#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Danielle Steel tells a riveting story of the dark side of motherhood.Zoe Morgan’s childhood was marked by her younger sister’s tragic illness, watching as her parents dedicated themselves completely to her final days and then divorced. As a young woman driven by these painful memories, Zoe sets the bar high for herself, studying hard and pursuing a career in the … pursuing a career in the nonprofit world, where her deep compassion for disadvantaged children finds a focus.
When Zoe falls in love and has her own child, she is determined to be a perfect mother as well. But before long, old scars long dormant begin to pull Zoe to the edge of an abyss too terrifying to contemplate.
As Zoe is haunted by the ghosts of the past, her story will become a race against time and a tale of psychological suspense that no reader will soon forget.
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The Dark Side is darker than Danielle Steel’s other novels, but it still contains her unique and engaging writing style. The Dark Side is a fascinating story that quickly pulled me in and had me staying up late to finish it. The book is well-written with a good flow and steady pacing. I like that the story is written in the third person. Zoe Morgan is a developed character, though, not likeable. Her childhood shapes her whole life. Zoe becomes an overachiever determined to excel at everything she does and that includes motherhood. I like how the story gradually evolves as you move through the book. The Dark Side deals with a topic that is rarely addressed and is very hard to prove (I do not want to say too much and spoil it for you). It is an emotional story that will touch the heart of parents. The Dark Side is a psychological suspense that will linger in your mind long after you finish it.
I have read many of her books, but this was by far the best!
Loved this book.
Oh My Gosh, what a psychological thriller Danielle Steel has written in The Dark Side, and what a dark side this book is! Very different than the normal Danielle Steel books. This is a story about Munchansan By Proxy, which is a terrible disease and is sure portrayed by the main character, Zoe Morgan. She wants to be a good mother but is a mother from hell. The storyline sure kept me enthralled on the edge of my seat. A very heavy, informative subject that I learned about in reading The Dark Side! You feel the pain, anguish, concern of the husband, the doctors, and all the people involved, but especially the innocent child.
Too dark for me
The Dark Side by Danielle Steel
Story of a woman who grows up to be just like her mother. the hero, the one who wouldn’t leave the very sick daughter at any cost.
She is now raising her own child but the child is very sickly and the ER nurses know them by name. She has rules and goes through many nanny’s so she can work at her non profit that will help a lot of others who’ve been abused.
Her husband knows her back story and can’t understand why she just won’t put up fences so the daughter won’t wonder the house and stairs and get hurt.
She is very over active and wants rules for everything.
Things go drastically wrong for the little girl, always in the hospital and mother jumps to conclusions about aches and pains.
Mother in law figures something out as to her profession and tells her son and he finds it’s spot on…
He confides in the primary pediatrician and she gets the ball rolling. What a sad story.
So heartbreaking and you hope they get to her in time…
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
This was an excellent thriller novel to read- I couldn’t put it down! I finished it in 3 days. The story will stay with you long after you put the book down. A very twisted, haunting and suspenseful read.
Great!! Shows the truth about a medical condition!!
I liked the book. In the first part of the book I thought it was a page Turner. I couldn’t put the book down. As I was reading about Jamie’s injuries I was getting bored and felt it was going on and on. The rest of the book was very interesting and I was informative about Zoe’s illness. I enjoyed the book and would recommend it. It just wasn’t one of my favorites.
@Writer.daniellesteel has done it again. I loved this book. Thanks to #netgalley I was able to receive an #arc of #thedarkside This book had me questioning the characters and the plot. Even though I was guessing where the story was going it was still #plottwist my only complaint I have is I need a sequel I am desperate to know where all the characters ended up. #whathappenednext #quickread #bookhangover #booknerd #bookstagram #fictionalgypsyrose #mbp #whoa #intense
A true family drama, you cry a little and laugh a little very good book
Not the usual Danielle Steel storyline, and it was fantastic.
