NEIGHBORS
BY DANIELLE STEEL

This book might just be my favorite Danielle Steel book yet. For years I have not read her but as I was reading this one about an older actress who is estranged from her oldest daughter, Kendall and lost her only son Justin at 14 years old in a drowning accident; I thought about this author losing her own son Nick and wondered if that's what gave this book its authenticity. Rebuilding a life after burying a child can't be easy nor is it easy for the protagonist Meredith.

During an earthquake in San Francisco Meredith who has spent the last fourteen years as a recluse opens her home to the neighbors. Her home is a mansion built of stone and concrete has the least structural damage so it makes sense for her to invite many into her home. One of the women staying with Meredith is married to a successful doctor who privately beats his wife but not his two young children. If ever a book teaches one that the children suffer psychologically by silently suffering this one illuminates that the children get damaged by staying with an abusive spouse. It strikes down the notion that the kid's are better off by staying married for their benefit.

This book takes on some heavy themes about what makes up a family. It explores domestic violence, divorce, family estrangement, reinventing yourself, healing and hope. I was in a huge book slump where I wanted something lighter and this managed to be a quick read for me that was light and an easy read for me as I read it in an afternoon while still explores family dynamics that are relatable and important. It was a pleasure to read and although it covers some heavy themes it had its light parts also and I really enjoyed it enough to give it five stars. Danielle Steel doesn't shy away from important issues but magically incorporates an uplifting and fun themes also.

Publication Date: January 5, 2021

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

#Neighbors #DanielleSteel #RandomHousePublishingBallantine #NetGalley

I can always count on Danielle Steel books for escapism and an easy read. This one has an interesting main premise - a reclusive former movie star opening up her home to neighbors after a disaster - but the constant repetition had me rolling my eyes. Every incident that happened was told multiple times and the same phrases used over and over. For me, the repetition detracted from the story. There were plenty of themes from which to choose - battered wife, rich guy with hot girlfriend, young would-be writer, distinguished famous pianist, crooked couple and the beautiful reclusive movie star. Oh - and mustn't forget the dashing ex-military man who swoops in to be a love interest for the movie star (it seems to be a rule in Steel's books that nobody should remain unattached!)

Some of the book seemed far=fetched but I don't read Steel's books for facts or great literature. I read them to escape. The author's fans are sure to love this book.

Definitely not my favorite by her unfortunately - a little too sensationalist or extreme and didn't really give me a place to run away into. Per her usual formula, the protagonist is torn down and built back up again but some of the side stories and sub plots kind of popped up out of nowhere or were left undeveloped which is rather unusual for her. I loved so many Danielle Steel novels this year, it feels ok for one to pass me by but I am a little saddened because I count on her writing to let me escape!! And Neighbors definitely did not let me escape my reality. Thanks to #netgalley for the opportunity to preview #Neighbors - I am eagerly awaiting her next release!

Meredith White had became a recluse after her marriage ended and then she lost her son. She has a married couple that does everything for her. But then a earthquake came and when they went outside Meredith opened her gate and let some of her neighbors in and then let them use her home so they did not have to go to a hotel. Her employees were jealous because they had had her alone with them for 14 years.
Meredith blooms with these new friends.
This a good Danielle Steel novel, if you are fan be sure to read. If you have not read her books before this would be a great one to start with.

Meredith, a scorned woman after her son died and her husband cheated on her becomes a recluse and is unknowingly is being taken advantage of by her long term housekeepers. It isn't until a massive earthquake comes and she takes in her neighbors that she realizes the life she is missing.

I love this book. I like that it followed a small group of people in the neighborhood and how they all went from being strangers, not knowing famous people lived around them, to essentially family. They all have a well thought out story and they all tie into each other and eventually come out stronger. Theres love, theres distress, theres mischief and it all ties together so well!

There is a little bit of graphic violence so trigger warning on that. But otherwise this was a great read and unlike any of the other Danielle Steel books I've read before.

Meredith was a top actress when her life fell apart 15 years ago. She has since been in seclusion. That is until the "big one" earthquake hits. She opens her gates and home to her neighbors who all have damage to their homes. Her neighbors have a wide range of careers and personalities. In the time they spent with Meredith many have become close friends and some have not. Lots of drama among her neighbors personal lives as well as with Meredith and her own family ties, I enjoyed this one even though it does cover some difficult topics at times. I found with the many characters own stories that it was a little more involved than some of the Danielle Steele books I have read recently.

