Joy by Danielle Steel is another one of her wonderful novels. The story follows Allegra Dixon, who had a sad childhood, when at six years old, her mother, who never wanted a child, walked out of her life. Her father was in the military, and sent Allegra to stay with her grandparents; with her spending time reading books, and little joy in her life. She spent her childhood at boarding schools, camps and rare visits from her father or mother.

At school, she meets Shep Williams, who comes from a prestigious family, and became her best friend; they both fell in love; while he went to West Point, Allegra went to college. Upon graduation, they got married before he left for the Army, keeping it a secret until he got back from time overseas. After college, Allegra got a job as book editor, while Shep began to rise through the ranks of the military. Allegra and Shep had a happy marriage, but over the years, he began to suffer PTSD, especially after his deployment at Afghanistan. Allegra knew her father was still at Afghanistan, and worried that Shep was changing. After a few assignments, every-time Shep came home, the nightmares became worse, and he was putting her through dangerous dreams. Shep decided to go back to Afghanistan, and decided to get a divorce, since he had no control of his PSTD and wanted Allegra to be safe; she couldn’t convince him to stay home and get help.

Once the divorce was complete, Allegra decided to move to California and looked for a job. She managed to get a job as an assistant to Henry Platt, a famous workaholic music and film composer, who is 30 years her senior. She loves her job, as she is willing to work long hours, and their friendship escalated to a bond. Over time, the two fell in love, as Allegra’s life will give her more joy and purpose with Henry; as he treats her like a queen and takes her on travels to Europe. After being together for 9 years (7 married years), Henry will succumb to Cancer. Still in her early stages of her life (30 +), Allegra decides to write, and begins to do a biography of Henry’s life and career, which was successful; leading into her becoming a famous author.

Allegra will go through two decades of her life, with disastrous family, sadness, two marriages, love, emotional and closer to the end joy. Joy was an emotional, sad, happiness, compelling and inspiring story throughout. Joy was so very well written by Danielle Steel. I suggest you read Joy, as it was a very good story.

Another Danielle Steel easy nice read for me. This one on the sad side basically about a girl who has to fend for herself with two absentee parents and then a husband who is no better. As with all these books the Female protagonist triumphs and the book has all the feels. A nice, good read.
Thank you to Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Delacorte Press and the Author Danielle Steel for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was looking forward to reading this book, but I'm afraid it fell a little short for me. The writing style seemed a bit flat and didn't bring out the feelings I was expecting, Perhaps a longer novel would have allowed for a more in-depth story. I did admire Allegra's resilience as she reminded me of moving out of state many years ago for a fresh start. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House-Ballantine for an advance copy to read and review.

I read this book because I have never read anything by Danielle Steel (or maybe I just don't remember) and I wanted to see if I liked her since she is such a prolific author.
I really liked the main character, Allegra. She seems like the kind of person I would choose as a friend. She perseveres through many difficult things in her life. How she moved through her life was engaging and this was a fast read; I finished it in two days.
However, if this is representative of Danielle Steel's writing, it may not be my cup of tea except perhaps for being a once in a blue moon palate cleanser.
I find the writing rather flat. This book was full of exposition telling us rather than showing us. There was not a clear plot; it was more or less of this happened to Allegra then that happened to Allegra and so on. Finally, the first third of the book focused on Allegra's marriage to Shep which ended and then he was totally gone and she moved on. It felt to me like Shep should have returned at some point--either as a lover, friend, or enemy but I think there needed to be a reason he occupied so much space in the book and then he was dropped like a hot potato. I do think we learn about Allegra through her relationship with him but nonetheless. I thought this was a loose end, even if they divorced.
Thanks to NetGalley and to Random House Ballantine for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for my unbiased review.

