I love Danielle Steel’s books and this one was as the title says a joy to read! It was heartfelt, warm and had fascinating characters. I love how rich her writing is and how it makes me feel like I’m there with the characters experiencing what they are experiencing!

I absolutely loved this book. But I thought that it was a bit sad for the main character of the book to be so young and left with so much unbelievable pain and grief in her lifetime. But I was a little bit curious as to what had happened to her first husband shep and if he survived the war and if he ever regretted divorcing Allegra and what happened to her mother did she ever pass away too. And her new family never knew about to Allegra.

Ugh. This was such a sad read for so long of the book, so much loss and heartbreak.

I kind of knew what would happen with Shep, based on the way the story went, but I was not expecting Allegra's life to change the way it did.

Amazing what happens when you step outside of your comfort zone.

Thank you NetGalley for my E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Some of my earliest memories of books is my mother devouring a Danielle Steel book. She is a classic & timeless & continues to write amazing works. This book is full of family drama/issues & Steel has woven a beautiful story intertwined with lovable character. I will definitely be pulling some of her works from my mom’s library.

Thank you NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group-Ballentine for the ARC copy of this book.

In Danielle Steel's Joy, readers follow Allegra Dixon's poignant journey as she navigates a life marked by abandonment and the search for genuine happiness. From a young age, Allegra grapples with the absence of her mother and the emotional distance of her military father, finding solace in books and later in a fleeting romance with Shep Williams. As Shep's deployments to Afghanistan strain their marriage, Allegra confronts the harrowing realities of war and the toll it takes on their relationship. While the novel may follow a predictable trajectory and lack significant plot developments for some readers, Steel's skillful storytelling and exploration of resilience make Joy a compelling and emotionally resonant read, offering a message of hope amidst life's trials.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Alegra dud not have the best parents. Her dad was in the military and would be hone for months at a time. When she goes to school she meets a boy named Shep who she loves. Allegra did not have the best life but made the best with what she had. I enjoyed this book and can't wait to read her next one.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ — Age Gap Say Whaaaaa?

So this book has a great foundation — Allegra grew up with parents who divorced and essentially abandoned her to live with her grandparents. Then she meets Shep, who she elopes with and quickly realizes he suffers from undiagnosed PTSD from tours in Afghanistan. They divorce a few years later after he chooses his career over his mental health.

Allegra ends up in LA, where — here’s the kicker — she falls in love with a man who is not only her boss but nearly 40 years older than him. Look, I’m all for true love, but this man could be her grandfather and I don’t see it how it worked out.

As can be expected, he dies after 7 years of marriage and Allegra is truly single in her mid-30s. The end of the book? She sleeps with her dead husband’s best friend and there’s a chance she will end up with a fan who she refuses to do an interview for but feels a spark?

I love my Danielle Steel books, but how the book turned out wasn’t for me. I think I would rather the ending be that Shep ended up working on himself and earning Allegra back.

Have not read much of Danielle Steele through the years, but know she has been around for a LONG time as a great rom-com author. This book kept my interest, but wasn't the best I've ever read - just nice, quick - but really not full of a lot of JOY!! Kind of a sad story. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC e-book for my enjoyment.

I’m not sure how Danielle Steel does it, but her books are consistently good - like since the 70s/80s, they’ve been good. They’re easy, breezy, quick reads (this one starts sad, but you know what I mean) and you really can’t go wrong if you’re in the mood for a comfort read that you don’t have to think much about.

In JOY, we meet Allegra who had a tough childhood. Her mother left her when she was young and her dad is an officer in the military who is far from warm or loving. She goes to live with her grandparents, but they’re not welcoming, either. Allegra finds solace in books and falls in love with Shep, but Shep’s time in the military changes him and she realizes she needs to find her own happiness.

This book is about finding your own way in life. It’s not my favorite Danielle Steel book (those include Jewels, Thurston House and The Ring … I guess I like her historical fiction best) but it’s one of her better novels from the past few years, in my opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the early digital copy of JOY in exchange for my honest feedback.

To call this book Joy when 80% of it was sad seems like a reach. Our main character, Allegra, has a mother that doesn't care for her, a father that's never there, grandparents that are strict, and of course she would attach herself to a husband that disappoints her. Thankfully this book is a fast read, so the glimmers of actual Joy are found quickly. I still enjoyed the book, but I definitely had to find a happy book to read after this one.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an Advanced Reader Copy of this title.

Typical Danelle Steel novel. Lonely girl, rejected by her parents finds solace in the arms of a man.. Her last spate of novels have protagonists without best (or any) friends.

