Thank you to netgalley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me read this book in exchange for my honest opinion. I really enjoyed this book.

Glitterland is one of my most favorite, most beloved books of all time and it has just been re-released with bonus material and a beautiful new cover!

If you get to enjoy this book for the first time now, I’m honestly a little jealous. What an experience! But I got to re-listen to it recently, and that, too, was wonderful.

Alexis Hall has stuffed this book full of so many emotions. Glitterland has cracked me up, and it has broken my heart. It is ridiculous and so sad. It’s steamy hot and frustrating (omg Ash get over yourself pleeease).

And Nicholas Boulton makes you feel like you really are listening to Ash telling you about his Glitter pirate. This is a MUST-LISTEN. (PERIOD)

The narrator of this audiobook was perfect! I really like how Alexis Hall is releasing their older works. I love their newer novels, but I find that the older ones delve a bit deeper into mental health and societies expectations. I love that no matter who you are and what you are going through that everyone is deserving of second chances and happiness. Also, who can resist a glitter pirate!

Ash Winters, once the golden boy of the English literary scene turned clinically depressed writer, has relinquished hope, happiness, and faith in himself. Living amidst the cycles of his illness, haunted by societal expectations, Ash's life takes an unexpected turn when he encounters Darian Taylor, an Essex-born individual with a refreshing lack of concern for societal norms. Despite Darian's admitted lack of sophistication, he brings laughter into Ash's life, offering glimpses beyond the confines of anxiety. However, Ash, entrenched in his shadows, struggles to see past the glitter to find the light. The novel poses questions about trust, self-discovery, and the fight for happiness in the face of profound personal doubts.

It is a beautifully crafted exploration of mental health, love, and the transformative power of human connection. Hall's narrative, expertly brought to life by Boulton, immerses listeners in the complex journey of Ash Winters, a character navigating the depths of depression and societal expectations. Boulton's narration skillfully captures the nuances of the characters, infusing the story with emotion and authenticity. His delivery adds a layer of depth to the narrative, making it a compelling auditory experience. The audiobook's high rating reflects the resonance it has found among listeners.

The storyline itself delves into themes of trust, self-acceptance, and the possibility of finding happiness in unexpected places. Ash's encounter with Darian becomes a turning point, introducing moments of levity and reminding him of life beyond the boundaries of anxiety. The chemistry between the characters is palpable, and the journey of self-discovery is both poignant and heartwarming. Glitterland offers a profound exploration of the human psyche, challenging preconceptions about mental health and emphasizing the importance of genuine connections. The audiobook, with Nicholas Boulton's masterful narration, brings Alexis Hall's words to life, making it a captivating and emotionally resonant experience for listeners.

This will be a short review. It did not work for me. I did not like the characters but not in a cute way. They were all so annoying and I could not stand any of them. This includes the MC, the love interest and the best friend. So many insufferable characters. I could not care less about what happened to them. Also, the fatphobia or the biphobia??? Basically, I did not enjoy and the plot was also meh. It felt like it was written by someone else... I cannot recommend this...

Very loveable story with great characters! I really enjoyed reading this, and of course as a psychology student, i cannot help but mention how nice it is to see bipolar disorder representation. I absolutely recommend this to anyone!

I also mostly enjoyed the narrator, although i do have to mention i thought that the voice for Darian kind of annoyed me a little bit, but that might just be because of the essex accent lol dont blame me.

Thank you to netgalley and the author for sending me the book in exchange for an honest review.

I got a chance to listen to the new audiobook for Glitterland on Netgalley. First of all the story is a 10/10 all on its own but the reader brings it to life! I was laughing out loud and clutching my pearls at the audacity of how amazing this audiobook is! The new cover is also perfection! 🩶

Something I didn't know prior to listening to this audiobook is that it is actually a re-release! How exciting for Alexis Hall to have her work loved so much this beauty gets its time to shine.

Ash and Darian are perfectly odd and flawed characters that are so realistic it kind if hits you in the face. This book is full of dark humour (my fave), mental health rep, lgbtqia+ rep and creates this wonderful mix of feelings around the human experience. It is emotional, sad and bitterly funny all while giving the reader hope.

The audiobook is fantastic and I loved the narrator and the accents!

First I would like to thank Dreamscape Media for providing me a copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

I am such a fan of Alexis Hall and when I saw this book I knew I had to give it a read since it was one of her first stories and I am so happy I did.

