In this sweeping debut novel by NBC News Anchor Morgan Radford, Now Then follows a Harvard student navigating her own path to self-discovery while uncovering her mother’s secret past fleeing the Cuban Revolution.
Now — 1991 Cambridge, MA. Liliana Soto Walker is an 18-year-old freshman who arrives at Harvard from the humble Appalachian home of her Cuban immigrant mother and Black American father. Lily feels out of place in this new world of privilege, but her roommate Hana and a budding romance with Vikram – a charming Indian-British postdoctoral student – stirs a new sense of belonging. As Lily navigates the complexities of college life, her mother, Marisol, finally begins to reveal her past through heartfelt letters, sparking Lily's journey to uncover hidden histories and discover what it means to endure – and find happiness again. Meanwhile, Lily and Vikram form a deep bond that sweeps across decades and continents, one marked by amazing-turned-devastating missed connections.
Then — 1957 Havana, Cuba. Marisol, Lily’s mother, is a bright young woman with dreams of becoming a journalist. But as the calls for a government coup reach a deadly crescendo, one deadly night ahead of the Cuban Revolution forces Marisol to flee her homeland, leaving her scarred in ways she has never revealed. Until now. Through their letters, the secrets Marisol has kept hidden for years finally begin to surface, challenging Lily’s understanding of who her mother really is — and by extension, herself.
Heartfelt and romantic, suspenseful and surprising, Now Then is a powerful tale that explores the weight of secrets, the hope that comes with second chances, and the choices we live with – and love through – forever.
My sincerest thanks to Amistad, NetGalley, and the author for offering me the opportunity to review an eARC of this book.
This novel has a number of things to recommend it, and what I would say above all is that it’s clearly a passion project, seemingly informed to an extent by family history, and offers some important historical stories worth telling.
At its outset, it’s 1991, and protagonist Lily and her biracial and immigrant parents, Marisol and Kem, have just traveled from their Appalachian mountain town in North Carolina to Harvard University, to which Lily has been accepted for her freshman year after applying at Marisol’s encouragement, which came as a surprise to Lily. As it turns out, Marisol, who grew up in Cuba, is motivated by often-painful memories and aspirations from her own youth, of which Lily as yet knows nothing.
As Marisol starts to gradually divulge her history to Lily via letters to her at college, we begin interweaving chapters in which we learn of Marisol’s traumatic experiences as a new college student in Havana in the 50s during the Cuban Revolution. After this point, the book branches out in a number of directions and becomes an expansive tale skipping episodically both forward and occasionally backward across time periods and different countries and involving several additional core characters, including some of Lily’s diverse friends and love interests from Harvard and some of Marisol’s family members and other connections back in Cuba. There is a bit of a lot - maybe a lot of a lot - crammed into a not-terribly-long book: it attempts to cover many weighty topics including a variety of love stories, family stories, and birth and death stories, and themes of coming of age, loss and reunion, and parent/child relationships, as well as discussion of relevant and prominent political and racial issues of the time, such as apartheid, Rodney King, and the O.J. Simpson trial.
I appreciated the background of the Cuban Revolution and the other social and racial justice themes, but overall I felt that the attempt to pack in so much over time and rattle off all these events to their rather tidy resolutions resulted in sacrificing character development and certainly sacrificing depth for breadth overall. Also, while I would never want to be dismissive of anyone’s love story, it felt that Lily’s romantic life becomes the focus of the book at a certain point, and for me any of the book’s many various love story sections were the least engaging. Given the weight of some of the social and political topics considered as well as the initial emphasis on parent/child relational dynamics, especially with regard to immigrant parents, the question of who Lily may end up with romantically did not seem of utmost importance to me and was a bit jarring of a focus in contrast to all that preceded it. I found myself wondering how I wound up in what seemed to be quite a different book.
The writing of the book, both in these romance sections and generally, was not really my personal cup of tea: I felt it was at its best when it stuck to a more straightforward and journalistic style, but my impression was that it could get a little trite, flowery, or overly descriptive when it aimed for more literary prose and presentation or when it tried to convey dialogue. In all, to me, there was an “everything but the kitchen sink” and earlier-draft feel to the book, and I couldn’t help but wish the material had some time to be further developed.
Still, I can imagine this book will appeal to many: it’s clear and easy to read, and I think it may hopefully attract many readers and perhaps deliver some important content and ideas to those who may not typically read nonfiction or memoir, historical fiction, or novels with political or social justice themes. I think this book could be absolutely fantastic were it ever researched and rewritten as needed to tell some of this story through a nonfictive, autobiographical or biographical lens. It felt like a fiction book that actually wanted to be excellent long-form journalism and perhaps had a ghost of such lurking below its pages.
