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booksthatburn's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Ash Winters is frequently a mess and thinks he's unlovable. With BPD driving a mix of depression and anxiety, he's given up on actually feeling emotions and being interested in anyone longer than a one-night stand. Some guy from Essex was supposed to be such a one-night stand, it wasn't supposed to matter that he has a name (Darian), or that he is annoyingly upbeat, or that he's from Essex, because it was supposed to be over. But it's not. Ash runs into Darian again and wants that spark of some emotion again, because he's pretty sure it was a good emotion.
Ash and Darian genuinely work well together, I love how their relationship develops. Ash is just as much of an asshole by the end of the book as the start, but he's more sure of himself and more willing to take risks for Darian than it seems like he was for his other friends. Due to his high anxiety, "taking risks" includes, in this case, going to the store, spending the night in the same bed, and being emotionally vulnerable. Neither of them are people it's necessarily easy to be around (Ash moreso than Darian), and that shows up in many different ways.
The ending caught me off guard, especially the incident which precedes it. I was pleasantly surprised by how things end up, but the story lingers in an uncomfortable situation for far longer than I can normally handle reading. Part of what helped is the way the narrative had handled anxiety and tension up until that point, I had built up enough trust in the author that I was able to wait for how things shook out.
Ash and Darian genuinely work well together, I love how their relationship develops. Ash is just as much of an asshole by the end of the book as the start, but he's more sure of himself and more willing to take risks for Darian than it seems like he was for his other friends. Due to his high anxiety, "taking risks" includes, in this case, going to the store, spending the night in the same bed, and being emotionally vulnerable. Neither of them are people it's necessarily easy to be around (Ash moreso than Darian), and that shows up in many different ways.
The ending caught me off guard, especially the incident which precedes it. I was pleasantly surprised by how things end up, but the story lingers in an uncomfortable situation for far longer than I can normally handle reading. Part of what helped is the way the narrative had handled anxiety and tension up until that point, I had built up enough trust in the author that I was able to wait for how things shook out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Ableism, Panic attacks/disorders, Classism, Mental illness, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Grief, Fatphobia, Abandonment, Forced institutionalization, Biphobia, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Suicide, Medical content, Death of parent, Death, Suicide attempt, and Medical trauma
elliott_the_clementine's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
As always, I feel incredibly seen. Alexis Hall has a talent for writing books that excellently represent mental illness but are still bearable to read for folks (like me) who struggle with similar issues as his characters. I do not have the words to fully express how much I adored Glitterland - so much so that I devoured it in an evening. Stunning, as all of Hall’s books are.
Also, Darian is an angel. A seriously awesome guy.
Also, Darian is an angel. A seriously awesome guy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Alcohol, Ableism, Suicide attempt, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Alcoholism
Minor: Abandonment
sonygaystation's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Mental illness
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Grief
Minor: Gaslighting, Biphobia, Alcohol, Infidelity, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, and Homophobia
galleytrot's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
FIRST READ: Sep 2022
SECOND READ: Feb 2024
FORMAT: Digital, Audio
ENTERTAINMENT VALUE: 3.75 / 5⭐
TECHNICAL / PRODUCTION: 4 / 5⭐
FINAL – OVERALL: 3.75 / 5⭐
In this book, Ash’s history with mania, depression, and anxiety leave him questioning every choice he makes and any right he has to health or happiness – to say nothing of his inability to provide someone else with such things. When a fabulous, glam’d up, spray-tanned, glorious mess of a man enthusiastically inserts himself into Ash’s life, he is happy to take a night of fun so long as they can forget each other in the morning. Darian isn’t quite as keen on letting go of a beautiful thing though, and while he represents everything Ash should stay far away from, maybe it’d be okay to have some fun and live a little wild before it all has to come crashing down.
Writing that summary paragraph was an exercise in frustration because reducing the massive breadth of emotional complexity within these pages to a handful of sentences is unfairly reductive. The crushing mountain of insecurity that comes from years of shaky mental health mixed with terrible self esteem and a broken system of support (one which might bring you down just as often as build you up or advocate for you) makes it a Sisyphean struggle to escape from under. This is something I connect with all too strongly. Darian does an excellent job at pushing Ash to do better and make the difficult choices while never babying him, whereas Nash treats Ash with embittered frustration and Max juts waits and hopes Ash will come to him in time.
It's been nearly a year and a half since my first read-through of this book, and I was compelled to revisit it after seeing a number of the Spires books getting facelifts and re-releases. I wasn’t sure if the stories themselves would be reworked, but as far as I could recall, there were no significant changes. The two major additions to the book come as bonus content: a short story detailing Nile’s encounter with Max on the night of the stag, plus a peek into what Ash’s pulp fiction crime novel might look like. The former left me agitated and with an even less flattering view of Nile’s character, and the latter was a beautifully over-the-top trainwreck of cliches and grit that had me snickering.
This book has representation for gays and bisexuals. It features a character who struggles with bipolar depression. Beyond that, there is little else in the way of diversity.
The following elaborates on my content warnings. These may be interpreted as spoilers, but I do not go into deep detail.
