Finding Ashley
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- Create Date：2021-04-16 15:51:13
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Danielle Steel
- ISBN：1984821466
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Summary
Melissa Henderson is leading a quiet life。 Once a bestselling author， she now pours all her energy into renovating a Victorian house nestled in the foothills of rural New England。 Six years ago， she lost her young son to cancer， and her marriage dissolved。 She stopped writing。 It was only when she bought the old house that Melissa found a purpose， and came alive as she made it beautiful again。
After a wildfire that threatens her home appears on the news， Melissa receives a call from her sister， Hattie。 They were close once， but that was before Melissa withdrew from the world。 Now Hattie， who became a nun at twenty-five， is determined to help Melissa turn a new page， even if it means reopening one of the most painful chapters of her life。
At sixteen， a pregnant Melissa was sent to a gloomy convent in Ireland to have— and give up—her baby， to spare the family shame。 All these years later， Hattie feels compelled to embark on a journey that will change both their lives forever， and track down the child Melissa gave up。
Finding Ashley is a masterpiece of contemporary drama and tells a gripping story of the strength of the human spirit to chase an impossible dream。 It is the story of two strong， brave women turning wrenching loss into reconnection， and a family reunited after bringing dark secrets into the light。
After a wildfire that threatens her home appears on the news， Melissa receives a call from her sister， Hattie。 They were close once， but that was before Melissa withdrew from the world。 Now Hattie， who became a nun at twenty-five， is determined to help Melissa turn a new page， even if it means reopening one of the most painful chapters of her life。
At sixteen， a pregnant Melissa was sent to a gloomy convent in Ireland to have— and give up—her baby， to spare the family shame。 All these years later， Hattie feels compelled to embark on a journey that will change both their lives forever， and track down the child Melissa gave up。
Finding Ashley is a masterpiece of contemporary drama and tells a gripping story of the strength of the human spirit to chase an impossible dream。 It is the story of two strong， brave women turning wrenching loss into reconnection， and a family reunited after bringing dark secrets into the light。
Reviews
Linda Leone
，
Finding Ashley starts with Melissa working hard to restore her new home。 She is leading a reclusive life after losing her son to cancer and the breakup of her marriage as a result。 Melissa has never understood why her sister Hattie suddenly became a nun。 They have rarely had contact in many years。 After they begin to reconnect， Hattie sets out on a quest to get answers for Melissa。Many topics are broached in this one。 Among them are adoption， abuse， religion， love， loss and learning to live agai Finding Ashley starts with Melissa working hard to restore her new home。 She is leading a reclusive life after losing her son to cancer and the breakup of her marriage as a result。 Melissa has never understood why her sister Hattie suddenly became a nun。 They have rarely had contact in many years。 After they begin to reconnect， Hattie sets out on a quest to get answers for Melissa。Many topics are broached in this one。 Among them are adoption， abuse， religion， love， loss and learning to live again after much tragedy。 Another good one by Danielle Steel。Thanks to netgalley and Delacorte Press for the arc 。。。more
GiGi Carothers
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This latest Danielle Steel novel is very different from her other novels。 In Finding Ashley， Steel does a great job with developing her characters， especially Melissa。 The story begins with Melissa as a young girl and has her life develop with death of parents， her becoming a mother to her little sister， Hattie， at an early age， to an adult。 Melissa's life has sadness， tragedy， loss of a spouse， child， career and metamorphizes to a completely different person。 I would like to thank netgalley for This latest Danielle Steel novel is very different from her other novels。 In Finding Ashley， Steel does a great job with developing her characters， especially Melissa。 The story begins with Melissa as a young girl and has her life develop with death of parents， her becoming a mother to her little sister， Hattie， at an early age， to an adult。 Melissa's life has sadness， tragedy， loss of a spouse， child， career and metamorphizes to a completely different person。 I would like to thank netgalley for allowing me to read Steel's latest novel before its publication。 Her versatility in writing from romance， historical novels， and women's fiction proves her brilliance as an author。 。。。more
Alex Curtis
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A huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review。 I have a soft place in my heart for Danielle Steel， She has been writing since the 1970's and since than her books have been crazy successful， nearly a billion copies of her novels sold。 I don't think she gets the credit she deserves， in the sense that she is a worker bee and most times her books are good and reliable。 I'm so glad that I read this because I FUCKING hated The Affair， It was the A huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review。 I have a soft place in my heart for Danielle Steel， She has been writing since the 1970's and since than her books have been crazy successful， nearly a billion copies of her novels sold。 I don't think she gets the credit she deserves， in the sense that she is a worker bee and most times her books are good and reliable。 