Glitterland by Alexis Hall is the first book in her 'Spires Universe' series, a promising LGBTQIA+ novel about two men from very opposite ends of the social spectrum who go through hell and back all in the name of love and everything in-between.

This is my third dive into Alexis Hall, the former reads being her widely popular 'Boyfriend Material' and 'Husband Material', both of which were an easily enjoyable one-read novels for me personally. When I saw that Glitterland was getting a cover overhaul and a re-release, I hopped on the opportunity to see if I could from my own personal perspective, give a higher star rating to another one of their novels. Did it live up to my own personal expectations? Read on! There won't be any spoilers, other than tidbits from the blurb.

Alexis Hall as an author excels in inclusivity, positivity and encompassing elements of the LGBTQIA+ community in their work, which is what enticed me to give Glitterland a chance. That and the stunning cover and very promising story laid out in the blurb. Darian and Ash, we're ready to meet you.

Ash is the redeeming character of this novel, as he is not written to be the stereotypical main character who has everything together. Far from it. He's as realistic as they come, including his many nuances and issues that many of us have dealt with or will deal with at some point in our lives. Namely, depression. Alongside anxiety and panic attacks. His character has been written superbly with as much rawness as one could write. Alexis has done his character justice and I would honestly and personally like to wrap Ash up in one big hug and hold him close. He's such a delicate, sensitive character that I honestly fell for the moment we met him.

Darian, by contrast, is the polar opposite to everything Ash is both written as a character and how Ash knows of himself. From Essex, Darian--an aspiring model--, he pushes Ash beyond the boundaries he's confined himself within for so long. He is the straw that has broken the camel's back. Darian--in his own words, 'isn’t the crispest lettuce in the fridge', provides light relief as well as completion to the missing parts that Ash needs filling in his own life. The only aspect of the character that I had difficulty gelling with, was the written Essex accent. Where I don't have anything against the accent or the area of my country personally, it did make for a struggle to read at times. Other than that, Darian was charming!

This is a story from which many things can be taken; You won't be in a bad place forever, things aren't always as they seem, things will get better, to name just a few. The message behind this novel is as clear as day and was presented well with the characters and the storyline in which it was laid out. It wasn't meant to be a light-hearted novel full of hearts, rainbows and everything that glitters. It's meant to be--and it is--a novel which tackles the harder, more serious topics and situations we encounter through life and personally ourselves. This is a huge selling point for those who love to read books with these themes but for me, it fell short of the mark because of how long we spent in the more darker parts of Ash's psyche. If we got to see more of a Happily Ever After at the end or as part of an extended epilogue, it would easily earn this four stars from me.

Is this the end of my Alexis Hall adventure? No. I will be back for more because they do write entertaining and entrancing stories and just because this one didn't do it for me this time doesn't mean that their next novel won't. I might even give this a re-read further down the line and who knows, another star may just appear.

Brilliant effort!

A bit graphic

This is an interesting m/m romance which has excellent dialogue and a universal plot of love with an unexpected partner. It is a re-issue; this is the author's first book, written about 10 years ago. I have to say that I enjoyed the newer Alexis Hall book I read recently a bit more; I found our 'hero' had too much mental angst for my enjoyment. However, many others have enjoyed this book a lot. Trigger warning are in order for graphic m/m sex, descriptions of mental illness and past suicide attempts, so this book is certainly not for everyone.

Thank you to the publisher who lent me an e-arc via Netgalley. This review is optional and my own opinion.

This is a a story about fighting youself for your own happiness.  A product of wealthy family and a graduate of Oxford, Ash Winters once wrote a highly lauded debut novel.  He has not been able to recapture the magic of that first book and, since then, has become the writer of a popular series of crime novels.  Ash also struggles with mental illness and often finds it difficult to engage with the wider world or even his closest friends, including Niall, his one-time boyfriend who may still be his best friend.

Ash usually finds a way to get out of social engagements, but he can't get out of the bachelor party for Max, one of his friends from college.  At a club they go to for the party, he meets Darian Taylor.  Darian is much different from anyone else in Ash’s life -- flashy, confident, and loud.  While he initially thinks of it as a one-time encounter, Ash finds himself drawn to Darian -- his optimism and his ability to make Ash laugh, not to mention their obvious chemistry.  But Ash has gone to such great lengths to isolate himself, he is not sure whether or how to maintain a connection to Darian -- and, it seems, he goes out of his way to sabotage the relationship even as he senses it is the one thing that actually brings him happiness.

