Danielle Steel never ceases to amaze me with the books she writes. This one was no different. I loved the story line as well as the characters.

Danielle Steel is an author I have read since I was a teenager… her stories are always ones that will reach out and touch a part of you.. and this is not an exception. Loved the story, loved the book. Read it… it’s a winner.

Main character, Zoe, is haunted with her past in this psychological suspense story,
If you like crime fiction novels you will enjoy reading The Dark Side.
All in all, a pretty good storyline and one easy to follow.

Zoey Morgan had the ideal life on the outside. That is until her little sister became ill and died. A perfect family fell apart and a young girl ended up fending for herself. She became the perfect student and overachiever. On the fast track with the nonprofit Zoey works for she meet and marries a love of her life. When a daughter comes along it will bring out The Dark Side of the woman who everyone she’s as the perfect woman and mother.

Danielle Steel’s The Dark Side is a riveting story of the woman who seems to be the perfect woman. Lives will be changed forever. This story takes a look at a little unknown psychological condition that will put an edger danger into what seems to be the perfect life of a family. The Dark side keeps the reader guessing and in suspense on what will happen next and if this woman is as perfect as she seems to be. A past tragedy effects the present when married couple have a little girl. You are wondering if what is suspected happens to be true. Will a father be able to protect his daughter? Is his fear justified and true? The Dark Side will keep you wondering if the main character is a monster or the woman everyone thinks she is. A family just may be ruined when a little girl keeps getting hurt. Danielle Steel writes a compelling story that keeps the riveting story of a woman whose destiny isn’t what it seems to on the surface to be.

I loved this book great story can't wait for more ! I received this book from netgalley.
I love the characters and the cover and the title.

The Dark Side is a departure from typical Danielle Steel writing (and this is coming from someone who has read 20+ of her novels). Without giving away the plot, the story is definitely dark and deals with topics not often written about. Would love Steel to write more novels like this.

Another Danielle Steele novel that drew me right in.This is a darker story that kept me reading late into the night.Another best seller that I will be recommending,#netgalley#randomhouse

Danielle Steel can surprise her readers from time to time with a little surprising twist. This was a darker storytime from her other books but totally enjoyable. The author managed to pin the reader to her book and see the characters for whom they are in the book.

The Miracle of a Child
It has been many years since I have picked up a Danielle Steel book. I think I was in high school the last time I read a good DS book. Until this one that is. I loved this very much. Thank you to NetGalley and all parties involved in me receiving a copy of this book. I get pulled into books that are on the darker side of things. This was totally that. Zoe has a difficult childhood where her younger sister ends up dying from leukemia and during the time of the progression of the illness Zoe is ignored and left to her own most of the time. Even after her sister's death the parents excess in their own worlds and Zoe is left in the cold. Zoe grows up and leads a very isolated life with few friends. Until she meets Austin and falls in love. After they are married, they have a baby girl named Jamie. I loved Jamie as a character. I thought that Zoe and Austin deserve a little bundle of joy after everything she has gone through. But as the story progresses you learn that this child is either accident prone or her mother needs help. The more the story continues I as the reader wanted to throttle Zoe as a mother. While there are sicknesses that inflict people, I just felt this anger for Zoe then toward the end I was sad. If Miss Steel continues to write in this vain, I will be a big fan in no time at all. A solid four stars from me.

It has been quite awhile since I have read a Danielle Steel book. This was a very good reintroduction to her talented story writing abilities. The first half of the book introduces us to a young Zoe Morgan and helps us to understand what happened to her that caused her to become the adult we meet in the second half. Slowly, Slowly, slowly, the dark side of Zoe emerges. The question becomes - will anyone recognize who Zoe really is?

Whew - this was a page turner. The second half really ratcheted up the suspense. Is Zoe good or bad?This really does go right down to the very end before we find out. I don't want to say much more as I don't want to give anything away. If you're looking for a fast paced, entertaining read, this is it!

My thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Delacorte Press and Netgalley for this ARC.

Another great book!!! I love anything Danielle Steel writes! She never disappoints me. Her storytelling astounds me!! Can't wait for her next book!!

