Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton.
This book received all the rave reviews last year! I’m always hesitant that a book with so much hype won’t live up to it, but this one definitely did. I appreciated that this book had such a great story that swept me along and made it hard to put down while also delving into the history of Cuba and the turmoil both past and present.
This book has dual timelines taking place in 1958 and 2017. I often find that I am drawn more to the present day story in dual timelines books. I like to follow along in the process of discovery, but I enjoyed both timelines equally here.
This book has left me wanting to read and learn more about Cuba. I am so excited the Cleeton has a follow up, When We Left Cuba, that just came out!
Summary from publisher:
Havana, 1958. The daughter of a sugar baron, nineteen-year-old Elisa Perez is part of Cuba’s high society, where she is largely sheltered from the country’s growing political unrest–until she embarks on a clandestine affair with a passionate revolutionary…
Miami, 2017. Freelance writer Marisol Ferrera grew up hearing romantic stories of Cuba from her late grandmother Elisa, who was forced to flee with her family during the revolution. Elisa’s last wish was for Marisol to scatter her ashes in the country of her birth.
Arriving in Havana, Marisol comes face-to-face with the contrast of Cuba’s tropical, timeless beauty and its perilous political climate. When more family history comes to light and Marisol finds herself attracted to a man with secrets of his own, she’ll need the lessons of her grandmother’s past to help her understand the true meaning of courage.
Publisher: Berkley
ISBN: 9780399586682
Get it at: Amazon or Book Depository
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Next Year in Havana Book Review.
