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Secrets

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Danielle Steel, America’s number-one best-selling novelist, has held millions spell-bound with such novels as Family Album, Full Circle , and Changes . But with Secrets she takes her readers beyond the tightly knit world of the family, into the heart of the nation’s most glamorous television.

Here is the drama behind the creation of Manhattan , a first-of-its-kind prime-time television series produced by Melvin Wechsler. Tempered by tragedy, seasoned by success, a man with a Midas touch, Mel Wechsler will assemble a dazzling

Sabina Quarles at forty-five has managed to maintain–by dint of spunk and surgery–the body of an eighteen-year-old. Tough, spirited, and self-sufficient, she has survived twenty years in Hollywood, never marrying, never quite succeeding, never deigning to work in television. Yet Manhattan may bring her both the stardom she craves–and the security her very special needs require.

Jane Adams is an earthy thirty-nine-year-old beauty. Devoted to her children, dominated by her abusive and violent husband, forced to choose between her husband and her acting career, Jane may find that her role in Manhattan has cost her everything that matters most.

Zack Taylor , the leading man, is a paragon of professionalism. Yet beyond the smooth good looks, the easy warmth, and the slick charm of the eligible bachelor, he remains an enigma.

The charming ingenue, Gabrielle Thornton-Smith , seems to have appeared out of the blue. Beautiful, talented and on the brink of success at twenty-five, what can she have to hide?

And Bill Warwick , plucked from the ranks of struggling young actors, is now slated to be the nation’s new heartthrob. But he has lied about one issue in his background. Not only will Bill’s future hang in the balance, but the success of the whole series may be jeopardized when he is forced publicly to confront the consequences of his little white lie.

Set in Los Angeles and New York, Secrets carries the reader behind the scenes into the making of a major television series. Probing even deeper beneath the polished surfaces, Danielle Steel explores the dilemmas both men and women, in and out of the searchlight of the media, confront today. She paints a vivid, compelling picture of a sophisticated world and the surprisingly real problems of the people who inhabit it.

Here Danielle Steel delineates her richest and most complex cast of characters, people forced together by extraordinary circumstances who must perform even when they're torn apart by their deepest secrets.

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1985

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About the author

Danielle Steel

912 books16.8k followers
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

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 198 reviews
Profile Image for Aղցela W..
4,522 reviews320 followers
May 16, 2022
This was also a book that I read in my teens. This book was also made into a movie that I liked. This book centers around actors on a new prime time soap opera. Jane Adams is devoted to her children and abused by her husband. She is forced to choose between her husband and her career. Sabina Quarles is not twenty something anymore so she uses surgery to keep her young. Zack Taylor the leading man. Bill Warwick, plucked from the ranks of struggling young actors, is now slated to be the nation’s new heartthrob but he also has a secret that could impact the show. This was a good book and movie
Profile Image for Nick Stewart.
216 reviews14 followers
May 29, 2016
The real secret here is how a novel with so many run-on sentences beginning with an 'and' or a 'but' ever made it through the editorial process. But, it was a fairly entertaining read. And, it had all the hilarious tropes Steel crams into her novels. And, yes, all her characters overcome their various tragedies and Find The Courage To Love Again. But, you really wouldn't expect anything less.
50 reviews2 followers
November 20, 2019
It's judgment enough that the best thing I can say about this book is that it was a fast read and, therefore, I didn't have to struggle with it for too long.

The plot is almost non-existent: one super talented/super amazing/super famous producer is making a show that is SURE TO BE A HIT SERIES THAT WILL CHANGE THE FACE OF TELEVISION (how could it not be after the author told us it is 500 times?) and he recruits two actors (WHO WILL HAVE ALL OF AMERICA DROOLING OVER THEM IN A YEAR) and three actresses, all of whom have SECRETS (because that's the name of the book!)

It's just so terrible I don't know where to begin. I feel like if I had to drink a shot whenever the author said the "dress/outfit was designed for her by Francois Brac," I would be dead just halfway through. Same for every time the author mentioned that "it was clear to everyone who the star was" (or some variant). Not to mention that every single emotion or decision is explained to us over and over and OVER again. The moments that do matter slightly -- for example when any of the main couples actually fall in love with each other! -- are all barely tackled. Three separate couples get together in this book and I have no idea how or why and, worse, I could not care less. We're just told they're in love and that's it.

