Oh my goodness, this book is phenomenal! It's so many things, a romance, a love story, a courtroom drama, a coming of age story, and a mystery. I could not put it down. Do not miss this novel. Put it on your to-read list now. I can't say enough good things about this book.

This is what reading is all about. It’s been a very long time since a book has captured my attention the way that “Broken Country” has. I was captivated by each page. In fact, I was sad to see this story end. This is by far my favorite book of the year, and I am recommending that everyone add it to your list now. I was filled with every raw emotion available. There was love, heartbreak, grief, anger, intensity, and sadness. In fact, have tissues handy because the ending will probably leave you needing some.

This story takes place in the ‘Before’ of 1955, and also during the present time (of the story) of 1968. There is also a Trial taking place, but we really don’t get a full description of this trial until near the end of the story. Everything flows so seamlessly and flawlessly, that there were no questions left unanswered or any type of confusion. The chapters were short, which in turn made this mesmerizing story easy to keep wanting more. Each character was easy to resonate with, and you couldn’t help but to feel like you personally knew each and every one of them.

I won’t get too much into this story as you can easily read the synopsis, and besides I literally have no words. All I know is that the characters of Beth and her husband Frank (and that of Gabriel) will stay with me for a long while after this.
This book deserves All. The. Stars. 🌟

Many, many thanks to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, and the author for an ARC of this book which I had the pleasure of reading. All opinions are my own.
Publication date: March 4, 2025
Genre~ General Fiction (Adult), Romance, Mystery & Thriller

This book reminded me a little of All the Colors of the Dark because it’s similarly genre-defying. It’s a mystery, it’s a family drama, it’s a love story. Big secrets give this book the pacing of a literary thriller, and I couldn’t stop turning the pages to see how it would all turn out.

Chapters alternate between before, and later years, with an occasional glimpse into a court case held after both periods. The short, alternating periods serve to create a taut narrative that explores Beth's relationship with two men, her son's short life, and a murder trial. But who is the perpetrator and who is the victim? It's not immediately clear.

I’ve seen a lot of advanced praise for this book, and it’s well deserved. Just when you think you know what happened, the author surprises you with another unexpected reveal. Everyone will be talking about this book, and I expect it to made it onto a lot of 'favorites' lists.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

Reviews will be posted on GoodReads, Instagram and BN.com closer to pub day

Absolutely amazing!!!!!!!!!!!! The depth of this book is fabulous. And a debut novel. Clare Leslie Hall, you rock and keep writing because I will read it all. I truly felt like I lived on the farm with them. I completely fell in love with all of them. I'm really sad to see this book end. So much love and heart break and redemption and more love. This comes out in March of 2025 and will hands down be a favorite of the year for me.

10 stars!!!!!

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book. This won't be the last time I read this book.

This book was so good!!!! I loved the way the story was told flashing from the present to the past.

Beth, Frank and Gabriel's story is of young love. That first love that you never thought you'd get over and move on from.

You find out someone is on trial for murder but you don't know who it is until the end. The pieces slowly come together and the twist I never saw coming. Heartbreaking!!!

Thank you Netgalley, Simon & Schuster and Clare Leslie Hall for the ARC. I cannot wait to buy this book for friend and family.

Enthusiastic 5 stars! Easily will be in my top books of the year! This is the kind of book I absolutely love- evocative writing, beautiful character development, atmospheric small town setting, and a propulsive storyline. The opening line had me hooked right from the start. A farmer has been murdered, then the story goes back in time to figure out who, how, and what the consequences will be. While the underlying mystery keeps the story moving, it is really the writing (accessible and literary), and the depth of the characters that makes this book so fantastic. The book deals with some difficult themes (child loss, infidelity) and some may find the main character unlikable. I agree with the comp of The Paper Palace (which I also loved) with some of the themes and the atmosphere but even if that book wasn’t for you, Broken Country is still a must read. I cannot recommend this enough!

Thank you to Simon & Shuster for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the early read of Broken Country! I’ve heard so many great things about this book already and it was a fun, yet bittersweet, read.

This reminded me of reading The Notebook when it first came out —

Young lovers torn apart too soon because of society and circumstance, who are brought back together years later and one of them is married to someone else —
Except it’s even more exciting than that because there’s a murder trial weaving throughout the book.

And what kept me moving the pages even faster was not knowing who was on trial and who had been murdered.

