"Perfume & Pain" by Anna Dorn stuck with me long after I finished it. Astrid, the main character, is complex and unapologetic, yet strangely likable. Despite her flaws, you can't help but root for her as she navigates her messy life. Dorn's writing captures the rawness of self-destruction with a touch of humor, making Astrid's journey both relatable and shocking. If you're craving a queer and chaotic read, "Perfume & Pain" delivers. Anna Dorn proves once again why she's a rising star in literature.

The Mona Awad and Ottessa Mosfegh girlies are going to eat this up.

This novel follows our protagonist Astrid, who is a 35 year old writer living in L. A. and her misadventures in life and dating.

Astrid is a character you don’t want to root for. She is vain, egocentric, crass: a complete train wreck, but I loved her. Her flaws are what made her the best kind of character (and honestly, shoutout to The Patricia Highsmith, who was a character in of itself).

This book was hilarious. I found myself kicking up my heels in delight numerous times. I can tell already that this will be a favorite of the entire year and I can’t wait for everyone to get their hands on it.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the advanced copy.

his book was a wild ride! Going in blind, I was immediately drawn to its queer vibe. Astrid, though not always likable, won me over with her snark and relatable quirks. Dorn skillfully explores queer culture with humor and insight, making me feel both seen and entertained. Packed with pop culture references, it's a fast-paced, edgy read that's a blast from start to finish.

I really enjoyed this book! Surprisingly I found that the author had such a unique way of writing. I really enjoyed that the most. I felt like it was almost poetic in a way.
The characters are all fun and lovely and I truly enjoyed it!

Perfume and Pain by Anna Dorn is the story about a controversial LA lesbian author and her attempts to revive her career after being lightly cancelled. This is a witty, funny, and slightly wacky novel that is the perfect follow up to Exalted. Astrid is deeply unlikeable and at the same time, someone you end up rooting for. The cast of supporting characters includes crazy exes, judgmental writing group members, and college best friends. As Astrid tries to break herself out of a self-destructive pattern of behavior, she must contend with how she has been treating other people and how she has been treating herself. Dorn wrote an excellent homage to the lesbian pulp drama and I absolutely devoured it.

Ever since I swore off of personal drama in my early 20’s, I’ve sought to get my drama fix via books. And boy, did this one deliver. It was juicy and unhinged but also very literary and engaging. I loved all of the literary references- from lesbian pulp to Donna Tartt. It fully quenched my thirst for stories about messy, intelligent women, and had an edginess about it that didn’t feel heavy-handed, but actually had something to say. I enjoyed it very much.

WOW i loved every minute of this book and it had me on the edge of my seat. This one is definitely for the girlies who love unhinged characters. This book is a lesbian pulp fiction and an adaptation of the original Perfume & Pain (published in 1962 by Kimberly Kemp). An LA author navigates life post controversial behaviors in an attempt to save her writing career. She engages in self-destructive behavior (e.g., alcohol & drugs) and distracts herself with love, sex, and relationships to cope with her insecurities and dissatisfaction in her life.

This was a 5/5 star read for me and I look forward to reading Anna's other books in the future.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for sending me an ARC!

PERFUME AND PAIN continues Anna Dorn’s tradition of highly relatable, often times frustrating, wildly hilarious protagonists. Astrid Dahl is a deeply flawed, yet unmistakably charming woman who struggles with the affliction of “a very big mouth.”

A critique of “cancel culture” as much as it is a critique of the state of “queer” community in the modern age, PERFUME AND PAIN takes the author’s previous satirical outlook of EXALTED and applies it to the publishing industry. Reeling from her sudden “cancellation” (aka Astrid opening aforementioned Big Mouth) Astrid treads water trying to stay relevant by linking up with a social influencer as well as a new romantic interest who ultimately challenges her newfound sorta-sobriety.

At the heart of the story if Astrid’ indecision – she can’t decide if she likes her new oddball neighbor, if she likes Ivy (the romantic interest), if she can stand the influencer who is trying to give her a big break, and where she belongs in the “queer” community as a judgy curmudgeon. This level of indecision leads Astrid down a destructive path that is all too familiar.

Readers who need to like a character’s decisions and a character’s personality may struggle with Astrid – but at its core, this is a story that is for the reader who appreciates the messiness of stagnation and regression, and watching someone flailing.

The one thing I wish we’d gotten more of was the connection to Astrid’s interest in perfume. The only fragrance mentioned by name was the ubiquitous Santal 33 from Le Labo. Other fragrances get a brief description of notes and origin (a woodsy peach formed by a couple in Sweden). I appreciate the nods to r/fragrance and Fragrantica.

Altogether, Anna Dorn has done it again – if you’re open to reading about a protagonist who makes mistakes and doesn’t always learn from them.

Review to be posted on 'whatmgnreads' tiktok account.

Thank you Simon & Schuster for my free ARC of Perfume and Pain by Anna Dorn — available May 21!

Read this if you:
💎 love funny, messy books with outrageous female characters
🩷 have dated more than one I-know-this-is-a-bad-decision
✌️ ever had an annoying over-friendly neighbor

Astrid has been sort of, kind of cancelled, but doesn't that happen to every writer nowadays? She's not too worried about it, except when she is. It's tricker not to worry lately, since she's given up on her beloved concoction of drugs she calls the Patricia Highsmith. A famous actress options one of Astrid's books and plans to star as the main character, but Astrid kind of hates this idea even though she desperately needs the money it will bring in. And she also has a new hippie neighbor who keeps inserting herself into Astrid's life. Annoying. Isn't she? She's kind hot. But so is Ivy, and Ivy is crazy. Maybe too crazy?

