Cover Image: Moral Compass

Moral Compass

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Member Reviews

Pretty standard fare from Danielle Steel. Her books are an indulgence and it feels like a guilty pleasure reading them. This book was interesting in that the main characters are high school kids. With that, I did have a problem with a teen using the word, “terrific.” The author loves that word but it just isn’t used much anymore so it comes across as odd in the character’s dialog.

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This is a timely book with newspaper headlines daily about teenage drinking and the problems that arise. Maybe that's why it felt like I'd read this book before.

An easy read but not one that kept me eagerly turning the pages.

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

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Moral Compass by Danielle Steel centers on Saint Ambrose Prep School in Massachusetts, whose student body is composed of elite, financially well-off teenagers. The book opens at the beginning of the school year, and this is the first year that the school has gone co-ed by enrolling girls into the formerly all-male population. Everyone at the school, students and adults alike, work hard to adapt to the changes that are necessary. A very unfortunate incident results in a criminal investigation that affects several students and puts their future jobs and life in general at risk.

I h ave been a fan of Danielle Steel's for as long as I can remember. She is one of the reasons I love to read. However, I thought this book was a little too off her norm for me. It didn't feel like her writing and for some reason I couldn't connect with the story or the characters. I actually ended up putting it down around 50%.

I will definitely still read more from this author, because I am a HUGE fan.

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Moral Compass by Danielle Steel centers on Saint Ambrose Prep School in Massachusetts, whose student body is composed of elite, financially well-off teenagers. The book opens at the beginning of the school year, and this is the first year that the school has gone co-ed by enrolling girls into the formerly all-male population. Everyone at the school, students and adults alike, work hard to adapt to the changes that are necessary. A very unfortunate incident results in a criminal investigation that affects several students and puts their future jobs and lives in general at risk.

While I did enjoy the book and thought that it was very well written, I couldn’t help but feel that the incident portrayed was somewhat of a cliché. Something along the lines of “if you put boys and girls together, this is bound to happen.” Although I thought it was somewhat of a cliché, we still hear about these types of incidents on the news all the time, so it was certainly timely and reflective of today’s world. The author did a good job of describing the personalities of the main characters, of which there seemed to be several. I felt sympathetic to many of the teenagers involved in the incident, even though they didn’t use the best judgement; I kept thinking to myself, what would I have done in a situation like that at their age? I felt that most of them learned a very hard lesson and were fortunate not to face more dire consequences. The book was very realistic in portraying how rich parents are very willing to try to buy their kids’ way out of trouble. This story also pointed out that despite having a lot of money and status, everyone has issues and problems that they must deal with. It seemed as if the main teenage characters all had family issues going on that were exacerbated (and in some cases reached a turning point) by the incident in question. The author’s descriptions of these situations and the actions of some characters certainly made me dislike those characters because of their selfish and arrogant attitudes. Overall, I would recommend this book as it made some good points that we all should be cognizant of and remember. My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advance digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

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Thank you Net Galley and Random House for an early copy of Moral Compass. Who has NOT read a Danielle Steel book? This is a good one, very fast reading and a good plot. This book is one of the reasons we still pick up Danielle Steel books.

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Danielle Steele is a well known author. She has written many number one best sellers. i have to honestly say i haven't read her books in a while until now. This book may be triggering for others because it talks about raper, abuse, and drinking alcohol. It also talks about surviving it all and learning how to forgive and how to learn to speak up when it is really important I didn't see any errors in the typing which is good. i do have to say everyone should read this book and it will bring out a lot of emotions but i don't think you will be disappointed.

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4 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Danielle Steel does it again for me with a story that delves into some very serious subject matter - teenage drinking and rape.

An elite, all boys boarding school in Massachusetts begins enrolling female students for the first time. When a serious crime is committed against a female student after a group shares a bottle of tequila, all hell breaks loose and these kids find themselves in a world of trouble. So much trouble that even their rich parents can’t get them out of it.

The book takes us through the criminal investigation, the charges, court proceedings and makes you realize that the choices you make can have devastating consequences and impact the rest of your life.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House - Ballantine and Danielle Steel for my advanced copy to read and review.

