Astor Hill by Sydney Madison is a captivating new entry into the genre of angsty romance and coming-of-age drama, reminiscent of Magnolia Parks, Gossip Girl, and One Tree Hill. Madison crafts a story that pulls readers into the elite, turbulent world of Astor Hill, where status, passion, and heartbreak collide, and every choice threatens to unravel the life Olivia Beckett has so carefully planned.

Olivia’s journey begins with promise and ambition. She enters Astor Hill with clear goals: to become the editor of the prestigious campus newspaper, to capture the affections of basketball star Will Chapman, and to experience college alongside her best friend, Lily. But when tragedy strikes, Olivia’s dream life is shattered, leaving her with unresolved trauma and a campus reputation that feels increasingly hollow. Madison poignantly explores Olivia’s battle with grief and the cost of maintaining appearances as she struggles with her identity in the shadow of her painful past.

Two years after the life-altering incident, Olivia’s careful balance is disrupted by the return of Ben Cabot, a basketball player with a reputation as volatile as his charisma. Ben’s mysterious absence and equally mysterious return add tension to the story, and his undeniable chemistry with Olivia presents her with a choice: maintain her safe, familiar path or risk everything for the dangerous allure of the unknown. Ben and Olivia’s complicated relationship is the story’s beating heart, embodying both the tension and excitement that come with forbidden attraction.

Astor Hill beautifully captures the high-stakes drama of young love and the painful choices that define growing up. Madison’s prose is sharp and atmospheric, rendering Astor Hill’s privileged world with vivid detail and capturing the allure and intensity of youthful infatuation, ambition, and loss. Olivia’s inner conflict and her evolving relationships are depicted with nuance, making her a compelling protagonist caught between desire and duty.

For fans of messy, emotional romance and stories where status and secrets intertwine, Astor Hill offers an addictive read. Madison’s exploration of love, loss, and the courage to face one’s true self make this novel as relatable as it is intoxicating, providing a modern take on navigating heartbreak and finding resilience amidst life’s chaos.

Initially I was attracted to this book by the cover because look at that character art 😍.

This book is more than just a sports romance tangled up in a high society school. It's a web of emotions from the get go and centers a lot around grief and mental health. While some of it is surface level there is depth in parts.

Olivia while a strong character has spent the majority of her life living in her best friend Lily's shadow. So you can understand her challenges with finding her own individuality as the story progresses.

I didn't care much for Lily. I thought the parts we saw showed her as quite a toxic friend and we never really got to see the more tender side of their relationship. There was definitely more to her underneath the exterior.

Will and Olivia's relationship was doomed before it began especially as it started with so many secrets. While I'm still not 100% sure why they got together in the first place it made for a bit of scandal.

From reading the blurb I expected a completely different version of Ben however what you actually get is a very likeable character who has gone through a lot of healing prior to his return to school. Do I think he should have gone for his brother girl...no. Did I quite like it...yes 😅

This book shows how messy, frustrating and toxic it can be navigating teenage life but underneath that there is also a lot of love and self healing. I enjoyed it and would follow the series.

Thank you so much Netgalley for the ARC 💕

Thank you to NetGalley and PS Published for providing me with the e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Astor Hill follows the love story and relationships of Olivia and Ben throughout the fall semester of her junior year and his senior year and all the drama surrounding that since Ben is Olivia’s ex-boyfriend’s older brother.

First, I want to discuss the positives. This book is a perfect read for autumn. It is very atmospheric and coincidentally, I read it literally during the same time period ish of when the majority of the book took place (October-November), it was very fitting. I love the cover. It’s gorgeous and very eye-catching! And the writing is objectively good with some great quotes.

