If anyone asked me whose books I've read the most of, I'd have to say Danielle Steel. It had been many years since I'd picked one of hers up, however. Unfortunately, this one disappointed me a little. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either. I was reminded of something that has bothered me about Ms. Steel's books in the past: they are very repetitive. The story was good overall, as was the character development. But I felt like one of the storylines was pretty unrealistic. I guess I had a hard time suspending disbelief. A good effort. Just not my cup of tea. Looking forward to reading The Affair. Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:
When an 8.2 earthquake rocks San Francisco, the residents of one particular street come together. Lives are forever changed- in both good and bad ways. Mostly, people who once were strangers come to form a little family.

I LOVED this book!! Danielle Steel has tended to be a little hit and miss for me over the last several years. This one I read in a matter of 2 days. I loved all the characters she meant for the reader to love, and the same with the characters she wanted you to dislike. Instead of going light on the whatever subject she wrote about at the time, I felt like Danielle really did justice to the characters and the plot she wove with them.

Meredith is the former movie star who turned her back on the outside world after enduring several heartbreaks in a close period of time. No longer drawn to movies, she spent the next 15 years within the walls of her property- which is no small piece of real estate. Her only confidantes are the married couple she employs, Jack and Debbie Speck, to help protect her from the world and manage her estate. What she doesn't know is that they never had genuine intentions when it came to her. Although, they genuinely loved the perks of their jobs and the money. Not to mention the valuables they were quietly sneak into their apartment.

Andrew Johnson is a prominent Orthopedic surgeon. His wife was once an OR nurse, but left her career to raise the 2 children they have. He's all about appearance and letting her know how lucky she is.

Peter Stern is a writer with dreams of publishing his novel. During the day he works in advertising, but writes at night. He had a stroke of luck when Arthur Harriman, a famous concert pianist who is blind, asks Peter to live with him and be a sometime caretaker during the evening hours.

Joel Fine is a multimillionaire from several start ups he founded. He's local playboy who loves a good time with little, to no strings attached. His current It girl is Ava who was a tradeshow model. She's starting to see beyond the fun of the moment and wanting a future for herself, but she knows it won't include Joel.

Everyone comes together one night when the earthquake hits. Meredith opens rarely used gates and offers everyone to stay with her until their own homes are safe to move back into. Within the month everyone is under her roof, secrets become uncovered and lives begin to change. Not everyone who entered Meredith's house together leaves together.

**** TRIGGER WARNING!!! ****
There are domestic violence scenes in this book. If that is something you would rather not read , or will be an issue, you may not want to read this book. While they don't occur from start to finish, they do play throughout the majority of the book- especially he last 1/2 of the book.

Like I said, I enjoyed this book. I was gripped from the start. I loved watching the different storylines unfold. Some things weren't surprising, while others were. This was a great book to just curl up with and have a cozy time with. It wasn't fluffy, but nor was it overly heavy. I felt Danielle did a great job of growing her characters after a traumatic experience. You did feel removed from the complete earthquake experience simply because everyone stays at Meredith's mansion. However, as the story progresses, your experience to the event is widened.

In true Danielle Steel fashion she has crafted a community of people who start out in some sort of trauma (in this case a terrible earthquake) and through their shared journeys all wind up with much better lives. This isn’t a new storyline for her and yet it was a wonderfully fun and sweet redemptive read that will leave you smiling and cheering for them all. Meredith White, a world famous actress had all but given up on life and secluded herself in her home for many years with the caretakers of her estate as her only companions. An earthquake hits and life changes in a moment for her and everyone on her block as she welcomes them into her home and life. It was a lovely, fun easy read and leaves excitedly awaiting her next book.

Another superbly written book by Danielle Steel. This book seemed to have more grit than her last few books and I loved it from cover to cover. This is an absolute must read for all Steel fans especially if you thought her last few books could use some "umph". Thank you Netgalley for my digital ARC. This is my voluntary and honest review.

How well do you really know your Neighbors? Neighbors is a 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. During the recovery from the earthquake the neighbors grow close and care about each other and what is going on in their lives. This is a story of how a disaster can also bring out the best in people. Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. I absolutely loved this book! Former actress, Meredith, became a recluse after her divorce and another tragedy in her life. She basically lives alone with a couple who take care of her elaborate home for years. Her relationship with her daughter is basically non existent no matter how hard meredith tries to change it. When an earthquake hits the town, Meredith takes in a few neighbors who have damage to their homes. Through good and bad times, they all become a family and of course Meredith finds love again! Amazing read!!!

Danielle Steel does it again with a heartfelt story that keeps the reader involved and keeps the pages flipping well into the morning hours.

Meredith White was a recluse that wanted to be left alone in her big house, when an earthquakes tears through her neighborhood. She made the right choice and let her neighbors who weren't so lucky to use her home.

It was refreshing to see the bonding that took place and the stories that opened up. I loved the fact that you had to keep track of all the players and their scenarios. The secrets that were reveled and the friendship and secrets from the past that opened up.

I enjoyed every chapter, and I have been a DS fan for many years, and will continue to do so.

Grab a cup of tea and starting reading!

Thank you!

.

This is once again a great Danielle Steel book, why am I not surprised? No idea how she continues to write great novels one after the other. True talent. This book starts out a little different than her normal books and it took me a little bit to get my bearings with the characters, but this book is a great story!

Meredith White is a very well known actor in the prime of her career and married to an actor as well. They had everything going for them with 2 kids, a beautiful house, and careers in their prime when tragedy struck the family and they were never able to recover from it. After the tragedy Meredith becomes a recluse and stays in her house with the couple that she has hired to cook and clean for her.

