Beth is married to Frank and they live and work hard on the farm. Early on, we learn that they shared a young son who passed away at an early age. Frank also has a brother - Jimmy. Jimmy and Frank have always been close as after their mom died in a farm accident, Frank became Jimmy's caretaker when their father wasn't able to provide for them anymore. He loved them, but was shattered by their mom's death. Beth's world is turned upside down when her childhood love, Gabriel returns to town to live with his son, Leo, who also happens to be her deceased son's age. Beth and Gabriel were each other's first true loves and eventually find out this time that it ended under false pretenses. She now loves two men. How will this story unfold?

Broken Country was an absolutely phenomenal read with so much love and adoration, it made my heart want to explode. I don't normally go for any type of romance novels, so I went into this with a bit of trepidation. But I had no need to worry - it was an incredible story that kept me plastered to my kindle. I think I read it in about two sittings, maybe three at the most. I felt like Beth was such an honest and pure character but she was dealt an un-pure and complicated emotional decision. In most stories, you tend to blame the one who cheats, but I found myself not wanting to blame Beth for these honest and raw feelings. It was absolutely sublime!

A wonderful novel of love old and new and the choices we have to make.

Beth and Frank are a married couple who have faced tragedy but still manage to keep their marriage and love intact. When an old boyfriend shows up, Beth is torn between her life with Frank and what she once had as a young girl. It is a gripping novel that keeps the reader interested to find out who makes what choices.

Wow 🤯💔

I definitely did not expect the ending! What a powerful story of love, heartbreak & tragedy. It had my heart racing towards the end & I’m so glad it ended the way it did. My heart felt for the young version of Gabriel & Beth, but Frank’s unconditional love, devotion & selfless attributes won my heart. ❤️

Wow! I did not think I would love this book as much as I did. This book had me completely captivated. I couldn’t put it down! If I wasn’t reading it I was thinking about it. The pacing was excellent. The characters were entirely relatable and likable — all of them! The story was dramatic and shocking yet plausible. And that ending. It had me shook in satisfying tears! 😭

Loved the atmospheric story. Be prepared to sob- have tissues on hand!! So many great themes and relatable aspects. Highly, highly recommend.

This story is well told and draws the reader in from the very beginning. The characters are interesting and the plot well developed, although I struggled with the ending. Overall, though, an engaging read.

This book contains a love triangle; it includes heart breaking deaths; it includes choices and consequences as one tries to recapture "first love" of their youth.

It's a book about compassion and what it really means to love someone. What will we do for love...how far will we jeopardize our own true self? But, perhaps what really makes this book are its jaw-dropping twists.

I probably read this book faster than I have any other one in my recent reading history. It is beautifully written. Oh, and it was such a bonus that its setting was the English countryside and that it was presented with a back and forth dual timeline (1955 and 1968).

I feel as though fans of Where the Crawdads Sing and books similar to that topic and style would enjoy this new one by Clare Leslie Hall. It was beautifully written and presented. Thank you, NetGalley and Simon and Schuster, for this delightful ARC hitting shelves on March 4, 2025.

This was my first read by this author, and it won’t be my last. I downloaded this on a whim, and boy am I glad I did.

I was immediately sucked into this story, and once I started, I couldn’t stop. I read this in one night. This is a beautifully written, emotionally complex story about a woman and her love for two men - and how their love for her complicates all of their lives.

All of these characters are deeply flawed, but extremely human - Clare Leslie Hall did a phenomenal job of truly highlighting how complex relationships can be, and how some decisions can go on to have devastating consequences. This story felt believable, and I could truly empathise with all of the characters. The decisions and choices in the book made a lot of sense. This story was emotional and had me tearing up a couple of times. I definitely recommend this one to anyone who is looking for a story that will tug on your heart strings and will make you feel absolutely devastated.

Thank you to NetGalley, Clare Leslie Hall, and the publisher, Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read and review this eARC!

This book left me with so many feelings. Frank was such a good man and had so many bad things happen to him but in the end he did have his family which is all that mattered. This was an emotional and engaging story about Beth, her family and her relationship with Gabriel. She made some decisions with her heart that caused a lot of repercussions. But I could see why she made them as I read and got to know her as a character and was happy with the choice she made in the end. There is tragedy and sadness but in the end some closure and joy. I 100% say read this book!

5 stars. I was truly captivated by the depth of the storyline and the elegance of the storytelling. The author weaves intricate themes and character development that kept me engaged throughout. While there were moments that reminded me of other stories, I was pleasantly surprised by how unique and fresh the narrative felt—nothing ever seemed predictable. I found myself so absorbed that I finished the book in less than 24 hours. I can’t wait to explore more works by this talented author!

