Next Year in Havana is a dual timeperiod story, with one taking place current day and the other in 1958 as Castro takes control of the island. One thing that makes a book extra special for me is when they revolve around places that I have been to, such is the case here. I have been to both Santa Clara and Varadero as well as visited the memorial of Che, making it very easy for me to rekindle my feelings of those trips. Even if I have not been to those places the author did a great job of putting me there with vivid descriptions - from the landscape, food and lifestyles bringing this story to life.

The author doesn’t hold back but tells it like it is (was). To be honest I really didn’t know what took place that put Castro in control and how it came about. Told in first person pov (my favorite), where I can get inside their heads (and hearts) to really feel the story.

Cleeton is a new author to me, and definitely one I will read more of. Next Year in Havana is a story of love and lose, of survival and hope, full of family secrets that tug at your heart strings while opening your eyes to Cuba’s history. One that will stay with me and has me anxious for Beatriz's story (sister of Elisa).

Thank you to the author for reaching out to me with an advances copy in exchange for an honest review.

This amazing book contains all my thoughts and feelings I've harbored about Cuba my entire life. And I want to personally thank Chanel Cleeton for bringing to light the political climate during Batista's days, Fidel's days, and as they exist today.

Finally, here's a book that encapsulates it all - a bridge between the past, an uncertain future, and everything in between. If nothing else, please do yourself a favor and read this for the historical (and accurate) perspective embodied in what it means to be human and Cuban. And Ms. Cleeton perfectly captures the essence and themes of struggle, honor, and love by writing two perspectives from women who have little and everything to do with each other.

The story is told from dual points of view. One is Elisa, living in Cuba in 1958 and 1959. The other is Marisol, Elisa's granddaughter in 2017. The story gives us a glimpse of Elisa's circumstances as her family boards a plane heading to the United States in 1959. Fidel Castro's regime is just starting to take over so, in other words, they are fleeing right before the mouth of the monster is about to swallow Cuba whole.

In the present, Elisa has now died and has entrusted Marisol with her ashes, instructed only to spread them in Cuba. Where? Well, that will be up to Marisol. So Marisol goes, under the guise of a journalist. She believes she is heading to an island which she has romanticized in her mind, but soon her experiences and family secrets she uncovers slowly help shift her views. Actually, this really starts from the moment she sets foot at the Cuban airport.

She realizes that her grandmother kept deep-rooted and important secrets, despite their close bond. And the most compelling aspect is when she finds out her grandmother was once in love with a man who was deemed a revolutionary, someone who is a different man than her grandfather.

Marisol also meets a man when she arrives in Cuba, who happens to be the grandson of her grandmother's best friend. He's grown up in Cuba and knows nothing else than the way of life as it exists there. Next Year in Havana is such a nuanced story that I'm afraid to say too much, as I don't want to spoil the story for anyone.

Personally, I was affected beyond belief as it dredged a lot of emotions based on my own family roots. You see, I'm considered "first generation" Cuban. My father was born in Cuba and I, in America. So this dynamic is not unlike the dynamics between Elisa and Marisol. And one important thing to drive home, that I think this book does superbly, is that men like Fidel Castro and Che Guevara are not men to be celebrated. They were murderers, architects of broken homes, and creators of sadness and despair...negative emotions which have only ignited hope and passion in the Cuban people.

I read the quote above and I can also say that my father was once "a boy in Cuba..." and his childhood was one that was ripped to shreds as he endured everything that comes from living under a communistic regime. My father was a 12-year-old boy when Fidel Castro took over Batista's government, around the same time Elisa is getting on a plane to freedom with her family.

He was put to work in the sugar cane fields at age 14, he witnessed someone get decapitated for defiance at a concentration camp (the UMAP), went hungry and lied to his parents that he'd eaten at a friend's house because the rationed food did not leave enough for his family to eat. Indelibly, he escaped because he too was a "revolutionary" like the men in the book. So unlike Elisa, my father remained in Cuba in 1959 and lived there for another ten years - experiencing atrocities under the Castro regime.

But something that happens towards the end of the book leads me to believe that the story is not over and that Ms. Cleeton will continue to uncover what it means to fight for a country you love with a government who doesn't love you back. Certainly, this story is an apropos metaphor to these current times.