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This story takes place at a small private school that has just gone co-ed. When an after hours get together results in the rape of one of the female students all hell breaks loose. The boys involved close ranks and lie. Their Fathers are wealthy and are not happy that their sons are being questioned.

This was a typical Steele book, entertaining enough to be worth the time to read, but not one I couldn’t put down. The story addresses the issue of teens and alcohol and the consequences that can ruin a life. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

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Moral Compass was a great book. Danielle Steel has been one of my favorite authors since I was a young girl.
In Massachusetts, Saint Ambrose boarding school was changing to a co-ed school.
The author did a fantastic job of bringing to life the very things no one ever wants for their children.
"She looked like Alice in Wonderland, all grown up."
Vivienne Walker was a Senior from L A. coming to the school after her mother had moved to New York thinking this would be a wonderful experience and change for her daughter. Neither realizing what a change it was to be.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC.

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I am a long time fan of Danielle Steel but in recent years her books have felt repetitive. ‘Moral Compass’ changed this opinion for me. The story was timely, relevant and told many signs of a very complicated issue. I felt like there was very little occurrence of the same things being said over & over - likely because of all the differing viewpoints presented. I look forward to her next book in a way I have not in several years!

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I am a huge Danielle Steel fan and her stories never disappoint! I was drawn to this story of a well-to-do private boy's school that just began to accept female students. A difficult adjustment, plus add teenagers and alcohol! Halloween drinking and partying with a group of boys and 1 girl results in rape. Lots of characters introduced (school administration, students, teachers, parents, detectives), so it is a bit hard to keep them all straight at the beginning. A bit low moving and repetitive, reading about everyone's feelings for a while, but the ending is quite satisfying! Thank you to net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

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This book is a winner! Once you start reading it you don't want to stop. It's a story that will stay in your mind after you turn the last page. This is a well written book you don't want to miss! Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Delacorte Press via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Moral Compass felt like it was ripped from the headlines - prep school rape with fingers pointing everywhere. The book zipped along and I was pleased with how neatly everything wrapped up in the end. As always, I love a good Danielle Steel novel! Thanks to #netgalley for the opportunity to preview #moralcompass - I thoroughly enjoyed it!

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I love her books, her stories are so easy to read and this one flew by. Loved the story ! She knows how to suck you in and the family dynamics always show thru, everyone had to find their own way in this story and do alot of growing up, Her books never disappoint!

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AMAZING! What a page turner!
A boarding school in Boston for mostly privileged students has finally gone co-ed, and everyone is adjusting to the differences with having both girls and boys on campus. On Halloween night, 6 boys decide to stay out after curfew and drink from a bottle of tequila one of the boys smuggled in. As the night goes on the boys become completely inebriated, when along comes a female student, who happens to be friends with a few of the boys. One thing leads to another, and by the end of the night all the kids are drunk, she has been raped and passed out from alcohol poisoning, and sadly left alone in the woods. The boys work hard to cover for their friend who raped her, but the evidence is stacked against them, and their consciences get the best of them.
This is a story about love, friendship, mistakes, knowing right from wrong, and forgiveness. Did not want to put it down. An amazing, emotional story told as only Danielle Steel can.

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I thought this was a very different novel from Danielle Steel. It started slow but picked up. Not what I expected but I did enjoy it. Another easy read and fast paced novel from a great Author..... Looking forward to the next book.

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I do usually like Danielle Steel books, but this one wasn't as good as I hoped it would be and was actually disappointing. I am glad that it wasn't very long and it wasn't a huge time investment. Bummer.

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DS delivers another compelling read. The first chapter was a little confusing with a flurry of characters to sort through. A preppy private school had become co-ed. As the girls converge on campus, there are some concerns. All is well until a group of boys drink too much alcohol and a sexual assault occurs. The story is about being accountable for your actions, doing what's right even when it's difficult and grappling with the many changes life throws at people.

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I normally love Danielle Steel’s books and have read everyone of them. This book was lacking her style. I found it dragging and kept repeating the same information over and over again. The story line was good, but I felt that more could have been done with it.

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