In every family, each member has their own personal struggles. The Whittiers are no exception. Lyle is successful but has an unhappy marriage. Gloria is a genius on Wall Street but lonely. Twins Caroline and Charlie work all hours on their growing fashion brand, but have no time to enjoy life and discover who they really are. Benjie has personal challenges and requires additional support. And rebellious Annabelle has fallen in with a bad crowd.

Now the children must come together and be there for each other while dealing with their own personal demons. As with many of Steel's novels, "The Whittiers" revolves around characters who are wealthy and live charming lives. However, what sets this book apart is its focus on family dynamics and the unexpected challenges they face. The Whittier siblings find themselves divided on how to handle major family issues, but their love and loyalty to one another shine through, making this a heartwarming story. As excellent and well known Danielle Steel is as an author, in my opinion her latest novel "The Whittiers" is not one of her best works. The main idea of the book was ambitious but not all that well developed. To summarize, the story follows a total of six siblings and their various storylines in the aftermath of a tragedy (respectfully, I won't divulge the details any further than this for those who decide to read the book). The Whittier family, composed of two parents and six siblings ranging in ages from 42 to 21, have always been close, but when tragedy strikes these adult children are drawn even closer to provide emotional and physical support. Five of the siblings return home to the family estate and the story unfolds over the next year. Not only are they coping with their grief, they face an unplanned pregnancy, hostile divorce proceedings, a major business expansion and budding romances.

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Everything is explained at least 4 times. In case you didn't know Gloria is 39. And yes, the sister Gloria who is 39, is also 39. Oh and then entered Gloria, the sister, aged 39. That's pretty much the first half of the book. There were 6 siblings after all, lots of ground to cover. But with this year’s trip comes tragedy, and suddenly the Whittiers’ adult children find themselves reuniting in the family home without their parents for the first time ever. The oldest, Lyle, is reaching a breaking point in his marriage and must decide whether a divorce would be best for him and his two children. Gloria’s big job on Wall Street has kept her single at thirty-nine, and growing ever more cynical. The twins, Caroline and Charlie, moved out long ago to start a fashion business that may now be faltering. Benjie, with special needs, is hit hard by the loss of his parents and needs his siblings’ help. And Annabelle, the youngest, drops out of college and starts to spin out of control. Preston and Connie Whittier have spent their lives in successful lucrative careers and raising their six children. There may be some spoilers but it's not like anything substantial happens in this book so whatever:

Preston and Constance Whittier have built a happy life together, with a brood of six children raised in a beautiful historic Manhattan mansion. Now, with a nearly empty nest, it’s easier than ever for the Whittiers to maintain their tradition of a solo romantic “Wintermoon” ski trip. The Whittiers" by Danielle Steel is a comforting and enjoyable read. Steel's books have always been like literary popcorn for me, providing a bubble bath for my brain. Out of all her books in 2022, this one stands out as the best. Set in present-day New York, The Whittiers is a heartwarming story about the importance of family, home and being true to yourself, from the world’s favourite author Danielle Steel. This is a warm, touching novel that reveals the resilience and loving support of a family on the heels of a tragic loss. At a time when the news headlines carry daily reminders of the sad state of human interactions, this story provided a much-needed, heart-warming respite.But with this year’s trip comes tragedy, and suddenlythe Whittiers’ adult children find themselves reuniting in the family home without their parents for the first time ever.The oldest, Lyle, is reaching a breaking point in his marriage and must decide whether a divorce would be best for him and his two children. Gloria’s big job on Wall Street has kept her single at thirty-nine, and growing ever more cynical. The twins, Caroline and Charlie, moved out long ago to start a fashion business that may now be faltering. Benjie, with special needs, is hit hard by the loss of his parents and needs his siblings’ help. And Annabelle, the youngest, drops out of college and starts to spin out of control.

Each face challenges, come together and follow a journey of self discovery while dealing with grief. Many thanks to Delacorte Press | Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read The Whittiers in advance of its publication.

But with this year’s trip comes tragedy. Suddenly, their adult children find themselves reuniting in the family home without their parents for the first time ever. The oldest, Lyle, is reaching a breaking point in his marriage and must decide whether a divorce would be best for him and his two children. Gloria’s big job on Wall Street has kept her single at forty, and growing ever more cynical. The twins, Caroline and Charlie, moved out long ago to start a fashion business that may now be faltering. Benjie, with special needs, is hit hard by the loss of his parents and needs his siblings’ help. And Annabelle, the youngest, drops out of college and starts to spin out of control. The entire purpose of the book seemed to have a political agenda to it, but not enough to convince the reader or get the reader to fall in love with the characters. If I had to rate it out of five stars, I would give it one. Connie and Preston Whittier raised their six children in a once-grand Manhattan mansion. The children are now adults, but the house remains the heart of the family and somewhere they all love to return to, particularly in times of stress. But on Connie and Preston’s annual skiing holiday in Europe, an avalanche hits their resort, resulting in tragedy. There were also some love stories going on, but even that didn't have much meat to it. The partners the characters had fallen in love with had also been flat, and the storyline of how they got together seemed too easy and set up. As the beautiful cover indicates winter is special. Every year after Christmas, Preston and Connie go on a trip ~ the children call it their Parent’s “Wintermoon”! This year they went skiing in France ~ unfortunately there was a deadly avalanche.