Thank you for the ARC of this book.

I love Sydney Madison’s world that she has created with these books. The romance and slow burn is excellent with the mini sparks gifted to us along the way. I also love the inclusion of ballet and the discussion of the strength as a former dancer. This book takes place almost simultaneously with Astor Hill and it was fun seeing an alternate perspective to the scenes we experienced in the first book. I look forward to seeing who we follow next time. There’s absolutely a lot more drama and love to be had!

I honestly came because of the cover.

I did not finish reading this book because I was not interested in having myself read any more of the dialect amongst the basketball players regarding Genevieve Dupont. So I DNFed this book. My 3-star rating is simply based on the fact that I attempted this read because of the cover.

4.5 ⭐️
I was such a lovely book, with ballet, basketball and a love triangle, I really enjoyed this
Thank you again for allowing me to read

I will preface this by saying I did not read the first book in this series. This definitely gives off some Gossip Girl vibes. I wasn't too sure how I felt about Gen throughout the book, I was a bit annoyed by her, but I did love Grant who seemed very sweet. It's a standalone but there were a few parts where I think if I had read the first book might have made more sense. Also felt a little slow paced for me. Overall, it was enjoyable.

I totally picked up this book because of the gorgeous cover, but sadly, it just wasn’t for me. Even though it’s marketed as a standalone, I often felt confused, especially about the dynamic between some of the characters and why they acted the way they did.

The Gossip Girl comparison fits: there’s plenty of drama, toxic relationships, and college gossip. But for me, it didn’t hit the same way.

On the bright side, I really liked Grant: he’s sweet and total boyfriend material. Most of the other characters were kind of unbearable.

Many thanks to NetGalley and PS Published for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

I just finished Second Position and I absolutely loved it! This contemporary romance perfectly blends passion, drama, and heartfelt moments.

Story:
The book follows Genevieve, who navigate the competitive and high-pressure world of dance while discovering love, trust, and personal growth along the way. The chemistry is undeniable, and the stakes make every interaction feel intense and engaging.

What I loved:
• Romantic tension: The slow-burn attraction keeps you hooked throughout the story.
• Character development: The characters feel real, with strengths, vulnerabilities, and relatable struggles.
• Emotional depth: Beyond the romance, the book explores ambition, friendship, and self-discovery, adding a satisfying layer to the story.

What I liked less:
Some plot points felt a little predictable, but the emotional moments and chemistry more than made up for it.

Conclusion:
Overall, Second Position is a captivating romance that combines intensity, charm, and heart. I’m giving it four stars and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a slow-burn romance with depth, tension, and strong characters.

📚 Arc review 📚
Second Position by Sydney Madison

Genevieve Dupont is a ballerina and has a been best friends with Will, the Astor Lions’ star basketball player, for a long time but, he has a girlfriend and only sees Gen as a friend. She also has a troubled relationship with her mother. She decides to try and move on from Will and sets her sights on his teammate Grant because she wants to lose her virginity and to make Will jealous.
Grant Fielder is Will’s teammate on the Astor Hill basketball team. He wants to play professionally and not work in the family business after graduation. He also has abandonment issues from him and his twin sister being left by their mom  and then eventually getting adopted. When Gen approaches him about losing her virginity he agrees only if he gets to date her first. He is so sweet and such a great guy. He is just what Gen needed.
This was a heartwarming and cute romance with a slow burn. The drama was suspenseful. This was a very emotional and dramatic story of friendship, loss and love.

Second Position is book 2 in the Astor Hill series but can be read as a standalone.

Thank you to NetGalley and PS Published for an e-ARC of this book.

This book had a lot going for it. Ballet, basketball, best friends, and a complicated love triangle with real emotional weight. I appreciated that the author aimed to explore deeper themes like self-worth, loyalty, and the pressure to be who others expect you to be. There were definitely moments where I felt pulled into the characters’ world and invested in their choices.

Genevieve is easy to root for in the beginning. She’s talented, disciplined, and clearly struggling with feeling overlooked, both at home and in her friendship with Will. Her decision to step outside her comfort zone feels impulsive but honest, which added some realism to her journey. Grant, the so-called golden boy, surprised me more than once. His backstory is rich, and the glimpses we get into his emotional walls were some of my favorite parts of the book.

