Member Reviews
The "Ashley" in the title is the baby that Melissa was forced to give up for adoption when she was 16 years old. Melissa, who is a best-selling author who is still getting over the loss of her young son to cancer. Her sister Hattie becomes a nun and Melissa doesn't have anything to do with her for years as she is so angry about it. The two sisters have been estranged for a number of years. Secrets that have been long kept come to light and the bond between the sisters is gradually renewed. These two woman are not the same at the end of the book, secrets are uncovered, life changes, and decisions about their future goes in a different direction. There was a section of the book that I did not feel really needed to be in the storyline.
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Finding Ashley is my 36th book by Danielle Steel. It’s about 2 sisters who are estranged and come back together. Family secrets, lifelong decisions are to be made. I enjoyed it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.
Danielle Steele’s latest book is a tale about estranged sisters, Melissa (author) and Hattie (a former actress) who go separate ways when Hattie decides to become a nun. The story reveals that Melissa gave a baby up for adoption many years ago after being shipped off to Ireland to give birth in a convent. Years later, Hattie decides to look for, and finds, the baby Melissa was forced to give up. The story itself was good, although the scandal of being an unwed mother in the 80’s was a bit of a stretch. Still, given the deeply religious family Melissa grew up in, I was able to appreciate the possibility. Overall, a good read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.
I love Danielle Steel and have read her books for many years. Finding Ashely is another title that does not disappoint. Melissa (once a famous author and now sort of a recluse after trauma in her life) and Hattie (former actress turned nun) are estranged sisters who have gone their separate ways who reconnect..
Hattie decides to set out to find the child Melissa gave birth to at 16, who was placed adoption and was adopted by a famous actress.. Along the way Hattie has to face some hard decisions about her own life and deal with things from the past when a scandal breaks out in Hollywood that links to her past.
Great book. Melissa was pregnant at 16. Her mother sent her away to give birth and give up her baby. She later marries and has a son who dies at a young age. Her sister Hattie who became a nun decides to search for Melissa's daughter Ashley. She finds Ashley and Melissa finds love again.
This book started out like all Danielle Steel book with repeating the story over and over but as the book progressed the story took hold and was a great read. I will always want to read a Danielle Steel book but sometimes the reparation's are too much. Keep reading this book is really a good read .
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.
Where do I start? In typical Steel fashion, this is meant to be a heartwarming novel of a woman overcoming adversity. What it actually is is a bunch of pandering nonsense that is tonally wrong and a little insulting to the reader.
Melissa is an angry, hard woman that left her life in New York after the death of her young son. Her marriage ended with the death of her child, and she moves to the Berkshires in Massachusetts to revive an old Victorian house. She's a very unpleasant woman. Her issues stem from an uber-religious, unrelenting mother, a drunk father, both of whom died young leaving her to raise her younger sister. When Hattie, her sister, does the unthinkable and becomes a nun, Melissa distances herself from her. I'd say she's a loner, but what she really is is a deeply unhappy, bitter, hard woman. Obviously, as if this isn't enough, she has a dark secret. What do you ask? Well! In the way, way back time of 1987, she was shipped to Ireland in shame to deliver a baby in a convent! The baby was then handed off to a new family! Gasp!
The adoption plot is weak at best. Steel writes about the 1980s as if it was an absolute scandal for a 16-year-old to give birth. Yes, it was looked down on, but as a child born to a 16-year-old in 1983, I can promise you I wasn't born in a convent and ripped from my mother's arms. The 80s weren't the 60s, but Steel writes as though it was.
Steel must have known her storyline was weak because about halfway through the book, she changes lanes to the subplot. And again, she completely fumbles. It was a kiss-off to the #MeToo movement that I saw coming from a mile away. It wasn't even done well or in a new or interesting way. It was regurgitated information that she used to shore up a bad plotline, and only succeeded in making the entire book worse. The ONLY reason I'm giving this book 2 stars is that I finished it.
There was a lot going on in this book. Melissa became a recluse after the tragic death of her son, and her divorce. She has not had a close relationship with her sister, Hattie, in years partly because her sister is a nun and this goes against everything Melissa believes in.
As we get to know Melissa we find out she was pregnant at 16 and forced to give the baby up for adoption.
