Name: Glitterland
Rating: 4.142857142857143 (7 reviews)
ISBN: 9781728265285

Alexis Hall

Glitterland

Sometimes I thought about killing myself. The idea of it circled my head, shining and lovely like a tinsel halo. How beautiful it would be if everything could just stop. If Icould stop. If I didn't have to feel like this. Yes, I thought about it 

The universe is a glitterball I hold in the palm of my hand.Once the golden boy of the English literary scene, now a clinically depressed writer of pulp crime fiction, Ash Winters has given up on love, hope, happiness, and — most of all — himself. He lives his life between the cycles of his illness, haunted by the ghosts of other people’s expectations.Then a chance encounter at a stag party throws him into the arms of Essex boy Darian Taylor, an aspiring model who lives in a world of hair gel, fake tans, and fashion shows. By his own admission, Darian isn’t the crispest lettuce in the fridge, but he cooks a mean cottage pie and makes Ash laugh, reminding him of what it’s like to step beyond the boundaries of anxiety.But Ash has been living in his own shadow for so long that he can’t see past the glitter to the light. Can a man who doesn’t trust himself ever trust in happiness? And how can a man who doesn’t believe in happiness ever fight for his own?

Zoe R

3.5⭐️

Never had to like read an accent😂. That doesn’t make sense but whatever

I enjoyed this book a lot! The mental health rep was amazing and I found myself relating so hard. The ending made me cry just because I related so hard and it was so pure. This book was hard to get through at first but once I got a certain part I just could not put it down

From the acclaimed author of BOYFRIEND MATERIAL comes a deeply emotional romance about heartbreak, hope, and learning to love against all the odds. Once the golden boy of the English literary scene, now a clinically depressed writer of pulp crime fiction, Ash Winters has given up on hope, happiness, and—most of all—himself. He lives his life between the cycles of his illness, haunted by the ghosts of other people's expectations. Then a chance encounter throws him into the path of Essex-born Darian Taylor. Flashy and loud, radiant and full of life, Darian couldn't be more different...and yet he makes Ash laugh, reminding him of what it's like to step beyond the boundaries of his anxiety. But Ash has been living in his own shadow for so long that he can no longer see a way out. Can a man who doesn't trust himself ever trust in happiness? And how can someone who doesn't believe in happiness ever fight for his own? Alexis Hall's iconic Glitterland has been revised and expanded, with extensive bonus content and a stunning new cover by Elizabeth Turner Stokes. Bonus content includes: Author Annotations: Alexis Hall's insights and commentary threaded through the novel Shadowland: a brand new scene exploring Niall and Max's complex relationship The Glass Menagerie: an entertaining look at an in-universe Rik Glass novel A Letter from the Author discussing the experience of writing Glitterland Darian's Nanny Dot's Cottage Pie and Aftermath, brought together from the original release

Jasmine

6 STARS!!!!!! 
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
EASILY ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I'VE READ ALL YEAR! INSTANT FAVOURITE! I COMPLETELY CONFESS MY UNDYING LOVE FOR THIS BOOK & ITS BEAUTIFUL WRITING!! WOWWW WHERE TO EVEN BEGIN?! I don't even know how I found this book it just found me. The plot sounded intriguing enough and I really liked the fact it dealt with mental health. I had heard of this author before but it didn't click which book till after I read it. All I can say is I now need to read Boyfriend Material because that's the one people talk about and if it's half as good as this experience I'll be happy. I made a mistake starting this at 12 am because I couldn't put it down! This is the kind of book I want to shout to the world about but at the same time keep it all to myself because I'm now very protective over it and the characters. The thought of someone not feeling the same connection almost hurts and feels personal now. I know that for me my experience while reading it was that I laughed, got so frustrated I wanted to scream in frustration, it made me cry, and then in the end I was left with the odd desire to reach out and give it a hug for manipulating my emotions in such a strong way. It almost felt like what I could guess going to therapy feels like and it was all very healing by the end. 

The writing was so captivating and visceral, It was the first thing that caught my attention. This is the first book I've read of Hall's and now I'm really curious if his other books will connect in the same way this did. There was beauty in how everything was written that I immediately felt like I was there with Ash living and breathing his environment and experiences. Everything is told through Ash's POV, and let me tell you he's got a lot of things going on suffering from major depression and dealing with the highs and los of his bipolar disorder. Ash, where to begin? His narrations could be fun or extremely painful. He's extremely judgmental by nature, but in the 
 end the person he's harshest on was always himself. I both loved and hated his character. He had a great sense of humor a little self depreciating, which made him relatable but still witty. I loved how Darian was the first person in a while to make him laugh and how such a small moment could create such an unexpected impact. Even from their one night stand, Ash realized he felt different around Darian. Begrudgingly he started wanting him around and began to grow comfortable with his presence to the point where he does to his surprise become someone vital to him.