Wow, what an impressive debut novel. I was completely invested in the characters, and I loved the way the dual timelines came together. I’m surprised more people aren’t taking about this one.
First of all, I absolutely loved this book! Being a daughter of immigrants, it spoke to me in many ways. I loved how Lily felt curious and compelled to learn about her roots. I think learning about where you come from shapes your identity and it did for Lily. I learned a lot about Cuba and its political struggles over time. The story had so many elements of love between a mother and daughter, love among friends, and romantic love. the author explored some themes that were difficult to read but needed to be told. A beautiful love story that made me think of what really matters: love,friendship, courage, and believing in one’s dream. I got to meet Morgan at a talk and she was absolutely delightful and personable! 5 stars for this debut novel whose characters will stay with me for a long time!
Now Then by Morgan Radford is a thoughtful and emotionally engaging debut novel that blends historical fiction, family drama, and romance into a compelling multigenerational story. Set between 1957 Cuba and 1991 Massachusetts, the novel follows Lily, a Harvard freshman struggling to understand her identity while uncovering her mother’s hidden past connected to the Cuban Revolution.
One of the book’s greatest strengths is its exploration of culture, memory, and belonging. Radford thoughtfully examines how family history shapes identity, especially for children of immigrant families trying to balance multiple cultures and expectations. The dual timelines are well woven together, gradually revealing emotional truths about love, sacrifice, and survival.
The characters feel authentic and emotionally layered, particularly Lily and her mother, Marisol. Their relationship adds emotional depth to the story as buried secrets slowly come to light. The romance subplot also adds warmth without overshadowing the central themes of family and self-discovery.
Radford’s writing style is elegant and reflective, with vivid descriptions and strong emotional insight. Although some sections move at a slower pace, the thoughtful storytelling allows readers to connect deeply with the characters and their experiences.
Overall, Now Then is a moving and heartfelt novel about identity, heritage, and the lasting impact of the past. Morgan Radford creates a story that feels both personal and universal, making it an engaging read for fans of historical and literary fictio
I love a good historical fiction- especially ones that focus on the Caribbean experience. This book was really well done. It follows a Harvard freshmen and her experience as an Afro Cuban who was born and grew up in the South. In tandem, you also get the POV of her Cuban mother who experienced trauma during the Cuban revolution. You will get lost in this book. You will be invested in the characters and their experience. Well written and researched, I was hooked till the last chapters.
1.5 stars, rounded up. I was really really rooting for this book. As a Latina immigrant myself, the premise had me immediately hooked and I couldn’t wait to read it. However, it was quite poorly executed. Jenna’s review from 12/2025 says it all the best, but I will summarize my thoughts here:
The book desperately needed a good editor.
First of all, the structure gave me whiplash. The chapters are very short, which isn’t inherently a problem, but when they flip flop between timelines and every two pages is a different era, main character, issue, etc, it results in a disjointed feeling. In addition, the stakes were wildly different between the two timelines. Marisol’s story is in 1950s Cuba at the start of the revolution, while Lily is in 1990s Harvard. Marisol’s friends are getting murdered, while Lily is crying about the guy she liked leaving town. It didn’t flow well at all, and I couldn’t get into either story before it switched to the other.
The writing is novice at best, at worst preachy during moments when it is uncalled for, cheapening the point the author is trying to make.
There were far too many world events and social justice themes that were attempted to be discussed (the Cuban revolution and Afro-latinidad, immigration, Black identity, being Black in America, southern racism, being gay in the early 90’s, classism in elite universities, and MORE, believe it or not) which led to none of them being discussed well at all. Also, somehow, the book focuses on Lily’s lackluster and immature love life more than anything else, despite all this?? Make it make sense.
There is little to no character arc or development for literally any of them. Probably because the author was trying to fit all of the above themes and every notable world event during these time periods into the book.
Overall: this felt like a first draft that needed some serious shaping and editing before being released. Had promise, but fell very flat.
Holy smokes this book. Picked it up randomly at a bookstore because I thought it sounded good but it exceeded all my expectations. Absolutely devoured it in under 48 hours. Goosebumps up and down my entire body for the last few pages. I just loved everything about it. A beautiful debut that doesn’t feel like a debut because it’s so well crafted. Morgan Radford - I hope you’re already working on your next book!
“I’ve learned that loving someone, Lily, - truly loving them - is about trusting their will, free and undeterred. It is trusting them to make a choice that, in some small way, won’t leave you behind. A choice that won’t erase you, since they can’t carry you into a future that isn’t wide enough, expansive enough, to hold the both of you.”
I earmarked so many other beautiful passages but do yourself a favor and just read it. Please!
