Now Then

by Morgan Radford

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.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Adult Fiction, Historical

352 pages, Hardcover

First published May 5, 2026

Reviews

[Jenna (semi-hiatus, out touching grass 🤌🌱…!) · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

Trigger warning for sexual assault.

[Angela Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!

[LiteraryMarie · Rating 3 out of 5]

"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

[Jo Levick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful read, seamlessly blending historical fiction and romance along an adventure of self discovery and belonging. The questions of identity and belonging are poignant, asked against the backdrop of political and social upheaval in two different eras. As the story switches between timelines, it also explores romantic love, familial love, and friendship, with characters who feel lived in and authentic.

Morgan’s writing is lovely and skillful—her journalistic chops and her passion for story telling really shine through in a stunning debut.

[Rachel Farrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

WONDERFUL

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.

[Tiffany E-P · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Alejandra Rojas · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

[Susan McAulay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully written dual timeline work of historical fiction that also happens to be a debut novel. I was totally bowled over. One timeline was modern and American (1991 in Cambridge, Massachusetts_ and the other was Cuba during the revolution (1957). As fascinated as I am by Cuba, it was a given that I was going to read this novel. The only other I have read that has written about Cuba has been Chanel Cleeton.
This also doubles at a coming of age novel. We meet Liliana, who is a student at Harvard, having had to fight her way through an impoverished childhood to get there. There is a great deal to unpack in this novel: relationships between mother and daughter, assimilation, class and race, and romance. If anything, there were moments where it almost seemed too much to delve into and my head was ready to come off seeing how unafraid this author was to explore difficult issues and not offer the reader easy answers. There were a few moments toward the end where it seemed the author was a tad bit lecturing, as if there were things she needed to get off her chest. However, having read her afterward, it seems that this novel was a monumental effort, including many things from her own life, so perhaps she did have things that she needed to say. In addition, I often do not like the romance in many of these types of books but I do like how it was handled here and how complicated some of the characters were.
I don’t know where the author will go from here. The difficulty with using material from one’s own life in novels, is that future books without that source material may lack that emotion that is present here. I will look forward to her next book to see what she does next.
Thanks to NetGalley and Amistad for an advanced copy of this book. All of the opinions herein are my own.

[Jieun Baek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some novels tell a story. Now Then excavates a lineage.

In this beautiful debut novel, Morgan Radford traces how history settles within a family—how revolution, exile, ambition, and silence become intimate inheritances rather than distant events. Moving between 1957 Havana and 1991 Cambridge, the dual timeline feels less like a narrative device and more like an argument: the past does not simply inform the present; it presses upon it, reshapes it, and at times unsettles it.

At the center is Liliana Soto Walker, coming of age at Harvard in a moment thick with possibility. Yet the novel resists the familiar arc of uncomplicated ascent. Lily’s striving unfolds in the long shadow of her mother Marisol’s proximity to revolution in Cuba. Radford is attentive to how political rupture reorganizes private life—the costs of conviction, the compromises of survival, the quiet erosions that accompany reinvention. The result is a story in which ideology and intimacy are inseparable.

What distinguishes Now Then is its refusal of simplification. Exile is neither romanticized nor reduced to trauma; assimilation is neither triumph nor betrayal. Radford instead inhabits the unstable middle, where identity is negotiated across generations and often through silence. The letters that surface between mother and daughter feel less like plot mechanics than fragments of an archive—partial disclosures that illuminate how daughters come to know their mothers only gradually, and sometimes too late.

The prose is disciplined and deliberate. Radford writes with precision, but she allows stillness to do its work. Emotional revelations emerge without spectacle. The novel trusts its reader to recognize the weight of what is withheld as much as what is spoken.

For those drawn to narratives of diaspora and intergenerational reckoning, this is a work of unusual clarity and restraint. It reminds us that history is not an abstract backdrop but a force that shapes the interior architecture of a life.

