Happy Birthday

by Danielle Steel

In this beguiling novel, Danielle Steel tells the story of three very different people, each of whom reaches a crucial turning point on the same day—a time to blow out the candles, say goodbye to the past, and make a wish for the future.
 
Valerie Wyatt is the queen of gracious living. Since her long-ago divorce, she’s created a successful TV show and reached the pinnacle of her profession, with a camera-ready life in her Fifth Avenue penthouse. So why is she so depressed? Because all the hours with her personal trainer, hairdressers, and cosmetic surgeons can’t fudge the Valerie is turning sixty.
 
Valerie’s daughter, April, spends every last ounce of her energy on her popular one-of-a-kind restaurant in downtown New York. She has no love life and no prospects. Ready or not, though, April’s life is about to change, in a tumultuous transformation that begins the morning it hits She’s thirty. And what does she have to show for it?
 
Jack Adams is the most charismatic sports analyst on TV. Twelve years after retiring from the NFL, he still has his pick of the most desirable twentysomething women. But Jack wakes up on his fiftieth birthday, his back thrown out of whack, feeling every year his age.
 
In a novel brimming with warmth and insight, beginning on one birthday and ending on another, Valerie, April, and Jack discover that life itself can be a celebration—and that its greatest gifts are always a surprise.

This edition contains an excerpt from Danielle Steel's Friends Forever.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Drama, Contemporary Romance, Audiobook

354 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 19, 2011

About the author

Danielle Steel has been hailed as one of the world's bestselling authors, with almost a billion copies of her novels sold. Her many international bestsellers include All That Glitters, Royal, Daddy's Girls, The Wedding Dress, The Numbers Game, Moral Compass, Spy, and other highly acclaimed novels. She is also the author of His Bright Light, the story of her son Nick Traina's life and death; A Gift of Hope, a memoir of her work with the homeless; Expect a Miracle, a book of her favorite quotations for inspiration and comfort; Pure Joy, about the dogs she and her family have loved; and the children's books Pretty Minnie in Paris and Pretty Minnie in Hollywood.

Facebook.com/DanielleSteelOfficial
Instagram: @officialdaniellesteel

Reviews

[Mitch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, so let me start off by saying I was so embarassed to admit to people I was reading a Danielle Steel book. Being a male, and having eyes on me as I read it in public made me embarassed. I had heard all her books are just sappy girly romances. But now, I am proud to say I am a fan so far! This is the first book of Steel's that I've read, and I love how "feel good" is was!!!! Because as of late I've been reading a lot of grisly thrillers and mysteries, it was fun to switch it up with this smile-filled read.

The following may or may not contain spoilers.

The book begins with 3 people who are sharing milestone birthdays. "Martha Stewart" type celebrity Valerie Wyatt has a youthful look and a successful career on television and is devestated to turn 60. Jack Adams is an ex football star and hall-of famer and famous sportscaster who is sad to be turning 50. Valerie's daughter April Wyatt shares her mothers birthday and owns an up-and-comming New York City resteraunt and is a hard worker who is turning 30. Jack is addicting to sexual encounters with MUCH younger women and suffers an injury because of it the night before his birthday. But soon he meets Valerie and after a terrifying experience they have together they bond and begin to fall in love. Meanwhile April is horrified when she discovers that after a one-night stand with a food critic (who gave her a bad review), shes pregnant. She doesn't expect the father to be in the picture, but tells him none-the-less.

Many ups and downs occur in the lives of these characters, but in the end it leaves the reader with a big smile. Danielle Steel throws a lot of interesting obstacles in the paths of the characters, which I enjoyed to see how they would overcome them (even though I had no doubt they would!). My ONLY negative comment would be I noticed Steel can be VERRRRYY repetitive when mentioning certain details OVER AND OVER AND OVER again. It was starting to annoy me, but not enough to knock a star of my 5 star rating. I will have to check out more from her in the future!!!!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The mother of chick lit .... great story line, easy read, pure Danielle Steel.

Five stars.

[Megs ♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the first book I have ever read from Danielle Steel, and I picked it up simply because it had cake on the cover! Just kidding. :)

But yeah obviously she's pretty well known and I wanted to read something of hers. I didn't really know what to expect (maybe romance?), but I did enjoy this book. It's about 3 people who have birthdays coming up ,and how they deal with or feel about turning a certain age. An issue that has been done to death on TV shows (especially turning 30).