Evocative of the title, this novel leans a bit darker than some of Danielle Steel’s most recent work. The Dark Side follows the life of Zoe Morgan. Out of her own challenging childhood, Zoe is determined to have a perfect life. She marries a great guy, Austin Roberts, a child advocacy lawyer. Life is going according to plan until the birth of her daughter, Jaime. This book is a meditation on motherhood and how old wounds can manifest.

I’ve read and loved so many of Danielle Steel’s books and this one was maybe my favorite. It held me captive throughout and I didn’t want it to end. Other than knowing exactly how it would end that is. Her writing style has always intrigued me and this one did not at all let me down. It’s different from most of her books and like I said possibly one of my new favorites.

The things that happen in this book will keep you turning pages until the very end. It was fantastic. I can’t rave enough about it. I loved it from start to finish and won’t give not one thing away. It’s a book I highly recommend if you like Steel’s work or even if you have never read any. This one is definitely one to read.

Thank you #NetGalley, #RamdomHouseBallentine

A huge 5 stars from me. I highly highly recommend this book. A real page turner.

The Dark Side is not your typical Danielle Steel novel and tackles a much darker topic than normal. Zoe endured the loss of her sister when they were both children and it impacted her in a way no one could imagine. Meticulous and distant she becomes a successful non-profit manager and let's child advocate attorney Austin into her life. Things seem rather idyllic until their first child is born. Compulsive and stubborn Zoe has her own ideas about raising their daughter and when mysterious injuries and illnesses appear the dark side emerges in Zoe. Taking on a tough topic was a refreshing change from some of the more recent Steel releases.

Danielle Steel is one of those iconic authors that I have been reading for years and years and now find myself lucky enough to be sent review copies to continue that tradition. With such a huge catalog of material one might expect for things to get stale along the way but as my rating should indicate that was far from the case.

The Dark Side was a pretty good title for this latest novel since it’s definitely not a smiley contemporary or looking for love type of book this time around. When we join Zoe Morgan and start reading her story we learn of her tragic background and losing her sister as a child which strained her relationship with her parents. Now Zoe is going to be a parent herself but is she ready for that?

I don’t really want to say anymore on what this one is about other than all the boundaries of motherhood and parenting get tested. It’s normal for me to fly right through a Danielle Steel novel however this one took “page turner” to another level with the psychological suspense keeping me on the edge of my seat. My internal voice argued all the way wondering just how things would work out, what a ride.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Reading a Danielle Steel novel is like wearing your favorite pair of fuzzy socks - exactly what is expected and comforting. #TheDarkSide was a quick read, following Zoe's personal relationships and focusing on the one with her only daughter Jaime. I realized how the book would end early on, but still could not put it down. It was a light but emotional fast-paced roller coaster - exactly what I expect from a Danielle Steel novel. I couldn't click through the pages quickly enough! Thanks to #Netgalley for the opportunity to preview The Dark Side by @DanielleSteel - I really enjoyed it!

Wow I adore everything written by Danielle Steele! I love the dark side she chose to take with this book! She took this one on a very interesting and suspense filled way!!!! I really enjoyed the twists and turns this book took and had fablous characters! A must read! I loved it and look forward to more like this!!

The Dark Side
By Danielle Steel

This outstanding book for me was very disturbing, but also an unforgettable story about a subject that is an epidemic in our society that few of us would want to acknowledge or think about. The subject matter is certainly one that has my stomach churning as I write this review. As sickening as I feel, I am very grateful to have read this and have to say that it is emotionally moving as the memoir that Danielle Steel wrote about her beloved son that died tragically young and prematurely. I didn't know before reading this novel that the subject matter depicted existed in our society often by people we would least expect it from. As I write this review my stomach is still churning and I feel sickened by thinking that this topic is a very real problem that we are lucky to most likely never to encounter and if we do are most likely not to recognize it. That was my feeling before reading this book.

This is something that nobody wants to think about much less read about because we most often read to escape or be entertained or just to enjoy the beautiful prose that evokes in us a sense of appreciation and warmth. I think the beautiful writing that we are lucky when we come across a novel that is poetic and vivid in descriptive character development or setting that transports us so that we are moved and forget that we are reading is such a rewarding experience. Most of us read to escape the plethora of sad and terrible we watch on the news which illuminates all negative and upsetting and mostly not always accurate reporting.

