First off thank you for the trigger warnings these are essential to letting people know if there are difficult subjects in the book.

This book handled mental health so beautifully. I will say that Alexis Hall is an author I have read before and so this was no surprise to me when I read this book and say the level of mastery that she has with words. This is a rerelease of a book. I enjoyed it very much.

I was surprisingly impressed with this book, but it is written by Alexis Hall so I shouldn’t have been surprised at all since I have loved everything I’ve read from this author. The characters were so human and flawed, making dumb mistakes without real explanations for it and struggling to fix things when they happen. I would have wanted a bit more background information about Darian and his perspective on his past, but overall I really liked the depth of the characters and how the novel was set up. Once again, Alexis Hall has created a wonderful novel that I loved!

Alexis Hall has written an amazing book that felt authentic to those struggling with mental health and provided very real feelings of what it is like to live your day to day. Be warned there is a lot of fun had between Ash and Darian. It sure got steamy so if you’re looking for spicy look no further than Glitterland!

As always, Alexis Hall doesn't dissapoint! I am so impressed by his writing and whoever and where ever you are, you're doing great sweetie!!!!
Easy, light, chill read, completely loved it. The jokes and the vibes were there, everything was more than cute.
Truly recommend this to the ones that read Boyfriend material and Husband material.

At this point, I am willing to try any Alexis Hall title I come across. I have never been disappointed by this author's ability to create real, flawed, and beautiful characters, their ability to inject wit and emotion into their stories, and their ability to make me cry. Glitterland was no expection.

Ash is a bipolar depressive with crippling anxiety. As you might imagine, he's struggling. And a relationship is the last thing he wants. When he goes home with sparkly "glitter pirate" Darian for a hook up, he's frightened by how comfortable he is with sweet but odd pirate annnnd he sneaks out before morning.

But he can't keep Darian out of his mind, or out of his life.

This book had me ugly crying, not just from some beautiful scenes, but from the poetic but painfully accurate descriptions of living with chronic anxiety and depression.

100% worth the read.

I read this as a re-release arc. I have a love-hate relationship with this author. When her stories hit, they HIT…but when they miss they miss big (Husband Material…👀) not to mention a rather unpleasant interaction at the start of my book reviewing journey. That said, “Glitterland” is wonderful. Ash and his mental health struggles are portrayed in a way that feel honest and not a way to push a maritime forward. Everything he goes through feels genuine to his struggles, down the absolute horrid way he treats Darien. Darien, for his part, is an angel and needs to be protected at all costs. Both characters were delights to read, both for their blunt portrayal and their connection. Niall is a TRASHBAG and did not deserve his redemption arch. My only complaint is a line that says “I’d rather be anxious then fat” which did not sit well with me

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 raw.

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.

Early copy provided by netgalley, all opinions are my own.

I swear these two have like one shared brain cell between them both. Which makes it even funnier when Darian keeps telling Ash he is so clever.

I had a lot of mixed feelings about the book. I really like the characters - Darian and Ash were instantly likable and relatable. The writing was very good even if delved into intense prose sometimes when the writer in Ash started to come out in his more depressive state. Mental health and the reality of relationships were sometimes a little too close for comfort but was handled in a very careful way. I related way more to Niall a lot more than I thought I was going to (cry).

The parts of the book that mostly didn't hit it home for me were honestly most of the plot. There wasn't much to it and the climax of the book just wasn't for me. The falling action and subsequent resolution didn't feel like they had much weight to them, almost seeming to be too easy for what they both went through. There were also quite a few unanswered questions (mostly regarding Ash), but I felt like even the friends that were throughout the book fell to the wayside and we never got to see their reactions to the resolution - even the (somewhat) hyped-up Granny Dot was not really given a voice near the end.

I did end up liking it, and I will definitely give the other books in the Spires series a read but you can definitely tell by going back and reading this earlier work how much better Alexis Hall has evolved as an author.

Glitterland follows Ash Winters, who was once considered the golden boy of the English literary scene but is now a clinically depressed writer of pulp crime fiction. Ash has given up on hope, happiness and most of all— himself. Trapped in a never-ending cycle of his illness, he is constantly haunted by people’s expectations and the inevitable disappointment that comes with not meeting them. Then a chance encounter turns Ash’s world upside down. Darian Taylor is many things—by his own admission, not the sharpest tool in the shed, incredibly charismatic, funny and outgoing—and definitely not one to run when things get tough. Most important of all, he makes Ash laugh. But Ash has spent years living in his own shadow—can he see past it to fight for his own happiness when he thought it irretrievable?

