It’s sad that you have to feel invisible. Due to both your parents too busy with their own affairs. Allegra grows up just trying to fit in and feel loved. She finds her joy but it don’t last for long. Now she will have to live through her memories.

Joy was a story all about abandonment, resilience, finding small joys in things even though life is tough, and finding purpose!

Allegra had a rough upbringing - her mother abandoned her and her father was a career military man who was gone for 1-2 years at a time. She was bounced around to grandparents who didn’t really love having a child around and also attended boarding school, then Columbia Allegra ends up coming out of all of this as a very intelligent and resilient woman. She experiences so much trauma and tragedy while she’s only in her mid-twenties. Even through it all, she looks for the joy in life wherever it takes her!

This book had me turning the pages so fast. I was pretty invested in what happened in Allegra’s life! I would have loved more about her relationship with Shep and then with Henry. It felt a little rushed! It’s been a bit since I’ve read a book in 3rd person POV so I had to adjust to that. It’s not really a “feel good” book so if you need something to put you in your feels, this is for you!!

Thank you to NetGalley & Random House for the ARC!! 🫶🏻

A beautiful story of resilience and finding small joys wherever you can. Allegra’s journey is tough but the plot twists kept me hanging on. I loved this book and all Danielle Steel books.

Wonderful story of overcoming abandonment and loneliness early in Allegra’s life. Goes into the strains of military live. I grieved over Allegra and Shep and kept waiting to see him return until the end. I was so happy for Allegra to find Henry and loved the hopeful joy at the end. Wonderfully written quick read by Danielle Steele. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy

Allegra Dixon is the daughter of a rich socialite and her older military intelligence officer husband. Neither of her parents wants a child so she grows up with her aloof paternal grandparents and ends up in a boarding school in her middle grade years. During her summers, she goes to Newport with her maternal grandparents who also spend little time with her. Allegra emerges from this trauma as a resilient, intelligent woman. As a young adult she encounters more tragedy but she continues on looking for joy. This is one of Danielle Steel’s more engaging books. It has a strong heroine who perseveres no matter what obstacle is placed in her path. Unlike some of Steel’s other books, Allegra never needs a man or anything else to save her. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I thank NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Danielle Steel’s latest book Joy is due out in August 2024. I was lucky enough to get an advance copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review. We follow Allegra - she’s raised by a father in the military who she never sees and a mother who could care less about her. She meets Shep who is also in the military and she falls in love with him but hates he’s following in her father’s footsteps. Other things happen and some is heartbreaking. It was a typical Danielle Steel book. I did enjoy the story and read it in 2 days.

Joy encompasses the fallout of complicated family relationships and shows the strength of one woman and the power of real love.

Always like reading books by Danielle Steel and this one also does not disappoint. Held my attention from start to finish. Love the plot. Keep writing.

Great story by Danielle Steel. the plot twists kept me eager to turn the pages to find out what would happen next.

This book honestly had me in a chokehold! I was very satisfied in this read, and it kept my attention for sure!

Unfortunately the story was a little confusing, I wasn’t sure when it was starting or if the beginning was background information. It kind of felt rushed like on yo the next and next thing. I don’t think I would recommend unless you like this author. It kind of was just depressing.

Was difficult to start with, not having maternal instincts. But understand how if you've never had love or hugs you'd not expect to feel. Didn't feel like a STEEL book at first but did succeed into one!

This was a really lovely story of resilience. The story follows Allegra, a young woman plagued by abandonment throughout her life. The brief moments of “joy” in the book (as told by the title), were my favorite parts. The love stories between Allegra and Shep, and then Allegra and Henry were well developed and endearing. However, these moments of joy were too brief. I would’ve loved to see more of these relationships develop and wish there was more about the novels that Allegra wrote.

I received a complimentary copy of this book and the opinions expressed are my own. Joy is a story about a child being rejected by her mother and left with her maternal elderly grandparents while her father was in active duty army intelligence. She finally found love wnen she met Shep only to lose him also to the rigors of war just like she lost her father. With no one left, she moves to LA where she takes a job as assistant to a composer and film score writer. Their relationship eventually goes from business to love and marriage and she is finally happy. However, when he dies, she had to figure out how to let go and find happiness again. I strongly recommend this book. It is a book of courage and resilience that you can make it through any situation. Kudos to Ms. Steel for another well written book.

I've been reading a lot of Danielle Steel lately. She was an author I read years ago and recently started again. I'm a bit on the fence about this novel. Allegra, our main character, has been deserted by her parents. She is thrust onto her paternal grandparents and then, her maternal grandparents. She keeps to herself to not cause any trouble or interrupt the flow of her grandparents lives. At 16, she meets the neighbor boy, Shep, whose family has a house in Newport next to her maternal grandparents. She and Shep have a close friendship for years which develops into a love relationship. After college, they marry but Shep is following in the steps of Allegra's military father. Shep has seen and done things during war times and is sucked into that life, leaving Allegra alone and divorced. She moves to LA and finds a job working for a famous composer 30+ yrs older than herself. Over time, the two fall in love and after several years, Henry succumbed to cancer. Can she find love again? My heart went out to Allegra because as soon as she found "joy", it was taken from her. In regards to relationships, I found a lot of parallels to Steel's novel Second Act.