What I Loved:
- Nicknames, the boys have the best nicknames for each other and they are such a fundamental part of the development of their relationship
- Opposites Attract, Ash is an upper class author and Darian is a model from Essex, even though they come from very different worlds they are exactly what each other needs
- Narrator, Nicholas Boulton is an amazing narrator for this book cause he was able to change his accents and pitches for all of the different characters and it was so enjoyable to listen to
- Essex fashion week, the jokes around this event in the book and Ash's growth at the event as just amazing
- Mental health, Ash is going through A LOT with his mental health throughout this book and I really enjoyed how open it is throughout the story including how Ash feels like a bad person because of his illness

Overall this wasn't always the easiest book to listen to since it deals with some hard topics, but the relationship between Ash and Darian kept me locked in and loving this story. If you are open to reading a queer romance with amazing representation that will make you want to laugh as much as it will make you want to cry this is the story for you!

I love Alexis hall and their work I was surprised this was a republish I had not previously heard of it. All of their books are whitty and real!

I love Alexis Hall and have been wanting to read this book for a while, so I was very excited to see this audio ARC pop-up on NetGalley. This book did not disappoint! Boyfriend Material is still my favorite, but this one is a close second. I loved the characters in this book and thought the topics addressed were very well done. Can't wait to read the second one.

I loved this new audio release of Glitterland. I'm a fan of Alexis Hall, but I came late to the Spires series, and this 10th anniversary release was my first time with Ash and Darian. Glitterland is possibly the platonic ideal of an Alexis Hall book, with an unlikeable main character and a big focus on class, place, and dialect, but also a lot of heat. This is going to be one of my favorite reads of the year, I can already tell.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for this audio arc.

Alexis Hall is an incredible author with a distinct and unique voice. Their storytelling abilities never cease to amaze me after every book I read by them. I loved Glitterland! Darien and Ash were so dimensional and full of life, a nod also to the narrator who helped share this story. Hall didn't shy away from Ash’s pain and struggle of living with depression. I loved every second of this heart-clenching romance.

Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the audioARC of this! I'm catching up some backlog, so I also grabbed this edition in ebook from the library.

This book was a trainwreck that I found it hard to look away from. I'll be honest, as a reader, I really struggle with if I *like* the characters, especially in a romance, because I find it hard to ship people I don't enjoy. This is also a rerelease of an older book, and I think it dates itself, especially with the biphobia and fatphobia. As a person who is both anxious AND fat (and bi for that matter), it was hard to read someone saying how they'd rather be unmedicated and self-destructive than fat as if that's the worst thing you can be. Using your mental illness as an excuse for being hurtful sucks. Seeing people attack the main character with his mental illness sucks. Overall though, I found it at the very least compelling and hard to put down, so I'm going with 3.5 stars.

What I will say is, I requested this ARC to give Alexis Hall another chance, and because this cover is FIRE. The audiobook was great, and there was a great performance. I will also not this is the third novel I have attempted by Alexis Hall, and while this was not my least favorite, this is the last one for me. The writing isn’t for me, and I’ve given it a few fair novels. The pacing seems off, it is too slow and flows at times and overly sexed with little depth. I think the lack of depth in the relationship is what bothers me, it feels hollow. It was gritty to best describe the book and it dealt with a lot of dark topics. I wanted to embrace it, but I just didn’t relate to an ounce of this book.

Third act break up was especially frustrating, the writing, the depth of the romance, the idea if you have mental illness you can be cruel and that’s an excuse instead of ownership and self reflection. Read with caution and care.

Freaking PERFECTION. 10/10. This was just so so good. I couldn’t get enough of it and the narrator did an amazing job.

As I noted in our January Picks post, Alexis Hall’s Glitterland has been re-recorded to include some bonus material that was not available with the recording made in 2016. With Nicholas Boulton in the narrator’s chair once again, there was no question in my mind that the narration would, once again, be wonderful (and it is), but as the 2024 version is a brand new recording made and published by a different publisher, anyone who owns the 2016 version will need to purchase the new version in order to get the extras – it won’t automatically update. I thought there might be listeners out there who already own the 2016 version wondering if it’s worth getting the new edition for the extras, so I’ve edited and updated my original review to include a brief mention of what they are.

