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Last Train to Key West
Last Train to Key West | Chanel Cleeton
One of Bustle's Most Anticipated Books of Summer 2020 "The perfect riveting summer read!"--BookBub "Cleeton's beach reads are often lit by the sun of places like Florida and Cuba, and her latest doesn't disappoint."--OprahMag.com In 1935 three women are forever changed when one of the most powerful hurricanes in history barrels toward the Florida Keys. For the tourists traveling on Henry Flagler's legendary Overseas Railroad, Labor Day weekend is an opportunity to forget the economic depression gripping the nation. But one person's paradise can be another's prison, and Key West-native Helen Berner yearns to escape. After the Cuban Revolution of 1933 leaves Mirta Perez's family in a precarious position, she agrees to an arranged marriage with a notorious American. Following her wedding in Havana, Mirta arrives in the Keys on her honeymoon. While she can't deny the growing attraction to her new husband, his illicit business interests may threaten not only her relationship, but her life. Elizabeth Preston's trip to Key West is a chance to save her once-wealthy family from their troubles after the Wall Street crash. Her quest takes her to the camps occupied by veterans of the Great War and pairs her with an unlikely ally on a treacherous hunt of his own. Over the course of the holiday weekend, the women's paths cross unexpectedly, and the danger swirling around them is matched only by the terrifying force of the deadly storm threatening the Keys.
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
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More flowers 🌸

#Train
#StorySettings
#TBR

💛🚂🌼

Eggs Ohhhh so pretty … sigh💚 6mo
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs awww thank you 😊 💚 6mo
Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Seriously-if this isn‘t perfection, I don‘t know what is. Beautiful pairing 🌸 6mo
65 likes1 stack add4 comments
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aliasNayNay
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Pickpick

I‘m a huge fan of Chanel Cleeton she knows her way around a story and brings vivid images making the story come to life. But, THE LAST TRAIN TO KEY WEST is my least favourite, the book a bit heavy on the dialogue, and somewhat repetitive. The story is full of danger, history, suspense and intimacy it kept my interest, and a good addition to the series.

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Jensol77
Last Train to Key West | Chanel Cleeton
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1. Beatriz Williams, Taylor Jenkins Reed, Chanel Cleeton
2. Poolside
3. I cannot commit - 3 small kids

#wondrouswednesday

@Eggs

Eggs # 3 wow I understand that 🧡 2y
16 likes1 comment
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Jensol77

Life happens whether you‘re worrying about it or not, and it seems presumptuous to think we can have much of a say in how things play out.

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TheSpineView
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Eggs 🔑 🏖 🧡 2y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Beautiful cover 🔑💛 2y
58 likes4 comments
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Bklover
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I am really happy with this months #bookspin and #doublespin results! Plus they‘re both on my kindle, which I have been using a lot lately. Thanks for being you @TheAromaofBooks !🧡

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! Good luck!! 2y
58 likes1 comment
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robinb
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Pickpick

This was my #LMPBC for September, and I'm happy to have read it as I really enjoyed it.

Well-written with lots of historical background, it centers around the events of one of the most powerful hurricanes (in 1935) to hit the Florida Keys and is told from three women's experiences and how they overlap. I was invested in all three (Helen, Mirta and Elizabeth), but I think Helen was my favorite. The women were all very different in their past 🔻

robinb experiences and their present circumstances, but they all shared an indomitable strength that lead them through and beyond the devastation.

Very well done and recommended.

#LMPBC
@suvata @megnews @BridgetteM @susanita
(edited) 3y
robinb @Susanita I've been out of town but will get this one back to its rightful owner tomorrow. :) Good pick for our #LMPBC ! (edited) 3y
56 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Crinoline_Laphroaig
Last Train to Key West | Chanel Cleeton
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Pickpick

Swapped between Audible & Kindle. Narration was excellent.

When I realized setting was 1935 Labor Day Hurricane, planned to read along the Timeline. As I neared the end I couldn't put it down. Characters I liked & wanted to know what happens to them. Vague memories of Flager's RR from a long ago trip to Florida so historical side interesting as well.