Five stars for structural intelligence, moral seriousness, and the quiet insistence that understanding, even when belated, remains a form of grace.

[Cici · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 rounded up

First of all, the cover is beautiful. It immediately drew me in.

This story follows Liliana Soto Walker as she starts her first year of college away from home. While navigating this new environment, Liliana exchanges letters with her mom, Marisol, where she learns more about her mother's hidden past and experience during the Cuban Revolution. Told in alternating points of view, we follow Liliana's experience while being transported into Marisol's past. Historical fiction is not my typical genre, but I found myself drawn to the chapters with Marisol's pov. Her story is heartbreaking and I appreciated the experience of seeing how her experiences shaped her present. I do wish that I saw more of her mom's "present." There are certain parts that are told as a "this happened" instead of actually showing that moment, which I felt would have been more impactful.

There was a lull in the pacing for me, although I cannot pinpoint where in the story this happened. It took me longer than I anticipated to read it, and I did purchase the audiobook when it was released. This review is primarily for the eARC, but I must add that the audiobook is great for an immersive read. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy historical fiction and family history/dynamics. There is some content that may be sensitive for some readers. I think this is a great debut novel.

A huge thank you to Amistad and NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for my review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Now Then” blends historical fiction, romance, adventure and resistance in many forms into one sweeping story. We get to fall in love with a young woman who is chasing her dreams and later allows her daughter to better understand her own choices. A love story unfolds in an unlikely place at an unlikely time - during a political revolution. The exploration of the relationship between mother and daughters and the secrets generations of women carry. This is actually my favorite part of the story. So often young women know their mothers only through the lens of parenthood. It takes decades for kids to truly understand who their parents were before they forever changed their lives. Lily doesn’t learn about Marisol through an intimate conversation… instead she reads letters penned just for her. It made me think about my own relationships and the questions left unasked. About the immigrant journey. About past lives. About the dreams that were fulfilled and the ones that weren’t. I enjoyed learning so much about the Cuban Revolution and the themes around activism. While fiction, it is clear this book was well researched. I think this is a powerful novel for all generations to read together. It deepens conversations and sparks hope about the future after learning how much communities have already endured.

[Emanuel Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now Then is an extremely moving story of a young women exploring her roots while navigating the challenges of love, loss, and finding one’s footing while navigating adulthood.

I enjoyed the writing and appreciated how the author weaved together the stories of a mother and daughter both fighting personal battles across generations -- and how their own stories influenced and affected each other. I loved being transported back to 1960s Cuba and feeling the hope (and sorrow) of revolution. Following Lily’s growth – from a teenager at Harvard, into a woman forced to confront tragedy and make brave choices – was a joy.

The book is well paced, the writing is superb, and I felt very invested in the characters. There were also several very well executed surprises and plot twists that created high quality suspense and kept me engaged.

This is one of the best novels I’ve read recently and I would recommend it to anyone who likes well-developed characters, history and/or historical fiction, family drama, or a love story in general. I could also imagine this being adapted into a great limited series on television. Kudos to the author and I can’t wait to her next book!

[Alison T · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Now Then, a debut novel by Morgan Radford, we meet both Lily (Now) and Marisol (Then) as they are coming of age and growing as women. Lily is a college student at Harvard growing into a young adult; Marisol grows from her teenage years in Cuba to a mother in North Carolina with a child(ren) who becomes an adult in her own right.
This story drew me in immediately and held my interest until the end. It had it all: historical perspective of the Cuban Revolution, mother/daughter dynamics, college friendships, romance and travel to a “prohibited” country. There was detailed character development for both Lily and her mom, along with plenty of action.
For me, one of the signs of a well-written story is when I can feel for the characters and envision their surroundings. I felt these things in spades with Radford’s novel.
It was no surprised when I learned that Radford is a journalist. I enjoyed that she was able to tell this story, which covered several decades and historical facts, swiftly and in a style of writing that kept me engaged and interested throughout.
Thank you to Amistad and NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can tell this was a passion project from beginning to end.

