I went into this book expecting a novel about a girl who lost her best friend and a boy who was fighting his own demons and how they get together and conquer the world…. Yeah, not quite.

This was not my cup of tea at all. I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve been out of college for almost 7 years or if because this was not my college experience at all, but these characters sucked. I mean, a sink hole could have opened up under this school and I would only be slightly sad that Ben died. No one else.

Even from the first chapter I found the characters snotty. Lily, Olivia, and Will are just terrible. Almost reminded me of the show You’re The Worst because it felt like a competition for who was the worst human.

Grant and Ben were okay, but Ben had a thing for his brother’s girlfriend which doesn’t sit right with me. I know he doesn’t get along with Will but it’s still betrayal.

I suppose if drama, a college setting, and complex characters are your thing you may like this one. To me it just didn’t work.

I do hope the rest of this series pans out, but I probably won’t be continuing.

*An ARC was received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Something that I look for in a romance, is characters that a fully fleshed out and feel real. The characters in Astor Hill felt real to me, they were messy and complex and deeply human. They were relatable and I was captivated from the very start!

Olivia is smart, beautiful and fierce. She's also drowning in grief at the loss of her closest friend. She's dating Will, the basketball captain and most popular guy at school. He's pretty bad for her and I'll admit I found myself frustrated at the way Liv let him treat her. As the story unfolds you'll understand why he is the way he is, and why they needed each other so much at such a dark part of both of their lives.

Enter.. Ben. Sure to be everyones new book boyfriend. Will's older step brother, his greatest rivial on court and the previous basketball captain before his mysterious disappearance. Ben takes a women's literature class, he goes to therapy, he talks through his feelings and he's incredibly self aware - I mean come ON! His POV chapters made me absolutely swoon. He had these epic declaration of love moments that I genuinely loved - as I said swoon! You'll want to underline/highlight it all. Oh.. and he's madly in love with his brothers girl..

This book is like if One Tree Hill and Gossip Girl had a baby.. in the best way. There's rich people drama, toxic relationships, sibling rivalry and secrets. It's the kind of romance you can binge over one weekend because you simply look away. The side characters were just as intriguing and I'm excited to go back to Astor Hill and find our their stories (I have some theories).

All in all, a very fun read. I really enjoyed the college setting, the basketball theme, the old money society vibes and just the absolute drama. There were parts of the writing I felt were a little clunky and some small spelling errors, but overall the story flowed well and was incredibly enjoyable.

3.5/5 stars. Thank you so much NetGalley and Sydney Madison for giving me the chance to read this one! x

3.5★

If you enjoy complex characters, a touch of found family and those “What were they thinking?” moments, then this book is definitely for you!

This was a quick, cute read packed with drama, character depth and some serious self-discovery. While some characters had more complex relationships than others, everyone seemed to be caught in the web of toxicity in one way or another. The plot itself was unique and grief-driven, but I wasn’t a fan of the relationship dynamics — way too messy for me, girl!

Overall, I liked this read, but I’m hoping the next book clears up some things that left me hanging like the newfound (unexpected?!) friendships. Can’t wait to see where the series goes!

Thank you NetGalley and PS Published for providing the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This novel delves into the complexities of love, loss, and the struggle to reclaim a sense of self. Olivia’s journey is both compelling and heart-wrenching as she grapples with the aftermath of tragedy while trying to maintain her perfect façade. The tension between her past and the unexpected arrival of Ben, with his captivating smile and troubled history, adds an electric dynamic that keeps you on edge. You feel Olivia’s internal conflict as she navigates the pain of her losses and the intoxicating pull of new possibilities. This story beautifully captures the chaos of young adulthood, making you reflect on what it truly means to choose between safety and passion.

This was definitely an entertaining read! I really enjoyed all of the characters. Each character had so much depth and complexity that I hadn't seen in a while. This book was also filled with lots of drama but that was to be expected with any book following college students but especially with the setting being a prestigious college.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say this book and soon to be series will be the talk of romance readers this upcoming winter and spring. It's giving gossip girl vibes. Some people will love these characters and others will have issues with their morality but it will no doubt create buzz and chatter.

Olivias lifelong best friend, Lily, suddenly passes away after their first college party at Astor Hill. This leaves Olivia isolated and reeling as she finds comfort in Will, a boy she meet at that very same party. Their relationship over the years is tumultuous, often causing Olivia to doubt herself, that is until she meets the mysterious Ben who has returned to Astor Hill after a hiatus. Turns out Ben is Wills older brother and he has secrets. Hello drama!

Although the writing is a bit choppy, these characters are perfection. Olivia is witty and smart. She is simultaneously confident and insecure, something I found relatable and endearing. Her friendship with Lily was confusing. I wish there were more flashbacks between the girls as I think it would have provided a more in depth understanding of their dynamic. The relationship between Ben & Will is heated, intense and combustible. The shining star of this story though is Ben. His patience, understanding and continuous growth is exactly what I want to see in a book boyfriend. He's super sweet with Olivia and I love how he helps to elevate her perception of self.

Overall, I really liked Astor hill. There's conflict, there's sports, there's fashion. It's fast paced and fun but also explores difficult topics like grief and anxiety. It's well balanced and I can't wait for Gen & Grants story in the second book of this series!

I was really excited for this book, but it wasn't for me. I didn't love the main characters, and I didn't engage much with the author's writing style.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

I have no words for the emotions that I felt during this book. I went through all 5 stages of grief alongside our FMC. Such a fantastic read, I am dying for the next book in the series.

