Another fabulous Chanel Cleeton novel which dives more deeply into the history of the Perez sisters. This time we get the eldest sister Isabel’s story as she heads to Barcelona to check on Beatriz’s unusual new hobbies. When she arrives she finds that her own life is wanting and she immerses herself in the new city, painting and dancing her way through it with Beatriz’s friend, Diego. They find themselves immersed in both local and Cuban politics where their lives are at risk several times. There is lots of action as well as an understanding of the roles women were forced to play and lives they were forced to live under the expectations of others. We see their mother Alicia’s sacrifices in the 1930’s and how that has echoed through the generations.
I love all of Cleeton’s works but this one had the least for me in it. I wanted more passion and intrigue, that’s not to say that this story didn’t have it, but compared to The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba, this story felt light. I wanted more of Alicia’s story (maybe we’ll get that in a future book??) and Rosa’s story. Having all three stories in this one book but it only being 300 pages felt like we didn’t get the deep dives they all deserve. Of all the stories, this one felt the most like it could have been read as a standalone. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I’ve always been intrigued by Cuba and its culture, what country or time period do you like reading about the most?
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