When There Are No More Stars to Count

Martinez (You and Other Natural Disasters) expertly tugs at the heartstrings with this story of love, loss, and second chances. Maya Rivet was raised by her cruel and ambitious grandmother, Olga, whose obsession with ballet drove Maya’s mother away when Maya was a child and, eventually, pushed Maya into a career as a soloist with Madrid’s National Dance Company. Then, at 22, a car accident leaves Maya unable to dance again. Olga is livid and abruptly announces that she and Maya’s grandfather are renting out their house and leaving Madrid, giving Maya just three days to find a new place to stay. Meanwhile, Maya finds a photo among her mother’s things and becomes convinced that the subject is the father she’s never known. Determined to track him down, Maya follows clues to Sorrento, Italy, where she finds both family and, in Spanish waiter Lucas, a soulmate. Lucas has plenty of family baggage of his own, which Martinez makes just as emotional. It’s gratifying to see these characters help each other heal and find themselves against a vibrantly rendered Italian backdrop and amid a loving community. This deeply moving and addictive tale will appeal to Colleen Hoover fans. (Jan.)