As someone who doesn't like romance novels, you'd think Danielle Steel would be an author I'd avoid. However, I have read a number of her books and there is so much more to them than romance. That is true of this book as well. In fact, there were only a few very short romance scenes in this book. It was much more of a family drama novel.

The two sisters in this book each have their own traumas that they are dealing with, in addition to a difficult relationship with each other. Throughout the book, they are both growing and learning and rekindling their relationship. This was a fast, feel-good read and I very much enjoyed it.

* Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I received an ARC copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. I enjoyed this book but not nearly as much as the others by this author. Hattie and Melissa are sisters and grew up in a rough home. Melissa basically raised her sister. Melissa gets married and has a son who gets very sick. Hattie becomes a nun and her sister doesn't have anything to do with her for years as she is so angry about it. The sisters reunite and without giving anything away, there is tragedy, happiness and sadness. There was a section of the book that I did not feel really needed to be in the storyline.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. Danielle Steel has always been and will continue to be one of my favorite authors. Her books NEVER disappoint! This book was outstanding and really tugs at your heartstrings! As always Danielle Steel knocks it out of the park! You must add this book to your to be read pile! It's honestly that good!

Finding Ashley was a heartfelt read that I really enjoyed. The main character, Melissa, is having a rough time after losing her son to cancer and losing her marriage shortly after. She closes herself off from the world and focuses on renovating her house, until she gets a call from her sister, Hattie, whom she hasn’t talked to in years. This all leads to her reconnecting with her sister who helps Melissa find the daughter that she was forced to give up when she was sixteen. What was so special about this book is the transformation you see with Melissa, Hattie and their relationships. You see both of them grow, rebuild connections and learn the truth of past traumas. I think that the ending came a perfect full circle and I’m happy that I was granted the pleasure of reading this book. Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group Ballatine Delacorte Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book from the start! It had my emotions in a tizzy which made me immediately become connected to Melissa. The journey she traveled with her struggles were admirable and the ending was a perfect outcome. I recommend everyone who loves to see the rainbow on the other side to read this book! Provided by NetGalley.

The cover of this book might fool you... that coupled with the title, you will probably be surprised with the plot of the book. You will meet the 2 main characters Melissa and Hattie, and see how their lives took very different paths than what they originally planned. I found this book to be well written, and the characters came alive with the writing. You will also be surprised to see that Danielle Steel tackles some very modern day issues and how those issues played a role in shaping the lives of the characters.

Melissa is a divorced middle aged successful author who has isolated herself in the country working on an old farm house after the death of her young son. Her sister had always dreamed of being an actress, but after her first week in LA she joined a convent, which angered Melissa, though no one knew why, and caused them to become estranged.
As her sister starts to wrestle with her decision to leave the convent many years later, she decides to contact Melissa again and see if they can rebuild their relationship, and in so doing, she find out the reason that Melissa has issues with nuns-she had gotten pregnant at 16 and her parents sent her away in secret so that no one would know and the nuns treated the unwed teens terribly and made money off of selling the babies to rich people. Hattie managed to find the daughter she gave away and connects them.
It was a nice, not overly emotional story. Nothing super standoutish but nothing bad to say about it either.
Thanks to netgalley for this arc in exchange for my review.

Daniella Steel has always been a favorite of mine, and she did not disappoint with Finding Ashley. This is the story of two sister who have drifted apart due to tragedy and other losses in their lives who find their way back to each other in order to heal. This book was filled with emotion and covered many sensitive topics, such as adoption, loss of a child, divorce, rape, and the me too movement, with grace. This book was a page-turner and kept me up late at night to see how the story would unfold. Thank you to Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. If you enjoy family drama books with a sprinkle of romance and the promise of forgiveness and a fresh start, I highly recommend Finding Ashley to you.

This book was intriguing to me just from the title, Finding Ashley ( I have a daughter named Ashley that was born in 1988, and a very close friend named Michela).
As I was reading, I thought the book could of ended after chapter 10, then it was like a whole second book happened and went places I didn’t see coming.

Part 1 was about Melissa, who world feel apart when her son died and therefore her marriage died. As the story continues we learned about Ashley that she was forced to give up for adoption at the age of 16 and how all that came about. It was a hard read but to just think all that goes on was a wow, and then part 2 and the wow odd that.

It took me a little time to get into the book but once I got there I couldn’t stop reading.

Part 2 was about the me movement, is that what it is called? Another hard tread to image that really happened.

Danielle did a great job. Three stars just because it dealt with some hard truths.

Finding Ashley is another amazing novel by Danielle Steel. This book opens up with a grieving mother who is now living a hermit style life renovating an amazing house in a countryside location. Melissa has turned her back on her career and has embraced isolation in order to come to terms with her overwhelming grief over the loss of her son. Melissa's house is under siege by a fire, and she is contacted by her sister from whom she's estranged. Her sister, Hattie has encouraged Melissa to undertake the unearthing of one her most painful events she experienced as a young teen. This story follows Melissa and Hattie as they both engage on this journey and the events that take place for each of them as painful memories and unresolved feelings surface. This is the story of two women who encountered deeply painful events as young women and how their lives have set course based upon these events. You will eagerly turn the pages as their stories unfold. This book was hard to put down. Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy of the book for review. This book will not disappoint. I highly recommend it.

What a tug on the heart strings! This story was so good I couldn’t put it down and finished it in less than 24 hours. Love, divorce, adoption, religion and loss were a few of the powerful topics this story touched upon. Danielle Steel is one of my favorite authors and she never disappoints.

In Finding Ashley, Danielle Steel delves into deep feelings of family, religion, and love. This book encourages the reader to be open to different perspectives and changes in life.

