The Apartment

by Danielle Steel

The Apartment is the captivating new novel from Danielle Steel, whose many #1 New York Times bestselling tales have made her one of America’s most beloved writers.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Adult, Audiobook, Friendship

336 pages, ebook

First published May 3, 2016

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

[Susan Becraft · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why?

I ask myself that question each time I read a Danielle Steele novel. Her books are as realistic as fairytales, and The Apartment is no exception. Having lived in Manhattan for fifteen years after college, I wonder how I could have missed an advertisement for a 3000 square foot loft with four bedrooms, signed the lease and - proof - had three of the most perfect roommates on the planet. Where did my friends and I go wrong? We four, despite all having well-paying jobs, crammed ourselves into a sardine can and dined on Swanson's TV dinners unless we had a rare date with a guy in similar circumstances or splurged on a burger and beer at a joint on Third Avenue.

No beau who owned a hot restaurant and cooked for us, assorted relatives and friends every Sunday; parents who gifted us each a grand total of $300 for the sole purpose of purchasing a bed - to quote our fathers, "You are on your own. Goodbye and good luck!" And strangely, our parents had been married for years.

Does Danielle Steele have an editor? Is she such a commercial success that her publisher merely slaps a cover on the manuscript without reading it? Did she ever read The Elements of Style, by William Strunk? She blithely violates one writer's rule after another. Who strings together complete sentences, connected by "and" such that a single sentence runs on for a full page before the period pops up? A whole new meaning to run-on sentences! Dangling participles, mixed tenses, screwy punctuation all abound.

So I return to my original question. The best answer I can give is that there are times when a no-brainer satisfies me. Without the task of analyzing characters, attempting to guess the end of a mystery, having nightmares after reading gruesome psychological thrillers and examining the writer's style and skill, I can quickly scan Danielle Steele's words and treat her books like Lifetime Movies. After all, life doesn't always have to be complicated.

[Suz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice easy read, which is DS at her usual. I am enjoying reading these easy reads, at the right time, in the right place. Four gals, a funky and very cool loft apartment in Hells Kitchen who love each other to bits. Not too much repetition here, which is usually my main bugbear. But I did enjoy reading about these flatmates who become lifetime friends. A few stumbling blocks along the way in relation to their relationships, a lot of this was predictable and far fetched but this is what I love about DS - too easy to read.

[Vickie Larimer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Predictable

Boring
Kept waiting for something to happen.
Nothing ever did. Writing style in this book was very monotonous. Very disappointing
.

[Monica C. · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have one question: how did Danielle Steel become the highly acclaimed, best selling author that she is? This is one of the worst books I have ever read in my 43 years. I've never read such garbage. An eighth grader could've written a better story. Bad, bad grammar, horrible sentence structure, lame, saccharine sweet characters, etc, etc, etc. How many times does one begin a sentence with "and"? I'm pretty sure she's set the record. Hated this book. I'm the idiot who actually finished it. Never again. First and last DS book I will ever waste my time on. So, so very disappointed and still shaking my head.

[Melody · Rating 5 out of 5]

BEST DANIELLE STEEL BOOK IN A LONG TIME

I've read almost every book this author has written and it seems like the last 5-8 books are darker than her norm. This one is not. It is more like the early Danielle Steel and much more enjoyable. I read it in a day.

It's the story of 5 young, single women who live together in a loft in Hell's Kitchen. They come from different walks of life, are all professionals, working on perfecting their careers. One by one things begin to change in each one's life that leads to the inevitable. They are all moving on. So easy to get caught up in the daily goings on with each girl that you feel a part of the group.

For a good feel, easy read, and back to the original Danielle Steel books we've all loved, this is a must read.

[Suzzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What a fun book. I loved the connection between the four women and the additions of their partners and family members. For such a quick read it really had a lot going on. Great story and characters.