LOVE the cover & want that outfit! Plus now I have a craving for Key Lime Pie.
👗🚞🌀🥧📘

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 📚💛 🥧 3y
33 likes1 comment
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Crinoline_Laphroaig
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Pressing ⏸ for a few days. But what I read so far I really liked. #TimelineReadalong

Crinoline_Laphroaig And narration is much better than 3y
21 likes1 comment
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megnews
Last Train to Key West | Chanel Cleeton
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Having so much fun at #LitsySummerCamp🏕that I forgot to write home yesterday. The weather has been mild here for this time of year. Perfect reading weather. But that‘s all weather! Coincidentally I finished a book about a hurricane yesterday. I‘ll try to write again tomorrow! Thanks for sending me to camp!

robinb Megan, just got home from out of town and discovered my next #LMPBC book…thanks! 😊 3y
49 likes1 comment
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megnews
Last Train to Key West | Chanel Cleeton
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Pickpick

Yes I‘m done with August‘s #LMPBC book already because yes it was that good! I wouldn‘t have picked this up myself but I‘m glad @Susanita picked it. Three women‘s lives collide as a hurricane bears down on Key West and the WWI vets in nearby CCC camps. Great pick! I‘ve already recommended it to a friend.

robinb Yay! Sounds great! 3y
sblbooks This was a five-star read for me last year. I loved it. 3y
megnews @robinb on its way! 3y
robinb @megnews thanks! I‘ll be watching. 😊 3y
51 likes4 comments
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Jaimelire
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Pickpick

Read this one in a day. Set in 1935, three women are forever changed when a powerful hurricane destroys Key West. Easy to read and entertaining.

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megnews
Last Train to Key West | Chanel Cleeton
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megnews
Last Train to Key West | Chanel Cleeton
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Got my next #LMPBC book in the mail yesterday and started it this morning. Pulls you in quickly.

robinb Looking forward to it! 3y
44 likes1 comment
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Susanita
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I‘m mashing together two readathons so I can finish this book and get it in the mail. First, I‘m in the office and a captive audience on a zoom event, but I left the book at home! 🤦🏻‍♀️

At least I have another book on my phone. Still, the end of the day can‘t come fast enough!

#lmpbc
#20in4
#modernmrsdarcy

Andrew65 Good luck 😊👍 3y
Susanita @megnews I put it in the mail today. You should get it Wednesday. 3y
megnews Looking forward to it! 3y
34 likes3 comments
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emmaturi
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed the third book in this series, but they can be read alone too. It hear about three women and how their lives become connected. Also learnt about the hurricane that hit the Keys and about the building by WWI veterans on a highway.

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rachelsbrittain
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1. Victories Greater than Death and Hans Christian Anderson's Fairy Tales

2. Swimming and kayaking

3. The Last Train to Key West (historical fiction) OR Malibu Rising (historical literary) OR How to Find a Princess (romance)

#WeekendReads

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rachelsbrittain
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June wrap-up!

Books read: 19
Total pages: 4,964
LGBTQ+: 10
BiPoc Authors: 11
Women / nonbinary authors: 16
Longest: Malibu Rising (384)
Shortest: Donut Feed the Squirrels (112)
Favorites: The Last Train to Key West, Sorrowland, Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating, and The Girls I've Been

Tera66 Wow!👏 3y
52 likes1 comment
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rachelsbrittain
Last Train to Key West | Chanel Cleeton
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Pickpick

A gorgeous historical fiction novel about the intersecting lives of three very different women during the devastating Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 in Key West. Beautiful and heartbreaking. I fell in love with Helen, Mirta, and Elizabeth as they each fought for the lives they wanted and weathered the challenges of life and horror of natural disaster.

LinesUponAPage Have you read her other Perez sister‘s novels? 3y
rachelsbrittain @Lifeisasnap not yet but I fully plan to read all of her books now! 😅 3y
Tera66 This cover😍 3y
47 likes3 stack adds3 comments
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Kshakal
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Pickpick

What a stunningly beautiful book... at times haunting and at others hopeful... a home run of read for sure!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

marleed And the Cover! 3y
30 likes1 comment
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Kshakal
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Gonna do some deck reading tonight!!

BethM Love the yoga frog! 3y
Kshakal @BethM thanks!! I found him last summer at Joanns! 3y
AutumnRLS My sister-in-law read this and LOVED it! Hope you enjoy it too! 3y
31 likes3 comments
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Susanita
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Who is this #woman and what is her story? #LPMBC #GroupI #curiouscovers

BridgetteM Gorgeous! 😍 3y
Eggs Fabuloso!! 3y
Mitch The blurb from Kate Quinn sounds intriguing - hope its good 3y
robinb So cool and elegant! 3y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks So gorgeous 💛💛💛 3y
40 likes1 stack add5 comments
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yvo_about_books
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I'm excited to be reading this one as I loved the first two Cuba books! Jasmine decided to keep me company for a bit too. 🐱😍📖

RachelAmphlett Your cat looks so soft 😍 4y
rubyslippersreads 😻😻😻 4y
yvo_about_books @RachelAmphlett she's very fluffy considering she's not a long-haired cat! 😍 4y
16 likes1 stack add3 comments
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Ang203l
Last Train to Key West | Chanel Cleeton
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Saturday morning snuggles.

