Perfume & Pain wins the award for my most highlighted book of the year. I started laughing and highlighting on the first page, and continued doing so for the remainder of the book. It’s modern, fresh, and smart – a hilarious “sad girl” story with fun lesbian pulp vibes.

Perfume & Pain covers a period in twenty-something writer Astrid Dahl’s life when she’s trying to get her shit together: to recover from her alcohol and love addictions, deal with her uncomfortable feelings, and finally make progress on a new book. Astrid is the author of three novels, and she was recently semi-cancelled after a provocative soundbite in an interview. At the beginning of the book, she’s rejoined the Zoom lesbian writer’s group she cofounded, where she meets Ivy. Ivy smells like metallic flowers and is a grad student studying lesbian pulp fiction, and she is an immediate distraction for Astrid, no matter how toxic she may be. And then there’s Penelope, Astrid’s neighbor, a vegan artist who smells like patchouli. She distracts Astrid too, but in a much more complicated way; Astrid’s feelings about Penelope veer from inferiority to aggravation to attraction to outright obsession. Will Astrid be able to overcome her self-destructive tendencies and find her way into a productive life? And even more importantly, will she finally discover her signature scent after years of perfume samples?

On the surface, Perfume & Pain seems like a book where not a lot actually happens, plot-wise; it’s just giving us a glimpse into someone’s life. But it’s a lot more complex than that underneath; it’s about feminism, sexuality, millennial ennui, addiction, the nature of celebrity, modern life and love, internet culture, art, artifice, and vulnerability. Astrid’s experiences are so far outside of my own, but I vibed with her nonetheless. I could totally relate to her hunt for the perfect fragrance as my own hunt for a signature scent only recently ended in success (at a much older age than Astrid’s). Being inside her head and reading her observations was never boring, and I empathized with her and rooted for her in spite of and because of her numerous flaws and self-destructive behaviors. I even liked her when she was being mean or judgy, so kudos to Anna Dorn for creating such a complicated, flawed and yet lovable main character.

Perfume & Pain is cynical, it’s satirical, it’s hysterical – a millennial sad girl novel that stands apart from the rest due to its wit, wisdom, and irresistible Californianess. This one was a gem!

This review has been posted to Goodreads and Storygraph on November 18th, 2024. Links provided.

In Perfume and Pain, mid-tier author Astrid Dahl moves to a small LA bungalow to recover from a career setback and finds herself diving into steamy distractions. As she navigates new relationships with Ivy, a grad student researching 1950s lesbian pulp fiction, and Penelope, a sensual yet grounded artist, Astrid is thrust back into the spotlight when a famous actress wants to adapt her novel for TV. As the pressure mounts, Astrid’s destructive habits resurface, threatening both her career and her newfound (albeit very messy) love life. An homage to lesbian pulp fiction, this book attempts to blend wit, romance, and Hollywood chaos.

I have to be completely honest and say this book was not for me. I really struggled to get through it because I found Astrid to be so unlikeable (I know this was the point but it made it difficult for me to want to get into the story). Astrid is a messy, self-destructive character who’s constantly surrounded by chaos and toxic relationships. I understand the satirical intent, but it just didn’t land for me. The whole book felt mostly like a parade of cliches and unrelatable moments. Astrid is impossible to empathize with - she’s annoying, constantly makes bad decisions, and blames everyone but herself for the chaos in her life. Her addiction problems are brushed off too easily, and her entire arc feels hollow. All of her love interests/exes are written as caricatures of “crazy” women. I know there will be readers out there who will absolutely love this book and all of its pop culture references, but sadly I am not one of them.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the opportunity to read to an ARC of Perfume and Pain in return for my honest review.

Ahhhh, complloved this story. The lesbian representation was great. I loved the discussion of other lesbian artists. The story was realistic yet completely insane at the same time.

I liked this book, especially near the end; but I have just read one too many messy narcissistic queer femme main characters this year.... I love that this genre is popular right now- it's always a fun a romp, but now I need there to be more than just that same premise over and over with very little plot outside messy characters being messy, and having a minor redemption arc towards the end.