Allegra, feels abandoned by everyone because she is. It is heartbreaking to see the world through Allegra’s eyes. A military Dad who would rather be on assignment, a young Mom who really never wanted a child so she walks out on her when she is just 8.
Left to live with grandparents who are not anxious to have her either. So next it’s boarding schools and camps with very few visits from relatives while she is away.
Forced to make herself unheard all those years Allegra found a love for reading and made herself finds friends within her books. She had very few if any friends outside those books until she met Shep. He became her best friend they met and went through school together. He chose to go to the military while she went to college and that is when things began to change in their relationship. While she worked in New York he started to get stationed in far away locations that were not what she had intended for their life together.
When a move took her to California Allegra’s life found more Joy and purpose with Henry a relationship that evolves beautifully. Allegra can finally be happy and enjoy the life that she is building. As well as the joyous feeling of finally feeling and being wanted.
Another story beautifully told by Danielle Steel I highly recommend this book.

Allegra is a lovely and bright young woman who has everything but a family. She was abandoned by her mother when she was a child. Sent to live with grandparents while her father, a cold military officer ignored her except for an occasional visit every year for a few hours. Her grandparents were also remote, not quite knowing what to do with a young child that interfered in their lives. As Allegra matures she is sent off to boarding school, then on to Columbia University. Eventually she lands a job in editing at a major New York publishing house, being mostly solitary except for her life long friend Shep. That relationship is strained when the military interferes with his personal life and the challenges of a long term relationship become difficult. Allegra must find her own way, her own joy. She travels across the country to sunny California and its beaches and interesting people to at last meet someone that bonds with her. The characters are interesting, the settings beautiful, and the narrative is pure Danielle Steel style. The book follows her usual formula but she makes each one unique in its own way and this one is no exception. Thoroughly enjoy this latest Steel read. Thanks to #NetGalley#Joy#Danielle Steel for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Joy by Danielle Steel is a heart wrenching story of loss and love. The three star rating is driven by how the Army is characterized in this book. There are four references to “killing machine(s).”

I appreciate that Ms. Steel was painting a picture of PTSD and the challenge some soldiers experience reconciling the horrors of war with life back home. This characterization also draws parallels between Shep, Isabelle, and Bradley’s behavior; however, painting the Army as a heartless “killing machine” that doesn’t care about its soldiers was unsettling.

As with all Danielle Steel novels, I quickly came to care about the characters and wanted them to find happiness. This book delivers an emotional and engaging journey.

I recommend this book to fans of Danielle Steel and to those who a love an underdog story. Just be aware of some tough language around the US Army.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for providing a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The title of this book is certainly an oxymoron. This is the story of Allegra who actually doesn't have a lot of joy in her life. We hear one bad thing after another from the time she is a child to when she grows up. This was a book that I read in 2 days. I often feel that Danielle Steele puts a lot of mundane details in her books. That was not the case here. This was an OK book to read. Would be good for a lazy day that the beach. I wasn't thrilled with the way it ended. Not one of her best but she's still a good author.

This is a GREAT READ. It is the story of Allegra Dixon, who lived a very lonesome life. Here Mom and Dad divorced when she was 6yrs.old.Her mother wouldn't take her and her father was military intelligence traveling all the time. She lived with her elderly grandparent until she was old enough for boarding school . The summer she was 16 she met Shep whose family had a beach house next to her mother's parents and she spent the summers there. They became good friends, he was a little older. They got married and he joined the military. Well we know how things can be there. After they divorced she left New York and moved to California .Follow her Journey on what her live became.

Another page turner!! I would love to pick the brain of DS and figure out how she continues to turn out such amazing stories and characters! I loved this one just as much if not more than all of the previous books (and I’ve read them ALL) you won’t be disappointed in this one…the main character has you rooting for her from the start!

Danielle Steele is an author I enjoy reading. This was one that took me deep into the life of Allegra.
Allegra had a life full of so much change and so many people who left her life and did not say goodbye. She adapts to her life changes in a way that made me cling to what had happened to her and to watch and feel how she was able to know the direction she was going and I wanted her to find joy in her life.
I highly recommend this book. Danielle Steele has given her fans and readers another wonderful book.
Thank you NetGalley, Danielle Steel and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC of Joy. This is my personal review.

Joy by Danielle Steel

This is the story about a young girl named Allegra. Allegra, is rejected by her father and her mother. She has such a sad life and so much love to give.

What a great story.

Another quick read from Danielle Steel. I don't know what it is about her books, but I always seem to enjoy and breeze right through them. When I first began this book, I thought that I had already read it because I noticed some similarities with the characters background. I found myself routing for her. She had to catch a break at some point, am I right?! All in all, I enjoyed it. The only problem was it ended so abruptly. Interaction with a new character and BAM...BOOK OVER. Feel free to use your imagination!