High Stakes
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- Create Date：2022-03-09 10:51:40
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Danielle Steel
- ISBN：1984821717
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Summary
In this captivating novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Danielle Steel， five successful women play for high stakes in their careers at a boutique literary and talent agency。
Jane Addison is an ambitious young woman with big dreams of owning her own company someday。 At twenty-eight， she arrives in New York to start a job at Fletcher and Benson， a prestigious talent agency。 Eager to impress her new colleagues， Jane jumps right in as an assistant to Hailey West， one of the agents in the literary department。
Hailey is dedicated to the authors she represents， but her home life is chaotic and challenging。 After her husband’s tragic and untimely death， she was left widowed with three children to raise on her own。
Then there’s Francine Rivers， the stern and accomplished head of the literary department。 Also a single mom after her husband’s affair with the nanny， she has overcome the resulting financial hardships， but only with unbearable sacrifice。
Compared to Hailey and Francine， drama agent Allie Moore’s life seems much more carefree and uncomplicated。 She relishes her success and loves working with the talented actors they represent—until a passionate relationship with one of her rising star clients threatens to derail her career。
Merriwether Jones is the CFO for the agency。 She appears to have it all--beauty， success， and a perfect marriage until her husband's jealousy over her career threatens to blow everything up。
Even though she’s a newcomer， Jane quickly realizes that there are damaging secrets hidden behind the doors of Fletcher and Benson。 As one of the youngest employees， she has the least power， but is also the least willing to accept things as they have been for years。 When she puts everything on the line to right these wrongs， the consequences will leave no one unscathed。
In this riveting novel， Danielle Steel tells the story of a group of remarkable women navigating the challenges of balancing their families， their personal lives and the high stakes of ambition at the top of their game。
Jane Addison is an ambitious young woman with big dreams of owning her own company someday。 At twenty-eight， she arrives in New York to start a job at Fletcher and Benson， a prestigious talent agency。 Eager to impress her new colleagues， Jane jumps right in as an assistant to Hailey West， one of the agents in the literary department。
Hailey is dedicated to the authors she represents， but her home life is chaotic and challenging。 After her husband’s tragic and untimely death， she was left widowed with three children to raise on her own。
Then there’s Francine Rivers， the stern and accomplished head of the literary department。 Also a single mom after her husband’s affair with the nanny， she has overcome the resulting financial hardships， but only with unbearable sacrifice。
Compared to Hailey and Francine， drama agent Allie Moore’s life seems much more carefree and uncomplicated。 She relishes her success and loves working with the talented actors they represent—until a passionate relationship with one of her rising star clients threatens to derail her career。
Merriwether Jones is the CFO for the agency。 She appears to have it all--beauty， success， and a perfect marriage until her husband's jealousy over her career threatens to blow everything up。
Even though she’s a newcomer， Jane quickly realizes that there are damaging secrets hidden behind the doors of Fletcher and Benson。 As one of the youngest employees， she has the least power， but is also the least willing to accept things as they have been for years。 When she puts everything on the line to right these wrongs， the consequences will leave no one unscathed。
In this riveting novel， Danielle Steel tells the story of a group of remarkable women navigating the challenges of balancing their families， their personal lives and the high stakes of ambition at the top of their game。
Reviews
Anne
，
High Stakes by Danielle Steel is a moving "Me too！" novel that lays all the misery out in the open of even those of us who have never experienced a "Me too！" moment to share。 Jane Addison was experiencing her fist job past getting her Masters。 It was not exactly what she wanted but it was close and it paid well。 It had helped that her father knew the owner/manager。 All the other agents were women， too， and interesting。 Some she liked， some not as much， but all were professionals。 She was in the High Stakes by Danielle Steel is a moving "Me too！" novel that lays all the misery out in the open of even those of us who have never experienced a "Me too！" moment to share。 Jane Addison was experiencing her fist job past getting her Masters。 It was not exactly what she wanted but it was close and it paid well。 It had helped that her father knew the owner/manager。 All the other agents were women， too， and interesting。 Some she liked， some not as much， but all were professionals。 She was in the literary division which is where， after reading a book， the agents decided if it had a future or not。 