That said, the pacing felt uneven. Too many tropes trying to intertwine. Some plot points especially the central "deal" and the fallout with Will were rushed or didn’t fully deliver the emotional impact they were building toward. The tension fizzled at times just when it should have peaked, and I found myself wanting more from the side characters and less from some of the drawn-out introspection. Gen’s voice felt genuine, but it often slowed the momentum.

The romance has its sparks, but it also leans heavily on miscommunication and internal conflict, which may frustrate readers hoping for more payoff or clarity by the end.

Worth a read if you enjoy messy love stories with a strong undercurrent of personal growth.

I really enjoyed Second Position by Sydney Madison. It was sweet and funny, while also being deep and thought provoking. It dealt with toxic relationships. Traumatic childhoods and how that can create abandonment issues. Also the struggles with parental pressures: real or perceived. And just the everyday juggles of college life, like studies, performance in outside school activities, and relationships. Madison did an amazing job weaving a beautiful story around all of that that made it beautiful and sad. Heartbreaking, yet freeing to watch them grow. The story did get bogged down around 70% of the way through because there were so many moving parts, that it felt like the story started to fracture a bit. But Madison did an amazing pulling out of that quagmire and tying off this sweet love story. It is low spice, but there is some. The two MCs are so lovable there is nothing to rag on either of them about. Do they make dumb decisions that hurt their relationship? Oh yeah. But that’s expected at their age. If they had a perfect relationship, then they wouldn’t be believable. I absolutely adore the side characters! Each one of them. Well, maybe not Will. But all the rest of them are absolutely adorable and I would love to see each of them get their own story. Second Position was nothing like I expected it to be. Have some Kleenex handy, because you are guaranteed to cry a few times reading this book.

I received a copy of #SecondPosition from #NetGalley in lieu of my honest opinion and review of this book.

One tree hill, the OC, Dawson's Creek college love vibes . Second Position makes you wanna put on a college sweater, grab some coffee, and walk on a cool Fall day.... Full of familiar coziness.

This is book two in the Astor Hill series, and I flew through it just like I did the first! After being frustrated with Genevieve Dupont in Astor Hill, it was such a relief to finally get her side of the story.

Genevieve has spent her whole life training to be a ballerina. She’s carries the weight of a complicated relationship with her mother, struggles deeply with self-worth, and has been in love with her childhood best friend, Will Chapman, for years.

Now, they go to the same college (he plays basketball at Astor Hill) and she’s always puts his needs ahead of her own. But when she finally decides to do something for herself, it leads her straight to Grant Fielder: Will’s teammate...and sort’ve enemy.

What starts as a plan to lose her virginity to the handsome, golden boy turns into months of unexpected intimacy. As Grant and Genevieve get to know each other, their dynamic shifts from wanting a casual hookup to something with real meaning, right as Will starts to spiral.

She’s left with a heart-wrenching choice: go back to the familiarity of Will, or explore this messy, meaningful, new connection with Grant.

This story is packed with emotional tension, layered characters, and slow-burn chemistry!

I loved watching Grant and Genevieve’s relationship change into to something softer and scarier: people trying to actually love each other.

Both of them battle their own inner demons, and I appreciated how this book shows that love isn’t always neat or easy, but it can still be worth it.

This writing duo nails writing emotions in a captivating and poetic way. I found myself highlighting a ton of quotes! I can't wait to read more stories in this universe.

3.5 Stars
What worked for me:
Elite drama meets emotional depth
Gen and Grant’s relationship = beautifully done
Gossip Girl vibes

What fell short:
Will’s character just grated on me
Unanswered questions and loose ends
Some emotional beats felt underdeveloped

After seeing it described as “perfect for fans of Gossip Girl” I was totally in. And honestly? That was spot-on. The elite drama, messy friendships, and emotional intensity totally scratched that Gossip Girl itch—and I was here for it.

One of the strongest elements was the relationship building between Gen and Grant. The way their connection grew felt real and well-paced. Gen could completely let go with him, but still remained that strong little thing she was. Their dynamic was tender and layered—definitely a highlight.

But then there’s Gen and Will’s friendship, and whew... that just rubbed me the wrong way from the beginning. I couldn’t shake the feeling something wasn’t right. And sure enough, when that bet came to light, I literally said out loud, “I KNEW IT.” Will’s character feels like he constantly needs someone around, someone to prop him up—and honestly, it got tiring. He read as emotionally needy and whiny, which made it hard to sympathize with him, even when the story wanted me to.