As always, happy reading!

When I finished reading this, and it was one those reads you just have sit and let sink in, it was just that amazing! I even talked with my husband about it, and the history that was told. Here was so much to love about this, the alternating timelines of the two women, and yes this is a work of fiction but the rich details are based off of some factual events. Most of which I did not learn much about.

Elisa Perez’ family fled from Cuba when Castros reign started. They wealthy, powerful and respected. After leaving, they never returned to their Home. All Elisa has are her memories of days growing up there. Not all of her memories are happy ones. But she was such a string willed young woman, determined to follower her her and her story was filled with love, hard times and sorrow. One thing about her though, it never stopped her loving her country and family and she shared this adoration with her granddaughter. But there are parts of her past that she kept secret from her family, even from Elisa.

Marisol’s closeness to her grandmother was endearing to me. Growing up hearing all the stories of younger days, it is how it should be with grandparents and grandchildren. Marisol took her grandmothers death very hard, so it was no question that she would carry out her last wish to have her ashes spread in Cuba. Upon arrival in Cuba, it was fairly clear she was an outsider, but she was so much like Elisa, so stubborn and not willing to give up quite so easily. Marisol has come to learn that there was a lot more to her grandmothers life there in Cuba than she ever knew. She has some help on her quest for the answers and the perfect place to spread the ashes and this man just might be the one she was meant to meet all along.

These two timelines seem to run parallel to each other. Almost bitter-sweetly with some of the events that happens. I adored both Elisa and Marisol’s stories, and the Cuban history through their eyes. It was so beautifully described yet so heart breaking to know the struggles they went through.

Next Year in Havana is an enlighting, refreshing that will break your heart in parts and piece it back together in others with their strength. It was one that will stay with me.

Next year in Havana is one of those books that I took one look at and just knew that I wanted to read. The cover is breathtakingly beautiful and the blurb promised the reader an unforgettable story. I was very interested in Che Guevara in my early twenties, and I still find him to be a fascinating person. And the history of Cuba is also very interesting so guess my delight to get the chance of reading a historical fiction book set in Cuba.

Next year in Havana has a dual storyline, with one story taking place in 1958 when Batista was driven from the country and Castro took control of the country and you either stayed and took your chance with the new government or you left like the Perez family did in this book. They hoped that they would one day return to Havana, but it will not be until 2017 before a member of the Perez family will return when Marisol Ferrera travels to her family's birth country.

I particularly liked the contrast between now and then Cuba will reading the book. In many ways have time stood still in Cuba since Castro took power and through this book, one gets a glimpse both how it was during Batista's rule and the situations in the country after Castro's death. The most tragic thing is that the people just wanted to be free and they thought Castro would be the one to give back Cuba to its people. It didn't turn out that way instead they traded one terrible situation for another.

The book also promotes the reader some passionate love stories, both Elisa and Marisol found themselves swept off their feet. I guarantee if you are looking for some great love stories, then you don't need to look any further!

Next Year in Havana is a fantastic book with two equally interesting storylines. And the best thing is that there will be a sequel released about Eliza's sister Beatriz. I can't wait to read the book!

February weather always makes me want to get away to a warm place, if not in real life, then in fiction. For that, Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton is an excellent escape. Elisa Perez and her sisters, all wealthy daughters of a sugar baron, were exiled from Havana in . Decades later, Elisa's granddaughter Marisol returns to spread her grandmother's ashes, and when she finds box of her grandmother's love letters detailing her illicit romance with a passionate revolutionary, she becomes determined to dig up long held family secrets.

While she unravels the truth of her grandmother's past, Marisol naturally falls into a love story of her own. Told in alternative points of view between Marisol and Elisa, this is not one but two romances about the struggle to balance true love, family and country. Next Year in Havana reminds us that while love is complicated and occasionally heartbreaking, it's always worth the risk.

Marisol Ferrara was raised by her late grandmother, Elisa, who immigrated from Cuba in the 1950’s. Her grandmother’s dying wish was to have her ashes scattered in her native Havana. Marisol works as a freelance journalist in Miami and will use this opportunity to write a piece on tourism in Cuba. She embarks on this journey with the goal of finding a location with symbolic importance to her grandmother.