I don't even fully know what I should rate this. This was not a book that makes me want to go out and purchase all of the 1,394,834,098,234 books she has written, but I may give her a try again if she puts cupcakes on her next cover.

[Helene Jeppesen · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you've read a Danielle Steel book before you know what they're all about, and this one was no exception. Danielle Steel takes you on a bittersweet journey that makes me feel safe and relaxed when reading. In this particular book, we follow three characters and their destinies during the better part of a year, and even though the story is quite predictable and filled with clichés, I felt an attachments to the characters and I loved reading about them.
This story is kind of like a fairytale with the number 3, a long journey and (maybe?) a happy ending? I'm not spoiling anything, but even though the story seems straight-forward, there are some bumps in the road and things happen that I wasn't expecting. This is one of those books you can pick up on a rainy day when you need a relaxing and sweet read, and I think that that goes for most of Danielle Steel's books.

[Suzzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Good story with adoring characters. It was a nice, easy read and did not require a lot of intensity. This book was a great way to spend an evening while waiting for a late hockey game to start.

[Gretchen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two stars because it wasn't quite bad enough for me to put down. But, I should have. And, I would have never started it if I weren't in a foreign country with all the books I brought with me already read and someone handed it to me. Has Danielle Steele's writing always been this bad? I used to read her when I was a young adult, and loved her stories and I sincerely hope that the writing wasn't this insulting. In Happy Birthday, she writes as if a new reader is jumping into the story every third page- details are repeated over and over. The story is predictable and the characters are typical and shallow. One of the three main characters is Martha Stewart (although her name is Valerie), a one-woman brand who is known for her gracious living guides, TV shows, and wedding planning. Over, and over, and over the reader is told about her talent in setting a table. If so, the scene on the cover must have been set by the Sportscaster character? Danielle Steele phoned this one in.

[Melissa Borsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so much more than I thought it would be. The story is action packed, filled with drama and very heartwarming. Highly recommend!

[Rosamary Rosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Romanımız aynı gün doğan 3 kişinin hayat hikayesini anlatıyor. Ama romanda neler neler yok ki, yazarımız terör olaylarından tutunda Avrupadaki restorantlara kadar bir sürü farklı şeyden bahsetmiş. Bu da yer yer akıcılığı azalttı. Kitabın sevdiğim yanlarından biri Valerie ile Jackin ilişkisiydi. Arkadaşlıkla başlayan ve yavaş yavaş gelişen ve büyüyen bir aşkı okumak çokzor oldu. düşünce yapılarının aynı olmasını ise çok tatlı buldum. İkiside yaşlanmaktan korkuyor ve ikiside gençken benzer hatalar yapmışlar. Tabi bu sayede yakınlaşmaları daha kolay ve samimi oldu.
Sevmediğim yanı ise genelde okuduğum romanlar daha olay odaklı ve bol dialoglu olurken bunda çok az diyalog vardı bu da ister istemez okuma süremi uzattı.
Puanım 2.5'tan 3 :)

[Heidi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I guess I shouldn't really count this as a book that I read because I stopped reading it after a few chapters because it was just typical Steel garbage. I thought I was in the mood for a sappy romance novel, but when you've got the whole thing figured out at the end of the first chapter, the thrill is gone.

[HÜLYA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sımsıcak duygu yüklü bir roman..Güzel bir ikinci şans hikayesi...