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jessijames
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Pickpick

I loved this book just as much as the others in the series. I can‘t wait for the next book to be released.

rather_be_reading that series is still going?! 4y
Ncostell I really enjoyed this one too. She‘s become a must read author for me as I‘ve really liked each of her books so far. 4y
jessijames @rather_be_reading yes!!! The newest book is supposed to be released May 4th I believe. 4y
42 likes3 comments
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Kboltz
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Pickpick

Three women in the Florida Keys, there lives intertwine in this story about survival as a woman. Historical background during 1935 with the use of war veterans to build a train that travels down to the keys. The Hurricane of 1935 changes not only the future of the train tracks but the trajectory of the 3 women in this story.

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Ncostell
Last Train to Key West | Chanel Cleeton
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Pickpick

While I didn‘t enjoy this quite as much as Cleeton‘s first two books of the Cuba Saga, this was a riveting book as well. Cleeton really knows how to write a fast paced page turner and I appreciated how well she intertwined the stories of three main characters who are in the path of a devastating hurricane heading for the Florida Keys.

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Danay
Last Train to Key West | Chanel Cleeton
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2020 #83

4 likes2 stack adds
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AmyK1
Last Train to Key West | Chanel Cleeton
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Pickpick

“The day we stop fighting for others is the day we might as well pack it all up and go home.”

Excellent historical fiction about 3 women from different backgrounds whose lives overlap around the Labor Day hurricane in the Florida Keys in 1935.

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Kelly326
Last Train to Key West | Chanel Cleeton
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Pickpick

My November #doublespin pick. Another great read by Chanel Cleeton. I love a good historical fiction, and this one did not disappoint. Especially one that takes place in my state, and has a hurricane in it.

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 4y
4 likes1 comment
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KristiAhlers
Last Train to Key West | Chanel Cleeton
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Pickpick

I thought I‘d posted this review when I finished this one but I forgot to do that. I love historic fiction and Chanel Cleeton is an automatic read. This story set in Key West revolves around one of the nations worst hurricanes on record. I really enjoyed this one.

41 likes1 stack add
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LinesUponAPage
Last Train to Key West | Chanel Cleeton
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Don‘t you love visiting an airport book shop and having some of your favorite authors jump out at you?
••••
Headed home. I thought I‘d browse Denver‘s Intl Airport bookshop see what I truly needed to own. Then the darn gate girl rang my boarding call and I was only lucky enough to pickup and touch a few books. 😢
#chanelcleeton

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aperfectmjk
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Pickpick

Well this train has stopped. It was a wondrous ride. This was my first Chanel Cleeton read and it was excellent. She creates such bold and expressive characters. 5 stars! #bookspinbingo #Scarlathon2020 #TeamHarkness #October20in4 #OutstandingOctober #littenlisten

@StayCurious @TheAromaofBooks @Bookgoil @Andrew65

Andrew65 Sounds great. 4y
Bookgoil Sounds good! Go team! 4y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 4y
34 likes1 stack add3 comments
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aperfectmjk
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I'm hopping on The Last Train to Key West! Take me away Chanel Cleeton! Library hold for #bookspinbingo. #LittenListen #October20in4 #OutstandingOctober #Scarlathon2020 #TeamHarkness

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HOTPock3tt
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Mehso-so

Ok, I‘m going to admit my shortcomings here 😂
I first chose this book because I‘ve always wanted to go to Florida. And another reason was the pretty cover 🤣 I couldn‘t stop listening and marathoned it. But that SAME old storyline of “three women whose lives intersect” thing just isn‘t for me. And the big ‘drama‘ in the book felt lukewarm. Oh well, that‘ll teach me to just GO to Florida instead of trying to read about it. 🤣
⭐️ ⭐️1/2 out of 5.

HOTPock3tt The big drama= the hurricane 4y
37 likes1 comment
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Verity
Last Train to Key West | Chanel Cleeton
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I think this is going to be Florida in my 50 states challenge...