She got the opportunity and she was good at it。 The only fly in the ointment was Dan Fletcher， the other owner and a dirty old man。 She warned him but he had been treating women this way for so long， he ignored the warning。 The lawyer did not。 This is a timely book but probably not as accurate as it should be because there was a lot of falling in love， and with people at work， people who should not have been together at all。 That being said， it was a good book with excellent characters。 It made me feel as if there were people out there who could fall in love without behaving inappropriately。 The characters were good: all different ages and backgrounds。 There were divorces， too， because sometimes a divorce is the only answer。 That was sad， as well， in some of the cases。 In some of the cases， it was time。 Danielle Steel can take any topic and make a romance of it。 That is why we love her。 She can also take timely topics and make them relatable。 She has done that here。 Good book。I was invited to read a free e-ARC of High Stakes by Delacorte， through Netgalley。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。 #netgalley #delacorte #highstakes #daniellesteel 。。。more
Bonnie DeMoss
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This is the story of five women in a literary agency and how they cope with double standards， sexual harassment， marital problems， and abuse。 It is set during the height of the "me too" movement and shows how each woman deals with these issues。 The newest employee， Jane， comes from a life of privilege， is not worried about losing her job， and is not about to take sexual harassment and abuse。 When she stands up against a boss who won't take no for an answer， she knocks over the first domino， and This is the story of five women in a literary agency and how they cope with double standards， sexual harassment， marital problems， and abuse。 It is set during the height of the "me too" movement and shows how each woman deals with these issues。 The newest employee， Jane， comes from a life of privilege， is not worried about losing her job， and is not about to take sexual harassment and abuse。 When she stands up against a boss who won't take no for an answer， she knocks over the first domino， and an avalanche follows。 What was made most evident when the abusive actions of one of the bosses at the firm are brought to light is that other people in power knew or suspected and did nothing。 I think that is a true representation of what goes on in these situations in real life。 In my opinion， the abuser's business partner who turned a blind eye to it all is just as guilty and should have been prosecuted too。 Although this is a strong story with a good message of women banding together and fighting back， I feel Ms。 Steel wasn't hard enough on the business partner in this novel。 Overall I would recommend this to anyone interested in women's fiction and the "Me too，" movement。I received a free copy of this book from Random House via Netgalley。 My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own。 。。。more
Doreena Silva
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I really enjoyed this book。 A story of five women who all meet at the company they all work at together。 They are all in their own right fierce， career driven and just navigating today's Women's problems while in the workplace。Great read and timely for the me too movement， love the way it was written about and handled by the characters。I love reading Danielle's books always uplifting to Women and perfect timing that this book released today March 8th 2022 on International Women's day。Thank you t I really enjoyed this book。 A story of five women who all meet at the company they all work at together。 They are all in their own right fierce， career driven and just navigating today's Women's problems while in the workplace。Great read and timely for the me too movement， love the way it was written about and handled by the characters。I love reading Danielle's books always uplifting to Women and perfect timing that this book released today March 8th 2022 on International Women's day。Thank you to Netgalley， Random House Delacorte press and the Author， Danielle Steel for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Runner10
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Danielle Steel writes another wonderful story。 High Stakes is a very modern story bringing together women who each have their own story。 This is a very enjoyable story that provides a needed escape from real life。 I highly recommend。
Diane Saul
，
This story is about women working at a talent agency， how their lives are impacted by the choices they have to make trying to balance work and family。 The women in the end were stronger for their choices。 I did have a problem with both owners of the agency， one of them for abusing women sexually for years and the other for not doing anything about it。 Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy。
Sarah Carper
，