But all of that would be fine except for that one plotline. (SPOILER ALERT for the poor soul who's actually going to read that book) Bill, one of the actors, is married to a woman who is addicted to drugs, but of course he is destined for his costar Gabby, whom he mocks (quite nastily) for being the daughter of a rich and prominent family. So to clear the path for this fantastic romance, his first wife Sandy is very conveniently killed halfway through the novel. What follows is a ridiculous story of how he is arrested and how an entire case is built on just his "wanting to get rid of her so she doesn't affect his career" without a single shred of evidence. A entire sequence of a silly trial follows (hanging of course on the testimonies of a couple of friends and his wife's annoying agent) but before that we get treated to Bill falling in love with Gabby while awaiting trial for death of the woman he supposedly loved. And oh the comparisons! In the car returning from HIS WIFE'S FUNERAL, we are treated to an exposition over how Sandy's sister is not as pretty as Sandy was. A few pages later, we find out that Gabby is prettier than all and oh! how lovely her freshness and independence are in comparison to Sandy. and oh a page later he needs Gabby more than he ever needed Sandy! But Gabby herself is always on trial: he's so relieved that she isn't the kind who likes fancy dresses and dinners, that she'd rather hike and that she can clean up after dinner with him and pack his stuff for him (if she has a maid, she's spoiled, but the fact that he asks her if she packed socks for him is all fun). And of course once he is found innocent, Sandy is dropped completely, and we never get a shred of explanation of who actually took the trouble to shoot her four times.

I'll not mention that whole maybe gay-turned-maybe straight storyline because I just can't even. Though I will mention that in maybe the last twenty pages, the author drops a reveal on us that the main actress has a sick son -- because hey! she has to have a secret too!!!

Disclaimer here at the end: I have read two other books for Danielle Steel and while they had some issues with redundancy, they had characters I cared about, with understandable motivations, and decent plots and I remember enjoying them. No sign of that author anywhere near here.
Profile Image for Myiesha Speight.
41 reviews29 followers
August 11, 2015
Danielle Steel has done it again. She did it again! I have always been a fan, so I knew what to expect but wow! Applause are in order. Secrets was a great book. For me, a great book is one that keeps me interested and has a satisfying end. This one does both phenomenally. I will warn you that this book has some mature subject matter. I would advise you only read this if you are mature enough to read scenes of a sexual nature and one of the main characters experiences some mental and sexual abuse. The abuse scenes were particularly heartbreaking to read and stomach, but when you think of the number of men and women that are going through this everyday, I'm sort of glad that Danielle didn't just sweep it under the covers and made it an important part of the book. The abuse scenes weren't excessive, so you don't have to worry about every other page being about it. The best way I can describe it is that they were like pulling off a band-aid, they were quick in that the pain was over before you knew it, but like taking off a band-aid, it still stung for a minute afterwards, and the words still left their effect. (I hope that made sense.)

This book is a different format from the other books of hers that I've read. Usually, she has one main heroine and you follow that person's journey, but with this book there is a cast of characters and you get to read each of their stories. It was interesting to see how each of their lives played out, how they were brought together, and how the relationships grew and drifted apart. I especially loved how she made you hate certain characters while loving others. She knew exactly what to write to make you feel what she wanted you to feel. I loved reading this format and seeing how Danielle takes you piece by piece through each person's story and she slowly but surely, revealed everyone's secret. It was a gradual progression that was very well done. I expected nothing less. She's an excellent writer.

Obviously, I am biased in this recommendation. This is Danielle Steel and I would recommend all of her books, even the ones I haven't read. For me, this one is especially good because of the writing. With her words, Danielle Steel takes you from place to place. She gets you so invested in these people's lives that for a moment you forget that they're not real, but you still want to know what happens to them. She's almost too good in making you care about these characters. I stayed up until 5:30 in the morning, because I needed to know what happened to them. I can't promise you'll stay up as late as me, but if you've read to this point, you're invested and want to see what happens. If you read Secrets by Danielle Steel, I promise you won't be disappointed.
Profile Image for Molly.
100 reviews
February 11, 2011
I picked this novel in honor of Bad Books Month (not a real holiday, or ALA-endorsed celebration) which my friend and I came up with in order to challenge ourselves to read popular fiction outside our normal reading habits.

I knew I had to read Danielle Steel; she's so prolific. I had read her nonfiction book about her son who committed suicide and remember the writing to be decent.

Secrets tells the story of a cast of a new primetime drama called Manhattan, and as the television show is recorded, the reader learns more and more about the cast and each of their secrets. Some of them were well developed, others seemed to come out of nowhere.

The biggest issue I had with the book, and maybe the publication date should be taken into consideration as I reflect upon it, I feel that it was disrespectful to the gay community. I'm not sure if Steel's intent was to demonstrate the character Zack as "turning straight" or that his homosexuality was a "mistake," but it made me uncomfortable to read it.