Thanks to netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for the arc

I tend to enjoy Danielle Steel books; they are fast reads and I grew up borrowing them from my mom, who really enjoys her writing. Neighbors was a well rounded book with a good cast of characters - a few of them, REALLY unlikable. This book should have a trigger warning or disclaimer for some of the graphic domestic violence depicted. It was pertinent to the storyline of several characters, but it definitely elicits response. I felt all the feelings. That said, I did enjoy the book and would recommend to others, but not without a heads up. The opinions expressed are my own; thanks Netgalley for the chance to read and review an ARC.

A former movie star turned recluse opens her home to to her neighbors after a massive earthquake. Up until the earthquake Meredith White didn't even know her neighbors but with her home escaping the severe damage the rest of her neighbors homes suffered and most of the city being shut down, she generously opens her home to this eclectic group of strangers. Over the course of their time together and as they each move back to their own homes, new relationships are formed and current relationships are dissolved. The earthquake changes each of the people involved in this story in ways that they never saw coming. Like a phoenix rising out of the ashes, each of these individuals survives the earthquake and its aftermath, discovers truths about themselves and others in their lives, and rises above it all for the better. A unique, compelling, and inspiring story by the queen of masterful writing, Daniel Steele.

In general, I enjoyed this book. Most of the characters were all relatively likable, and while it was overall a pretty predictable book, I was okay with that. But the DRAMA. Wow. Like beginning to end. My other issue was the need to jam a ton of storylines and details into one single book. It felt like there was at least 2, if not 3, potential separate books here in this one, and none of them were focused on enough to get into the amount of detail and understanding I typically prefer in a really good book. So while I don't have a lot of major complaints with this one, I don't have a lot of excitement over it either, other than I enjoyed a lot of the characters.

Wow another Danielle Steele bestseller!!!!!!! This story grabs you from the first page and has DS's signature heartfelt writing style to it. You connect with the characters and get invested in their story. Danielle Steele is the queen of lovely real stories and if you've never read her books you definitely need to go out and buy one. Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for my early review copy.

Intriguing story of a wealthy recluse who opens her home up to neighbors after a terrible earthquake.  An integration of compelling backstories for each character and the secrets our protagonist has been hiding for the past 15 years. This book contains drama, romance, and mystery. A quick and easy reach, compelling page turner. Fans of Danielle Steele won’t be disappointed and I can see this book appealing to a broad range of audiences. Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to review this ARC in exchange for my honest review

Meredith shut herself up in her mansion with only Jack and Debbie, her housekeeper and maintenance man, for company after she discovered her husband cheated on her and her son died. Once a famous actress, she's now reclusive and, as one might imagine, even unhappier than she was before. What compels her to open her home to her neighbors when an earthquake hits and upends their lives? She's not entirely sure but these three families (of a sort) open her world in ways she didn't expect. Then there's Charles (you knew there would be a love interest, didn't you?). I liked that this ventured a bit from the standard Steele novel in terms of plot. The characters are quickly drawn and believable, the situation interesting (that's one huge mansion, btw), and the plot zips along. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A pleasant read with a positive message.

A reclusive woman opens up her home to her neighbors after a devastating earthquake and we see secrets revealed, relationships break and bring strangers together to form unbreakabke bonds. Very good story loved all the character dynamics

Neighbors is an ensemble book with several storylines about the residents of an upper class San Francisco neighborhood. After an earthquakes hits the area, the neighbors congregate in the palatial home of former movie star Meredith White, who lost her son to a tragic accident many years earlier. Since her son's death, Meredith has become a recluse, and her neighbors are shocked to discover they have been living near a glamorous movie star.

In addition to Meredith's story, Steel treats us to several other storylines: one about a blind pianist, another about a successful businessman and his trophy girlfriend; and yet another about the grifters living in Meredith's house. But the most interesting storyline is about a physically abusive marriage that ends in tragedy.

Even with everything going on, Neighbors is a fairly short novel. As usual with Steel, she repeats the same details over and over. I'm not sure why her editor doesn't step in and address the repetitions. But the storylines are still interesting enough to keep the pages turning. This is the kind of light fiction that I enjoy when my brain is too tired to focus on anything too heavy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Great entry into the Danielle Steel collection. A former Hollywood star who becomes reclusive after a tragedy reaches out to her neighbors after more than 15 years of living a solitary life in the aftermath of an earthquake.

This was another great, realistic story by Danielle Steele. You cannot read this and not be affected by the story and the characters. It grabbed me at the very beginning and didn’t let go.
Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you NetGalley, Danielle Steel and Random House Publishing Group- Ballentine for the ARC of Neighbors. This is my personal review.
Meredith was a Hollywood star. Her life took a downturn when she lost her son, and she divorced her husband. She became a recluse for 15 years. Meredith hired a couple to help her and she fully trusted them. They were the only she people she interacted for all those years.
A major earthquake was to change all of that. She met many of the neighbors when she left the estate to check on the damage. This small act changed her life completely.
Having the only home in the neighborhood with the least amount of damage she invited them all to come and stay with her in her huge estate.
The story is so perfectly told I could not put it down once I started reading.
Danielle Steel has written another beautiful book. It will be published on January 5th.