ORIGINAL REVIEW – JANUARY 2016

Ash Winters is firmly middle-class; a graduate of Cambridge University, he’s well-off, a successful author, has a nice flat in London, dresses understatedly in designer clothes… but he also suffers from Bi-Polar disorder, depression and extreme anxiety, conditions which have hospitalised him in the past, most recently following a suicide attempt. Ash has been struggling with his illness for so long that it’s taken over his life, and, to an extent, that of his friends, many of whom he has pushed away because of his belief that, deep down, he doesn’t deserve them.

When he attends a stag-do that he has been unable to get out of, he spies a man on the dance floor who is decked out in spangly, sparkly clothes, his hair styled to within an inch of its life, his tan obviously a fake one – and is surprised to feel the stirrings of genuine attraction. Ash’s recent sexual encounters have had more to do with his need to forget himself and his life for a short while than they have been about physical attraction for his chosen partner, so to find himself actually wanting someone is … odd. And the part of Ash that isn’t surprised is repulsed at the fact that he can possibly find someone who looks like he’ll be appearing in the next series of The Only Way is Essex even remotely attractive. But he does, and soon the pair is heading off to the flat “Essex” is sharing with friends, Ash’s preconceptions based on the guy’s looks and flamboyant nature marking him out as perfect fodder for casual, anonymous sex.

Darian Taylor is an aspiring model who lives with his nan – whom he adores – and while he might not be the sharpest pin in the box, he’s incredibly sweet and down-to-earth, the sort of person without a bad word to say about anyone, and comes into Ash’s life like a breath of badly needed fresh air. After their one-night-stand, Ash hadn’t expected to see Darian ever again, until at a book signing;

“Who should I make it out to?” I asked, not quite managing to look up.

“Oh, I dunno,” said a far too familiar voice, “`ow about maybe `To the geeza what I slept wif and then done a runner on in the middle of the night, making `im feel like a right slapper’?”

Ash and Darian pair up again, this time at Ash’s place where Darian makes himself at home, going so far as to cook his nan’s awesome Cottage Pie, (while Ash freaks out about shopping for and making a salad!) and generally brightening up Ash’s life, reminding him what it’s like to have someone around him who doesn’t define him by his illness, or by what he has or what he does. Darian likes Ash for himself, and only wants to be with him and make him happy.

With Darian, Ash gradually comes to see that perhaps his life doesn’t have to be dominated by darkness and loneliness, and to realise that he’s allowed to be happy and feel positive emotions as well as all the bad ones that have caged him so effectively. Darian is never going to cure him, of course, and the author is very clear about that, but I love how we’re shown that he’s going to be there for Ash and help him to climb out of the pit. Something else I also appreciated about the story is that when Ash acts like a complete dickhead and hurts Darian really badly, his eventual grovel is spectacular and no less than Darian deserves. Conversely, though, the one negative thing I can find to say about the novel is that Darian is perhaps rather too accepting and forgiving – but on the whole, it’s a minor point in what is a hugely enjoyable story.

The characterisation of both leads is superb, and the writing is wonderful – whether it’s in the many, many laugh out loud moments, the descriptions of Ash’s mental hell, or of Darian’s innate kindness and sensitivity. As someone whose birth certificate says “Essex” (and who now lives there) I had no trouble at all with the lingo, and frequently found myself laughing along with Mr Hall’s brilliantly observed humour and “orange” jokes! I have, however, seen a number of reviews of the book – in which Darian’s speech is written as spoken – that have indicated that some readers had problems following it. Of course, that isn’t an issue with the audiobook – and for anyone who worries that perhaps a Shakespearean actor of Nicholas Boulton’s calibre might have trouble sounding like an Essex boy – all I can say is “think again”, because he’s utterly brilliant, and – for good or ill – his Estuary English accent is perfect.

Once again, I’m awed by Mr Boulton’s vocal characterisations and his ability to hit all the right emotional notes. His portrayal of both principals is outstanding and completely spot on for each of their characters; sharp-tongued, witty and often emotionally raw Ash is dry-toned and deadpan, but there is always the underlying sense that this is a guy that could snap at any moment. He’s wonderfully open in the moments when Ash breaks down, allowing the listener to hear all his fears and insecurities in his voice, and equally good at manifesting Ash’s clever humour and his genuine affection for Darian. And his performance of “Essex” is every bit as good – Darian’s genuinely open-hearted, unaffected nature coming through in every sentence.