The tears are on my face as I write this… tears of joy and sadness mixed in awe of a brilliant novel. This is an exceptional book. The author has captured a way of life, an incredible cast of characters and a timeless story . I read two to three books a week and m rarely wowed. I was wowed. The author is incredibly talented. Her descriptions of Blakely Farm and it neighborMeadowlands bring you to the in ll its brilliance, color and danger. Farming can be dangerous.. life on the farm is dangerous and as the plot unwinds we are constantly aware of the danger. She carries the suspense of the outcome until the very last minute and the reader is inthralled. Yes.. that’s the word.. I was enthralled from beginning to end. A tour de force. This will be a series or a movie. It will be a classic! BRAVO BRAVO BRAVO

This was a wonderfully written tale of love, loss, and betrayal. The back and forth of timelines was a little hard to follow at first, but once I got the hang of it, it moved so fast. At times it was so heartbreaking, I could feel the characters deep pain and grief through the author’s writing. While this isn’t typically a genre of book that I would normally gravitate to, I was pleasantly surprised on how much I enjoyed it.

Would recommend this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC of this novel; all opinions are my own.

Hurricane Helene shut down the power to my house yesterday late into the evening.. Lucky me that I was invited by Simon & Schuster to download Broken Country on my trusty Kindle. I found myself totally absorbed in this story. While I wouldn’t normally enjoy a book that went from one time period to another so frequently, Clare Leslie Hall did it in a magical way for me, piquing my interest in how a teenaged romance could lead to an affair later in her life. Tears were shed as I read of the death of her son. A less skilled author would have made the events in this book unbelievable, but Ms. Hall held my rapt attention to the very last page, even a few hours after my power was restored.

I have no words really except this is an emotional reading experience. Just wow 🥹😭❤️

Thank you NetGalley for the challenge of reading this in 24 hours and just the chance to read this ARC. All options are my own.

Got this as a 24 hour preview on Netgalley! I am soooooo glad I did! WOW what a ride. I don’t want to spoil it but if you’re thinking of picking this one up, GO RUN!

Broken Country is pitched as thoughtful, heavy and mysterious. Maybe it's the farm and farming life as a backdrop - sure to be backbreaking and unforgiving.

To me, however, this was an impossibly light and quickly moving story. There is plenty of simmering, tragedy and sadness but also joy, lots of. joy. The short chapters and the bouncing between time keeps the plot moving so quickly, there is little time to despair.

I truly loved this farm story - a romance or two, a tragedy or two, and lots and lots of joy. Pick it up, you will be glad you did! #simonandschuster #brokencountry #clarelesliehall

Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall is a beautifully written novel of young love gone wrong and the choices faced when one's first love returns many years later when circumstances have changed completely. The beautiful Irish countryside is a major player in this novel and I thank the author for that! This is one I could reread multiple times. How fortunate are those who still get to be swept away reading Broken Country for the first time! Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

A complicated love triangle, a wild Irish countryside, and secrets galore. What could go wrong? A lot, it turns out. This is a beautifully written, complex novel about the ripples that our choices can make.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Clare Leslie Hall has written a beautiful, compelling novel with Broken Country. This reviewer absolutely loved the book. The characters became so real it seemed like I knew them, and the sweeping landscape became a vivid reality.

Beth's love for two men, and their undying love for her, make it impossible to judge her choices, since we know her heart so well. She marries Frank, the seemingly perfect man, who loves her unconditionally, above all else. Tragically, she can't let go of her first love, Gabriel, the man who once broke her heart. When Gabriel returns to town, Beth's unresolved feelings for him tests her marriage in unexpected ways. At the center of the triangle is Bobby, Beth's young son, who is killed in an accident on Beth and Frank's farm. The repercussions of Bobby's death are at the heart of Broken Country. No spoilers here, so you'll have to read the book to learn the outcome. The resolution to a seemingly impossible triangle of love, grief, and forgiveness blew me away.

Broken Country is a beautifully written, original, and compulsive read that kept me turning the pages well into the night to finish the story. The plot twists and turns are nothing short of brilliant, and so unexpected they took my breath. This reviewer reads hundreds of books a year, and surprises are at a premium, but this novel offers the perfect resolution to every complex plot point. The book is a joy to read and highly recommended. The novel has been optioned by Sony Pictures and I can hardly wait to see the movie. Don't miss this one!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for providing an advance copy of the book to read and review. This review will post to Bayside Book Reviews.com at https://baysidebookreviews.com and its Instagram page on release day. Follow us! *NetGalley Top Reviewer*

This is a beautiful story about a love triangle and the domino effect of damages it causes over time.

My biggest issue of the book is that Gabriel has no personality. He's hot, apparently smart, and good at camping. That was probably enough for teen Clare to fall for him. But as an adult, when he comes back into her life, I wasn't seeing the appeal (I mean, after finishing the book, I got it, but while reading he seemed rather one-dimensional.)

The characters that were more interesting to me were Frank and his brother (and Clare's life on the farm as a wife and mother.) The author does a great job of peeling the story back in soft layers. No one's motivations are simple. All of their trauma runs deep and is teased out and intertwined in an artful way.

The book has a VERY tidy ending, where you pull out the lens and see the big picture that explains why everyone made the decisions they did in the story. Is it TOO tidy? Perhaps. But most readers will appreciate the resolution of all lingering questions and some semblance of a HEA.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.