This book follows Olivia and Ben, from first sit our guy Ben is enamired with our girl Olivia but he never approaches her. However his younger step brother Will does. 2 years go by and we find out that Olivia best friend, Lily, passes away unexpectantly they day after Will and Olivia meet. Whilst dealing with the trauma of losing her best friend, she is also dealing with her relationship with Will and how hot and cold the two of them are together. At the same time Ben returns to Astor after having 2 years away to deal with his mental health, a fact he did not relay to anyone for fear of judgement. His return certainly stirs up a lot of negative emotions for our boy Will and these 2 have been pitted against each other entire lives.

When Olivia and Ben finally come in contact for the first time, Ben has it in his head that they are going to have this perfect meet cute where they will fall in love and live HEA, he could not have been more wrong. He never realised that girl he fell for upon first time, is actually his step brothers girlfriend of 2 YEARS!! Shit just got complicated real fast.

Our guy Ben is now hiding this feeling for Olivia, while Olivia is still dealing with the loss of her BF and the negative impact her relationship is having on her esteem. When Olivia and Ben meet, she is not best pleased but she cant help eyeing every inch of her man Ben and finding herself more attracted to him than bees are to honey!

When luck strikes Olivia, she forced to be in Bens orbit and closer she gets the more she feels like she can be herself without the pressure of only being know as Will's gf. The more time these 2 spend with each other, the clear it becomes that they just can't stay away. Let me make this clear, THERE IS NO CHEATING IN THIS BOOK!, it was just circumstance and the timing that made it a bit awkward but the timing be damned but these 2 were fated to be together from the start.

Ben was very quickly added to the category of best fictional men ever written, but all the best men are written by women, that obvious. The reason I loved these 2 characters so much was the maturity in Bens actioned towards his mental health and pushing away from the stigma of Men believing therapy is a bunch of bull! and how Olivia navigated losing her BF in the end and how her banter and humour hit in right in dark depraved soul.

All in all, these I loved this book, it was written beautifully and I now waiting with bated breath for Grant and Gens story. A basketball player x Ballerina, stop it!

The release date will be here quicker than you think, so don't miss out before its too late.

Kisses x

2.75 stars ⭐️

this book turned out to be quite different from what i anticipated. to start off, this book primarily focused on the topic of toxic relationships, which didn’t trigger me in the sense of causing distress or trauma, but rather pissed me off. will was a walking red flag. while i understood why he acted the way he did by the end, it doesn’t excuse the pain he caused olivia, and it was really messed up how she was involved without knowing the truth the entire time.

secondly, i really didn’t like olivia. i’m sorry, but she was plain rude and gave off major “i’m not like other girls” and pick me vibes. ben, on the other hand, was literally a green flag, and how he fell for olivia at first sight is beyond me. i just don’t see the appeal, no offence.

thirdly, i’m not a fan of the ‘(ex) boyfriend’s older brother’ trope. i felt a little uncomfortable whenever olivia and ben flirted with each other while she was still in a relationship with will, aka ben’s younger brother. i get that being in a toxic relationship can create emotional confusion and vulnerability, making someone seek emotional validation or affection somewhere else, but flirting and developing feelings for someone else doesn’t resolve the core issue.

fourth, the third-act breakup.

overall, while the writing was good, this book really frustrated me.

thank you netgalley and ps published for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!!

The most darling love story! Sydney Madison, you gave me all the feels with this sweet story! I loved the honesty of the characters and realness. It was just beautiful.

3.75 ★

This was a very entertaining read. There's a lot of drama and toxicity, as you would expect from characters who attend a prestigious college. The characters were well-written and had a lot of depth. The plot was fun. I really liked the complexity of each of the characters. They all had flaws, some more than others.

I admired Olivia. She's a very complex character and her actions were very irritating, but learning her backstory helped me understand why she endured what she did and the reasons behind her behavior. I just wish she had stood up for herself more. I did like her character development, though, especially her relationships with the other female characters. It felt very healing, especially because I could relate to her in that aspect. I do wish Will had been held more accountable for what he put Olivia through. His excuse was not enough for me to feel badly enough for him at the end.

Ben was sweet, and he also had a complicated background because of his relationship with his own family. I'm very close to my siblings, so I can't imagine being pitted against them and having them hate you. I appreciated the mental health rep and the discussion of therapy and healing. Ben and Olivia were cute, but I just wish they had given us more on why he was so attracted to Olivia, instead of it just being physical attraction.

Thank you to NetGalley and PS Published for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a lovely well written book of second chances, love after loss & found family. I was a little annoyed at first with Olivia being with Will but the further into it you get, you discover why he is the way he is & how they came together.
I will say there is a third act break up scene - not everyone’s cup of tea but I enjoy them.
The ending was beautiful & I cannot wait for more!!

Well, this started on a low, and end on the high note. (But not really high)
I hated Liv from the page one. I hate that she was a mean girl, and that is not okay with me . Yes Gen and Will had a thing, and she only hated Gen?! What, Why?
Damp that boy!!! Do not be a door mat!
Liv is so smart but she doesn't know how beautiful she is?! Yes, right. Do not buy it. She turn heads - not singular, plural, sooo she is everybodies type.
And Ban sooooo dreamy. He saves the book for me.
All in all solid book, 3.5 stars

This was such a lovely novel, of second changes, found family, and love after loss.

At the beginning, I found myself getting frustrated at Olivia for being with Will as he was a walking red flag, but as you explore why he behaves the way he does, and how Olivia and Will came together it makes sense.

There’s a third act breakup scene which is torture, I really felt for Olivia in that moment because she’s all alone, and she really feels Lily’s absence. I love Sloane and Gen’s intervention, and the sense of found family that grew because of it.

The ending was beautiful, I’m sold on Astor Hill and can’t wait for more (especially Gen’s book!)