Oof, this book was a huge miss for me. Slow and confusing start, unlikeable characters, little of the promised 80s New York glam life. This was a DNF at the 25% mark.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC for an honest review.

I’m a sucker for Coming of Age in Gritty 1980s New York books.

Generally this means I’m not terribly picky about them, but Astrid Sees All was a cut above the rest.

Though it shares many common elements with your average book in this subgenre, vivacious protagonist Phoebe leaps off the page and feels strangely relatable, even for those of us who had our own New York coming of age many decades later and without all the drugs.

Phoebe’s schtick as a movie ticket stub interpreting fortune teller at the most exclusive nightclub in town was incredibly clever and well-rendered. As were the celebrity cameos and familiar, IYKYK location shoutouts.

Books like this don’t typically prioritize rich atmosphere, but this one did, and that’s a huge part of why it’s such a significant cut above its book siblings. From the creatively festive yet oppressive feel of the Plutonium night club to the dingy parks and deserted streets at night, this book makes you feel like you’re right there with Phoebe, walking beside her, experiencing her world.

But what I loved most about this book was the baseball element. It’s rare to find a character who loves baseball the way I do when reading women’s fiction, and Phoebe’s love of the game, commentary on it, and connection to her father through it brought me a tremendous amount of joy.

This book got everything right. I loved it.

ASTRID SEES ALL is the story of a young woman, Phoebe, trying to make her way in New York in 1984. Complicating her life is the recent loss of her father, her best friend, Carmen, who Phoebe aspires to be more like, but perhaps isn’t the greatest role model for her, and the never ending quest to stay afloat financially. That problem is eased a bit when she becomes a fortune teller, Astrid, at a one of the many clubs frequented by her crowd. When Carmen disappears after the two argued, Phoebe becomes increasingly haunted by the people she’s lost.

While Astrid Sees All was enjoyable, the premise was just too usual. I feel like we’ve seen the “girl making it in New York” too many times. To be a great story, it needs to be really different, and sadly, Astrid just wasn’t. I also though that it was odd that a book taking place in 1984 in the East Village, barely hinted at the AIDS crisis. The ending was interesting, and took me by surprise, but also felt very rushed and a little out there. For me this one was more of a miss than a hit.

Note: I received an electronic copy of this book from Atria Books (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I didn't love this. Thought it was fine, nothing to nuanced or unique. It was an easy read that I think would make a good and easy beach read.

BOOK REPORT for Astrid Sees All by Natalie Standiford

Cover Story: Too Shy
BFF Charm: Come On (Eileen) Phoebe
Swoonworthy Scale: 3
Talky Talk: Sidewalk Talk
Bonus Factors: Early '80s NYC, Female Friendship
Relationship Status: Head Over Heels

Cover Story: Too Shy
I like this cover, I do, but I think this is a missed opportunity. Yes, the color scheme is great, and the photo gives off some Desperately Seeking Susan vibes, but overall the design is a bland echo of the book's edgy '80s aesthetic. This story should've inspired a cover that I'd want to frame on my wall, is what I'm saying. 

The Deal: 
It's 1984, and Phoebe Hayes has impulsively decided to follow her college pal (and idol) Carmen to the East Village. After living a rather mundane existence that was cracked open by her father's death, Phoebe yearns for all of the excitement and adventure that New York has to offer, and Carmen, with her trust fund confidence and heroin-addicted boyfriend, is the ultimate guide. Together they soak up the wild nights of the city, from gallery openings with hot renegade artists to drug-fueled escapades at Plutonium, a club where Phoebe lands a gig as Astrid, a fortune teller who uses old movie ticket stubs to see the future. But Phoebe fails to predict the devastating downfall of her relationship with Carmen, and after the latter disappears, even Astrid can't divine the way for Phoebe to find her friend and, in turn, find herself. 

BFF Charm: Come On (Eileen) Phoebe
I felt an immediate kinship with Phoebe, a girl who's been sheltered for most of her life and just wants to experience some shit. That said, she's driven by this longing much further than I ever was, and consequently she mistakes worldliness for worth. The result is a whole mess of situations that I wanted to yank her out of, which makes me exactly the kind of friend she would push away. At one point, she admits, "To me, a girl who felt smothered, neglect looked like freedom," and it's that mentality that allows people to take advantage of her, while she fools herself into thinking her heart is unbreakable. Yet thankfully she never quite loses her agency, and--even though she'd consider any kind of cheerleading to be totally uncool--I rooted like mad for Phoebe to discover her true value. 

