Wow wow wow. This book is INCREDIBLE. It is a bit slow in pacing at some points, but otherwise, this book is amazing. Caden’s journey is both so relatable and yet so unique to his own struggle. At first, I was a bit confused about the plot construction, but I enjoyed that, as readers, we are along on this confusing and jolting mental journey with Caden. I realized very soon that being confused is part of the reading experience. As someone who struggles with mental health, I felt seen and understood, even though my own story has few similarities to Caden’s. That’s the beauty of Challenger Deep - it’s relatable on a myriad of levels. It’s a masterfully told story, equipped with drawings and humor to help bolster the story. I will definitely be re-reading this again at some point and it is now a favorite of mine.

This book snatched my soul from me, oh my goodness! All the feels! I was skeptical about the dual-timeline, but Cleeton handles it masterfully. This book is part gripping romances, part chilling look into Cuba both pre- and post-Fidel from the perspective of a granddaughter and grandmother. I found myself wanting to know more about Cuba from a historical standpoint because of this book, even though it already is so full of historical references and information about Cuba’s revolutionary history and spirit. Both timelines were extraordinarily fascinating and they were woven together in an expert manner. The book is told in the first-person perspective for both Elisa and Marisol, and I never once found myself forgetting whose story or thoughts we were receiving. Their personalities and manner of speaking/thinking were distinct, but the narratives never felt jarring or disconnected. This was an instant favorite of mine even before I finished reading it!

I an thoroughly excited that we are getting yet another Chanel Cleeton novel set in the same world and following one of Elisa’s older sisters!