Ellzey creates a world so close to ours that I forgot I was reading a book about fae and other magical beings.

I cannot wait to read the next adventure in Ashly's life. Fingers crossed we'll be able to do that.

Thank you to Bold Strokes Books and Netgalley for providing an eARC for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the first book by this author so I was eager to read her next works but honestly this second book did not do much for me
Ashly's constant anger drained me and Caris felt checked out for most of the book, quick read but not really for me

I learned about Gimmicks and Glamour when the author, Lauren Melissa Ellzey, talked about it on her Instagram account, where she mainly engages in autistic advocacy. I was intrigued by her setup of a young woman able to see magical fairies where nobody else could, and was grabbed of her experience of trying to blend into a world where she's seeing things beyond what most people can see.

Ashly’s struggling to navigate her last semester of high school as she’s in danger of not graduating and being able to see mischievous fairies that nobody else can hasn’t made anything better. Actually, it’s gotten her in trouble. She’s between two worlds in more ways than one and unable to find her footing and disappointing everyone in her life and throwing her potential away. She’s easy to relate to as the first chapters explore her past in not quite flashbacks, but not in an info dump. While Ashly isn’t explicitly mentioned to be autistic, I can easily see her traits and patterns throughout, presented in a fantastical way, especially as she develops throughout. At least she has her friend Caris supporting her.

The story is much more slice of life fantasy, taking place in present day San Diego County, though some of the places are fictionalized versions of the real thing. While the main focus is on Ashly's character development, dashes of magic and danger are layered into the book, with the magical elements standing out from the everyday mundane. The lore itself probably isn't as expansive as say, an epic fantasy, but it's got enough for non-fantasy readers not to get lost. The prose is easy to read and there's a distinct feel between the mundane and fantastical throughout, and I can easy envision the story in my head. I got through this in just a couple of days! It reminds me a bit of Rachel Griffin and her books.

There’s a f/f childhood friends to lovers romance, but it doesn’t go further than some intense kissing, and there's no spice.

If you like fantasy with a more slice of life feel and more mundane goals taking the forefront, pick this one up and I'll looking forward to more of her books!

I absolutely loved this. It was different than anything I’d read before.

I loved how Ashly could see the faeries and her friend Caris never seemed to doubt her at any point, even though no one else seemed to believe her. The descriptions of everyone were so good, but my favourites were the descriptions of all the faeries.

I can relate to one of the struggles Ashly faces. She’s openly bisexual, I came out as bi in high school and so I could relate to that. I could also relate to Ashly being able to see things that others can’t. While I can’t see faeries, I can see things that others can’t (I’m autistic and tend to notice things most people would miss).

The friendship between Ashly and Caris was amazing. I loved the backstory of these two and how they met.

If you enjoy books about coming of age, finding ones self, romance, friendship, fae lore, or sapphic friends-to-lovers this might be the book for you.

I was given this ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books, Inc for the ARC.

I would’ve given anything to have representation from the perspective of Ashly as a character in my upbringing through fiction and escaping in a solid book. The fact that Ashly is multiracial and queer resonates so much with my own identity and how she was able to experience fantasy as she journeyed into self-acceptance with her relationship with Caris.

This author let me wander and escape into a blissful universe of faeries and splendor, which is an underrated world to be in these days.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

ashly harris has a secret she can see fairies and goblins and the fae but nobody believes her

that she is blamed for all the mischief they get up to is unfair but she does try to save people as well and ends up worse off

but her life is complete with caris her best friend since forever but as they steam ahead to finishing school and universities call what ashly doesnt know is what caris has planned...

an interesting read with fun and games played by the fairies and the fae

Gimmicks and Glamour is an urban fantasy following Ashly, the only one who can see through glamour and notice the supernatural creatures causing mischief around her. Ashly is a strong, stubborn, and at times naive protagonist. There are some quite obvious plot points that are hinted at in a heavy handed way that she remains oblivious to for a long time, which was a bit frustrating to read. There is very little world building and whilst there is conflict introduced, it is resolved quickly and without much effort.