Just one look at the beautiful book cover and you know that the setting is a big part of this book; Clare Leslie Hall does a fantastic job creating the world of this English farming village. And there’s also some great stuff here about parents, siblings, spouses, and so much more.

This book, you guys. When I tell you I cried, I mean I openly wept. It's been a long, long time since I was so affected by a read. Poetically bleak, and achingly beautiful, Broken Country came alive for me in a way that few others have. I felt like I was right there. It is so steeped in atmosphere and a sense of foreboding that reading it felt like being in the midst of a slowly gathering storm, and I was completely swept up by it. I wanted to slowly savor this book since I knew right away I was holding something special in my hands, but alas...I read it in three days. I suspect I may have a new beauty to add to my all-time favorites shelf.

This is already on our list for our New Year, New Books program! I had such mixed feelings about the characters. I cared about them, then watched them make stupid decisions, back to being got up in their stories, mad at them. The author really took us on a ride!

Wow, this was an extraordinary read. The story was extremely engrossing, the pastoral setting was atmospheric, and the characters were completely unforgettable. Each person in the story was distinctive and well-developed, and the plot was unexpected but very believable. The specifics of the trial itself and the exact sequence of events that took place were concealed until the perfect moment.

The pacing was executed expertly, and the ending was brilliant. I loved every moment I spent with this book.

Broken Country is about a first love and later a true longer lasting love. Amid all the joy of a happy marriage, there is also a horrible sadness with the loss of a child. The story moves from past to present with alternating chapters and that works very well with the reading flow. There are a lot of unanswered questions that are addressed as the story progresses. I liked all the characters and I felt like I could relate to all of their emotions.
A terrible event leads to a murder trial and what actually happened could not have been predicted by the reader. This book was an amazing story and I did not want it to end.

The story goes back and forth between the past and present, telling the story of a tragic death keeping you guessing as to what happened, who was killed, and who did it. You fall in love with the characters, your heart gets broken many times, and there are surprises around every corner. It was a great story, and I highly recommend picking it up when it comes out!

I very much enjoyed this book, although I don't understand why Clare Leslie Hall named it Broken Country. Beth is the star of this book. When she was young, she fell in love with Gabriel, who came from a wealthy family. His mother never liked her. She preferred Louisa, who also came from wealth. Anyway, Beth and Gabriel's dreams included her being a poet and him being an author. So he went to Oxford, the school Louisa was attending, and Beth went to St. Anne's. She turned down an offer to attend Oxford. On one occasion, Gabriel left her in his dorm room where she read his journal. It implied that he had slept with Louisa. She was furious and they broke up.

Frank had always loved Beth, so when she came home from school he proposed to her, they got married and had a son named Bobby. When Bobby was three, Gabriel married Louisa. Gabriel and Louisa moved from England to America where they had a son named Leo.

Beth, Frank and Bobby lived on Blakely farm. Frank's brother, Jimmy, helped on the farm. He had birthed Bobby because Frank was away on the farm, and Jimmy loved Bobby dearly. On the farm was a huge oak tree that had died. It was decided that it would be taken down. Beth was off visiting Nina, Jimmy's girlfriend, when the men undertook the task of taking the tree out. Bobby was told to stay put but instead he was running around. So when the tree fell it fell on Bobby and killed him. He was 9 years old. Of course Beth, Frank and Jimmy were devastated.

3 years later, Gabriel and Leo moved back to Gabriel's family property called Meadowland which was a hop, skip and a jump from Beth's farm. Gabriel and Louisa had split up. Beth had been visiting Gabriel and Leo and she and Leo struck up a relationship. Gabriel was an author and needed time to himself to finish his book so he hired Beth to babysit Leo. Beth told Leo all about Bobby, and she eventually told Gabriel as well.

It wasn't long before Beth started visiting Gabriel when Leo was at school. They would share a glass of wine together, and then she started staying longer and longer. Unfortunately, they ended up having an affair. I say unfortunately because Beth really loved Frank and I was disappointed that she would succumb to sleeping with him.

It was only a matter of time before the entire community knew of their shenanigans. Jimmy was infuriated. And by this time he and Nina had been married for a week. He and Frank had been going to the pub every night and that's where they heard about Beth and Gabriel. Jimmy came back drunk, and confronted Beth, to which she said nothing. Jimmy decided to take it upon himself to confront Gabriel, so he got a gun and went to Gabriel's house. Beth was there at the time. Jimmy shot a bullet through the window and Gabriel told Beth and Leo to stay in the kitchen and that he would go out and deal with Jimmy. Jimmy was sloppy drunk, which had been his state for days on end. Gabriel decided to load everyone in the car and take Jimmy to the farm. Jimmy ended up being shot. Frank told the police that he and Jimmy got into a tussle over the rifle and the gun went off. He wasn't found guilty of murder but he was found guilty of manslaughter and he got 8 years.