This was fine. Typical of her more recent books, it starts with an attractive formerly successful woman who is now a recluse. The only man around somehow helps to draw her out of her shell and then there are plots involving her sister and a child she gave up for adoption.

Another wonderful addition to my Danielle Steel library! The story was so moving. The main character is so broken due to multiple personal traumas since childhood. The supporting characters are an added bonus. As always, I laughed, I cried, I rooted for a happy outcome. I couldn't put this book down. I found myself reading late into the night just so I could find out how it turned out. Danielle Steel never lets me down.
Thanks to Danielle Steel, Delacorte Press and NetGalley for allowing me an advance copy for my honest feedback.

Another beautiful Danielle Steele novel.This one is full of family love drama.The storyline kept me up reading.Adding-this to my list of favorite books by her.Will be recommending this to all lovers of really good stories.#netgalley #randomhouse

Six years after her 10-year-old son died from cancer, Melissa Henderson is still mourning his loss, only wanting to be left alone. She lost everything with his death: her marriage, her identity as a mother, and her career as a popular author. She buys an old Victorian house in rural New England and has thrown herself into its restoration, becoming a recluse. But after a wildfire that threatened her life and home was featured on national news, Melissa gets a phone call from her estranged sister, Hattie. They had become farther apart than ever when Hattie chose to become a nun. After a bad experience being forced to give up her newborn baby in a gloomy Irish convent, Melissa can't accept Hattie's career choice. But now Hattie uses her position to try and find the child through the red tape and destroyed files. When she finally discovers what actually happened and finds her niece, her own life falls apart while Melissa is finally happy with a daughter and grandchildren she never thought she'd have.
This book touched on two very different topics, catholic adoptions and the #metoo movement. After Ashley is found and the family reunited, the subject flips to sexual harassment/assault in Hollywood. I got a little whiplash trying to figure out where exactly the author was going with this after an already supposedly happy ending. But by the end of the book I was nodding my head along saying ah...ok, I see. I still think the transition between topics could have been a bit smoother, but I ultimately loved this book.
Thank you to Danielle Steel and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to read this book. I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The views and opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Finding Ashley was another good read by a great author. A very good story line with a lot of information about the Catholic church and the life of a nun and sexual discrimination and abuse that is still going on. Books written by Ms Steel never disappoint. Can't wait for the next one!

I’ve read a few of Danielle Steel’s novels previously but am enthralled by Finding Ashley. Steel captured my attention with the storyline depicting tragedy, regret, forgiveness and love. She intertwined the plot with current societal issues seamlessly.

The novel is set in New York and Massachusetts. Melissa and her husband, Carson, lose their son to cancer and their lives were shattered. They were unable to recover from their loss and went separate ways. Melissa moved to an old home in Massachusetts that was in desperate need of repair. By doing much of the repairs herself, both the home and Melissa began to heal.

Melissa went through self discovery and growth throughout the novel by dealing with buried memories. It was interesting to follow her reasoning and acceptance of what had happened to her as a young woman. Many lessons were learned by Melissa and those around her. The journey was engaging, thought provoking and fulfilling. I recommend this novel.

My thanks to the author, Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Delacorte Press, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing a digital ARC in exchange for an independent, honest review.
This review is being posted immediately on Amazon upon publication.

Danielle Steel is a master storyteller and this book underlines the reasons for that title. I have read many of her previous novels and rank this one among her best.

Melissa Henderson was a successful author living in New York City with her literary agent husband and ten year old son. Then the unspeakable happens – her son dies of an inoperable brain tumor – and her life is shattered. Melissa is so traumatized that she withdraws from everyone, including her husband, and everything. Escaping to the Berkshires in Massachusetts, she finds solace in restoring a Victorian house. From her perspective, her career is over – her inspiration and love of writing died along with beloved son. A wildfire threatens her home and proves to be the catalyst that reconnects Melissa to her estranged sister, Hattie, and deepens her relationship with her contractor, Norm.

Melissa’s life history is a tortuous one. Her childhood was dominated by a critical mother and an alcoholic father. At the tender age of sixteen, she became pregnant and was shipped off to a convent in Ireland where her newborn daughter was cruelly ripped away and “sold” to a wealthy American couple. Melissa’s attempts to locate her daughter were for naught when she discovered that the birth and adoption records were destroyed in a cover-up by the Catholic Church. Melissa shares her long-held secret with her sister who, out of compassion for her sibling’s dual loss, undertakes a mission to find the child. The only clues are the name “Ashley” and that the adoptive parents were American.

The storyline includes many current issues that are handled with a deft hand and great empathy. These included teen pregnancy, adoption, grief management, divorce, and sexual abuse. This is a redemptive tale on several levels of two strong female protagonists who are temporarily knocked off course, but find their way back to meaningful lives through love and forgiveness…of self and others. The primary characters are well-developed and engaging and the supporting “cast” were believable and relevant. I found myself drawn into the story and identifying with the emotions of Melissa and Hattie. This is the best of drama without deteriorating into melodrama. It ends on a beautiful philosophical insight that honors both the wounding and the healing of these women.

The only criticism I have is that the cover is misleading. The story unfolds 33 years after the adoption, so the young girl pictured on the cover is inconsistent with the book’s content. A very minor point.

My thanks to the author, Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Delacorte Press, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing a digital ARC in exchange for an independent, honest review.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

I think I have ever read one other Danielle Steel and book before this one. Not an author I typically read because many of her romances/suspense is the same. This book really tugged at my heartstrings and I felt so much empathy for the main character. Glad I took a chance on this book and read it. Recommended.

I am actually almost convinced to read more by Danielle Steel.

Thanks to Netgalley, Danielle Steel and Random House Publishing Group Ballatine Delacorte Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 4/27/21