Marisol arrives in Cuba and sets out to learn all that she can about her grandmother’s family. She begins to trace Elisa’s life with help from her grandmother’s childhood friend. Ana gives her a box containing her grandmother's letters and this provides most of the clues to Elisa’s past. These include secret love letters detailing her teenage romance with a young revolutionary. Marisol begins to appreciate the amazing life her grandmother lived and the sacrifices her family made to keep them together.

This novel by Chanel Cleeton is one of my favorite reads over the last year. It is a very engaging story with a great mix of romance and history. I look forward to the sequel scheduled for 2019.

I've never been a fan of reading historical romance, but I'm a huge fan of this author's work, so I took a chance. And didn't regret it! Besides the beautiful cover, Next Year in Havana is compelling, eye opening and told beautifully. It's a story that alternates between the 1950s and present day. The back and forth was never confusing and the characters were well-developed, that I couldn't get enough of their lives.

This was such a lovely story! I have to admit that the beautiful cover of this book is what first caught my attention. Once I took a closer look, I decided to give it a try since the story sounded really interesting. The book ended up being more than interesting. I was swept away by the story and felt Cuba come alive within the pages. I am so glad that I decided to give this book a try.

This story is told in two timelines. Marisol's story is set in 2017 shortly after her grandmother's death. She goes to Cuba to see the country where her grandmother grew up and find the right place to spread her ashes. Elisa is Marisol's grandmother. Her story is set in 1958 as Cuba is in crisis. I really enjoyed both of the timelines equally and loved how everything came together.

I really liked the characters in this book. Elisa and her family were in a very difficult situation. The fact that Elisa and two of her sisters were young adults trying to find their place in the world only made things more difficult for them. Elisa was willing to following her emotions even when she knew it may not be the safe choice. I could really feel all of her struggle as she tries to figure out what to do.

Marisol was very close to her grandmother and is eager to see the Cuba she has heard so much about. I liked Marisol right away. I liked how she took her responsibility to carry out her grandmother's wishes so seriously and wanted to learn more about her life in Cuba. I thought that all of the secondary characters were very well done in the story as well.

I think that the setting of this book really helped it stand out. I have read very little of Cuba and am a bit ashamed by how little I really know of the country. I felt like Cuba came alive in the pages of this book. The setting really almost became a character in the book. The descriptions were so vivid that I really felt that I could close my eyes and see the things that the characters saw.

The mystery of the story really kept my interest. I wanted to know what had happened to Elisa all those years ago and was eager to learn what Marisol would find. I was equally interested in seeing how the events in the book would impact Marisol's life. There were a few twists along the way and enough excitement to keep the pages turning.

I would highly recommend this book to others. I thought that this book told a remarkable story that will stay with me for a long time. This was the first book by Chanel Cleeton that I have had the chance to read and I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.

I received an advance reader edition of this book from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley.

Gorgeous,gorgeous cover! I was so happy to get to read the ARC of this book. It told such a poignant story of the Perez family, focusing on Elisa not yet out of her teens during the tumultuous rise of Fidel Castro. We find out the Perez family flees to Miami as exiles, at the beginning of the story, but we are taken back to hear the details of the story,when Elisa's grand-daughter Marisol goes back to Havana to spread Elisa's ashes after her death. The two time lines blended seamlessly as the story of Elisa's elicit romance in 1958 Havana comes to light and we see Havana today through Marisol's eyes as she chases her grandmother's ghost to piece together the story she never knew. Thank you to the author for the opportunity to read and review the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I didn't realize my review partner had requested this one. I didn't download it. She reviewed it here

http://smexybooks.com/2018/02/review-next-year-in-havana-by-chanel-cleeton.html

"To be in exile is to have the things you love most in the world- the air you breathe, the earth you walk upon- taken from you. They exist on the other side of a wall- there and not- unaltered by time and circumstance, preserved in a perfect memory in a land of dreams." p. 16


If you enjoy past-present stories, if you're at all curious about Cuba, if you like your novels to come with a love story, you are going to need this book in your life.

Next Year In Havana is an immersive experience. I didn't know a great deal about Cuba prior to reading this but Cleeton brought the country and its people alive. From the scenery to the richly drawn characters, we are drawn further and further into the story. Or rather, both stories.