This was a great book.  As in several of their other works, the author does an excellent job of capturing the ways that depression and anxiety can shape one's life -- and the ways they can often be an obstacle to pursuing relationships.  In Ash, we see someone who struggles both with the expectations that so many others have for him and with whether he even deserves happiness.  In Darian, the author deftly shows how, despite Ash's initial impression, Darian is himself multi-dimensional. As a reader, we learn how much more there is to Darian than Ash, with his assumptions and his defense mechanisms, allows himself to see and the ways that Darian's emotional maturity outstrips Ash's and several of those in his social circle.  This story is both an emotional romance and a powerful story about embracing what makes you happy -- even if it is unexpected and different from what others in your life envisioned for you.

Highly recommended!

I have read the original Glitterland so I knew this wasn't a new story for me.


I absolutely adore Ash and Darien. They are the epitome of opposites attract.
Ash isn't the greatest human being, his depression and issues gives him sharp edges and he knows how to use his edges, even if deep down he doesn't want to. But seeing him with Darien, it's not that he changes, he just lets himself be freer. And it works for him. A couple of times those edges come out at the worst time. But he's relatable, with all his flaws. And he's also funny, I love his wit, especially when he's trying to be charming. I'm a big fan of wit and Ash has it in spades.

Darien is just, one of those cinnamon roll heroes who is just precious beyond words. And he's also a bit orange and a bit obtuse. But also charming, and sweet, and his flaws seem to fit with Ash. One wouldn't think it would work but it does.

This isn't an action packed plot with a million things going on. It basically follows Ash and Darien and how their relationship rises, falls, and changes. But it's easy to read and Alexis Hall just has a stunning way of putting words together.

So if you're a Boyfriend Material fan. You do not want to miss out on this book.


Going a little outside of the parameters of this review... I also recommend the audiobook. It is fab!

I wasn't ready for the emotions I would feel reading this book - the love I'd have for Darian, the loathing I'd feel for Ash as I struggled to like him despite himself and the way that they came together... Glitterland takes on and does justice to the world of depression and anxiety that surrounds Ash. It's easy to love the sunny, sweet and radiant character, but so much harder to see past the struggles and mental illness to fall in love with Ash... but the journey is so worth it!

Alexis Hall has such a way with words, the prose transports you and makes you think, feel and want to turn the page... I'm not sure what reading the book would have been like in previous editions, but the insights and bonus scenes really brought things to life, so even if you're up for a re-read, this is one edition you're going to want to pick up!

Happy release day, babes! Extravagant air kiss. Mwah! 💋

I'm so happy this book is getting a mass paperback release with a new cover and all. There are no major changes to the text, here and there a few phrases have been added or taken out, some lines tweaked, and we get a new scene that explains Max and Niall's relationship a bit more.

And you'd think that after countless re-reads (and listening; seriously, the audiobook is amazin) I would be able to put my love for this book into words, but I still can't. I love Ash to pieces (even when he's being an ass), because I identify with his anxious/depressed side to a painful degree.

"I had, almost, without noticing, been something close to... happy. My heart stuttered. There was little I feared more than happiness, that faithless whore who waited always between madness and emptiness ... Happiness was merely something else to lose."

And oh my precious, glittering Darian. There will never be words enough...

"I don't fink it's going to be easy, and I don't fink it's always gonna be awhight. But even if it ain't always awhight, that's awhight as well, cos sometimes fings just ain't, and that's 'ow they are."

I realize this book is not for everyone, but it will always have a special place in my heart for the unflinching honesty with which it deals with mental illness and the faint flicker of hope the *shudders* feelings it always gives me makes me feel. After it cuts me a million times and then twists the knife around a bit before people can finally be happy...

"You can have all my smiles, whenever I can find them."

*ARC received from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

I love this book with my whole heart and I am thrilled that the new edition is being released this coming Tuesday. I decided to make a new Glitterland embroidery to mark the occasion :)

I highly recommend this book, which follows Ash Winters, a writer who struggles with depression, and Darian Taylor, a whole-hearted fashion model. I loved Ash’s growth in this novel, the ways he struggles, challenges himself, makes mistakes, and finds the strength and courage to make things right. Darian’s loving acceptance of Ash in all his complexity is everything.

There’s a lot to unpack in this book, including some important commentary on class and the ways we judge each other. Mental health is a major theme, and it is handled with great care.

I’m excited to receive my physical copy so I can dig into all the extras!

Ah, I really loved this. At first, I think it would be easy to assume on the surface level this is a the sort of romance where falling in love “saves” the main character from their mental illness. Alexis Hall has such a way of writing characters and plots and it’s made very clear that while being in love isn’t “saving” or “fixing” Ash, loving Darian opens him up to loving himself and finding the value in his life and ultimately their life together—a life that includes the cycles of his illness. It’s breathtaking. And Darian is so lovely, I adore him and how much he adores Ash so unabashedly. An excellent read, I want to say this is one of Alexis Hall’s best, even though it’s the first book he published! What a way to start a publishing career and congratulations on the new edition!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have no idea why this book has sat on my TBR list for years - so glad I finally picked it up and gave it a try! Ash and Darian were unexpected but incredibly sweet.

