Loved this one! I thought some of the characters could be annoying af but eventually they all redeem themselves. I think the story kept me hooked from the beginning but towards the 50% mark, I could not put the book down. I knew that at some point, Liv was going to find out about the secret and the fallout would not be nice but man, the story was still good.

Astor Hill by Sydney Madison is an enticing addition to the world of angsty romance and coming-of-age drama, drawing comparisons to Magnolia Parks, Gossip Girl, and One Tree Hill. Madison expertly weaves a tale of elite college life where ambition, heartbreak, and passion collide in a whirlwind of emotional turbulence. The story is set in the exclusive world of Astor Hill, a place where every decision holds the potential to unravel the carefully constructed life of Olivia Beckett.

Olivia enters Astor Hill with big dreams—she wants to become editor of the prestigious campus newspaper, win the heart of basketball star Will Chapman, and experience college life to the fullest with her best friend, Lily. However, tragedy soon shatters her seemingly perfect life, leaving her dealing with unresolved grief and a reputation that feels increasingly hollow. Madison delves deep into Olivia’s internal struggles as she grapples with the weight of her past, exploring themes of grief, identity, and the pressures of maintaining appearances.

Two years after a life-changing event, Olivia’s world is turned upside down by the return of Ben Cabot, a charismatic and unpredictable basketball player. Ben’s mysterious absence and return create tension, and his undeniable chemistry with Olivia forces her to confront difficult choices—should she continue her safe path, or dare to embrace the risk of something more dangerous and unknown? The evolving, complex relationship between Olivia and Ben is the emotional core of the novel, perfectly capturing the thrill and agony of forbidden attraction.

Astor Hill expertly portrays the high-stakes drama of young love, filled with emotional depth and raw vulnerability. Madison’s writing is atmospheric and evocative, drawing readers into the privileged world of Astor Hill while exploring themes of ambition, loss, and self-discovery. Olivia is a compelling protagonist whose emotional journey is both relatable and intense, making her internal conflict between desire and responsibility incredibly engaging.

For fans of messy, emotional romance and stories filled with status, secrets, and complicated relationships, Astor Hill is a must-read. Madison’s exploration of love, loss, and finding one’s true self amidst the chaos of growing up will captivate readers, offering a poignant and modern take on navigating heartbreak and resilience.

Astor Hill by Sydney Madison was a great slow burn romance.
I absolutely loved this cover art. It’s so stunning.
This was perfectly paced and the character growth and writing was amazing.

3.5/5 ⭐️

I loved the mental health/anxiety rep in this book! There was a lot of fun drama thrown in.

While it was entertaining, this one was just okay for me. It was cute, but fell a little flat. I didn’t really connect with the characters. I wished we would have gotten more with Olivia and Lily.

The blurb said Magnolia Parks, Gossip Girl, and One Tree Hill vibes, so I was excited. Unfortunately, I didn't get those vibes. Maybe because of the blurb, I had high expectations because Magnolia Parks is my jam. Idid get Gilmore Girl vibes, though. Tbh, I was sold on the cover alone.

✨️Slow burn
✨️He falls first
✨️dual pov
✨️mental health representation.
✨️sports romance

A big thanks to Netgalley and PS Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me. The cheating and the lying made no sense in my opinion and the characters just weren’t likable. They lacked depth and that really ruined it for me. Everything felt very surface level and I didn’t feel we got any depth in the story which just made it very hard to connect with. This might be a read for someone else and I definitely believe there are people who will love this but it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

The novel addresses important themes such as grief and mental health, but without real depth. Emotions are often told rather than truly experienced, and scenes that should carry emotional weight sometimes feel forced, as if designed to be cinematic rather than authentic.

The characters are shaped a little too closely to genre clichés, and the comparison to *Magnolia Parks*, *Gossip Girl*, and *One Tree Hill* ultimately exposes the novel to greater criticism, paradoxically highlighting the weaknesses in its storytelling.

Despite the smooth writing style and the book’s overall readability, *Astor Hill* lacks the narrative strength needed to leave a lasting impact. It is a good choice for those looking for a light, polished read, but less compelling for readers seeking stories with genuine emotional depth.

