Welcome to another First Line Friday, hosted by Reading is My Superpower! Today I’m featuring Count the Nights by Stars, a beautiful new book by Michelle Shocklee.

May 29, 1987

“My darling,
No one could accuse Luca Moretti of being a coward.”

Count the Nights by Stars by Michelle Shocklee

The Basics

Title: Count the Nights by Stars

Author: Michelle Shocklee

Publication Date: March 22, 2022

Genre: Historical Fiction

My Rating: 5 Stars

From the Back Cover:

1961. After a longtime resident at Nashville’s historic Maxwell House Hotel suffers a debilitating stroke, Audrey Whitfield is tasked with cleaning out the reclusive woman’s room. There, she discovers an elaborate scrapbook filled with memorabilia from the Tennessee Centennial Exposition. Love notes on the backs of unmailed postcards inside capture Audrey’s imagination with hints of a forbidden romance . . . and troubling revelations about the disappearance of young women at the exposition. Audrey enlists the help of a handsome hotel guest as she tracks down clues and information about the mysterious “Peaches” and her regrets over one fateful day, nearly sixty-five years earlier.

1897. Outspoken and forward-thinking Priscilla Nichols isn’t willing to settle for just any man. She’s still holding out hope for love when she meets Luca Moretti on the eve of the Tennessee Centennial Exposition. Charmed by the Italian immigrant’s boldness, Priscilla spends time exploring the wondrous sights of the expo with Luca―until a darkness overshadows the months-long event. Haunted by a terrible truth, Priscilla and Luca are sent down separate paths as the night’s stars fade into dawn.

My Review

“That is our mission, dear. To see people for who they are beneath the pain. Beneath the sin. To see them as God sees them: a beautiful creation, with plans and purposes only he knows.”

Count the Nights by Stars is a gripping split-time novel, bringing Nashville history to life in both the 1890s and 1960s. The iconic Maxwell House hotel plays a role in both timelines, as does the Tennessee Centennial Exposition. Both Priscilla and Audrey are strong, compelling heroines – both coming to terms with their places in their families and their purpose in life. The story also shines a light on the dark subject of human trafficking in a powerful, eye-opening way. If you are looking for a poignant story that is rich with history, heartbreak, and hope, you have found it in Count the Nights by Stars.

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I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.