This book was a Reese’s Book Club pick last year, as soon as they announced it I was drawn in by the title and cover art. Once I read the review from the cover and peeked at the Goodreads reviews from other readers, I was sold!
Book Summary:
Beth and her gentle, kind husband Frank are happily married, but their relationship relies on the past staying buried. But when Beth’s brother-in-law shoots a dog going after their sheep, Beth doesn’t realize that the gunshot will alter the course of their lives. For the dog belonged to none other than Gabriel Wolfe, the man Beth loved as a teenager—the man who broke her heart years ago. Gabriel has returned to the village with his young son Leo, a boy who reminds Beth very much of her own son, who died in a tragic accident.
As Beth is pulled back into Gabriel’s life, tensions around the village rise and dangerous secrets and jealousies from the past resurface, this time with deadly consequences. Beth is forced to make a choice between the woman she once was, and the woman she has become.
A sweeping love story with the pace and twists of a thriller, Broken Country is a novel of simmering passion, impossible choices, and explosive consequences that toggles between the past and present to explore the far-reaching legacy of first love.
Considered Reads Summary:
A poignant story centered around Beth, an English countryside village girl, across the span of her life loving and losing those she cares about most in an array of angles. Starting with her life as a child and moving into and through adulthood we see Beth’s courage through all her hardships. Consisting of multiple significant plot twists filled with yearning, regret, and second chances, her character shows us how great losses in life can effect future decisions, the implications of psych on loved ones we adore, and desires moving forward.
Hall beautifully rotates between different past and present viewpoints, feeding the story with more suspense as the characters unravel before you. A heartfelt delight you’ll feel for days ensuing.
Audience Match: Readers who enjoy love triangles, what-if’s and life-altering sacrifices.
Quiet Question: What pain would you be willing to bury in order to protect another and why is that the best way to handle the situation?
Mood: Wistful
Pacing: Medium to Fast
Our Rating: 5.0 - I read this with such ease and curiosity, this novel really was a delight and had me entirely engulfed in the pages, feeling like I was part of the story rather than an observer looking in.
Favorite Quote:
“I find myself in this situation often: managing other people’s awkwardness around my grief, my loss.”
Comparable Titles:
Wild Dark Shore - Charlotte McConaghy (another favorite of mine from 2025)
All the Colors of the Dark - Chris Whitaker
The River is Waiting - Wally Lamb
