Happy Birthday: A Novel

What a timely book I started reading on my birthday earlier in the month.

Amazing how we all seem to take stock on our birthdays every year to see where we’ve been and where we would like to go. Valerie Wyatt at age 60 (horrified that it got out) is a successful Entertainment guru. She goes for her birthday card reading and is told: there will be a man and a child. She doesn’t believe either one.

April on the other hand is turning 30 with a successful restaurant. As she goes to her massage therapist she checks her out and suggests she check to see if she might be pregnant. She is by a one night stand who happened to be a food critic.

Neither one got what they were expecting, but in the end they cherish what they got.
( )

Three individuals who share the same birthday each reach a critial turning point in their lives. ( )

Its a great story of what may seem like an awful birthday, may actually be the best birthday yet. The best is yet to come.
Three main characters all have the dame birthday. Valerie turns 60 and does not look a day over 40. Her daughter April turns thirty. They look like they can be sisters more than mother and daughter. The male character whose name leaves me all celebrate their birthday with little excitement.
Valerie is told she will find a man. April learns she is pregnant from a one night stand while being drunk. The male character can't even walk on his birthday due to some wild acrobatic sex with a 20 year old. What lies a ahead for these folks? Aprils finds love with the baby's father. Valerie and the male character find they are perfect for each other and fall in love. Great story. Birthdays should be viewed with excitement and anticipation that the best is coming.

Reviewed by April
Review copy provided by Delacorte Press
I have read several works by Danielle Steel over the years. For the most part, I can't really think of one that I truly disliked. I know that many people feel that much of Ms. Steel's work follows the same formula and are more or less similar stories with different names and locations, etc. Personally, however, I find myself enjoying the stories of real life types of people working through real life issues and the complexities of family dynamics that are addressed within many of Danielle Steel's books. Happy Birthday was no exception. Once I read the synopsis of the story, I was incredibly intrigued and wanted to delve right into the story.

Happy Birthday focuses on a mother and daughter - April, the daughter, who is incredibly work oriented and considers her beloved restaurant her entire life, she is celebrating her 30th birthday this year. Valerie, April's mother, is a world known and loved television personality that easily gives Martha Stewart a run for her money. This year, Valerie is celebrating her 60th birthday. Enter Jack Adams, a football hero who has lived the lush and spoiled life of woman and partying. This year, Jack is celebrating his 50th birthday. All three of these people celebrate their birthdays on the same day and all three people will have a very different year than they could ever imagine.

As far as characters go, I really enjoyed April, Valerie and Jack. I do have to admit that Valerie's over-the-top obsession about her age annoyed me a bit. Granted, growing older is difficult, especially the older one gets; however, her rantings about it were a bit much for me. I think my favorite character was April simply because she was such a strong and ambitious woman. I also loved how her character progresses throughout the story. I don't want to give too much away, but the trials and tribulations that she finds herself face to face with in her 30th year are all too common in today's society and the way that she deals with those things and herself lend a greatness to the overall story. As far as the jock, Jack, I also enjoyed his progression throughout the story. He matures in a way that is admirable and endured himself to me.

The story itself was enjoyable and flowed well. I do have to mention that I was a bit let down with the "terrifying act of violence". Though this sets a life changing flow into action for everyone, I thought that perhaps it could have been written a bit more in-depth. Again, I don't want to give too much away, but what I thought would be a bigger part of the story was basically a blimp on the overall map of the story.

Danielle Steel has such an incredible and enormous talent for story telling and drawing the reader into the worlds that she creates. For me, Happy Birthday was a very satisfying, engrossing and enjoyable read. This is a story of life, of facing your demons, dealing with the unexpected and coming out on top. The love stories within Happy Birthday were enduring and sweet, the life stories heartwarming. I greatly enjoyed Happy Birthday and look forward to diving into some of Danielle Steel's backlist books as well as her future works. ( )

A rehash of stuff she recent published, I still love her writing. ( )