Okay, get ready, I'm about to compare Danielle Steel to Shakespeare. In the end, everyone ends up coupled with an appropriate cast member in real life, as well as on screen, with surprise pregnancies, secret weddings, and other crazy shenanigans that really reminded me of a Shakespearean comedy (like, "oh, you're not a boy? Ok! I'll marry your brother!" kind of way)

I'm glad I read it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Abi.
687 reviews28 followers
October 28, 2020
A pesar de tener muchos libros de Danielle en casa, porque a mi familia le encanta, nunca leí nada de ella. Elegí este libro para un reto lector, y quedé muy satisfecha.

Cuando tenés un bloqueo lector, estas cansado, querés algo ligero para leer o simplemente querés un buen romance, este libro es más que recomendado.

Tenemos una novela narrada por distintos personajes, todos actores y actrices en una nueva serie de tv: Manhattan. Cada uno de éstos, con vidas ultra distintas, personalidades a veces muy distantes entre sí, y sensibilidades impresionantes.

Todos alguna vez nos imaginamos cómo será estar en el lugar de un famoso, de una personalidad pública, sea cantantes, escritores, etc.

Bueno, esta historia, nos muestra cómo a veces la vida que se muestra a los demás, tiene mil secretos detrás.

Una novela super llevadera, que puede aparentar ser larga pero está muy bien estructurada, por lo que no se torna pesada ni con relleno.

Algo que tengo que destacar SI O SI, es la capacidad de la autora de involucrar temas PESADOS, como machismo (hay girly power del bueno), adicciones y muerte, de una manera totalmente natural.

Esta lectura era para superar un reto impuesto por la casa de Ravenclaw en IG, a quienes admiro/envidio su creatividad, su predisposición hacia las tareas intelectuales, su curiosidad, su don para la sabiduría y todo lo que se encuentra alrededor, también la originalidad que los caracteriza 🙊.
Profile Image for Yuckamashe.
658 reviews11 followers
April 9, 2016
This book was as soapy as a soap opera. I mean that as a compliment. It shows the lives on and off camera for a cast of actors.
Profile Image for Younes Attoune.
73 reviews14 followers
June 28, 2023
Le proverbe une coïncidence vaut mieux qu’un mille rendez vous . Décrit exactement ce qui m'est arrivé avec ce roman. Après avoir passé une longue période à lire des romans, j'ai finalement décidé de me plonger dans un livre de développement personnel. Suite à la recommandation de deux amies (que je salue d'ailleurs), elles m'ont proposé de lire "The Secret" de Rhonda Byrne. J'ai donc téléchargé le livre sur ma liseuse et j'ai commencé à lire. Au début de ma lecture, j'ai réalisé que le livre que j'avais entre les mains était en réalité un roman et non un livre de développement personnel. Malgré cela, j'ai continué ma lecture sans le moindre doute, pensant avoir simplement mal compris. Ce n'est qu'à la fin que j'ai compris que j'étais en train de lire un autre livre portant le même titre. Alors voilà, chers amis qui critiquaient ma lecture de romans, j'ai voulu suivre vos conseils, mais le destin en a décidé autrement. En tout cas, le roman était formidable et j'ai beaucoup apprécié l'idée qui raconte l'histoire de Mel Wechler, un producteur doté d'un grand talent pour la réalisation de films et d'émissions de télévision à succès. Nous suivons le producteur dans la préparation de sa nouvelle série télévisée, du casting à la sélection des acteurs vedettes, en passant par les coulisses du tournage. Chaque personnage est présenté individuellement, nous permettant de découvrir leur passé avant qu'ils ne se réunissent pour produire la série. Au fil de l'histoire, nous réalisons que chaque membre de la distribution cache un secret qui pourrait ruiner sa carrière s'il était révélé, feront tout leur possible pour les préserver .