[Marcia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I need to stop reading Danielle Steel.....this book was the same thing over and over. 4 pages of saying the same thing and then 4 more pages of repeating another idea....:(

[Wissal H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elles n’étaient pas seulement des colocataires d’un loft de 200 mètres mais des vraies amies une amitié en or les réunissaient !

Durant une belle cérémonie Sacha médecin interne en gynécologie Obstétrique se mariait à Alex médecin interne en Pédiatrie-Néonat ❤️

Morgan avec son bébé au ventre adorait son compagnon Max le restaurateur célèbre 💜

Abby l’écrivaine et la scénariste retournait de Los Angeles avec Josh son producteur après sa relation malsaine avec un réalisateur profiteur 💙

Et enfin la belle Claire qui perdait son amant sans explication et son emploi au même temps , elle finirait par créer sa propre Ligne et mettait naissance au monde de la mode sa petite entreprise de chaussures Claire Kelly Design 💚 dans la même cérémonie faisait connaissance à Ben le frère de Alex il était Cardiologue 💚

Des relations d’amour et d’amitié, des ruptures, des infidélités, des sacrifices 😍

J’aime bien Toujours des romans qui me donne encore de la confiance en amitié car je l’a perdu en réalité ça fait longtemps 😂

[Missy Leary · Rating 1 out of 5]

Truly awful. 30 some year olds still relying on their parents for money and making bad decisions, all the while the author is writing it to make it seem okay. Repetitious throughout. A complete waste of my time.

[MsJohnson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I selected this book because it was on a best sellers list, but after reading it I have no idea how it made that list. Setting the scene? Characterization? Building tension or suspense? Creating tone or mood? Engaging the reader? No, No, No, No, and No. This is one of the worst books I have read in several years. Almost exclusively presented in 3rd person past tense. I felt like I was passively listening to a lonely aunt tell me in detail about people I have never met. And plot? I didn't notice any elements of that either. It was tedious and so unrealistically and nauseously romantic. This was my first time reading Danielle Steel and it will probably be my last if this is her writing style. Looking at my to-be-read stack of books, I feel like I just wasted an entire afternoon.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Want a good drinking game to play while reading this ? Take a shot every time Danielle Steel starts a sentence with 'and'. The more I read, the more it drove me crazy.
Not much happens in the book until 3/4th the way through. Maybe that's typical Danielle Steel, this is the first one I've read. But everything is perfect and the day was fabulous and every one loved every one. And If that's what you enjoy then I suppose this might be a good book. Steel also repeats a lot of the same things, as if we forgot she wrote it two pages ago.
The book did pick up for a couple of chapters so I will increase my rate to 2.5. Overall, doubt I'll read another Danielle Steel.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just what I needed a quick easy read. Even better an enjoyable one, one of the best Danielle Steel stories I have read. Four women sharing a New York flat.

The cover to my book sums up do not judge a book by it's cover I thought it would all be lighthearted and girly fun. I was pleasantly surprised that in one story between the four flatmates there is murder, gangs, unwanted/wanted pregnancies.

The story which drags me in the most was Sasha's who works at the hospital and her love story with Alex. All women though had there own story in their own right. I had respect for Morgan's decisions with Max.

A 5 star read

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable summer beach read.

[Courtney · Rating 1 out of 5]

Fun fact: This was my first and last Danielle Steel novel.

[Olivia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Review of the audio book, read by Dan John Miller. 1.5 stars.

I don't expect much out of Danielle Steel these days, her books are a guilty pleasure that I typically enjoy but are not brain tingling. I don't rush to read one of her books immediately when it comes out. That said...

The Apartment is the worst Steel book I've ever read. It was like I was listening to a book where the author was just trying to make a certain word count. The first two chapters did nothing but restate the same information over and over, just in a different way. The following chapters weren't much better. One would think, with as many books that Steel has under her belt, she would do better than this. I'm also disappointed that her editor didn't do a better job.

The only redeeming quality about this book were the characters, they were real and made human decisions for the most part...others were obviously just there to move the basic plot along.