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review。 All opinions are my own。 Danielle Steel is one of my go to， auto read authors， especially when I want a quick read。 A lot of her books are light reads in terms of topics。 This book deals with a pretty heavy topic and one that is all over the news in today's society。 I really struggled with the rating of this book。 It follows the typical Danielle Steel formula。。。a lot of character buildup a Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review。 All opinions are my own。 Danielle Steel is one of my go to， auto read authors， especially when I want a quick read。 A lot of her books are light reads in terms of topics。 This book deals with a pretty heavy topic and one that is all over the news in today's society。 I really struggled with the rating of this book。 It follows the typical Danielle Steel formula。。。a lot of character buildup and descriptions at the beginning， not a whole lot of plot happenings， and a pretty quick ending/resolution to the story。 I really do wish that she would build more depth to her stories， instead of churn out so many books each year。 I feel like a lot of her books have great potential but they just feel surface level。 I felt this way about this particular book of hers。 While it dealt with a pretty intense topic， I felt like things happened fast， and things really didn't happen much at all （if that makes sense）。 I loved that this book took place in the publishing/talent agency world， but I didn't really care or the characters。 It was a quick read， but I found myself struggling to stay engaged and interested though much of the story。 This was not my least favorite of hers that I've read， but it also wasn't great。 。。。more
Gail Herrmann
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I enjoyed this story of 5 women working in the high profile， fast paced literary/entertainment field。 Quite an insight into that world。 Also a story of a few men who work in the same agency and a few men who are part of the lives of the 5 women。 Lots of topics touched upon here， Me Too movement， female bread winners， older woman/man younger woman/man relationships， and professionalism in co worker's relationships。 Loved the many situations/life events the characters went through。 Lots of thought I enjoyed this story of 5 women working in the high profile， fast paced literary/entertainment field。 Quite an insight into that world。 Also a story of a few men who work in the same agency and a few men who are part of the lives of the 5 women。 Lots of topics touched upon here， Me Too movement， female bread winners， older woman/man younger woman/man relationships， and professionalism in co worker's relationships。 Loved the many situations/life events the characters went through。 Lots of thought from both sides of the coin。 Loved the ending！ 。。。more
Barb Lie
，
High Stakes by Danielle Steel is another one of her wonderful stand-alone novels。 Jane Addison has just graduated and dreams of one day owning her own publishing company; she takes an entry level job at Fletcher and Benson， a well-known literary and entertainment agency。 She is assigned to be an assistant to Hailey West， one of the best agents in the Literary department。 To Jane’s dismay， she immediately encounters， Dan Fletcher， one of the co-founders of the agency， as he makes lewd remarks abo High Stakes by Danielle Steel is another one of her wonderful stand-alone novels。 Jane Addison has just graduated and dreams of one day owning her own publishing company; she takes an entry level job at Fletcher and Benson， a well-known literary and entertainment agency。 She is assigned to be an assistant to Hailey West， one of the best agents in the Literary department。 To Jane’s dismay， she immediately encounters， Dan Fletcher， one of the co-founders of the agency， as he makes lewd remarks about her; she recognizes that he is a predator。 Jane will avoid him as much as possible， even though he continues to make sexual attempts on her， and she threatens to report him。 Jane discovers that most of the women try to stay clear of Fletcher， and despite their disgrace， no one reports him， as they fear for their jobs。 We also meet the other wonderful women of the company。 Hailey is at the top of her career， being a successful literary agent。 She is widowed， and has three children， and constantly struggles to keep up with her job， as well as take care of her children。Francine Rivers is in charge of the literary department， and she is divorced with two children。 Even though she has a good paying job， Francine also struggles with both work and home。 We learn quickly that Fletcher over a number of years， has forced Francine to have sex with him twice a week， stressing if she doesn’t， he will have her fired。Allie Moore， is in charge of the entertainment department， dealing with actors and actresses; she loves her job， always dining out with many of them。 When she falls in love with one of the younger actors， she is warned it could hurt her reputation， as she is older than him。 Allie refuses to stop seeing Eric， but becomes concerned that her reputation could be tarnished。Merriweather Jones， is the CFO of the company， and is very well liked by everyone。 Her marriage is on the rocks， as her husband stays home and takes care of their daughter。 She loves her job， and dreads going home， as her husband is always belligerent。