Joy is the story of Allegra who is born to a loveless marriage and continues through life with no one really caring for her or loving her. She meets Shep and feels like he is the one person who really loves her, but circumstances quickly change that. Needing to reinvent her life, Allegra moves to LA and becomes an assistant to a music composer – Henry. It is in LA where Allegra finds the true meaning of love.

I have read all of Steel’s books and will continue to read her books.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for my ARC.

This book is a standard Danielle Steel read. The main character, Allegra, has a career military father who is rarely at home because of his job responsibilities, and her mother decides that she is done being a mother when Allegra turns 6, leaving Allegra to grow up with distant grandparents, and in various school settings. Allegra falls in love with a West Point graduate who appears to be following a similar path as her father, and she has to determine what is best for her life, in work, love and location. The ending of this book felt quite abrupt.

This book was a little sad. Not very joyful. I feel like the main character does find joy in the end, but it took a long time.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House Ballentine for allowing me to read this book. I have to admit. I didn't like it. The first 80% were about one part of her life, the next 15% were the next and then the next five years were the last 7 years. I hated what they did in the penultimate friendship. I have so much to say but I don't want to give spoilers BUT it was very unlike Allegra to give up on a character the way she did when she didn't give up with an even more important character. This book is very dark and sad.

As a small child, Allegra was abandoned by her mother and although her father, who is a career military intelligence serviceman, paid her way through her formative and college years, he spent very little time with her. Throughout her childhood, she was shuffled between her two sets of grandparents, boarding school and summer camps. As a teenager Allegra connects with Shepard, a West Point graduate, who seems to be her soulmate, and marries him, but they keep it a secret from their parents because she is so young. Shepard owes just 18 months of active duty service, but because he keeps re-enlisting, they grow apart and divorce. Allegra was devastated as he had been her only true connection in life thus far. She moves from NY where she had started her career as a book editor to LA and becomes a personal assistant to workaholic Henry Platt, a famous composer, many years her senior. Over time they fall in love and he treats her as she has never been treated before. They work together every day and he shows her the world. They share nine years together before he passes away from cancer. After Henry’s death, Allegra realizes she needs to again find the joy in her life. She begins to write a biography of Henry’s life and career. A business associate of Henry’s comes back into her life. Will he be her joy?

I am a long-term Danielle Steel reader and will continue to read her new books, but over the years I’ve realized her tendency to re-emphasize the same things many times throughout her books. She repeats how a character feels, who and what has damaged/molded them, and reiterates what the characters remember from things that happen years before over and over. Her editors must realize this. I find it distracting and I do mental eye-rolls. I feel that while it might it shorten the book, it would be ok not to keep repeating facts. If I need a reminder as to why the character feels the way they do, I can go back in the book and review.
#Joy #NetGalley

Danielle Steel is a TRUE story teller. She is truly tears at your heart strings with every book she writes. This one was truly sad and if you are feeling a sad book to get your in your feels, this is the one for you. It’s heartbreaking through most of it with a few shots of actual “Joy” so reader be where. BUT it is done so tastefully and beautifully. It’s a masterpiece. Would definitely recommend and read again!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

Allegra is the main character in the book and her life is full of so much sadness. She has a horrible childhood, survive a terrible marriage and many horrible life event, yet she remains strong and determined.

Danielle Steel is one of my favorite authors and I totally enjoy her books. I have read every book she had every written and will continue to do so as long as she continues writing.

Highly recommend.

I enjoyed this book. It was a short read and had a couple of storylines for the main character, but it all fit perfectly together. I would recommend this one for sure!

Really enjoyed this one. Sad childhood stories always draw me in! Can’t wait to read the whole thing!

Thank you for providing this advanced copy for me to read. I am a big fan of Danielle Steel. I enjoyed this book immensely. The main character Allegra was very compelling. You felt for her as she dealt with being deserted as an You felt for her as she dealt with being deserted as a child and then later by her first husband child by her parents and later by her first husband. You
Rejoiced as she found a Rejoiced as she found a new life and true love and true love. I cried often during the book I’m marbled, and how she found joy after so much loss. I highly recommend this book as I couldn’t put it down enjoyed the book.