Howeverrrrr if I had read this one first I think I would have been more into it. I do love a messy character, and it's an interesting and realistic modernization of a lesbian pulp novel, complete with a love-bombing, toxic, u-haul, LA romance.

Read if you enjoyed Dykette, Eileen, and Milkfed (but wanted fewer wtf moments).

Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC!

Astrid Dahl is a Los-Angeles based author who is on the verge of being cancelled after some remarks she made during an interview. In an attempt to get back in the publishing world’s good graces, and save the chances of her novel being turned into a series, she goes back to the drawing board in the form of rejoining the Zoom witting group she co-founded - Sapphic Scribes. Here she finds Ivy, a PhD student writing her thesis on lesbian pulp fiction. She’s instantly attracted to Ivy despite numerous red flags. At the same time she’s getting to know Ivy, she’s also meeting her new neighbor Penelope, and the famous actor Kat Gold who is developing her book into the series. Astrid uses a variety of recreational drugs to help her get through all these new situations, and they start to take a toll, with all aspects of her life spiraling. We go through this journey with Astrid, and come out better people on the other side.

I have no idea what the LA lesbian community is like, so I really have no point of reference to say whether what the author described is accurate or not. But what I can say is that it was entertaining. I found myself laughing at Astrid’s inner dialogue on multiple occasions. There is a plot to the book but in my opinion it’s more of a character driven story and the characters can be unlikeable to an extent. But I was still super invested in what was going to happen and to me - that’s the sign of a good read!

*Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of "Perfume & Pain" by Anna Dorn.

There are not nearly enough novels written with sapphic main characters, which is part of what initially drew me to this book. It wasn't the best thing I've ever read, but I did enjoy parts of it. It's strange, however, to be both bored at times and wildly entertained at others. That type of inconsistency in a novel tends to throw me off. I'm also, personally anyway, not interested into characters who are messy for the sake of being messy. Astrid is not a realistic messy that most humans are; her messiness feels contrived.

As another reviewer mentioned (and I agree it's important to do so), "content warnings for biphobia, ableism, drinking and driving, homophobic slurs, heavy drug and alcohol use (to the point of blackouts), among others."

(Actual: 4.25⭐, rounded up) This book was such a trip and oddly reminded me of the show "BoJack Horseman" in a lot of weird, random ways lol, but I think that's what made it such a great read for me! Not so much because* of the show comparison of course, but genuinely due to the ~vibes~ of it all. When I saw the blurb stating that this book would be a homage to 1950s'-60s' [lesbian] pulp fiction, I knew somewhat of what to expect but, even so, I found myself still being just.... blown away by how unapologetically unhinged, dramatic, and raunchy this story was 😝 Astrid was so perfectly (& equal parts) unlikeable and endearing as our FMC; a complete mess & oxymoron of a person, if you will, tbh haha.... and yet I still found myself rooting for her in the end, no matter how long it took for her to get there (and trust me.... it took *awhile* from my perspective as a reader, though not necessarily to the book's detriment). In the end, I loved this trainwreck of a book— P&P is an ambitious novel that WORKS because even when it aims to really hit us where it hurts during its more poignant & moving moments, it also still reminds its readers to not take things too seriously. A unique read for anyone looking for something that may be more outside of their comfort zone!

I read this one in 2 days because I couldn’t put it down! Everyone is super messy and sometimes I just wanted to shake the MC because she kept getting into situations that anyone could see miles away that were going to be extremely bad and toxic.

Did I love this? Absolutely!

Okay, so I’m thinking maybe I need to stop reading books with self-proclaimed “messy” characters. I know a lot of folks live for imperfect protagonists who are pieces of shit and profoundly unlikeable; I am not one of them. As boring as it makes me, I want to root for my heroes and heroines, and I struggle to get through books, much less enjoy them, when I want to punch the main character in the face. Repeatedly.

