Smexy Books

Romance and Urban Fantasy Reviews

  • Review Request
  • Contact
    • Smexy Reviewers Profiles
    • New Reviewer Application
    • Contact
  • Advertising
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • By Genre
      • BDSM
      • Contemporary
      • Erotic
      • Fantasy
      • F/F
      • Historical Romance
      • Historical PNR
      • LGBTQ+
      • M/M Romance
      • New Adult
      • Urban Fantasy
      • Paranormal Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Romantic Suspense
      • Young Adult
    • By Letter Grade Rating
      • A Reviews
      • B Reviews
      • C Reviews
      • D Reviews
      • DNF Reviews
  • Features
    • New Releases
    • Smexy Deals!
    • Retro Review
    • Weekly Wrap-Up
    • Blog Tour
    • Scenic Sunday
    • To Be Read
    • Guest Post
    • Top Ten/Happy Friday
    • Smex Scene Sunday
  • The Psy/Changeling Channel
You are here: Home / A Review / Review: Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton

Review: Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton

February 6, 2018 by Kini 2 Comments

Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton
Publication Date: February 6, 2018
Historical/Women’s Fiction
Berkley

Reviewed by Kini

Favorite Quote: To be Cuban is to be proud— it is both our greatest gift and our biggest curse. We serve no kings, bow no heads, bear our troubles on our backs as though they are nothing at all. There is an art to this, you see. An art to appearing as though everything is effortless, that your world is a gilded one, when the reality is that your knees beneath your silk gown buckle from the weight of it all. We are silk and lace, and beneath them we are steel.

The above quote is on one of the first pages in the book and I feel like it really tells a lot about this book. I have been waiting for this book since I first saw Cleeton announce it. It is definitely a departure from her previous books, which are firmly romance. On Broken Wings was on of my favorite reads for 2017 and was an angsty, emotional and sexy story. Next Year In Havana is a beautiful and emotional love story. Love of family, love of country, romantic love all make appearances here and I loved every moment of it.

It’s told from the past by Elisa and modern-day by Marisol, Elisa’s granddaughter. Elisa is 19 and it’s 1956 right in the middle of the Cuban revolution. Her family is a wealthy, influential family in Havana. She is a product of privilege and until this point has not been too impacted by the upheaval occurring around her. Her family has to decide if and when they will leave Cuba. There is a lot of history about the Cuban revolution and I found it fascinating. But the most gut-wrenching part was the belief that exile would be temporary.

Marisol in modern-day has traveled to Cuba to scatter her grandmother’s ashes. She’s grown up hearing stories of Cuba, as she was mostly raised by her grandmother. Marisol stays with her grandmother’s best friend, Ana and her family. Ana gives Marisol a box that belonged to her grandmother and it is filled with glimpses into Elisa’s past. Marisol works through these pieces and learns more about her grandmother’s life and secrets. Additionally Marisol has to work through where and how she fits in to modern Cuba.

I am Cuban, and yet, I am not. I don’t know where I fit here, in the land of my grandparents, attempting to recreate a Cuba that no longer exists in reality.

Of course there is love in this book. Elisa and Marisol both find love in Cuba. Elisa falls in love with a revolutionary. Marisol finds love as well. She’s only in Cuba for a week so it is kind of a forced proximity situation. The love comes on fast, but I enjoyed Luis and Marisol together.

“I thought you were laughing at me,” I confess. “I thought you were charming,” he says. “And yes, you made me laugh, but not at you. And then I drove you through Havana, took you to your family’s house and saw the way you looked at it, heard the way you spoke of your family, of what being Cuban meant to you, and I knew.” “Knew what?” “That you were here for me.”

It would be a disservice to not mention to the love of Cuba in this book. While I was reading I was thinking that there are really three love stories in this book, Elisa’s, Marisol and Luis, and the love of Cuba. Don’t get me wrong, there is a lot of dialogue spent on the issues of Cubans then and now. But through Elisa’s eyes we see the Cuba she loved. Through Marisol’s eyes we see the Cuba she grew up knowing and then for herself. Cleeton herself is a Cuban-American and has said this books was influenced by her own life. It took me a good portion of the book to really get where the “Next Year in Havana” came from, but when it did, it really brought all the pieces together for me. I can only speak for myself when I say, I grew up knowing minimal things about Cuba. And I certainly never really considered how hard is for a person to leave their home not knowing when or if they may ever be able to return. There were also some parallels and mention to the current political situation of the United States. I think it would be hard to write a book that covers historical and current political situations and not mention it. One quote I pulled out really resonated.

“Very few can afford the luxury of being political in Cuba.” “And no one can afford the luxury of not being political in Cuba,” he counters.

Cleeton wove together a story of past and present that resulted in a beautiful and moving story. There is love and loss, a little bit of mystery/intrigue and some surprises as well as laughs. Marisol and Elisa have many parallels in their lives, but it never felt heavy-handed to me. This is definitely a women’s fiction book, but it had enough romantic elements to satisfy me. Marisol’s journey of self discovery was priority number one, but love was strong too. If you’ve watched and enjoyed the Netflix show One Day at a Time, I recommend this book. Or if you’ve read or plan to read this book, I recommend you watch ODAAT, specifically season two, episode four. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to Beatriz’s, Elisa’s sister, book.

Grade: A
Recent Reviews:
Nick & Nereyda’s Infinite Booklist l Vanilla & Spice Books
Goodreads l Author Website

Kindle l Nook

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon
  • More
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Filed Under: A Review, Berkley, Chanel Cleeton, Contemporary Fiction, Historical Fiction, Womens Fiction

Comments

  1. Kareni says

    February 6, 2018 at 12:46 pm

    Thanks for a thoughtful review, Kini.

    Loading...
    Reply
  2. Astrid says

    February 28, 2018 at 1:02 pm

    Thanks for the tag ❤️

    Loading...
    Reply

Leave a Reply to KareniCancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Welcome to Smexy! If you are reader feel free to use our search feature to find a specific book or browse through our features to find Smexy Deals, New Releases, and book news!

As an Amazon Associate, we do earn from qualifying purchases. We also earn a small commission on affiliate links to Apple, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords,  Booksamillion, and Bookshop,org.

 

Shop our Affiliates!

Amazon

B&N

Apple

Smashwords

Booksamillion

Angela

Melanie

Jen

Kate

Iby

Kate H.

Sign Up for Daily Emails


Thank you!

You have successfully joined our subscriber list.

.

Follow Us!

Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on TwitterFollow Us on Instagram

Top Posts & Pages

  • Smexy Deals- Deals for books by Lyla Sage, Maisey Yates, Sherry Thomas, and more!
    Smexy Deals- Deals for books by Lyla Sage, Maisey Yates, Sherry Thomas, and more!
  • New Releases- Week of June 2-6, 2025
    New Releases- Week of June 2-6, 2025
  • Review: All Superheroes Need PR by Elizabeth Stephens
    Review: All Superheroes Need PR by Elizabeth Stephens
  • Review: Archangel's Ascension by Nalini Singh
    Review: Archangel's Ascension by Nalini Singh
  • Smexy’s Top Ten Favorite Sex Scenes of 2012
    Smexy’s Top Ten Favorite Sex Scenes of 2012
  • Review: Manacled by SenLinYu
    Review: Manacled by SenLinYu
  • Review: The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros
    Review: The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros
  • Review: The Plated Prisoner Series by Raven Kennedy
    Review: The Plated Prisoner Series by Raven Kennedy
  • Smex Scene Sunday
    Smex Scene Sunday
  • Review: The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary
    Review: The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary

Disclosure

The majority of the books reviewed at this site have been provided for free by publishers, authors, or other third parties like NetGalley or Edelweiss. Acceptance of a free copy does not guarantee a review or a positive review.

As an Amazon Associate, we do earn from qualifying purchases. We also earn a small commission on affiliate links to Apple, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, and Booksamillion.

Shop our Affiliates!

Amazon

B&N

Apple

Smashwords

Booksamillion

 

Find Our Reviewers

Angela @fv-angela.bsky.social l Goodreads

Melanie @melonreads.bsky.social l  Goodreads

Jen .@thebooknista l Goodreads

Kate  @kateminasian l Goodreads

Iby Instagram l Goodreads

Kate H. @Naranjadia l Goodreads

Copyright © 2025 · Beautiful Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d