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sarah_883's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
albixiusa's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
kvangundy's review against another edition
4.0
Phoebe is reeling from the death of her father. She escapes back to the streets of NY and her best friend Carmen and the nightlife. Phoebe is hell-bent on revenging the wrongdoings of her once lover Ivan and she will stop at nothing. All the drugs, partying, sex and nightlife make for a very high-strung story. When life takes a turn that Phoebe does not see coming it sends her spiraling. Can she fix everything that is going wrong? This story had a little bit of everything. Thank you, NetGalley for the eARC. 4 stars
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
anushatamhane's review against another edition
It hurt to not finish another book, since I've already DNF'ed at least 3 other books already this year, but I truly could not understand the point of this book and didn't understand why I was putting pressure on myself to finish a book I didn't like
hereforthebooks's review against another edition
4.0
"She had the seen-it-all attitude of a native New Yorker, and I wanted to see it all."
This book was a whirlwind. I just loved the vibe of "Astrid Sees All." Natalie Standiford's writing was so descriptive and it had such a good energy. The 1980's world that Standiford featured was completely encompassing. After finishing the novel, I didn't want to leave Phoebe's New York and thought about rereading it. It was a really fresh novel of a girl trying to find herself and navigate her early 20s.
In "Astrid Sees All," Phoebe is a young college graduate living in New York City. But after her father's sudden death, Phoebe moves back home to Baltimore to grieve. Once living in her childhood home, she realizes that she'll do anything to return to her New York life with her best friend Carmen, including telling fortunes with movie tickets in a seedy nightclub.
"Astrid Sees All" takes place in the 80s but it was a really modern story of friendship, grief and growing up. It's a coming-of-age novel, but it was very raw and realistic, especially as we see things may not always go according to plan. "Astrid Sees All" just felt very honest. This book will be every where this year.
I received an advance copy of “Astrid Sees All” from its publishers in exchange for an honest review.
This book was a whirlwind. I just loved the vibe of "Astrid Sees All." Natalie Standiford's writing was so descriptive and it had such a good energy. The 1980's world that Standiford featured was completely encompassing. After finishing the novel, I didn't want to leave Phoebe's New York and thought about rereading it. It was a really fresh novel of a girl trying to find herself and navigate her early 20s.
In "Astrid Sees All," Phoebe is a young college graduate living in New York City. But after her father's sudden death, Phoebe moves back home to Baltimore to grieve. Once living in her childhood home, she realizes that she'll do anything to return to her New York life with her best friend Carmen, including telling fortunes with movie tickets in a seedy nightclub.
"Astrid Sees All" takes place in the 80s but it was a really modern story of friendship, grief and growing up. It's a coming-of-age novel, but it was very raw and realistic, especially as we see things may not always go according to plan. "Astrid Sees All" just felt very honest. This book will be every where this year.
I received an advance copy of “Astrid Sees All” from its publishers in exchange for an honest review.
lingoreads's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Addiction, and Drug abuse
melannsbookshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
carlysimone's review against another edition
4.0
3.5. Review to come!
⚠️CW: drug use, drug addiction, overdose, death of a parent, infidelity, abortion, brief mention of anorexia, murder
Thank you @atriabooks for the gifted ARC.
Astrid Sees All is a vivid snapshot of the New York City club scene in the 1980s. This story follows Phoebe, a recent college graduate, who stumbles into a job posing as a fortune teller in one of the city’s hottest night clubs. But rather than a crystal ball and tarot cards, Phoebe (aka Astrid) pulls from a box of movie ticket stubs to predict her clients’ future.
Okay. I’m bit conflicted. The setting was exciting, but I found these characters deeply depressing. Fueled by envy, addiction, and longing to be glamours and interesting, none of them were particularly likable. But there was something horrifyingly relatable in our main character’s youthful need to drown her grief and make her life an adventure. (Frankly, a naïveté I wish I couldn’t relate to.)
While certainly more character-driven than plot-driven, the sad, hollowness of their lives made every character feel a bit gauzy and insubstantial. Watching similar scenarios play out over and over with minimal character growth wasn’t particularly satisfying. That said, the city became the strongest character and its vibrance kept me turning pages. Vivid and electric and unrelenting, I was enchanted by the author’s portrayal of a New York City that chews you up and spits you out if you can’t keep up. I’m a sucker for atmosphere, and Astrid Sees All delivered there.
The highlight for me was definitely the subtle thrum of mystery pulsing throughout, culminating with a big, stomach-churning, “EXCUSE ME, WTF?” moment towards the end. My hand flew to my mouth to cover the grimace that distorted my face, and I immediately needed to talk about it. Was I expecting this book to have a twist that belongs in the thriller genre? Absolutely not, but I was definitely here for it.
This has been compared to Sweetbitter, but I enjoyed Astrid way more. If you were a fan of that book, I think you’ll like this one too.
⚠️CW: drug use, drug addiction, overdose, death of a parent, infidelity, abortion, brief mention of anorexia, murder
Thank you @atriabooks for the gifted ARC.
Astrid Sees All is a vivid snapshot of the New York City club scene in the 1980s. This story follows Phoebe, a recent college graduate, who stumbles into a job posing as a fortune teller in one of the city’s hottest night clubs. But rather than a crystal ball and tarot cards, Phoebe (aka Astrid) pulls from a box of movie ticket stubs to predict her clients’ future.
Okay. I’m bit conflicted. The setting was exciting, but I found these characters deeply depressing. Fueled by envy, addiction, and longing to be glamours and interesting, none of them were particularly likable. But there was something horrifyingly relatable in our main character’s youthful need to drown her grief and make her life an adventure. (Frankly, a naïveté I wish I couldn’t relate to.)
While certainly more character-driven than plot-driven, the sad, hollowness of their lives made every character feel a bit gauzy and insubstantial. Watching similar scenarios play out over and over with minimal character growth wasn’t particularly satisfying. That said, the city became the strongest character and its vibrance kept me turning pages. Vivid and electric and unrelenting, I was enchanted by the author’s portrayal of a New York City that chews you up and spits you out if you can’t keep up. I’m a sucker for atmosphere, and Astrid Sees All delivered there.
The highlight for me was definitely the subtle thrum of mystery pulsing throughout, culminating with a big, stomach-churning, “EXCUSE ME, WTF?” moment towards the end. My hand flew to my mouth to cover the grimace that distorted my face, and I immediately needed to talk about it. Was I expecting this book to have a twist that belongs in the thriller genre? Absolutely not, but I was definitely here for it.
This has been compared to Sweetbitter, but I enjoyed Astrid way more. If you were a fan of that book, I think you’ll like this one too.
sungmemoonstruck's review against another edition
3.0
This was entertaining, with some very well written moments, and has a strong sense of place as it strives to capture the seedy, tragically glamorous atmosphere of early 1980's New York City. However, the characters and their relationships never became particularly complex, particularly the friendship between Phoebe and Carmen that's supposed to be at the center of the novel. The book either needed more moments of connection between them to build up the depth of their friendship or more sharpness to Phoebe's betrayal or just a little more something. I mostly had a good time reading it, but not sure it'll stick with me for long.