For the first 75-85% of this book, that was how I felt about Astrid. She was messy to the point of unhinged and almost suicidal. Miserable, a drug and alcohol addict, emotionally stunted and self-obsessed, careless to her loved ones and self-destructive to a fault, not to mention the literal plot point that she’s a privileged white lesbian who resents the progression of the LGBTQ community beyond what it was when she entered it. I didn’t want to root for her for the majority of the novel. When bad things happened to her, I just thought, “GOOD.” I thought, “You made your bed, now lie in it.” But it kept happening over and over again.

I got to a point where I reframed how I was reading the novel. Because if I took the book at face value, I loathed every second of it. If I took it as satire, demonstrating the chaos of aging, being out of pace with everyone around you, and the struggles of grounding/healing yourself… well, then the book is a brilliant piece of work. And, ya know, that’s probably the point. I appreciated how it was clearly written for queer folks, and the humor felt classic to the gay sensibility (it reminded me of so many conversations I’ve had with my other gay besties). I also found the last 10-15% of the book particularly strong, and I was in fact rooting for Astrid by the end of the novel. On the whole, through the ups and downs, I give this 3⭐!

*Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Absolutely in love with this one. Dorn manages a story that is equal parts hilarious and messy, and so delightfully earnest. Astrid was unlikable in the best way, as I found myself so interested in her and her behavior. We love an overtly honest and witty lesbian! Give us more characters like Astrid, please!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for providing me with an ARC.

Perfume and Pain was a great read. I loved the historical element and the writing was well done and fun at times too.

Thank you Simon & Schuster for the copy! Books about messy lesbians are already overarching in quality by default but add in the crude humor and cultural satire from Anna Dorn and it might just be a perfect book.

Perfume and Pain centers Astrid in the wake of her cancellation due to a wry interview that's lightly torpedoed her writing career. She in turn finds solace in her fixations and intoxicants, both equally deleterious and all the more engrossing. Her more recent obsessions include the flirtatious grad student in her writing group as well as her new neighbor, who's of course an incredibly sexy older woman.

The chaos and complexity of Astrid is the true lifeline of this plot. Even with her toxicity and absurdity, she's so ridiculously compelling (especially when she makes the mistakes that she does). Her characterization alone, particularly her obsessive nature, allows for the book to immediately feel like an open invitation into someone's diary.

The narration is nothing short of witty and enthralling with all its romantic hangups and raw sensuality. Highly recommend listening to it on audiobook - 4.5 stars

Perfume and Pain was my first read from Anna Dorn and I truly enjoyed my time reading this. I loved the reading about the main character even when she was very unlikable times. Can’t wait to read more by the author.

thank you to netgalley and simon & schuster for the digital arc!!

i finished this book and said “that’s so dumb” out loud, so yeah…not a winner!! admittedly, this is partially my fault. my understanding of "pulp" novels was incorrect. when i googled "what is a pulp novel," i got this from wikipedia: "The pulps gave rise to the term pulp fiction in reference to run-of-the-mill, low-quality literature. Successors of pulps include paperback books, such as hardboiled detective stories and erotic fiction." guess which one i thought this would be!! lmao why did i think this was going to be a detective book!! it's sooo not hahahah

really, perfume and pain follows a lesbian author in los angeles trying to revive her writing career after a slight brush with cancel culture. also she is dating toxic women and is obsessed with perfume for some reason?

so obviously this didn't work for me. i found so many of the beats repetitive, in terms of writing and plot. oh, astrid relapses and crunches adderall between her molars. oh, astrid says something stupid. oh, one of the women astrid is obsessed with does something wild and/or destructive. we kept repeating the same patterns with no payoff or character growth. and it got boring! the chapters were short and easy to read, but i never wanted to keep reading. once i put the book down, it took so much effort to pick it back up again.

and then at the end, once we FINALLY think astrid has got it together, SIKE!! penelope is back and all character growth is once again out the window. so stupid. what was the point of any of this!!

so fine, maybe i just don't get it. but i also don't think it's fair to be like "no, i'm riffing on the pulp genre" as a way to cover up a poorly written book. (in the same way katy perry can't be like "no, it's satire" when she makes a music video sexualizing women that is somehow supposed to be a commentary on sexualizing women...does this comparison make sense to anyone LOL). just...you can't do a bad job at something and say "that was the point" and then expect me to like it. and maybe that makes me too dumb!! or maybe the book is just bad!! you decide!!

i just won't take anything positive from my reading experience here and that's the end of it. sorry!!

