along500's review against another edition
3.0
Cliche story line saved only by the interesting history behind Cuba's revolution.
red_steele's review against another edition
2.0
The author should have selected a voice actor with an authentic Cuban accent.
This book is overrated! The microwave, young adult love story between Marisol and her love interest was sophomoric.
The author could have solely written about Elisa and her revolutionary, but her insta-love story also lacked depth.
I am interested in reading about Beatriz’s story in the sequel. This book was a failure.
This book is overrated! The microwave, young adult love story between Marisol and her love interest was sophomoric.
The author could have solely written about Elisa and her revolutionary, but her insta-love story also lacked depth.
I am interested in reading about Beatriz’s story in the sequel. This book was a failure.
cfofo's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I loved how Marisol's and Elisa's stories paralleled each other.
Overall, it was a beautiful story, but there were parts where it seemed to drag on with people getting long winded about their political beliefs.
Overall, it was a beautiful story, but there were parts where it seemed to drag on with people getting long winded about their political beliefs.
dannycakez8808's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
I loved this story! I enjoyed the format of current day and 1950s Cuba. This book was very enlightening on the Cuban history. It's crazy to think that they all once thought Fidel Castro was going to be the "democratic good guy". This was a beautiful story and I'm so happy to have read it.
I loved this story! I enjoyed the format of current day and 1950s Cuba. This book was very enlightening on the Cuban history. It's crazy to think that they all once thought Fidel Castro was going to be the "democratic good guy". This was a beautiful story and I'm so happy to have read it.
dyerra's review against another edition
1.0
This book started out horribly and then got slightly better, but was still bad. And in order to get to the better part you have to slog through half of the book where the main characters are swooning and trembling and tremoring all over the place. The first half of the book focuses on the two main characters (in two different eras) falling instantly in love with men, and frankly, the romance is poorly written. I am not a fan of romance anyway, but the author's attempt to . . . I'm not sure, build anticipation? In her readers just fell flat. Also, Ms. Cleeton demonstrated significant overuse of the thesaurus, sprinkling synonyms throughout the book with the carelessness of a child decorating a sugar cookie. After the characters finally hook up (I'm not even claiming this as a spoiler, it's incredibly obvious the whole time that they will), the book gets marginally better in that the poorly written romance is out of the way. The history of Cuba is interesting, but the vehicle chosen is not. Frankly, it would have been more engaging and informative to read the Wikipedia article and much less of a waste of time. After the romance, the plot is still flat, but at least you can stop cringing at the heavy-handed attempt at building passion. If you are intrigued by the description of the book, I suggest you just read a book about the history of Cuba and skip the novel altogether.
karenina4777's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
king_rune's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
karaklos's review against another edition
2.0
Next Year in Havana really missed the mark. It’s intended to be a serious, meaningful story but is so frivolous that I was physically uncomfortable reading it at times.
The only saving grace is a bit of Cuban history and politics. That being said, I wish she had focused more on the average Cuban citizen’s experience instead of a wealthy family. With the many descriptions of shopping trips, designer dresses, jewelry, etc., it was difficult to feel sorry for the wealthy family who was forced to flee. I did like the descriptions of the family restaurants that catered to tourists and the food.
I visited Cuba last year and was looking forward to the main character Marisol’s first impressions of Cuba, particularly compared to her family’s descriptions. I was disappointed in her reaction. Things were worn, frayed, or crumbling but there was never any reaction as to the safety and sanitary conditions of Havana. There was no real feeling that she had been there. Instead, it felt like she had a checklist of things she wanted to touch on (rum, cigars, dominoes, etc.).
Romance dominates this book and it’s not realistic. People see each other once and that’s it, they’re in love! Many of the lines were ridiculous in describing feelings. Everything made the women shiver or flutter.
“I can make out the edge of a mattress covered in a navy blue spread, a pair of trouser pants draped across the foot of the bed, this intimate view of his domestic life sending a flutter to my stomach.”
Really? His bedspread and pants make you go crazy?
There is a big dramatic encounter near the end of the book that is preposterous, predictable, and poorly played out.
The only saving grace is a bit of Cuban history and politics. That being said, I wish she had focused more on the average Cuban citizen’s experience instead of a wealthy family. With the many descriptions of shopping trips, designer dresses, jewelry, etc., it was difficult to feel sorry for the wealthy family who was forced to flee. I did like the descriptions of the family restaurants that catered to tourists and the food.
I visited Cuba last year and was looking forward to the main character Marisol’s first impressions of Cuba, particularly compared to her family’s descriptions. I was disappointed in her reaction. Things were worn, frayed, or crumbling but there was never any reaction as to the safety and sanitary conditions of Havana. There was no real feeling that she had been there. Instead, it felt like she had a checklist of things she wanted to touch on (rum, cigars, dominoes, etc.).
Romance dominates this book and it’s not realistic. People see each other once and that’s it, they’re in love! Many of the lines were ridiculous in describing feelings. Everything made the women shiver or flutter.
“I can make out the edge of a mattress covered in a navy blue spread, a pair of trouser pants draped across the foot of the bed, this intimate view of his domestic life sending a flutter to my stomach.”
Really? His bedspread and pants make you go crazy?
There is a big dramatic encounter near the end of the book that is preposterous, predictable, and poorly played out.
hollymay's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
rrickman33's review against another edition
4.0
The look into Cuba's history and current state was fascinating and educational. I'll admit my Cuba knowledge was somewhat lacking and this book had me looking everything up. I loved the descriptions and the witty, smart dialogue that was present everywhere in this book.
With that said, it lost an entire star for me because of the present day "instant romance". Saying I love you after 3 days is not realistic and I was not rooting for that part of the story. If that forced and fast romance could have been extended or left out I would have absolutely loved this book.
With that said, it lost an entire star for me because of the present day "instant romance". Saying I love you after 3 days is not realistic and I was not rooting for that part of the story. If that forced and fast romance could have been extended or left out I would have absolutely loved this book.