I originally had this as a 4-star book - I felt like I really liked it, but as I thought about it harder, I had to drop it down to 3 stars. As always, it was a quick and easy read, and I liked Allegra's character quite a bit, but the entire story was just so damned depressing. Her entire life was just one disappointment after another. I appreciated her tenacity and strength in the face of all her diversity; I just wish she hadn't had SO much to overcome. As an aside, I'd love to read a Danielle Steel book where the heroine didn't fall for a man old enough to be her father. That theme has bene way overdone by this author.

A very typical DS story. I wanted to read something fresh from her but unfortunately it was very soft and alot like others I've read by her. If you want a quick read ir will satisfy you.

A contemporary romance that is typical of DS novels. The story of Allegra who has grown up without the love of her parents who for their own reasons can’t take care of her. It is decided she will stay with her grandparents and it’s enough love to get her to adulthood. She marries chi,Choi’s friend Shep before he heads off to Afghanistan and they keep their marriage a secret. As time goes by Shep is forever scarred from war and can no longer remain married to Allegra. She is devastated but picup the pieces and finds a new life and love. Through ups and downs she finds herself and what brings joy to her life. Ultimately in a time where kids are going no contact this story would give one reason to do so. Allegra tries to keep a sliver of hope alive with her parents but realizes one can only do so much. Heartbreaking and sad story makes one think of the selfishness and cruelty out there. #NetGalley Ty for the ARC all opinions are my own

As popular of an author that Danielle is, this is my very first book I’ve ever read of hers.

Joy is about a young girl named Allegra who no one ever seems to want. As a child, her mother completely abandons her. Her father, a career military man, pawns her off onto both sets of grandparents. By God’s grace, she eventually makes her way through college and meets Shep, who becomes the first person who ever loves her and treats her with respect.

Eventually, Shep also joins the military, and with that comes some serious strife in their relationship.

This was a very easy read. Danielle’s writing style is very simplistic - are they always like this? I feel as though a mature high school kid/college student could have written this. I don’t mean to criticize her! Clearly, she has been a successful author. It was just surprising how simplistic the writing was. Because of this though, it was a very easy book to read. I would read a sequel if she came out with one for this! Would love to see what happens with Allegra’s story, since it kind of ended abruptly.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing this ARC to me.

In order to fully embrace joy, one must endure some hardships. Allegra experienced childhood pain but is such a beautiful person worthy of so much joy. The author creates a story where you don’t want to use your bookmark…totally captivating!!!

Thank you Danielle Steel, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for this ARC opportunity!

I think a more appropriate title would be Sorrow. Quite a depressing book.
Allegra is wanted by no one in her life as her parents abandon her and her grandparents find her a burden.
I thought how much more could this poor character go through but there was more to slog.
I thought Allegra was very naive to think Shep wouldn’t be changed by his military service.
I also wasn’t crazy about the message the author seemed to make about the military, that it produced machines without hearts.

Allegra had a very sad childhood. From a mother that left, a dad that was married to the Army, and grandparents who basically tolerated her. She was shipped off to boarding school, and tried to make the best of her life. She meets Shep, in which she falls in love, marries, and unfortunately, later, he falls in love with the Army more as well. After a cross-country move to start over, Allegra begins to let down her guard, and begin to feel some joy in life, especially when she begins to work for composer, Henry Platt. Lots of ups and downs in this book, but I feel Allegra learned how to get the joy out of life, and figured out how to gracefully go on. Another awesome book! Thank you to Ms. Steel, Dell Publishing, and NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Good story, but the fact that Steel often does more "telling" than "showing" in her writing was very evident in this one. Sometimes it doesn't matter, but this time it did.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

Thanks to Net Galley for this e-copy of Joy by Danielle Steel in exchange for a honest review..This is another great book by Danielle Steel that centers around Allegra Dixon, a strong young woman who has been abandoned by her mother at 6 and neglected by her career military father.All her young life she is ignored.and sent to boarding school..When her first young military husband also abandons her after experiencing the effects of PTSD, , she is all alone in the world.Can she still find joy in her life? Read the book and find out!

This book was very similar to her previous book, Invisible. The main characters had a similar upbringing and general demeanor. They also both ended up with older men. This was almost to fast of read and almost felt robotic and lacking a real voice. Thank you, NetGalley.

Joy by Danielle Steel was a heart-wrenching story throughout. The main character, Allegra, had more heartache than anyone should ever live through in one lifetime. Yet, she was the sweetest, most kind person that I couldn't help but root for. The book is emotional with well-developed characters, I could barely put it down. Even with the sadness that started from the beginning, the book left me feeling happy and fulfilled in the storyline.