When Fletcher accosts Jane again， pushing her against the wall， she goes to a lawyer to claim sexual harassment。 Fletcher is charged， and tries to buy her off， which she refuses。 In a short time， a few others in the company will also add their voices to the sexual harassment fight。What follows is a wonderful story of five very talented woman who supported each other， especially in this ‘me too movement’。 For most of the women， they all have their own issues， not necessarily the sexual harassment， but struggling with family and financially， marriages falling apart， love， respect， and threats against them。High Stakes was a fabulous story focusing on not only social issues in life， as well as in the job。 I have been very impressed with Danielle Steel’s more recent books which are not only interesting， but willing to cover various issues。 High Stakes was very well written by Danielle Steel， as she gives us a glimpse of hidden things women may face in the workplace。 Very well done。BarbThe Reading Cafe 。。。more
Janilyn Kocher
，
High Stakes is about the lives of five women who are harassed， harangued， and harried。 They all work in the publishing I distort which is fast paced and driven。 Three have families and find it increasingly difficult to juggle kids， job， and life。 This was a fast read for me。 It was very much the DS tempo and her writing had gusto。I didn’t like Allie or Francine very much。 I thought Francine was very passive and should have been more proactive sooner。 I liked Hailey the best。 It was fun to read b High Stakes is about the lives of five women who are harassed， harangued， and harried。 They all work in the publishing I distort which is fast paced and driven。 Three have families and find it increasingly difficult to juggle kids， job， and life。 This was a fast read for me。 It was very much the DS tempo and her writing had gusto。I didn’t like Allie or Francine very much。 I thought Francine was very passive and should have been more proactive sooner。 I liked Hailey the best。 It was fun to read behind the scenes in the publishing industry。I liked how all，the stories were wrapped up， tidy and neat。Thanks to Ballantine and NetGalley for the early read。 。。。more
Linda Leone
，
High Stakes is the story of five women in the literary and talent agent business。 A touching story that involves the Me Too crisis。 There are a lot of characters and their lives to get to know。 I had a hard time keeping them straight for a while。 I enjoyed the story and how it all played out。 I liked the characters and their back stories。 This was the most interesting part。The ending was just a little too perfect for me。 But you know what？ Sometimes we all need an ending to be perfect。。Thanks to High Stakes is the story of five women in the literary and talent agent business。 A touching story that involves the Me Too crisis。 There are a lot of characters and their lives to get to know。 I had a hard time keeping them straight for a while。 I enjoyed the story and how it all played out。 I liked the characters and their back stories。 This was the most interesting part。The ending was just a little too perfect for me。 But you know what？ Sometimes we all need an ending to be perfect。。Thanks to netgalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for the advance copy 。。。more
Robin
，
A great Danielle Steel novel set in New York in the aftermath of the #METOO era。 Set in an agency that handles both literature and actors， the lead female characters are portrayed as strong and fierce。 Dan， one of the agency owners， is a chauvinist， misogynistic pig who thinks he can get away with what ever he wants sexually with the women of his agency。 He has been having relations for the past ten years with Francine， another agent at the agency， holding her job over her head。 When he tries to A great Danielle Steel novel set in New York in the aftermath of the #METOO era。 Set in an agency that handles both literature and actors， the lead female characters are portrayed as strong and fierce。 Dan， one of the agency owners， is a chauvinist， misogynistic pig who thinks he can get away with what ever he wants sexually with the women of his agency。 He has been having relations for the past ten years with Francine， another agent at the agency， holding her job over her head。 When he tries to rape new literary agent Jane， shit hits the fan。 She does not stand for Dan's behavior and goes to the police and Dan is arrested。 They find out about his inappropriate relation with Francine， as well as what he had threatened Jane and Francine。 Each agent has her own story， and the characters are woven together seamlessly。 I found myself cheering for each of the heroines， hoping that they all get their own happy ever afters。 。。。more
Sherry Greene
，