Ash Winters is an author who is dealing with bipolar disorder and depression, trying to promote a book, write a new one and convince his friends that he’ll be alright. He comes off as condescending and a know-it-all at first, but once he opens up and starts acting more like himself, he’s much more likable. He struggles with his mental illness throughout but there’s a lot of bright moments where he’s funny and adorably awkward.

Darian Taylor is proper wonderful, janarwhatamean? He’s a flamboyant glitter pirate who sets Ash’s world on fire from the very first time they meet. Darian’s confident, incredibly sweet and has a big personality. He’s an aspiring model who’s not afraid to share his feelings but is also empathetic and understanding in a way I haven’t read before. Even when he’s out of his depths, he’s unafraid to be himself and admit when he doesn’t know things.

Their love story is a great balance of silly and serious - Ash and Darian both find something they’ve been missing in each other. While they’re opposites in a lot of ways, they also accept each other’s differences and appreciate what makes them unique. They’re from seemingly different worlds but click in a way that can’t be denied, even on the disastrous first night they meet. There’s a lot of ups and downs for them to navigate along the way but it makes them better together and better for each other in the end.

If anything, I feel like this story was too short. Right when we finally see these two happy together, it’s over. I would have loved for another chapter or two to finish out the book. But what we got was super sweet, so I can’t complain much. Looks like I need to look into the rest of the Spires series here soon!

This book is a lot. In the best way.

Alexis has a really unique descriptive writing style that is addictive. But he also writes such flawed characters using humour and quirky situations that they find themselves in.

In Glitterland, Ash is almost consumed by his mental health. Until he meets Darian a charmingly ridiculous man that wants Ash for exactly who he is. Not who he was, who he could be. In turn, he just wants to be loved for who he is.

It’s a romance of two men, but it’s also a romance with one's own mental health. Learning to love yourself as is, learning to accept yourself. Freeing yourself to live happier.

“So, lemme get this right. We're gonna make a go of it. You and me? Togevver? Even though I'm orange and you're mental?”

The depiction of mental health is at times uncomfortable. It’s very real, but also beautiful.

“I'd wasted so much of my life. So many of my days, and all of my promise, all of my dreams, lost to hospitals, to depression, to wanting to die. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. This is not who I am.

Except, of course, it was. It was all there was left to be.”

Hunjed pahcent a gem!

Book Review for: "Glitterland" by Alexis Hall
Source: ARC from NetGalley
Score: 3/5 stars

The book "Glitterland" follows Ash and Darian as they navigate their relationship which is initially driven (mostly) by physical attraction and then, eventually, developing into a deeper connection.

The book is told through the perspective of Ash and navigates his experiences as a "bipolar depressive" and his pursuit for Darian.

Plot:
The premise of the book is unique in that mental health/illness plays a central role in this m/m romance novel. As Ash struggles with depression and bipolar syndrome he meets Darian and begins to find some light at the end of the tunnel. Ash and Darian are complete opposites and Ash is both attracted to and repulsed by Darian. Most of the relationship is driven by Ash's sex-hungry character constantly wanting to get intimate with Darian. After a falling out, Ash must decide whether his relationship with Darian is worth trying to salvage.

It was refreshing to read a book with the central character as someone who lives with mental illness. There were many instances where Ash's internal thoughts feel so honest and relatable. With that being said, it did not feel as though the discussion of mental illness meshed smoothly with the relationship today. At times, the disparity between the two ideas were quite jarring and even felt like two separate stories being forced together.

Overall, I did have challenges staying engaged with the plot and wanting to continue reading.

Writing:
The book has a certain style in it's writing. Descriptions are quite metaphoric and almost lyrical. The challenge with this approach is that the simple message is sometimes lost. There are many parts of the book where it feels too wordy and forced. It was as though they wanted to include as much verbiage as possible to appear sophisticated and mature. Although I appreciated some of those descriptions (e.g. Ash's internal thoughts), for me, it made the reading experience feel laborish. With some simplification, perhaps the pacing of the book would be more balanced.

Alternatively, Darian is from Essex so they decided to write out his lines phonetically. This was quite endearing and provided some authenticity to his voice. Alas, I found some trouble understanding him and took his character less seriously, janarwhatamean?

And the sex scenes did not feel sexy... When Ash and Darian would get physical, we are pulled out of their world through lengthy, mood-killing descriptions.

Overall, although I appreciated some of the complex metaphors within the book, the descriptions felt wordy and forced which made the reading experience less enjoyable.

Characters:
The two main characters Ash and Darian are very different.
Ash (and his world) comes off as pompous and elite. Darian (and his world) comes off as free-spirited and not well-educated.
The book is spoken through Ash's perspective. This meant there were many times where descriptions felt overly complicated and forced to portray Ash in a very specific light - made reading the book feel like a chore. Ash, personally, was not likeable. I appreciate that he is living with a mental illness and the book speaks about it with raw style, I just could not get behind rooting for Ash.
I was more interested in Niall and his relationship with Ash. His character felt like it was for convenience and he literally shows up to move the plot along and then disappears.