Her sister is determined to help her start a new chapter of her life and find the child she gave up for adoption many years ago.
These two woman are not the same at the end of the book, secrets are uncovered, life changes, and decisions about their future goes in a different direction.
This book had a lot going on, fans
Thank you Net Galley for an ARC of Finding Ashley by Danielle Steel. I just love reading Danielle Steel because she writes feel good novels and they do, they make me feel good. Finding Ashley is a story of a teen who has to give up her baby and then finding her years later. Loved it!
I have read every Danielle Steel romance story. Some have been better than others. This one falls in the top half. A female writer is living her best life when tragedy strikes. She leaves her marriage, city life, and the public spotlights and lives under the radar in the Berkshires in Massachusetts.
If you have read a Danielle Steel book before, you know that the main character will meet someone, meet some challenge(s), and then things will fall into place before she lives happily ever after. I’m not knocking the story. It is a good formula and is written well.
I do want to caution anyone who may be a conservative Catholic. They may be a little put out by how the Church is portrayed, but it really isn’t anything that hasn’t been in the media. Also, in addition to references to the Catholic Church, there is also another character’s story grounded in the #MeToo movement. You might think that this is a lot for one book, but it really does come together and make sense.
If you’re looking for a book to take your mind of things, as usual, this book will do the trick.
Typical Danielle Steele! As a fan of her books I was very disappointed in Finding Ashley. Danielle Steele repeated herself quite a bit in this one. I was able to put it down and walk away. The characters were believable and it had the happy ending we all know Danielle Steele loves. I felt the story could have told me more and the book left me wanting more details. Sorry Danielle Steele, this one was not one of your best!
Finding Ashley by Danielle Steel Emotional family drama begins with an uncontrolled wild fire that threatens Melissa's home and reunites her with Hattie. The two sisters have been estranged for a number of years. Secrets that have been long kept come to light and the bond between the sisters is gradually renewed. Secrets that involve sexual abuse, adoption scandals, abuse and the Catholic Church. Not an easy read but a thought provoking one.
Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.
I really enjoyed reading this book. It dealt with heartbreaking loss, second chances and romance. Melissa became a recluse after a devastating loss and throws herself into renovating her new home in the Berkshires. Repairing a past relationship and a wonderful addition to her family that she thought was lost to her forever pull her back into life where she may even be able to see a friend as something more. Danielle Steel wrote another best seller! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Danielle Steel brings out the past of deep darks secretes of the Catholic church and a young girls past. Finding Ashley la a page turner that's for sure. Comparing when I was young (I'm 60 now) and now having a baby at 16 was a no no let alone not being married. This story brings answers to the past that has been in question for years. I reccomend Finding Ashley for a good weekend read.
A best selling author, a nun, an adopted child and a movie star... Four people whose lives intertwine. Danielle Steele has once again written a book that was hard to put down!
Loved the many dynamics of Finding Ashley. The bond that reunites these sisters is also what sets them both free from past hurts.
I absolutely love Danielle Steel and am so happy to have the opportunity to review this! This book is one of my favorites of tees—the storyline was fascinating and intriguing. There were also some twists and unexpected events—I’m so glad I read this and recommend it to any other Danielle Steel fans!
Melissa Henderson has had a rough life. Her son died of cancer, she's divorced from her husband, and her career as a writer is over. Her days are spent restoring an antiquated house to its former glory. As she continues restoring her precious home, it seems like a little of the old Melissa may start to emerge.
When wildfires spread near her home and jeopardize her project, her estranged sister Hattie reachs out. This almost tragic event is the force that allows the two sisters to agree to meet and begin the healing process of their relationship.
Melissa and Hattie share with one another their deepest, darkest secrets, and Melissa's misfortunes send Hattie on the trip of a lifetime- one that will change both women's lives forever. Love and loss, rebirth, and family are all themes present in Finding Ashley.
This was another awesome Danielle Steel book! I can't wait for the next one!
Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to review this title. Danielle Steel has long been one of my favorite authors. With this title she has not disappointed me . Her stories always bring me into the setting and make me feel as if I'm there. This setting in Ireland is no different. A contemporary drama of 2 strong women will keep you entertained as it did me.
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.