En fin c'était une lecture très amusante, une histoire remplie de drame, de romance et de suspense captivant.
Profile Image for Simin Yadegar.
325 reviews48 followers
December 5, 2025
رمانی عاشقانه و درام . زندگی تعداد�� هنرپیشه که هر یک راز و رمزها و مسائلی در زندگی خود دارند که سعی می‌کنند آن‌ها را پنهان نگه دارند. اما با قرار گرفتن در کنار یکدیگر و در یک سریال تلویزیونی مسائل برملا میشود
Profile Image for Kishan R.
13 reviews1 follower
August 4, 2019
It is nice book to read but I was expecting it to be a bit more adventurous. It became very obvious in the end.
Profile Image for Cláudia.
433 reviews38 followers
July 10, 2017
4.5

Esta foi a minha primeira experiência com Danielle Steel. A minha mãe tem muitos (mas mesmo muitos) livros dela e decidi arriscar porque achei que os livros desta senhora são excelentes para serem lidos no verão.
Não me enganei, a história rapidamente me agradou e gostei especialmente do facto de não haver uma só personagem principal. Todos os elementos são importantes, tal como as suas histórias e segredos. Tenho a certeza absoluta de que voltarei a ler um livro seu em breve!
Profile Image for Najib.
373 reviews39 followers
February 25, 2022
Après quelques lectures sérieuses, il faut se divertir un peu et Danielle Steel sait y faire. Dans ce roman, on en apprend beaucoup sur la préparation et le tournage d’une série télévisée ainsi que sur le déroulement d’un procès en assises…et bien entendu tout cela est agrémenté de 3 histoires d’amour ce qu’il y a de plus original…
Profile Image for RainLady777.
143 reviews
September 17, 2023
It was ok. A murder was left unexplained though and a lot of the plot was unrealistic. This author is either great or terrible. "Wanderlust", "Zoya", "The Ghost" were fantastic. Others like "The House," and "Family Album" were so repetitive and stupid it may have been a ghostwriter, who knows. This one was a rare "meddle of the road one" that was just ok.
623 reviews25 followers
May 21, 2018
Loved these chick lit romance books, years ago. Most I read weren’t too bad and the author is one of the best at what she does.
Profile Image for Heena Garg.
41 reviews1 follower
February 27, 2024
Engaging book and worth read. Whole plot runs around Hollywood series characters and their life. In brief, it is like a sneak peek about the life of those people whom we think as different species or special people (movie stars etc), but in reality they have similar lives like us. Being a celebrity is just their profession not their actual identity.
Profile Image for Frangipani.
189 reviews9 followers
November 21, 2022
Danielle Steel’s novels rarely disappoint.
This was a sweet tale of a bunch of people with complex private lives making a TV show together.
Profile Image for Alex (Alex's Version).
1,137 reviews111 followers
August 4, 2023
The book Secrets by Danielle Steel is a novel that, despite its numerous run-on sentences beginning with "and" or "but," manages to entertain its readers. It is filled with the familiar tropes that Steel often incorporates into her works, and it follows the pattern of her characters overcoming their personal tragedies and finding the courage to love again. While some may criticize the repetitive nature of Steel's storytelling, her loyal readership appreciates the comfort and predictability that her novels provide.

The one issue that stood out to me was the potential disrespect towards the gay community. While considering the publication date, I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable with the portrayal of Zack's homosexuality. It seemed as though the author, Steel, may have intended to depict Zack as "turning straight" or that his sexual orientation was a "mistake." This portrayal left me with mixed feelings and raised concerns about the book's treatment of the gay community.

In Secrets, Danielle Steel once again delivers a captivating and dramatic page-turner. While the ending may have been slightly anticlimactic, which is unexpected from Steel, the overall satisfaction and craving for more were ever-present. Love, sex, drama, mystery, and humor are all skillfully woven into the narrative, making Secrets a compelling read.
Profile Image for Jennifer.
104 reviews
November 15, 2014
A very dated book. While some 80's references (Perrier! Giorgio!) made me smile, some of the 80's attitudes, specifically toward the gay community, made me cringe.
Otherwise, it held my interest but felt a little uneven.

However, if you're in the mood for a soapy, glitzy 80's escape, give it a try. It's a pleasant evening's read.
Profile Image for Katarzyna.
28 reviews
February 21, 2023
6* this book was AMAZING!!! Danielle has, as always, outdone herself. I say it each time I finish one of her novels, but she is that good. I recommend it to everybody who loves watching TV shows and especially soap operas. I've been a fan of soap operas since my early childhood. If you love them as much as I do, you'll love Secrets as well. Highly recommended!
Profile Image for Sophie.
175 reviews
March 20, 2014
Words cannot explain how in love I am with this book, I literally cannot stop thinking about it. I have never read a book that had characters that were so different yet fit together with ease. I do not know how Danielle Steel does it, but I hope she never stops.
Profile Image for Connlou Ross.
302 reviews6 followers
November 26, 2017
(c)1985 Characters for the film "Manhattan" are joined together and each with their own baggage. If you love to read about sex, money, power this is the book for you. There has not been a book that Steel has written that I did not enjoy.
Profile Image for Heather Alderman.
1,122 reviews31 followers
February 4, 2025
I loved Danielle Steel in the 80s when I was in my teens and I recently found this book in my dad's things and decided to read it for old times sake. It was very cheesy, but oddly compelling and hard to put down.
Profile Image for Suz.
1,559 reviews865 followers
October 15, 2021
I’m so glad I review every book I read now 🧐☺️📚
Profile Image for Marina Davies.
41 reviews1 follower
April 1, 2018
The storyline was good. Danielle Steel never seize to amaze me.
Profile Image for Jessica.
118 reviews
July 13, 2018
Absolutely loved it. Such a simple book but I found myself not wanting to put it down. Fastest book I have read in a while.
Profile Image for Sara Dasí .
39 reviews
August 17, 2020
Quitando errores de traducción y de cohesión con el uso de las comas, la lectura me ha resultado amena y rápida, pero exasperante.