I also didn't like that a male reader was reading this book to me. Dan John Miller did decently enough but the book centered around 4 women, it would have made more sense to have a female reader. I realize that readers are probably paid a decent wage, making it difficult to pay more than one reader but this book would have benefitted from having both.

[Annie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is hands down the most boring book I've ever read. Nothing mildly interesting happens until Chapter 7 (104 pages in!), but even then the book just drags on endlessly.

As someone who's actually lived in Manhattan for the past two years I can tell you this book is entirely unrealistic:

First off none of these girls (with the exception of Morgan) have jobs that would pay enough to afford a huge loft in Hell's Kitchen (even if they found it 10 years ago).

Second, none of them fight with each other and are cool with everything that goes down in the apartment. There is absolutely no way possible that after living with each other for a couple of years that they wouldn't fight with each other at least once.

Third, everything that happens in this book is one big fantasy. I'm not going to spoil anything, but the way the author has the characters interact with each other plays out way too perfectly and is utterly predictable.

If you want an utter fantasy that has absolutely nothing to do with New York City then by all means read this book. If you're like me and want a book about the trials and tribulations of girls trying to make it in New York City, then please skip this book. You will be disappointed.

[Lesincele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una novela que me ha recordado un poco a Sexo en Nueva York pero sin ese toque de humor que tenía la serie (el libro de SNY lo aborrecí). Es la historia de cuatro amigas adultas que comparten vivienda y que nos enseña como puede cambiar la vida tanto a mejor o peor en un año. No hay una sola protagonista, sino que las cuatro tienen el mismo peso, pero me ha faltado mucha más profundidad en cuanto a la personalidad de los personajes.

No puedo decir que no me haya gustado porque es una historia bonita y que tiene varios temas interesantes al ser cuatro protagonistas totalmente diferentes pero, eso, se me queda algo superficial.

Si es cierto, como punto positivo que toca una gran variedad de temas, como el aborto, el quedarse sin trabajo, el hacerse autónomo, el querer ser independiente sin depender de un hombre, el querer ser escritora...

Entretenida pero me ha faltado algo de magia ya que se me ha quedado demasiado lineal y me hubiera gustado mucho, conocer mejor a esas cuatro mujeres.

[Laura Wonderchick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read my first DS book at age 12 & I've been a fan ever since! Reading any of her books is like eating comfort food to me. This one didn't disappoint.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I happened to see this one at my library and checked it out. I'm glad I did!

[Pau Lethani · Rating 1 out of 5]

1/5

Menudo aburrimiento de libro, no se me ocurre mejor palabra para describirlo. Por la sinopsis tiene pinta de ser una lectura fresca y divertida, pero se queda en el intento.

Lo peor de todo es que en mi opinión está escrito de forma muy mediocre. Tiene un estilo muy sencillo, demasiado simple. Frases muy vacías y con una estructura súper básica. Además, se repite constantemente. En un mismo párrafo se repite la misma idea 3 veces, todas las frases quieren decir lo mismo. Y esto no solo pasa dentro de un mismo párrafo sino en cada capítulo y a lo largo del libro. Repite una y otra vez cosas que ya había dicho hace unas páginas y que ya quedan claras desde el principio. Esto solo se hace que la lectura se haga aburrida y pedante, independientemente de la trama en sí.

Pero seguimos con puntos negativos, ni la trama ni los personajes salvan el libro. La historia está protagonizada por cuatro chicas rodeadas de otros personajes secundarios. De esta forma se entrelazan varias tramas a la vez que se van desarrollando a medida que nos asomamos a la vida de cada una de las protagonistas. No me gustó la forma en que estas historias están entremezcladas, sin ton ni son. Ni siquiera les dedica un capítulo a cada protagonista, sino que cambia de historia en medio de los capítulos. Además las historias son completamente lineales, sin giros. Las cosas pasan y ya está, en tres páginas se desarrolla un acontecimiento que va a cambiar la vida de las protagonistas. Pero para qué explicarlo en profundidad si con cuatro pinceladas nos lo expone superficialmente. Superficial, otra palabra que define muy bien el libro y sobre todo a los personajes.