LinesUponAPage Good choice! Did you read the other two Perez Women books??? 4y
Verity @Lifeisasnap yes I have! I‘ve been looking forward to reading this one because it feels like there are some secrets to be revealed. 4y
LinesUponAPage @Verity it‘s definitely different than the other two, and yet, turned out to be my favorite of the three. Enjoy! 😀 4y
Verity @Lifeisasnap oooh. I‘m really excited now! I‘ll keep you posted. 4y
21 likes4 comments
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GinaKButler
Last Train to Key West | Chanel Cleeton
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Up next on audio! 🎧

13 likes1 stack add
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Susanita
Last Train to Key West | Chanel Cleeton
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Me: I have my bookshelves just as I want them. I don‘t need to buy any new books.

Also me: Closing sale at the local BAM? I‘m there! (Just the local store is closing, not the whole chain.)

Sace I'm glad it's not the whole chain, but any store closing makes me sad. 4y
Susanita @Sace I know. I feel bad for the employees, and it‘s depressing to have empty storefronts. 4y
37 likes2 comments
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Sharpeipup
Last Train to Key West | Chanel Cleeton
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I happened to eat at a restaurant with key lime pie which is practically a character in this #audiobook

40 likes1 stack add
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Jenken1998
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Pickpick

I really enjoy this author. Her characters are great and mix of history and fiction are just how i like it. Not to dense with facts but enough history to educate me. 3 stories of 3 women in 1935 in the Keys when a monster hurricane approaches. A story of how these women endure not only mother nature but being a woman in that time. Excellent read. Triggers for domestic violence and natural disasters. 5🏝🏝🏝🏝🏝

49 likes2 stack adds
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Julsmarshall
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Pickpick

Really lovely, quiet novel with a slow build to a satisfying and compelling conclusion. Well plotted and paced, I loved the characters and learning more about Key West.

58 likes1 stack add
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Julsmarshall
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Diving in! I‘ve always wanted to go to Key West . . .

GinaKButler We went in June and I‘d definitely recommend it...it‘s not too people-y since the cruise ships aren‘t docking. And, the chocolate-dipped key lime pie popsicles are to die for! 4y
49 likes1 comment
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sblbooks
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Pickpick

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
This was a wonderful novel. It was right up my alley, with Historical fiction, Romance, and Suspense. I love books about surviving a disaster,or anything weather related. It's the story of how three women survive the 1935 Labor Day hurricane.

Butterfinger Wow. I just finished a NF account of the train and the 1935 hurricane. I wanted a fictional book. 4y
sblbooks @Butterfinger I like nonfiction too, what was the name of the book you just read? 4y
Deblovestoread I just finished this one last week and really liked it, too. 4y
aperfectmjk I have this on hold, anxiously waiting for it to become available. 4y
42 likes3 stack adds5 comments
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MallenNC
Last Train to Key West | Chanel Cleeton
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Pickpick

This was so good! I started it yesterday and already finished. I had never heard of this real life hurricane that hit Florida in the 1930s. I was invested in the stories of all three women and the way they came together. (You just have to go with the coincidences in some cases!). The covers of Chanel Cleeton‘s books are always so pretty, even when the story isn‘t. First book finished for August.

bookladyreads Chanel is an author I‘ve been curious about. Glad you enjoyed this book. 4y
MallenNC @bookladyreads This is the first one I‘ve read, although I have Next Year in Havana on my shelf. I will definitely read more by her. 4y
28 likes2 comments
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suvata
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Read in July 2020 ...
#suvataStats #JulyReads #Bookstagram

MargaretPinardAuthor Nice! Excellent choices :) 4y
38 likes1 stack add2 comments
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MindyK59
Last Train to Key West | Chanel Cleeton
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Pickpick

This was the 2nd book by this author that I have read. I really enjoyed it. I liked how there were 3 distinct characters whose story she told and at the end they were all connected. I liked where the story took place. The hurricane and the time period when the story took place was new information to me. This was a good summer read.

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Lauren.Archer
Pickpick

This is by far my favorite of her three books. So good.

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LinesUponAPage
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Pickpick

New review up on my blog. https://bookitwithsandi.home.blog/2020/07/16/the-last-train-to-key-west/

I would suggest not missing the train on this one.

Crazeedi Following your blog! 4y
LinesUponAPage @Crazeedi thank you!! 4y
64 likes1 stack add2 comments
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CaroPi
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Mehso-so

I like historical fiction and this book is in a historical period from United States that I have never read. Unfortunately the plot was very predictable and this frustrated me.

#bookly
#historicalfiction