It’s the first Monday of a new month and we’re back with another Goodreads Monday, a weekly meme started by @Lauren’s Page Turners. This meme invites you to pick a book from your TBR and explain why you want to read it. Easy enough, right? Feel free to join in if you want to! I’ll be using a random number generator to pick my books from my insanely long GR Want-to-read list.

This week’s book is When We Left Cuba by Chanel Cleeton. I do remember adding this earlier in the year because of how much love it was getting on bookstagram. I hadn’t heard of Cleeton before though! This book has a rating of 4.05 stars with 8k+ ratings and over 1k+ reviews, so it seems like a pretty well-loved book!

In 1960s Florida, a young Cuban exile will risk her life–and heart–to take back her country in this exhilarating historical novel from the author of Next Year in Havana, a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick.
Beautiful. Daring. Deadly.
The Cuban Revolution took everything from sugar heiress Beatriz Perez–her family, her people, her country. Recruited by the CIA to infiltrate Fidel Castro’s inner circle and pulled into the dangerous world of espionage, Beatriz is consumed by her quest for revenge and her desire to reclaim the life she lost.
As the Cold War swells like a hurricane over the shores of the Florida Strait, Beatriz is caught between the clash of Cuban American politics and the perils of a forbidden affair with a powerful man driven by ambitions of his own. When the ever-changing tides of history threaten everything she has fought for, she must make a choice between her past and future–but the wrong move could cost Beatriz everything–not just the island she loves, but also the man who has stolen her heart…

Why do I want to read it?

Ever since watching Dirty Dancing but especially after watching Dirty Dancing 2: Havana Nights, I grew a slightly smol obsession with Havana, Cuba. Yes, I was viewing this place through rose-tinted glasses, but I was still swept away. Saying that, this book sounds seriously up my alley! I’ve always loved historical fiction especially when it’s mixed with a little bit of romance, but especially when it involves strong and empowering women! Many of my booksta friends who’ve read this have really loved it and that makes me even more keen to pick it up! I don’t know if I’ll get to it this year, but it’ll definitely depend on my mood. I know that Cleeson had another Havana book that was published before this, but I don’t think they’re connected or a series? I could be wrong though, so if you’ve read either of these, please let me know!

Have you read When We Left Cuba? Is it on your Goodreads TBR too?
Leave me a comment and let’s chat!