"The Dark Side," by Danielle Steel as squeamish as my stomach feels is a book that I will never forget. As uncomfortable as it makes me to think about it I am really glad and grateful that I read it. I thought that the way Ms. Steel presented the story and sequence of events was sheer BRILLIANCE. The way she wrote and formatted the events to unfold fooled me just as I would have been fooled if I witnessed the same super mom in real life. I would not have become the least bit suspicious of the mom just as I wasn't while reading.

Danielle Steel really hit the ball out of the ballpark with this serious topic. I never thought she was capable of writing a novel that dealt with such a serious topic that most of us have only heard about. This book should be required reading for all who attend medical school. It deals with the subject slowly but progresses just like it probably does in real life. This book really should be read by everyone so that we are informed and if we see a young vulnerable child getting hurt or sick excessively we can report it. This pathological and criminal offense is perpetrated by the innocent and vulnerable who are unaware that the very person that they love most in the world are putting their lives in jeopardy just for attention.

This pathological disorder can be very hard to prove since these mothers are often skillfully well practiced liars. It is called Munchausen by Proxy. I can't give Danielle Steel enough credit for writing such an informative novel that will hopefully reach many who if they see it, report it and they may just save some innocent, trusting child from needless suffering and even death. Because I read this book I am more informed about an endemic that I had only heard about. This book spells it out so clearly in an easy to understand story that is sure to educate readers that this can happen to the most educated and successful people not just in the less influential circumstances. This book will stay with me for the rest of my life and it is one of my favorite books that I have ever read however psychologically hard it was when I discovered what the premise was.

Thank you to Net Galley, Danielle Steel and Penguin Random House for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Dark Side
By Danielle Steel


The Dark Side is another great book by Daniel Steel, I would say darker than what she usually Writes though.
Zoe is the main character of this story with an amazing husband, a job that she loves and beautiful baby girl. But things are going different than what she expects.
She had a difficult childhood because her sister had leukemia and her mother spend all her time and energy for Rose (Zoe’s sister). her parents divorce after Rose’s death and Zoe had a very lonely childhood.
Zoe has her own unusual ideas about parenting and believes that children should have the freedom to choose what things may be harmful to them. Austin (Zoe’s Husband) is going along with her plan since he is also a first-time parent.
Austin’s mother has concerns about Zoe’s parenting and talked to Austin about it and that was when he started to look into the dark side.


Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine
Delacorte Press for the Advanced Copy.

Review posted on my blog: https://bookoholicscafe.blogspot.com/2019/09/dark-side.html

This is a novel on the darker side of life. Zoe Morgan’s sister was very sick as she was growing up, so their mother devoted her time and energy to the sick child, leaving Zoe to fend for herself. As a grown-up Zoe sets out to be the very best at everything, especially motherhood. She marries and settles down with a man, Austin Roberts, a well-known child advocacy attorney, who works on pro bono cases that involve children, and is member of the board of the nonprofit where Zoe works. Unlike Zoe, Austin hails from a loving, close-knit family. After their first child, Zoe, who finds motherhood a challenge, coupled with her strange parenting ideas. Austin is confused about his wife and many events that occur with their child, but figures he is, after all, a first-time father. However, as time goes on, Austin begins to have difficulty reconciling what he sees going on in his family, as things move farther and farther into the darker side of things.

This is a rather dark, depressing novel. I have read most of what Danielle Steel has written, and this book is unlike any others. The author’s writing style is a bit detached, and the plot is dark, which, in my opinion, does not work as well as it could have. The book does touch on a subject which is relevant and is very much out there, just not brought to light or even discussed much. For this, I am glad she wrote the story. I disliked Zoe throughout the book, but I think the author meant that to develop her that way. I guess this book will appeal to someone who is looking for something a bit different or who enjoys probing the unusual sides of motherhood and life. I found it an interesting read, about a subject I am not familiar with, but should know more about, but it will never be one of my favorite Danielle Steel books. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.