I predict this will be one of the most talked about books of the year! I'll admit that the "love triangle" described in the synopsis initially almost caused me to set this book aside, but I'm so glad that I stuck with it, despite it not being one of my preferred tropes. Clare Leslie Hall did a fantastic job weaving together the multiple timelines and unraveling the plot along the way. I ended up not being able to put this book down and read it in two sittings, which is a rare feat with three young children! I just had to find out what happened. By the end of the story the love triangle felt almost understandable and relatable, which is not usually how I feel after reading about affairs in books. I thoroughly enjoyed my reading experience until the very end, which I unfortuantley didn't love. However, overall I still really liked this book and can see it being one that many will enjoy- readers of mysteries, romance, and literary/contemporary fiction alike will find something to love in the pages of "Broken Country".

Thank you @simonbooks & @ClareLeslieHall for the gifted copy.

Broken Country is one of those books that you think about long after finishing. The writing was perfection, a perfect mix of romance and mystery. The descriptions of the farm and country side made me feel like I was there. I couldn't put this book down! It was such an emotional journey that had me feeling all the feels. I was fully invested in the characters, their stories, and the choices they made. This book is told in dual timelines and short chapters which made for a quick read. It deals with coming of age, love, tragedy, grief, and forgiveness.

I highly recommend adding this one to your TBR.

Some books pull you in slowly, but this one had me hooked from the very first line—and I read it in a single day. It’s hard to pin down a single genre because it weaves together so many elements seamlessly. Set in the English countryside during the 1960s, it captures the social attitudes and expectations of the time, making it feel like a historical fiction novel. It’s also a love story, with a gripping love triangle capturing the raw intensity of first love and the love you choose. The richly drawn characters and emotional depth give it the feel of literary fiction, particularly as it explores coming-of-age themes. And just when you think you have it all figured out, a mystery unfolds, leading to a trial that adds an edge of suspense. Heartbreaking yet impossible to put down, this is the kind of book that will stick with you for awhile.

“Broken Country” is a captivating and unforgettable story. Part love story and part mystery, the novel takes place in 1968, with flashbacks to 1955. At the beginning of the novel, we learn that someone has died and that someone is on trial for murder. As the story progresses, the pieces of the puzzle fall into place. This genre-bending novel was incredibly atmospheric and full of suspense and surprises. The beautiful writing, short chapters, and intriguing mystery had me turning pages late into the night. This is a story that will stay with me for a long time.

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

I wouldn't call this book a mystery but more a family drama & love triangle that slowly unfurls out of order. The tension is in how the intertwining of all these characters will be resolved. It is a bit of a slow start but once the romances begin the reader is swept up in trying to figure out how this will all tie to together in the past, present & future. The end of the book does not dissapoint with secrets revealed & plot twists. It was an enjoyable book with characters that had depth & honesty.

Set in a small town and rural landscape, Broken Country blends domestic drama with literary fiction, evoking the same atmospheric and emotional depth as Where the Crawdads Sing and The Paper Palace. The novel unfolds across three alternate timelines, weaving a rich, layered story of love, forgiveness, grief, anger, and hope.

While the book starts off a little slow, I wasn’t sure where it was headed—which made the unexpected turns all the more rewarding. The love triangle at the heart of the story is beautifully written, and Hall’s prose is both captivating and evocative.

This is also the first book I’ve read that incorporates the miscommunication trope in a way I actually enjoyed! It felt organic to the story rather than frustrating, adding to the emotional depth and complexity of the characters’ relationships.

If you enjoy literary fiction with a deeply emotional core and an immersive sense of place, Broken Country is well worth the read.

Beautiful story of love and forgiveness intertwined with a plot twist I didn’t see coming. Do we really ever forget our first love or are they always a part of our life journey. This book was hard to put down.

Reading Broken Country has left me broken as I reached the final words of closing, but in the best way possible. Sad, tearful, a bit hopeful... all the feels. Through Clare Leslie Hall's lyrical writing skills, I became completely immersed in the world of 1950s, 1960s Dorset. The story started strong, but at a slower pace, building the scene beautifully. By the end I was tearing through, both wanting to read the ending but at the same time, not to reach that point of finality.

Beth is married to Frank and is happily a farmer's wife. But someone from her past reenters her life, and life changing complications will arise. To have a love triangle in a story is nothing new, but in my wizened age I am very impatient with romantic tropes. This was not that. There was so much raw emotion, beautifully expressed, coming off the pages. Through Beth, we see it is possible to love two people, even though she knows there can be no happy ending to this story.

The first line of the book lets us know there has been a tragedy. "“The farmer is dead. He is dead, and all anyone wants to know is who killed him.” It will take some time to understand what the reference is, and Hall juggles so many puzzle pieces I never even knew were there in front of me. The conclusion, which I did not see coming, was thrilling and satisfying. Broken Country is a book filled with so much sadness, but ultimately, it is hopeful and uplifting, in the way that real life doesn't always have perfectly tidy endings.

