Over the years Danielle Steel has tackled historical novels, thrillers, romantic comedies, and of course, domestic dramas. This book falls into the final category, which is probably the genre she is most comfortable in. The novel follows Kate, a widowed attorney in her mid-fifties with three "perfect" children who aren't really so perfect. Her younger daughter, Claire, announces that she's pregnant and refuses to marry her boyfriend, much to Kate's chagrin. Then Kate's son Anthony, who is engaged to a spoiled debutante, begins having an affair with a mixed race lingerie model. Finally, her oldest daughter, Tammy, has been in a secret lesbian relationship for the past seven years without ever confiding in her mother.

When the truth about her children comes out, Kate is shaken to the core and she has to learn to let go of the perfect image that she always held dear. But even though life doesn't always go the way we planned, it often offers up pleasant surprises. Kate's big surprise comes in the form of her rival attorney during a difficult litigation. Soon Kate and her rival strike up a friendship that turns into much, much more.

I enjoyed meeting Kate and her squabbling children. Even though the characters were a little too privileged for my taste, their emotions rang true. And while I don't think life ever works out quite as easily as it did for Kate and her family, it was nice to disappear for a little while in the easy, breezy universe of Danielle Steel.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

Adult children do not always make the choices in their lives that their parent's had envisioned or planned for. Loved this story of a widowed Mother of 3 adult children learning to accept the unforeseen paths of her children's lives. She, in turn, makes changes in her life that were also not planned. Very real and current topics in this story. Timely and interesting! Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Another Danielle Steel book that I loved. This is the story of a mom and her three children and the secrets they all keep. All the characters are relatable and it’s a quick read. Highly recommend. Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Danielle Steel is the best
All of her novels are interesting and engaging
Child’s Play is about families the the aspirations parents have for their children
During one very trying summer, Kate’s children get involved in all sorts of misadventures.
Sometimes our children make the right choices and other times not
This is another Danielle Steel winner which is impossible to put down

Child's Play had me all over with my train of thought. It challenged my perceptions and made me think about how I look at different people and their relationships. Kate is a great Mom and her family was fun to get to know. The book kept me interested and I enjoyed how it went "fast" thru certain parts - like it jumped a month or two ahead at times, but with enough detail to keep you in it. Another great book by Danielle Steel!

Kate reared three as close to perfect children as any mother could dream. However, in a span of one year all of,their lives would be transformed. All would find love, babies would be born, hearts would be broken and healed. Some of the plot was totally predictable but that doesn't take away from Steel's story. The author has a gift for conjuring vile characters and Claire fulfills that role. Child's Play is a pleasant easy read about accepting family, faults and all.

As always, Danielle Steel did not let me down. One of my "pet peeves" is spelling and grammatical errors when reading published books and I am always pleasantly surprised to find that her books are so well written and edited prior to publication.
I found Kate's heartache followed by her love, strength and endurance, when faced with the realization that her children were not perfect and made mistakes or had secrets, to be both heartfelt and inspiring. I am the proud mother of a homosexual son and cheered for Kate when she accepted the same, about one of the characters in the book, with an open mind and heart.
Her children may have gone about decisions in the wrong way, but ultimately, I feel, as it appears Danielle does, that a person must be allowed to live their own life and make their own mistakes in order to grow. I only wish that, in similar circumstances, I can be as strong as Kate. I found myself rooting for her to get her own Happy Ending. She earned it!
Finally, I would like to say that I have been reading Ms. Steel's books for about 40 years and she has never let me down. I will highly recommend this book to everyone! Thank you for another great book. Keep them coming! Can't wait for the next one!

Absolutely love Danielle Steel. She never disappoints in her knack for storytelling. I so enjoyed this book.
I would recommend this book.
Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

Kate's thoughts and opinions and different points of view on a Millennial perspective on life are not the same as her children's current life. As a parent I could relate with Kate, on how we want our children do life in a particular order. School, career, marriage and then babies and we keep our skeletons in the closet. But Kate's children have called off the wedding 3 months before the date, have babies and refuse to marry, and come out of the closet. Danielle Steel has done it again. She has given us a page turner novel. I couldn't put this book down until I finished one more chapter.

I absolutely adore Danielle Steel, this story is probably one of her best. Very easy to get submerged in. I love her stories about love and family and the issues we all have gone through at one time or another in our lives. I would recommend this for a vacation book or a long weekend in the park.