I'm so glad that I read this because I FUCKING hated The Affair， It was the most sexist book and just plain offensive book that I have probably read in a long while。 So when I requested this NetGalley book I was on the fence， because it was grossed out by the affair。 Thankfully I enjoyed this book。I liked this one， I thought it was a nice read about some hard and emotional subjects。 this book reminded me allot of Once in a lifetime and Kaleidoscope and Blue。。。 All 3 Danielle Steel books。 Here are the positives : - Hattie was a lovely character。 I really enjoyed her development。 -I loved the doubt in the book that Hattie faces if god is real？ is it all a lie to control people？ How can you love your religion when it has so badly fucked over someone you love？ I LOVED that Danielle Steel is talking about it。 Danielle Steel really kinda took a risk of calling out the catholic church and I loved every minute of it。 -I really Enjoyed Michaela Ashley she really was a cool person and I loved that she wasn't a model or actress， she was a social worker with 2 kids。 - Even though I didn't love Norm， I enjoyed the slow and gradual progression of Norm and Melissa。 Danielle Steel sometimes introduces love interest in the last 50 or so pages， I am so happy that this wasn't the case in this one。- I loved that Danielle Steel tried and I think successfully wrote about the Me too Scandal。。 It was effective and very nicely done。 Here are my complaints : - Does she get paid by designers？ She really LOVES to mention Chanel and Hermes in pretty much book。。 in this book isn't really relevant。。 - VERY repetitive in the beginning of the book， I almost lost my cool at reading about prickly Melissa was。。 Or how she only needed her home and didn't needed anything else or anyone else。 I don't know if Danielle Steel forgot what she just wrote or Danielle steel thinks her readers have Alzheimer's？- The story was good and was definitely addictive， But it could be much better。。 When Hattie went around the world to search for Melissa's child。。 There wasn't much of a search。。 It would have been much more gripping for the reader， If hattie， searched and searched and she couldn't find anyone and then finally she found her daughter。 I hate to add triggers because they are often spoilers but at the same time， sometimes hard issues are dealt with in realistic ways in novels。。 tw: terminal illness， child death， extreme grief， cheating， parental death， alcoholism， toxic relationships， arson， forced adoption， use of word Indian， rape （graphic description）， cohesion of sexual acts， helicopter crash resulting in death 。。。more
Michelle
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After Melissa suffered the devastating loss of her son along with the end of her marriage， she escapes to New England。 She absorbs herself into restoring an old Victorian house。 When she almost loses it to a wildfire， her sister， who she hasn't seen for six years reaches out to her。 When they start to heal their relationship， secrets that have been buried suddenly resurface。 As they realize life is short， while some people are taken away， others are brought into your life。 This is a great book a After Melissa suffered the devastating loss of her son along with the end of her marriage， she escapes to New England。 She absorbs herself into restoring an old Victorian house。 When she almost loses it to a wildfire， her sister， who she hasn't seen for six years reaches out to her。 When they start to heal their relationship， secrets that have been buried suddenly resurface。 As they realize life is short， while some people are taken away， others are brought into your life。 This is a great book about two sisters that are able to overcome their past to realize and look forward to their future。 。。。more
Donnajo
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I voluntarily read a advanced readers copy of this book for a honest opinion。 Finding Ashley by Danielle Steel。 Not my favorite book by author but still good。 A storyline of family issues， coming together， sadness， and family secrets。
Christy Martin
，
When the heroine of Finding Ashley loses her son to brain cancer it also recks her marriage and causes her to retreat from life。 Her only peace comes from the restoration of an old victorian home， purchased after she leaves New York and retreats to a home in the mountains。 Formerly a best-selling author， she finds herself alone and learning new skills as she methodically works to bring her home back to its former glory。 A visit with her sister， a nun sets off a series of events that results in t When the heroine of Finding Ashley loses her son to brain cancer it also recks her marriage and causes her to retreat from life。 Her only peace comes from the restoration of an old victorian home， purchased after she leaves New York and retreats to a home in the mountains。 Formerly a best-selling author， she finds herself alone and learning new skills as she methodically works to bring her home back to its former glory。 A visit with her sister， a nun sets off a series of events that results in the reconciliation of emotions and people from her past。 It also starts a process of healing and restoration of her soul as well as her home。 Like most books written by Danielle Steele， this one explores personal tragedy， redemption， and ends positively。 Like others of her books， it is an entertaining read， restorative， uplifting， and relaxing。 Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review #NetGalley#FindingAshley。 。。。more
Kathleen Gray