While officially Marisol travels to Cuba to write an article on tourism now that restrictions have eased, unofficially she's there on a journalist's visa to return her grandmother Elisa's ashes to her native country. Elisa's family left the country when Castro took over but they never thought Castro would stay in power or that they'd never be able to return. I can only imagine the heartbreak of leaving your home and then never being able to go back.

Upon Marisol's arrival, she meets Luis, the handsome professor grandson of her grandmother's best friend Ana. Through Ana and Luis, Marisol is able to see the Cuba from her grandmother's stories, as well as the Cuba of today. There may have been a revolution in 1959 but the Castro regime has not made things better.

As a character notes, revolutionaries dream of dying for their country, not governing it or figuring out what systems need to be in place or how to word the constitution. Without the necessary infrastructure, corruption and rigged elections become the norm. The disparity between the rich and the poor grows wider and those who left can never return.

This would have been a great story itself but Next Year In Havana is elevated by including Elisa's story as well. These intertwining stories introduce us to Cuba's history, its rise and fall, and its current struggles.

"We left, and we haven't been able to return, and we're stuck in stasis in the United States. Always waiting, always hoping, wondering, praying that we would wake up and see a headline on the news that Fidel had died, that the government had admitted this was a terrible mistake, that things will go back to the way they were. As exiles, that hope is embedded in the very essence of our soul, taught from birth—

'Next year in Havana'—

It's the toast we never stop saying, because the dream of it never comes true." p. 188


As Marisol and Luis spend time visiting her grandmother's favorites places in Havana, their connection grows and I loved watching their relationship. Similarly, as we flash back to 1958, we get to see a burgeoning relationship between wealthy girl Elisa and her revolutionary Pablo. I loved both of these love stories. The tensions and difficulties in both relationships do a great job of illustrating the problems Cuba faced then and now.

Just as Elisa didn't know how she could be with a revolutionary, it's no simple matter for Marisol and Luis to be together. Do they live in Cuba or the US? Is it possible for Luis to get a visa to come to the US? Do they have enough of a connection to take the risk?

As their relationship unfolds, Marisol digs deeper into the mystery of who her grandmother was while she lived in Cuba and why Elisa never told her granddaughter about her first love. This pushes the plot along and I was dying to know what had come of Pablo, as well as whether Luis and Marisol could overcome their differences or if the Cuban government would interfere. There are such high stakes—someone could lose their life and the dangers are very real—and I honestly had no idea what might happen.

"You never know what's to come. That's 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." p. 255


We cover a lot of ground in this novel. Two love stories, two depictions of Cuba. It highlights what modern Cubans have undergone and it does not shy away from the US government's complicity in Cuba's plight. I learned a lot but I never felt like I was being taught. I was wrapped up in wonderfully written story.

I started reading Chanel Cleeton's novels a few months ago and I was impressed with her storytelling abilities in her contemporary romances. I was curious how her women's fiction would be and she did not disappoint. This is her best work yet. I'm excited Cleeton will be continuing the story of the Perez sisters with Beatriz in When We Left Cuba. It's going to be so good!

Next Year In Havana is Chanel Cleeton's chance to shine a light on Cuba. It's her call for change and for the international community to take action. My heart goes out to the Cuban exiles and I hope someday soon they'll be able to say, "this year in Havana."

Chanel Cleeton’s Next Year in Havana, is like a treasure chest, each chapter revealing another layer of gems. The novel’s protagonist, Marisol, travels to Cuba to scatter her grandmother, Eliza’s, ashes. She discovers Eliza’s deeply hidden secrets, and the tragedies that led to her exile to the United States. I found my heart breaking at the conditions Cubans faced under the regimes of Batista and Castro. Fascination, turmoil, heartbreak, and hope are emotions that Cleeton evoked from this reader. This masterpiece is so well-crafted that I was surprised to learn it is a debut novel. I eagerly await Cleeton’s next work about the mysterious character, Beatriz.