Personajes completamente planos que no logran conectar con el lector. Aunque al principio parece que están muy bien definidos, cada uno con una personalidad muy marcada, esto es solo una ilusión. A medida que avanza el libro los personajes pierden consistencia y vemos cómo empiezan a aparecer incoherencias en su comportamiento. En el transcurso de una página los personajes pueden cambiar de ideas (incluso de ideología) radicalmente. Yo no digo que las personas no cambien, pero ¿pasar de un extremo a otro en una página? Lo siento pero no es creíble, no me convence.

Y ya para terminar he visto en los personajes muchos comportamientos machistas justificados. El tono del libro en general es muy tradicional y los personajes poco abiertos de mente. Teniendo en cuenta esto no me extrañé demasiado con el final aunque sí que me enfadé, me pareció horrible.

Desafortunadamente no se lo puedo recomendar a nadie, ni siquiera a los amantes del romance contemporáneo. Hay libros de este género mucho mejores y que tratan temas importantes (como los que trata este libro pero que no voy a nombrar para no hacer spoilers) adecuadamente, no como se abordan en este caso.

[J Jahir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Y nuevamente me llevo una bonita experiencia leyendo este libro. Steel no me decepciona, hasta el momento, de sus 29 libros que llevo leídos de ella, sólo uno no ha conseguido gustarme lo suficiente, pero el resto de ellos siempre tienen algo que me cautiva, así sea una de las historias más simples del mundo. Será por la forma como narra, el lenguaje que usa, la facilidad para hacer historias... no lo sé, pero gusta mucho.
Todo empieza en ese apartamento que Claire rentó para vivir sola, y que después fue compartiendo con otras 3 chicas que tenían diferente profesión: sasha, una ginecóloga obstetra; Abby, una escritora y Morgan, especialista en finanzas.
pues no, debo anticipar que pueden leerlo tranquilos, no hay tanto drama como en otras de sus novelas, aunque sí debo seguir reconociendo que las historias están bien perfiladas, los personajes se van desarrollando y conocemos sus historias y lo que pasa cada una de ellas. simpaticé mucho con los padres de Alex, Y me gustó ver la forma en como ellos aceptaban a Sasha y convivían como una muy bonita familia; por el contrario me cayó de la patada lo que George le hizo a Claire, después de saber que ya había pasado por una mala experiencia anterior y tenía lo de los padres de ella, que no estaban muy bien... y así podría seguir con cada hilo de personajes. No sé si a ustedes les ocurra lo mismo, pero es tan gratificante saber que tienes un autor favorito de cualquier género, saber que tienes bastante material bibliográfico de él/ella, y que aún continúa escribiendo, y saber que todavía tienes de dónde agarrar. Dejarlo reposar un poco y después retornar a ese autor te hace sentir muy bien. y saber aún más que la siguiente novela que te leas te logra gustar como las predecesoras, es un sentimiento que no tiene precio. y en este género, Danielle Steel se lo ganó a pulso.

[Kavita · Rating 1 out of 5]

Four women live in New York and share a flat together for many years. And then they find love. That's really about it. It's not like a brilliant plot or anything, and I wouldn't have expected one either. Still, I was hoping for good writing and some interesting twists. But when the twists came, it was just enraging.

I found the writing stilted and repetitive, and Steel could have done much better to work on her dialogue. It's a little hard to believe her essay-like writing actually sells so many books and has made her this famous. No telling what crap people will read!

And just for ONCE, can some woman in fiction actually go ahead with aborting when she doesn't want to have a baby? And then be okay with it? And not get back with her abusive partner who wants to force her to have a child because woman blah blah mother blah blah? Thank you.

I can't give this boring, sexist tosh more than 1 star.