Danielle Steel gives us a look at the high stakes of being a career-oriented woman in an abusive workplace。 The book centers around five women and how they handle their career， family life， and work relationships。This book was different from most of her books that I read， but I enjoyed it very much and highly recommend it。 You will not want to put it down until you have read how each woman has handled the different situations in her life。I received a copy of the book from NetGalley and Random Ho Danielle Steel gives us a look at the high stakes of being a career-oriented woman in an abusive workplace。 The book centers around five women and how they handle their career， family life， and work relationships。This book was different from most of her books that I read， but I enjoyed it very much and highly recommend it。 You will not want to put it down until you have read how each woman has handled the different situations in her life。I received a copy of the book from NetGalley and Random House/Ballentine publishers。 The opinions expressed are my own。 。。。more
Bobbi Wagner
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I loved reading this book。 This is an author I never hesitate to pick up and read。 This is one of my favorites by her yet。 I enjoy this author's writing skills that make her stories entertaining and just written with alot of heart。 The characters pulled me into the story from the start。 This is a well written story about five women who are playing high stakes when it comes to their lives。 They are creative and unique characters that bring the story to life。 They are connectable and kept me comin I loved reading this book。 This is an author I never hesitate to pick up and read。 This is one of my favorites by her yet。 I enjoy this author's writing skills that make her stories entertaining and just written with alot of heart。 The characters pulled me into the story from the start。 This is a well written story about five women who are playing high stakes when it comes to their lives。 They are creative and unique characters that bring the story to life。 They are connectable and kept me coming back for more。 I wanted to know what would happen next。 They had great growth throughout the story。 This is a fast paced， engaging story that was hard to put down。 I enjoyed how well rounded this story is and had great world building。 I really enjoyed what the characters brought to the story and the emotional ride they took me on。 This is a must read story that I highly recommend。 A must read story by an author you don't want to miss。 。。。more
Kristina
，
High Stakes by Danielle Steel follows five women who work at a boutique literary and talent agency。 The story takes place during the Me Too Movement。 I started reading and was quickly engrossed in the story。 It contains Danielle Stee’s trademark writing style。 It is a little hard to keep the five women straight throughout the book。 It switches between the women without notice。 I wish the story had followed one or two women instead of five。 I thought Danielle Steel did a wonderful job at handling High Stakes by Danielle Steel follows five women who work at a boutique literary and talent agency。 The story takes place during the Me Too Movement。 I started reading and was quickly engrossed in the story。 It contains Danielle Stee’s trademark writing style。 It is a little hard to keep the five women straight throughout the book。 It switches between the women without notice。 I wish the story had followed one or two women instead of five。 I thought Danielle Steel did a wonderful job at handling the Me Too Movement。 One man fails to realize that you cannot grope women or demand certain favors。 He goes too far with a new hire at the agency and gets a reality check。 There is too much foul language for my liking in this story and there are intimate situations （forced and consensual）。 There is also a great deal of repetition。 The same details repeated in different scenes as we go from character to character。 I like how Jane handled gropey McGee and that she stood up for herself。 She was not going to take his disgusting behavior any longer。 It just takes one person to stand up and say no。 The ending is predictable， and the relationships are questionable。 It sends a mixed message （client with agent， boss with underling， etc。）。 Of course， when you work all the time， the only place to meet potential dates is at work。 I like that we get to see the woman evolve as the story progresses。 High Stakes has an ending that will have readers smiling。 。。。more
Crystal Shavalier
，
High stakes is about five ladies that work for a talent agency and is based around the MeToo movement。 Although this topic is a hard issue ， the story does it in a way to keep a relevant topic interesting 。 Five women work for the agency and all have different responses to how they are treated and they all have very different lifestyles。 Danielle Steel does a great job with such a serious topic。 Thank you Netgalley and publisher for an arc for my honest opinion 。
Lynn Brooks
，
4 1/2 STARS！Dramatic and addictive！ Danielle Steel is a dynamo at digging into the heart of a character's surroundings and taking her reader deep into the foundation of every story she unravels。 HIGH STAKES delivers just the right amount of flair to catch the reader's attention while sinking us into the hearts of several characters and their combined stories。 The start was a little slow until I got all of the characters down pat and then the pace picked up as one character after another revealed 4 1/2 STARS！Dramatic and addictive！ Danielle Steel is a dynamo at digging into the heart of a character's surroundings and taking her reader deep into the foundation of every story she unravels。 HIGH STAKES delivers just the right amount of flair to catch the reader's attention while sinking us into the hearts of several characters and their combined stories。 The start was a little slow until I got all of the characters down pat and then the pace picked up as one character after another revealed their secrets and turmoil。 I was hooked from start to finish！I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a story filled with emotional depth， situational drama and characters you find yourself rooting for throughout their story。 。。。more