This book contains: alcohol use; implication of infidelity; biphobia; mentions of past self-harm; past suicide attempt; mental illness (bipolar depression); mentions of drug use (ecstasy); bipolar lows, episodes of deep depression; suicidal thoughts; mention of past successful suicide; eating disorder used as the punchline of a joke; classism; panic attacks, anxiety; past toxic relationship (you cannot love the bipolar out of someone, y’all); fatphobia; and, past child abandonment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Classism, Grief, Mental illness, Biphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Cursing
Minor: Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Abandonment, Death, Fatphobia, Suicide attempt, Drug use, Infidelity, Self harm, Toxic relationship, and Eating disorder
lauralia's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, and Self harm
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Homophobia, Fatphobia, and Drug use
emrosenq's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Mental illness
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Drug use, Self harm, Alcohol, and Fatphobia
Minor: Biphobia
vael's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Drug use, Alcohol, and Infidelity
the_lady_librarian's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Excellent! This is the third book from Alexis Hall that I've read and I am continually surprised by how different each of their books are. Giltterland is a bit absurd, the characters are weird and eccentric, yet somehow charming. .Ash and Niall are characters we should categorically dislike- they are not good people. They are shallow and malicious and way too egotistical but somehow you find yourself loving them. Perhaps because of their humanity. Hall brings light to a mental illness that is drowned in negative stigma too often and does a good job of neither romanticizing or sugarcoating it. I do wish the author could have made it clear that this is Ash's life at this point but that it can change-for the better. There is a lot of catastrophizing of Ash's illness and sometimes it felt like there was no hope. Maybe that was the point, to make the reader feel like they are living in a depressive episode but I think it was to the detriment of the work the author put in to destigmatize bipolar depression. It made it seem like people with mental illness can't have long-term, healthy relationship. That the relationship will always be that of the ill person/ caregiver. The narrator did a wonderful job, especially with the Essex accent. Overall, a very enjoyable book with deep and profound moments that could have benefited from a bit more joy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Drug use
lololovesthings's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
4.5 stars!
"Glitterland" is another fantastic, emotional, beautiful book in author Alexis Hall's repertoire. This story is captivating, dark, honest, depressing, and powerful. Please check the trigger warnings as there are quite a few touchy topics discussed here. I appreciate how Hall can touch upon sensitive topics like suicidal ideation, bipolar disorder, and mental health with a mix of devastating frankness and shocking mirth. I will be thinking about Ash and Darian for months and years to come. What a couple of characters! This is one of the more interesting grumpy x sunshine books I have read. I have a hunch many readers will be turned off by Ash and his rude and frank but uncouth mannerisms. By all accounts, he is a huge w4nker. Still, I found him slightly endearing even with a mountain of flaws. His struggles are familiar, and I found myself identifying with him on many levels. I also saw a little of myself in Darian, who is a sweetheart of a person who radiates light and love and uniqueness. He knows who he is and isn't afraid to be exactly that person. He is naive where Ash is practical, and together, they complement each other in ways I didn't think would be possible given the selfishness of Ash at the start of the book. Darian tears down Ash's walls slowly but surely. Their pairing is complex and not without its faults and flaws, but they make it work best for them. These characters are spectacularly brought to life by audiobook narrator Nicholas Boulton. Talk about a fantastic performance! his shifting cadence, animated style, and various voices make this one of the best audiobooks I have ever had the pleasure of listening to. I just adored this book so, so much. I highly recommend it!
Thank you to NetGalley, Alexis Hall, and Dreamscape Media for the complimentary ALC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.
"Glitterland" is another fantastic, emotional, beautiful book in author Alexis Hall's repertoire. This story is captivating, dark, honest, depressing, and powerful. Please check the trigger warnings as there are quite a few touchy topics discussed here. I appreciate how Hall can touch upon sensitive topics like suicidal ideation, bipolar disorder, and mental health with a mix of devastating frankness and shocking mirth. I will be thinking about Ash and Darian for months and years to come. What a couple of characters! This is one of the more interesting grumpy x sunshine books I have read. I have a hunch many readers will be turned off by Ash and his rude and frank but uncouth mannerisms. By all accounts, he is a huge w4nker. Still, I found him slightly endearing even with a mountain of flaws. His struggles are familiar, and I found myself identifying with him on many levels. I also saw a little of myself in Darian, who is a sweetheart of a person who radiates light and love and uniqueness. He knows who he is and isn't afraid to be exactly that person. He is naive where Ash is practical, and together, they complement each other in ways I didn't think would be possible given the selfishness of Ash at the start of the book. Darian tears down Ash's walls slowly but surely. Their pairing is complex and not without its faults and flaws, but they make it work best for them. These characters are spectacularly brought to life by audiobook narrator Nicholas Boulton. Talk about a fantastic performance! his shifting cadence, animated style, and various voices make this one of the best audiobooks I have ever had the pleasure of listening to. I just adored this book so, so much. I highly recommend it!
Thank you to NetGalley, Alexis Hall, and Dreamscape Media for the complimentary ALC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, and Self harm
Moderate: Drug use and Homophobia
ruexx's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
[[SPOILERS]]
Okay, I absolutely loved this book. I found the characters like Darian very enjoyable and I liked how it balanced with Ash and how he has his struggles. There is a lot of talk of mental health and triggering scenes but it was done well and I liked how Darian stood by Ash even with not much understanding of bipolar. I found the dynamic of Niall, Ash and Max very interesting. Toxic but interesting in a way that I just want to know so much more about there Uni days. Overall i really loved the book which is why I give it 5 stars. It just made me feel so much emotion and it was done so well. I love Darian and Ash <3
Okay, I absolutely loved this book. I found the characters like Darian very enjoyable and I liked how it balanced with Ash and how he has his struggles. There is a lot of talk of mental health and triggering scenes but it was done well and I liked how Darian stood by Ash even with not much understanding of bipolar. I found the dynamic of Niall, Ash and Max very interesting. Toxic but interesting in a way that I just want to know so much more about there Uni days. Overall i really loved the book which is why I give it 5 stars. It just made me feel so much emotion and it was done so well. I love Darian and Ash <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Self harm, Cursing, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, and Drug use