The way to find out is to
ask. Ask here, ask on Goodreads, ask on Twitter, ask on the author's website/blog/Goodreads page. Ask. And don't be taken in by the "It
can be read as a standalone" nonsense people will try to sell you. I've never quite been able to figure out why, but nothing brings people trying to convince you to start their favorite series (consisting entirely of non-standalone installments) out of the woodwork like asking for standalone recommendations. It's like they can't help themselves. "I know you said standalone, but ..."
Everybody's got their favorite rationales for why
their clearly non-standalone suggestion should be considered standalone by those looking for stand-alone stuff. And they can't wait to try and trick you with it. I didn't ask for
nearly standalone recommendations, thank you very much!