Dana Wright
，
High Stakes by Danielle Steel。 I have read Danielle Steel for years。 I love opening the pages of her stories and discovering Danielle Steel new books。 Danielle Steel did a wonderful portrayal of abuse in the workplace and the ramifications of it while throwing in some romance。
Sophie Carey
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This was my first Danielle steel book ever。 I’ve had The Butler on my TBR for forever and just have never gotten around to it。 My father in law raves about this author， so I was intrigued to read one of her books。High stakes follows Jane on her journey as she starts a new job at a small NYC literary and talent agency。 Throughout the book the 4 women she works with are being introduced more and more， and on top of each of their own struggles， dark secrets come to light。 Because Jane is the younge This was my first Danielle steel book ever。 I’ve had The Butler on my TBR for forever and just have never gotten around to it。 My father in law raves about this author， so I was intrigued to read one of her books。High stakes follows Jane on her journey as she starts a new job at a small NYC literary and talent agency。 Throughout the book the 4 women she works with are being introduced more and more， and on top of each of their own struggles， dark secrets come to light。 Because Jane is the youngest （with probably the least to lose）， she is the first one to try and make a change at the firm。 Holy smokes。 I was not prepared for the me too aspect in this book。 I also am very surprised by how much I actually liked this。 When I realized how many books Danielle steel has published and how long she’s been writing， I thought her work was mostly “not for my generation” （I know， what an incredibly vain way to judge a book）。 But this was great ！！ I loved the writing。 To be honest there were a lot of characters in this book and it took me a while to get a hang of who’s who， but the intricate office dynamic and getting to know everyone’s quirks was fantastic。 I went through a myriad of emotions at various stages in the book， but I loved it overall。 Danielle Steel is for sure an author I’m going to revisit very soon！ 。。。more
Carol Campbell
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High Stakes is another hit by Danielle Steel！ High Stakes follows five career driven women with a focus on sexual harassment in the workplace。 Very powerful story about having the strength to stand up and do the right thing。 Excellent read！ Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read。 #HighStakes #NetGalley
Brittany
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Read my full review here: https://www。between-bookends。com/2022。。。 Read my full review here: https://www。between-bookends。com/2022。。。 。。。more
Melonie
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Danielle Steel never disappoints。 High Stakes is about 5 woman with careers trying to juggle them with relationships some married and some not。 This is a perfect example of the amazing story telling talent Danielle Steel has。 She weaves between the characters with enough details that you remember them all as you read and that is hard to do。 It was a page turner that I simply did not want to put down。 Such an amazing way to show how doing the right thing can change so many people's lives！What a w Danielle Steel never disappoints。 High Stakes is about 5 woman with careers trying to juggle them with relationships some married and some not。 This is a perfect example of the amazing story telling talent Danielle Steel has。 She weaves between the characters with enough details that you remember them all as you read and that is hard to do。 It was a page turner that I simply did not want to put down。 Such an amazing way to show how doing the right thing can change so many people's lives！What a wonderful way to spend reading by being caught up in this lovely novel。 Thanks to Net Galley for the chance to read this amazing ARC。 。。。more
Kathleen Gray
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Fletcher and Benson has always been THE talent agency and with that comes issues。 Jane is the newest employee and she's not going to push things down the way others have。 But what about the other women who work there？ Four of them tell their stories here and each has their own personal challenge， be it childcare， relationship issues， or financial struggles。 They are broadly drawn but recognizable。 Harassment on the job looks large but don't expect this to get too graphic or deep- that's not Stee Fletcher and Benson has always been THE talent agency and with that comes issues。 Jane is the newest employee and she's not going to push things down the way others have。 But what about the other women who work there？ Four of them tell their stories here and each has their own personal challenge， be it childcare， relationship issues， or financial struggles。 They are broadly drawn but recognizable。 Harassment on the job looks large but don't expect this to get too graphic or deep- that's not Steel's style。 Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC。 For Steel fans。 。。。more
