Reviews with content warning for War - Quando deixámos Cuba

I wanted to love this so much more than I did. I loved the last train to Key West by the same author. The premise was really intriguing. It was well written and interesting with good pacing.

However, a few things put me off. The love interest annoyed me so much. He and the fmc had so many conflicting approaches to politics and he kept sweeping her experiences aside and acting like she was irrational. Actually so many people acted like she was behaving irrationally when she made good points. She was a bit reckless but they all seemed to talk down to her despite her capability. Most of the side characters were condescending at one point or another.

They kept saying how wrong for each other they are but they aren’t star crossed. They could be together if they weren’t so stubborn. I don’t get it. It just got annoying when the author would act like they are soulmates only for them to refuse to do anything serious about their relationship because of their ideological differences. It took away from the fmc growth to have her always go back to this guy who didn’t support what she wanted from life.

Also, for a book about history and politics it really doesn’t get into much of either. All the history is very vague and all the politics are very surface level. The fmc even studied politics and yet we the readers aren’t sure where she sits on the spectrum or why. It doesn’t have to be crazy political but I would have thought there would be more of a discussion. We got brief bits of diplomacy versus espionage and which is better in times of tension.

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volunteerpyromancer's review against another edition

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emotional informative tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I learned about Castro, Cuba and the missile crisis in school but it was such an abstract idea to me. This book really brought history to life. It gave me a new perspective on things. And I think that's the best thing books and stories can do. 4. Only knocking a point because there were some slow spots in the story where Beatriz was waiting for things to happen... but I can't even fault that too much because I bet that is the reality of the situation.

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mariposa517's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative 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

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kimveach's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful informative sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was an excellent follow-up to Next Year in Havana. I would have preferred more spy intrigue than romance, but I appreciate that Beatriz didn't need to get married to feel fulfilled.

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