Swoonworthy Scale: 3
Yeeeah, so this book is like a (self-aware) crash course in unhealthy relationships. Phoebe briefly has an affair with an older man, who is definitely NOT a good dude, before moving on to a bohemian artist who, surprise, is also not a good dude. When the best example of love is the bond between a rich party girl and her junkie boyfriend, you know starry-eyed romance is not the order of the day.  

Talky Talk: Sidewalk Talk
By infusing Phoebe's journey with her own experience as a young woman in 1980s New York, Standiford has crafted a novel as electrifying and dynamic as the city itself. The untamed, almost feral energy of the setting provides a compelling contrast to Phoebe's earnest voice, which is strikingly wholesome in its plainness, and consequently, the headiness of the highs and the weight of the lows pack quite a punch. But the biggest kick in the gut is delivered by Phoebe's quiet realizations, like this one:   
"I'd been living underwater, in an undersea world with its own language and myths, which was great and everything, except that all this time I'd been holding my breath." 
I've been a huge fan of Natalie Standiford since How to Say Goodbye in Robot, so I don't say this lightly: Astrid Sees All is her best work yet. 

Bonus Factor: Early '80s NYC
Standiford paints a gritty yet dazzling portrait of the East Village, a place pulsating with possibility and glittering with danger. I wouldn't want to live there during this era, but damn did I enjoy being a voyeuristic tourist. From Phoebe's neighborhood café to the shifting shadows of Tompkins Square Park, the setting is rich with transportive details and characters, including a few real life celebrities. But nothing holds a candle to Plutonium. Pardon the Stefan impression but this club has everything, and I mean everything. Merpeople! Alien dancers! A tank with actual sharks! A live owl that flies around and lands on people's shoulders! With monthly themes ranging from "Surrealism" to "Martyrdom," Astrid's home base is a major scene and a total trip (even without the drugs). 

Bonus Factor: Female Friendship
The dynamic between Carmen and Phoebe is fascinating in its flaws, especially given the different ways they do or don't need each other. After placing Carmen on a pedestal, Phoebe is consumed by the idea that she has to be more interesting in order to hold her attention, and it's that desire that fractures their already fragile relationship. "Enjoyed" maybe isn't the right word, but I was thoroughly captivated by Standiford's exploration of an imperfect and sometimes toxic friendship still rooted in love.  

Relationship Status: Head Over Heels
Astrid Sees All intoxicated me with its magnetic setting and vivid characters then promptly sobered me up with its raw emotion and unflinching look at what it takes to find yourself in the darkness. From euphoric nights to serious soul-searching, our time together has been a rare combination of fabulously diverting and deeply meaningful, and I don't need Astrid's skills to know that I will cherish this book for years to come.

I really thought that I would like this one more than I did. However, the main character was mostly unlikeable. I didn't really connect with her and couldn't find myself caring about her story, because it felt like it went nowhere. I got to the end and was like, "that's it?"

I'm sure people might enjoy this look into New York in the 1980s, but it just wasn't for me.

This was a very different read for me, but one that I found myself enjoying nonetheless.
I cannot say this was my favorite read, but I found myself interested, intrigued and in it enough to want to finish it.

Astrid Sees All by Natalie Standiford is a great summer read! Standiford easily takes us back in time to NYC in the 1980s, specifically to the wild art scene in the Lower East Side. We follow a young woman, Phoebe, who dreams of making it big—she just doesn’t know exactly how yet. She ends up on the Lower East Side, living with a friend, and soon their lives become as glitzy and dramatic as Phoebe dreamed. But not everything is as dreamy as it seems—there is a grittiness and darkness to this story.

This is a super fun and quick read—I finished it in basically a single evening (I think I had read maybe 20 pages the day before). The plot roars along, and while the depiction of NYC seems a bit exaggerated at times (specifically this one club..), it’s just such a fun reading experience. It’s sure to take you out of your living room and into a completely different world.

Anything New York will always get my interest, especially New York in the 80s. This was a great premise, I love the concept of trying to make it on your own in the City, and falling prey to sex, drugs and bad decisions. Phoebe and her bff Carmen are trying to do just that, and are having a great run at taking advantage of all they can, living life to the fullest. Phoebe has taken on the alter ego of Astrid the Star Girl, telling fortunes in a night club while plotting her revenge against a man that wronged her. Carmen is trying to juggle her junkie boyfriend and a painter that hangs out with the likes of Andy Warhol, but eventually these lifestyles catch up with them both. Phoebe is trying to find her identity while coping with the recent death of her father, but she ends up betraying Carmen, who then disappears, sending Phoebe into an even darker descent.

