I could not put it down. Yes it's very predictable and yes it's giving very much "gossip girl" vibes but I'm a sucker for a good love story and love triangle, especially when it's written this well and intriguing! Astor Hill has it all; love, heartbreak, envy, revenge and lots of secrets! Cannot wait for book 2!

This book was toxic which shouldve made for a good read, but instead fell very flat for me. The forbidden brother trope was building to something at first, and shortly into the book its like the author didnt know how to grow the plot or arc in a good way. The plot had alot of holes and unexplained feelings. The FMC took way too much from Will if you ask me. I really wanted to like this, I love the cover, but its a hard 3 stars for me.

This was a cute read for me

Astor Hill follows Olivia who loses her best friend at their first college party.
After that Olivia finds comfort in Will (& honestly I didn’t get good vibes from him) anyways they start dating and of course he’s an a’hole boyfriend always making her doubt herself and feel less..
Anyways the mysterious BEN comes back to Astor Hill and let me tell you I freaking loved BEN!!
He’s Wills older brother and he has a secret of his own
(That whole drama there between them was good)
At the end of the story I’m glad Olivia found and realized her worth 🫶🏻

3.5 star read for me.

I was really drawn in by the cover and the blurb, but Astor Hill just didn’t quite work for me. I struggled to stay engaged which made the book feel much longer than it actually is. This book had such high hopes which is why I am so sad I didn't like it.

Astor Hill by Sydney Maddison is a story of covering grief, toxic love, and healing. After losing her best friend, Olivia is pulled into a destructive relationship—until Ben, her toxic boyfriend’s brother, helps her rediscover her worth. Honest and emotional, the novel explores how pain can shape us, and how love can help us heal.

Unfortunately for me, the toxicity of the book was too messy. As someone who loved magnolia parks & Astor hill being described for fans of that series I feel it does not live up to the same level.

Thankyou NetGalley & Sydney Madison duo for allowing me an early copy

If you're craving something that blends the luxe drama of Gossip Girl with the emotional depth of a coming-of-age romance, Astor Hill is your next must-read.

When Olivia loses her lifelong best friend, Lily, at their very first college party, she finds herself lost—until Will enters the picture. Their relationship is passionate, chaotic, and often leaves Olivia questioning her self-worth. But everything shifts with the return of Ben, Will’s older brother, whose calm presence and unwavering support slowly begin to rewrite the way Olivia sees herself.

From the campus gossip and fashion flair to deeper themes of healing and self-discovery, Astor Hill balances it all with a pace that keeps you flipping pages late into the night. And yes, the romance? It’s sweet, patient, and oh-so-swoony. Definitely a must add to your TBR!

More than just a love story, Astor Hill dives deep into the messy layers of grief, identity, and the pressure of perfection. It’s about the people we lose, the versions of ourselves we bury with them, and the unexpected ways we come back to life.

Olivia Beckett is a protagonist who’s equal parts polished and haunted-a girl who once had a blueprint for the perfect college life, only to watch it crumble in a single tragic night. Now, two years later, she’s built a new version of herself: sharp, driven, and in control. But when Ben Cabot- the brooding, magnetic basketball star with a checkered past- returns to Astor Hill, her carefully balanced world starts to unravel.

Ben is every bit the morally gray, emotionally complicated love interest you want in a story like this: unpredictable, wounded, and disarmingly charming. His chemistry with Olivia crackles from the page, and their push-pull dynamic is both intoxicating and excruciating in the best way.

This is a story that doesn’t flinch from pain but still manages to be impossibly romantic. It’s glamorously tragic, heartbreakingly real, and will leave you turning pages long into the night. For fans of angst, beautiful disaster boys, and girl heroines who refuse to be written off—Astor Hill is a must-read. Just bring tissues.

Here for the drama! These characters are a bit of a mess but I mean the first couple (or all) years of college usually are. We are dealing with grief and loss in this one and that only adds to all the things. But um hello? Boyfriend’s brother?? 🍿🙋🏻‍♀️ Here for it. This has all the makings of teen dramas of the early 2000’s and I love it.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

Astor Hill was a roller coaster of a read, full of ups and downs, both in the story and in my overall enjoyment. The premise was intriguing, and I generally enjoy a toxic romance, but this one felt messy for the sake of being messy, rather than having real emotional depth behind it.

The book is a slow burn with a dual POV, which I always appreciate, but the writing style was quite simple and, at times, felt surface level. I never fully connected with the characters or their dynamic, which made it harder to invest in their toxicity. There were also some noticeable errors in the writing that pulled me out of the story.

Overall, it was a decent read, but I wanted more, more development, more depth, and more reason behind the chaos. If you like messy relationships and don’t mind a more straightforward writing style, you might enjoy this, but it didn’t fully hit the mark for me.

Astor Hill was a sweet little romance that hits right in the high school nostalgia. I know it's a college romance, but it read more like a slightly updated high school romance. Still works well, and is a great read!

If you love college romances with a splash of elite level Gossip Girl vibes and a bit of sports too, then this one’s for you.

Olivia, a freshman dealing with the loss of her best friend, meets her toxic boyfriend's (Will) older brother when he returns to campus. Enter Ben, the older brother, brings a whole layer of tension and drama to Olivia’s messy world. The brother against brother dynamic is a tough one to navigate, the author did a decent job, but I will say miscommunication is one of my biggest annoyances in a story and I feel some healthy communication would have made this book a 5 star read for me.

The book dives into some important topics like grief, verbal abuse, and anxiety, I think the author handled them well. It’s a quick, easy read but still manages to pack in a lot of emotion. I love a dual POV narration and it was a highlight for me. I love getting inside both main characters’ heads, and it made me feel even more invested in their story.

