Two books are being released today! Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton and How to Stop Time by Matt Haig.
Both books are written in dual timelines with a Then and Now approach. The dual timelines add depth to the plot and character development and I enjoyed this writing approach.
Next Year in Havana
Genre: Women’s Fiction, Historical Fiction
This book is essentially a beautifully written love letter to Cuba.
Marisol, a Cuban-American woman, travels to Havana to scatter her beloved grandmother’s ashes and begins the journey to truly understand her roots in the country of her grandmother’s birth while navigating a challenging political climate and a complicated romantic situation.
The book is told in two timelines – Havana in 1958, and Miami in 2017 – essentially two stories in one. The story is laced with history, culture, and romance.
My full review will be published later this week when I have the honor of participating in the book’s blog tour.
How to Stop Time by Matt Haig
Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction
Tom Hazard has a secret. He may look like an ordinary 41-year-old, but because of a rare condition called anageria, he’s been alive since 1581. Tom has met a lot of famous people like Shakespeare, F. Scott & Ella Fitzgerald, experienced major historical events firsthand, and witnessed many inventions become real. He just wants an ordinary life, but because of his secret, he must move every 8 years and reinvent himself.
It is now 2017 and Tom moves back to London, his old home, to become a high school history teacher – the perfect job for someone like him who has witnessed history first hand.
Tom has lived in London before, and returning to the city now is bittersweet for him because it holds many memories of love, laughter, friendship, heartache, pain, anguish, and grief.
“Can a life without love still be worth living?”
The book makes you think about your own life, who you love, choices, and the actions that you take because of it.
My full review is here.
Happy Release Day to Next Year in Havana and How to Stop Time!
Read This, Not That 