I have never read such a poignant story, one that is so eloquently written, blending both bittersweet moments with those filled with love and hope. Cleeton's story tells the history of tragic heartache while still somehow keeping hope and a pursuit of what is deemed right and worthy at the forefront. Next Year in Havana stunned me. The beautiful imagery of pre Castro Cuba paints a picture that slowly crumbles as you read. Jumping in time from 1959 to the present allows the reader to put together a mural full of so many conflicting emotions and colors. Elisa and Marisol's stories might be centuries apart but they are so alike in their trajectory. The innocence is lost in the face of injustice and love takes root in the most unlikely of places.

I don't know which timeline was my favorite in this book. I guess you could say that one would not be as powerful without the other. The past sets the stage for the future, and the future needs to find what happened in the past. Marisol is a beautiful character, one caught between who she is taught to be and who she is becoming. Watching her make choices and navigate the dangers of her new reality is not something to take lightly. To be Cuban, living a life exiled from your country, is a way of life for her and her family. They have longed for years to return to their homeland, but that will never be the case for so many of them. Elisa embodies an innocence that falls apart in front of you. It is both beautiful and haunting to watch events unfold. As you go back and forth in time, something Cleeton shares with such brilliant precision, you wonder how anything good can come from what is happening. The history and actual reality of what happened is shared in a way that leaves a mark. There is a melancholy that cannot be denied between the pages of this book. But where there is so little hope, beauty somehow springs forth. Second chances are given and reality is altered forever.

I wish I could read this book again, as if for the first time. Cleeton's writing has never been so powerful. I was moved in a way I have not been in so long. This story tugs and rips at your heartstrings, giving you a story that is real, harsh, and achingly lovely. I cannot wait to know more of the Perez family, to see what happened with Beatriz in 1959 and beyond.

Atmospheric, absorbing, and incredibly heartfelt!

Next Year in Havana is a riveting tale that sweeps you into a country ravished by rebellion, oppression, economic instability, and political upheaval, and a populace that's confused, disappointed, angry and struggling with self-identity, patriotism, and a lack of freedom and rights.

The story is set in Cuba during both the late 1950s, as well as present day and is full of mystique, familial drama, heartbreak, secrets, deception, history, culture, courage, loss, self-discovery, hope, and romance.

The prose is eloquent and vivid. The characters are multi-layered, sympathetic, and torn. And the plot is well crafted and uses a past/present style to unravel all the motivations, personalities, and relationships within it.

Next Year in Havana is the perfect blend of historical facts, intriguing fiction, and palpable emotion. It's a beautifully written story that is nostalgic, heartbreaking, fascinating and sweet and highlights Cleeton's passion for her familial heritage.

My three star rating of this book is based on the lengthy and repetitious political explanations spoken by the main male characters, often in the midst of romantic scenes. Although I never doubted their sincerity and passion for the cause, these speeches tended to bore me with detail. They interrupted the flow of the story. I usually love historical fiction. This example, not so much.

In Chanel Cleeton's novel, NEXT YEAR IN HAVANA (Berkley), a Cuban-American woman's grandmother dies with one wish - that her ashes are spread in her country of Cuba. The grand-daughter returns to the Island and discovers the roots of her identity and a family hidden since the revolution.



I was immediately absorbed in Chanel's novel. Being I live in Miami and there are always stories in the Cuban community, I'm intrigued by all things Cuba. Chanel's novel goes back forth between the time of  the sugar barons and high society 1950s Cuba and tells 19 year-old Eliza Perez story of being sheltered from unrest, and alternates with present day Eliza's grand-daughter, Marisol Ferrera's story.

One thing that stood out for me was Chanel's use of the senses. You hear and smell the sea and taste the unique meals, as well as visualize the landscape of the Island and smell the flowers thriving in Cuba.

I was excited to read NEXT YEAR IN HAVANA, since I was in Havana, Cuba in 2015 for the CUBA Havana 12th BiENNIAL. I think the cover is absolutely breath-taking, focusing on the Malecon where many Cubans center their social lives.

*****

I was also thrilled to do an interview with Chanel about her novel and being Cuban-American. Here's what she had to say.

CR: Describe the Havana your relatives grew up in, and told you about, compared to what your experiences are as an American Cuban?

