more books about messy, weird, off-putting lesbians, please!

this book seemed like it’d be a total delight, and it really, really was. it was sharp and funny from the very first chapter, and i genuinely laughed the entire way through—something that kind of surprised me. usually, i think books that make loads of references to Contemporary Culture veer into being (sorry!) kind of cringey, but it worked well here! it reminded me of something mona awad might write, if she decided to take the leap into super gay fiction. the way it tackles writing, being queer, etc, was super on-the-nose in, i think, a really fun way, too; astrid isn’t always a likable main character (but who among us is?), but a lot of the things that came out of her mouth felt like something you might hear a funny-slash-outrageous friend say, and the way she grows and comes into herself was satisfying to read!

thanks to netgalley for the e-arc!

Towards the beginning of reading this, I developed a distaste for the writing. But as I got further into the reading, I did realize that the author purposefully wrote this character to have these borderline cringey millennial inner workings. She was purposefully written to be self-destructive. She was purposefully written to be somewhat unlikeable. Even further into the reading, I do begin to develop a love-hate relationship with the main character, mostly because I was understanding the character so much more than I initially thought I was going to. I will say, the highlight of this book was the main character. I thought she was incredibly well written, and I knew exactly who this girl was by the end of the story.

However, my main gripe with the story, is that I felt like there was no motivation or good reasoning as to why the main character flipped and all of a sudden felt the way that she did about her neighbor. I felt like the author decided to make this change in the story without really building a reasoning as to why it happened, and unfortunately, this is a big gripe as it is the entire basis of the second half of the story. In addition, I didn't feel a fair amount of the dialogue was very natural or would realistically happen. This took me out of the story a bit.

Perfume and Pain is a solid shorter read that can be entertaining at times. It does a solid job of building a story around a stereotypically self destructive main character with a different lens and lesbian perspective.

this book should’ve worked for me. this book had everything i typically love: gay characters, drugs, sex, intense relationships, discussion of important life values. but it didn’t hit the mark.

the writing is good, but it drags. it’s too current, too much “stan”, “cunty”, contemporary fiction. in the first 120 pages i considered dnf-ing multiple times. and while eventually i actually got into the characters and wanted to read the book, i shouldn’t have had to fight to love it in the first half.

Astrid, although far from perfect, is a great main character. a little dense and stupid, but she is very well fleshed out in this book. very unreliable as a narrator, very easy to hate and then see yourself in a little and then understand. as for every other character…i couldn’t stand. everyone was simply added to further move the story along with giving anything really to the story.

i feel like those who enjoyed My Year of Rest and Relaxation will love this book. The girls and gays who get it will get it. But i’m a girl and gay who didn’t. 2.5 rounded up

If you know me you know I was OBSESSED with exalted when I read it last year. I would talk about it to anyone who would listen and loved everyone who read it after I told them about it. Anna Dorn’s writing is so fun and fresh and nihilistic and silly in the most intelligent way possible. So of course I freaked out when I received an eARC of her newest novel set to be published May 21st of this year. Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

Perfume and pain is a hilarious homage to 1950s lesbian pulp that is done in such a sharp witted way you can’t take your eyes off of. The novel tells the story of Astrid a mildly successful writer with a perfume obsession trying to revive her career in a zoom writers workshop after a recent event had her lightly blacklisted in the publishing world. Astrid may also have an addiction to love and sex with toxic women she knows are bad for and the drugs and alcohol they often provide her. We take a journey with Astrid as she tries to revive herself and her career while navigating the messy landscape that is her love and sex life.

Dorn writes such unapologetically feral female characters who you can’t help but root for no matter the circumstance you’re introduced to them in. Her books are steamy and provocative and full of so much life. Every time I read her work I get sucked into the worlds she creates. I am best friends with these girls. I am making horrible life choices with them but I have agency and I’m smarter and sexier for it! Her books are honest and vulnerable and messy and honestly? We need more messy lesbian books! One might even call her compelling ;)

I loved Exalted, and pressed it into the hands of countless lesbian/queer friends, and I was so excited for this one. Dorn did not disappoint!

