Book Review // Next Year in Havana

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis:
"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." -Amazon.com

What I thought about it:

There has been high traction for this novel ever since it made it onto Reese’s bookclub in 2018.  I’m curious though, do people love the novel only because Reese recommended it and loved it? It’s always hard to be subjective in your opinion when there is so much hype and popular opinion for a certain book. 

Overall, I liked the book. The story was interesting, but difficult to get through at times—and not because of the plot, because of its wordiness. I think the back and forth in the narration wasn’t needed. If this was a complete story about the Perez family leaving Cuba, it would have been incredible! But I honestly didn’t fall in love with Marisol’s character. Her personality seemed flat and forced. Her character wasn’t developed enough for me. We needed more of Elisa! And her sisters! I was captivated by her family and their privileged life down in Cuba. I do appreciate it shedding light on the revolution that happened in Cuba and the struggles the citizens have had over the years.

But I will say this, the cover is 😍. The writing is equally beautiful and clean with zero language. I appreciate that! A book I can recommend to my mother without feeling awkward #bookgoals 

The sequel is coming out soon and I’m definitely curious how the storyline progresses. I’ve heard it is more about her great-aunts who fled Cuba with her grandmother. I really really wanted to love this one. I love aspects of it! I don’t think I can give a 100% recommendation until I read the sequel. The story needs to feel complete.