When an earthquake hits, Meredith's house is so solid that it does not even move when the quake hits. Some of the pictures fell off the wall and other nicknacks broke, but the foundation was untouched. Meredith knows that other house in her neighborhood did not fair as well. She decides that after all these years it is time for her to open the gates of her house and offer help to her neighbors that she has never meet. The couple that has been staying with Meredith for so many years advises her against this but she is adamant and starts to realize that they have been one of the big reasons that she has been a recluse.

When Meredith gets to know her neighbors, she realizes that they are really nice people. Of course they all have their own things that they are dealing with, but who doesn't. Meredith then meets a nice man, Charles that has come around to check on houses after the earthquake. Charles has no idea who Meredith is at first but knows that she looks very familiar to him. When he does figure it out, he is struck by how beautiful Meredith still is. Charles comes around more and more and helps Meredith to figure out some things that has been happening right before her own eyes and she never even realized it. I don't want to give away too much of the story because it is better if you read it and let it unfold then.

I loved how this story was different that the usual romance stories that Danielle Steel usually writes. There is a lot of characters and following them keeps you reading and trying to find out what is going to happen with all of them. I really enjoyed this read and look forward to the next read from this fabulous author!

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book and all opinions are my own. Thanks to Netgally, the publisher and Danielle Steel for an advanced copy of this book.

Meredith White has been a recluse for fifteen years since her husband left her for another woman and her son was killed. But when a devastating earthquake hits California, she opens her home to her neighbors. As she begins to feel alive again by being around people, some secrets start to come out.

This is a wonderful book with great, complex characters, and a plot that keeps you interested.

I have reached for Danielle Steel books for years when I needed a relaxing read. This one (after not having read any for years) did not disappoint. An aging movie star and her neighbors were shaken by an earthquake. Never having met they shared her home afterwards and secrets start coming to the surface. It's a heartwarming story of hope, love and new beginnings.

Wow, what an emotional story, heartbreaking emotions, loss,grief and a mystery that keeps you hooked right to the end. Thank you Net Galley and Danielle Steel for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Several plot lines all going on at the same time, all entwined thru the book to keep your mind going. Danielle. Steele never disapoints!

I've been a Danielle Steel fan for many years, & this book didn't disappoint. I found the story about Meredith, a former movie star turned recluse, fascinating, especially after an earthquake brings her into contact with her neighbors. This story is well worth the twists & turns it takes you on throughout. Highly recommend reading this, especially if your a fan of Danielle Steel.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second Danielle Steel book that I have read. Her books are great for when you need a relaxing read. "Neighbors" did just that. The story focuses on Meredith White, a once famous Hollywood actress, turned recluse. When a major earthquake rattles San Francisco, Meredith's life changes for the better. "Neighbors" contains a little bit of everything....tragedy, romance, suspense, and even horror.

This book wasn't exactly my cup of tea, but I'm sure there are many out there that would enjoy the many twists and turns that "Neighbors" has to offer.

Another well written book by one of my favorite authors. Good plot and character dynamics. I highly recommend this book. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and Netgalley and this is my unbiased review.

Neighbors centers around a group of neighbors who come together after an earthquake effects their homes in San Francisco. The neighbors consist of Meredith (a prior famous actress who is pretty much a recluse for years after suffering a tragedy in her life and also she has a couple who who take care of her ,Andrew (a Dr) and Tyla and their 2 kids; Arthur ( a pianist and his caregiver); plus another rich neighbor. I enjoyed the plot and twists in this book.

As usual, Danielle Steele delivers another interesting story. In Neighbors, reclusive Hollywood star, Meredith White opens her San Francisco home to neighbors after a destructive earthquake. As they gather, the reader learns each of them has their own secretive story. And as the various stories unfold, Meredith reexamines her relationship with her estranged family and her acting career. It is a story of how a natural disaster can upend our lives and help us see how love and courage can change us.

Danielle Steel does it again! Although I must say I didn't enjoy this book quite as much as some of her others. Meredith White, a reclusive movie star, opens up her home to her neighbors after an earthquake. She didn't know any of them as she had lived alone for the last fourteen years after a tragic accident involving her son. As things start to play out there is lots of chaos and drama.. There is quite a bit of repetition and the story drags a little bit but all in all it is an entertaining read. I certainly will recommend this to friends and family.

Thanks to Met Galley for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest review.

This was my first novel by this author in probably 25 years. That kinda surprised me, but I can remember sneaking them from my mother as a teenager because I thought they were so good. So I went into this with high expectation and sadly, it kinda let me down.
Mere did was once I giant Hollywood actress married to a famous producer. They had it all, 2 kids, a mansion and money and fame. Until a disaster strikes the family and it never recovers. They family gets fractured and Meredith becomes a recluse in the mansion with only her house managers as friends and family. Unbeknownst to her, they are taking advantage of that.
One day, there’s an earthquake and merely decides to go check on her neighbors, which she hasn’t ever done, and it starts a chain of events that changes her life forever.
Some of it was just plain unbelievable and even more so, the story was told in such a matter of fact way that it made it hard to connect with the characters or feel anything.
Overall, it was a likeable book, just not an “oh my I have to tell everyone about it” for me.

Neighbors is a well developed story about a reclusive former Hollywood star who takes in unknown neighbors after a devastating earthquake. New relationships develop and some old ones are resolved which make for an interesting story and a good read.

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.

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