Power and privilege set against the backdrop of an exclusive east coast boarding school and one night that changes the lives of several young people forever. Reminiscent of Gossip Girl or NYC Prep.

Who doesn't love Danielle steel? Like seriously. I don't feel like I need to rave or hype her up because she has such a deserved reputation for amazing!

I don't usually read her books. I know about this author because my mother adores her and now I can see why. The woman is a genius! This story was so intense but I couldn't put it down. Amazing book. really loved it!

Some way at different than her usual stories, I wish more time was devoted to the victim and her recovery instead of the perpetrators. A couple of them made my stomach turn. While I liked the book, I didn’t love it. Not one of her best. I received a copy from #netgalley for my honest review. #moralcompass

Read this because the premise sounding interesting and I remember redoing Danielle steel books that I stole from my mothers ages ago, it wasn’t bad light, fluffy reading. Good for what it is and took my mind off things!

Moral Compass by Danielle Steel is compelling women’s fiction from one of America’s bestselling authors.

Saint Ambrose Prepatory School is among the best and most distinguished boarding schools in the country. The students are from some of the finest families and the staff and administration are top-notch. After more than a hundred and twenty years the school is welcoming it’s first female students. Some think it’s about time and will only move the school forward. Others think it’s a mistake and will be the end of the school’s impeccable history. Maybe both are right.

Following the school’s successful Halloween festivities a group of students have a private celebration. By morning Vivienne Walker has alcohol poisoning and has been attacked and left for dead. Some of the students are conflicted. Should they tell what they know? Others are guilty but determined to continue their lives as planned. The rich have the best of everything, including the lawyers they now need, while the less affluent must make due with much less. Unfortunately, money can’t buy a proper moral compass.

Moral Compass is a literary marvel. Danielle Steel has scored on all aspects. The cast of characters is varied, but each is fully-developed and completely believable. The subject matter is totally relevant to today’s social climate. The plot held my attention from start to finish. I was completely captivated and read it in one sitting. This is definitely a 5 out of 5 star read and I recommend it to everyone who enjoys compelling fiction.

My thanks to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. However, the opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine and mine alone.

Moral Compass by Danielle Steel was a captivating read about issues plaguing teenagers in an elite school. A female student is in the hospital, but what events led to this? Saint Ambrose Prep is finally admitting female students where only the elite of the elite attend. But after one night of drinking, many lives are forever changed. We embark on journey of discovering what happened, who is involved and what it will all lead too. It will have you questioning everything!

I have always enjoyed Steel novels and this one didn’t disappoint. This covers a tough topic of rape. This story is timely and we’ve heard similar stories before. I hope this one can teach some a lesson in how things can get spun and how to follow our morals.

Danielle Steel has been a favorite of mine for years. I was just a teen when I started reading her books. She has done it again and does not disappoint with Moral Compass.

This story focuses on a serious situation we seem to hear about daily, which is teenage drinking and rape, and the effects is has on everyone involved.

Without giving too much info, the story focuses on a private boys boarding school that allows female students for the first time. There is crime that happens after a school function. The story shows that sometimes even money can't save you from the wrongful deeds you do.

This book takes your through the before, the actual crime, the investigation, and the court process. It's really a reality that shows you how those few seconds can change your life forever.

I received an advance copy of this book from Net Galley for review.

Choices and consequences. How can they affect the rest of your life? This novel deals with a subject matter that could touch anyone’s life. It was well written and very good. And thought provoking.
Many thanks to Random House Publishing Ballantine and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

As one of my favorite authors, Danielle Steel has hit the mark again. Moral Compass is a well written book about a very sensitive subject. This book explores life at a private school and how one bad course of action can have lifelong consequences. It explores morality, justice, and the need to take responsibility for one’s action. A must read.

I lovedd this book. I had been a long time fan of Danielle Steele. I am so glad I started to read her books again. Her fans are really going to love this book

I love Danielle Steel, she is an amazing author. I have read most of her books, and just like this one, it didn't disappoint.
Although this book was about drinking underage, and rape, it was heartbreaking at times. When they start allowing girls into an all boys school, they should have seen what the outcome would be.

Thank you so much for the advance copy of this book, and giving me the chance to read it..

Moral Compass takes a hard look at how one bad decision can lead to another in an almost snowball effect. Of course, there's a bit more to it than that, and that one bad decision is compounded by someone who acts without a care for who he hurts. The premise for this book drew me in, and I did find the many different viewpoints intriguing. Yes, I completely believe that the victim should be the first and foremost consideration in a situation like this, but realistically, that isn't always the case, and Danielle Steel gives us the situation from every avenue, including those with varying degrees of guilt and their parents. To be honest, I'd like to think that people who would react as deplorably as a couple of these characters are few and far between, but the fact remains that we see similar actions all too often. As for this particular story, I will say that I had a fair bit of trouble getting into it. The beginning was rather slow, and the introductions to a considerable number of characters are all crammed into the first several pages. The problem with that is it amounts to information dumps rather than giving us the various details more organically throughout the story. The latter method works much better for me, and I'm more likely to remember the details later on when it's not all thrown at me at once while I'm waiting for the story to get moving. The writing style for Moral Compass was a bit on the dry side, and at times it felt more like a documentary than a story playing out before us. There wasn't nearly as much dialogue as I would've expected, and it all amounted to more telling than showing. We also get several little side stories about the various parents, teachers, and even a touch of romance for one character, and to be honest, some of that felt a little like filler to me. Not all of it, by any means. Basically, some of the situations with the parents and others were important to the story and others - well, not so much. Nevertheless, the subject matter did hold my interest, and I did feel compelled to keep reading. I wanted to know how everything would play out for the characters, and what decisions they would ultimately make. In the end, Moral Compass has a bit of a lesson in its story. A lesson about choosing the right path, and when we don't make the right choice, accepting the consequences for our actions. It's a lesson some of the characters had to learn the hard way, and it was an interesting road they traveled to get there.