Overall a book with a fun premise, and a lovely sweet sapphic relationship that develops from a close friendship, but all other aspects of the book were underwhelming for me. I enjoyed reading the author's commentary at the end about how some parts of the story reflect their own experiences and identity as an autistic person, and I hope that some readers will be able to see themselves in Ashly.

The author did a great job of writing an engaging and entertaining book. The main character Ashley was given room to breather and grow and given depth. This is a book with a lot of heart and makes you want to keep reading to see what happens next. The action and fantasy blend perfectly into an important coming of age story for Ashley and Caris. Gimmicks and Glamour leave the reader wanting more and definitely looking for the next part of the saga.

If you're looking for a fast-paced, sapphic YA fantasy romance, Gimmicks and Glamour is a solid book to read. Fans of friends-to-lovers and fae/human romance will enjoy the dynamic between Ashly and Caris, and I would have definitely devoured this kind of book if it had been written back when I was a high schooler. A lot of the aspects that are frequently found in young adult books like these do not quite appeal to me at my current age (as I am no longer the target audience for YA), but I am not going to include those criticisms in my review because, again, I'm not the target audience. What I will talk about is my disdain for the casual ableism that is in this book.

I am diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and live with psychotic symptoms in my daily life. For whatever reason, it is extremely common in fantasy to have characters worry that they're experiencing psychosis because they're the only one to see a supernatural world. It is a tired and ableist trope that puts a bad taste in my mouth every time I see it, and it has led to conversations in my real life where people say absurd things like "how do you know you're not psychic" or "maybe you really do see ghosts." Also, I have never understood why characters cannot have psychosis and also exist within a supernatural story. The more I see it, the more frustrated I am by it. Genuinely, I do not think that Ellzey meant any harm when she wrote this trope into the story, and I would gladly read books she writes in the future if they did not also have it. That being said, because it is so woven into the plot Gimmicks and Glamour, I would not ever reread this particular story.

Ignoring all of that, I do think that a lot of people would love this book, and I am always glad to see more sapphic fantasy out there. While the book is not for me, it is an enjoyable young adult story with a sweet WLW romance, and I actually did like it for the most part. If you are not bothered by the trope at all, I do recommend the story.

I exchanged a copy of this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much to Bold Strokes Books, Inc. and NetGalley.

This was such a deep book. I had no knowledge of the plot prior to cracking the book open and I dove into a magical world of Faeries, which was amazing. I have always been a huge fan of fae novels. The main character, Ashley, was such a deeply wounded character in this book. I felt so badly for her, the way people treated her, the persecution for being herself. I loved the relationship between Ashley and Caris. They supported each other and their complimented each other so well. I felt like the plot could have been slightly more, if felt like something was missing, but it was still a solid story with great immediate character development.

I had a hard time rating this book. It definitely packs a punch because it makes you think about how we shape our identity. The main character, Ashly, has such a strong and sometimes aggressive voice. She almost violently flips through her emotions because she is so full of anger and hurt and loneliness. She feels unaccepted and judged, like she can’t lift herself up from the ashes of all the bridges she’s burnt because people just make assumptions about her instead of giving her the benefit of a doubt. Ashly is navigating her unique identity as biracial, bisexual, and the fact that she sees faeries. On top of that, her identity is complicated by all the strong expectations of what people think she should be based on her physical appearance. Ashly pushes people away before they can get too close or she fully listens to their advice. She’s at the point where she thinks she’s heard it all before and no one takes a chance on her, so why should she even bother? It’s hard to be entirely on her side as an outsider looking in. She’s not initially a likable character, but she’s a real one. She’s messy and confused, and wading through all these perceived failures. She’s unabashedly herself and I appreciated that about her character.

