Finding Ashley, Danielle Steel

Finding Ashley – Synopsis by Diane-Lyn:

Finding Ashley is a story of love, loss and hope.

At sixteen and pregnant, Melissa was sent away to a convent and forced to give up her baby girl for adoption. In the years that followed, she never stopped wondering what happened to her daughter.

Years later, Melissa is an accomplished author, happily married, and the mother of a little boy. But when her young son, Robbie, is diagnosed with cancer and dies two years later, Melissa’s world shatters once again. Unable to cope with losing two children, she shuts down. Her once strong marriage crumbles, she stops writing and relocates to a remote New England town in order to isolate from the world. Her sister, Hattie, longs to give Melissa some peace and goes on a mission to find her long lost daughter; a mission that would change all of their lives forever.

Review by Diane-Lyn:

I have mixed feelings about this one. Finding Ashley was my first Danielle Steel novel and honestly, I’m disappointed. I expected so much more, but this just fell flat for me. I’ll start with the positives. There are certainly elements of Finding Ashley that were intriguing and moving. As a mother, I was gripped by Melissa’s losses and found her response to them equally heart-wrenching, yet understandable.  I also loved Steel’s candid portrayal of the Catholic Church’s adoption “baby mills” in the 1980’s, and her tackling of other real life issues in our world today; alcoholism, toxic families, rape, child death, deception, the #MeToo movement. These issues were intertwined smoothly and the story line flowed well.

All in all, this novel had so much potential; much of which was lost in a highly predictable chain of events leading to unrealistic outcomes. The book offered no big surprises, no shockers, no “punch”.  I lost interest after the first few chapters when I figured out the ending (and I was right). Then everything fell into place a little too quickly, and much too smoothly. To me, the characters were unrelatable and it felt like watching an episode of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous instead of reading a novel about motherhood and loss. Huge Victorian houses, Chanel sweaters, flawless faces and perfect figures were all just a bit much. I liked Michaela’s character, but she, too, was too perfect and unscathed. Her character was so central to the plot, but very underdeveloped. I wanted to see her portrayed deeply and meaningfully; but it never got beneath the surface. The only character who felt somewhat “real” to me was Hattie. I did enjoy watching her develop and come to terms with her own past, but it wasn’t enough, Overall, the novel felt superficial, the characters lacked depth, and the outcomes seemed contrived. Danielle Steel is a highly successful writer and I wanted to love her, but Finding Ashley just didn’t grab me as I had hoped.

***If you want to give Finding Ashley a try, click this link (Amazon) to order your copy (or download for Kindle). This is an affiliate link, which only means that when you click the link and purchase the book, I receive a tiny commission at no additional cost to you. Happy reading!