This was a bit of a struggle to get going for me. I thought the second half was stronger than the first, and the ending was solid and a bit unexpected. Phoebe's journey was honest and self aware, it was not easy for her but she chose that path herself and accepted and embraced it.

The editors blurb of this book drew me in. Sounded reminiscent of days past…sort of. Its kind of a twisted love story between Phoebe, Carmen and NYC in the ’80’s. It explores people, their relationships, truths, lies, the drug scene, the music scene, growing up and trying to figure out who you are without trying to be everyone else and still be a decent person. Are people who they say they are, is any of it real? An enticing look back at what was.

Phoebe and Carmen escape to gritty NYC in the 1980s in search of a bigger life. They crash for a while at Carmen's boyfriend's apartment, a dismal and dirty place in the East Village. They spend their days drinking and doing drugs and looking for ways to make money. Eventually, a job falls into Phoebe's lap - she becomes a fortune teller at a very popular club, and she spend her evening using ticket stubs to tell people's fortunes. There's mention of Ivan, an older man who wrongs Phoebe and on whom she wants to exact revenge. At times a strange, tall man follows her, and we find out at the end who he really is. Phoebe "sees" her dead father a few times, and I know the author meant for that to be touching, but it didn't read that way to me. Even with all that, I had the feeling that not much actually happened in the story. Neither Phoebe nor Carmen (or any of their friends, really) are likeable characters, and I found myself wishing Phoebe would just go back home to Baltimore already. The action picked up at the end of the book, and although it felt rushed, I was happy there was actually some action. Thank-you to Atria Books, the author, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I tried to read this, but gave up about 1/4 of the way through. It was definitely a DNF for me. I would still read more by the author. However, I just didn't connect with this story.

2/5 Stars

Natalie Standiford’s "Astrid Sees All" is a comical, poignant, compulsively readable novel about two fragile young women struggling to survive in New York City. Phoebe, the narrator, idolized her friend Carmen when they were at Brown University, and still tries to get her attention now in New York. The two eventually move into Carmen’s junkie friend’s trashed apartment in the East Village; and her boyfriend is so grotesque, constantly oozing with infection or overdosing, that Phoebe cannot imagine how Carmen can love him. The women are out every night clubbing, getting drunk, taking drugs, and getting laid, and keeping up the pace is exhausting. The creative Carmen comes up with a way for Phoebe to make a living: telling fortunes at a club, using her collection of old movie ticket stubs to make prognostications. And with her new persona of Astrid (Carmen suggested the prophecies be made under the sign “Astrid sees all”), Phoebe finally becomes hip and popular. But both women are deeply self-destructive, and Phoebe/Astrid’s imitation of her friend’s loose behavior causes devastation. An entertaining, if uneven novel.

I am reminded of Jay McInerney’s "Bright Lights, Big City"-which is a better novel –but his much preppier narrator also went clubbing every night and snorted too many drugs. Here’s what I want to know: was your 1980s like that? Mine was not. Coffee was my beverage and books my vice.

I just loved this! I couldn’t. Put. This. Down! I didn’t grow up in the 80’s but as female who had a toxic bestie relationship in my college years ( late teens/ early 20’s) I could relate to this story in that way. Even though it was a different setting. But I was eager to see how everything would turn out with the relations in this story. I think what kept me from loving this story is the lack of resolution. Otherwise it’s still a fantastic story and I’m so glad it was brought to my attention.

I really enjoyed Astrid Sees All. I am not an 80s kid, I am a 90s kid, however the New York City Club Kid era is so intriguing.

Phoebe moves to New York City after college and is hanging on to her friend Carmen who is immersing herself in the arts and drug scene in the East Village. When a random Club Kid discovers that Phoebe is a fortune teller, she is invited to work for the hottest nightclub in NYC. Phoebe reinvents herself as Astrid and immerses herself in the drug-fueled nightlife.

I found Phoebe to be very relatable, yet cringe-worthy. She just wanted to be part of the it crowd and made horrible mistakes and choices along the way.

I devoured this book. Along with the Club Kid scene and cameos by Club Kids like James St. James, I appreciated the side story about random girls going missing in the area.