I throughly enjoyed this book! Allegra is a strong determine women who had a challenging life but kept on trying to find happiness. I read other reviews of this book stating there was not enough “Joy” in the story. The reading world would be pretty boring place if all books were 100% “happy”. This story had some heart wrenching scenes that brought tears to my eyes and other scenes that made my heart happy. This is what makes Danielle Steel my favorite author and why she has been since I was 15 and read “The Promise”. Thank you for telling the story of Allegra! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book. Its title is a bit misleading but it does come around in the end. Allegra, the MFC, has a lot of trauma in her life & the book revolves around the different aspects of that. Overall a good read, especially for a fan of Danielle Steel.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for advanced copy, and I give my review freely

Joy has a familiar theme for Danielle Steel, namely a woman who has survived difficulties, triumphed, and ended up in an idyllic life. But at times, this one has more substance and also some twists.
Joy is the story of Allegra. As a child she is abandoned by her narcissistic parents to the care of boarding schools and grandparents who act like emotionally remote custodians.
What kept me reading was that I really liked Allegra, although the fact that she was as mentally healthy as portrayed was unrealistic given her background, isolation and repeated traumas.
The title is in sharp contrast to most of the book, but does eventually make sense. There is a subplot involving military combat induced PTSD which is very timely but doesn’t quite get the attention it deserves.
Ms. Steel’s books often have something important to say and this is no exception. Her writing style, beyond repetitious and often superficial, do however diminish the message. For me the abandonment and PTSD messages resonated and provided a worthwhile read and the basis for further thought.
Thank you to the author, the publisher Delacorte Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an ARC.

This is a good book. The main character is Allegra. Her mother likes to party, her father is in the military and gone for a year. When Allegra is six her father comes back from a mission. Her mother tells her father she wants a divorce and he can have Allegra. She goes to her grandparents till her grandfather has a stroke. Her father sends her to a boarding school. She has no one to show her love. She does eventually have someone to love Some families do not show love. Allegra moves to California and meets the man who is older than her but loves her.

⭐️3.25

I grew up on Danielle Steel, being a teen in the 80’s. Some of my favorites were Zoya, Now and Forever, and Kaleidoscope to name a few.

I didn’t like some of the repetitive parts in Joy, and the bulk of the book was heartbreaking. It was an easy, fast read that would be great for the beach if you’re looking for something mindless. If you love classic Danielle Steel, you’ll still like this, but it wasn’t a favorite for me.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6742338725

Pub date: August 13, 2024
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Danielle Steel never disappoints. This book is no exception. It is full of emotion on every page and I loved it. Allegra had a rough start at life, never feeling loved and so alone. In her search for Joy she only experiences more heartache as people always let her down. Like in life, our bad times make us treasure the good ones even more. I love the title it is perfect for this book as Allegra finds her Joy! Thanks to the publisher and #NetGalley for this amazing read.

Absolutely loved this book. Danielle Steel knows how to pull at the heartstrings.
It is a book that definitely requires a box of tissues for the reader.
Many twists that will keep you reading through your tears.

This book is as cozy as a cup of tea! I devoured this book in one day and thoroughly enjoyed the main character Allegra, who is navigating the world as a strong adult after suffering a childhood filled with rejection. Allegra is a character you want to wrap your arms around, but her mom Isabelle, you'd like to give a good throttling to.

If we voted on fictional characters, Isabelle might win worst mother character of the year. But Allegra's dad isn't much better. He's all Army all the time and after he gets full custody of Allegra, she shuffles her around between grandparents and boarding school, but manages to send presents and checks every once in a while. You want to straighten him out too.

But then enter Shep, Allegra's childhood sweetheart and I'm not sure who wins the award for worst behavior in this book. Yet Allegra powers through all of the merciless rejections and the terrible lot in life she's been given to find true joy and success in life.

Danielle Steel knows how to write a plot that draws you in and hooks you so you can't put her book down. And this book will leave give you a warm, fuzzy feeling in life after you've finished.
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Good story

This was the story of a lonely little girl, abandoned by her mother as a young child, her father was lost to his career and she rarely saw him. Allegra was tossed first to unprepared grandparents, and then to an unfeeling boarding school. All this turned her into a lonely, yet very educated young woman. In fact, one of her only childhood friends was Shep, and she eventually marries him.