Disasters bring out the best in some people and the worst in others!

Merideth White lives in San Francisco, she was at one time a huge movie star, but since her 14 year old son died in a boating accident she has become a recluse. She rarely leaves her house, though she keeps in shape and has overcome her grief. She has a couple that live in with her and keep up the house and grounds as well as cook and do the shopping. They have worked for her since her son died about 14 years ago and have always been nice to her.

Though Merideth is unaware of all that they have stolen from her. They take some money off the top of what she gives them for bills and groceries and while Merideth was in the grips of a depression she didn’t notice all the things that have gone missing in her house, like high end works of art that used to hang in the common rooms but have been since moved to Debbie and Jack’s suite of rooms.

When a huge earthquake hits San Francisco, Merideth’s home comes through virtually unscathed. She also has a back up generator so hers is the only house in the neighborhood with power. Merideth invites her neighbors to come and stay since their homes are damaged and unsafe.

You can tell right off the bat there will be drama. One of the neighbors is a surgeon and he has anger issues that are shown early in the book. His wife has bruises and the kids are wary of him when he is in a bad mood. The guy is a classic abuser, and he doesn’t even try to hide it. He immediately accuses his wife of flirting with the other guys and puts her down whenever he can. I was married to a man just like him, though my husband was a great guy around other people, so you know if this guy doesn’t care about hiding his anger, there is bound to be issues with a bunch of people staying in one place together.

Another neighbor is a famous blind pianist and his hired assistant as well as a businessman who made it big in a few high tech start-ups and has an ego as big as his checkbook. His latest girlfriend is there as well, he treats her like a possession. Debbie and Jack are none too happy about the houseguests but Merideth is enjoying her house filled with talking and laughter again. Debbie and Jack see their control over their meal ticket slipping away as Merideth begins to have friends and rejoin society.

I liked the premise and the story itself, one thing that bothered me though and I was a bit surprised since this was a Danielle Steel novel and I know she is a well known author with tons of books under her belt. However, I felt some things were repeated over and over ad nauseum. For example Merideth’s daughter though Merideth was too harsh on her ex husband when their son died and she became closer to him. I read that same thing many more times than was necessary. I am not sure if it was just repeating because she wanted to really drive it home, or if it was a device to get you on Merideth’s side. I know I was, and I was kind of mad at the daughter. So if that was a device, then I guess it worked.

I voluntarily read & reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

This is a wonderful Danielle Steel with the charcter development we have come to love from this author. I highly recommend this book for all Danielle Steel fans. This was a welcome respite from romance with a interesting premises with outstanding charcters dealing with a real life event . This was the perfect escape reading for Pandemic times.

Meredith White was a famous actress that was publicly humiliated when her husband cheated on her. She is now living in a San Francisco mansion as a shut in for years with only her nefarious caretakers as companions, You will not like the caretaker couple as they are criminals and manipulators. They control what she reads, what she does and how her house is run. They have a dark past and are stealing from her and over charging her for services. Meredith is a trusting soul and has no idea they are nefarious.

A large earthquake hits San Francisco and most of her neighborhood is destroyed except her house that is standing. Meredith sees beyond her gate for the first time in years and welcomes her neighbors to stay with her. to the chagrin of the caretakers who do not want anyone interfering with their manipulation of her. The story grows from each person she invites in and how their lives intertwine. The characters are very well crafted to the story and interesting as they become more involved with Meredith stepping out of her self imposed solitude. I love the way she came out of her shell through helping others and how the different charcters added depth to the story. The book was very well-written. I enjoyed reading this book very much and recommend it highly for all Danielle Steel fans .

I was so in the mood for a DS read. Drama, family, friends, earthquake and betrayal, add a little romance too. Everything you think of when you hear this author’s name.

Meredith is a famous actress who went into recluse mode after a horrific event. She lives in her upscale SanFrancisco home with only her live in caretakers as friends. Until a major earthquake shakes up her life in more ways than one. Not a usual romance book that you would expect from Steel, this book is more women’s fiction. Enjoyable read, great cast of characters, you will be drawn in from page 1. I found this a nice break from some of my darker reads. Trigger Warning: Abuse...handled realistically, honestly.

Thanks to Ms. Steel, Random House Publishing/Random House and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone