Next Year in Havana

Critics Review

• “Narrators Kyla Garcia and Frankie Maria Corzo tag-team a story that spans generations, with the flavors of Cuban food and culture saturating the shared narrative….Taking Elisa’s perspective, Garcia portrays a gently bred Cuban socialite who falls in love with a revolutionary in the shadow of Fidel Castro’s rise to power. From Marisol’s perspective, Corzo describes genuine appreciation for the country of her roots, and for a man she’s falling in love with too quickly to be safe for her continued stay.”

  AudioFile

• “An evocative, passionate story of family loyalty and forbidden love that moves seamlessly between the past and present of Cuba’s turbulent history.”

  Shelley Noble, New York Times bestselling author

• “A sweeping love story and tale of courage and familial and patriotic legacy that spans generations.”

  Entertainment Weekly

• “A beautiful novel that’s full of forbidden passions, family secrets, and a lot of courage and sacrifice. It follows two different generations of women in Cuba…[and] it’s all about love. I can’t wait for y’all to read this one!”

  Reese Witherspoon, Book Club pick

• “The ultimate beach read.”

  Real Simple

• “An immersive family saga of love, hope, and sacrifice and what it means to be Cuban, despite where you were born…Cleeton does an excellent job of bringing both the past and present to life…and Cuba’s terrible past is written about with honesty and grace, which allows for an intimate glimpse into life during the revolution.”

  Historical Novels Society

• “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.”

  NPR

• “Cleeton uses the stories of Elisa and her granddaughter, Marisol, like a stethoscope to listen to the hearts of those who fight to overthrow a regime, of those who use their grand parlor doors to deafen the sound of political and social upheaval, and those helplessly in love with their homeland and rebel against it…Will enthrall readers until the very end.”

  RT Book Reviews (4 stars)

• “An enticing and wonderful read for lovers of historical fiction and soul-searching journeys.”

  Library Journal (starred review)

• “A love story and an homage to the history of the Cuban people.”

  Kirkus Reviews

• “Cleeton’s prose is as beautiful as Cuba itself, and the story she weaves—of exile and loss, memory and myth, forbidden love and enduring friendship—is at once sweeping and beautifully intimate. This is a moving, heartfelt, and gorgeously realized story that will stay with you long after you turn the final page.”

  Jennifer Robson, author of Somewhere in France

• “[A] flat-out stunner of a book, at once a dual-timeline mystery, a passionate romance, and paean to the tragedy and beauty of war-torn Cuba.”

  Kate Quinn, author of The Alice Network

• “Cleeton’s prose is as beautiful as Cuba itself, and the story she weaves—of exile and loss, memory and myth, forbidden love and enduring friendship—is at once sweeping and beautifully intimate.”

  Jennifer Robson, author of Somewhere in France

• “An undeniably personal and intimate look at Cuba then and now, wrapped around the gripping story of two women torn between love and country.”

  Reneé Rosen, author of Windy City Blues