Compulsively readable but ultimately not for me. American Spirits explores the absurd underbelly of the parasocial relationships between celebrities and their most rabid fans.

Take Lana Del Ray's numerous controversies and infuse them with the spirit of Gaylor and you'd end up with American Spirits. When, unbeknownst to her, semi-problematic pop star Blue Velour hires the creator of a reddit page dedicated to her supposed closeted relationship with her producer as her new assistant, she sets off a chain of events that will change the lives of everyone involved.

For the fans of Dorn!

Raging, manic super star celebrity singer is looking for an assistant and snares an uber fan. So much drama, emotions rage, feelings get hurt, people get semi-cancelled; it's all a lot of fun and super propulsive as Dorn always is.

I really enjoyed this smart, fast-paced novel. I always enjoy novels about the entertainment industry, and the dynamic between Blue and Rose was super compelling. I thought the pandemic aspect of it was well done, too!

This was such a fun and chaotic look at fandom, pop music, and sapphic obsession. I breezed through this twisty book and its unhinged and often problematic characters. Definitely a lot of nods to the chronically online and references to real life celebrities that may not be for everyone. We follow an obsessive fangirl named Rose, and how her life intertwines with her idol Blue Velour, and Blue's producer and on and off again lover Sasha. The book traverses several years, and though some situations were a little ridiculous, the story doesn't take itself too seriously. I'd imagine this book would hit even harder for Lana Del Rey fans. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC.

Rich and luscious.
An in-depth look at the complexity of mixing work and sex. Riveting and addicting.
Loved the use of a Reddit obsessive group of fans as a mirror - fans forgetting celebrities are people, have a right to privacy. And make mistakes.
An excellent look at the pressure, the cost of sobriety, reasons to a decent person.

This author is an auto read for me. Every Single Time. She never misses. I love loved this vibe, its dark, its funny, its real, its weird, and I had a feeling it was satire, and it was! We have a maybe bisexual super start who wants to get dicked down, in love with a lesbian music producer. They both made each other's careers but for whatever reason, it aint working. Cue the obsessed super fan from reddit, she becomes the PA and shit literally hits the fan. Covid happens, relapses happen, and everyone is sleeping with everyone else. multiple times. The ending is sweet and cute, and it gives us all a crumb of hope in this dark world.

I knew this was going to have references to Taylor Swift, but the degree to which these characters and their lives connect to Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey, and Jack Antonoff was very off-putting to me. I also thought the ending revealing that the whole book was fanfic written by one of the characters was very cheesy.

What in the parasocial relationship did I just read?! (in a good way)
American Spirits is an ode to pop music, pop culture, and “the ultimate woman, Lana Del Rey.” It is very cool girl, very Lana-coded. It’s for the girls and the gays that just “get it,” and especially those that love the internet, chain smoking, and self sabotage!
In the novel, we get to follow the POVs of two unhinged women battling to be the main character, Blue and Rose; Blue is a successful pop icon and Rose is her biggest fan/wannabe. While they seemingly land on quite opposite ends of the unhinged woman spectrum, when their worlds collide, they might actually be more similar than they appear on the surface, especially when it comes to their mutual interest in producer Sasha Harlow. What follows is a sharp, satirical tale of obsession, love, and the lengths one will go for clout.
Short, alternating perspective chapters with Reddit posts thrown in the mix makes for an engrossing read. Anna Dorn always delivers lesbian greatness, and this novel is no exception, with some fun nods to her previous novels thrown in (what a great detail)!

Thank you so much to Anna Dorn for writing this, and to Net Galley and the publisher, Simon & Schuster, for allowing me to receive this ARC.

American Spirits is set to release April 14, 2026, and this is one party you definitely don’t want to miss!

I will be an Anna Dorn reader for as long as she puts out books. This was a banger. I went into it expecting some level of Lana del Rey fanfiction (which I’m all for, btw, love Lana), but it ended up being a very entrancing drama between artists, like an American response to Maud Ventura’s Make Me Famous. Once again, Dorn is the queen of messy sapphic stories. Keep ‘em coming Anna.

What this book has proven to me is that if Anna Dorn writes it, I will consume it. This is my 3rd of hers, and they’ve all been 5 stars for me. Bad lawyer is on my shelves patiently waiting for her turn.
I went in pretty blind to this one and I think that’s best so I’ll just say unhinged lesbians have always been my favorite. Mercurial people call to me, let’s blame that on my Virgo rising (Gemini MC).

Every time Anna Dorn writes something new, I think "no, THIS one is my favourite" and it is until the next one.

I read a lot of this with my heart in my throat, waiting for the other shoe to drop. I even cried a little, what the fuck?!

