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itsjadenbaby's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Since it’s fiction, I know to take it with a grain of salt, but I appreciated hearing about the history and cultural background of Cuba. However, I found it hard to care deeply about what was happening since there were quite a few people involved in the story and the setup was hard to follow at times with the changing perspectives/timelines.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Police brutality
Minor: Sexual content, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and War
paigedent's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Pregnancy, War, and Deportation
mariposa517's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.5
I enjoy the storyline, family, relationships, and romances in both the past and present timelines. There are many nuanced discussions about Cuba’s history and recent politics throughout the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Grief, and Classism
Moderate: Death, Racism, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content and Torture
kelly_e's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
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
4.25
Title: Next Year in Havana
Author: Chanel Cleeton
Series: The Perez Family #1
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4.25
Pub Date: February 6, 2018
T H R E E • W O R D S
Passionate • Intimate • Atmospheric
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Havana, 1958. Elisa Perez, the nineteen-year-old daughter of a sugar baron, is part of Cuba's high society. Largely sheltered from the country's growing political unrest, she embarks on a clandestine affair with a passionate revolutionary; an event that will change her life forever. As will being forced to flee her native land with her family under growing unrest.
Miami, 2017: In the wake of her beloved grandmother's death, Marisol, a Cuban-American is faced with carrying out her grandmother, Elisa's, last wish - to return to her country of birth and to scatter her ashes. While in Cuba, Marisol will come face-to-face with the country's contrasting identities; unearthing a family secret hidden for generations, and learning the true meaning of courage.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Next Year in Havana wasn't at all what I was expecting (although I am not exactly sure what that was), and I was pleasantly surprised with how this story gripped my attention and taught me so much about a history I knew very little about.
This first installment in The Perez Family series is the perfect combination of mystery, history, and romance. Told is dual timelines, it compared and contrasted past and present day Cuba, as well as comparing the lives of war-torn Cubans. It opened my eyes to a different place than what I know, and see in all the vacation/tourism photos. I always have a deep appreciation for books that send me on a deep dive into researching and learning more, and this was certainly one of those books.
The atmospheric writing transported me into the story, and somehow felt very regency era-esque. At times, the structure made it so I forgot about the other timeline, and because the two had so many parallels, I sometimes mixed up small details. It is highly detailed, and lagged a little because of this. One of my favourite elements is the grandmother/granddaughter relationship, and how Marisol wanted to know her family history.
A story filled with intrigue, family secrets, identity, loyalty and forbidden love, Next Year in Havana weaves a beautiful tale of Cuban political history. It definitely left me thinking about the amount of families who have similar secrets. I look forward to continuing on in the series and learning more about the Perez family.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of family sagas
• historical romance and fiction enthusiasts
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"You never know what's to come. That is the beauty of life. If everything happened the way we wished, the way we planned, we'd miss out on the best parts, the unexpected pleasures."
"War is never anything other than bad, and anyone who tells you otherwise is a liar."
Author: Chanel Cleeton
Series: The Perez Family #1
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4.25
Pub Date: February 6, 2018
T H R E E • W O R D S
Passionate • Intimate • Atmospheric
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Havana, 1958. Elisa Perez, the nineteen-year-old daughter of a sugar baron, is part of Cuba's high society. Largely sheltered from the country's growing political unrest, she embarks on a clandestine affair with a passionate revolutionary; an event that will change her life forever. As will being forced to flee her native land with her family under growing unrest.
Miami, 2017: In the wake of her beloved grandmother's death, Marisol, a Cuban-American is faced with carrying out her grandmother, Elisa's, last wish - to return to her country of birth and to scatter her ashes. While in Cuba, Marisol will come face-to-face with the country's contrasting identities; unearthing a family secret hidden for generations, and learning the true meaning of courage.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Next Year in Havana wasn't at all what I was expecting (although I am not exactly sure what that was), and I was pleasantly surprised with how this story gripped my attention and taught me so much about a history I knew very little about.
This first installment in The Perez Family series is the perfect combination of mystery, history, and romance. Told is dual timelines, it compared and contrasted past and present day Cuba, as well as comparing the lives of war-torn Cubans. It opened my eyes to a different place than what I know, and see in all the vacation/tourism photos. I always have a deep appreciation for books that send me on a deep dive into researching and learning more, and this was certainly one of those books.
The atmospheric writing transported me into the story, and somehow felt very regency era-esque. At times, the structure made it so I forgot about the other timeline, and because the two had so many parallels, I sometimes mixed up small details. It is highly detailed, and lagged a little because of this. One of my favourite elements is the grandmother/granddaughter relationship, and how Marisol wanted to know her family history.
A story filled with intrigue, family secrets, identity, loyalty and forbidden love, Next Year in Havana weaves a beautiful tale of Cuban political history. It definitely left me thinking about the amount of families who have similar secrets. I look forward to continuing on in the series and learning more about the Perez family.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of family sagas
• historical romance and fiction enthusiasts
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"You never know what's to come. That is the beauty of life. If everything happened the way we wished, the way we planned, we'd miss out on the best parts, the unexpected pleasures."
"War is never anything other than bad, and anyone who tells you otherwise is a liar."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Murder, and War
Moderate: Death, Kidnapping, Grief, Pregnancy, and Classism
Minor: Sexual content
caseythereader's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content and Torture
danajoy's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
jeanniea's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Elisa's story is much more enticing than Marisol's. Felt that a different approach to Marisol's character and storyline would've made for a more interesting story. Marisol was a REALLY annoying character at times. Almost DNFed it because of her character.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Sexual content, Torture, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, and War