I listened to the audio version of this book and highly recommend it if you get the chance. And as others have said, this would make an excellent movie. I just don't know if they can do the author's words justice. She took what could have been a tired old trope and turned it into great literature, in my opinion.

Thank you, thank you to NetGallley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Also thanks to the author and the publisher, Simon & Schuster.

Five minutes into Broken Country, and I knew it would be a 5 star read for me! Clare Leslie Hall weaves an intriguing narrative with a dual timeline, set in the small, quiet town of Heston, North Dorset. The way she writes makes the book feel like an unraveling mystery - who is the dead farmer, and what secrets is Beth hiding about the incident?

Beth, the protagonist, is a woman who seems to have everything, married to Frank (the greenest flag ever), and living a quiet life on her farm. But beneath her outwardly peaceful life, she’s mourning her son Bobby, who tragically died in a tree-falling accident on their property.

Their quiet, routine life is shaken when Beth’s brother in law, Jimmy, shoots a dog viciously attacking her sheep (a scene that had me in tears). To Beth’s shock, the dog belongs to Gabriel Wolfe, her first love. Gabriel has returned to town, divorced, and living with his young son Leo, who much to Beth's discomfort, reminds her so much of Bobby. Things are starting to get juicy, right?

As Gabriel reenters Beth’s life, she’s forced to confront the whirlwind romance they once had. Spending more time with him and Leo, despite Frank’s discomfort, sets off a chain of events that no one saw coming. Frank, being the kind and understanding man he is, doesn’t intervene, though the tension is palpable. Jimmy on the other hand is another story. As you can expect, the love triangle eventually leads to an unexpected tragedy, a plot twist that took me completely by surprise!! I did not see that coming at all!

This book is a brilliant blend of mystery, secrets, and twists that keep you on the edge of your seat. The emotional depth and the rawness of the characters had me hooked from start to finish. I absolutely loved it, 4.5/5! I hope that someday Reese Witherspoon will choose this book to turn into a movie. It would make an amazing adaptation! Thank you NetGalley and publishers for the ebook.

This book has all the elements of a love story and a literary thriller with a murder trial, but this description fails to capture what makes this book special. The impossible choices and consequences when faced with the dilemmas these characters face makes it a propulsive and heartbreaking read.

I am NOT a fan of love triangles but the writing and characterization elevate it far above books with similar themes. I was pulled into their lives from the first page to the last. We know from the beginning someone was killed but we don’t know who or the details until later.

A few plot developments could be seen as predictable but did I care? No! The writing and emotional depth more than compensated for it. And there was still an unexpected surprise (or two) in store.

Set in a rural English village in the 1960s the environment is in itself a character in this story. I loved the descriptions of life on an English farm. The before chapters set in the 1950s gives context to the dilemma which these characters will face in the future.

I was completely captivated with this emotional, heartbreaking story, and finished it in less than 24 hours. I closed the last page with tears in my eyes and a sigh of satisfaction.

This is the story of a love triangle between Frank, Beth and Gabriel. It’s a heart wrenching story. It moves back and forth in time, which was a bit disruptive for me. It’s a passionate story full of drama, romance, love, family tensions, grief and loss. It’s a captivating must read

Broken Country is a beautifully written book about a love triangle between a husband and wife and the man she loved years ago. Beth and Frank are happy with their quiet life, working on the farm, until Gabriel comes back into their lives with his young son. Beth is town between the man she used to love and her husband, whom she still loves. This story is filled with tragic events that all lead to a crime that alters their lives.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publishers for allowing me to read this advanced copy for my unbiased opinion.

This booksta darling wasn’t quite in the genres that work for me but I appreciated the ways it combined mystery, romance and historical fiction in a very intriguing manner and I can definitely understand the love for it. I really appreciated the way it looked at first love and how all consuming it can be.

Oh what a story! I pretty much put the rest of my life on hold while I read this book. Alternating between various timelines and relationships, the author gradually reveals clues as to what really happened. If only different choices had been made along the way, could a tragedy have been avoided? Thanks to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster and the author for an advance copy to read and review.

Broken Country is a sweeping love story layered with the tension of a thriller. The novel moves between past and present, unraveling the legacy of first love and the impossible choices that shape lives. As long-buried secrets resurface, the story simmers with passion, regret, and the weight of consequences, keeping readers engaged in both its emotional depths and suspenseful twists.

For me, this was a case of the hype machine setting expectations too high. I had heard so many raves that I was anticipating something extraordinary, but it ended up feeling like a novel caught between two identities. It wanted to be a deeply personal exploration of love, grief, and sacrifice, yet it was forced into the structure of a mystery that didn’t fully land. The attempts at obscuring key details were too obvious, and some red herrings felt clumsy rather than organic. That said, the emotional core still resonated, and if approached with tempered expectations, there’s a lot to appreciate in its themes of love’s enduring imprint.