You are following the past, present, and futures of a mother (starting in Cuba during the revolution) and daughter (starting in the 90s in college). This book takes us on a journey through their separate stories and timelines and occasionally weaving them together.

I enjoyed this! I felt especially connected because I’ve been fortunate enough to see a lot of the part of Cuba mentioned in this story with my own eyes in addition to Lilly’s story mostly running through my own state. The core mother and daughter stories I enjoyed, but the romances didn’t quite fit for me. There’s a lot going on in this story that that could have been cut down, but with that being said the flow of the changing timelines and points of view was clear and enjoyable.

Thank you Amistad via NetGalley for this eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liliana is from Appalachia with Cuban roots. (I can't even imagine what that would be like growing up.) And then goes off to Harvard.

Liliana's mother gives her a letter when her parents drop her off at college and keeps sending her some letters where she (after nearly 20 years) begins to open up to her daughter through these letters.

Liliana's mother, Marisol, went off to college in 1957 Havana where there was a lot of political unrest.

I know very little about the Cuban Revolution and what that world might have been like as a college student. I also liked the characters in Now Then: a novel.

The pacing of the book was well and the Then and Now parts complimented each other well.

Many thanks to author Morgan Radford, NetGalley and Armistad the publisher for approving my request to read the advance read copy of Then Now in exchange for an honest review.

Approximately 352 pages, anticipated release is May 5, 2026.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

At its heart, this book is a tapestry of love stories—friendship, second chances, and the profound bond between a mother and daughter. Their relationship unfolds and deepens through a series of letters, allowing the daughter to discover her mother’s past and her own Cuban heritage.

Through her mother’s experiences in college during the Cuban Revolution, we learn about a period of Cuban history that’s rarely explored in fiction. These sections feel fresh, compelling, and rich with detail. The novel reads much more quickly than many historical fiction titles, weaving a substantial amount of history into the backdrop—at times almost too much for the present-day storyline (1990's). Still, having lived through that era, I found myself connecting strongly with many of the major events mentioned.

Trigger warnings: sexual assault and child loss.

Thank you to Amistad and NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Shell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now Then by Morgan Radford is an emotional and engaging story filled with heartbreak, tragedy, resilience, and moments of real joy. The novel moves back and forth between the mother’s story and the daughter’s story, and I enjoyed seeing how their lives and experiences mirrored each other in certain ways.

One of the most meaningful parts of the book was how they communicated through letters. Those moments felt personal and heartfelt, and they added a lot of emotional depth to their relationship.

Both women experience some of the same kinds of pain and some of the same kinds of happiness, which made the story feel very connected across generations. The characters were well written overall—some I genuinely cared about, while others were easy to dislike, which made the story feel realistic and emotionally layered.

Overall, this was a moving, character-driven novel that balanced sorrow and hope well, and it kept me invested in the lives of the characters from beginning to end.

[Catherine Rathbun · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t think I can top the review by Jenna on 12/26/25. It describes my experience with the book perfectly. Now Then is a pleasant read, and captures a lot of rich history in Cuba. If that were the sole focus of the book I might have felt differently; however, the author weaves in (and over-focuses on) the daughter’s love story set at Harvard in the 1990s. This setup didn’t make sense to me and the switch often felt jarring - while one character was going through intense torture and facing death in the Cuban revolution, the other was sad about her boyfriend leaving to deal with family issues. I didn’t understood the point of telling these stories simultaneously and felt like they would have been better as two different books. I appreciated the author’s passion but wish I’d liked the final result more.

