I don't know if Anna Dorn considers her work autofiction or if she thinks that is stupid - what I do know is that I love autofiction and I loved this take on the lesbian pulp novel. As the main character Astrid thinks to herself, "I realized I liked books about angry, quick-witted women with interpersonal issues" - same. I think lovers of that particular niche will enjoy this book - funny, abrasive, horny, romantic, cynical.

Wow. This novel was brilliant! This is my first time reading from this author, and now I want to go back and read all her previous novels. I loved Anna Dorn's writing style. It was so cynical, hilarious, and poignant. I love quirky and satirical novels. You will love/hate Astrid. She's such a messy and deeply insecure character. I loved the tone, the vibe, and the characters, but I could've done without Kat Gold (she seemed like an immature teenager than an adult woman). I really didn't want this book to end. It was so refreshing to read about lesbian pulp fiction in a modern setting. "Perfume and Pain" was razor-sharp. This is how literary fiction is supposed to be written. Memorable story and memorable protagonist. The cover art is absolutely stunning. This book was EVERYTHING. I'm officially OBSESESED!

Thank you, Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the digital ARC.

Oh my God, Anna Dorn did it again! I absolutely loved Exalted, so I had to jump on requesting this ARC as soon as possible. This novel is wittier than it has any right to be, and such a wild blend of humor, unhinged women, and just those weird vibes I've come to expect from Dorn as an author.

Astrid is an icon, truly someone that we all should all recognize as being that cool girlie we all wish we had whispering questionable choices into our ear. Kind of like if your conscience was a biker chick and wanted to spice up your life.

The language in this book was so lusciously evocative, particularly the imagery around scents and it truly harkens back to the lesbian pulp novels that we can thank for being a stepping stone towards wildly enjoyable romps like Perfume and Pain.

Thank you to Anna Dorn, Netgalley, and Simon and Schuster for this eARC! I loved it and I can't wait to add a phsyical version to my collection.

This was AMAZING! Unhinged, messy, problematic? Gahhhh! YES PLEASE ! I ate it up! Anna Dorn’s Perfume and Pain was witty, and downright hilarious! Astrid was my absolute favorite kind of unreliable narrator! She’s a weird, messy, lesbian and I LOVED her! This book is definitely going to be a hit! So descriptive, so addicting, so all consuming! I couldn’t put this down till I finished it! I love when a book makes me give it 110% of my attention and this one demanded it! I can’t wait till it hits shelves because all of my friends will be receiving a copy! While I wait I am definitely going to be picking up another novel by Anna ASAP!

I received an Advanced Readers Copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is honest, unbiased, and completely my own.

Girls just want to smell like patchouli, drive a Subaru Impreza, and have their own year of rest
and relaxation!! The descriptions of perfumes were a favorite; think tattooed women smoking cigarillos scented. This book is completely of the times- hot lesbians living in LA, wearing sambas with Levi’s, and listening to the audiobook of The Secret History. I am obsessed. This book reminded me much of other books I have rated five stars and it did not take long for me to realize that this was a five-star read. Another banger for the character-driven, unlikeable characters girlies.

Thank you Netgalley, Simon and Schuster, and Anna Dorn for this advanced reader's copy. This is the first ARC I have ever rated five stars.

I started this book, but did not end up finishing it as I found the main character’s inner monologue to be too cringe. It’s honestly not the worst book, but not a good fit for me.

I'm giving this a neutral rating because I truly think the audience for this book is out there, it's just not right for me at all. I thought I would love this, seeing as I find lesbian pulp history fascinating and often enjoy "unlikeable" main characters, but instead every little thing just rubbed me the wrong way. the writing was great and the premise interesting, but the pop culture references were grating and I just am not in the right headspace to enjoy hearing a successful woman 10 years older than me be so cynical and about every little thing. Like I said, i'm sure someone will absolutely love this book, that person is just not me.

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.