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lexa's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
3.75
Set in 1980s NYC, this book was fun and sad and even a little mysterious (with the inclusion of missing girls, and also ghosts). It’s one of those books where nothing happens but also everything happens. It kept me captivated but I don’t think it’s a book that will stay with me for long.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Drug abuse, Addiction, Death, and Drug use
Moderate: Abortion, Grief, Infidelity, Blood, Alcohol, Cancer, and Stalking
Minor: Sexual content, Cannibalism, and Vomit
panthalassa's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Drug abuse, Addiction, Blood, Death of parent, Drug use, Death, Grief, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Medical content, Cannibalism, Murder, Abortion, Forced institutionalization, Self harm, Terminal illness, and Violence
jaynovara's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Death
Moderate: Abortion, Alcohol, Cannibalism, Gore, Mental illness, and Stalking
abookwanderer's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I couldn’t resist an invitation to read Astrid Sees All, a novel set in New York in the gritty 1980s club scene. It sounded atmospheric and eye-opening. And it was. But it was also much darker than I expected and devoid of much hope. Normally, I don’t mind dark books, but I’ve been steering away from them for the past year. While I didn’t love this one, it doesn’t mean it wasn’t well-done—it just wasn’t the right book at the right time for me. But it’s not all negatives, there were things I enjoyed about this historical fiction novel.
Astrid Sees All has been compared to Fleabag, but Astrid lacks the humor and strong characters of Fleabag. I felt detached from the main character, Phoebe/Astrid. Especially for a novel written in first-person. And maybe that’s what the author intended, but I was always left wanting more of her internal thoughts and less of the play-by-play events of her life.
It was a quick read, but not necessarily an easy one. And I kept reading wanting to know if Phoebe’s life ever turned around. There were some unexpected aspects toward the end that helped to wrap the novel up satisfactorily, but when I finished, I still didn’t feel like I knew Phoebe much better than when I’d started. I could respect what the author was doing—keeping the reader at arms length, much like Phoebe did with everyone—but I wanted a bit more.
What I did enjoy was the 1980s setting. Standiford does a good job of placing the reader in the dangerous but glittering downtown New York club scene. I found myself googling names and places, wondering if the stories were true. And some of them were—with the names changed. Although, many celebrities who were famously a part of the club scene made appearances, as well, including John Kennedy Jr., Andy Warhol, and Tatum O’Neal. The novel also mentioned the films and music that made the decade so memorable.
And I will say Astrid’s method of telling fortunes was one of the most interesting ways I’ve ever heard of!
If you like to immerse yourself in a place and time, placing more importance on the atmosphere than the plot—and you don’t mind a darker piece of literature—you’ll probably find plenty to unravel in Astrid Sees All.
Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy.
Astrid Sees All has been compared to Fleabag, but Astrid lacks the humor and strong characters of Fleabag. I felt detached from the main character, Phoebe/Astrid. Especially for a novel written in first-person. And maybe that’s what the author intended, but I was always left wanting more of her internal thoughts and less of the play-by-play events of her life.
It was a quick read, but not necessarily an easy one. And I kept reading wanting to know if Phoebe’s life ever turned around. There were some unexpected aspects toward the end that helped to wrap the novel up satisfactorily, but when I finished, I still didn’t feel like I knew Phoebe much better than when I’d started. I could respect what the author was doing—keeping the reader at arms length, much like Phoebe did with everyone—but I wanted a bit more.
What I did enjoy was the 1980s setting. Standiford does a good job of placing the reader in the dangerous but glittering downtown New York club scene. I found myself googling names and places, wondering if the stories were true. And some of them were—with the names changed. Although, many celebrities who were famously a part of the club scene made appearances, as well, including John Kennedy Jr., Andy Warhol, and Tatum O’Neal. The novel also mentioned the films and music that made the decade so memorable.
And I will say Astrid’s method of telling fortunes was one of the most interesting ways I’ve ever heard of!
If you like to immerse yourself in a place and time, placing more importance on the atmosphere than the plot—and you don’t mind a darker piece of literature—you’ll probably find plenty to unravel in Astrid Sees All.
Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, and Grief
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