Overall, the characters were challenging to relate to.

Finale:
Overall, it was good to see a m/m romance tackle mental health/illness. The book has a unique and interesting way to describe the experience of Ash navigating depression and love. With that being said, the pacing is bogged down by overly complicated descriptions that take the reader out of the experience. If the language was streamlined, perhaps the story would flow better and be more enjoyable to read.

I was really excited to read Glitterland by Alexis Hall because of it's high ratings but unfortunately this book didn't work for me. All I am going to say is that I did not enjoy any of the characters in this book. Could I go on and on and rant about why I disliked them ? Yes, but will I ? No because I'm exhausted thinking of how long that would make this review. The reason it's still getting a 3 star in spite of that is because it had its redeeming moments that managed to make me smile, and the Mental Health Representation is well done and so important. It shows the constant battles people with Bi Polar disorder face and thatn they don't need to be fixed and deserve to be loved.

This was a wonderful mash of funny and agonizingly sweet. I lost myself in the pages of this book and could not stop reading it. I have so many highlighted passages in this book and so many favorite quotes. I don’t usually do a review with my favorite quotes but if I did, this would be overflowing with so many heartfelt lines.

The characters are so real and well crafted. The author does not shy away from some of the harsh realities of mental illness. It’s not tied up in a neat ball for the sake of the story but simply stated - it’s a part of who Ash is as a character, good moments and rough moments all together and it makes him no less needing of love.

Darian is an absolute gem of a character with a sweetness and gentleness about him. He’s a bit naive in some ways and could be viewed by “poshos” as not as cultured and worldly as Ash but he’s the best character in this book. The dialogue between all of the characters was fantastic and amazingly witty. There were also some tough and frank conversations that definitely pulled at the heartstrings.

Ash is a complex character for me - he’s scarred having dealt with his mental illness and the ups and downs that have come with it. So many points in the story where you just want to shake him cause he’s so frustrating but by the end of the book, he had me in tears.

Glitterland, but make it new! I love the new look, the updated cover is gorgeous. The characters are perfect and the romance is enticing.

Alexis Hall's writing style is just beautiful, it has long descriptions which make it easy to visualise every aspect of the book.

Mental health is discussed in depth in Glitterland, and while I think it could be done better, it is done well.

Overall a good read, and a fantastic update to the existing book.

Glitterland (Spires Universe #1) by Alexis Hall is an intoxicatingly romantic tale with a touch of charm. With plenty of steamy love scenes to enjoy too, Glitterland promises an intriguing ride full of angst, wit, and humor. Don't miss this warmhearted novel - a must-read for those who like their romances hot!

I found the main character Ash hard to read and TW should be taken seriously with this one. Alexis Hall is a favorite author and this is a well written story but the subject matter was overwhelming for me at times. Alexis has written such raw and deep emotions in Ash which really brought him to life. I think the spot light on mental health is important and the author has done a good job of making those issues feel real.

This is one of those weird books where I don't know who I'd recommend it to aside from a select few friends whom I think we feel the same way, and I completely understand why there are so many mixed reviews, but it also really did work for me. This is one of those books where it's important to realize that what the character thinks is not what the author thinks. The main character is a very unlikeable person, with some terrible beliefs and opinions, but honestly, I found myself rooting for him. I also honestly did love Darian, who's unbothered but so good at setting clear boundaries and enforcing them. I will be picking up a copy to reread this, and I would recommend it if you know what to expect.

I adore Alexis Hall’s writing. I wasn’t getting into this story personally, but it seems to be a good start. It will have its niche.
Stopped at 10%.

We won’t personally be purchasing for our libraries. I didn’t realize it was a rerelease, which we generally avoid unless it’s for specific themes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC.

I've read this book multiple times. Thanks to netgallery for the ARC of the re-release.

I'll be interested to see the extras in the new edition.

This book proves you can have darker character elements without making a grimdark book and still have a romance with a good ending. It uses some interesting devices to show the way time gets away from you when your mental health is not great and it worked for me but YMMV. The vernacular speech might be troublesome for some people (and I'm not really a fan of speech markers) but I guess all the linguistics classes I took have some use. Of course that just makes me want to swap it for IPA and no one wants that, lol.

I’m thrilled to see this book getting a re-release (with a beautiful new cover and extra material) ten years after its initial publication. It was one of the first books I read by Alexis Hall, and I love it just as much now as I did then. Hall is not afraid to deal with big issues in his romances (Ash has quite severe depression, so well portrayed here) but there is also humour, gorgeous writing, and swoony romance. Everything you want, really.