CC: My family left Cuba in 1967, eight years after Fidel Castro took power, so their stories of Cuba were really fragmented by the Cuban Revolution. Before the revolution, many of their stories were of a tight-knit community and family gatherings. Our extended family lived close together so the children were all raised together, and despite the political upheaval of that time period, my family looked back on those days fondly. After the revolution, much changed, family members and friends slowly leaving the country, families separated. My father and grandparents lived through events like the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Bay of Pigs, and more in Cuba and their days were filled with uncertainty and fear. 

As the child of a Cuban exile, I grew up on stories of Cuba and I was so fortunate that my family shared our traditions and culture with me, really preserving that history. Not having had the opportunity to live in Cuba, my family has really been my biggest cultural influence, and much of my Cuban identity is inextricably linked with my family and their history.

CR: What defines Cuban pride?

CC: I think it’s really about preserving a legacy. My grandparents did such an amazing job of passing our history down through the family and gave me a greater appreciation of all they sacrificed in order to give their son and now me a better life. There’s a tremendous resilience, courage, and sense of ingenuity in Cubans—both those in exile and those who have remained in Cuba—and those qualities really are our legacy and a source of tremendous pride. For those who were forced to leave Cuba, the version of Cuba that they’ve nurtured and preserved in exile for future generations is truly an extraordinary thing and certainly has filled me with pride as the daughter and granddaughter of Cuban exiles.

CR: Have you been to Havana?

I have not, but it’s at the top of my bucket list. My grandmother who I was very close to passed away several years ago and one of my greatest wishes is to return her ashes to Cuba. That said, my grandfather feels very strongly about us not supporting the current regime, and while I understand that everyone has different positions on this and many members of my extended family have traveled to Cuba, out of respect for my grandfather, my father and I have not gone.

CC: What makes Cubans unique?

CC: Unfortunately, many communities have experienced political and economic upheaval that has led to a large diaspora movement of people in exile so there are quite a few parallels between the Cuban experience and that of other groups. That said, Cuba itself is in a bit of a unique position because there are so few countries that have remained fairly closed off from the rest of the world in terms of access to media and technology. It’s also unique in the sense that it’s one of the few countries where a communist government has been in power for such a long time.

CR: Make believe you have a crystal ball ...... What is the future of the Island?

CC: I wish I had a crystal ball! Honestly, I think there have been gradual events that have demonstrated that change is coming to the island, albeit a bit slowly. The opening of diplomatic relations with the United States, the government’s recognition of paladares—the restaurants run out of people’s homes—and casa particulares—the hotels/inns that are being run out of private residences—are changing things within Cuba. Technology and a desired access to that technology is really influencing the younger generations and it will be interesting to see what comes of that increased access with some of the restrictions to the Internet loosening as well as the potential for increased tourist travel and exchange of ideas. As the current regime ages and some of the original figures like Fidel Castro pass away, it’s really going to be the younger generation that sets the tone for Cuba’s future, and I think we will start to see relations opening up and restrictions continuing to loosen

CR: What are your dreams for Cuba?

CC: I would love for Cuba’s future to include more social, political, and economic opportunities for its people. I dream of a free Cuba that puts its people first and gives them a chance to realize their dreams and provide a better life for their children, a Cuba where people are able to speak out without fear of government retaliation, where people have access to a good healthcare system, an education system, where they are able to take control of their futures. I dream of a Cuba that has a place for the exiles, that can give a piece of their legacy back after it was taken from them. I dream of a day that I can go back to my family’s homeland and feel that sense of connection, to explore my family’s history there, and to learn more about how the country has changed since they left. I dream of a Cuba that I can pass on to my children and grandchildren, a Cuba that exists not just in stories, but that is also the future for so many of us who have only known it as an island of dreams.

CR: Thank you, Chanel. The novel is NEXT YEAR IN HAVANA.

*****



Originally from Florida, Chanel Cleeton grew up on stories of her family's exodus from Cuba following the events of the Cuban Revolution. Her passion for politics and history continued during her years spent studying in England where she earned a bachelor's degree in International Relations from Richmond, The American International University in London and a master's degree in Global Politics from the London School of Economics & Political Science. Chanel also received her Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law. She loves to travel and has lived in the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia.

*****

Thanks to Berkley Books, we have one copy of NEXT YEAR IN HAVANA to giveaway. Just tell us if you've ever been to Havana, or what you know about the small Island nation just 90 miles off the United States. We'll announce a winner at the end of the month.