[Bookread2day · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read quite a few books by Daniel Steel with Power Play being my top favourite. Four girls that share an apartment , but I think that it would have been nice if each girl character had their own heading on a chapter about ones life etc. I did get a little confused with a bit too many characters. I also would have liked the boyfriends to have had their own chapter instead of all the scenes of characters being mixed about in one chapter. I think I need to re read this again sometime and perhaps I will get into it more. I love my Danielle steel books so much that I would'nt never give up reading books by Daniel Steel. In fact I've just bought one more with hopes to buy more.

[Richelle Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read Danielle Steel in a few years and it was just what I needed. I fell in love with her writing all over again. Fans of her earlier novels will love this one! It had everything she is known for and it was a perfect feel good story and everything works out in the end. Was sad to see this story end. Perfect story if you need something light to make you feel good.

[Omaira · Rating 3 out of 5]

"A nivel general, es una historia que entretiene y que presenta a cuatro protagonistas muy diferentes entre sí, pero le faltó generar más intriga o que la trama tuviera algo para no resultar tan previsible y simple por momentos. Es una novela para pasar el rato, pero no tiene nada memorable".

Reseña completa: http://entrelalecturayelcine.blogspot...

[Elena · Rating 1 out of 5]

The most poorly-written book I have ever had the displeasure of purchasing on a whim. The awful grammar, poor sentence structure and everything else made me more stupid, I'm sure of it. Had to read Tolstoy immediately afterwards to try to regain some smarts, and that was not fun.

[Tim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Same old Daniel Steele plot line of find love, turbulence, rekindle. 4 of 10 stars

[Paula Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me, the author Danielle Steel has always been a touch and go author - She's a bit like Nora Roberts in that sense. Some of her books I can read, others are just too romancy or aimed at the older female audience. The Apartment grabbed my eye as something I might enjoy as it had four young females on the cover. I loved it as the story was based on four females in their 20's-30's and followed through the five years that they lived together in their apartment in Hell's Kitchen. Each female had a goal in mind and a career choice, but they all fitted in well together. We have Claire who dreams of being a shoe designer, Sasha an ObGyn, Abby a writer, and Morgan a Wall Streeter. During the five years, they will share their tales of jobs, life, and relationships but one thing stays the same - their friendship. The Apartment ends with the four girls discovering that as unexpected opportunities and challenges alter the course of each of their lives, they face the bittersweet reality that in time, they will inevitably move away from the place where their dreams began- their small loft apartment in Hell's Kitchen. This is the perfect read for anyone who loves the New Adult genre and wants to try a Danielle Steel novel so that you can say “I have read a Danielle Steel.”

[Iliana Simeonova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Добре де майка явно се оказа права и книгите на Д.С са наистина хубави, поне тази де,но да не сте посмели да и кажете, че години наред ще ми натяква зареди това. Наистина години. Ще ме човърка и всеки пък когато ме види да чета нещо на тази авторка ще ме гледа с погледа нали ти казах.
И така „Апартаментът“ е една книга, която не беше за мен от гледна точка на възрастовото предназначение, но това не направи книгата по малко интересна и вълнуваща за мен. Вярно в началото ми вървеше бавно и не бях кой знае колко запленена от история, но това в крайна сметка се случи и следях с интерес как се развива живота на главните четири героини.
С удоволствие изживях заедно с героите техните трепети, изпитанията, през които преминах, защото в крайна сметка всички си заслужаваше. Народа е казал всяко зло за добро и това често е самата истина. Прочетете тази книга, защото наистина е хубава и недей те да правите огромната грешка да я оставяте в началото, книгата си заслужава прочитането.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Typical Danielle Steel book. You can always guess what's going to happen. They're repetitive and predictable. The writing isn't great. The books take no time at all to read.

But there's always a happy ending. That's why I keep reading her books. I need a little light and fluffy sometimes to balance out everything else. I need to know I'm going to read a book and no matter what happens in the book, there's still going to be a happy ending.