A review by thegingerchronicles
Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall

emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

This book was great. I just really enjoyed it. I thought it gave off major The Notebook vibes. Beth and Gabriel fall in love in the summer of 1955, in the English countryside, and yet Gabriel comes from a high-class background and Beth, a lower class. They totally echoed Allie and Noah from The Notebook. I also loved her relationship with her husband, Frank, and I'm glad we got a glimpse into their lives together with their son. I liked that the author made Frank lovable because it would have been too easy to make him mean. That's also very similar to James Marsden's character in the movie.

Besides some similarities to The Notebook, Broken Country stands on its own. There are some great plot twists and beautiful and heartbreaking writing. I have always loved stories that jump back and forth in time, and in this instance, I thought it was used well. The audiobook narrator was great and a perfect voice for Beth.

Spicy rating: 1.5/5 🌶️ There are a few scenes with graphic but tasteful descriptions and a few lead-up scenes to closed-door scenes.
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