In Danielle Steel's latest book, Joy, six year old, Allegra Dixon’s party-loving mother leaves without so much as a goodbye. Her father, a military officer, is unwilling to care for her. Allegra is sent to live in her grandparents’ joyless home,

While attending boarding school, Allegra meets a young West Point cadet named Shep Williams. Soon they develop a friendship and fall in love.

After college, Allegra is working as a book editor and Shep is rising through the ranks of the military. But then Shep receives a posting to Afghanistan, and they decide to marry before he goes. Between his deployments, they cling to their brief moments together.

But soon Allegra realizes that war has begun to change her husband into a man she no longer recognizes. The trauma he has experienced proves to be too harrowing, and Allegra finds herself feeling alone again. What does Allegra have to do to find happiness? Great book.

This book seems to tugs at your heart from the beginning a young 6 year old girl Allegra whose mom up and leaves her without a goodbye, her dad is military and gone for months/years at a time and she is forced to attend a boarding school then her grandparents who really don't care to have her. Her whole life is seems she has grown up with not being "wanted" She meets a boy as a teenager thinking they will last and secretly get married, when he is deployed and instead of sticking to their original plans he re-enlists and continues to get deployed leaving her again by herself till the last deployment when she's served divorce papers. At this point Allegra decides to make a change as she has no family, her dad has died at this point, her mom is living in London, she leaves New York for LA not knowing anyone or what she is going to do. She some how manages to find her strength and love again and spends a few years with a guy her senior till he passes away. There is lots of loss, sadness, wealth, love, second chances and will have you have going through all the emotions. I was not to happy with the ending hoping for a second book.

Thank you NetGalley, Danielle Steel and the publisher for the ARC

Allegra had a very difficult life. Abandoned by her mother at 6 years old, her military father had no idea how to care for her and left her with her uninterested grandparents. They had no interest in her, so she kept to herself. Unloved and alone she and Shep became friends. They eventually married and Shep joined the military becoming a clone of her dad. He was forever changed and eventually left her after some scary situations.
After graduating from school, Allegra went to work for Henry who treated her with kindness and love. It seemed that she may have found her joy until tragedy happened. Allegra lived a most difficult life.
This was well written but ultimately very sad. I was given an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and this is my honest review.

Joy

The story follows Allegra from a young child to an adult. Allegra had to overcome so much in life. The story had me interested from the first word. It was a very interesting story. I enjoyed it very much.

I received an advanced copy of the book from NetGalley. This book review is my own opinion.

A great lighthearted read detailing the determination and grit of the lead female's character. At the end of the book, I wondered if this was slightly autobiographical? Another good book by Danielle Steel.

As it always is with Danielle steel it was a wonderful book atleast for me. Good story, beautiful characters and a happy ending after some kind of trouble.

A hard life makes this main character look for joy and then find love in the most unexpected place. A tale of inner strength makes you root for her the whole way through!

I have read many of Danielle Steel’s books. But I feel over the years her writing has lacked. The last several that I have read have all been so predictable. The characters were likable but the first third of the book I just felt like it was so repetitive. I was really hoping that Shep would re-enter her life after Henry and so I felt let down. In my opinion, the book was just okay.

The first 56% of the book was gut wrenching. Some really hard stuff for the main character. The 2nd half of the book was not what I was expecting. The main character faced a really challenging childhood. She finally found happiness and love, but then some big things yet again happened. Was not my favorite book. If the second half was different I would have enjoyed it more. It wasn’t a bad book, and there was a beautiful message, just not a favorite for me.

Marisa <nibletsmommy@yahoo.com>

3:17 PM (1 minute ago)

to me

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5⭐️’s

Joy by

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have read every Danielle Steel book, and in true fashion, this one did not disappoint, but it was predictable.

When her mother leaves her at 6 years old, Allegra is left with her Career Military father, who prefers war zones to his kid

She is passed on to live with both sets grandparents for school , but does go on to college and marry her teenage crush.

A series of bad things happen, and Allegra must navigate lots of sad situations.

This book is pretty much par for the course for a Steel book.

It’s a quick read, and comes out in August 2024.