In her latest offering, Never Say Never, bestselling author Danielle Steel crafts a poignant tale of resilience and second chances. Set against the picturesque backdrop of the French countryside, this novel explores how life’s most devastating blows can ultimately lead to unexpected joy. With her signature blend of emotional depth and romantic optimism, Steel delivers a story that reminds readers it’s never too late to begin again.
Plot Overview: When Everything Falls Apart
Oona Kelly Webster seems to have it all—a successful career as the head of a prestigious literary imprint, a twenty-five-year marriage to Charles, and two grown children pursuing their dreams. Her life appears perfectly ordered until Charles delivers a devastating revelation: he’s been having an affair with a man named Roberto for the past year and is leaving her to start a new life with him in Argentina.
Reeling from this betrayal but determined not to wallow, Oona decides to proceed with their planned anniversary trip to France alone. She settles into a beautiful historic house called “La Belle Florence,” named after a king’s mistress from centuries past. Just as she’s beginning to find her footing, another blow strikes—her publishing imprint is being shut down in a merger, and she loses her beloved job of twenty-five years.
With both her marriage and career suddenly gone, Oona finds herself adrift in a foreign country. However, France offers unexpected gifts: a little white dog she rescues and names Florence, and a charming neighbor who turns out to be Ashley Rowe, a famous actor from Trinidad. As she develops feelings for Ashley, who is eight years her junior, Oona must confront her fears about beginning again and question whether she can embrace a future far different from anything she’d imagined.
Character Development: Strength in Vulnerability
Steel’s portrayal of Oona’s transformation is masterful. When we first meet her, Oona is defined by her roles—editor, wife, mother—and prides herself on maintaining order and stability. As these identities are stripped away, we witness her gradual evolution into someone who values authenticity over predictability.
Ashley Rowe serves as an excellent foil to Charles. While Charles prioritized his own needs regardless of how they affected others, Ashley demonstrates genuine concern for Oona’s feelings and his children’s well-being following their mother’s death from COVID-19. His openness about his past mistakes and willingness to be vulnerable create a stark contrast to Charles’s deception.
The supporting characters are equally well-drawn:
Charles Webster emerges as more complex than a simple villain, wrestling with his sexuality at nearly sixty
Meghan and Will (Oona’s children) navigate their own paths while supporting their mother
Simon and Alana (Ashley’s children) add depth to the story as they mourn their mother while forming bonds with Oona
Setting: The Healing Power of Place
The historic house “La Belle Florence” becomes almost a character itself, offering Oona sanctuary during her most challenging moments. Steel expertly weaves the house’s romantic history—built by a king for his beloved mistress—into Oona’s own journey toward new love.
The contrast between pandemic-era New York and rural France emphasizes the psychological space Oona needs to heal. The French countryside, with its slower pace and reverence for history, provides the perfect backdrop for her contemplation about what truly matters in life.
Themes: Reinvention and Authentic Living
The Courage to Begin Again
At forty-seven, Oona must confront society’s assumptions about middle-aged women and their prospects for happiness. Her journey illustrates that reinvention requires courage but brings rewards worth the risk.
Love Across Differences
Steel tackles several potentially divisive elements in Ashley and Oona’s relationship—their age gap, different racial backgrounds, and his celebrity status—with sensitivity and nuance. Their story highlights how authentic connection transcends conventional boundaries.
The Pandemic as Catalyst
Set during the COVID-19 pandemic, the novel uses this unprecedented global event as both literal and metaphorical backdrop. The virus serves as a powerful reminder of life’s fragility and the importance of pursuing happiness without delay.
Strengths and Weaknesses
What Works Well
Steel excels at creating emotionally resonant moments that capture life’s bittersweet nature. Particularly moving is the scene where Ashley gives Oona a miniature portrait of Florence de Montmarrin, symbolically blessing their union. The author’s portrayal of pandemic challenges feels authentic without overwhelming the narrative.
The pacing demonstrates Steel’s expertise—she allows readers to experience Oona’s grief without lingering too long before introducing new possibilities. The parallel storylines of Charles’s relationship with Roberto and Oona’s with Ashley provide thought-provoking contrast.
Room for Improvement
At times, Never Say Never falls into predictable patterns familiar to Danielle Steel’s longtime readers. Some conversations between Oona and Ashley feel repetitive as they circle the same concerns about their future together. Additionally, certain secondary characters, particularly those in the publishing world, remain somewhat underdeveloped.
The resolution of Oona’s career concerns feels slightly rushed compared to the careful development of her romantic journey. Readers might wish for more exploration of how she reconciles her professional identity with her new life circumstances.
Comparison to Steel’s Other Works
Fans of Steel’s extensive bibliography will recognize her trademark optimism and belief in love’s transformative power. Never Say Never shares thematic elements with Danielle Steel’s earlier works like Changes and Second Chance, but the pandemic setting adds fresh urgency to familiar questions about prioritizing authentic happiness.
Unlike some of her more sweeping historical sagas, this novel maintains a tighter focus on Oona’s personal journey, more reminiscent of intimate works like The Gift or Heartbeat. The integration of contemporary issues—pandemic restrictions, remote work challenges—demonstrates Steel’s continued relevance as a chronicler of modern life.
Reader Appeal: Who Will Enjoy This Book
This novel will particularly resonate with:
Readers navigating major life transitions
Those who appreciate romance featuring mature protagonists
Fans of stories set in picturesque European locales
Anyone who has experienced significant change during the pandemic
If you enjoyed Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love or Nancy Thayer’s Girls of Summer, Danielle Steel’s exploration of reinvention in Never Say Never will likely appeal to you. Similarly, readers who appreciated the second-chance romance in Elin Hilderbrand’s 28 Summers will find comparable emotional depth here.
Final Verdict: A Timely Reminder About Life’s Possibilities
Never Say Never delivers exactly what Danielle Steel’s readers have come to expect—an emotionally satisfying journey through heartbreak to renewed hope. Though not breaking significant new ground in her extensive catalog, the novel offers a timely reminder about the importance of remaining open to life’s possibilities, regardless of age or circumstance.
What elevates this particular offering is its pandemic setting, which lends added weight to its carpe diem message. As Oona learns, life’s uncertainty means we should never say never to unexpected joy. In a world still processing collective trauma, Steel’s optimistic perspective feels both comforting and necessary.
At its heart, this is a story about having the courage to imagine a different future when the carefully planned one dissolves. With warm characterization and genuine emotional insight, Steel reminds us that sometimes life’s most devastating losses create space for its greatest gifts—if we’re brave enough to receive them.