I adore when a book teaches me things I didn’t know, takes me along on a fabulous adventure and fills me with such emotion and this book did all of those things and did them beautifully. The writing is truly gorgeous and the characters were so well defined that I couldn’t help but fall in love with them.

I heartily recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction, beautifully written characters and place and books that will take you away to places you’ve never been but hope to someday. I so enjoyed this book.

The beautiful colors and image on the cover of Next Year in Havana was what made it so irresistible to me.  It's stunning, and it really suits the Cuban setting! 

Next Year in Havana is a story told in two parts.  There's Elisa's story in 1958, and what caused her to become exiled in the US.  Then, there's Marisol's story which takes place in 2017.  She's Elisa's granddaughter and she's visiting Cuba present day to take her grandma's ashes home.  Both women find love which was nice, but it was the depth of history and emotion about Cuba that really sold Next Year in Havana for me.

Prior to reading this story I had very minimal knowledge of Cuba's history.  We all know the evils of Fidel, and my mother has talked about the evils in Cuba prior to Fidel, but it wasn't until I finished Next Year in Havana that I really got it.  I was entrenched in the history, and obviously I think it was so easy to fall into because we were able to empathize with these two very strong women from two very different times.

There will be a follow up to Next Year in Havana, titled When We Left Cuba, and I'm intrigued. You can bet I'll be first in line if/when ARC's go out.

4.75 stars--NEXT YEAR IN HAVANA is the first instalment in Chanel Cleeton’s women’s fiction/ historical romance fiction series focusing on the Cuban-American Perez family. This is Eliza Perez, and her granddaughter Marisol Ferrera’s story line.

Told from alternating timelines, and dual first person points of view (Eliza and Marisol) NEXT YEAR IN HAVANA is a story of historical fiction; of revolution; of politics and war; of surviving against the odds during the Cuban revolution; of one family’s history between the present and the past. Upon the death of her cherished grandmother Eliza Perez, Marisol Ferrera embarks on a journey to Cuba, where she will meet her future, and uncover her past. Returning her grandmother’s ashes to her beloved homeland, Marisol will encounter the true meaning of struggle and loss, as she goes in search of her family’s history, finding more than she could ever imagined.

NEXT YEAR IN HAVANA is a fictionalized account of one well-to-do family’s struggle growing up in the 50s during the Cuban Revolution, their flight to freedom, and the promises made to one day return. We follow as one woman defies her family as she falls in love with a man of questionable affiliations; and another woman discovers that the past never forgets; that lessons learned are easily forgotten.

Chanel Cleeton pulls the reader into the turmoil and upheaval of Cuba in the late1950’s; where family is pitted against family; neighbors against neighbors; the rich against the poor. An engaging, brilliantly written, and intoxicating tale of the human spirit, love and never letting go.

Copy supplied by Netgalley


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I’ve been a fan of Chanel Cleeton’s books since her debut I See London. After her Wild Aces trilogy, she became an auto-buy author for me. I was certain her newest book, Next Year in Havana, wouldn’t disappoint, and I was right. This story weaves together an alternating narrative between present day and late 1950s Cuba and tells the stories of Elisa Perez and her granddaughter Marisol Ferrera. It’s a story of love, sacrifice, hope, and perseverance.

As someone who was extremely close to her grandmother and still feels the loss of her almost seven years later, I connected to Marisol’s grief and her desire to find answers about Elisa. Both women were strong, tenacious, and learned so much throughout the course of the book.

I’ll admit, I knew little to nothing about Cuba and its history. It was fascinating, horrifying, and heartbreaking to learn about the struggles and oppression its people have faced and continue to face. At times I felt like I was reading about a post-apocalyptic, dystopian society, because it’s hard to believe a place like that could really exist outside fiction. That being said, I was deeply touched by the pride of the Cubans who lived in the country as well as those who had left, and those, like Marisol, who had always considered herself Cuban despite never stepping foot in the country until after her grandmother died. As heartbreaking and at times bittersweet as this story was, it was also full of so much hope.

Romantic and rich in detail, Next Year in Havana is a beautiful, compelling story that’s sure to surprise you and touch you. It’s certainly a story that will stick with me for a long time to come.