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Family looms large in this latest from Steele。 Melissa lost and gave up everything six years ago when her 10 year old son died- her marriage， her career as a writer， her home。 Now resettled and working on her house， she's starting to come back to life but when a wildfire prompts a tv crew to interview her- an interview seem by her estranged sister Hattie， a nun。 Hattie knows something about Melissa and she's determined to help her heal by helping her to find the daughter she gave birth to when s Family looms large in this latest from Steele。 Melissa lost and gave up everything six years ago when her 10 year old son died- her marriage， her career as a writer， her home。 Now resettled and working on her house， she's starting to come back to life but when a wildfire prompts a tv crew to interview her- an interview seem by her estranged sister Hattie， a nun。 Hattie knows something about Melissa and she's determined to help her heal by helping her to find the daughter she gave birth to when she was 16。 These two very different women work their way through a system not inclined to help in order to well， find Ashley。 There are some slightly grim and very sad scenes here but Steele fans know there will be a happy ending beyond the reconciliation between Hattie and Melissa。 Thanks to netgalley for the ARC。 A good read。 。。。more
Paulette
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Thank you Netgalley and Publisher Random House-Ballantine for an advanced copy of this book。 The comments and review are my honest opinion。Sisters， Melissa and Hattie did not have a happy childhood and are now estranged。 The years especially have not been kind to Melissa。 She became pregnant at 16 and was forced to go to Ireland to have her baby and give it up for adoption。 Now in her 40’s she is divorced having lost her 10 year old son from cancer。 She is bitter， a recluse and almost blinded by Thank you Netgalley and Publisher Random House-Ballantine for an advanced copy of this book。 The comments and review are my honest opinion。Sisters， Melissa and Hattie did not have a happy childhood and are now estranged。 The years especially have not been kind to Melissa。 She became pregnant at 16 and was forced to go to Ireland to have her baby and give it up for adoption。 Now in her 40’s she is divorced having lost her 10 year old son from cancer。 She is bitter， a recluse and almost blinded by the grief of losing her son and having to give up her daughter at birth。 Melissa is also resentful of her sister Hattie and doesn’t understand why she would give up a chance to be a star in Hollywood， only to give it up to become a nun。 A story of disheartening memories but also second chances and finding the reason to become loving sisters again。 。。。more
Melissa
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Danielle Steel was my first favorite author。 I keep coming back to her books year after year because they are like a warm trip home。 I always know I am going to come away with a story that has warmed my heart and brought me through a host of emotions。 In true Danielle fashion Finding Ashley tells the story of Melissa Stevens， a famous author， who leaves it all behind after a tragic event in her life。 She finds a way to move on and heal in the Berkshires while fixing up an old Victorian house。 Th Danielle Steel was my first favorite author。 I keep coming back to her books year after year because they are like a warm trip home。 I always know I am going to come away with a story that has warmed my heart and brought me through a host of emotions。 In true Danielle fashion Finding Ashley tells the story of Melissa Stevens， a famous author， who leaves it all behind after a tragic event in her life。 She finds a way to move on and heal in the Berkshires while fixing up an old Victorian house。 The twists and turns that come along during the journey to find Ashley will make you stay up all night reading。 Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Dana Wright
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Finding Ashley by Danielle Steel is another one of her amazing books。 I found myself wondering how much of the story is based on fact。
Jamie Shell
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Thanks to NetGalley for an arc copy for a honest review。 From her first books， I’ve always love Danielle Steel。 Her writing her books have family tragedy and hope and in the end things seem to work out for the best。 Finding Ashley is a stories about a mother who thought she lost it all it’s beautifully written。
Nancy
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Thank you NetGalley， Danielle Steel and Random House for the ARC of Finding Ashley。 This is my personal review。Melissa and Hattie are sisters who have each taken a different path in their lives。 The trauma’s the sisters dealt with have given them situations in life that are extremely hard to deal with。 Melissa and Hattie were estranged for years but came together to heal the wounds that kept them apart。 Each sister had secrets they wanted to tell each other and during this Melissa told Hattie ab Thank you NetGalley， Danielle Steel and Random House for the ARC of Finding Ashley。 This is my personal review。Melissa and Hattie are sisters who have each taken a different path in their lives。 The trauma’s the sisters dealt with have given them situations in life that are extremely hard to deal with。 Melissa and Hattie were estranged for years but came together to heal the wounds that kept them apart。 Each sister had secrets they wanted to tell each other and during this Melissa told Hattie about the baby she had given birth to and that their Mother made her give the baby up。Hattie knew she had to see if she could find the baby to help Melissa heal。 The book has many intertwining story lines that fit together perfectly to tell the story of the two sisters。Again Danielle Steel writes a novel that kept me hooked from the first to the last word。 。。。more
