Scan barcode
A review by mirreads
Astrid Sees All by Natalie Standiford
4.0
For clarity: I'm a librarian and received an ARC of this book at work.
The premise of this one easily hooked me, and it definitely delivered the glitzy, seedy portrait of 1980s New York that it promised, like an 80s version of Gatsby, with Phoebe playing the role of Nick. The relationship between Phoebe and Carmen really shines, and it kept my attention throughout. All of the characters seemed to exist naturally in the setting, which made the book vivid and fun.
My one complaint is that the ending seemed a bit rushed, and I didn't feel like all of the open plotlines resolved in a completely satisfying way. Some of them did - I like where we leave Phoebe and Carmen, in particular - but a few of the subplots kind of petered out without really concluding. Most importantly, I thought the mystery subplot that becomes the book's climax felt a little abrupt, and happened without much engagement or effort from Phoebe.
That said, this was a fun quick read and I enjoyed the time I spent with it. It wasn't the best thing I've ever read, but hardly anything is. I'm rating it 4/5.
The premise of this one easily hooked me, and it definitely delivered the glitzy, seedy portrait of 1980s New York that it promised, like an 80s version of Gatsby, with Phoebe playing the role of Nick. The relationship between Phoebe and Carmen really shines, and it kept my attention throughout. All of the characters seemed to exist naturally in the setting, which made the book vivid and fun.
My one complaint is that the ending seemed a bit rushed, and I didn't feel like all of the open plotlines resolved in a completely satisfying way. Some of them did - I like where we leave Phoebe and Carmen, in particular - but a few of the subplots kind of petered out without really concluding. Most importantly, I thought the mystery subplot that becomes the book's climax felt a little abrupt, and happened without much engagement or effort from Phoebe.
That said, this was a fun quick read and I enjoyed the time I spent with it. It wasn't the best thing I've ever read, but hardly anything is. I'm rating it 4/5.