Patty
，
Set during the Me Too！ movement， this book revolves around 5 women， their careers at a literary agency， and their lives outside work。 The multiple story-lines did make it a bit difficult to keep up with each character， and to get deeply invested in their stories as individuals。It was a quick read focused on a difficult subject， but was handled with poise and confidence by the author。 It is a shame that women were， and continue to be， treated this way， but my hope is that sometime in the future i Set during the Me Too！ movement， this book revolves around 5 women， their careers at a literary agency， and their lives outside work。 The multiple story-lines did make it a bit difficult to keep up with each character， and to get deeply invested in their stories as individuals。It was a quick read focused on a difficult subject， but was handled with poise and confidence by the author。 It is a shame that women were， and continue to be， treated this way， but my hope is that sometime in the future it will all be history。 Books like this will continue to shine the light on Me Too！Thanks to the author， publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book， but my opinions are my own。 。。。more
Julie
，
Overall， I really liked this book。 Solid 3 stars， with a caveat。This book is about sexual harassment。 The synopsis seems to want to dance around that and not give away any secrets， but that's the heart of the story and I don't consider that to be a spoiler。 It's a standard Danielle Steel， so anyone familiar with her books will recognize her style and writing。 Really enjoyed the characters， even the ones that weren't all that likeable。 The main characters are all strong， ambitious， hard-working f Overall， I really liked this book。 Solid 3 stars， with a caveat。This book is about sexual harassment。 The synopsis seems to want to dance around that and not give away any secrets， but that's the heart of the story and I don't consider that to be a spoiler。 It's a standard Danielle Steel， so anyone familiar with her books will recognize her style and writing。 Really enjoyed the characters， even the ones that weren't all that likeable。 The main characters are all strong， ambitious， hard-working females。 They each have their issues and challenges， some more dramatic than others。 The storyline gets a bit cliché at times， and there are some cheesy parts where I had to roll my eyes， but honestly， I've come to expect that with Danielle Steel books， and I'm okay with that。 I'm a big fan of them， maybe because of the cliché and cheesy。 While the subject matter is a genuinely serious issue， I felt the harassment that occurred here to be WAY over the top。 I'm sure there are people who will blast me for that and say I have no idea what I'm talking about， it really is that blatant， and that's okay。 From this reader's standpoint， the book would have been far more palatable if the author had practiced some subtlety。 I have a broader complaint that goes beyond this book。 I find it annoying that books （including this one） seem to so easily jump on the latest bandwagon du jour。 It got annoying how many times the phrase "me too" or #metoo was used in this book。 Sexual harassment has been around a LONG time， but suddenly its fashionable to write about it。 Six months from now， I'm sure there will be a Danielle Steel book on Covid， and then six months after that， one on racism and black lives matter。 And I will read them， I'm sure， because I like her books。 But I'll complain about those too， because a story about the latest cause or movement just seems so unimaginative。 Write about something I haven't seen over and over again on the news。 Or， better yet， write about a subject BEFORE it becomes news。 That， for me， is a good book。Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Sara Kiplinger
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I haven’t decided why I continue to read Danielle Steel titles…as I often end up frustrated by the writing。 I just feel like the writing is so juvenile and repetitive （ironically， I am repeating this sentiment on every review for her）。 This wasn’t a bad story—a story that is part of the Me Too movement—but， none of the characters were my favorite， though I can admit there was growth in the characters themselves， which is always a plus。 I don’t recommend， but do read it if you like her writing st I haven’t decided why I continue to read Danielle Steel titles…as I often end up frustrated by the writing。 I just feel like the writing is so juvenile and repetitive （ironically， I am repeating this sentiment on every review for her）。 This wasn’t a bad story—a story that is part of the Me Too movement—but， none of the characters were my favorite， though I can admit there was growth in the characters themselves， which is always a plus。 I don’t recommend， but do read it if you like her writing style。 。。。more