Allegra faces many challenges throughout the book, and she meets them with courage and resilience. Unlike some of Ms. Steel's characters, Allegra always works and supports herself, albeit supplemented by family inheritances at times. She has few relationships, but the ones she has are significant. I liked this book, it moved fast and tied up in a nice ending.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

Danielle Steele is the best contemporary fiction writer ever in my opinion!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Somehow every book is better than the last, and if you've never read any of her books, just pick one & go from there.

Allegra Dixon is only six years old when her mother Isabelle has decided that she no longer wants or needs to be a mother or a wife to her husband Bradley Dixon. So, she leaves and doesn't bother to say good bye or see you later to her little girl. As a matter of fact, her father basically does the same thing to her. He comes into her room and she notices that he is in his uniform and he says that her mom is gone and she isn't coming back. Then he left her room. Didn't say where she would be going or if she would be going anywhere at all. He also forgot that there wasn't anyone there to feed her as it was Anna's day off. So Allegra was all alone at the tender age of six , except she had her teddy bear George.

Allegra ends up going to live with her fathers parents. She lived with them for five years. Bradley ended up having to make quick arrangements for Allegra as his mother had a sudden stroke and died and his father was suffering from advanced senility. That brings Allegra to private boarding school. There was no other choice due to her mother giving her parental rights up and her father being in the Army and stationed over seas all the time. During Christmas and other holiday time off Bradley turns to his ex- wife's parents to help with their granddaughter. They did but reluctantly.

When Allegra was 16 the summer that her and Shepard Williams met. He was twenty and attended West Point. He was going into the Army after he graduated but wasn't sure that he wanted to make it a career. They were so much a like that they quietly started seeing each other. I say quietly as his parents thought she was way too young for him and he was too young to be involved with anyone.

After she graduated from high school she got into Columbia. The plan was that Shep would get out of the Army the year after she graduated from Columbia. They got married before that but didn't tell anyone because they were afraid of what their families would say. He did tell the Army as he had to because he got orders to Afghanistan. Unfortunately, things don't go the way Allegra thought they would for her and Shepard.

She ends up moving to Los Angeles, CA.

This was a thought provoking book. I guess it really makes you realize how evil and selfish people are in this world. I can't bring myself to imagine a child or a person going through what this young child and or woman went through in her life. Not only does Danielle Steel make you feel the feelings of Allegra but you actually become her! It's so much more than painting with words. This is a craft that you can tell she has honed for years.

Highly recommend this book to everyone!

I enjoyed reading it and ultimately wound up caring about the main character. That said, the beginning setup was really lengthy, and I know I would have liked it much better if there's was more time spent on the adult relationships later in the Allegra's life.

Danielle Steel novels are my ultimate guilty pleasure! Joy did not disappoint! Thank you to the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read another masterpiece !

Joy by Danielle Steel is a beautiful story about learning to love and finding joy. Allegra had a joyless childhood, but still opened her heart to love.

As in most books by this author, Allegra Dixon navigates the complexities of love, loss, and self-discovery in this captivating tale. Abandoned by her party-loving mother at a young age, Allegra finds solace in the pages of books and the fleeting connections she makes with those around her. But when she meets Shep Williams, a dashing cadet from West Point, her life takes an unexpected turn. As their love blossoms and they embark on a journey of marriage and military service, Allegra is faced with challenges that test the strength of their bond. Will their love endure the trials of war and separation, or will they be torn apart by forces beyond their control? Join Allegra on a rollercoaster of emotions as she grapples with the complexities of love, duty, and sacrifice in this poignant tale of resilience and hope.

Know that this is not the escapist romantic Danielle Steel novel you might be expecting and that joy is in short supply. It is, however, about resilience. Allegra had never been truly loved until she met Shep but his service in the US Army, well, Steel treads lightly on the seriousness of his trauma. A move to Los Angeles leads her to a new life and love-and then the Steel we know comes out. Much of this is dreary but again, light for what it is. And, as sometimes is the case, it would have benefited from another edit to remove some of the repetitiveness. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. For true Steel fans.