"A mysterious book with a legacy spanning from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present day unites three women in this unforgettable novel. London, 2024: When American expat Margo Reynolds is hired to source a book that's more than one hundred and twenty years old, she thinks her greatest challenge is going to be that there's only one copy in existence. However, it quickly becomes clear that her client isn't the only person determined to procure the book at any cost. Thrust into a deadly quest, Margo teams up with an unlikely ally-the man she loved and lost-and is forced to confront the ghosts of her own past as the lingering feelings that simmer between them ignite. Havana, 1966: Pilar Castillo's days are spent working as a librarian in Havana, her nights spent hoping for her husband's freedom after his unjust imprisonment. But Pilar has a secret that could jeopardize her life. She's fighting Fidel's regime in her own way, and when she comes into possession of a book that was published morethan sixty years earlier, she must decide how much she's willing to risk to protect the literary works entrusted to her care. Boston, 1900: For Cuban teacher Eva Fuentes, traveling from Havana to Harvard to participate in the largest cultural exchange between Cuba and the United States is not only a chance to represent her country at a critical time in its bid for independence, but also an opportunity to work on the book she's writing. When a moonlit encounter with an enigmatic stranger alters the courseof Eva's summer at Harvard, and as secrets, lies, and forbidden love rise to the surface, Eva's life-and legacy-is irrevocably changed"-- - (Baker & Taylor)

As American book hunter Margo Reynolds races to recover a rare volume in 2024 London, her search uncovers the intertwined lives of Pilar, a defiant librarian in 1960s Havana, and Eva, a Cuban teacher in 1900 Boston, each woman risking everything to protect a powerful literary legacy. Simultaneous. - (Baker & Taylor)

A 2025 Goodreads Choice Award Nominee

"This captivating story is an ode to book lovers!"—Woman's World

A mysterious book with a legacy spanning from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present day unites three women—and their secrets—in this unforgettable novel from New York Times bestselling author Chanel Cleeton.

London, 2024: American expat Margo Reynolds is renowned for her talent at sourcing rare antiques for her clients, but she’s never had a request quite like this one. She’s been hired to find a mysterious book published over a century ago. With a single copy left in existence, it has a storied past shrouded in secrecy—and her client isn’t the only person determined to procure it at any cost.

Havana, 1966: Librarian Pilar Castillo has devoted her life to books, and in the chaotic days following her husband’s unjust imprisonment by Fidel Castro, reading is her only source of solace. So when a neighbor fleeing Cuba asks her to return a valuable book to its rightful owner, Pilar will risk everything to protect the literary work entrusted to her care. It’s a dangerous mission that reveals to her the power of one book to change a life.

Boston, 1900: For Cuban school teacher and aspiring author Eva Fuentes, traveling from Havana to Harvard to study for the summer is the opportunity of a lifetime. It’s a whirlwind adventure that leaves her little time to write, but a moonlit encounter with an enigmatic stranger changes everything. The story that pours out of her is one of forbidden love, secrets, and lies… and though Eva cannot yet see it, the book will be a danger and salvation for the lives it touches. - (Penguin Putnam)

Booklist Reviews

In her latest, Cleeton (The House on Biscayne Bay, 2024) crafts a love letter to books, reading, and writing by braiding the stories of three women in precarious circumstances across three time frames: Margo in 2024 London, Pilar in 1966 Havana, and Eva in 1900 Havana and Harvard. They are all connected through their links to Eva's book, A Time for Forgetting. Margo's specialty is finding rare objects. When a mysterious client hires her to find the book, scary things start to happen, including murder and mayhem. For Pilar, after her husband is detained, she is terrified by an intimidating new neighbor. Meanwhile, a friend gives Pilar Eva's novel and asks her to return it to the author before fleeing the country. Shortly after the brutal Spanish-American War, Eva is teaching at a girl's school when she is invited to travel to Harvard for a summer exchange program. She becomes a writer, fictionalizing dramatic events that give rise to lots of future intrigue and danger. Cleeton's engaging blend of mystery, romance, and easily digestible history will have wide appeal. Copyright 2025 Booklist Reviews.

Library Journal Reviews

Cleeton, whose Next Year in Havana was a Reese's Book Club pick, centers her newest novel on the deadly quest to find a 120-year-old tome that has touched the lives of two distant women—a librarian living in Havana in 1966 and a Cuban teacher who travels to Harvard in 1900. Prepub Alert. Copyright 2025 Library Journal

Library Journal Reviews

Three women are connected by one unique book in the latest by Cleeton (The House on Biscayne Bay). Young teacher Eva Fuentes was inspired to write a novel after a cultural exchange with the United States at the beginning of the 20th century. Pilar, a courageous librarian, dared to hide the novel from Castro's regime in the 1960s, along with other subversive books. Eva's book remains dangerous today, however, as Margo quickly learns when she's hired in 2024 to track down the only existing copy. A murder early in the story significantly raises the stakes of Margo's globetrotting investigation. Ultimately, however, Cleeton's novel is more a love letter to the life-changing power of books than a work of suspense. She weaves together three timelines in a way that mostly works, but Eva remains underdeveloped as a character, and the narrative momentum is somewhat lessened by the amount of time spent exploring Margo's complicated feelings for her ex-husband. Margo is a likable main character, however, whom readers will be drawn to. VERDICT Those seeking emotional historical fiction with a hint of danger and romance will find much to like in Cleeton's enjoyable new book.—Mara Bandy Fass