Unfortunately my enjoyment of the book ends there.
Olivia is very unlikeable as a main character, given her classism, internalized misogyny, and frankly incompetence and lack of ethics as a reporter (but we’ll get to that later). Olivia is very much the poster child of a pick-me girl. Every time there is a new female character introduced, you can guarantee that Olivia will be hostile towards that person until the narrative makes it clear that that person is not a romantic threat to her. Way to go feminism! She’s also shown during her inner monologue to be condescending and classist towards another classmate because “they have always envied us!” Of course, main characters don’t have to be flawless. However, Olivia’s instances of classism and internalized misogyny are never called out or treated negatively in the narrative. Nope. They aren’t even acknowledged.
Ben is boring. It’s like the book is afraid to make him come off badly that it plays it too safe. Ben has xyz issues and conflicts. Guess what? They’re all discussed about and resolved neatly in his inner monologue. And the insta-love thing just doesn’t do it for me.
Lily! Oh Lily. You exist more as a punching bag and a plot device than a character. Lily’s first appearance through Olivia’s eyes solidly confirm to readers that she’s a mean girl. Then, we flash forward to 3 years later and discover that Lily died on the night we met her. Here’s the thing, she is depicted so badly that the griefs do not really feel earned. And that is saying something considering how quickly the griefs fall into the background and only later resurface towards the end.
The journalism! So, Olivia is a part of this presumably very prestigious college student-run newspaper. However, as a former student journalist, I really wonder if the authors have ever picked up a student newspaper before in their lives. They don’t report gossip! And they actually tend to have very high journalistic standards. (the Astor Hill newspaper is compared at one point to the Harvard Gazette and the Yale Daily News. The Harvard Crimson IS the student-run newspaper of Harvard College. The Harvard Gazette is the university run news website run by professional journalist.)
The romance: I personally did not see the chemistry in the beginning but they did become cute later on before the melodramatic third act breakup.
Overall, while the writing is good, the book ultimately falls flat for me.

I loved Olivia’s story.
The aspect of grief and moving on from heartache is something a lot of us go through and relate to. Olivia’s character development was well paced, and I really enjoyed her evolving situationships 😉 & how they helped her grasp onto her internal battles and heal.
I wasn’t expecting the dark secrets hidden within the web of characters, and the brothers rivalry was done perfectly. You want to dislike one brother and cheer for another, but the battles they’re facing make you understand why they did what they did. Dealing with trauma looks differently for everyone and I loved experiencing Olivia, Will, and Ben’s story. Excited for the next book!

Highly recommend if you want a book with deep emotional emphasis on grief, anxiety rep, brother rivalry, forbidden love, college setting and insta loooove.

I went into Astor Hull with high expectations, but I came away feeling a bit disappointed. Right from the start, the constant bickering and banter between characters made me want to throw my Kindle across the room! For me, Ben and Olivia felt like a much better fit than Will and Olivia, and the first half of the book didn’t do much to change my mind.

The story dives deeply into themes of loss and past traumas, which added a lot of emotional weight to the book. And yet, I’m torn—I can’t say for sure if I liked it or disliked it. In the end, I just couldn’t finish it. This one wasn’t for me, but I hope others find the connection with it that I couldn’t.

This was a cute romance story which also tackled some difficult and serious topics.

It gave me major gossip girl vibes with the drama and for that I absolute loved reading the story. I also enjoyed the writing as well as the characters. I also found the plot twists interesting.

However, I was slightly weirded out about Ben's hyperfixation on Olive. It just didn't sit right with me. I did enjoy the character development of these characters towards the end though!

Also this cover is gorgeous!!

Thank you netgalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange of my honest review.

First thank you to NetGalley & Sydney and Madison for an ARC of this fun read for an honest review!

This story was not your every day college basketball romance. This was truly an angsty, guilt and grief riddled, complex story of love and loss and navigating those difficult feelings while going through college. It explores difficult family and friendship dynamics while also staying within a surface level vainness like Gossip Girl. While I don’t love the angsty rich kid type of story, I do think they made up for it in beautiful one liners and deeper emotions. This is a story I’ll recommend to certain friends who I know love a slow burn, college basketball, and potentially unlikeable characters (at first). However let me be very clear, I thought Ben and Grant were two of the sweetest characters I’ve ever read. 💕

Imagine this: gossip girl meets one tree hill meets college sports romance, he’s her boyfriend’s brother, grief, difficult friend and family dynamics, slow burn, and mental health emphasis! If you like any of these things, I’m fairly certain this will become one of your go to romances!

And because I finally learned how to mark quotes on my kindle, here’s one that really stuck with me:

“Did Harold ever get back to himself?” “There was nothing to get back to. Only somewhere to go, Olivia.” 😭

Also can we just take a moment for the BEAUTIFUL cover art?????????😍😍

Thank you again Sydney Madison for reaching out and for granting me this early copy of your debut novel! Really beautiful job!

ARC - PUBLICATION DATE 7TH FEBRUARY 2024

4 ☆

『 tropes 』
•college romance
•brothers rivalry
•slow burn
•secrets
•boyfriends brother
•forced proximity
•sports romance
•mental health rep

『 plot 』
olivia wants it all, the picture perfect relationship, the high ranking at college and popularity and she has the means to do so, she’s smart, funny, beautiful, witty but she’s also a little broken, a little caged and a little standoffish and her relationship isn’t as perfect as it seems on paper. she wanted it all, but she also wanted her best friend alongside of her when she did so. but loss has a way of changing you.

on the surface will is arrogant, bitter, toxic and just not a great guy, but he’s carrying so much more beneath the surface, he’s hiding something, he’s struggling, he’s hurting and he’s losing himself but he’s what olivia wanted so she stays with him, then comes along ben, will’s older brother, who has been absent for 2 years, dealing with his own struggles and just when olivia doesn’t think her life could get any more messy or complicated, she starts to feel things for her boyfriends brother.