It’s hard to believe that this is Hall’s first ever novel considering the emotional punch it packs. The amount of times I had to put down the book because I was so overcome with the indescribably realistic depiction of mental illness is unfathomable to me. I don’t think I’ve ever seen my own experience with mental health portrayed quite as relatably as I did in Glitterland. Ash is such an easy character to engage with, perhaps because I understood his actions on a deeply personal level. Ash is constantly crushed by the expectations others place on him (and those he thinks they place on him) and crippled by the fear that he won’t be able to meet them. Instead, he self-sabotages (both consciously and unconsciously) and hates himself for it, perpetuating the cycle of confusion, dread and inward-directed guilt.

Then Darian comes into his life, turning his dull life to technicolour (yes that’s a Lizzie McGuire reference, sue me) and making Ash desperate to cling to this version of his life he never imagined possible. Suddenly, he finds himself wanting to try again. To be a better person, to give himself the benefit of the doubt and to maybe let someone in. What makes reading this book manageable even during the hardest of scenes (and there are quite a few) is Ash’s sarcastic wit and self-deprecating voice, not to mention Darian’s smirk-inducing Essex accent. Hall doesn’t shy away from depicting Ash’s panic attacks in all their grandness, but infuses it with so much care and then balances it with inexplicably sweet scenes of Ash being absolutely stunned by the effect Darian has on him. Darian is a bit of a golden retriever, so Ash’s mean streaks (that are heavily influenced by his trauma) feel like barbs that even the reader is pierced by but again, it’s so authentic you can’t really look away, either.

I think one of the things Hall always excels at is telling it like it is and Glitterland is no different. Ash isn’t miraculously cured by Darian’s presence. He isn’t suddenly no longer experiencing hardship and self-doubt and doesn’t just stop self-destructing. He makes mistakes and hurts people but most of all, he ends up hurting himself in the process. Yet Ash’s story is ultimately a hopeful one. It reminds readers that it’s part of life to make mistakes and to sometimes hurt the people who deserve it the least, especially if those mistakes are driven by things that feel (or are) out of your control. What matters isn’t necessarily not making the mistakes, but learning from them and trying to make up for them in whatever way you can. Which we should all take to heart, no matter where we are at in life.

Hard-hitting but ultimately uplifting, Glitterland is a complex, emotionally resonant exploration of mental illness, the tenacity it takes to endure life and most of all, a reminder to let people in.

*I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

This book was good, but I think it had the potential to be great and just didn't quite get there. The plot, themes, and even the characters were very strong but the overall execution was somewhat lacking. I think the way the dialogue was written made it harder to follow BUT I want to caveat that with "for an international audience". The Essex vernacular isn't one I'm super acquainted with as a Canadian and I found it difficult to follow. Overall, a strong 3 star read but check your TWs before you read this one.

Reading Glitterland was an unexpected joy. I wasn't quite sure how to feel during the first chapter, as we are immediately thrown into Ash's POV in the middle of a panic attack. Despite the somewhat jarring beginning, what follows is a tender and sweet story about love, self-acceptance, and fighting to be the person you want to be.

Ash and Diarius's story is further enhanced by an interesting group of side characters (although I did want to smack Niall in the face at times). Add in Alexis Hall's signature humor, and this results in an all around enjoyable read. Which is not quite what I was expecting for book centering around mental illness fully in the POV of a main character with diagnosed bipolar depression. Which is definitely on me and my own expectations. All of which is to say, I was impressed with the equal levels of lightheartedness and sincerity in regards to Ash's character. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to Alexis Hall fans and anyone looking for a queer contemporary romance with mental health representation.

SWEET, BUT ULTIMATELY FORGETABLE

Yeah, even though I really liked this story, it didn't stand out. It didn't really feel unique. I loved the depression representation, but disliked the perpetuation of the notion, that all a depressed person needs to get better is love. The depression and anxiety aspects felt relatable and realistic. It didn't try to gloss over reality. But the conclusion was a bit too neat for me. Ultimately, I am afraid this is a story I am going to forget. It isn't Hall's strongest work.

This has been one of my top reads!

I’m a huge fan of Alexis Hall and Glitterland was a whole new direction! It follows the story of Ash Winters, a young gay writer who suffers from serious mental health issues. He has a routine, and friends who are used to his antisocial lifestyle, but that all changes when he meets Darian and things start to feel new and shiny again.

