Set in London, Boston, and Cuba, The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes is engaging, page-turning, and well-written historical fiction.

The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes by Chanel Cleeton

Genre/Categories/Setting: Historical Fiction (1900,1966) and Present Day, Mystery, Diverse Read, Book About Books, Writing, London, Boston, and Cuba.

***This post contains Amazon Affiliate Links

My Summary:

Thanks #NetGalley @BerkleyPub for a complimentary eARC of #TheLostStoryOfEvaFiuentes upon my request. All opinions are my own.

One book connects three women. Living in London, Margo is hired to find a book that is more than one hundred twenty years old, and there’s only one copy in existence. In 1966, Pilar is working as a librarian in Havana when she is given a book written sixty years earlier. She must protect this book and others from Castro’s regime. The book that Margo is trying to find and Pilar is trying to protect was written in 1900 by Eva Fuentes, a cultural exchange student who traveled from Havana to Harvard.

My Thoughts:

Three Women, Three Time Periods, Three Locations

The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes is told in three timelines from three points of view and features three locations. The book connects them all. Often, readers will prefer one timeline over the others. In this case, I think you will find something to love in all three. I will admit that I was most engaged with Pilar’s story (1966) and the historical details of the resistance movement in Cuba. The 1900s timeline and Eva’s desire to write her story is also interesting and compelling. In the present day, we are treated to a side of second-chance romance along with a solid dose of mystery and intrigue.

Well-written

You can trust Cleeton for clear transitions between timelines and points of view. The time and place of each timeline provide for an atmospheric read. The characters and plots of each timeline were fully developed, and they were connected at the story’s end in a satisfying conclusion.

Compelling

I found The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes compelling and page-turning. From Eva’s writing of her story, to protecting the story from Castro, to the harrowing search for the story, I was invested and intrigued.

Content Consideration: war, resistance, toxic relationship

Recommending The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes:

Fans of Chanel Cleeton will want The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes on their TBRs. (pub date: 9/30/25). Readers who are interested in well-written histfic and in Cuba’s history will find a great deal to appreciate.

Related: I have reviewed The Last Train to Key West, The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba, The Cuban Heiress, Our Last Days in Barcelona, and The House on Biscane Bay by the same author. (no, I’m not a completist…I haven’t read her first two books)

My Rating: 4 Stars

More Information Here

Meet the Author of The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes, Chanel Cleeton

Chanel Cleeton is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. Originally from Florida, Chanel grew up on stories of her family’s exodus from Cuba following the events of the Cuban Revolution. Her passion for politics and history continued during her years spent studying in England where she earned a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Richmond, The American International University in London and a master’s degree in Global Politics from the London School of Economics & Political Science. Chanel also received her Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law.

Learn more about her on her website at http://www.chanelcleeton.com.

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All books I review are purchased or borrowed from the library unless explicitly stated that the book is free (arc).

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