『 my thoughts 』
i really enjoyed this, the dynamic between ben and will, was somewhat similar to nathan and lucas’ relationship in the first couple of seasons of one tree hill, and i am all for that. the rest of the story, the friendships, the drama, the secrets, the need to have a good image, all gave off gossip girl vibes, and once again, i’m all for that! it was a great read.

whilst the drama was top notch, i really appreciated how the author dealt with more sensitive topics and themes throughout this book, complicated relationships with parents and how that affects a person, dealing with grief and loss, the complexity of mental health and anxiety, of how a person can seem strong, independent and fierce but is being treated like less of a person, how codependency in a relationship can be unhealthy and toxic, and how even though a person in that relationship knows this, they stay regardless. this story was so much more than the drama and secrets and i loved it.

Instagram Post Review of Astor Hill by Sydney Madison

If you, like me, grew up watching Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill, Astor Hill will feel like a homecoming—yet with a new, electrifying twist. It’s a story that lingers in your mind, tugging at you to find out what happens next. There’s a mystery that everyone seems to know about… everyone except me and Liv. The suspense, the big secret—it’s everything I wanted and more!

This book had me laughing, crying, and grinning like a fool. The "reformed playboy" trope isn’t usually my thing, but here it works. Ben’s focus on mental health and the raw way the characters deal with grief and loss felt so real. Every scene had me turning pages faster and faster, wanting to soak up more of these characters’ lives.

I read it in a day, and my only regret? It ended. Thank you to NetGalley and Sydney Madison for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review! (Fair warning: if themes like panic attacks, loss, and hints of cheating aren’t for you, just keep that in mind!)

⭐️ 5/5 big stars
🌶️ Just the right spice
🫶 OTH and Gossip Girl fans, this one’s a must!

I'm going to keep this one really short and to the point - I wasn't expecting much going into this one. I'm not sure why lol, I just anticipated that it was going to come across a little shallow as far as the plot was concerned especially with the comparison of 'For fans of Magnolia Parks, Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill'

I've read a good amount of love triangles and cheating tropes and I'll say - as long as I feel like there's some depth to the characters and there's an extenuating circumstance for the cheating (please don't come for me) then I can rock with the story and relate in some way to the characters. Hey, we're all human and make mistakes, right?

But the way this story is laid out ... no. The cheating and the lying all for literally no reason other than the other tells us this is the way it's going to be. Everything is all very surface level and formulaic. It's predictable. All telling and no showing.

I didn't care about a single one of these characters because they were all cardboard cut outs. There was no depth to them, no life to them. I really wanted to poke them and say come on do something.

This story was messy for the sake of being messy. It didn't need to be. The 'reveals' and 'gossip bits' aren't even juicy. It was like, all of this bc of that? Meh. Not impressed.

Anticipated Release Date - 2/7/25

╰⪼ 🍁Boyfriend's Brother
╰⪼ 📚He Falls First
╰⪼ 🧡Love after Loss
╰⪼ 🍁Lies & Secrets
╰⪼ 📚Found Family
╰⪼ 🧡Mental Health Rep
╰⪼ 🍁Messy & Full of Drama

✨ Many thanks to NetGalley and Sydney Madison for the advanced digital copy - all thoughts are my own. ✨

This book had a lot of potential, and while it wasn’t perfect, I ended up really enjoying it. The dual POV was a bit of a gamble for me, since I’m usually not a fan, but it actually worked here. Ben and Olivia had some great chemistry, and I liked how their relationship developed, though I do wish we got more of Olivia’s character outside of her romantic entanglements. The romance was definitely the highlight for me—slow-burn and emotional, just the way I like it.

That said, I can see where others were coming from with the pacing issues and the lack of depth in certain areas. The emotional beats were there, but some of the side characters felt a little underdeveloped, and some plot points didn’t feel as fleshed out as I would have liked. Still, I couldn’t stop reading, and I think this is a great choice for anyone who likes messy, heartfelt romances.