The book has a small number of secondary characters who, though they don’t appear often, are all perfectly formed little gems – Darian’s nan and his lifelong friend Chloe, Ash’s agent Amy and his ex-lover and friend Niall – all are fully realised both in print and by Mr Boulton in his performance, which is, simply, flawless.

2024 EDITION

The new recording includes a new forward by the author, and, at the end of the book ‘proper’, Darian’s nan’s Cottage Pie recipe. This is followed by the short story Aftermath, which picks up immediately after the end of the book and, IMHO, is the final chapter or epilogue the original was crying out for! The one real criticism I’ve made of some of Mr. Hall’s recent books is that they end rather abruptly. While I’m not normally the biggest fan of epilogues, in some cases – such as this (and Boyfriend Material) – the story ends immediately after the leads profess their love and get together and it feels rather abrupt. But Aftermath gives us that extra glimpse of Ash and Darian I was craving after ‘THE END’ – their return to London and Ash’s flat, Darian discovering Ash’s tattoo, their talking about a future together and a little bit of kinky sex to boot! The other extra is Shadowland, a bonus story written especially for this edition in which Ash’s friends Max and Niall talk “while Ash is with Darien at Max’s stag party”. It sheds light on their relationships with Ash and with each other, and why those relationships have become so fractured.

The 2024 release contains around seventy-five minutes of new material. If you already own the 2016 version, that might not be sufficient inducement to purchase the new one – although I will say that the inclusion of Aftermath (about forty minutes) does, for me, really tip the scales in favour of buying the new version because I really need that little glimpse into what happens ‘after’ the HEA. But no changes have been made to the main part of the story – and I believe Aftermath has been available in print previously (although it’s now included in the new edition of the book, so is no longer available separately), so if you’ve read it you aren’t missing out on any of Ash and Darian’s story.

Whatever you decide, Glitterland is an insightful, funny and very human story containing just the right balance of angst, humour and romance. Nicholas Boulton’s performance is, as Darian would say, ‘totes ahmazin’ babes’ – and the audiobook is very highly recommended.

I loved the dialogue and The characters in this story the most. They were witty without being over the top and I found most of them extremely charming. and well fleshed out

This was unexpected and lovely. I adore Alexis Hall's writing and just about everything he writes is a winner for me. So his books are always automatic requests/purchases. This one though... this one was so different than what I'm used to with his more recent works.

This hit really close to home for me. Like Ash, my college career went off the rails a bit with bipolar disorder and anxiety rearing their ugly heads. Unlike him, I never went to the hospital. But there were some dark years, and I lost a lot of memories, and reality bent in strange ways for a while there. And I, too, had panic attacks in grocery stores and it took me years to be able to go to them again.

It took me a while to finish this because I coincidentally started it right at the beginning of a decline into a depression which was, for obvious reasons, not a good idea. I had to put it down until I was through the worst of it. Once I picked it up again, I flew through it in a day.

The writing is so good and so different and so striking. The imagery and the way the words flow are beautiful. Ash's journey through the pain and fear and self-hatred was so moving, as he reached for something good again. As he reached for Darian and all the light and joy he brought with him.

It was raw and visceral and so, so familiar. I so desperately wanted Ash to let himself have the good things, to let go of the self-destructive tendencies that were his way of shielding himself from losing things. It was all so moving and heartbreaking and affirming. Ash can get through the bad times. I can get through the bad times.

Even though it was so hard to read, it felt healing and cathartic too. I can't step back and look at books academically or impartially - I feel every bit of them. I felt this too. And I'm glad I read it.

The audiobook was incredible. The narrator did such a good job bringing the characters to life, and embodying all of the anger and fear and pain and hope. It was overwhelming in a good way.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing an early audio copy for review.

It pretty tricky to properly write a character that’s dealing with mental health issues such as bi-polar disorder and depression. I was a little scared to go into this because of that, I’ve been burned before with promises of powerfully written characters struggling with mental health. However, I feel as though Alexis Hall hit the mark perfectly on this one. A lot of it was very relatable and true, as least in my own personal experience. I loved Darian as whole, he really kept me listening the whole time.

I wish the vocabulary was dimmed down a tad. There were a bunch of really big words for seemingly no reason that didn’t add much. But overall, I really enjoyed this book!