I have always loved Danielle Steel ‘s books and was not disappointed by this one. She makes the characters become part of life almost. She blends romance, tragedy and joy so well. I throughly enjoyed this book and it makes me want to read another of hers. Thank you Ms. Steel for another wonderful book !

I received an ARC copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. Kate raised 3 children alone after losing her husband, Tom, when they were very young. Kate goes to law school after Tom's death and becomes an amazing attorney. Kate always wants the best for her children and when they become adults, in my opinion, goes too far. She wants everything in life to be perfect for them including not making mistakes. She soon finds out this is not possible when secrets come out. Kate finally meets the man of her dreams who really helps her realize that her kids are adults and able to live their lives. Very good book.

I have been a Danielle Steel fan for any years. I don’t think there is a book of hers that I have not read!
This one is just as good as all of her others. I love it when I start a book and can relate, easily, with the characters. This book did that for me. It drew me in and held me there!

Kate lost her husband many years ago, and raised her three children on her own. Tammy, Anthony, and Claire are now all grown up and starting out on their own. Will they all find someone to love who will love them back?

This book has some twists and turns in it and you may or may not expect them, but you will enjoy them and they will keep you reading.

It’s a story of how families grow and change, and how the growing pains make or break their relationships. Every word is worth reading.

Danielle Steele is a master of the written word. Her stories have depth and great characters. They draw you in and make you a part of these characters.

Quick, easy, enjoyable read. Exactly what I've come to expect from Ms. Steel. While it was frankly uber-predictable, and some sort of twist or surprise would have been nice, I don't necessarily need that from Ms. Steel's books. I know what I'm getting, and really, I just read them to enjoy a quick escape into someone else's drama for a day or two. I will say, I really liked the characters in this one, even snotty Claire. The family strife was honest and entirely real instead of a lot of "there's no way this would happen outside of a book" situations. So the characters and storyline bumped this one up a bit for me. Highly recommend this one for anyone wanting a quick summer read!

Love it, very good story line about what we go through with our children. We all have choices and sometimes they are not as bad as it seems.

Another easy, breezy enjoyable read. Kate is a mid 50s attorney with three children who keep her on her toes with lots of relationship and life drama as she tries to keep her “perfect” life and family moving forward. When each child brings changes into their own lives, it shakes up Kate’s. (You have to love Kate’s mother who is the true rock in the family.) Nice to continue to see Kate, a character of “a certain age” portrayed as sexy and vibrant. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Danielle Steel brings another family drama forward with Child’s Play. Kate Morgan has always been grateful for the fact that her now-adult children have kept themselves away from scandals. They have, however, felt constricted under the weight of the pressure to be “perfect.” Over the course of a year, Kate’s world changes drastically as she learns who her children really are, as they discover themselves. Their bonds are tested, but they may be closer than ever before.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

Thoughtful story of the expectations of children by their parent(s). Steel provided a touching story, with interesting characters in Childs Play. I couldnt put the book down !

I am always amazed at how Danielle Steel can come up with new stories that always entertain her readers. After so many books, you wonder how she comes up with such good stories! I always enjoy reading her books, no matter the approach she takes.

Kate has raised her three kids, after her husband passed away, all on her own. Kate always wanted the best for her kids and has had high expectations for them. With Kate going to law school and raising her kids, she has had luck with nothing crazy happening with her kids. Now that they are all older and on their own, things begin to fall apart in Kate's ideal family that she has always wanted.

Tamara, Anthony and Claire, Kate's three lovely children are to the stage in life that they are ready to make their own choices and some of those choices will shock Kate. How Kate reacts to these choices of her children make up the plot behind this book. I love how Danielle Steel takes on some controversial topics of today's world and let's her readers see that it is ok to have different ideas as everyone else and to discover who you really are. Brilliantly done by Danielle Steel. I highly recommend this book and feel like you will be drawn into Kate and her children's lives just as I was.

All opinions are my own and voluntary. Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for an advanced copy of this book.

Although Danielle Steel’s novel “Child’s Play” was predictable from the start, I was drawn into the characters and couldn’t put it down. This story proves that you never know what’s going on in a person or a family’s life because what you see isn’t always what you get. Nice quick read.