Renee Hall
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This is my first time reading this author and I enjoyed the story。 I'll definitely be checking out Danielle Steel's other titles also！ The cover art drew me in right away！Thank you Net Galley for allowing MW to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review！ This is my first time reading this author and I enjoyed the story。 I'll definitely be checking out Danielle Steel's other titles also！ The cover art drew me in right away！Thank you Net Galley for allowing MW to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review！ 。。。more
Bobbi Wagner
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I enjoyed this book。 This is an emotional story about reconnecting and dark family secrets。 This is a well written story about a woman who has suffered lose only to have a wildfire add to her lose。 As her sister comes to help her turn a new life， things start to be uncovered。 Will they find a closeness they once had？ I enjoyed the characters in this story。 They brought the story to life and brought a ton of emotion as well。 They truly made the story for me。 I highly recommend this book and this I enjoyed this book。 This is an emotional story about reconnecting and dark family secrets。 This is a well written story about a woman who has suffered lose only to have a wildfire add to her lose。 As her sister comes to help her turn a new life， things start to be uncovered。 Will they find a closeness they once had？ I enjoyed the characters in this story。 They brought the story to life and brought a ton of emotion as well。 They truly made the story for me。 I highly recommend this book and this author。 。。。more
Nancy
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I love Danielle Steel。 This was not my favorite of her books。 It was depressing and sad。 I felt bad for all of the characters。 They struggled and had troubles added to troubles。 Things ended up Ok， as expected in a book written by Danielle Steel， but I almost didn’t get to the end。 Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC。 The opinion is my own。
Diane
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When I need a sweet read that doesn't require a lot from me， I always turn to Danielle Steel。 Her books always entertain me and I always get connected with the characters very easily。 This was not an exception。 Danielle did not disappoint my need for a quick， easy read that enchanted me。 I loved the relationship between Melissa and her boyfriend--it was so sweet。 The relationship between Melissa and her sister was so wonderfully developed。 It was a wonderful read。 This book was given to me as an When I need a sweet read that doesn't require a lot from me， I always turn to Danielle Steel。 Her books always entertain me and I always get connected with the characters very easily。 This was not an exception。 Danielle did not disappoint my need for a quick， easy read that enchanted me。 I loved the relationship between Melissa and her boyfriend--it was so sweet。 The relationship between Melissa and her sister was so wonderfully developed。 It was a wonderful read。 This book was given to me as an ARC from Netgalley。com in trade for my honest review。 It is worth the read！ 。。。more
Gail Herrmann
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Not sure how Danielle Steel does it！ She writes so many books， each with very， very different storylines。。 This story touches on the Me too movement， Hollywood， the Catholic church， adoption and more。 What an imagination！ This story is based on two sisters and the different directions that their lives take them。 Childhood dysfunction and trauma。 A story of how people come and go in our lives。 Being functional after heart break， being open to change and acceptance and ultimately to happiness， Ple Not sure how Danielle Steel does it！ She writes so many books， each with very， very different storylines。。 This story touches on the Me too movement， Hollywood， the Catholic church， adoption and more。 What an imagination！ This story is based on two sisters and the different directions that their lives take them。 Childhood dysfunction and trauma。 A story of how people come and go in our lives。 Being functional after heart break， being open to change and acceptance and ultimately to happiness， Please keep writing these engaging stories！ Thanks to net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and arc in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
ʚϊɞ Shelley's ʚϊɞ Book Nook
，
2。5 StarsI really liked the plot if this book。 The finding your adopted child trope is one I usually enjoy， especially when it involves the churches in the UK or Ireland like this one did。 This is one of Miss Steel's better of her recent books but comes no where close to her older stuff。 I found this really repetitive， especially the first chapters。 And the writing itself was a little bland。Overall an ok read and I have to remind myself that the author is chugging these out on a we 2。5 StarsI really liked the plot if this book。 The finding your adopted child trope is one I usually enjoy， especially when it involves the churches in the UK or Ireland like this one did。 This is one of Miss Steel's better of her recent books but comes no where close to her older stuff。 I found this really repetitive， especially the first chapters。 And the writing itself was a little bland。Overall an ok read and I have to remind myself that the author is chugging these out on a weekly basis and I so wish Danielle Steel would focus on quality and not quantity。 I also really wish half stars were a thing。Disclosure:Thank you NetGalley， Danielle Steel and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine - Delacorte Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review; all opinions are my own。#FindingAshley #NetGalley 。。。more
