I have seen/heard this book described as similar to Where the Crawdads SIng, and after reading and giving myself a little time to marinate in it, I would have to agree. There was a certain ambience to this book that you don't encounter every day. It was delicate yet star-crossed, hopeful yet tragic. I truly enjoyed how the story was told in a non-linear timeline because it allowed me to understand the characters and their journeys even more than I would if experiencing their story in a strictly sequential format. This is a book I could see easily translate onto screen, and I look forward to hearing how others feel about it as they experience it for the first time. Thank you NetGalley, Clare Leslie Hall, and Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy of this ebook!

This is a beautifully written book. The characters are strong and jump off the page at you. You can feel Beth’s love for both men. You know something messy is going to happen. Having the trial going on throughout the book while you get the backstory is perfect. The ending I don’t want to say much about because I don’t want to give anything away. This will either be an ending you love or hate. I personally loved it. I really like this book and am excited to recommend it.
Thank you to Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this title.

Loved this book! I loved the mix between romance and thriller. You never knew what was going to happen next. I haven't read anything else by this author but I look forward to finding more.

Some parts did more a little slow but still worth the read!

WOW. 😭 This was so good. Raw, sad, maddening, twisty!! I read this basically within a day. So beautiful and painful and ahhhh.

I plan to add more on release day. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC — I am honored.

After a somewhat lackluster reading year last year, I was craving a novel that would immerse me in its world and story, and Broken Country exceeded my expectations. Set in the 1950s and late 1960s in a rural English village, we are introduced to Beth and Frank who work hard on their farm and are still grieving the loss of their young son who died in an accident some years back. When Beth’s first love, Gabriel, moves back to the area with his son, Beth is swept up into memories of her coming-of-age romance with Gabriel, the consequences of which continue to haunt her.

This was a captivating story about the different kinds of love in our lives, memory, regrets, and the power of our decisions, sometimes not known until after it’s too late to undo them.

Heartbreaking yet beautiful, bittersweet and ultimately redemptive, I expect Broken Country will set the bar for the rest of my fiction reading this year. 4.5 stars.

My thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for the advanced review copy.

Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall is a very highly recommended domestic drama that is both a love story and morality tale.

It is 1968 and sheep farmers Frank and Beth Johnson are still mourning the death of their nine-year old son, Bobby two years earlier. They are out working with the new lambs in the Dorset countryside along side Jimmy, Franks younger brother, when a strange dog attacks and kills three lambs. Jimmy is quick to grab a gun and shoot the dog before he attacks any more lambs. Coming across the field is Gabriel Wolfe, the man Beth loved as a teenager who subsequently broke her heart years ago. Gabriel has returned to the village with his young son Leo and Beth is pulled back into Gabriel’s life.

Alternating chapters are set before, in 1955, when Beth and Gabriel met and fell in love. Also foreshadowed in a few chapters early on is a murder trial taking place in their present day. We know the person is close to Beth, although the victim isn't named until much later. This helps set a foreboding tone as readers know something is going to happen to someone.

This is an extremely well-written emotionally complex story of love, grief, guilt, and consequences. Beth is not a reliable narrator. She drops hints about what is and has happened but the full story isn't known until later in the plot. When some of the unsaid secrets/events are spoken and revealed it makes a huge difference in the novel. The grief of dealing with the lose of a child is a major part of the narrative.

Admittedly, I almost set Broken Country aside except for the fact that the quality of the writing is excellent. The focus is on the love story for much of the novel which is not a genre I normally read. Love triangles don't interest me. I didn't enjoy that storyline or Beth choices and actions which encompass a large part of the novel. What changed everything was the last part of the novel.
Broken Country may be most appreciated by those who enjoy romance novels and morally ambiguous characters, but those who like literary novels dealing with loss along with suspense will also appreciate it. 4.5
Thanks to Simon & Schuster for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Set in 1968 and about a decade prior, this mesmerizing book examines both the loss of a child and the paths not taken. Beth and her husband Frank are still reeling from the unexpected loss of their son, when Beth’s first love, Gabriel Wolfe, comes back to town newly divorced with his own son in tow.

After an accident on the farm, Beth finds herself entwined in Gabriel‘s life once more. Between flashbacks to their former romance and previews of a murder trial, the novel explores the love Beth has for both men.

Trigger Warnings
Death of a Child

Why Kirsten loves it
Hall paints, such a vivid picture and explores Beth’s feelings so well that I forgot I was reading fiction. I cried on numerous occasions and was left wanting more.

It reminds me of Where the Crawdads Sing in some ways and The Light We Lost in others. The mystery of who was shot and why was a masterful narrative choice that kept the story moving at a clip. I would give this novel six stars if I could I truly couldn’t put it down.

This story was utterly captivating. The characters felt so real, their struggles so raw. I found myself completely immersed in their world. Every turn of the plot hit me like a wave, leaving me breathless and emotionally drained in the best way possible. The way this author wove together love, loss, and hope was nothing short of masterful, making this a story that will stay with me long after I’ve turned the final page.

🐑 This is beautiful and tragic and messy and I was here for all of it. What a beautiful book you wrote @clarelesliehall. This is out next month— add it to your TBR’s now. Thank you @simonbooks for my gifted early copy.

🐑 The first two things that will draw you into this book are absolutely gorgeous writing, and the format. Composed of short, gripping chapters, and right at 300 pages, this … book… FLIES.

