Joy

by Danielle Steel

A compelling new novel from Danielle Steel, whose countless #1 New York Times bestselling novels have made her one of America’s favorite storytellers.

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

256 pages, Hardcover

First published August 13, 2024

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

[chantalsbookstuff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been pondering this rating, and I'll settle on a 3. It was a really fast read, I liked our main character, the story could have used a bit more work.
It always baffles me how the young girls end up with older men in her novels, but eh..each to his own I suppose.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Second half is better than the first with more interest than many of her previous stories.

[Sherri Thacker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Danielle Steel’s latest book Joy is due out in August 2024. I was lucky enough to get an advance copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review. We follow 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. Other things happen and some is heartbreaking. It was a typical Danielle Steel book. I did enjoy the story and read it in 2 days.

[paige (ptsungirl) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"It took courage to hang onto joy, and determination not to lose it."

[Annette Geiss · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m giving the book three stars because it was an easy, fast read. It moved like a freight train without stops! Very repetitious, to a fault, as if the author thought the reader’s ability to retain what was said before, would be forgotten unless she kept pounding it over and over. After reading an amazing book, that was so well written, I was granted this book by Netgalley and the publisher (Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine), because I knew it would be a quick read and predictably, mediocre. If you are on a beach and want a book to get through easily, with some interesting points, then read it. I do not rehash the plot in my reviews. You can read the jacket covers for that piece. And you can also read others’ reviews, where they talk about the characters and the story. I focus on my opinion. Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. #NetGalley, #Joy, #RandomHousePublishingGroup-Ballantine.

[Tabatha (tab.talks.books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

* Heartbreaking. The story of survival and having loving yourself be enough.
* Abandoned by everyone who should have loved her.
* Married young, her husband went into the military and slowly you see the cracks in his character as the military has changed her husband into someone she no longer recognizes.
* You watch Allegra finally understand she deserves all the joy in the world and now she is going to fight for it.
* You follow her quest for joy and all of the amazing memories that she has made and fears she’s had to overcome
* Through darkness there is always light.
* It’s a short story coming in under 300 pages
* Narrated in a third person POV
* I was left wondering about some characters

[Jennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Typical Daniel Steel book. Allegra’s mother let when Allegra was 6 years old. Her father was career military and was never home. Allegra was raised by grandparents, boarding schools, and servants. She was very lonely and felt unloved.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a decades long DS fan, I keep pondering why her editors don’t eliminate the redundancy?! The novel Joy, her latest, introduces Allegra, a lovely young woman who grew up an unloved child sent to boarding school that searches for love and acceptance until she finds it with Henry, a wealthy man old enough to be her grandfather (After secretly marrying her childhood sweetheart Shep, and never telling either family they secretly married ) She has fleeting happiness with Henry and his glamorous life, so she authors a book about Joy. There is very little consistency or joy on these pages though. I still wonder about the unfinished storyline in Joy, and remain a DS fan, although these repetitive plots need more emotional depth and less young women falling for much older men. 3/5

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been reading a few books by this author lately, and I’ve been enjoying them including this one. This story is quite heartbreaking and sad at times, so don’t be fooled by the title. Family drama written with depth and a great cast of characters, all of which make an entertaining read. Recommended.          

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young girl abandoned by all the people who were supposed to cherish and love her....finds joy.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading a Danielle Steel book feels like coming home. She's been writing books longer than I've been alive. And I've been reading her books long before I was old enough. This book made me feel exactly the way I felt the first time I read one of her books. There's so much emotion on every page. Allegra is the main character & you go on a life's journey with her. The flow of the story isn't too fast or too slow. It just glides you along with her while she experiences things that are somewhat unimaginable. However, DS had a way of making a lifestyle far separated from your own seem relatable somehow. This book had more twists & turns than I expected. I was not expecting that ending. I honestly wasn't sure what was going to happen! It definitely kept me interested the whole way through! Loved it! I am honored to have received this ARC because DS is one author who has made an impact on my life. I think we all have those authors we hold dear.