So. Good. And definitely my new favourite. Until her next book.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

To start - maybe this book wasn't for me. I snapped it up because I love a good story about women and obsession and this seemed right up my alley. But it didn't quite follow through.

It was just - empty, maybe? Vapid? Chronically online? And I'm aware that may be the point, or the author's intention, but it just didn't do anything for me. Rose was so one dimensional and flat, and it was so hard to imagine all of these women going absolutely feral for her. There was no clever scheming or planning - everything just kind of happens *to* her. I understand that she had no interests outside of Blue, but she has no interests at all. Or feelings, or emotions, or anything.

Two stars because it did keep my attention, mostly because I was just waiting for something to happen. A few typos in the early portion of the book as well.

American Spirits by Anna Dorn is for the fangirls. Blue Velour has put out album after album, working with well-known producer Sasha Harlow (who may or may not also be known for sleeping with many of the artists she works with). Many fans believe Blue and Sasha are together, and the ones that vehemently believe they are together live on r/BlueBeards. Blue has always been impulsive, chaotic and artistic - making passionate and fiery music with Sasha. Blue has made a career out of her music and her stardom, something she always dreamed of. Rose Lutz is an aspiring Blue Velour-level popstar, and also a superfan of Blue. Through the subreddit, Rose snags a job as Blue’s assistant and becomes enmeshed in Blue’s, and eventually Sasha's, lives.

This book masterfully spins a world where chaos is the norm, characters are imperfect and evolving (sometimes for the best and sometimes for the worst), and fame is everything. Rose gets swept up in the whirlwind that is Blue Velour. This novel explores fandom, fame, money, privilege, and an addiction to the spotlight that drives artists to do anything to stay relevant. This book is fun and fast-paced, and fans of Reddit, Gaylor, Larry, or any other ultra-specific subsect of a fandom will love. It reminded me of my days on the One Direction fanpages in my teens. Anna Dorn’s books are steeped in pop-culture references and makes her novels a completely immersive experience for the reader.

We’re introduced to Blue Velour at height of her career gaining the acclaim she’s been craving. During the span of which she is often spoken about in tabloids, is she a genius or is she just mad? We witness her newest album– Blue’s Beard throw her career into full throttle, thanks to the help of longtime produce and quietly suspected lover, Sasha Harlow. The album being a subtle nod to a subreddit dedicated to decoding Blue and Sasha’s love. With her rise to fame Blue hires an assistant to help her out with the stress of her growing fame, a clandestine super fan Rose Lutz.

But when the Covid-19 pandemic shuts down the world and ultimately Blue’s tour, the three of them quarantine in the redwood forest together. Blue trying to convince Sasha that their career together is just getting started. Sasha trying to convince Blue to care about a global pandemic. All the while Rose, the aspiring singer that she is, is plotting on how to get her chance to sing for Sasha. What should have been a peaceful and cathartic retreat quickly spins into chaos and betrayal leading to one act of violence that changes their lives forever.

American Spirits is Dorn’s love letter to pop culture; the good, the bad and the downright toxic. This book is sprinkled with delicious morsels of Dorn’s previous books making it something akin to, in my mind, the Taylor Jenkins Reid cinematic universe if it were gay and on benzos. No one writes self destruction quite as Dorn does. She writes highly unlikable characters that you just cannot help but root for and she does so with such grace and ease. Anna you’ve got a fan for life in me.

Thanks netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the arc!

Gauzy and indulgent and absolute perfection.

I love a problematic, delusional, and self-destructive main character but in the very precise way that Anna Dorn knows how to craft.

Anna Dorn is my national anthem and she can take me for all that I’ve got.

American Spirits by Anna Dorn was sharp, strange, and addictive. I loved the mix of dark humor and surreal, offbeat storytelling. It felt like stepping into a world that’s just slightly askew. The voice was bold and unapologetic, and I found myself thinking about certain lines long after I finished.

This was thrilling! I expected twists and so many emotions and it delivered. It did so well. It was such a compelling reading experience I will recommend wholeheartedly.

American Spirits was a lot of fun, especially if you are a lover of pop music in various forms(I would love to see a corresponding playlist!). Anna Dorn’s done it again. A+

WTF (complimentary)
first of all, I devoured this.
second of all YESSS this book was so delicious.
I truly never knew what to expect at any moment, and in true anna dorn fashion the ending is totally and completely batshit crazy (once again, complimentary).
also, perhaps the beginning of the anna dorn cinematic universe 👀👀 love all the little hints and references to her past characters.
such a cool way to explore the theme of fan/stan culture, queer speculation, and the violence that can come along with it.
so trippy and beautiful.
also, “a vape cartridge named desire” is an unreal name for a fake song and I highkey need the lyrics.
I feel like rose on the subreddit writing this review LOL. this one will definitely stick with me.