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kaciemarie's review against another edition
1.0
I usually like Danielle Steel novels, but this one was tough to get through. The main character is one of those fantasy women: beautiful but doesn't try hard, rich but doesn't care about money, talented beyond belief but humble, she's never hungry and only ever eats SOUP (I wish I had counted the number of times she ate soup...). It feels like Hope is being carried through the story by the whims of the men around her. I think the author was going for a strong female type but that did not come across at all. And the way she talks about India healing her feels more than a little...uncomfortable. Combine that with the way she describes going to Harlem to photograph the children and I think you catch my drift. Hope is privileged to say the least. Terrible things happen to her. But very rarely in this story does it feel she has any agency over her life. But she does eat a lot of soup.
meangreengurl08's review against another edition
2.0
I've figured out why Danielle Steel's books are so long...she repeats things over and OVER! I will admit that this is the first book of hers that I've read. My mother-in-law was done reading it and included it in a bag for our garage sale items. The plot sounded interesting, and I figured that bestselling authors are popular for good reason. Romance novels aren't the first books I'll pick up, but I do enjoy them (although Nicholas Sparks is my jam). Soon after I started reading, I thought I was going crazy and had to reread the previous paragraph to make sure I wasn't imagining the extreme repetition. And this isn't a one-off...it's throughout the entire book! SMH. Her editor must've been half-asleep!
Aside from that annoyance, the story had potential to be great. However, I couldn't relate to Hope at all. She's simply not likeable. Before she met Finn, she sounded like she was a strong, independent, intelligent woman. But once she was even slightly attracted to him, she was unbelievably naive and indecisive about her situation. She acknowledged the red flags as they came...and then promptly ignored them. A professional acquaintance you JUST met stalks you to randomly show up at your home, and you brush it off?? That alone would've done it for me! I understand that people can be blind when in love, but they weren't even romantically involved at that point. Hope's intuition is drunk! Rule #1 for writing novels: develop a likeable and relatable protagonist. If your reader can't empathize with and cheer your protagonist on, all hope is lost (no pun intended, lol).
Not to mention, Finn wasn't even a likeable love interest. I didn't find him that charming, even in the beginning. From Hope's thoughts, it seems she stayed as long as she did for the awesome sex (and companionship). That's really all Finn had going for him! It was lust, not love. She would rather be with an abusive, mentally ill liar than be alone. Also, a sociopath wouldn't let go of a target that easy; I kept waiting for him to stalk her again after she made her escape (FINALLY).
I kept reading because I wanted to know exactly what happened, although it's overall fairly predictable. The synopsis tells you all you need to know: two successful people fall in "love" in an Irish estate, and one is crazy. The end!
Is it safe to say I won't be reading Danielle Steel again? Terrible writing, lacking character development, and just unrealistic storyline. I wish I would've read some of the bad reviews beforehand! I do see from some of her fans that this book is apparently "off" for her, but I'd rather stick with more of the authors I know and love. I gave her a chance, but I clearly don't see the appeal AT ALL. And I rarely give reviews this bad.
Aside from that annoyance, the story had potential to be great. However, I couldn't relate to Hope at all. She's simply not likeable. Before she met Finn, she sounded like she was a strong, independent, intelligent woman. But once she was even slightly attracted to him, she was unbelievably naive and indecisive about her situation. She acknowledged the red flags as they came...and then promptly ignored them. A professional acquaintance you JUST met stalks you to randomly show up at your home, and you brush it off?? That alone would've done it for me! I understand that people can be blind when in love, but they weren't even romantically involved at that point. Hope's intuition is drunk! Rule #1 for writing novels: develop a likeable and relatable protagonist. If your reader can't empathize with and cheer your protagonist on, all hope is lost (no pun intended, lol).
Not to mention, Finn wasn't even a likeable love interest. I didn't find him that charming, even in the beginning. From Hope's thoughts, it seems she stayed as long as she did for the awesome sex (and companionship). That's really all Finn had going for him! It was lust, not love. She would rather be with an abusive, mentally ill liar than be alone. Also, a sociopath wouldn't let go of a target that easy; I kept waiting for him to stalk her again after she made her escape (FINALLY).
I kept reading because I wanted to know exactly what happened, although it's overall fairly predictable. The synopsis tells you all you need to know: two successful people fall in "love" in an Irish estate, and one is crazy. The end!
Is it safe to say I won't be reading Danielle Steel again? Terrible writing, lacking character development, and just unrealistic storyline. I wish I would've read some of the bad reviews beforehand! I do see from some of her fans that this book is apparently "off" for her, but I'd rather stick with more of the authors I know and love. I gave her a chance, but I clearly don't see the appeal AT ALL. And I rarely give reviews this bad.
tcole7's review against another edition
5.0
This is a bit darker love story than what Steel has wrote in the past, but I loved it. Great book!
ashezbookz's review against another edition
3.0
I think this book is a good way to get yourself very angry. I stayed mad throughout the entire book! The writing style was different than what I'm used to as well, I came off of two books that were all first person so having random other peoples thoughts mixed in with Hopes was confusing at first. Was eye opening though my aunt wanted me to read it as we have a relative that married someone like this, not on this big of a scale though it's still quite disgusting to read her thoughts as she goes through it. Have something to punch handy, or someone to yell at! I called my aunt constantly to yell at her for making me read the book, although I did enjoy it in the end ;P
divinereader's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.5
pilateschick's review against another edition
3.0
Some language and mild sexual scenes, but a good look at how an intelligent, confident woman can be deceived by a sociopath.
booklover4887's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
cipock's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was not one of my favorites from DS. There are so many red flags that Hope was actually annoying me so much in this book. It was just OK. I LOVED almost every DS book that I read, but this one just wasn't enjoyable for me.