Based on the title, I was expecting something more joyful than what I found. I did enjoy Allegra and her perseverance through life's difficulties. Overall, this was a quick read. However, it was quite repetitive and a bit flat. If you are looking for an easy beach read, this could fit the bill. The joyful moments were very brief, so this is certainly not a feel-good read.

This book was truly an absolute joy. The writing was fantastic, I loved each and every character. And the overall plot and storyline was realistic, enlightening, heartbreaking and wonderful. I would recommend this book to everyone.

This book is a true masterpiece, it is not often you find a book that so accurately expresses real life issues so well.
First of all, I found myself completely captured by the writing, this is one of those books I could be reading it anywhere and I don’t even hear what’s going on around me. The author has an absolutely amazing way of just bringing you into the book and every bit of it was so interesting I could not put it down.
I instantly fell in love with our FMC, Allegra, she goes through so much in this story and I wanted to see her be happy of course, but I also admired her strength. I feel like in books we often see all the reason for a character to be happy, but in this book we saw all the reasons for her to be sad but she continued to pick herself up and chose to still find JOY!
I utterly adored Henry and feel he was such a vital piece to this story, I also really loved Shep and his character really broke my heart.
I felt every type of emotion throughout this book and at times had to take a break from reading because it was so intense.
This story was expertly crafted and is one of my favorite books I’ve read this year!
I am completely honored to have received this arc from NetGalley and these opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy. Danielle Steele is an author that I always enjoy. Her books hook you from the beginning. Joy is no different. Joy follows Allegra, a woman who has not had an easy life. She was abandoned by her mother when she was six, and was sent to her grand parents. She grew up without any close connections, and felt that she did not belong anywhere. We follow her journey as she goes through different situations and relationships. I would not categorize this book as a feel good story. There were some heavier topics and not many joyous moments. The storyline was fast paced and kept me hooked.

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. She seems like the kind of person I would choose as a friend. She perseveres through many difficult things in her life. There is much repetition which sometimes takes away from the story line rather than add to it. Typical Danielle Steel. This is an easy read and perfect for a day at the beach. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and to Random House Ballantine

Allegra had an awful childhood. It’s amazing she turned out to be a decent human being! Her mother abandoned her as a child to relive her partying life. Her father was career military. She was raised by reluctant grandparents. She falls in love in college with a West Point graduate who begins his military service. As he suffers from the effects of this service, he chooses the military over her. She has no one and relocates to California. There her life begins.
This is a story of hope and redemption, but her childhood is just so sad.

An emotional journey of searching for joy! Danielle Steel is a natural when it comes to painting a picture for her reader of great detail into the core of each character so it feels like we are walking the path alongside them. Allegra is an extremely easy character to connect with because she has been so neglected emotional throughout her childhood that we can't help but want to wrap our arms around her. I found her journey and perseverance to be inspiring and I really enjoyed getting to know her. The plot held my attention, her supporting characters were well developed and enjoyable and seeing her finally be seen was inspiring. The only thing I walked away from this book feeling bereft about was that she never got true closure with that first love. I would have loved for her to have run across him one last time ... whether it be in person and a final goodbye, or in finding out info about him. He was her first savior in feeling love, so I had a special spot in my heart for him even after. I highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys an inspiring life journey of overcoming life even when it throws you obstacles time and time again. I loved Allegra's spirit!

It’d been a couple of decades since I read a Danielle Steel book, so I was delighted to receive an ARC of her newest novel “Joy” from Net Galley. The book is a quick read, and it feels more like one is hearing the tale of Allegra rather than reading a novel with her as the protagonist. Allegra is abandoned by her selfish parents when young, and she is raised in boarding schools and by distant grandparents on holidays. Despite not growing up in a loving family, Allegra is a highly principled and kind person. Understandably she keeps her distance with strangers, but when the barrier comes down, she offers full and complete love. I enjoyed this story a lot. Is it the best novel I’ve read in recent years? Not even close. But it was a very pleasant way to spend a couple of afternoons.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

If I am being honest, Danielle Steel's books have been either a hit or a miss for me. (being in my twenties, I am not necessarily her target audience) With that being said, this is a good book to pack into your beach bag while you're trying to soak up the last few days of summer. If you have been a diehard fan of Danielle Steel's the last 2-3 decades, I am sure you will find this book enjoyable.



—


Many Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

********


If you are interested in seeing more of my reviews and other content feel free to connect with me here <3:

https://linktr.ee/bookreviewsbyjules (links to my Instagram, Goodreads, TikTok, Storygraph, My blog and Substack newsletter, etc)

If you are a publisher or author who has questions about my reviews (as well as questions about my stats, reach or engagement), please free to email me. I am also open to requests for book reviews from authors or publishers. Thank you again for taking time to read my review, and I hope you have a wonderful day!