Louise Pledge
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Having won writing awards and taking creative writing classes， myself， I can recognize and appreciate it。 Danielle Steel tells it like it is with no fancy frills or fluff。 It's so much easier to read and， for me， makes me more eager to pick up my Kindle and continue the story。 "High Stakes" was no exception。 There was no great plot （maybe no overall "plot" at all）， just the tale of five different women pursuing their vocational aspirations。 But it was very interesting getting to know each of the Having won writing awards and taking creative writing classes， myself， I can recognize and appreciate it。 Danielle Steel tells it like it is with no fancy frills or fluff。 It's so much easier to read and， for me， makes me more eager to pick up my Kindle and continue the story。 "High Stakes" was no exception。 There was no great plot （maybe no overall "plot" at all）， just the tale of five different women pursuing their vocational aspirations。 But it was very interesting getting to know each of them， their differences and their similarities。 My necessary warning: Language and Sex 。。。more
TheBookstagramBabe
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I just couldn't get into this book。 There were one too many characters and one too many plot lines。 I thought this was going to be a badass girl gang taking down a shiesty guy al a "me too" movement。 While that is the main plot， I felt like it got buried between who the girls were hooking up with and their lives at the firm。 It was also a little graphic in the sexual harassment in the beginning。 And I felt hard to sympathize with Bob who was so surprised Dan was this horrible monster even though I just couldn't get into this book。 There were one too many characters and one too many plot lines。 I thought this was going to be a badass girl gang taking down a shiesty guy al a "me too" movement。 While that is the main plot， I felt like it got buried between who the girls were hooking up with and their lives at the firm。 It was also a little graphic in the sexual harassment in the beginning。 And I felt hard to sympathize with Bob who was so surprised Dan was this horrible monster even though he was very vocal about his opinions on women。 Overall it needed to be simplified and focus on the main plot。 Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Nicole
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Great story about strong women in the workplace who find the strength to stand up for themselves。Danielle Steel is a superb writer who never fails to disappoint with her books
Whitney Erwin
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Danielle Steel has never left me down and High Stakes was no different。 This book is based around the sexual harassment， Me too， movement。 It follows several women working together in the same work place。 This book is eye-opening and thought provoking。 I’m the beginning of the book， there were several characters introduced at once and I was worried I was going to have a hard time following them all。 I quickly figured them all out clearly and from them on， it was hard to put the book down。 This b Danielle Steel has never left me down and High Stakes was no different。 This book is based around the sexual harassment， Me too， movement。 It follows several women working together in the same work place。 This book is eye-opening and thought provoking。 I’m the beginning of the book， there were several characters introduced at once and I was worried I was going to have a hard time following them all。 I quickly figured them all out clearly and from them on， it was hard to put the book down。 This book may be triggering for some as it deals with sexual assault and rape。 Fantastic read， overall。 Thank you Net Galley and Random House- Ballantine for an ARC of this book in return for my honest review。 。。。more
Carol
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This was a powerful story， but not an easy read。 There were quite a few characters and all had an important part。 Jealous spouses， children who didn't understand why their mothers worked so much， a boss who intimidated and harrassed sexually the women at the office all made for a story that was hard to read but rewarding。 The author made sure that she gave the women their voices and the boss his just rewards。I got this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review This was a powerful story， but not an easy read。 There were quite a few characters and all had an important part。 Jealous spouses， children who didn't understand why their mothers worked so much， a boss who intimidated and harrassed sexually the women at the office all made for a story that was hard to read but rewarding。 The author made sure that she gave the women their voices and the boss his just rewards。I got this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=High Stakes
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=High Stakes&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,High Stakes&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0