*TW Suicide* While I couldn't relate directly to Ash dealing with the aftermath of attempting suicide, someone close to me did try and I could related to the feeling complete and utter helplessness in that situation from an outsiders perspective. I will say that part of my life helped me understand where Niall was coming from (he really went about it all the wrong way though and I was still upset). It pissed me off especially the way he lashed out after the fashion show and on top of doing that to Ash in from of everyone going after Darien on a personal level too. The thing with that type of experience is it's something that doesn't go away and you fear it could happen again but with a more devastating outcome. With that understanding, I could find it easier to sympathize with his frustration and helplessness. What I however found the resonated with me was how Ash would shut down and distancing himself from others in tough situation it struck a very honest and painful chord. The way he let time go by because he let himself overthink the situation to the point where it became so much worse than it ever was. I felt like someone had help a magnifying glass over me and layed bare one of my worst qualities. The truth is at times I can be very self-deprecating and without intentionally trying to will end up ghosting and shutting people out instead of confronting situations that stress me out. It hurt to see a character that I had grown to care about do the same and let their problems get blown out of proportion. It was a very real connection that linked me to him. I think it's both refreshing and scary when you see the worst parts of yourself reflected back in fiction. It also made it more rewarding when Ash pushed himself and stepped out of his comfort zone because it felt like a personal triumph. 

Darian, Ash's "glitter pirate" I will admit I wasn't sure how I felt about him. Mainly because of his heavy Essex's accent and I struggled with what he was saying. However, I think that was perfect because the essence of his character is someone who is easily judged and misunderstood by people. It made sense that as a reader I had to work to get to know him, and it was worth it because along I really loved him! Ash was drawn to him initially maybe for his looks, but it was an unexplainable connection that kept pulling him back in. Those times he realized he enjoyed having him around and how he broke down some of his walls. The emotional build-up of their maybe slightly unconventional love story was so rewarding to me. I loved them together they were very much grumpy/sunshine. Darian saw the good things of the world, while Ash saw all the things wrong with it. Darian's optimistic and easy going nature was easy to mistake for cluelessness, but no it didn't mean he was a pushover or naive. I loved how he would put Ash in his place and show him a different perspective. Darian knew who he was and what he wanted and screw anyone else who tried to tell him differently. He is one of the most sincere and best kinds of people! 
 
All in all, this was about the best experience I could have with a book and I took over a week to process my feelings and thoughts and still I can't explain it right. For me, this was a phenomenal book and one that I know I will one day pick up and read again. Only made even more wonderful by the feelings it left me with after, and how I never expected it to capture my heart like it did!




The writing I mean look at these quotes 

"I was nothing but a ghost hunter, chasing the wraith of the man I used to be."

"There was nothing I could do that would make it better for him, but I wanted to stand at his side and let the world come, with all its minor setbacks and arbitrary cruelties. Maybe, in my frailty, I would flinch; maybe my strength would buckle; but maybe it didn’t matter as long I was there."

"Thank you for, you know, everything. And I’m glad you came back that day.
They did not break. I did not break. And I felt not mortified, but free."

Spires, #1

Sandra Gomes

Listened to the audiobook 2 years after reading it. Found it even more beautiful, if possible. 
The narration is brilliant, Nicholas Boulton has a wonderful voice and does such a good job with this, I was tempted to re-listen to it just for the pleasure of it.

----

Beautiful writing, almost poetic at times, the whole thing is quotable from beginning to end.

Amazing characters, both main and secondary (Niall, Chloe, Amy, Max, Nan, I want to know them all) 

Brilliant dialogue: funny, emotional, painful, silly, just like... life, I guess.

Lennox Johnson 

This is exactly the kind of romance I can't get enough of. 

The characters have some serious flaws, they make really stupid judgement calls, they self sabotage seemingly every chance they get, they have to really fight to get together. The happy "okay, we're together now" ending doesn't just fall into their laps after some half-assed attempt at conflict. 

It's realistic, it's believable, it doesn't have the perfect Hollywood ending where everything's tied up in neat little bows. There's still uncertainty in the end, but I appreciate that. Two people deciding it's okay to be uncertain about "forever", because they're willing to make the effort for each other as long as they can- I find that immensely more satisfying than "happily ever after".

To be fair, this is only the second book I've read by Alexis Hall, but I'm seeing a pattern. Hall writes characters that are frighteningly real. He has this incredible skill of writing characters that can easily make the reader feel as they are validated and understood.

"The universe is a glitterball I hold in the palm of my hand." Once the golden boy of the English literary scene, now a clinically depressed writer of pulp crime fiction, Ash Winters has given up on love, hope, happiness, and-most of all-himself. He lives his life between the cycles of his illness, haunted by the ghosts of other people's expectations. Then a chance encounter at a stag party throws him into the arms of Essex boy Darian Taylor, an aspiring model who lives in a world of hair gel, fake tans, and fashion shows. By his own admission, Darian isn't the crispest lettuce in the fridge, but he cooks a mean cottage pie and makes Ash laugh, reminding him of what it's like to step beyond the boundaries of anxiety. But Ash has been living in his own shadow for so long that he can't see past the glitter to the light. Can a man who doesn't trust himself ever trust in happiness? And how can a man who doesn't believe in happiness ever fight for his own?

Saayan

Quick but engaging read! I was able to finish the audiobook in one go on my day off. I loved Darian! He is such a beautiful character.

Glitterland

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