[Laura Kay Bolin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Danielle Steel’s newest novel, Happy Birthday, follows three individuals marking milestone birthdays. Valerie Wyatt is top notch in the business of home décor and weddings. She has written numerous books and hosts her own television show and this year she is turning sixty. Jack Adams is a former NFL superstar and now anchors a sports show at the same network as Valerie. He is turning 50 this year and realizing his fast lane lifestyle is no longer working for him. Last, April Wyatt who owns and operates a successful restaurant in New York. She is turning the big 3-0 and is taking stock of her life.
Over the course of 6 months, the three characters face a number of life changing events. Valerie is held hostage by terrorists who take over her network and realizes life is about living on purpose. Jack realizes it’s time to slow things down and find a meaningful relationship. April finds she is pregnant after a one night stand and has to decide how to proceed. For all three characters they start their milestone birthdays leading them down a new path in life and finding age is just a number.
I love a story where the characters embrace life and learn to walk through doors, which offer them new opportunities. And Happy Birthday was all about that. There were a number of twists and turns for the characters and even though things with Valerie and Jack come across as a little obvious I still really enjoyed reading about it. I was definitely more interested in April’s story and how it would end. One thing I have found from reading Steel is the happily ever after her characters end with has more to do with the development of the characters. I guess what I mean by that is they learn to find happiness.
This was the first Danielle Steel book I’ve read in over a decade. My mom and I were avid Steel readers and would take turns buying her newest books. Ten years ago my mom lost her battle to breast cancer. Over the years I’ve seen a number of Steel’s books come out and stop and think how I believe my mom would have really liked this one or that one. My mom and I both loved to read and Danielle Steel was her favorite author. Happy Birthday is now one of my favorite books by Ms. Steel. I’m really glad I decided to read Happy Birthday. My two favorites by Danielle Steel are Mixed Blessings and Heartbeat (and loved the movies too).
I would recommend this book!

[Ron Wroblewski · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was easy to figure out the ending right from the beginning.

[Deacon Tom (Feeling Better) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story. Predictable plot. Great use of characters.

[Carrie Allen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a little bit of a disappointment. I'm sad to say that, because I've read so many wonderful Danielle Steel novels, but this one wasn't one of her better books.

The storyline itself was good and there were parts that I really enjoyed and that made me smile. I like that there are different types of relationships being handled and explained and found that interesting.

It is such a shame that there was SO MUCH repetition in this book. If that had been cut out, the book would have only been about half as long as it is now. There are just so many times when she repeats over and over about how much the protagonists have learned, and how they have had the realization that age doesn't matter. There are a lot of ways to say the same thing, and Danielle Steel found every single one of them and used most of them twice in this book. It just isn't up to par for her.

[Jeanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

In typical Danielle Steel fashion, the lifestyles of the rich and famous are portrayed in a neat package that is tied up with a pretty little bow. And the obligatory "happy ending" is once again arrived at. I guess it's time for me to move on to more adventurous reading as I think I'm past enjoying reading the same thing over and over from Ms. Steel. It was a good story, just very expected. The one highlight for me, which actually caused me to laugh out loud, was the line "you've got more balls than a Christmas tree". Middle of the road for me on this one . . . neither really liked or disliked; 5 out of 10 for me.

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

had plenty of fun reading this novel .
I liked how April was stubborn and she was committed to her work life and no matter what she faced she got through it , I mean getting pregnant and building her precious restaurant from scratch yet she had to deal with mike who wasn't a big fan of her being pregnant with his child ! but what I didn't like and found a bit silly when he proposed to her at the hospital I mean they didn't have that much time together to consider taking a huge step like that ! I also liked how Valerie's life was going, being with jack and how boyish he was and sweet to her I mean no women can resist that am I right !

[Flitterkit · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. I never liked this book very much, and almost abandoned it, but then it was there, and I picked it back up again, and finished it. It DID get a bit better, but not by much.

Characters not believable and somewhat annoying. Really, if you are severely opposed to EVER having kids, have a F*&^ing vasectomy, don't talk your GF into multiple f'ing abortions, then freak out at the woman when you HAD SEX WHILE DRUNK WITHOUT PROTECTION and wow, she got preggers. Stupidhead.

Feh.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't read Danielle Steel for a thought-provoking read, it is more of a quick, easy read. Although Steel's books are formulaic, I still enjoy reading them. This one was good, although there didn't seem to be a lot of true substance to the storyline. I feel like Steel has lost a step in the last few years...sacrificing quality for quantity.

[Betty Sylvester · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok. I have read every book Danielle Steel has written. I don't enjoy them quite as much as I used to. She seems to repeat herself too much. She will say the same thing over and over. I just skip over the repeats and still enjoy the book.

[Vladimir Putin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sorry guys, had to take a break for my birthday, almost the coveted age

[Sophie Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was amazing!, the story line was beautifully crafted and you would never put the book down! Highly suggested!!!!!

[Loryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this on my way to NYC last week, and finished it Thursday. It was pretty good! I've never read any Danielle Steel, but it's your basic fun, simple story line. I really liked the story, especially how it was set in NYC which was a total coincidence! I felt myself rooting for April the whole time, as well as Jack and Valerie. The ending was so happy and I'm glad I finished it after I came back from NY. The very only thing that kept it from 5 stars was the physical writing style. The wording was WAY too repetitive! It's the writing tutor in me. I know Steele pops out like 10 books a year or something but I felt like it needed to be read over again to edit out these things. In one sentence she'd say something was outrageous, and then in the next explain it was outrageous again - you know? The phrasing and wording was super repetitive. Something so simple like rephrasing would have made it much more enjoyable - but maybe it was just me, I could just tell too much. Either way, this was fun! Worth reading or listening to on a long, solo car drive!

[Yulenka · Rating 1 out of 5]

What the heck.
I've never read a book by Danielle Steele, but I've wanted to for a while and Happy Birthday seemed like a good shot. I did not enjoy it.

The storyline was so completely implausible, it made the whole story just seem like some kid's fantasy. Everything worked out perfectly in the end, the hiccups - although major at times - seemed too easily overcome. The characters seemed to live in a world that was a little too perfect, and the emotions they experienced just seemed very "book" and not very real.

The characters did not show depth, and felt a little generic. ie: strong-willed woman, man who means well but gets scared of commitment, jock bad-boy turned good...

It was an easy enough read, although I felt that she could have added more dialogue to break up the repetitive paragraphs of description and it would have helped with the getting through it.
All in all, not a great experience - probably won't read another by her unless it's recommended to me.

[Rebbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

As always, Danielle Steel delivers a well written novel that is easily absorbed and entertains through to the end of the novel. Happy Birthday is a novel that revolves around a few characters who share the same birthday, and how quickly their lives intertwine and change in the course of one year. Steel is a master at writing about the feminine desires and hearts of most women, and this book is no exception. I only gave it 3 stars because it isn't a deep or life changing novel. It's perfect for someone who wants to pass the time reading a good story without having to ponder over it too much.

[Astrid · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the book in no time! It was the third book of Danielle steel I read. Happy birthday was not like the others but also not extremely different.
The book was like I love it; quick, relaxing and compelling. The story is light and a bit predictable. It is about the birthday of Valerie, April, Jack and ,the son of April, Sam. It’s a typical Danielle Steel-story but it didn’t bothered me. I liked the book and I will read some more books of this author.
It’s worth the read!

[Heli · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first book from Danielle Steel. Three people share the same birthday. Valerie is 60 and her daughter April 30. And then there is Jack Adams who is turning 50. They are all really freaked out to be the age they are. And then there is love and a baby on the way.
The story was nice. But the writing was really repetitive. Without all the repetition this book would have been shorter and perhaps even sweeter.

[Alina Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still love Danielle Steel's books. Shows that people no matter how hard their past were, do actually come around especially when met with the right person.

Sometime, life doesn't give us what we want but what we need which is good for us though many a times we don't see it at that time.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute, funny, sweet story. The only reason it didn't get a fifth star is because of the constant repetitions; reading this reminded me of all my school papers that I was repetitive with just to meet a page minimum. Overall a very enjoyable read!

