Review of The Last Train to Key West

I have to wait an entire month for my next beach trip so this book was a perfect substitute. Dips in the ocean, delicious food, adventure -- if you need a literary beach getaway while waiting for a IRL getaway try The Last Train to Key West.

More About The Last Train to Key West

In 1935 three women are forever changed when one of the most powerful hurricanes in history barrels toward the Florida Keys in New York Times bestselling author Chanel Cleeton's captivating new novel The Last Train to Key West.

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.

More About Chanel Cleeton

Chanel Cleeton is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick Next Year in Havana, When We Left Cuba, The Last Train to Key West, The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba, Our Last Days in Barcelona, The Cuban Heiress, and The House on Biscayne Bay. 

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.

Thoughts About The Last Train to Key West

The three women in this book have absolutely nothing in common except for the fact that they are trapped by circumstance (and eventually, a hurricane). Author Chanel Cleeton breathed life into each character, as they got into precarious situations I found myself rooting for them. Their true personalities were revealed gradually, just as if you are meeting them IRL. My feelings about the characters seesawed as I learned more about them and their difficult situations. It also brought the question "What would I do in their situation?" front and center.

Cheers to the author for not dividing her characters into the "good guys" and the "bad guys". Everyone has both redeeming qualities and a little bit of larceny in their hearts. This book was made more powerful because it happened during a historical event and, as a reader, I really felt like I had been transported to Florida and the center of a horrific hurricane. I liked the off-kilter feeling of who would live? Who would escape? Who would die? Definitely had me turning pages furiously.

I am eager to read more books by Chanel Cleeton!

A Little Extra

Couldn't resist giving you a sneak peek at Chanel's latest book: The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes that will be released September 30, 2025 but is available for pre-order now. You can read an excerpt HERE.

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 from New York Times bestselling author Chanel Cleeton.

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 more than 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 course of Eva’s summer at Harvard, and as secrets, lies, and forbidden love rise to the surface, Eva’s life—and legacy—is irrevocably changed.