In the vein of the unhinged queer protagonist genre, Astrid Dahl is a semi-cancelled novelist trying to stay sober and stop dating while her agent tries to negotiate the adaptation of one of her books. This does not go well.

This book is hilarious and occasionally heartbreaking, with real insights into lesbian culture both good and bad, as well as the Hollywood machine that Astrid both can't stomach but can't refuse. The tie in with lesbian pulp novels was fantastic, and I just couldn't stop reading to find out what would happen. Astrid is a lesbian car crash, but in a mostly funny way.

My only gripe is that the development and redemption at the end of the novel felt a little fast, but maybe it happens that way sometimes.

Overall, really recommend this one if you like queer messy women, lesbian writing groups, and good portrayals of Los Angeles.

This was such a propulsive romp! I read this so quickly because I was eager to find out what happens to Astrid and with her professional life and with the women whom she’s romantically, professionally, and platonically involved with. Astrid is an entertaining narrator, perhaps a bit more self-aware than feels true-to-life but makes for fun storytelling. I do think that some of the book started to feel repetitive, such as when Astrid is on a “bender,” and I felt that some of the romantic storylines wrapped up a little too neatly. But overall, I’m glad I read it and I was snickering through a lot of it!

Irreverent, witty, dry, clever. Has that perfect contemporary tone that I look for & rarely find, so often it seems that author’s are trying too hard but miss the mark.

Anna Dor.n has that special brand of humor that applies to my Jew sensitivities, her descriptions & inner dialoguing is the very best part.

Not quite as good as ‘Exalted’ IMO, but a solid follow up!

This is not an easy read. I had to start and stop as the story is definitely different from my usual reads. I had to focus as the main character was as unreliable as they come but also the story deserved my full attention. Its been a week and I'm still thinking about this book. I may have to read it again. Melodrama for life!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

Content warnings: Substance abuse

While I am unfamiliar with the lesbian pulp books this novel is an homage to, I enjoyed the unreliable narrator, Astrid, despite her admittedly less-than-stellar habits and behavior. Astrid’s anxieties of entering her 30s, on top of her struggles with substance abuse and desire for an intimate relationship, are all navigated well and there is clear character growth throughout the work.

One aspect that struck me was Astrid’s reckoning with her own definitions of ‘lesbian’ and ‘queer’ and how to navigate those spaces. I think it could have been handled a little better, but I think it was a worthy inclusion as different generations of LGBTQ+ sometimes have these same struggles of terminologies and focuses. I mention it here because some may find it an alienating or uncomfortable plot point, although I can say that Astrid does grow in this area as she does others throughout the work.

If you don’t like unhealthy relationships (intimate and platonic) or books with writers-writing-about-writing, then I would skip this novel. Otherwise, I would recommend it as a strangely addictive, bumpy ride of a narrative.

Sardonic, witty and close to home for chronically online lesbians. This book felt honest and unafraid. Very strong character development that reads as genuine and not manufactured. This was a funnier, gayer version of "My Year of Rest and Relaxation," and I enjoyed myself thoroughly.

Is Anna Dorn the coolest writer writing today? I think with her latest, PERFUME AND PAIN, she can make a pretty strong case for that. This novel, like her previous ones, is such a fun ride. Being inside the mind of Astrid is a true trip. The book is witty, fast-paced, surprising, and I got so invested in the love life of Astrid that I was increasingly devastated when things wouldn't work out for her.

I also love the way Dorn writes about LA. It makes me feel like I'm really there. Anna Dorn is simply one of my favorite authors and this lesbian pulp book was the perfect novel for a 3 day holiday. I gobbled it up, and I know you will too next year. I can't wait for Dorn to make a huge splash with this one, as she so rightly deserves. Ugh, This! Book!

Hilarious and messy! Sometimes the amount of mess stressed me out, but the balance of humor and chaos is lovely! If you like chaotic, sapphic romances this is definitely for you!