Jennifer Rumack
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I feel terrible。 I love Danielle Steel's books - I have for decades！ I always request the ARC and feel excited every time I get one。 This book was not for me。 It is ultimately the story of two sisters who become estranged over choices that were made in their youth。 As they age and experience the ups and downs of life， they find each other again。 This is when the story really begins - The younger sister is set to search for a baby that her sister was forced to give away as a teen。 I don't want to I feel terrible。 I love Danielle Steel's books - I have for decades！ I always request the ARC and feel excited every time I get one。 This book was not for me。 It is ultimately the story of two sisters who become estranged over choices that were made in their youth。 As they age and experience the ups and downs of life， they find each other again。 This is when the story really begins - The younger sister is set to search for a baby that her sister was forced to give away as a teen。 I don't want to give any spoilers here but this book is very repetitive and quite cliche。 There were many times that I wondered if DS had actually written this book。 This story could have been finished in 100 pages。。。。 。。。more
Natalie Reeves
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Danielle Steel's "Finding Ashley" focuses on a woman named Melissa who has hidden herself away in a fixer-upper home in the woods to escape her grief from the loss of her son。 She has walked away from her marriage， her life in the city， and a successful career as a novelist because she can't bear the memories of the son she lost。It seems that Melissa is doomed to a life of depression until her sister， a nun， challenges her own beliefs to help Melissa track down the daughter she was forced to giv Danielle Steel's "Finding Ashley" focuses on a woman named Melissa who has hidden herself away in a fixer-upper home in the woods to escape her grief from the loss of her son。 She has walked away from her marriage， her life in the city， and a successful career as a novelist because she can't bear the memories of the son she lost。It seems that Melissa is doomed to a life of depression until her sister， a nun， challenges her own beliefs to help Melissa track down the daughter she was forced to give up for adoption。 Along the way， a number of contemporary issues are explored， from issues with the Catholic Church to the "Me Too" movement。 Steel fans will root for Melissa and her sister to find happiness。 Some readers may not enjoy the storyline involving the Catholic Church。 This book presents a few twists and turns along the way and is an easy read。 Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a galley in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Laura
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Finding Ashley is about 2 sisters dealing with the hardships that they were dealt early in life。 Melissa found herself pregnant at age 16 and was forced by her parents to go to a convent in Ireland to have the baby and then give it up for adoption。 A few years after returning home， her parents died and she was responsible for her younger sister， Hannah。 Without summarizing further， there are many subjects touched upon in this novel: corruption， in The Church， sexual abuse， dealing with the death Finding Ashley is about 2 sisters dealing with the hardships that they were dealt early in life。 Melissa found herself pregnant at age 16 and was forced by her parents to go to a convent in Ireland to have the baby and then give it up for adoption。 A few years after returning home， her parents died and she was responsible for her younger sister， Hannah。 Without summarizing further， there are many subjects touched upon in this novel: corruption， in The Church， sexual abuse， dealing with the death of one's child， locating and find a child who was given up for adoption， and moving forward in life when dealing with adversity。 I wish that Ms。 Steel had focused on one or two of these topics instead of lightly dealing with so many。 I wanted to know more about The Roman Catholic Church's role in adoptions。 At times， the story was slow and repetitive。 All in all a good read！ Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC！ 。。。more
Karen Axnick
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Danielle Steel is a master storyteller and this book underlines the reasons for that title。 I have read many of her previous novels and rank this one among her best。 Melissa Henderson was a successful author living in New York City with her literary agent husband and ten year old son。 Then the unspeakable happens – her son dies of an inoperable brain tumor – and her life is shattered。 Melissa is so traumatized that she withdraws from everyone， including her husband， and everything。 Escaping to t Danielle Steel is a master storyteller and this book underlines the reasons for that title。 I have read many of her previous novels and rank this one among her best。 Melissa Henderson was a successful author living in New York City with her literary agent husband and ten year old son。 Then the unspeakable happens – her son dies of an inoperable brain tumor – and her life is shattered。 Melissa is so traumatized that she withdraws from everyone， including her husband， and everything。 Escaping to the Berkshires in Massachusetts， she finds solace in restoring a Victorian house。 From her perspective， her career is over – her inspiration and love of writing died along with beloved son。 