I have to say this is one of Alexis Hall’s best, it still has the humour and romance you associate with the author. However, the author tackles the topic of mental health well and seriously with a beautiful authenticity. The writing is magnificent, I love the imagery which is just some of their best work! However, there is a darker narrative voice so check your content warnings if you are sensitive to references of mental illnesses.

If you like the Charm offensive or queer romance you will love this one!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to @netgalley and @sourcebookscasa for this ARC. Glitterland is set for rerelease on the 17 Jan.

Alexis Hall's writing just sparkles--in a genre in which there are SO many bad writers! Even when I find his characters less relatable--as here--the writing is always excellent. The protagonist, Ash, has bipolar disorder but apart from this, he is unsympathetic--a hard character to like--especially the way he treats the very even-tempered and sunshine-y, Darian. Initially, I found Ash, the mystery writer, an insufferable snob too caught up in himself to see the world from anyone else' s point of view. Darian is the seemingly "shallow" model from Essex who has a fondness for spray-tans and glam. As their relationship deepens, though, I enjoyed Ash's journey and the many feels in the last few chapters. There' s plenty of steam for those who enjoy those scenes and Hall takes pains to make them believable.

As with other reviewers, this is my first reading of Glitterland so I cannot compare it with the earlier edition. Loved Hall's Boyfriend Material and a later book in the Spires series, Waiting for the Flood. Looking forward to For Real and Husband Material.

Glitter land is a queer romance between a depressed writer and a model from a rural background. The main character is suffering from mental illnesses and chooses to use it as a front to be a horrible person to everybody in his life. I don’t know why the author likes writing unlikable characters with no true redemption arcs this much. When you follow the plot line, it feels like whatever may be at stake he’s doing just the bare minimum in a way that feels fake. Also there’s quite an amount of ludicrous obscenity.

The plot is bare minimum and utterly generic. You’ve seen the climax a million times before. Was I wrong to expect more there? The dialogue is a bit more mature and touches on some important issues but not enough to be impactful.

Darian is a caricature of a person. Too nice and too carefree to be believable. His phonetic accent was surprisingly sweet to read and did not feel as irritating as I expected it to be.

All in all it would’ve been a better book with better character development for the protagonist and a more solidified drama in the relationship.

Thank you for the ARC.

Forever in love with how alexis hall writes actually, got the new edition of this from netgalley and I've been having a slow reading month and couldn't get to it BUT I FINALLY DID AND oh my god darian my beloved???? I love you. i had a problem with the dialect a bit but once i got used to it, it became so much fun<3
All the love the cover is dazzling, the mental health themes were properly addressed methinks.

I received the rerelease of Giltterland from NetGalley. I did not read the first release, so this is not a comparison. Please read the content warnings for this book, there is bipolar representation, discussion of past suicide attempts, and suicidal thoughts. Take care of yourself and your mental health.

I truly enjoy all of Alexis Hall's books. Alexis is excellent at letting us see and feel the characters. Ash has very serious mental health issues, and he's a bit of a jerk. But somehow Damian, his glitter pirate, fits right into his life, despite his protestations, and is the perfect fit. There are difficult themes at play here, there is immense hurt. But we get a happily ever after.

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Alexis Hall has this beautiful way of writing mental illness that makes it feel like he’s living inside my brain. The way depression, anxiety, and self harm are discussed in this book are so true to my experiences and I really enjoyed seeing this representation done so well. Hall also talks a little about how Ash’s mental illness affects those around him and even though some people might be a little harsh at times (Niall’s tough love can be really tough) it was nice to see that side.

I think the best part of this story for me, aside from the mental health representation, was Darian. Even though there were moments I barely understood him I absolutely adored this ‘glitter pirate’. He never treats Ash as less than because of his mental illness and pushes him to step out of his comfort zone. Bonus points because he obviously loves his Nan.

The characters were great, the story itself was written almost poetically, and overall I would read this again.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an arc of this book in exchange for my review.

I love Alexis Hall and I love the mental health representation in this book. I am not Bipolar but have struggled with depression on and off my entire life and the descriptions Ash gave were so accurate it hurt in the best possible way.

That said every single character in this is absolutely intolerable. I don't think it would be so bad if it were written in plain English, but the essex accents on everything made my eyes hurt. Ash and Naill are tied for first for being Literally The Worst, sorry not sorry.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC in exchange for the honest review.

This was definitely the angst fest that was promised, with Alexis Hall's wit and humor all whilst dealing with heavy topics of mental health. I felt very much in Ash's head and was along for the ride as he slowly accepted love and Darian. Definitely two opposites.