Ever wonder what happens behind the scenes at a prep school? At St. Ambrose Prep, children of wealth and privilege struggle with the same issues as other teens. This once elite boys school had just accepted female students for the first time. At the annual Halloween party, a female student is poisoned by alcohol. Those who know the truth are reluctant to come forward with information because secrets are sacred at this school. The characters in this novel must choose between what is right and what is easy. Who will find their moral compass?

I liked this book so much. Danielle Steel has been an author I have continued to love for so many years. This book did not disappoint. My only complaint was an abundance of characters to keep straight. I felt a bit overwhelmed as the book started, but as I continued to read, I was able to start keeping them straight.

The writing was beautiful, the plot and story was amazing. If you love Danielle Steel, you should grab this one!

I was provided an advanced reader's copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

Moral Compass is a timely and relevant release by Danielle Steel. Exploring the somewhat secretive walls of America's elite boarding schools, Steel delves into the subjects of classism (albeit this is more of a skim) and sexual assault in the #MeToo era. St. Ambrose, a formally all-boys school, has decided to become co-ed, much to the chagrin of some traditionalists. A relatively smooth transition is upended on Halloween when a student is found unconscious and assaulted. An intense investigation indicates that a student is to blame. Just how much influence does money and power have in this era is one of the questions answered by Moral Compass.

Overall, this is a decent book. There are a lot of students introduced early on, with a lot of family members as characters and backgrounds that it became a little muddied but as most Steel books there is enough repetition that you can easily follow the plotlines. The relevant theme and tone makes for an interesting read and Steel fans will enjoy this latest release.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Saint Ambrose Preparatory School is located in Massachusetts and has been there for over 120 years. It has always been a boys only school. However, this year, girls are being admitted for the first time. The school has an excellent curriculum and expects the best from each of its students. The parents are for the most part very wealthy with a lot of influence.

The staff have worked hard to put together a fun Halloween haunted house in the school’s gymnasium and all of the students have a great time. However, later that evening, several senior boys decide to find a secluded place on campus and pass around a bottle of tequila. They quickly became inebriated. When a senior girl walks by, they offer her a drink and wanting to be accepted, she agrees. She quickly becomes very drunk and one of the boys rapes her. Realizing what the one boy had done, they leave her passed out on the ground with alcohol poisoning. She is found and taken to the hospital. When she wakes up, she refuses to say which boy raped her.

The police handle finding the rapist and the other boys who covered for him. When DNA from the girl and fingerprints on the bottle of tequila name the boys, they are charged with the crime.

The author takes the reader through all of the emotions of fear, guilt and regret of the boys charged and on to their sentencing. Their parents’ reactions vary which is another good part of the story.

I enjoyed yet another book by Danielle Steel as she tackled this sensitive subject. My only complaint is that she can be quite repetitive, but I can’t help but feel it’s the way she thinks through her story. Well done.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Moral Compass by Danielle Steel is different from the authors other novels. It delves into the serious topic of teenage drinking and a female being assaulted. Saint Ambrose Preparatory School is admitting female students for the first time in its history. Taylor Houghton IV, the headmaster, knows that his career is on the line so this venture must be a success. There are no problems until Halloween arrives and some students decide to bring out alcohol they have sneaked onto campus. Campus security receive a late night anonymous call that has them finding a female student unconscious. She must have her stomach pumped from the vast quantities of alcohol consumed and a SAFE exam performed. The book follows the investigation along with the trial and its outcome. We see the consequences of making the decision to overindulge in alcohol and how it affects others. I thought the story was well-written and it proceeded at a steady pace. I like how the author dealt with the such terrible and relevant topic of violence against a young woman. Moral Compass is a timely novel (what people call “ripped from the headlines”) that hopefully will allow people to see that the victim should not be blamed when they are assaulted. The victim is not on trial nor should they be. Moral Compass allows readers to see this sensitive issue dealt with from various points-of-view. Moral Compass is a compelling story whose title truly fits.

One of the things that I love about Danielle Steel is her ability to stick to a formula and execute it beautifully. As a reader, I find comfort in that. This book is very different, but it still has a formula that a reader can envision and hold dear. This is book takes place at a new England boarding school. for the many years of its existence, it has been all boys, but for the first year, girls are being admitted. All is going well until a student is injured and that is where the real meat of the story begins.

This was a good and quick read for me. I was not quite sure what to expect since this is not really a romance. But I was glad to see that even with her prolific career, she is willing to try a new story formula. I recommend this highly for library and personal purchase.