A wildfire threatens her home and proves to be the catalyst that reconnects Melissa to her estranged sister， Hattie， and deepens her relationship with her contractor， Norm。Melissa’s life history is a tortuous one。 Her childhood was dominated by a critical mother and an alcoholic father。 At the tender age of sixteen， she became pregnant and was shipped off to a convent in Ireland where her newborn daughter was cruelly ripped away and “sold” to a wealthy American couple。 Melissa’s attempts to locate her daughter were for naught when she discovered that the birth and adoption records were destroyed in a cover-up by the Catholic Church。 Melissa shares her long-held secret with her sister who， out of compassion for her sibling’s dual loss， undertakes a mission to find the child。 The only clues are the name “Ashley” and that the adoptive parents were American。 The storyline includes many current issues that are handled with a deft hand and great empathy。 These included teen pregnancy， adoption， grief management， divorce， and sexual abuse。 This is a redemptive tale on several levels of two strong female protagonists who are temporarily knocked off course， but find their way back to meaningful lives through love and forgiveness…of self and others。 The primary characters are well-developed and engaging and the supporting “cast” were believable and relevant。 I found myself drawn into the story and identifying with the emotions of Melissa and Hattie。 This is the best of drama without deteriorating into melodrama。 It ends on a beautiful philosophical insight that honors both the wounding and the healing of these women。The only criticism I have is that the cover is misleading。 The story unfolds 33 years after the adoption， so the young girl pictured on the cover is inconsistent with the book’s content。 A very minor point。My thanks to the author， Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine， Delacorte Press， and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing a digital ARC in exchange for an independent， honest review。 。。。more
Kathleen
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Melissa Henderson was sixteen when her mother forced her to give up her daughter for adoption。 She was sent to a bleak convent in Ireland to have her baby and left two weeks after giving birth。 All she knew was that the child was called Ashley and would have a loving family in America。Fast forward to the present。 Melissa rebuilt her life， married， had a son and was a successful， best selling actor。 But tragedy struck and， at the age of ten， her son died from a brain tumor。 She and her husband di Melissa Henderson was sixteen when her mother forced her to give up her daughter for adoption。 She was sent to a bleak convent in Ireland to have her baby and left two weeks after giving birth。 All she knew was that the child was called Ashley and would have a loving family in America。Fast forward to the present。 Melissa rebuilt her life， married， had a son and was a successful， best selling actor。 But tragedy struck and， at the age of ten， her son died from a brain tumor。 She and her husband divorced and she has been living a lonely， hermit-like life in the Berkshires， renovating her old house。 Although she has been estranged from her sister Hattie for years， after a forest fire threatens her home and her life， Hattie reaches out to Melissa。 Hattie is a nun and Melissa is her only family。 After their meeting， when Hattie understands how devastating the Ireland experience was for her sister， she decides to search for Ashley herself。 The search takes her from Ireland to California as she follows her own intuition and vague clues。 Meanwhile Melissa slowly becomes less solitary and is tempted by a new relationship。In Finding Ashley， Melissa and Hattie also find themselves。 They begin to understand the reasons behind the life choices that they have made and， as they do， their relationship is strengthened。 Danielle Steel writes beautiful fairy tales。 You know that everything will end well and along the way， there will be gorgeous homes， meals and clothing。 It’s escapist， readable and always satisfying。 5 stars。Thank you to NetGalley， Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and Danielle Steel for this ARC。 。。。more
Ramya Abhinand
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Read the complete review here : https://www。meotherwise。com/danielle-。。。Finding Ashley is a contemporary drama of two strong women。 It displays the strength of the human spirit and how it can go to any length to chase something that seems to be impossible。 It touches on the universal spiritual thought that when God closes one door he opens the other。 Danielle steel has put in all her energy and focuses on Melissa the protagonist。 You can feel her pain as you read about her abusive childhood。 Muc Read the complete review here : https://www。meotherwise。com/danielle-。。。Finding Ashley is a contemporary drama of two strong women。 It displays the strength of the human spirit and how it can go to any length to chase something that seems to be impossible。 It touches on the universal spiritual thought that when God closes one door he opens the other。 Danielle steel has put in all her energy and focuses on Melissa the protagonist。 You can feel her pain as you read about her abusive childhood。 Much as the plot may seem to be fairly simple and straightforward， the complexities in the relationships are well portrayed。 Don’t expect any twists and turns in the plot thought， rather I would say， expect the expected。 The pace of the plat may seem to be slow initially， but it picks up over the course of the book。 It’s a Danielle Steel so expect it to have oodles of teary moments。 A remarkable read though， I must say; emotional to the core。 。。。more
Madoka Kamimura Mason