[Debi Salanitro · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok. First it never takes me almost a week to read a book. While I enjoyed and appreciated the historical pieces, a lot of the book felt disjointed to me.
The mother daughter relationship and the letters the mother wrote to say all she couldn't out loud - I was expecting her to tell Lily EVERYTHING. I was screaming out loud to the book "What was the point of the letters if you didn't tell her the entire story" Now that wasn't to minimize any immigrants experience, but.....
The ending of the book seemed very rushed and very off. I didn't love Lily being with Vik after he abandoned her to marry as his parents wished. I also didn't love her ending up with who she did.
While I adore historical fiction- this one was not for me. I can appreciate how it will appeal to many people. I just wasn't a fan.
I received this book from the publisher for an honest review of the book.

[Eric Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Now Then” is a beautifully woven mix of historical fiction, romance, and courage, set against the intensity of the Cuban Revolution. The love story feels both unexpected and inevitable, unfolding in a place and moment where hope is risky and resistance is personal. What stayed with me most was the tender, layered bond between mothers and daughters, and how the truths women carry can take a lifetime to reach the next generation. Lily discovering Marisol through letters—rather than a single heart-to-heart—made the story feel intimate and profoundly real, and it left me reflecting on my own unasked questions. Meticulously researched and deeply moving, this is the kind of novel that invites readers of all ages to talk, remember, and imagine a more hopeful future together.

[Saumya Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot believe this is a debut. Morgan Radford explores a part of history I've never read in fiction. Many times, when authors weave history into novels, it can deter from the central story. Not here. Radford gives readers a rare blend of adventure, family, and identity. The mother daughter bond resonated in ways I didn't expect. As someone who loves stories that gradually peel back characters' layers, I especially loved how Lily learned about Marisol through letters. Radford is obviously an incredible journalist and now, she's a new star in fiction. This novel will stay with readers long after they've finished the last page. I will be recommending it for book clubs since there's so much to discuss!

[Sykes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Now Then felt like recognizing conversations I’ve heard my whole life in living rooms where ambition and feelings we’ve yet to admit are served quietly. Radford captures the tension between honoring where you come from and navigating spaces that weren’t built with you in mind, a balance I’ve watched so many of my friends carry in school and their professional lives. The subtle code-switching, the invisible calculations, the pressure to succeed for more than just yourself. There’s a tenderness in her writing that doesn’t shout, but testifies. For me, this book was recognition.

[Sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Amistad for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

The number one thing I got out of this book was Radford's love for the subject. Radford has so much passion and really makes the scenes come alive. I loved watching history unfold and getting a more insider view of revolution.
My only complaint is I almost wish these were two different books - one for Marisol's story and one for Liliana's story. In some places I wanted there to be more time spent exploring thoughts and feelings and actions.
That being said, Radford made me want to learn more, so I think this book is a success!

[Kelly W · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the best books I’ve read and quickly became a favorite.

The author captured themes of belonging and identity that made me feel, I guess, seen. There was a discussion of culture that captured nuance I don’t see too often, and it introduced me to parts of history in my own country and in another (Cuba) that I wasn’t familiar with before.

It was a page turner and I thought about the meaning and the characters long after I closed the book.

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the premise of this and parts of the story, however the execution fell a little flat for me. I would have liked to have more of the historical aspect and context, and a little less dramatic events in the 90’s time with lily’s college storyline. Overall pretty good though, and has a lot of lessons about family and love and loss.

[DAW · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible read. Incredible writing. The author did a brilliant job establishing an emotionally rich narrative while also teaching me something new…with a few great plot twists along the way. I’m not usually a big fan of romance/fiction, but the historical aspect gave it a lot of gravitas.

[H Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marvelous debut novel! Follows a young woman from rural NC to an Ivy League college. While navigating a new life she learns much about her legacy through letters detailing her mother’s coming of age. A story well told!

[Mariano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now Then completely pulled me in. It has a rich, layered story with a historical angle, but it never feels heavy. The storytelling is so moving, especially in how it explores friendship and the way relationships change over time. Once I started, I could not stop reading.

[Charita Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written novel with layered characters and emotional depth. Each chapter reveals secrets, history, courage, and resilience. I especially appreciated the quiet symmetry woven between the opening and closing pages.