Reminiscent of Chanel Cleeton’s historical fiction (but factually accurate) books about Cuba. This book is a bit drawn out in the introduction with a long premise that speaks long and gives few details. This was perhaps intentional by the author to illustrate the same way that Fidel Castro would often make long speeches saying nothing, never true to his promises, but talking excessively to appease or bore the people into complacency.

This book would be good for those who wish to read more about a rebellious Cuban woman and her frustrations of trying to fight the regime from within. It gives a strong voice to the frustration of the struggle of Cuban people living under a Communist dictatorship.

First the writing is absolutely stunning. So props to the author and translator!

I always feel like literary fiction is over my head. And I kind of feel like this with this one. It felt choppy but I think that is a form of literary fiction. I have seen that used when a book is about grief. And maybe that's what this book was doing. But I truly don't know. Overall, I think it was a good story and if literary fiction is your thing then I'd recommend this one.

Goodreads synopsis:
"A lush, sensuous, and original tale of family, love, and history, set against the backdrop of the Cuban Revolution and its aftermath. Nadia Guerra's mother, Albis Torres, left when Nadia was just ten years old. Growing up, the proponents of revolution promised a better future. Now that she's an adult, Nadia finds that life in Havana hasn't quite matched its promise; instead it has stifled her rebellious and artistic desires. Each night she DJs a radio show government censors block from broadcasting. Frustrated, Nadia finds hope and a way out when she wins a scholarship to study in Russia. Leaving Cuba offers her the chance to find her long lost mother and her real father. But as she embarks on a journey east, Nadia soon begins to question everything she thought she knew and understood about her past. As Nadia discovers more about her family, her fate becomes entwined with that of Celia Sanchez, an icon of the Cuban Revolution-a resistance fighter, ingenious spy, and the rumored lover of Fidel Castro. A tale of revolutionary ideals and promise, Celia's story interweaves with Nadia's search for meaning, and eventually reveals secrets Nadia could never have dreamed"--

I received a free copy for my review ended up DNF this book about 40% through. I tried to pick it up again but this is a hard no for me. It was so all over the place and I just didn’t understand the plot/ purpose. I will give the author credit for a beautiful writing style…but I can’t ignore how hard the story is to follow. I

A good story about a young woman and her attempt to find her mother. The history of the Cuban revolution with Che and Fidel and important mothers, livers and daughters is chronicled along the way. Lyrical but sometimes hard to follow.

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

Will definitely recommend this book to readers who love beautiful prose and unique structures. This is a very different form of historical fiction- I've never read anything quite like it. It's always wonderful to experience something new. Thanks for the review copy!

I honestly gave this book my best shot, but just couldn't get going with it. I've read and enjoyed a number of Cuban novels and hoped that would be the case here, but the narrative voice never settled down in a way that let me enter the story.

I Was Never the First Lady by Wendy Guerra is a fascinating, complex, and multi-layered novel that takes the reader back into the Cuban Revolution and presents history into a new and unique format.

This book is quite unique and interesting and definitely caught me off guard (in a good way). One thinks that they will be reading a dual timeline historical fiction involving the Cuban Revolution, and that is here, however the narrative is presented in almost a poetic and flowery sort of way.

The author takes Cecilia and Nadia’s stories and interweaves them in snippets, vignettes, and using different literary techniques…presents the narrative composed of fascinating and complex women both living in pivotal points of their own.

This book can be digested quickly, or it can be savored, each way bringing something different to the table.

This book has been translated for our reading pleasure and reveals another layer of history that can be appreciated by all.

4/5 stars

Thank you NG and HarperVia for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.

I started out reading this book and was very confused. I was expecting a "regular" historical fiction novel and this is most certainly not that. The prose is extremely poetic and perspectives shift based on time period, but I found it much harder to follow than any other historical fiction book. I did some research and this book was written by an author who is also a poet, which makes sense, and was originally published in 2008 and recently translated into English.

The prose is beautiful. I reread several sentences because they were so lovely. That is by far the best part of the book and I can't imagine how hard it was to translate. The book switches time and characters between the Cuban Revolution and modern events.

I don't know a lot about Cuban history and was frequently researching to see which characters were historical figures and which were not. The main character has the same last name as the author and I wondered whether it was a family memoir, but that doesn't seem to be the case. After reading it, I'm still not really sure of the plot or the characters. This book really made me feel like I was in a humanities class reading a book for both literary and historical significance. I was expecting a non-poetic historical fiction book and this is definitely not that.

If you are looking for beautiful writing set in an interesting era and aren't too concerned with plot or characters. If not, I found it very difficult follow and ended up skimming a lot of the book. I'm looking forward to reading more books about Cuban history! Thank you to HarperVia and NetGalley for the electronic advanced readers copy of this book!