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We meet Melissa Henderson as she is working on her house in the Berkshire mountains in Massachusetts for the past four years。 She is good with being in the country away from her former life in New York and away from the people around her ever since her son died and her husband left。 Four years ago she also left behind a successful career in publishing。 She has also pushed her sister Hattie away every since she left Hollywood and became a nun。 Melissa is fine with relying on herself and keeping h We meet Melissa Henderson as she is working on her house in the Berkshire mountains in Massachusetts for the past four years。 She is good with being in the country away from her former life in New York and away from the people around her ever since her son died and her husband left。 Four years ago she also left behind a successful career in publishing。 She has also pushed her sister Hattie away every since she left Hollywood and became a nun。 Melissa is fine with relying on herself and keeping herself busy with her house and keeping most of the people in town at a distance except when she needs advice about her house。 Her supporters are Phil who owns the hardware store and her contractor， Norm。 After a fire comes close to burning down her house， she gets a call from her sister。 She goes to see the trial of the arsonist who set the fire on purpose and finding out that not only was he just a child， but also the conditions of his life makes her start to think about her own life and how drastically it could have changed had they not had each other。 It prompts her to invite her sister for a visit。 During this visit， truths come out which sets into motion a series of events that changes the lives of both sisters forever。 Each sister goes on a personal mission to learn the truth about things from their past hoping for it to heal enough to bring them back to each other again and lay the past to rest。Danielle Steel always manages to bring complexity to her characters and we find many layers to her characters。 They are not always what they first appear to be and you find out more about them as you start peeling away the layers。 What events from their past formed who Hattie and Melissa are today？ Will letting them out and finding out the truths help them， or would it just have them relive the past and bring up more pain？ Will they be able to move forward enough to let others in and create a brighter future？ Going on a journey with these sisters kept me turning the page to see what they learned and what would happen to them。 I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。 I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine， Delacorte Press for this privilege。 。。。more
Melanie
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I am a big Danielle Steel fan and have read many of her books but this one stands out from her usual books to me。 I love how this one was written and how Danielle Steel poured her heart into these characters。 Such a great read once again！Melissa Henderson has had a great career as a best-selling author but when her 10 year old son gets cancer and ends up dying， everything changes for her。 Melissa can't put anything into her marriage anymore and her husband ends up filling for a divorce。 Melissa I am a big Danielle Steel fan and have read many of her books but this one stands out from her usual books to me。 I love how this one was written and how Danielle Steel poured her heart into these characters。 Such a great read once again！Melissa Henderson has had a great career as a best-selling author but when her 10 year old son gets cancer and ends up dying， everything changes for her。 Melissa can't put anything into her marriage anymore and her husband ends up filling for a divorce。 Melissa decides to move and buys a house that takes up most of her time now。 Melissa keeps herself busy by renovating the home。 When a wildfire threatens her home and it ends up on the news， her sister Hattie calls to check on her。 Melissa and Hattie have lost touch。 Their parents' died at an early age and Melissa being the older one ended up taking care of Hattie and raising her。 When Hattie decided that she was going to become a nun， Melissa got upset and hasn't really talked to her sister much since then。 There are reasons that Melissa doesn't care for nun's。 Melissa and Hattie end up reconnecting and Hattie visits Melissa at her new home。 Hattie knew that her sister had gotten pregnant at an early age but she did not know all the details。 Hattie makes up her mind that she has to find the child that Melissa gave up when she was 16 years old。 Melissa feels that she has nothing left really to live for and if Hattie could find that child， maybe， just maybe she would be able to help her sister have more hope to live for something。 The journey that Hattie takes is one that will cause her to re-evaluate her beliefs and what she is doing in her own life。 Will she find the child that Melissa gave up（or had to give up） all those years ago？ You will be drawn into this story from the beginning and won't want to put it down until you are done。 A great read that had lots of heart in it！I voluntarily read and reviewed this book and all opinions are my own。 Thanks to Netgalley， the publisher and the author for an advanced copy of this book。 。。。more
Barbara Schultz