[Craig and Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Big thanks to Pan Macmillan for sending us a copy to read and review.
Joy is one of the more recent releases from popular author Danielle Steel.
A quick and easy read that’s bearable and standard of late from the writer.
Allegra Dixon has had a lonely childhood and has grown up self reliant and resilient.
Having a military father and a selfish mother who didn’t care, Allegra found her enjoyment through books.
Then she finds love at high school with Shepherd Williams and later they marry.
But Shep joins the military and drifts from the relationship and Allegra must make a decision.
Then she gets a job as an assistant to the famous composer Henry Platt and life is joyous once again.
Is a happy ending on the cards……
It follows the usual formula and needs more explanation.
For me, I felt the writing needed a bit more oomph.
I quite liked the main character and felt for her and her decisions.
Like an addiction I will continue to read her books, as I find them a good break from heavier reads and a cleansing palette.
A Steel book I liked but it didn’t wow me.

[Bessi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 (audio)

[Susan McAulay · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Brandi Holloway · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Page Jedi · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Call Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 🌟

Okay, I will be completely honest I have never read a Danielle Steel book before this (and I love romance) and strictly chose to read this one only because it matched a tricky category on my reading challenge. After reading Joy, doubt I will be picking up another one of her books 😬.

What a depressing storyline. Truly, how much more can a person endure? So unrealistic. No way in hell would a person be able to randomly call an agency and secure a job so quickly in LA. Truly was laughable 🤭. And there were multiple times I found the writing to be repetitive. Literally repeating the same things within the same paragraph. Yikes.

Kept my attention well enough but overall do not see why DS is so popular if this is what readers are given.

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning was so strong. I really felt her pain and the arc with Shep killed me. Her story with Henry was kind of weird, but the little bit with Jordan was so unnecessary that it wasted pages that she could have used elsewhere, maybe with Galen because I don't believe we had enough time know know if Galen really had sparked joy like Henry had, and I found that part a little unbelievable. And honestly? I know there are people we cut off and leave behind in the past, but I was so broken by Shep I wish we knew what became of him or have some closure. Maybe I'm like Allegra, though, I have a void because he left so abruptly, lol. I enjoyed the book; there was so much more depth in the beginning than the ending, which I think is what hooked me in, but the end was a little flat for me.

[Sheri Metzger Karmiol · Rating 4 out of 5]

In many way, Joy is typical Danielle Steel.. There is loss, sadness, wealth, love, second chances. There are the usual well-educated central characters, for whom great wealth does not always bring lasting happiness. Everyone is beautiful and talented with impressive abilities. But for Danielle Steel fans, the familiar is comfort food, which in many ways is what a lot of readers want and need. In Joy, Steel takes on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The war sections are superficial, but it is the emotional toll of war that soldiers and wives must endure. At time Steel becomes preachy and heavy handed, but the topic itself, is important.

As always, the central female character, Allegra, is beautiful, smart, and talented. The men are handsome but not always worth Allegra's attentions. It takes a long time for the joy in the title to show up in Allegra's life. Steel makes the point that Allegra's childhood of neglect is not uncommon. As is true for most Steel novels, there is a romance and several men, not all of whom create much joy in Allegra's life. Allegra is given the opportunity for second chances, which not all women find as easily. Money helps, as Steel suggests. Could not stand Jordon, loved Henry, and wondered what happened to Shep.

I always enjoy a Steel novel and read them right away. I can count on them being true escapist reads. Thank you to the author, publisher, Random House - Ballantine, and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC. The above comments are my true opinions. If not a Steel novel, I might give this novel 3 stars, but Steel is not another author. Her fans will likely enjoy this novel, as they do every Steel novel.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the last half of this book and wished we didn’t have all the sadness and heartbreak of the beginning of the book.
However if it weren’t for the beginning of her life, the life she made in LA wouldn’t have been so special. I felt like Allegra’s joyful life didn’t begin until she met Henry. A wonderful love story!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced reader copy.