Thank you NetGalley! I know this book has been released but my goodness what a story! I was taken in by the author's style of writing from page one. Even though their was not a lot of descriptive language I found myself seeing what the manor and the farm looked like. Beth and Gabriel's young love story was beautiful. As all good stories, Gabriel's mother was the perfect villain. As the story progressed Clare Leslie Hall only gave snippets of what happened to Beth and Frank's son Bobby allowing me to think of several scenarios. Full of surprises this book kept in interested and glued to the pages. Highly recommend!
Leslie Ponder

UGH!! This one hurt my heart in the best possible way. A beautiful and suspenseful read full of heart, longing, and sadness. DO NOT MISS!

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC - Broken Country is out now!

I expected this to be a typical Reese's book club pick and it didn't disappoint. I do tire of the whole city/urban/posh vs. country/rural/poor divide but it's a classic POV that seems to create an instant vilifiable character. That said, there was enough drama happening here to make it enjoyable.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advance review copy!

This story was sooo good. The one thing I will say was that the ending/twist was slightly predictable but there was a twist within the twist that I did not see coming. I flew through this one it was hard to put down. The dual timelines worked well for this story

Broken Country
Author Clare Leslie Hall
Available now!

Thank you, @librofm, for my #giftedaudiobook and @simonandschuster, for my #guftedearc!
The narration done by Mattie Morahan was phenomenal and she has the English accent and a gorgeous voice that set the tone for this incredible read.

I am not one who typically picks up novels that include infidelity, but this one revels such a tender and beautiful love story and takes it to an entirely different level. I was absolutely mesmerized and will admit that I listened to it in one car ride. Emotional, mysterious, passionate, and utterly transfixing, Broken Country is truly a love story like no other.

Readers begin with such a violent scene between a boy's runaway dog and newborn lambs on a farm that brings together two broken families in the most suspenseful and heartbreaking ways. Broken Country weaves seemlessly between dual timelines. Ones, before a crime of passion, and the other, in 1968.

Beth and her steadfast and devoted husband, Frank, are struggling to survive their marraige after a devastating tragedy threatens to tear them apart while Gabriel, now divorced, and his son, Leo, return to the British countryside where he and Beth fell in love that one summer over a decade ago. Their hearts are heavy, full, and have never been quite the same. What follows is the most complicated yet romantic love story, a murder trial, second chances, and healing. So much pain, though, before the healing. Just, wow.

One of my favorite @reesesbookclub picks yet!

Excellent!!! Loved the setting and drama as the story unfolded. It’s a book I kept coming back to. The characters are infuriating but at the same time lovable and you find yourself hoping for the best. It’s a sad story with several twists and turns.

Thank you Simon & Schuster and Clare Leslie Hall for the ARC through NetGalley! Broken Country is a beautifully complex story that will break your heart in all the right ways. Set in a small farming village, the novel follows the life of Beth, who lives with her husband, Frank, and quietly bears the weight of the world on her shoulders. The narrative spans two timelines: one detailing Beth's meeting with Gabriel in 1955 and the other exploring her life in 1968. One day, Beth discovers that her first love, Gabriel, has returned to his family's home with his young son after divorcing his American wife. As Beth becomes entwined in his life once again, she has to navigate her grief, confusion, and heartbreak since their last encounter. The small town begins to unveil old and dangerous secrets, forcing Beth to confront a pivotal choice: will she become the woman she has grown to be, or will she return to the person she once was? This story serves as a remarkable example of literary fiction, captivating readers with its layered chapters and emotional depth. I highly recommend it if you like historical fiction, dual timelines, English countryside, literary fiction, thrillers, forbidden romance, and are a fan of Where the Crawdads Sing.

A well written, interesting story. Couldn't put it down. Will recommend it to patrons. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

I actually wound up paying for the audiobook of this and am really enjoying it so far. About half way done but giving a 4 star for now.

A sordid love affair in small-town 1960s England results in tragedy and a murder trial.

The story of Beth, Gabriel, and Frank felt a little tired and stale to me. Nothing about this historical fiction love triangle felt particularly original. Multiple times I found myself thinking "I've read this before"...even though, as a new release, I knew I hadn't. I didn't really care for any of the characters. Gabriel was a character we got to see as painted in a somewhat villain-esque light in multiple situations, who was then redeemed, only to be somewhat villainized again? Beth just felt whiny and helpless. And Frank was written as if the man was the second-coming of a Saint. None of the mystery was all that mysterious and the "big reveal" towards the end was something I immediately guessed at...I enjoyed the writing overall but this wasn't some life-altering novel for me. The characters were fine-if a bit flat, the storyline was okay-if a bite tired, and nothing was particularly memorable. Three out of five stars for decent writing.