Perfume and Pain is NOT subtle and had me cringing the whole way through… in a *mostly* fun way. A gay as hell way to indulge in juicy gossipy, well, pulp. It didn’t change my life and it won’t stick with me long but I enjoyed my time reading it—it really kept me entertained! Will be liked more (I imagine) by readers better-versed in celebrity etc.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. This book was so full of lesbian/queer culture, it felt like gossiping with a good queer friend. The narrator was so unlikable at times, yet I still found myself rooting for a good outcome for her. The story took some wild turns, and kept me engaged with both the plot twists and excellent character development. I loved it!

for starters, the main character is a messy, obsessive and controversial writer with a tendency to flirt with the wrong people. she also have a penchant for her secret cocktail, the Patricia Highsmit, a clever combination of alcohol and amphetamines (nothing less).

this book is both full of debauchery and of messy, unhinged characters who enter into fussily unbalanced (read toxic) relationships. we plunge into Astrid’s foibles, thoughts and doubts, and we’re on the verge of being sucked into this bobo, creative but above all sultry lesbian LA. everything is there to please us avid reader.

basically, if you weren’t already convinced, Perfume & Pain is an homage to the lesbian pulp fiction genre of the ‘50s, it’s also what I understood as autofiction, while being full of cultural references and very, very funny and page-turner. it’s an addictive read.

Anna Dorn, I love you!

This book has to be a contender for one of my favorites of 2024. It was witty and hilarious, and I found myself laughing out loud at some parts. I loved the interesting cast of characters and was invested in all of them. This was a good reminder that we don't need to take life so seriously. I only wish that this book was longer so I could know what happened next for Astrid.

4.5/5

Astrid, a controversial LA author attempts to revive her career by going back to her roots - attending the Zoom writer’s group she cofounded, Sapphic Scribes. After a bad publicity incident leaves her slightly canceled, she throws herself into the group - but more importantly into a few sexy distractions. Ivy, a grad student who’s a writer in Sapphic Scribes and researching 1950s lesbian pulp, urges Astrid into questionable situations and vices. And Penelope, her new neighbor who’s a painter living off Urban Outfitters settlement money immediately ingratiates herself in Astrid’s life. A satirical novel filled with lesbian melodrama, Southern California sultriness, and an insight into our internet and celebrity-obsessed world.

“Suddenly and without warning, I want to tell her I love her. This always happens to me. I have an intense urge to declare my love far before it’s appropriate. A lot of lesbians feel this way, and maybe there is an alchemical explanation, too much estrogen or something. Sometimes I can’t tell if I love someone or if I just want to up the stakes of the relationship or if there is a difference.”

This was such a fun and very binge-worthy read. Once I started it, Astrid’s character and Anna Dorn’s writing really sucked me in. I couldn’t get enough of Astrid’s relateability, but also her utter absurdity. This book is unapologetically feminine, hilarious, and rabid in terms of situations and relationships that the main character throws herself into. The humor was reminiscent of Big Swiss, and the messy relationships mixed with social commentary made me recall I’m a Fan. This is character-heavy with no big plot, so if that’s your vibe, then I would definitely recommend this for your next summer read. The character development in Astrid surprised me (in a good way) and added some depth to the story. She’s kind of an annoying narrator when you get started, but that just adds to her appeal, and towards the end, Astrid grows on you. Great book!

Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

This book was so very much fun. Definitely an entry into the canon of “woman vs. the void” literature, it follows its protagonist as she deals with messy relationships and her rocky writing career after an interview gone awry.

The main character is an absolute disaster, but her journey is compelling and funny and inspires sympathy from the audience even when she is being terribly unlikable (which is most of the time). I read this while hunting down queer books set in LA that I already had copies of, and its sense of place was really delightful.

One star off because the main character sometimes felt like so much of a disaster that I couldn’t quite sympathize with or entirely understand her decisions and motivations, but a really good and startlingly sincere read overall.