It’s always nerve-wracking delving into the back-catalogue of a favourite author, but Glitterland did not disappoint!

The main character, Ash, was an incredibly frustrating, unlikeable character, so it is to Alexis Hall’s credit that I still rooted for him, that I got frustrated with him but not angry with him when he inevitably messed everything up. He’s a messy character, but Hall leans into that, and allows him to be mean and harsh and judgmental.

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The other lead is Ash’s love interest, a model called Darian. We don’t get quite as much of an insight into Darian’s character, although he jumps off the page the moment we meet him. He speaks with a phonetically-written Essex accent, and while this isn’t something I am usually a fan of (when used to this degree) I did like it here. (Although I could have done with one or two fewer “janarwhatamean”!) Usually I don’t like it because it tends to be used in a classist way, but the reason I liked it here is that it was used to directly confront classism. In many ways, Ash and Darian are stereotypes of the Cambridge-educated, middle class author and the Essex-based, spray-tanned model. By making them stereotypes, they – and particularly Ash – were forced to confront the other things they assumed about each other, which was a really compelling and fascinating way to develop their relationship.

This book had everything I love about Hall’s writing. Specifically, a romance you can’t help but root for, laugh-out-loud moments, curl-up-in-second-hand-embarrassment moments, and – through it all – an exploration of queer identity and the various other ways that we perceive and interact with each other.

I’m so excited to continue my journey through Alexis Hall’s back-catalogue, to read the next Spires book and beyond!