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This is my 42nd Danielle Steel novel。 My first was “The Promise” back in 1977; I was a big Danielle Steel fan and could not wait until her next novel was release。 However， I now am more selective not the annual reads as “back in the day”。 It seems the stories were soo similar， or perhaps my reading taste has changed。 Psychological thrillers are now my typical “Go to” novels。 。I still have a soft spot for Ms。 Steels stories as there have been some recent gems such as "The Dark Side|" as well as ‘ This is my 42nd Danielle Steel novel。 My first was “The Promise” back in 1977; I was a big Danielle Steel fan and could not wait until her next novel was release。 However， I now am more selective not the annual reads as “back in the day”。 It seems the stories were soo similar， or perhaps my reading taste has changed。 Psychological thrillers are now my typical “Go to” novels。 。I still have a soft spot for Ms。 Steels stories as there have been some recent gems such as "The Dark Side|" as well as ‘The Neighbors”。 In this story the main character Melissa Henderson is a middle aged author， grieving mother， and recently divorcee and is trying to heal by staying in seclusion and renovating her 100 year old Victorian farm country home。 She gets a call from her sister Hattie， who is a nun living a religious life in a convent。 These two have not communicated with each other in years。 Years ago ~ 33 to be exact… Melissa got pregnant at 16， her parents put her in a convent where she would have her baby and give up for adoption ~ （thus the finding Ashley）。 Controversy is that the nuns sold the “Adoptive Babies” for large amounts of money and not as a chartable thing！。Hattie is concerned not so much about injustices done but she is willing for help find her niece。As a mom of two adoptive daughters， this story got my attention。 Neither my husband nor I ever hid the fact that our daughters were adopted and told them as much as we knew ~ which wasn’t a lot！Story is okay not one of the “gems’ I mentioned earlier。 Nor an “epic” story！ But is okay！！Want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine for this early release granted to me for an honest professional review。 Opinions expressed in this review are my own。Publishing Release Date scheduled for April 27， 2021 。。。more
Sarah Carper
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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。 While Danielle Steel has become one of of my auto read authors， I haven’t enjoyed some of her more recent releases as much as some of her older books。 This story， Finding Ashley， changed that for me。 I was drawn into this story in ways I haven’t been with Steel’s books in such a long time！ In this book， we follow two sisters on their paths to reconciliations and jo 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。 While Danielle Steel has become one of of my auto read authors， I haven’t enjoyed some of her more recent releases as much as some of her older books。 This story， Finding Ashley， changed that for me。 I was drawn into this story in ways I haven’t been with Steel’s books in such a long time！ In this book， we follow two sisters on their paths to reconciliations and journey to finding who they really are。 So much is revealed to them in this book。 I loved the characters in this story， and I felt for them so much as they were dealing with all that happened to them。 I felt as if I really knew them and were sympathizing with them。 This was such a good read！ 。。。more
Debbie Ballard
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Loved reading the amazing and engaging story written by outstanding， phenomenal author， Danielle Steel。 When Melissa's son died of cancer six years ago， her life， marriage， and writing career ended， and her whole life's focus was renovating a house for herself。 When Melissa was 16 years old and pregnant， her parents sent her away to give birth to her daughter and give her baby away。 Even though all of the records have been burned， Melissa's sister， Hattie， a nun， wants to try to find out what ha Loved reading the amazing and engaging story written by outstanding， phenomenal author， Danielle Steel。 When Melissa's son died of cancer six years ago， her life， marriage， and writing career ended， and her whole life's focus was renovating a house for herself。 When Melissa was 16 years old and pregnant， her parents sent her away to give birth to her daughter and give her baby away。 Even though all of the records have been burned， Melissa's sister， Hattie， a nun， wants to try to find out what happened to Melissa's daughter。 Read the highly recommended and wonderfully written with engaging characters and a riveting storyline filled with forgiveness， heartbreak， mystery， and love。I reviewed a copy of the book through NetGalley。 。。。more
Sparklin
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Absolutely loved this book。 Melissa， is one tough lady。 After one tragedy and a failed marriage。 She distances herself from others。 Thinking that renovating a house。 Will keep her occupied。 Until one horrible fire threatens her well being。 She lets bygones go and makes contact with her sister。 While visiting with her sister she lets something slip。 Hattie， takes it upon herself to do one good deed for her sister。 With that one decision， the sisters come full circle。 Lies， secrets and decisions w Absolutely loved this book。 Melissa， is one tough lady。 After one tragedy and a failed marriage。 She distances herself from others。 Thinking that renovating a house。 Will keep her occupied。 Until one horrible fire threatens her well being。 She lets bygones go and makes contact with her sister。 While visiting with her sister she lets something slip。 Hattie， takes it upon herself to do one good deed for her sister。 With that one decision， the sisters come full circle。 Lies， secrets and decisions will help the sisters to become a unit once again。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Finding Ashley
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Finding Ashley&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Finding Ashley&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0