4.5 stars ⭐️ Books about mental illness and personality disorders are among my favorites, and this book has some of the most relatable and devastating lines on the topic.

Ash is type 1 bipolar depressive and suffers from clinical anxiety. He gets panic attacks, he’s been hospitalized before, and he’s had a suicide attempt. That may make some of his behavior seem unlikable and unreasonable, but that’s *life* for Ash. The world is gray, and you’re too busy fighting for each day to try all the social miming that’s normally expected of people.

Darian doesn’t come in to fix him, just to keep him company. And that’s so beautiful.

So I really liked the book. I’m glad Alexis Hall released bonus content, because the original ending was waaay too abrupt. Definitely make sure you’re reading the latest version of the book.

Also, American readers may struggle with how British this book is, so here’s a tip:
Ash of London = snooty upper west side Manhattan in NYC
Darian of Essex = Jersey Shore

CW: sexual content, a character with bipolar depression, past hospitalisation due to a suicide attempt, talk of past suicide, suicidal ideation, discussion of self-harm, some self-directed ableist language, attempted on-page drug use, parental neglect, panic attacks, and outing of a character’s mental health.

Spice: 3/5