READING: Glitterland by Alexis Hall

Publication date: August 26 2013
Published by: Riptide
Genre: MM, Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Rating: 

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? 

One of the worst covers I've ever seen...😖

I inhaled Glitterland! It is a whirlwind of a book, with a first half that will leave you reeling.

This is my first book by Alexis Hall and I've got to say, initially, I was shocked . In a very good way, in the best way. His writing was like listening to classical music, looking out your window on a rainy day. So melancholic and solemn. It stroke me as a tad pretentious at first, but as I kept reading I thought "Yes, Ash would think like that using these exact words". That was Ash, trying to hide behind layers of sophistication and failing miserably. Only Darian could see through him, and Ash loved him for it.

Second half was still good, but not as impressive as the first. Sometimes in MM, and I have seen it happen a lot, the MC (or MCs) is being put in a situation so over the top, so far away from his character, that is not believable at all.
In this case ↓

Ash walking at the Essex Fashion Week (Day). Two chapters ago he 1. could not go to the super market without having a minor anxiety attack and 2. he was adamant he wouldn't go to the show at all. In my opinion, and from what we know of Ash up until that point, anxiety aside, Ash wouldn't never do something like that.

While it didn't spoil the mood for the rest of the book exactly, I couldn't stop thinking about how much I didn't like it.

Also, Ash did a very, very shitty thing to Darian in the end. I know some of it could be attributed to his mental illness, but not enough to be forgiven that easily. And after months of no communication. I love Ash, but come on.

I didn't really have a problem with Darian's accent, but I didn't really see the point in it, either. Just using a different vocabulary than Ash would have been enough.

A little bit disappointed by the second half, but the first half is pure MM gold. It is definitely worthy of the hype, for the fabulously angsty writing alone.

Picture this: A young Tom Hiddleston for Ash, and a very polished 20year old Tom Hughes for Darian.
Hm.
Maybe someone more innocent looking for Darian because Tom Hughes is definitely NOT innocent looking!
I don't know. This one was hard.