morally grey FMCs and complicated love stories — a conversation with @sydneymadisonbooks
There is something so acutely vulnerable about a messy main character. With fiction —particularly that of the romance genre — being so highly romanticised, opening a book and seeing a protagonist who is a little frayed around the edges is refreshing, grounding and often a little emotional. I had this exact experience when reading Astor Hill by best friend writing duo Sydney Madison, and I was fortunate enough to talk to them about their debut novel this week.
Sydney and Madison have been working as a writing team ever since they were 13 years old. What started as passing a story back and forth as teens became more intentional as they grew older and eventually resulted in Astor Hill — a college romance rooted in complexity, self-discovery and heartbreak. The story follows Olivia, whose life is turned upside down following the unexpected death of her lifelong best friend. A couple of years later, she finds herself still struggling with the grief but holding herself together as an accomplished student journalist and girlfriend of star basketball player, Will. However, when Will’s older brother Ben returns to college after a prolonged and unexplained absence, Olivia is forced to put herself first and face some realities she has been trying to avoid.
It feels like an injustice to Sydney and Madison’s work to only label Astor Hill as a romance book. Don’t be mistaken; the romance is masterfully executed. It is slow burn, captivating and engaging throughout. Ben’s hard-earned emotional maturity perfectly accompanies the discomfort that Olivia feels when diverting from her preplanned life, and this makes for a love that you can’t help but root for. However, there is so much more to this story. There is a focus on love outside the romantic kind that results in such dynamic, well-rounded characters. When speaking to Madison, she highlighted how ‘different types of love affect how we love ourselves’, and this profound message is mirrored throughout the book. The prestigious college setting puts an emphasis on how status can impact your self-worth. Olivia depended on Lily, Will depended on his position as team captain, and it’s clear that many of the supporting characters — who I cannot wait to learn more about in the future. I’m looking at you, Gen — would be lost without each other. When something like loss forces you to get to know yourself as an individual, it can be messy and confusing, and this book captures what it means to be a human in this way.
I think, as readers, we have become accustomed to ‘perfect’ fictional women. The female main characters in books are usually the ones who are expected to have everything figured out, while the male main characters are the ones who are allowed to be floundering. However, in Astor Hill, Olivia is so incredibly multifaceted. As Sydney said during our conversation, the duo is ‘committed to depicting messy, morally grey women that are in alignment with lived experience’. Madison added that ‘a lot of FMCs get pigeonholed into having to be these positive, virtuous people right out the gate,’ and I don’t think I knew how much I needed to see a complex female lead on the page until I met Olivia. Sydney and Madison have managed to capture what it truly means to figure things out as a young adult, and I thank them for that.
I also wanted to mention the mental health representation in Astor Hill. Ben, as a character, is the opposite of someone who you’d expect to be dealing with anxiety. He is popular, wealthy, smart and appears to have it all on the surface. However, you learn he has been in intense therapy for panic attacks and is struggling to come to terms with things he has been through. I really connected to Ben, and the representation of male anxiety is something that fiction needs more of. I know that this story will help a lot of people.
It’s probably no surprise that Astor Hill is a new five-star read for me. When I asked Syndey and Madison what some of their favourite books are and they mentioned both Normal People and the Off-Campus series, I thought that was the perfect description of their debut novel. Astor Hill is simultaneously an entertaining, fun sports romance and a complex, aching story of growth and loss. The dual POV, fast-paced writing style allows the story to explore deep and touching themes while still remaining interesting and easy to get lost in. This book deserves a spot on your 2025 TBR.
Astor Hill releases on the 7th of February 2025 on Kindle Unlimited, and you can also preorder it on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Target as a paperback. I could not recommend it enough; I will be carrying Ben and Olivia with me for a long time.
You can preorder Astor Hill here — https://a.co/d/56EIBG5
You can follow Sydney Madison on Instagram to keep up to date with all things Astor Hill — https://www.instagram.com/sydneymadisonbooks/
This article was written by Jess, who you can follow on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/thatromancebook for more bookish content