WOAH!
I finished this last night and I am STILL not okay.
One bookstagrammer said this is 2025's Where the Crawdads Sing and she is RIGHT!
I devoured this, only put it down for silly work obligations and couldn't wait to get back to it.
It definitely has some trigger warnings (brief mention of death - child and dog) but if you can get past those, READ THIS!
It's sweeping, beautiful, tragic, unputdownable, emotional...all the things. Deep dive view into love, loss, family, grief, forgiveness. It's just everything. Bring tissues.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest review. Exceptional book!

“The farmer is dead. He is dead, and all anyone wants to know is who killed him.” This is probably the best opening line of a book I have ever read! It grabbed me from page one and kept me totally enraptured until the very last page.

This novel is such a perfect genre mashup and explores so many different themes, the power of first love, grief and loss, a love triangle, a mystery with courtroom drama. The story weaves perfectly from the present day in the 60's to the past timeline which sets up the events that take place in the current time. These characters were so richly drawn and I felt such empathy for all of them. I was brought to tears more than once and felt so emotional throughout. The setting of the English farm was so rich as well, you felt as though you were there with them.

I was completely swept away by this story and devoured it in two days. The writing is just beautiful and I didn't want it to end. I am so glad to see that @reesesbookclub picked this for the March read, this author deserves all of the attention and accolades this will bring. I've also heard rumors that this has been optioned by Reese also, and I think this would be amazing brought to life on the screen. I can't wait to read more from this author, she has such a way with storytelling. Thank you to @netgalley and @simonandschuster for this gifted copy. I can't recommend this one enough, go pick it up now and thank me later!

This was such a beautiful story. Told with so much feeling and heartfelt love. Even in the worst parts it’s beautiful. Perfection in a book is rare but this one truly is perfection.

This book starts out kind of sad. A boy and his dog. The dog attacks the lambs killing three and the farmer kills the dog. I hated that part. But it's a means to the beginning of one of the most beautiful books I have read. This is definitely my favorite book for this year.

A girl meets a boy. They fall madly in love. He mother doesn't approve. A whole lot happens but ultimately they break up. She returns home and marries another. Years go by before she ever sees the one who swept her off her feet.

This story is told in the time it happened. In the before. In the after. During the trial. There was a killing and a husband goes on trial for his life. His wife stands by him. His family stands by him. Actually he has no family, blood family, except for his wife and her family now.

Frank and Beth are married. They had a son, Bobby. Frank has loved Beth since he was thirteen years old. Beth loves him too. She also still has strong feelings for her first love Gabriel. For the boy she was meant to marry if things had been different. Frank and Beth have a farm and his brother Jimmy lives with them. Jimmy has always been a trouble person even as a very young lad.

You will be taken from 1968 back to 1955. To the time before Beth and Frank to when it was Beth and Gabriel. You will get to know them all. The love that is between Beth and Gabriel is so intense and so strong. But something happens. Beth marries Frank and thus this story unfolds.

This book is full of so much good. So much sad. So much happiness. A time when things should have been simpler I suppose but it wasn't. Not for these three. It's a love triangle gone desperately wrong. I loved all the characters except Gabriels mother. She was not likable in any way. Not even a tiny bit. This is a story of two loves. Two men and one woman. Actually three men but only two that Beth had been in love with.

A tragedy strikes and these people's lives are never the same. Maybe in some ways better. Not really better but stronger. Friendships made. Love lost. A family interrupted. This is a story that will stay with you for a good long time.

Thank you #NetGalley, #Simon&Schuster, for this ARC. This is my feelings about this story.

Broken Country was truly one of the most compelling stories I have ever read…I could not put it down and stayed up reading far into the early morning hours. The beginning hooked me immediately as I sat there sobbing uncontrollably . I fell in love with each of the four main characters and honestly could not decide what Beth, Frank or Gabriel should do. I found myself unable to judge any of them for their actions. I so frequently felt like I was right in the room with them fully involved in the story. I felt like a ping pong ball as my emotions felt strongly for one, then another, and then the third. This is a love story for everyone as well as being so very well written. I fully expect this to be one of the books that everyone is recommending and talking about. I know that I will be recommending it to everyone I know. This would make an amazing movie!
Many many thanks to Clare Leslie Hall, Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for providing me with an arc of this incredible read. If I could give it 10 stars I would.

A hauntingly beautiful story about the tenderness of a first, all-consuming love and the disastrous consequences of lies and betrayal. While I could see the heartbreak coming, I was powerless to stop reading the lovely writing and compelling tale. I especially loved all of the historic details from the time periods such as the music and clothes. This is a book whose ending will stay with you for a long time.