects on the events of the past few years, she realizes that they all shared the blame in some way, each of them having played a part in the tragedy. An amazing debut novel by Clare Leslie Hall. Highly recommended: 5 stars plus!

Broken Country will take you on a heartbreaking emotional roller coaster. A love triangle so elegantly written it is hard to choose who to side with.

This story is told in alternating timelines. One follows Beth falling in love for the first time, her marriage, and a trial of murder. During these times Beth faces multiple heartbreaks and difficult choices of how to move on.

While Beth is still grieving the loss of her son her first love, Gabriel, moves back to town. He has a son that is around the same age as hers when he passed. At first she feels a pull to help his son get through a difficult time in his life. But it isn’t long before old feelings are stirred up. Quickly someone ends up dead and the wrong person pays the price.