This tale had a twist and it was one I didn't see coming. I never expected it. And there was another twist also. The story bounced back and forth between before and 1968, 1968 being when everything happened. I love the way the author cleverly wove this saga, making it into something believable. And she did an excellent job developing the characters. I was really impressed with this book and I gave it five stars.

This book was good- I liked the premise a lot! It had too many time switches for me to easily keep up with, and that was difficult for me. I also wasn’t sure why she punctuated her dialogue the way she did. However, the plot was great! It was also incredibly
Descriptive and poetic.

This is an emotional story following Beth, a young woman in North Dorset, England. Chapters alternate between timelines, one in 1955 when teenaged Beth meets and falls in love with Gabriel Wolfe, and one in 1968 when she is married to a farmer named Frank Johnson. Interspersed are also chapters showcasing a murder trial occurring after the other timelines, although who is on trial for whose murder is not made clear until near the end.

There is a touching story here about relationships before and after the loss of a child, both broken relationships and healing ones. A love of the natural world is on display in the writing. I found the parts describing infidelity difficult to read, but everyone at least winds up addressing their wrongdoings. Beth's complicated feelings and the looming murder we know is going to happen create a tense atmosphere set against the simple pleasures of the pastoral setting and the love for a child.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the eARC of this moving story in exchange for my unbiased review.

CW: death of a child, infidelity

This is a book that has stayed with me since I finished it, the characters always in the back of my mind. Complicated, emotional, and just so good from beginning to end. Definitely a book I will be forcing on others.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If this isn’t the hottest book club pick of 2025, I’ll be shocked! This historical fiction novel follows Beth Johnson through the twists & turns of her relationships & heartbreaks and I couldn’t put it down! I also loved the English countryside setting. Read this book!

I read this in one day it was so engaging. The plotting and reveals/twists were perfectly doled out to keep you invested. The depiction of the English country and first love were beautiful, but I do feel like there was something, and I can't really put my finger on it, that was missing. But I am very much looking forward to more from this author, and found this an engrossingband unexpectedly dark yet hopeful novel.

Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It's been a moment since I've tackled an ARC, and I am really glad I started back up with Broken Country. This is a story about a love triangle that takes a tragic turn. Hall examines how our first loves affect us, and in some cases haunts us, well after it has come and gone. She also raises the infamous question of, "If you could do it all over again, would you?".

Broken Country is set in the 1960s and 1970s in the UK, and the way Hall describes Blakely Farm and the Meadowlands really captures the reader. You feel as though you are right alongside Beth as she finds herself caught up in love and heartache. When Beth's brother-in-law shoots a dog that is attacking their sheep, they have no idea how their lives are about to change. The dog belongs to Beth's long ago teenage love, whom she has not seen since they broke up over a decade before. Gabriel has returned home to Meadowlands with his son, Leo. The Johnson family, Beth, her husband Frank, and brother-in-law Jimmy, all feel a sense of dread at this sudden revelation. There is a long, secret history between Beth, Frank, and Gabriel. One that Jimmy is aware of and does not enjoy revisiting. While it is a shock to have Gabriel within a stones throw again, Beth feels their past start to reignite. Before Beth can ask herself if this love triangle is worth reigniting, it becomes too late. Someone has died, and it all comes back to her first love.

I adored Hall's character development throughout the entirety of the book. Each character is lovable and relatable in their own way. She paints such a delicate story of loss and love, and the mystery of what happens next keeps you turning the pages. The ending was surprisingly emotional for me, and it was just the cherry on top of this book. I will be recommending this to others as soon as it hits the shelves.

I deeply enjoyed this emotional story of love in its many forms. There is a love triangle that culminates in an explosive act, but the novel is paced more liken to literary suspense, rather than a thriller. The slower pacing allows for thorough character development and thoughtful commentary on marriage and motherhood. Readers that enjoy books like, Go as a River and All the Colors of the Dark, with likely enjoy this character-driven story with a conflict at its center than unfolds expertly and unexpectedly.