Natalie Standiford

This book was recommended to me by the Seattle Public Library's "Your Next Five Reads" feature on their website, where they listed YA books about intelligent, interoverted protagonists. Well, they knocked this one out of the park! Robot Girl and Ghost Boy both felt like the kinds of friends I would have gravitated toward in high school, if not been repelled by with the faint feeling of "how come we didn't get along?" The dramatic arc of the book doesn't get bogged down with life-changing show more platitudes or miraculous deus ex machinas, and for that I'm thankful. The story follows a couple of teens and how they deal with their problems in unique ways, with greater and lesser degrees of maturity. I would rank this book among the catalogs of John Green, A.S. King, and Francesca Lia Block in terms of providing a mature look at late adolescence and the formative experiences that crystallize people as they enter adulthood.

Bonus points for avoiding 'trendy' or 'edgy' uses of sex and drugs to give the story artificial maturity. The story stands on its own. show less

At the center or this story is the complex, platonic relationship between two misfit teens. There's no real romance (which is kinda nice). But the love that develops between these two friends is so much more meaningful and real than anything, say, Bella and Edward ever shared. I was a bit surprised by how much the later developments in the story affected me, but I guess that's what happens when characters are developed well--you care. The complicated family relationships were well-developed show more and authentic. And you hear everything through Bea's wonderful voice. Don't be misled by the title: there are no robots in this book, but there is a fair amount of quirkiness, humor, heart break, and humanity. show less

Astrid Sees All from Natalie Standiford is a coming of age novel packed full of nostalgia, interesting characters (not always likeable), and unusual twists.

I am glad I waited to write my opinions for a while because this is one of those books that, for me, became better as I thought about it. Let me use an analogy to explain what I mean, and this will apply to the novel as a whole and to Astrid as a character. You have probably had a friend you liked but at the same time always seemed to be show more shaking your head about. Maybe what they did seemed foolish or self-centered, maybe just illogical, and you couldn't understand why they did what they did. Then, usually when you're no longer interacting with the person on a regular basis, you begin to understand what was going on for that person. You may still think choices were bad or ill-conceived, but you start to understand why. Maybe something in their past, maybe just being disconnected from their feelings. When you reflect on it, you both understand that person better and feel a bit more empathy for what they were going through. This book, and Astrid herself, is that old acquaintance for me.

I was caught up in the nostalgia of the 80s for most of the book and probably didn't offer enough of myself to understanding Astrid. Though I lived in Manhattan for about two years during the 80s I was never a part of the world in this book, but that world was always visible and around, so this was a fun trip for me. After finishing, I came to understand better how and why Astrid did what she did, and the book ultimately became that much better for me. It also means I will likely reread it in the near future from a different perspective than nostalgia.

While I recommend this book I will say that readers who don't like a lot of tangents (or what appear to be tangents at first) may have a hard time connecting. Many of those loose ends do get tied up eventually, so if you enjoy the flow overall keep reading and trust the story to come to some type of conclusion.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. show less

Bea's just starting her senior year at a tiny private school. She's the new kid, and alphabetically arranged next to the Weird Kid in assembly, classes, lockers, everything. Jonah may be a little weird in his way--his classmates have been calling him a ghost since seventh grade--but he's also the best friend Bea's ever had.

Oh man I want to give this book to everyone now, because it's the most beautiful example of friend-love, of non-romantic love, of true friendship, that I've seen in a show more teen novel, um, ever. It's not that it's particularly lyrical or poetic--I mean, Bea describes herself as a robot--but it's so accurate and honest and so so wonderful. Everybody should read this book. At least, everyone who's ever felt like an outcast, which is probably like 90% of us who went to middle school? show less