It was a wild ride with fast pacing and well-written characters. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Unlike anything I've ever read.

This book was a ROLLER COASTER. I've never read any other Anna Dorn books (though I see I've had one on my TBR for a while now) and went in totally blind. All I knew is that it was going to be super gay, so obviously I was on board.

Astrid isn't meant to be a particularly likable character, and there were times when I was like, "Eh, this is veering a bit too close to cliche for me" — sardonic, depressed young woman who copes via drugs and alcohol addiction — but there were little touches that made me LOL and go, "I mean, she ain't wrong!" that I loved her anyway. The perfume obsession also hit me too since it's also an obsession of mine.

Dorn really captured a lot of thoughts that have run through my brain re: queer culture and delivered them in such a way that I kinda felt violated that she was inside my brain like that. To see some of these observations on the page was oddly hilarious but also kinda validating, so I loved that. This is definitely a book that's very Of Its Time in the sense that there are loads of pop culture references that make it feel very current (and will likely feel nostalgic in the future) but I loved it. Fast-paced, f**ked up (starring out since I don't know if my foul mouth is permitted on Goodreads), and a whole lot of fun.

Thanks to NetGalley as usual for the ARC!

messy, unhinged lesbian drama? count me in!

i'm not a big fan of problematic, unlikeable main characters so getting through the beginning of this was a little difficult but the promise of messy lesbians was too good to pass up!

i received this ARC through netgalley (thank you!) and i read it in the span of a handful of hours and a couple of sittings just because the dark comedy and unhinged lesbians in it were too enticing to put down! i really enjoyed watching the whole story unfold although i do agree with other early reviewers that the pacing of the story towards the end of the book seemed a bit rushed!

3.5 stars for me!

I was given an advanced reader copy of Perfume and Pain through Netgalley! Publication date May 21, 2024!
I was so excited to see that Anna Dorn had a new novel out, and she never disappoints. This book is clever, witty, smart, and cynical in all of the best ways. It's lesbian pop culture drama, woke culture/dating culture critique, all while staying charming and hilarious. Anna Dorn toes the line of absurdity beautifully in this book, and I enjoyed every second.

Loved the messiness that ensued. Very sharp, very devastating. What a ride. Completely thought provoking. I devoured it.

Anna effing Dorn is a legend. I loved this book so much. It was sexy, entertaining, and super queer, literally everything I need in a book. I usually read super fast but I was slowing down as much as possible so I could read it for as long as possible. I would do just about anything to get to read this for the first time again. This messy messy book is everything I could ever need. Loved it so much I have already preordered it. Easy 5 stars and easily made it into my top ten books of the year.

"Perfume and Pain" is just as beautiful as it is gut-wrenching as it is addicting. Undoubtedly, this book is one of my favorite reads of this year and I feel that I will never be the same now that I've read it.

I didn't go into "Perfume and Pain" expecting to devour this novel in a singular sitting. In fact. I'd been in a reading slump for quite awhile so I expected it would take a week at least to read it in its entirety. I was completely and undeniably wrong. Once I had read the first few chapters, I was hooked in an immersive and unique story that left words and experiences lingering upon my skin long after I finished reading.

With each turn of the page I felt myself experiencing each chapter along with the protagonist, Astrid, in a way that left me feeling more unsettled, vulnerable, and raw as the story continued to be told. It was as if some of my very own experiences an thoughts were transcribed into this story and within these characters, bringing me face to face with parts of myself I like to forget exist in the first place.

I will forever be recommending this book and cannot wait to read more from this author. Anna Dorn you are an absolute star.

I just discovered Anna Dorn this year when I read Exalted. I loved it so much. I was lucky enough to get an arc of Perfume and Pain and read it immediately. I always binge read her books, can’t put them down. I especially loved this one because I too am living in La (originally from the east coast) and it was fun to recognize all of the places mentioned in La. This unhinged crazy woman thing is easily my favorite genre, Anna does it so perfectly so that you still relate to the characters and want to find out what happens to them. It’s darkly funny & I’d recommend this to everyone!