The plot itself is simple. It could have used more development. It was almost like an afterthought at some moments. Ashly is so used to living with the faeries around her that they don’t really have a purpose other than causing her problems, and really it was only occasionally. It felt like the story was torn between wanting to be a modern fantasy or a contemporary and it became a tug of war for the the reader. There could have been more description. The story itself is fueled by character voice and powerful emotions, but really only for Ashly. The other characters needed to be more fleshed out. Jasmine was a stereotypical mean girl rival and Brad was a playboy jock. Everyone else paled in comparison because Ashly was so strongly written. Jasmine and Brad both showed more depth towards the end, but it was brief. For two characters that had a big impact on Ashly’s high school perspective, their true colors were summarized and needed more processing.

There were so many different faeries. I wanted more. I wanted description that could lift them from the pages and make them vibrant and bright in my mind, but maybe because Ashly wanted to avoid looking at them, the reader also wasn’t given a lot to go on and much of it was left to the imagination.

Caris is Ashly’s best friend and love interest. She’s a strange one. A little quirky, often in her own world. She is sarcastic and cryptic and sometimes sweet. For Ashly, she’s the world. She makes everything have meaning and spends her time waiting for the moments she can spend with Caris. As a character, Caris is not talkative. She doesn’t reveal a whole lot about herself and when she does, it’s in a matter of fact way. It seems like who Caris is and what she feels is at the surface level and largely based on how Ashly views her vs. Caris having her own voice. I couldn’t form any strong feelings about Caris.

Ashly and Caris do have some sweet moments. Ashly broadcasts her feelings so strongly that every touch, every kiss, is magnified tenfold.

I’m conflicted because I wanted to be more invested than I was. Everything was resolved pretty quickly, even things that should have been climactic. Had this story been a hundred pages longer, with more description and world-building, I think it would have kept me invested and interested in the characters.

Ashly is a high school student and she sees shadows. In those shadows are fairies, trolls, gnomes and other mystical beings. Some are nice and friendly but now she has started seeing dark ones that cause chaos. No one believes she sees these things except her friend Caris. Ashly is about to find out why Caris does in fact believe what she sees.
This is a really nice magical read I enjoyed.

Thank you #NetGalley #BoldStrokesBooks for this ARC

Being biracial and openly bisexual is already hard enough. I only know one of those struggles, being openly queer. But add on seeing Fae, that adds on a whole other level of stress and struggles, especially for being a senior in highschool. I actually enjoyed how the story progressed. Though being out of high school for nearly a decade now, it felt a little distanced from me in that aspect. The events that Ashly had to go through with having Sight and having a friend be by her side was cool. Caris, the best friend, was definitely an interesting character as well.

In Gimmicks and Glamour we are introduced to Ashley Harris. Everyone thinks she’s a troubled teen with anger issues, but what no one knows is that Ashley has the ability to see faeries. Fairies that cause havoc when they realize she can see them, and guess who takes the blame. The only one who knows about her ability is her eccentric and mysterious best friend and crush Caris. But is she just playing along and is she playing with Ashley’s feelings? With graduation fast approaching something darker and more vicious begins to pose a real threat. Can Ashley protect those around her despite the consequences and how they treat her while holding her life together, or will everything fall apart.

This was a short adventurous read and the the fairies interacting with the human world with no one knowing was really interesting. The relationship between Ashley and Caris and how they mirrored each other through Ashley being biracial and bisexual and Caris’s own unique background and how they found and supported each other was something I really liked. My heart broke for the unfairness of the things Ashley had to go through and how people treated her because of unjust assumptions. The danger caused by no one knowing the threat around them created good tension as well. I wanted more though. More of Ashley and Caris, more of Ashley’s family and her grandmother’s abilities, and more of Caris’s world. I also think the story could do with a little less telling and more showing but overall I really enjoyed it.

This is an adventurous autumn read with mystery, tension, and romance, as well as being a coming of age story about finding one’s self.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.