Joy
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4 Stars)
Tags: FMC, General Fiction, Women's Fiction, Contemporary Romance

Growing up close to a military base and having ties with military personnel, my interest is typically peaked whenever I read a book description that mentions the military. The description of Danielle Steel's "Joy" peaked my interest enough that I had to give it a read, and I was not disappointed.

The story follows the main character, Allegra, on her journey to find a missing piece in her life - joy. We follow her through the heartbreaking emotional neglect and abandonments she experiences throughout her childhood, and all the difficulties she experiences in her marriage and continuing throughout her life.

Be warned: This book was heartbreaking, and even had me crying at one point. Contrary to the name, this book is definitely not a "feel good" book!

Pros:
-Written in 3rd person. I cannot remember the last book I read that was not a first person point of view! I found the 3rd person POV to be surprisingly refreshing since I was able to know what was going through each character’s mind all at once. I didn't have to guess or wait until later on to find out.
-This book was beautifully written and brought me to tears at one point. Although it is not what I would consider to be a "happy" book, you could easily curl up around a fireplace with this book. It was a simple and quick read. It was easy to get lost and read 10% of the book without noticing.


Critiques:
-Long chapters - however, bonus points for having section breaks within the chapters. I've said it once and I will say it again, I am a fan of short chapters as it makes me feel more accomplished when reading. However, I will note that this book had a lot of section breaks, which made it feel as if the chapters were a lot shorter.
-Uneventful storyline. While I enjoyed this book, I found it to be a slower read, in that I kept waiting for something 'big' to happen, but it never did.

Overall, I did really enjoy this book and it was my first 4 star read of 2024. While I found this book to be a slower-paced read, I think it would be perfect for a cozy day to curl up with, or a “nightstand book” that you read on to wind down before bed. The chapters/subsections do not end on a cliffhanger, so you do not have the internal struggle of trying to decide when to pause your reading.

Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.


As requested per email:
-Reviews posted to 1) Goodreads (posted 01/07/2024) and 2) Barnes and Noble (posted 01/07/2024 - currently in review)
-The link for the Goodreads post has been included below. As of time writing this review, Barnes and Noble has not yet approved the review (same as Goodreads) to their site, so the personal URL is not yet available.

Danielle Steel has been my go-to author. I have been reading her books for over 20 years. I always know that when I pick up one of her books, I will not be disappointed. Joy was no exception.

Joy was a sad but also uplifting story of survival, independence, and personal growth. Watching Allegra endure so many instances of trauma was painful. However, I was truly rooting for her to be able to succeed and thrive.

This was a quick read that kept my attention throughout the book. However, I do wish there was just one more chapter or an epilogue. The ending had the reader guessing what her future would bring.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read the advanced reader copy of this book.

This reads like a Danielle Steel of old days! It's a quick and easy read about Allegra, and her life over many years. It was an interesting premise and I enjoyed the characters.

In many way, Joy is typical Danielle Steel.. There is loss, sadness, wealth, love, second chances. There are the usual well-educated central characters, for whom great wealth does not always bring lasting happiness. Everyone is beautiful and talented with impressive abilities. But for Danielle Steel fans, the familiar is comfort food, which in many ways is what a lot of readers want and need. In Joy, Steel takes on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The war sections are superficial, but it is the emotional toll of war that soldiers and wives must endure. At time Steel becomes preachy and heavy handed, but the topic itself, is important.

As always, the central female character, Allegra, is beautiful, smart, and talented. The men are handsome but not always worth Allegra's attentions. It takes a long time for the joy in the title to show up in Allegra's life. Steel makes the point that Allegra's childhood of neglect is not uncommon. As is true for most Steel novels, there is a romance and several men, not all of whom create much joy in Allegra's life. Allegra is given the opportunity for second chances, which not all women find as easily. Money helps, as Steel suggests. Could not stand Jordon, loved Henry, and wondered what happened to Shep.

I always enjoy a Steel novel and read them right away. I can count on them being true escapist reads. Thank you to the author, publisher, Random House - Ballantine, and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC. The above comments are my true opinions. If not a Steel novel, I might give this novel 3 stars, but Steel is not another author. Her fans will likely enjoy this novel, as they do every Steel novel.

Thank you for the advanced reading copy. Danielle has written so many books and I have enjoyed several over the years. Joy was a good story. A very quick read, but the ending fell short.