I loved the idea of this story. A mix of gossip girl and one tree hill inspired favorites from my early years. But I felt the written story to somewhat choppy for my liking.

It read a bit messy for the love triangle and cheating trope between two brothers. It was all a bit much. But I did still find some parts to be fun and enjoyable just wish that was more the focus than what I got.

I did love Olivia’s character as worry and smart kind of like Blair in gossip girl. Who currently is dating Will a very lost boy who makes a lot of bad decisions. Then similar to a Serena reappearance in gossip girl enters older brother Ben and here likes a mess of heeping drama and a lot of secrets.

I wanted to like this, but the writing I couldn’t connect to like I wanted.

Although this may not have been my favorite, it still had some great side storylines about life, loss and growth.

3.75⭐️
1.5🌶

Olivia is trying to make the best out of her college experience despite missing her best friend Lily, who died tragically before they even started their freshman year. On paper her life is perfect. She is Astor Hill's "IT" girl- beautiful, smart, vying to be the next newspaper editor and dating the Basketball Captain, Will Chapman.

Is everything as perfect as it seems? An unwanted assignment from her editor and the reappearance of Will's estranged brother, Ben, immediately destabilized her already toxic relationship Will. And Olivia's undeniable attraction to the mysterious brother Ben definitely doesn't help matters.

This book was really interesting because it wasn't at all what I expected. I was anticipating lots of college-esque drama- cheating, too-faced girl besties, hidden motives and bro battles. And while the book did have those things, it also had mature moments dealing with grief and loss, mental health and external pressure, and what it really means to "grow up".

I found a lot of this book rather surface level. I wanted more depth in the characters, more detail in the discussions the characters had surrounding the heavier topics of the book and if I'm being honest more overall drama.

This is not the ultra-spicy, drama-filled book I was expecting... but I enjoyed it a lot! And I'm sure it will find the right people to read! The set-up for book 2 in the series, and the characters involved, have me intrigued... I will definitely be checking out that book also!

Thank you to Netgally and the authors for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely enjoyed this book. It tells the story of a girl heartbroken over the sudden death of her best friend and how that ends up affecting her in her life. We meet her 2 years after loosing her and the relationship she finds herself in. It was so relatable given that me as a woman have found myself in a relationship where it's hard to leave not because you necessarily love the other person but because you are afraid of being alone or are trauma bonded with that person. The things Olivia went through, the positions she allowed Will to put her in were so reminiscent of relationships I've been in that it was so easy to relate to her. With the help of Wills brother she finds her own strength to leave Will and finds what real love is.

Astor Hill by Sydney Madison did not connect with me. I’m not sure if it was the tone or the characters, but it was all too juvenile for my taste. The characters were deeply flawed, and unfortunately, they didn’t redeem themselves by the end of the book. While the premise had potential, I found myself struggling to engage with the story. It just wasn’t the right fit for me.

What I Loved:

Character Depth: Olivia is complex and relatable, navigating loss, ambition, and love in a way that feels raw and authentic.
Ben Cabot: He’s the quintessential bad boy with layers, bringing both tension and heart to the story.
The Drama: The emotional stakes are high, and the twists kept me invested until the very end.
Atmosphere: Astor Hill is richly depicted, giving off the same elite vibes that make Gossip Girl and Magnolia Parks so addictive.

❌ Why 4 Stars:
While the drama and tension were gripping, some plot points felt a bit rushed, leaving me wishing for more time to delve deeper into certain relationships and events.

Well, I was not expecting this book to effect me quite the way it did. The mental health representation was done so well and respectfully - as someone who deals with depression and panic attacks, this was greatly appreciated. The character growth from will and Olivia was absolutely wonderful. I loved these characters, it was impossible not to feel for them.
Can't wait for the next book!

This book had all the right elements: grief, family drama, romance, but it felt a little surface level, and I found it hard to fully connect with the characters.

The emotional depth was lacking a bit, which left me wanting more substance to ground all the tension and drama. While certain moments stood out the story overall felt like it stayed on the surface rather than diving deep into the characters and relationships.