It’s been quite awhile since I’ve read a book by Danielle Steel, but The Dark Side is different than what I’ve seen in the past. The story starts a little slow. Incredibly sad, but slow, and I’ll admit that I was confused about where this one was going. That said, once Zoe marries and has a child, I started to get it. From there things get a bit darker with each incident, and the tension slowly rises. The story is disturbing and at times downright chilling. It’s also a thoroughly compelling read, and once it starts to really take shape, I had a hard time putting it down. Looking back on it, that earlier part of the book may have moved slowly, but it offers some insight into why Zoe acted the way she did. It doesn’t excuse it by any means, but it does help with understanding what started Zoe’s spiral. Steel’s detached writing style may cause a lack of connection for some, but it worked for me. This one hits on a hard topic to understand and for me, it all came together to create a story I won’t soon forget.
The Dark Side is not the usual Danielle Steel book I’m used to but I still loved it. Zoe’s life journey started out great until her sister got leukemia and passed away tearing the family apart. When she grew up she decided she was going to be the best mom and wife until her past hits her hard. This heartbreakingly beautiful, dark and twisted, well written story has intriguing characters and a storyline that pulled me in and had me on the edge of my seat wondering how Zoe’s story would end.
Danielle Steel is one of those writers who is always writing books. Every book I read from her is different and I never know what to expect but this one had me flipping pages and going OMG! I just loved it and was in shock the whole time. The main character Zoe had a sad but privileged childhood and the same is true with her adult life. She is married to a loving husband and has a child. What happens with her child will leave you flipping the pages like you are reading a true crime book and a horror mystery novel. I couldn’t put it down! I felt like I was watching an episode of Snapped and it was so realistic. Danielle Steel wrote these characters so well that I began looking at people differently the next day after reading this book. Amazing book!
Book is good one and continue to read.
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Hmmm while I am a huge Danielle Steel fan and read all her books,
I found this book to be very interesting and chilling at the same time.
I didn’t really know what Munchausen by proxy is but I sure do now.
I really tried to like or even feel sorry for the protagonist but couldn’t.
It was a quick read as I read in 2 days.
A very different story line from Danielle Steel but a book that I could not put down, The story flowed very easily. It touches on a subject that is most likely much more common than we want to think. Zoe didn’t have a good childhood with her younger sister dying but now as a wife/mother she wants to be that perfect mother until her past starts to haunt her.
This is a book that I could not put down, a psychological thriller that will keep you turning the pages. I only wish there was an epilogue.
Zoe seems to have it all … a loving husband, a job she loves, and now a baby girl. But things aren’t going as smooth as she thought it would.
She’s finding motherhood a challenge, although some of it may be her own fault. She absolutely refuses anyone’s help, she has definite ideas on how to raise a child, even though it seems a bit disjointed at times.
As her daughter gets older, her husband begins worrying. At 18 months old, she’s already had a broken arm, dislocated elbows, she’s fallen off a changing table. Granted, the daughter may be a little rough and tumble, but something feels off.
Things get serious when Zoe schedules to have tubes put in her daughter’s ears. She has only had one serious ear infection, but Zoe lies to the doctor and the baby undergoes a minor surgery. Zoe’s husband goes through the roof, she didn’t even inform him. Later on, she schedules an appointment with a doctor to see about having her screened for scoliosis. Even the family physician is puzzled about this, as the child has never had a problem.
Old scars long dormant begin to pull Zoe to the edge of an abyss too terrifying to contemplate as Zoe is haunted by the ghosts of the past.
This is a well written psychological drama that becomes darker with each incident that occurs. The author has done excessive research and her finely drawn, credible characters are a result.
Many thanks to the author / Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine / Delacorte Press / Netgalley for the advanced digital copy of this psychological women’s fiction. This was read and reviewed voluntarily. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
THE DARK SIDE is the latest novel from Danielle Steel and is a classic love story with a major twist. While out of character from what we typically expect when picking up Ms. Steel, her take on a modern day psychological thriller is not to be missed!
Zoe Morgan comes into the story as a young girl who suffers a stilted childhood because of a devastating illness her little sister goes through. Her family is never the same again, and the scars it leaves on her into adulthood are obvious, but also deceptive. No one looks at her and sees pain … but distortion is the new normal as we traverse a life of success, leading to love and eventual motherhood. She wants to be all that she didn’t get in her own life for her daughter … but she ends up being more than we ever expected.
I highly recommend this story to anyone who enjoys a pivotal plot change in a romance/psychological thriller. There was a slight disconnect in emotion with this story compared to others by the author, but the suspense more than made up for it. Great story, great twists and a very satisfying read!