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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not my type of book but I think I had too high expectations for it based on the blurb, idk... Everything just felt too shallow for my liking. I forced myself to finish it and yeahhh, I'm glad that this wasn't my first Alexis Hall book because I think the others I've read have been way better.
Also the book was extremely horny, so uhhh, that's something
Also the book was extremely horny, so uhhh, that's something
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-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
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 stars, rounded up because despite my reservations, I just could not stop reading this book lmao
In one of the author’s notes, Alexis Hall describes Glitterland as “intensely first person POV” and actually that’s the perfect description for this book. It is extremely intensely first person, a book where you spend most of the time in one character’s head, with his unreliable thoughts, experiencing the things he is experiencing acutely, but not much else besides because he himself is unable to do that.
I’m going to be honest—I didn’t fully love the love interest, Darian, here. He’s sweet and kind and funny, lovely really, but the Essex accent was so hard to get used to (although admittedly fun after a while) and we are so in Ash’s head that Darian comes off as pretty simple and one dimensional. I would have loved actual depth with him, more explored backstory, but I get it—it’s the perils of being in such a self-centered character’s head.
There are a ton of things here that would have irritated me with any other writer and I think written by anyone else, I probably would have been completely over Ash and his self-pitying, destructive, asshole, selfish behavior too but idk. I actually really liked him, even when he was clearly being a dick.
Ash is very much an unlikable protagonist, and he blames every part of his behavior constantly on his being a bipolar anxious depressive, but I strangely didn’t mind. I thought the exploration of his character, though frustrating, was pretty interesting. I was never bored, even when I wanted him to get a grip.
I loved the weird fucked up relationship triangle between him and his old college friends, honestly would have read an entire book of backstory to them they seemed messy and terrible and so fun.
Anyway, I read this in three days—couldn’t stop reading it, in fact, even when I didn’t vibe with the main couple or even particularly ship them—so that has to count for a half star bump at least. Not the greatest book by any means, but ykw I had a pretty good time.
In one of the author’s notes, Alexis Hall describes Glitterland as “intensely first person POV” and actually that’s the perfect description for this book. It is extremely intensely first person, a book where you spend most of the time in one character’s head, with his unreliable thoughts, experiencing the things he is experiencing acutely, but not much else besides because he himself is unable to do that.
I’m going to be honest—I didn’t fully love the love interest, Darian, here. He’s sweet and kind and funny, lovely really, but the Essex accent was so hard to get used to (although admittedly fun after a while) and we are so in Ash’s head that Darian comes off as pretty simple and one dimensional. I would have loved actual depth with him, more explored backstory, but I get it—it’s the perils of being in such a self-centered character’s head.
There are a ton of things here that would have irritated me with any other writer and I think written by anyone else, I probably would have been completely over Ash and his self-pitying, destructive, asshole, selfish behavior too but idk. I actually really liked him, even when he was clearly being a dick.
Ash is very much an unlikable protagonist, and he blames every part of his behavior constantly on his being a bipolar anxious depressive, but I strangely didn’t mind. I thought the exploration of his character, though frustrating, was pretty interesting. I was never bored, even when I wanted him to get a grip.
I loved the weird fucked up relationship triangle between him and his old college friends, honestly would have read an entire book of backstory to them they seemed messy and terrible and so fun.
Anyway, I read this in three days—couldn’t stop reading it, in fact, even when I didn’t vibe with the main couple or even particularly ship them—so that has to count for a half star bump at least. Not the greatest book by any means, but ykw I had a pretty good time.
This is the love story for anyone who has ever loved someone with bipolar disorder.
It’s hard. It’s overwhelming. It’s a lot of emotion. It’s so unerringly real.
Emotionally gripping and an honest tale of life with bipolar disorder… written in the beautifully musical and dryly humorous voice of Alexis Hall.
Ash is our main protagonist. He’s struggling. His worldview, life, and all relationships has been completely altered by his mental illness.
Enter Darian. Darian is a ray of sunshine. A hero like none I’ve read. He just made my heart smile along with Ash. How he ambushed his way to our hero’s life and interrupted the darkness. Not healing. Not curing him. But just being with him with his sunshine presence.
“He kept making me feel things in ruined places.”
This was a journey, a sweet and quite steamy, sad and frustratingly real journey, one that had me not moving off the couch for 8 hours. Like most novels written by Alexis Hall, I couldn’t move on with my life until I got to the end.
I loved it. In all truthfulness, I think people will be divided on it, and I know I won’t be reading other reviews on it, because it’s raw. It’s real. But the people who know- the people who know what this is like- they’ll appreciate this beautiful heartwarming story.
C/w: bipolar disorder, suicidal ideation and attempt, self harm, sexual situations, mentions of drug use.
It’s hard. It’s overwhelming. It’s a lot of emotion. It’s so unerringly real.
Emotionally gripping and an honest tale of life with bipolar disorder… written in the beautifully musical and dryly humorous voice of Alexis Hall.
Ash is our main protagonist. He’s struggling. His worldview, life, and all relationships has been completely altered by his mental illness.
Enter Darian. Darian is a ray of sunshine. A hero like none I’ve read. He just made my heart smile along with Ash. How he ambushed his way to our hero’s life and interrupted the darkness. Not healing. Not curing him. But just being with him with his sunshine presence.
“He kept making me feel things in ruined places.”
This was a journey, a sweet and quite steamy, sad and frustratingly real journey, one that had me not moving off the couch for 8 hours. Like most novels written by Alexis Hall, I couldn’t move on with my life until I got to the end.
I loved it. In all truthfulness, I think people will be divided on it, and I know I won’t be reading other reviews on it, because it’s raw. It’s real. But the people who know- the people who know what this is like- they’ll appreciate this beautiful heartwarming story.
C/w: bipolar disorder, suicidal ideation and attempt, self harm, sexual situations, mentions of drug use.
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt
Captivating, raw and real. I love how it wasn’t the “traditional “ romance novel but instead included a look into the complexity of relationships while handling mental illness.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spoiler
I really loved this book from Alexis Hall. I found Alexis Hall after reading his Boyfriend Material series. I am so glad to see that the publisher is going back and republishing some of his older titles. This novel is very different from what I have read from the author before. It is definitely darker and more of a literary novel with romance in it. The story is about Ash and Darian. Ash is an author who is having some struggles in his life. He meets Darian at a gay bar in Essex and goes home with him. Ash becomes very attracted to Darian and starts to spend more time with him. After having a one night stand, Ash leaves before Darian wakes up. Darian finds him at a book signing and then they start to hang out more and keep having sex. Darian invites Ash to the Essex Fashion Week show that he is modeling in. Ash doesn't want to go, but Darian says that if Ash wants to see him again then he will have to come. Ash goes and winds up walking in the runway show. Ash has a close friend named Niall who has always been there for Ash. They used to date each other before Ash tried to kill himself and wound up in the hospital. I really like how Alexis Hall made this book more a happy for now instead of a happily ever after. I know that the Spires series has more books coming out so I will be interested to see what comes next.
" 'It wasn't real. It was a biochemical blip.'
Niall shrugged. 'When you put it like that, so is everything. That doesn't make it worthless. Or any less real.' "
Niall shrugged. 'When you put it like that, so is everything. That doesn't make it worthless. Or any less real.' "