La repetición de datos, haciendo incómodo incapie en el aspecto físico y sensual de los personajes femeninos cada dos páginas (como si una descripción no bastará para saber como es el personaje, tiene que recalcar lo amplio que es el busto y lo esbelta que es su figura a la más mínima ocasión) mientras que en algunos personajes masculinos (o en todos) no te dice ni él color de ojos, ni nada más allá de ser guapos y atractivos.

Luego hay detalles sin importancia que simplemente resultan molestos, como aportar datos aleatorios sin contexto, o mostrar un dudoso conocimiento de como funciona la industria de la televisión y otros sistemas de cierta importancia, pero lo peor es la bifobia y homofobia (TW/SPOILER: Trata la bisexualidad de un personaje como homosexualidad por trauma de la que se cura), y racismo y misoginia ocasional.

Algo positivo es la visibilización del maltrato entre parejas, pero no le da la suficiente profundidad, crítica y consecuencia como para tenerlo bien en cuenta.
Profile Image for Theresa.
213 reviews
December 1, 2020
now this became an interesting story once I got into it! This was a world of actors, actresses, movies and TV Soaps - a world of make-believe where everyone did have actual secrets! As humans I am sure we all like glamour and notoriety, but when it comes to reality and our feelings, well that is another story.... Hollywood's hottest producer and his leading lady headed this family of hopefuls in a new television series that would make everyone's dreams come true - security, wealth and happiness or so each one thought! A mother who struggled with an anonymous son; a husband with a sickly wife; a battered wife and mother who fought for her own worth; an only child to whom heredity wealth meant nothing; a mature man who had lost his innocent younger self and a leader who had lost it all once but strove to regain his sanity in his creative work .... all these secrets were forgotten when they lost themselves in their daily scripts and the fictional characters they portrayed ........
765 reviews4 followers
July 28, 2022
Astonishing that this could be a bestseller. The story has so many logical holes in it that I must assume the author didn't care about such mundane things. How about this one: one of the main characters had been starring on a TV soap opera for ten years, and disguised only in a wig, was able to escape recognition by family, friends and relatives. She also was apparently able drive to the TV studio all that time without her family knowing about it. Or how about this: A murder trial in which the prosecution never presents any factual evidence that the defendant had any connection with the murder of his wife. And, after he is acquitted, the book drops any mention of finding the real murderer. Many more nonsensical plot turns. But, on the positive side- it was glamorous and a quick read, which I guess was the author's intent.
Profile Image for Annie.
3 reviews
August 13, 2025
This book is for those who love beauty. I started the book with this hope and I was not disappointed (just a little). It all ends happily, don't worry, but there are parts where my heart was pounding in my throat.
Secrets. There are so many secrets revealed in this book. A lot. Six main characters and each of them is hiding something. A famous actress, a disappointed wife, a charming director, a Hollywood heartthrob, a young girl, a man whose career is just starting. I'm used to these kinds of characters from Danielle Steel and I wasn't disappointed in their execution either.
Of course, I can't expect everything to be exactly how I want it to be. There were probably a few too many scenes that I skipped, but I know some people enjoy that. Regardless, the book was great.
123 reviews
June 26, 2017
The most intriguing book ever! I seriously couldn't bear to put this down for once. My friend brought it to school one day and I was like, why not try it out? I didn't fall in love with the cover, and I usually DO judge a book by it's cover at times, but then I got to reading it during the boring periods, and I found myself really starting to like this book. And the title describes the book perfectly. Danielle Steel keeps you hooked till the very end, and all the characters have their own personal secrets and she has saved secrets till the very end. Awesome read! You'll love it if you like reading reality based, a with a bit of a dramatic touch to them, novels.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 198 reviews

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