My favorite book of 2025! Incredible story telling, imagery and complex characters. I loved the humanity of each person and the alternating timeline that kept me guessing. I was completely hooked from the very beginning and cannot wait to read more from Hall.

In 1968 England, Beth and Frank have a good marriage. The family farm keeps them busy and distracts them from mourning the death of their young son a few years previously. But one day, a young boy shows up on the farm, followed by his father, Gabriel, the man Beth fell in love with as a teenager. As Beth is drawn into the lives of Gabriel and Leo--caring for Leo after school while Gabriel works on his latest novel--she finds it hard not to fall back in love with Gabriel.

The town begins to talk, but the one most disturbed is Frank's brother, who fights (mainly unsuccessfully) an alcohol problem. When events come to a head, Beth is forced to choose between her past and her present.

Told in three timelines, the novel foreshadows another tragedy but the reader doesn't discover what it is until nearly the end. This is a moving, reflective book, with no real bad guys, just people who love too hard and sometimes foolishly. #BrokenCountry #NetGalley

No wonder this is a Reese club pick. This was heartbreakingly good. I never expected that ending!!

Links to come!

This story captured my attention from the start. The tragedy at the core of the story was heartbreaking. The characters were all flawed, but as things unfolded, the reasons behind their actions became clearer to me. I did find it tough to connect to any of the characters, but ultimately enjoyed the book!

Beth and Frank live a happy life on a farm until their world takes a turn when Frank's brother shoots a dog going after their sheep. Turns out the dog belongs to Beth's teenage love, Gabriel Wolfe. Suddenly Beth is brought back in Gabriel's life as she babysits his young son who reminds Beth of her own who tragically died. As tensions, rumors, and jealousies mount, Beth must choose between who she was and who she wants to be.

Broken Country reminds you what literature feels like. Hall brilliantly narrates a tale of broken people who love each other very much and yet still manage to hurt each other - a cheating spouse who still loves her husband, a husband torn by guilt, a messy family full of trauma and love. Hall slowly reveals more and more about Beth's relationships with Gabriel and Frank, adding great twists and turns to keep you engaged. Broken Country is a beautifully written tale of forgiveness and mercy that is easily a front runner for best book of the year.

Wow. What a heartbreakingly beautiful story about the different forms of love. I loved how Clare Leslie Hall told the story. It was the perfect blend of character development and plot. It really made me feel all the emotions! I have not stopped thinking about this book since I finished it and will probably not stop thinking about it for a while. 6/5



Thank you Simon and Schuster for providing me an ARC.

Thanks to the publisher for the early copy!

This book is a top favorite of the year!!! I loved it! I highly recommend reading it if you love mystery, romance, and family drama. And the ending?! It will make you cry.

If you see this book--pick it up!

I was iffy on requesting this because the Mystery & Thrillers categorization seemed like it might not be the best fit for the book based on how it sounded, but I went for it anyway. Well, I was right, but I did enjoy this book!

The Romance classification also feels a little off given that the love triangle is between the main character's devoted-to-the-level-of-sad-sack husband and her doomed high school love with whom she begins an affair which will so clearly become Doomed, Again. There's not much passion with either of them, but that honestly felt fairly unsurprising for these characters. They are all very much the types of friends of friends who, when their affairs are shared with you as gossip, would have you like, god, yeah, people sure do a lot of kinda pathetic things to liven up their boring lives.

So why the four stars? Well, I've fallen a little behind in my reviewing and when scrolling through my RTCs this was the one that I remembered instantly and with feeling. It was well-written, well-paced, and just generally good enough in that book club bait way where you know that a lot of people will love it and you can understand why. The ending really stuck with me and the twists were executed well. Overall I liked it, and sometimes that's enough.

My thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was a slow-burning family drama with a touch of mystery that really surprised me. Set in post-war England, the story follows a farmer’s wife whose life is upended when someone from her past reappears, and everything she thought she knew gets shaken. The writing felt really grounded, and I loved how atmospheric the setting was. It took me a little while to settle into the pacing, but by the midpoint I was hooked. This is one of those books that feels quiet on the surface but has so much tension bubbling underneath. I think fans of character-driven fiction with a little courtroom drama would enjoy it.

I don't know if I would have picked this book up if not for reading for my upcoming book club meeting. After reading, I still don't know if I would have read on my own or if I did start it, that I would have finished it. The writing was good enough, but I had a huge problem with the morality of two of three of the main characters. Yes, I know this goes on in our modern world, but it is hard for me to justify the selfish destructive behaviors of these individuals. I'm sure we're going to have an interesting book club discussion.