I am sat here with tears still drying having just finished Broken Country.

I devoured this book, ignoring chores and children to read a little bit more. It captured me, broke me and uplifted me.

Thank you toNetGalley, the publisher and Claire Leslie Hall for the copy to review. Definitely one I would recommend you read!

Beth and Gabriel fall in love in their teens. After their relationship ends she marries Frank and becomes a farmers wife.
I really enjoyed this story it was beautifully written and I found it so sad in parts that it made me cry.
This book hard was to put down and it certainly kept me engaged, It had some really good characters and some twists.
I will certainly be looking out for more books from this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and John Murray Press for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of those books that speaks to your soul. Beautifully written. Though it jumps around between timelines, I never felt lost. What sets it apart is the characters. Each one is perfectly rounded and you don't hate any of them despite them sometimes doing some things that hurt other characters that we love. The loss and the love is palable and this story will stay with me for a long time.

"It is pure, unadulterated nostalgia and there is nothing more intoxicating than that."
There is nothing more intoxicating than this book. This is easily my favourite book of 2025 already. I was devastated, I was exhilarated, I was filled with longing. I couldn't help but feel just as conflicted as Beth. What a beautiful, tragic journey this book was. I highly recommend it. Buy it for your mum, buy it for your best friend, buy it for your first love, buy it for yourself.

Quite possibly the best book I have read in a decade!
The author has managed to capture the intensity of first love and the heartbreak of separation perfectly and the characters grow from those beginnings into complex storylines that are spectacular in their own right.
Every emotion leaps off the pages and when the young lovers are reunited in later life the fallout is dramatic without ever becoming unbelievable.
100% must read!

Broken Country by Claire Leslie Hall is set to be one of the best books of 2025. This statement is not hyperbole, certainly not made lightly, as this book is literally blinding

Beth and Frank are married, and live in a rural English community. They had lost their young son and were rebuilding their lives day by day. That is, until Beth's brother-in-law shoots a dog that he thought was after his sheep, only to discover, the dog belongs to Gabriel, the love of Beth's life, who has now returned to the village...

A happy marriage, a love triangle, hidden, dangerous secrets, jealousy and spite, all wrapped up in one tiny rural community, beautifully constructed by Hall with twists and turns that are matched only by English country lanes (facts because I drive them often)

The sheer humanity of the story kept me gripped until a dumptruck of a plot twist came along and floored me and I mean, floored me.

Yes, this is going to be a belter of a book when it gets here in 2025 and if it is not straight into the bestseller echelons on release, I will be very, very surprised

Thank you to NetGalley, James Turner Publishing and Clare Leslie Hall for his stunning ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

This book was no what I expected, it was better. The description of life at the farm and of livestock and then of all human feelings like love, loss and grief it feel like a full experience but then there is the plot that just made it all complete.

Brilliant. Just brilliant. I read this in one day and was glued to it! The unexpected twists and turns were incredible and the way the book came together was excellent. I felt like I knew every character very well and it read like it was a true story. I’ll be looking out for Claire’s next one.

Just found out this being made into a film! Can’t wait to watch it!

Wow! This book took me by surprise, befriended me, frustrated me, disheartened me and took me top speed on an emotional roller coaster and I loved it!

The author played with every human emotion to perfection! Her characters were full, honest and oh so vulnerable and I adored each one of them. I wanted to love them, hate them, befriend them, protect them and I felt like I knew each of them so well.

This is a twisty emotional read and I’d thoroughly recommend it. What a joy!

I love this novel so much!

The story of Beth and Frank and Gabriel will stay with me for a long time. 'To Kill a Mockingbird' meets 'Where the rawdads Sing'.

Set in 1960s America, Frank's brother Jimmy shoots Leo (the son of Gabriel and Beth's first love's) pet dog. This begins a chain of events that will test all the characters to their limit.

Beautifully written, perfectly paced with wonderful characters - I highly recommend this book. I believe film rights have already been sold, and I am not surprised!


Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

This was an interesting read but not the heart-pounding love story that the blurb promised. The relationship between Beth, Frank and Gabriel is well developed and there are several twists in the plot to keep you guessing. I found the attraction between Beth and Gabriel once they met each other again hard to accept and I think she acted very selfishly. That said, it’s a good read and I’m sure will be very successful.

I thought there would be more substance to this book . The strong character is Frank who unconditionally loved Beth , Bobby , Leo and his brother Jimmy and sacrificed his happiness for them . The book described his journey to make their lives better. The premise of this book is a familiar one with the woman wanting to have it all with her relationships and life at the expense of hurting others. A book about lost loves, child loss, forgiveness, doing the right thing and finding out that the someone special is that and so much more. A decent read but not over the top for me.

Broken Country is a beautifully written heart wrenching novel.I found myself weeping as I turned the pages following the characters different storylines .This is a story that stays with you even after you finish.#netgalley#johnmurraypress

Stunning book. One of favourite, if not my overall favourite reads of this year. Beautifully written, it will break you into pieces & then put you back together again. What a triumph…

Simply stunning. Love, life, loss, lust, passion, guilt and characters who will stay with you forever. Such beautiful writing. Such evocative emotions. I will read whatever this author writes next!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

If I could give more than 5 stars, I would. Perfect.

Evocative, heartbreaking - told in stunning prose, this is a sweeping love story that is reminiscent of first love.

An absolutely incredible story, it was breathtaking. It was so intense, twisty and heartbreaking at times. I’d give it more than five stars if I could.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this.

This was a great story where I really didn't see what was coming! It kept me gripped from start to finish and is well worth every moment spent reading it.

The author is described as loving The Go-Between, with Broken Country being a nod to it. It is certainly set in the countryside, and the main plot is of an unlikely, impossible love affair. The book goes backwards and forwards, and as the story unravels, so does the mystery. "The Farmer is dead ..." begins the story. And soon you are wondering just which farmer, as there's more than one. And then the farmer is on trial - and you still don't know which one or who is dead! Along side this is the love story of Gabriel, the handsome son of the big house, and the narrator, happily married (or is she?) to Frank, who is goodness personified. Actually, I found him to be a little too good, too forgiving, too willing too undertake .... oh, but I mustn't give away the plot!
These are (mostly) very relatable characters, with their flaws, their secrets, their loves and their losses. A love triangle which resurfaces after many years and causes more heartache and tears. And more than one secret and mystery, which, when all is finally understood, suddenly make sense and bring such huge sadness and longing. For the characters as well as the readers.
I was hooked to the end - a real page turner, and one I shall re-read, even though I know the ending and all is now clear.
Best read with hankie to hand....

With thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Shuster for the opportunity to read the ARC.

I've just finished #BrokenCountry and I am floored. Weeping. The writing is superb and the description of loss, grief and love are perfect. I possibly may never be able to read another novel. Just brilliant