🐑 And amongst those 300 pages is an absolutely beautiful tale about life, and the decisions we make. About those decisions that are wrong but they are made all the same, and the only choice we have afterwards is to figure out how to move forward. About those moments that change everything, and how someone reacts to them, and how families react to them together.

🐑 While this is largely told through Beth’s POV, I adored the male characters most. They truly showed that actions speak louder than words.

🐑 You will likely not agree with these characters, but you will see the nuance and complexity that surrounds their decisions. And you will feel all the feelings for how the cope and move forward.

🐑 Ugh, there is so much packed into these 300 pages and it left me in a puddle of tears at the end. I truly enjoyed it and hope you do too.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of the book drew me in but once I started reading it, I just couldn’t get into it at all.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

This book is the type of novel that will weave its way slowly into your heart, squeeze it and then wring it dry. I cannot begin to describe the impact I feel after finishing this story. I’m going to be thinking about this story for awhile.

Broken Country is a book that will captivate many readers with a love story, tragedy, and a hook. Class and station and true love are foundational pillars throughout. I thought it was ok. The characters felt too archetypal (rich land-owner/humble, loving farmer/women caught between). The plot set up felt awkward and forced and the hook was an eye-roller for me. It's a very quick read and if you let yourself go and not get caught up in the obvious stereotypes and such, you'll enjoy the ride. I think I came into the book with different expectations and was let down. Heartfelt thanks to the publisher for the advanced copy.

A beautiful book. Quietly devastating and sad, but also hopeful and redeeming. I sobbed at the end, which should tell you all you need to know.

Dual timelines tell the story of teenage Beth and her summer romance with Gabriel, a classic rich boy/poor girl or city boy/country girl story that ends when Gabriel goes off to college. Beth moves on with with her seemingly perfect life in the present with her devoted husband, precocious little boy, and quiet farm life until Gabriel returns and tragedy strikes.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Simon & Schuster for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was so looking forward to reading this book as I had heard such great things. With that being said there were aspects of the storyline I found interesting, this type of book is not my style and I found myself just wanting to finish the book.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC and Simon Books.

“𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙧𝙢𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙨 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙙.”


I’m searching the thesaurus for the proper adjectives to describe this book! Heartwrenching, piercing, gripping, and yet compassionate. Honestly, those words don’t do it justice.

Beth is a grieving mother, having lost her beloved son. She and her husband Frank, along with her brother-in-law, work their quiet farm in the English countryside. It is a simple life, but one she has chosen.

When a dog attacks one of the lambs and Beth’s brother-in-law shoots the dog, it sparks events that will change everything. The dog was owned by Gabriel Wolfe’s son, Leo. Gabriel was Beth’s first love, and now Gabriel has returned to the village. She is drawn to Leo, who reminds Beth of her late son, and she also longs to spend time with Leo, hence Gabriel.

Although this appears to be a love triangle at first glance, don’t underestimate it. This is a powder keg of emotions, events, and choices. From young romance to family secrets to courtroom scenes as someone stands trial for murder, the author reveals what we need to know with razor-sharp precision. We experience past and present highs and lows only to be greeted by heart-shattering twists.

Frank, Beth’s husband, is one of the most unforgettable characters I’ve read in a long time: all the stars and more for 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲.

Thank you @SimonBooks @simonandschuster and @ClareLeslieHall for the gifted ebook via NetGalley.

I’m not sure what I expected when I started reading this, but I don’t think it was the story it turned out to be. It’s a great story and one that many folks can relate to – at least parts of it. The characters are strong and even in not great times are there for each other. There were some unexpected surprises, but they just make these folks be who they are. I’m glad I read it. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read this wonderful story. It was certainly an emotional rollercoaster for the reader.
"The farmer is dead. He is dead and all anyone wants to know is who killed him."

A thrilling pace of a twisted tale of love, devotion and family. It is heartbreakingly powerful and filled with impossible choices. The story is told in the before, 1955 and the after of 1968 with reference to a trial which is taking place with little detail until near the end of the story. In between there is a love story or triangle of love and emotion and a murder mystery.
A happily married woman mourning the death of her young son is caught up in her emotions when her first love and his son return to her village. What follows is a novel in the running for one of the best of the year! Definitely put this on your list! 5 stars!

Many many thanks to Simon & Schuster for my gifted copy of this book! And to NetGalley for my e-reader copy.

Broken Country is a stellar U.S. debut novel by Hall. I couldn’t get enough and the impact it left on me, will probably secure its spot as one of my top reads of the year.

A story such as this, is why we read. It tells the story of young love and first kisses. Of saying goodbye and moving on. The pages are filled with new love overshadowed by tragedy and eventually murder. Set against the backdrop of an English farming community in the 60s, I guarantee you won’t rest until the secret they all hide is revealed.

Told in the “Before”, “1968”, and “The Trial” this book comes together seamlessly. From cover to cover, the story of Frank, Jimmy, Beth, Gabriel, Leo, & Bobby captured my heart. I was, in fact, sad to see it end.

Wow, this book surprised me in all of the best ways. I went into it blind and really had no expectations and the emotional, heartbreaking and beautiful ride it took me on was truly amazing.

The way the author weaves the past timelines with the present laying the groundwork for how we ended up where we did. The story touches on love, grief, betrayal, family - in ways that will stick with you for a long time.

Broken Country reminded me of Where the Crawdads Sing and I loved it from start to finish.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

WOW! What a beautiful and heartbreaking story! This book broke my heart into a million little pieces but it back together in the end! This story and the characters will stay with me for a long time!


Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing this E-ARC in exchange for my honest review!