Thank you to NetGalley & PS Published for gifting me the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I found myself wanting to pick this back up and continue reading anytime I wasn't. I enjoyed the character development and the mental health rep with Ben's navigation through dealing with anxiety. I found myself frustrated with Olivia's character the first half of the book and how she's portrayed as this tough, takes no shit, can handle herself woman, but yet allows Will to treat her the way he does for so long; however, it is a very real life depiction of a toxic, codependent relationship. The end of the book was great and I want more. I didn't find it as predictable as I thought I would. I would recommend this book to any romance lover and possibly even reread myself. I'll be watching for more from this author duo!

tropes:
⤍ he falls first
⤍ boyfriend's brother
⤍ forced proximity
⤍ mental health rep
⤍ gossip girl vibes
⤍ sports romance
⤍ dual pov
⤍ slow burn
⤍ grief

spice: 2/5

thank you to NetGalley & Sydney Madison for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my original & honest thoughts.

anticipated release date: 2/7/25

Are you obsessed with Gossip Girl? Did you read and love the Magnolia Parks series and are now lost, trying to find something similar to it?

LOOK NO FURTHER.

Astor Hill is centered around a group of young adults, set at Astor Hill (their college). The drama is messy, but the people are messier. And I mean that in the best way possible. The POVs are from our FMC Olivia and MMC Ben. It all starts at a party Olivia's freshman year, that she attends with her best friend Lily. This is where Olivia meets Will, Ben's brother (yep, DRAMA). Two years after this party, where the book truly begins, we start to figure out that Olivia hasn't fully processed the loss of her best friend that night after the party. She struggles with the fact that she lived in Lily's shadow, and feels guilty for resenting her in some ways. In walks Ben Cabot (aka Green Flag, loml, emotionally available king). The only problem is that she is with Will, his brother.

Cue drama. Secrets are uncovered. Feelings are there that shouldn't be. Things are said but aren't meant. There are fistfights. Drunken confessions. Secret rendevous.

And I gotta say I ATE IT ALL UP.

I love how the flashbacks to the past help forward the plot and give us a clearer vision of why the characters feel the way they feel. The journey that these characters take on emotional healing healed ME in the most unexpected ways. I love that the authors wrote each character at seemingly different stages of emotional health and healing.

This book has all the elements of a drama and tension-filled romance, and I'm here to say it's absolutely DELICIOUS. I could not put it down once I got about a third of the way through. I'll say this once and I'll say it again: I LOVE reading characters who are messy because those are the ones that feel real.

This book is full of questionable decisions and sometimes made me want to scream (in a good way, kinda?). But these writers are going places. Seriously. The way they perfectly captured the feeling of grief and anxiety, while also simultaneously writing poetic love confessions and deep-rooted feelings, JUST BLEW MY FREAKIN MIND.

And GOODNESS ME, THANK YOU FOR WRITING BEN CABOT. THANK YOU AND GOODNIGHT.

TROPES & TRIGGER WARNINGS: Love triangle, second chance, grief, male anxiety rep, forbidden love (possibly?). This book does talk and describe anxiety attacks briefly.

Thank you, NetGalley and Sydney Madison for this eARC in exchange for an honestly written review!

no thanks, I'm good

has insta-love, an insufferable and unlikable female protagonist, and reeked of a third act breakup

let's not make the boyfriend's older brother trope a thing, pls.

astor hill was such a journey of growing up, betrayal and honesty shocking events that I would have never predicted.

plot ―୨୧⋆ ˚ it was so so well paced and I really loved the whole concept, I lived for the drama and toxic mess that was astor hill. I felt some moments were a little bit unexplained and didn't fully leave me feeling satisfied with the information I got but it was something that was easy to look past. the idea that this book was meant to be a gossip girl meets one true hill was so intriguing and it really delivered in those aspects with so much drama, lies and betrayal I could not put it down.
the plot also lended itself to an emotional undertone that bubbled over toward the end that had me sobbing over Olivia's realisations and revelations.

liv + ben ―୨୧⋆ ˚ I absolutely loved seeing their relationship grow slowly, the fact that this was dual pov just made it so much better because we got to see the amount of pining they did for each other despite the tricky situation their relationship would land them in. i adored the maturity they had when dealing with their relationship and their willingness to communicate was so refreshing.
there is a 3rd act breakup but I felt it was justified and made complete sense considering everything that happens over the course of a few chapters

overall, I loved this book and enjoyed reading about the drama and lies that these characters were tangled up in. I absolutely cannot wait to gen and grant in the next book ⭐️🥲

another quick mention of my fave chapter of this whole book when we go back in time into Ben's pov when he first sees Liv and we realise she's the shining star this whole time and she's not realised ❤️‍🩹

Sweet baby Jesus. This pulled on my heartstrings very unexpectedly but in a good way. I loved this. It’s a very raw take on toxic relationships.