Astrid Sees All is the story of two young women - Phoebe and Carmen - spending their early 20s in early 1980s New York City. This book just didn't do it for me, I think because I hated both of the main characters. Phoebe and Carmen have one of those completely toxic late teens/early 20s friendships that you see some women having where you can tell that one of them barely tolerates the other one and they not so secretly resent each other in turns. Carmen barely tolerates Phoebe and her clingy adoration and neediness. Phoebe is needy. insecure, resentful, and envious of Carmen. The end result is two women for whom I found no redeeming qualities and couldn't make myself care about at all.

Phoebe and Carmen party their way through the early 1980s, hanging out with Carmen's junkie sometimes-boyfriend Atti and his friends. Phoebe gets a job as a fortune teller at a trendy nightclub where they hang out there and do boatloads of cocaine, befriending artists and hanging out with celebrities. The grittiness of early 1980s New York City shines through in the entire novel and is almost its own character throughout. Three stars because Natalie Standiford is a compelling writer and I enjoyed her writing despite disliking the characters; I hope to read something else of hers in the future that I may connect with better. All in all, Astrid Sees All was simply not for me.

This was a fun slice of life kind of story, set in Manhattan in the 80s. It illustrated a coming of age that reminded me of being in my twenties, and chasing fun and adventure everywhere in the city. The places, people, and situations were so zany, and interestingly drawn that you know they had to be based in reality. Other reviewers have said "it was just like I was there!" and I would agree; this and the artists' life feel were the book's major appeal for me. I also thought that the narrator's reflections on her father's death were thoughtful and melancholy. I liked the sense of danger this book evoked. I enjoyed reading about the coming of age of a generation other than millennials! Generally I like open endings, but this one felt unresolved and just like the story didn't quite come "full circle." That's why in the end I decided to appreciate this one as a portrait of young life in Manhattan in the 80s, rather than a tale with a neat plot and lessons learned -- there were hints at resolution, but they weren't very satisfying. Nonetheless I did enjoy this and will recommend it to readers of literary fiction who are ok with open endings. Thank you!

I expected to fall head over heels for this book and I usually love Atria books. This one just didn’t cut it for me. I love a nice, heartfelt, melancholy novel but this one just seemed empty and sad, for the most part. It just didn’t connect with me and I was left feeling unsatisfied.

Phoebe / Astrid desperately wants to be like the cool kids of wealthy families that she meets in college.
Specifically she wants to be Carmen. It's kind of exhausting following her all around New York as she exists on the peripheral of the famous people in the night club scene. As an 80s kid I'd say this is Single White Female meets Bright Lights Big City.

The ending of the book takes several weird turns but those monumental events didn't do much to make me like Astrid. I just felt bad for her.

*I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and I am required to disclose that in my review in compliance with federal law.*

If you liked the hard living, sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll atmosphere of Daisy Jones & the Six, then you'll find lots to love about Astrid Sees All. It's gritty, grimy, provocative, and surprisingly emotional.

Though I wouldn't call this light reading, I would say there's something decadent and indulgent about it. Readers are immersed fully in the environment from the first moment they enter the setting.

Set in 1980's Manhattan, the story plunges readers back into New York's seedier, hardcore coke-and-booze-partying underground lifestyle to follow Phoebe and Carmen, two friends from college, as they try to make it in the Big City. Phoebe lands a job as a fortuneteller at a popular nightclub where her act consists of pulling movie ticket stubs from boxes to make predictions. Reeling from loss as well as from a traumatic betrayal from a much older man, she's desperate for excitement, for grandeur, for money. Her journey seems to be mostly about self-discovery, a search for identity.

Phoebe wants to be seen. Wanted. Especially by Carmen, who she yearns after and seeks to emulate, despite her self-destructive behaviors. Carmen has demons of her own, however. Not only does she end up falling for an addict, but she can be controlling, vindictive, and mean. The two of them get pulled into the glamorousness of NYC, drowning in intoxication and sex and partying, and ultimately a betrayal befalls them, yanking them apart.

Though I wouldn't characterize the characters in this book as likable, they are relatable. There's something knowable in the way Phoebe and Carmen both tuck away their pain, their fears, smiling through the brokenness of it all. They use substances - drugs, alcohol - to escape harsh realities, to numb the horrors of the present. I think Standiford did a good job captivating the grit of what it means to be lonely as well as lost in 80's New York.

A vivid, moving story with flawed characters. 3.5 stars

Thank you to Isabel DaSilva, Atria Books, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review!