I chose this book because I recognized the author’s name as an NBC journalist. I read it because it is a beautiful tale of family, love, history, loss, and new beginnings.
Class, culture, and the desire to fit in and belong, are woven through this incredible journey.
Good story that keeps revealing itself through characters and situations that are relatable to most readers. When You think you have it all figured out it keeps your interest with another twist.
"Love is freedom...And love is finding home. Again." ~89%
Now Then is a debut novel by NBC News Anchor Morgan Radford. It follows two timelines. Now—1991 Cambridge, MA. Lily is an 18-year-old freshman at Harvard University on a path to self-discovery. She feels out of place having come from humble beginnings with a Cuban immigrant mother and Black American father. Through a budding romance with Vikram and a friendship with her roommate Hana, she navigates college life and adult years.
Then—1957 Havana, Cuba. Marisol is a young woman with dreams of becoming a journalist. One tragic night forces her to flee the Cuban Revolution, leaving her homeland behind with plenty scars. She never revealed what happened until she started writing letters to her daughter, Lily. The written words deliver secrets and help both women discover their identities.
This novel is clearly written by a journalist at heart. The tone is heavy on factual events, history and social justice. Romance is thrown in to give it a fictional feel. The theme that stands out is the mother-daughter relationship. It is very heartfelt.
A letter written by the mother to her daughter set the mood for the novel. I settled in with an iced tumbler of fresh strawberry lemonade and cold Thin Mints straight from the freezer. Over the course of three days, I read a tale of two very different women that seamlessly weaved together. Until the confusing end. It was a lot of events packed into almost 400 pages and still the author felt the need to wrap it up so tightly that the time jump made no sense. Almost as if the author suddenly remembered the romance trope. It was jarring to the point I thought my ARC was missing a chapter, or at the very least, missing a few pages. But nope, I compared to the official copy and the ending stayed as is.
Nevertheless, I believe Now Then will appeal to most readers. The mix of journalistic Cuban history and fiction will keep readers engaged.
Happy Pub Day to Morgan Radford! Now Then is officially on shelves.
Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie
Being if Cuban descent, I know all to well the stories of family member's hardships during the revolution (which was told so well). This story was emotional & touched very hard realistic topics. Personally, I didn't have any issues with the POVs/time jumps. Everything flowed well for me & at no point did I fall out of story.
While I preferred the parts of the story that take place in Cuba, it was overall a decent read. Some of it was too "tidy" and wrapped up too quickly to be believable but still enjoyable
I truly found myself wanting to turn the pages faster to find out more about the journeys of Lily and Marisol. I have been excited about reading this book and it was definitely worth the wait. Understanding the power of storytelling, Morgan told a tale about relationships, love, and possibilities.
- multiple timelines, 2 PoV (+1) - Cuba, US, UK - racism - immigration - first love
This is the best book I've read on Cuba so far. The timelines and plot lines weave together so seamlessly—while I was learning so much, I still found myself deeply rooting for the characters to find their happiness. The story tackles some really sensitive topics, but handles them with such grace that I never felt weighed down or overwhelmed. The characters feel entirely human, and the strong emotions they brought out in me—whether love or frustration—made the whole experience feel that much more real.
This was a wonderful read! Truly enjoyed every bit of it. Coming from an immigrant household I can understand the journey to heal on a personal and generational level. All while going through life yourself and understanding the experience as you go through it. I would highly recommend this book!!
First of all, I wanted to say thank you for the possibility of being able to read this book. The only thing I want to say is I wish it didn’t take me so long to start.
It was beautiful. I loved how the stories combine to make a loving story of a journey of young women into adulthood. The historical atmosphere created an interesting perspective into the story.
I loved the mother and daughter relationship and how lives can intertwine. How connecting through trauma can heal wounds. I loved the relationship between female friendship. It was truly a beautiful read.
While this book is fiction, it read like fact. The experiences, both the factual ones, and the ones that are fiction, all ring true. Thank you Morgan Radford… your book is now a special part of me.
Excellent. Sweeping. The crisscrossing of past and present is so well done. This book is so full-of love, pain, sacrifice, growth, striving, success…all the feels.
4.5 for sure! I didn’t give it a whole 5 stars because I felt like some of the stories which were great on their own, were cut short and I needed more! But overall awesome story and I’m surprised this book isn’t talked about as much
The Story is INCREDIBLE! The rawness of it, the twist, the so real-life moments and intersections of culture that only one, as a mixed-race Latina, can sometimes understand. An credible book
I really enjoyed this book. I won it from a Goodreads giveaway and I am so glad that I did. I found a new author that is a great writer. I am looking forward to more books by Morgan Radford.