Overall, Astor Hill is a solid read—romantic, angsty, and has the HEA we are all after.

This book has the same vibes as Gossip Girl!! I love a messy main character and the lover boy, Ben, is everything!!! It is so easy to read, I binged it an afternoon!! I even picked it up as a Galentine’s Day present for some girlfriends!

This was a cute quick read. It follows a FMC who is at college in Astor Hill and is torn between the MMC and his long lost brother. I gave it 4/5 stars.

If you're into Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill, Astor Hill is totally up your alley. It’s packed with drama, a college romance, and, of course, unhealthy relationships (because, hello, rich kids). 👱🏼‍♀️🏫👱🏻‍♂️💸 Olivia’s been through a lot in the past two years. Then Ben shows up the sweet, green flag guy who’s kinda obsessed with her... but here’s the plot twist: she’s dating his brother. This book has ALL the drama. At some points, I even found myself questioning if it was too much and this is coming from a Gossip Girl fan, so you know that’s saying something! If you've ever watched Gossip Girl, you know exactly how crazy the drama gets, 🤣🤣. Also, trigger warning: there’s cheating, so if that’s not your thing, maybe sit this one out. Overall, I’m not really sure how I feel about Astor Hill (I keep accidentally calling it Astor Prep for some reason 🤦🏻‍♀️). I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it either, so I’m kind of confused. The drama was definitely there, which I loved, but sometimes it felt like it overshadowed the actual story. This is the author’s debut novel, and it’s got a lot of potential. The plot is really engaging, and the characters are interesting, though I think it just needs a little work. Overall, it’s a solid start, and I’m definitely curious to see what else this author comes out with. Even though I wasn’t totally in love with this one, I’m hoping her next book could be my favorite. Also, the cover is what really made me pick this up it’s perfect and definitely drew me in!

⚠️ I was gifted an ARC courtesy of the author and this is my honest opinion.

First off, I love the cover. 🎨✨ It’s pretty, and honestly, it gave me higher expectations than what I actually got. 🤷‍♀️📖

Grant is definitely my favorite character. 💖🥹 He’s affectionate, kind, and honestly, the only one I fully liked. 😂👏 Every time he was on the page, It was like, FINALLY, some peace. ☁️☕

In the beginning, it’s not really explained why Olivia hates Gen, and I was just sitting there, confused for like half the book. 😵‍💫❓ I kept waiting… and waiting… but it just wasn’t elaborated on early enough. ⏳🫠

The amount of eye-rolling in the book? 🎶 Is a broken record. 🙄🔄 The interactions sometimes felt awkward. 😬💬 But weirdly enough, while I was reading, I didn’t think the story was THAT bad. 🤔📚 I went into it expecting the worst because I saw the 1-star reviews before, but it was... okay. 🤷‍♀️ Not terrible. Just okay. 😌

One thing I did enjoy was reading about Will and Olivia’s relationship. 💔💭 Even though their relationship wasn’t good, it was interesting to see how they felt about each other, and I liked seeing them in a process of change. 🔄❤️‍🩹 But Will’s explanation for why he did what he did? Yeah, I don’t feel settled with it at all. 😒❌ I wish we got more insight into his character because it felt like there was something missing. 🕵️‍♀️💭

Thanks Netgalley and the author for the ARC! 💥😝💡

I had fun reading this one. It was a rollercoaster that’s for sure. There were some ups and downs with the way this was written, very simplistic but managed to keep me interested.

The characters were what drove this story forward and what kept me reading but only to a certain point. Then i got invested in the story and that was what made me stay to the end. I started to lose interest I think halfway thru but the book took a turn a couple chapters later and i was sucked back in.

The greif and complexity within each character was written really well. It had me crying at 2am for like an hour 😭❤️‍🩹

I was eating up the drama and meltdowns lol. Got sooo frustrated with some characters but also loved it.

The fmc has certain tendencies which I thought weren’t fully fleshed out or addressed properly.

The mmc was good and I liked him but he just was a bit bland to me I’m sorry.

I can see where the comparisons are coming from between this and MPU and it’s there but only *very* slightly.

ೃ⁀➷ Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for the ARC! ♥︎

This story was so cute! I really adore the he falls first trope and a man that yearns!!!! Ben was the perfect book boyfriend and the banter was my favourite part of reading this novel
Thank you for allowing me to read this book

This story was so cute! I really adore the he falls first trope and a man that yearns!!!! ben was the perfect book boyfriend and the banter was my favorite part of reading this novel.

At first the third person pov caught me off guard and i dont usually love that in a book but it worked so well here!! olivia and ben were destined for each other and it felt like an organic love story as well, no insta love which made it so much better.

I would definitely recommend this book to sport lovers (basketball is so fun) and i mean who doesn't loveeee a found family trope?!

While this book was an enjoyable read in general, I found it really hard to build a connection with the characters. The only person I liked was Ben, Will was obviously a walking red flag and honestly, Olivia seemed very unlikable and immature to me. It took me a while to get into the story and while I enjoyed the second half of the book way more than the first, it still seemed kind of superficial for the topics it dealt with, especially towards the end. This book has plenty of drama and toxicity (definitely more than I would have thought) so if that’s your thing, this book might be for you.

This book had potential, but it got lost in toxic dynamics, underdeveloped characters, and a predictable plot. While the themes of love, loss, and self-discovery were present, they were overshadowed by frustrating relationships and messy storytelling. The love triangle felt more like a walking red flag than an emotional struggle, and Olivia’s character made it hard to stay invested.