The slow-burn tension between Olivia and Ben was a highlight of the book, and I loved how he made Olivia feel seen and understood in a way Will didn’t.

If you’re into stories with high stakes relationships, messy emotions, and all of the drama, Astor Hill might be worth picking up.

A big thank you to NetGalley and PS published for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

small spoilers!! 3.5⭐️


This book takes you on an emotional rollercoaster, with Olivia at its center. At first, I loved her confidence and self-assuredness, but as the story progressed, I started to question the relationships around her. Will was initially intriguing, but his mixed signals had me doubting his true intentions, while Ben became a more complicated character as the plot unfolded.

One of the standout moments is when Olivia finally stands up to Will—it felt like a powerful turning point in her journey. But the emotional twists don’t stop there. There are several shocking revelations, especially about Lily’s past, that completely shift the story’s dynamics. That‘s why for me the pacing of the story really picked up from page 200 onwards.

The heartbreak hits hard, especially as Olivia struggles with feelings of betrayal and her own self-worth. Her journey of growth and learning to love herself before she can love anyone else is poignant and relatable. The final emotional gut-punch involving best friends left me reeling, but it wrapped up the book’s themes of trust and healing beautifully.

So much drama!!! And I’m here for all of it!!! When I tell you this book is packed from cover to cover in scandalous stories and it’s just the start! There is a whole series following this!!! Yes please I definitely need more!!!

Messy. Toxic relationships. College romance. If I’ve caught your attention - this one’s for you!

Unfortunately, this one WASN’T 100% there for me. Less than a handful of likable characters and instalove that was mildly nauseating. The YEARNING and the TENSION though - those I’ll keep.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have to start off by saying… wow. This was not what I was expecting at all. (In a good way.)
This book has college/sports romance, a love triangle (they’re brothers!) but it also has topics on grief, finding self-worth, parental expectations, love and loss. The story is more about character development rather than the characters getting together and that’s the end. It highlights the many, normal flaws and issues that people go through.

The story is pretty complex with the dynamics each character has with one another and how each character is affected by the death of Lily, Olivia (the FMC)’s best friend.

The story feels pretty fast paced but doesn’t feel rushed and I feel like the authors did a great job with the characters and their stories. I will admit the first chapter or two seemed a bit confusing (how Olivia felt about Lily, why Will was acting like that, how Olivia lets him treat her, etc) but it all made sense in the end.

The only thing I didn't like as much was that most of the interactions for the characters or events were at parties. Party after party, but I guess that's college life for some people.
There also was a small typo in the epilogue where there was a space before a comma. I believe there might have also been a typo when mentioning the bandaid. It was spelled "bandaid" and "band aid" in the same sentence.

The ending was good. There was redemption, closure and a great hook into the next book.

Astor Hill was… fine. It wasn’t bad, but it also wasn’t particularly good. The story felt messy for no reason, like it was trying to juggle too many elements at once without tying them together in a satisfying way.

The premise had promise, but the execution fell flat. The characters were decent, but I found it hard to connect with them. The plot tried to do a lot, and while some moments worked, others felt like they were thrown in just to add drama—drama that didn’t really lead anywhere.

I will say, Sydney Madison has a nice writing style, and there were a few standout moments where I thought, “Okay, now we’re getting somewhere.” But then the story would shift gears again, leaving me more confused than invested.

Overall, Astor Hill wasn’t terrible, but it didn’t leave much of an impact, either. It’s worth a read if you don’t mind a chaotic plot, but it’s not something I’d be rushing to recommend.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. While I enjoyed certain aspects of the story and found moments where the authors' writing shined, especially in the second half, and I appreciated the exploration of complicated grieving and female friendships, I had a lot of issues with the book as a whole. There was a lot of telling and not showing, and the pacing and plot were off. The best part of the book is Ben and Olivia's relationship, but even that fell a bit flat for me. It would have been easier to buy into their insta-love soulmate-type connection if Ben at least had a conversation with her before pining after her for years.

I think maybe these authors have a way to go in terms of their writing, but I could see a lot of potential. Also, the cover for this book is absolutely GORGEOUS. 2.5 stars rounded up.