There’s no shortage of drama, friendship, betrayal, and heart. But despite all the tension and buildup, I was left with questions. Some threads didn’t fully resolve, and I wish a few moments had gone deeper instead of leaning on dramatic reveals.

Anyone missing the Off Campus series???

Astor Hill is like if One Tree Hill/Gossip Girl/ and Off Campus had a baby.

This is basketball player x ballerina.

If you like interconnected sports romance books set in an academic setting this may be for you.
I thought the MMC and FMC had great chemistry. There is a LOT of drama, but I was an OG Gossip Girl stan so I don't mind some drama.
This is a slow burn and very character driven.

This was a good time!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sydney Madison for the ARC

Likes
-actual sports romance, not just “he’s an athlete.”
-the ease she translates the French within the plot rather than translating in parenthesis or having a language key

Dislikes
-too many tropes: in love with best friend, brother in love with girlfriend, enemy in love with best friend, sex pact—my goodness! Have mercy on the neurospicy
-novel is written in first person limited, but conversationally. It’s a mess of run on sentences.

Overall, the novel is cute, light read.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was so happy to dive back into the Astor Hill universe ❤️‍🩹

The drama was as intense as i thought it would be, giving me the best Gossip girl vibes. Maybe it would be too much for some of you, but to me it was as satisfying as watching reality tv 💥

Let’s talk about the FMC :
While reading the first book of this series, I HATED Gen so much i didn’t know how i’d be able to enjoy this one. Surprisingly, it made me understand her more and even sympathize with her. Still, I couldn’t endorse many of the actions she chose to make, their impact on people were too severe.

Let’s talk about the MMC :
Grant is a sweetheart. He was so understanding of Gen at the beginning, even though her situation with Will was toxic to say the least. I loved how he acted throughout most of the book, but I felt as if his actions towards the end were a bit out of character. I get that he was protecting himself and his feelings, but it wasn’t how I pictured he would have acted from the get go.

I really hope to see more of Sloane in the future, because I love her so much. She is so charismatic and funny, she always had the right thing to say to Gen.

« Everyone’s transparent when the people around them are botherin’ to look. »

*Thank you Netgalley, the publishers and the authors for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange with an honest review

Thank you to Sydney, Madison, PS Published, and Netgalley for my ARC of Second Position in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I felt like it was a well written romance with all of the fun of seeing the main characters fall for one another while still covering important topics. I love the overall vibes of the book and it definitely reminded me of some 2000s romcoms. It was an easy read and had likable characters. Grant was such a sweet mmc and really cared for Gen. Gen was a great fmc, the more we got to know her. I think I struggled with her a little in the very beginning of the book, but by about 20% in I loved her. The book also has loveable side characters with Jean and Sloane, they were both so fun and added some great friendship banter to the book.

The only thing I found to be an issue was that the book was listed as a standalone. I think it would be more beneficial though to read the first book in the series first. There were definitely some moments like the Gen/Will/Lily plot line that were a little jumbled to me just because I had not read the first book prior to this one. I will definitely be going back and reading it now though because Second Position made me even more intrigued. Overall, it was an enjoyable, fun romance!

My Naley heart! Ohhh, for anyone who has been wanting/waiting for another romance like Nathan and Hailey from One Tree Hill, this is the book for you. Grant and Gen, while not exactly like Naley, remind me so much of them!!! Do yourself a favour and read this book, such a good romance, five stars!

3.5/5 ⭐️
Goodreads review posted on/ 07/26/2025

This story was definitely full of drama and tension, especially between Will, Grant and Gen. Gen and Will’s friendship was kind of toxic and a little unbearable to be honest but it did play well into the rest of the story. Grant and Gen’s relationship was slow and full of some rocky areas but I do enjoy that they navigated through that before jumping into bed with each other.

Gen’s character development was a turning point in the book too since she was a little meek and a pushover in the beginning. Don’t get me wrong, I love the alpha male and taking care of her tropes, but I do love when a FMC has a bit more of a backbone and isn’t as much of a pushover.

The writing style was great and I do look forward to reading more from the Astor Hill series!

I had a difficult time connecting with the story and characters. This is partly my fault as I don't enjoy sports romances but the cover gave off a different vibe.

I loved Astor Hill! And was so excited to start Second Position by Sydney Madison.
It is so easy to read, I binged it an afternoon.
This book was amazing! The description was so vivid and this book kept me up all night.