The overall book wasn't bad. I personally didn't love it or any of the characters, but I wouldn't judge someone who did.

The development of the characters and the plot was quite stunted, and this became clearer as the book went along. I didn't feel this *magical* connection between Ben and Olivia and was just generally irritated by her. It seemed like everything happened to her, and she didn't take an active role in anything.

Major plot points, like arguments and characters falling out, were just brushed over really quickly too. Also, how can Olivia be some investigative journalist when she barely asked him any questions at all and only worked on one story throughout the entire book?

One thing that really did annoy me too is the repetition of the characters' names during every conversation. In reality, you wouldn't constantly repeat someone's name every single time you make a statement. It just felt really unnatural. Within one conversation, Olivia's name was mentioned 14 times - and it was a pretty short conversation - sometimes twice in one speech.

I think with some heavy editing and more focus on the characters, it could have been a really good book. I just didn't feel the chemistry between any of them, and I don't particularly enjoy female characters staying with a guy who just walks all over them before they suddenly break up. It just feels formulaic, like the author needed a reason why the main characters couldn't be together yet and decided not to give Olivia any self-respect.

On a more positive note, I really like the cover!

I stopped properly reading at 20% and then skimmed it to the end.
The moment i decided i cant finish it and enjoyed it was after what it felt 100th of time of one of the main character mentioning that the MMC is indeed 6’4” and his brother is 6’2” amd FMC is 5’8”, its not the heights i have beef with, actually i rly enjoy tall female characters as I’m myself 6ft tall woman, but i need to hear it once, after that descriving it as tall is enough…still annoying if constantly repeats, but I can live with that.
Then the death of Lily, i truly needed more time on page with her to believe the friendship she had with Liv and their dynamics. But what i saw i didnt really believe that she was a good friend to Liv, and then she was dead.What actually happened to her? Noone knows because it wasnt explained. 20year olds just dont die, was it sudden medical thing? That’s what my guess was atleast.
Then the love story, i didnt enjoy the toxic relationship one bit. And then she went with the better mentally balanced brother and everybody is just okay with it? Or more why Will is okay with it, and Liv okay with him having lied to her the entirety of their relationship….if this would be my ex and even dating his brother now, i couldnt be in the same room with the guy….
And yea Ben is a decent guy, but the drama just took me out of the what might have been a cute story otherwise

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

This story was not what I expected it to be because I thought it was going to be a cute fluffy sports romance like the other sports romances I’ve read. The unforeseen beginning of this book makes me feel intrigued to continue reading the book and I was well interested. Generally, it was a beautiful but messy love story with complex characters and relationships. I really feel the One Tree Hill vibes with this book which is great because I’m currently watching that show.

It follows Olivia Beckett who is a junior at Astor Hill College and dating the captain of the basketball team, Will Chapman. Their relationship was really toxic to the point that I was mad at her for staying with him for that long. He is literally a walking red flag. Something happened two years ago that affected both of them which I still am quite confused tbh because it happened quite abruptly and they didn’t really say much more about it throughout the book. This tragedy didn’t just affect them, but also another character, Ben Cabot, who is the MMC but also Will’s stepbrother (you know where this is going) and he went MIA for two years before coming back to Astor Hill to finish his senior year. I really like how they portray Ben’s character (such a green flag) with the mental health representation and I actually feel more connected with Ben than I do with Olivia. Ben and Olivia’s relationship seems a bit iffy to me at first (no cheating btw, just saying) but it kinda grew on me but I wish there would be more groveling hehe.

Other than that, I love the newfound relationship between the girlies - Olivia, Genevieve and Sloane, but again I would love to see more of how this relationship evolves into something stronger. I’m guessing we can see more of this aspect in the next book? So can’t wait for the next one with Gen and Grant!

P.S. Thank you to NetGalley, Sydney Madison and PS Published for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC!

He’s a good man Savannah, a GOOD MAN!!😂 anyways y’all Astor Hill was a cute College Romance/Forbidden Love with only a few cons (imo) those being 1.Grammar Errors 2. At some parts it was hard to follow who was speaking 3. I would have love to see more of a backstory on our MCs🤷🏾‍♀️ but besides that I absolutely loved it!🥰 I enjoyed the way the authors shed light on teenagers/young adults navigating through life and realizing that we all have different perceptions on how we not only view our/others lives but each other in general🙌🏾 validation and mental health💕I enjoyed watching the character development of our MCs Olivia and Ben, and banter of course🤭 along with our side characters as well🫶🏾 overall this was a cute cozy read with a little bit of spice🌶️🌶️that will make you smile but also make you wanna slap a 🐶 …😂 10/10 recommend friends!🩵