[Socrate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Întâi noiembrie era ziua de care Valerie Wyatt se îngrozea în fiecare an, sau cel puțin în ultimii douăzeci, de când împlinise patruzeci de ani. Împiedicase cu succes potențialele ravagii ale timpului, și nimeni n-ar fi ghicit că tocmai ce împlinise șaizeci de ani în dimineața aceea. De ceva vreme începuse să scadă discret din ani, și era chiar ușor să crezi vârsta creativă pe care și-o acorda. Revista People scrisese recent că avea cincizeci și unu de ani, ceea ce era oricum destul de rău. Șaizeci i se părea de neimaginat, și era recunoscătoare că oamenii păreau să fi uitat cifra corectă. Valerie făcea tot ce putea ca să îi inducă în eroare. Își operase ochii pentru prima oară când împlinise patruzeci de ani, apoi încă o dată, cincisprezece ani mai târziu. Rezultatele erau excelente. Arăta odihnită și revigorată, de parcă tocmai s-ar fi întors dintr-o vacanță grozavă. Se operase în L.A., într-o pauză de-o vară. La cincizeci de ani, își operase și gâtul, care era acum neted, tineresc, fără piele lăsată, iar chirurgul ei plastician era de acord că nu avea nevoie de un lifting facial complet. Avea o structură osoasă excelentă, o piele bună, iar operațiile la ochi și la gât îi conferiseră efectul dorit. Injecțiile cu botox, de patru ori pe an, o întinereau și mai mult. Sportul zilnic și un antrenor personal de trei ori pe săptămână îi păstrau trupul înalt și zvelt tonifiat și neafectat de vârstă. Dacă ar fi vrut, ar fi putut foarte bine să pretindă că avea în jur de patruzeci de ani, dar nu voia să pară ridicolă și se mulțumea să scadă doar nouă ani din vârsta ei reală. În plus, oamenii știau că avea o fiică de treizeci de ani, așa că nu putea să întindă prea tare coarda. Cincizeci și unu era în regulă.

Era nevoie de timp, de efort, de întreținere și de bani ca să își păstreze înfățișarea. Îi era de folos vanității proprii, dar era important și pentru cariera ei. De-a lungul carierei sale de treizeci și cinci de ani, Valerie fusese guru numărul unu al stilului și al unui mod de viață elegant. Începuse ca editor pentru o revistă de decorațiuni, imediat ce terminase facultatea, apoi se dedicase întru totul acesteia. Era marea preoteasă a protocoalelor și a tot ce se petrecea în casă. Avea contracte de licențe pentru lenjerii elegante, mobilier, tapet, diverse materiale, ciocolate rare și o linie de muștaruri. Scrisese șase cărți despre nunți, decorațiuni și protocoale și avea o emisiune TV cu unul dintre cele mai ridicate ratinguri. Planificase trei nunți la Casa Albă, când se căsătoriseră fiice și nepoate ale președintelui, iar cartea ei despre nunți fusese numărul unu pe lista de cărți de non-ficțiune a New York Times cincizeci și șapte de săptămâni la rând. Rivala ei supremă era Martha Stewart, dar Valerie făcea parte dintr-o clasă aparte și își respectase întotdeauna rivala. Erau cele mai importante două femei din domeniu.

Valerie trăia exact așa cum predica. Apartamentul ei de lux de pe Fifth Avenue, cu o priveliște panoramică asupra Central Park și o colecție semnificativă de artă contemporană, era întotdeauna gata să fie fotografiat, la fel ca ea. Valerie era obsedată de frumusețe. Oamenii voiau să trăiască așa cum le spunea ea, femeile voiau să arate ca ea, iar fetele tinere voiau o nuntă așa cum ar fi avut-o Valerie, sau așa cum le recomanda ea în emisiunea și în cărțile ei. Valerie Wyatt era arhicunoscută. Era o femeie frumoasă, avea o carieră incredibilă și ducea o viață de lux. Singurul lucru care lipsea din viața ei era un bărbat și nu mai avusese nicio relație de trei ani. Gândul o deprima și în dimineața aceasta. Indiferent de cât de bine arăta, vârsta de pe permisul de conducere era cea care era, și cine ar fi vrut o femeie de șaizeci de ani? Chiar și bărbații octogenari voiau acum fete de douăzeci de ani. Valerie simțea că, odată cu această aniversare a zilei sale de naștere, începea să fie depășită. Nu era un gând plăcut, și ea nu era deloc fericită astăzi.

[Debra K · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a joy this was! As always with Danielle Steel I always know what I am expecting when I pick up one of her books and I certainly wasn't disappointed with this one!

In this story, we follow April as she turns 30. She is single and overworked with her popular and successful restaurant, where she also lives just above that premises. We are also introduced to Jack Adams. It is also his birthday, his fiftieth and his luck is not running very high. After an event, April and Jack meet and the story goes from there. It is not always an easy road but one that I thoroughly enjoyed following.

Yes, this story is very predictable and there's nothing really surprising about it but it was exactly what I was expecting and what I wanted when I picked up this book. Sometimes, you don't need to be surprised by any part of the story, you just want to sit back, relax and enjoy the story.


For more reviews, please check out the link below:
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Debs :-)