This was a hilarious joy ride of a book — I loved every second of it. Astrid is a self-destructive lesbian writer struggling with what to do next, so she's rejoined her Zoom group of fellow queer writers, even though she kind of hates them all. But Ivy is new, and intriguing, and they start up a fling that's doomed from day one. I laughed out loud several times while reading this and was loathe to see it come to an end. Watching Astrid fumble through relationships with all the various characters in this book was so entertaining and worthwhile — definitely read this one if you're into queer litfic with hilarious characters and situations!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book felt like drinking a sultry and spicy perfume. It's been a while since I've read a book that has such a distinct feel to it, and this one delivered everything promised in the title. After moving into a new home in LA after her career takes a small nosedive, writer Astrid Dahl rejoins her old Zoom writing group. There she starts a brief fling with Ivy, a grad student researching 1950's lesbian pulp novels. She also develops a love-hate relationship with her neighbor Penelope, a Gen-X woman who always smells like patchouli. When Astrid learns that her new book will be developed into a movie starring popular actress/influencer Kat Gold, Astrid is elated that her career may be finally getting the boost it needs. But will her bad habits get in the way?

This book was emotional, sexy, and inspiring all in one, and is a must read for the literary fiction fans! I rate it 4.75 stars.

DNF,…I read 100 pages of this and I felt that as I kept reading, it really was not going anywhere. The author has the character development down, but I found the story to not felt stilted and did not excite me. I did find the characters that were introduced to be whiny, and just downright boring.

I want to thank the publisher and Net Galley for the opportunity to read Perfume and Pain., in exchange for an honest review.

This took me a second to get into but once you get into it it’s compulsively readable. I read it in two sittings which really could’ve been one. A fun and very messy satire! At times it felt a bit too online but it really did work for the story. 

There were moments where she doesn’t seem to know or trust her audience, like when she spent time explaining very basic lesbian cultural touch stones like the plot of the L word or the evolution of The Price of Salt turning into Carol. I also did not agree with her take on Carol but what can I say, I’m only a millennial!

Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

My first impressions of this story, and the main character, was that Anna Dorn went to the Ottessa Moshfegh School of Deeply Unlikeable Characters. While this is true, Astrid grew on me immensely. She's abrasive, definitely has cancelable takes and opinions, but most of all, she is raw. I loved to hate her, and in the end, I loved to love her, and was proud to watch her as she got healthy and made better decisions for herself. I'm adding every lesbian pulp I can get my hands on to my TBR.

I just love messy women! Messy lesbians! Messy relationships, careers, and people making stupid and funny decisions because we are flawed and I want to read about flaws!

Growth and renewal through and after struggle…plus perfume… a great Spring read! Already looking into which Dorn book to read next. There were many facets to this story that I loved, but I was especially enchanted by the rich descriptions of Astrid’s various perfumes, and how scent interacted with and affected her daily life. The pacing of the book was perfect for me, this might be a 2024 favorite.

I wanted to like this book, I just could not get into it. I made it 40% of the way in to the book and couldn't get in to it. The main character reminded me so much of the character Hannah from Girls and I don't know it sort of gave me the ick. Also, the constant reference to the Patricia Highsmith felt like it was every other sentence.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC.

Cancel culture, mid-list writers, lesbian melodrama and pop culture references 💋 what a wild ride

PERFUME AND PAIN by ANNA DORN

Rating: 4.5🌟
Genre: literary fiction, lesbian fiction

This was a train wreck but (hear me out), it was a GOOD one. I know that doesn’t make a lot of sense but that’s how it felt. We have this unlikeable main character, Astrid, a controversial mid-list author who is unapologetic and on a seemingly self destructive path while trying to find herself in her career and love life again after getting “cancelled”🥴. She’s dense, obsessive and kinda toxic but I couldn’t help but sympathize from her point of view. Sometimes I just love a well written unlikeable and unreliable protagonist.

This is described as having “notes of Southern California citrus and sultry smokiness” which I found kind of accurate. I never thought of describing a book like notes of a perfume before but it actually works. The main character developed a perfume obsession and she thinks about and describes scents often so I felt like I could literally smell the scenes. I felt immersed in the pages (as I’m reading a digital book lol 😆)

I’m not too familiar with lesbian pulp or Anna Dorn but this was an untamed and unapologetic introduction to both. I devoured the unhinged satire and unglamorous mess. Her writing is so sharp, smart and down right fun.

A refreshing piece and I am in desperate need to read her other work sometime!!

Thank you kindly @netgalley, to the author and publisher for this Advanced Readers Copy. Releasing this May, I highly recommend looking into this one ☝🏼

Genuinely? One of the best lesbian novels I’ve read in a minute. Originally in my notes I had written that this novel is not your typical lesbian novel, but honestly from every reference it’s pulling from you could say this novel represents and molds a solid piece of classic lesbian fiction. The hard, hot, obsessive piece that is isn’t dictated by love or ~yearning~ itself but by primal desire and affliction of oneself. Astrid is not initially a good woman, but a highly relatable woman in that she is innately aware of her shortcomings to a fault. The kind of self aware where you can convince yourself you don’t actually need to change and can keep falling into the same traps because hey, it’s all worked out for you before! There is so much mess and yet I find myself so invested in Astrid and her sordid happenstances.
Thank you so much to netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the arc <3

4.5 ⭐
I'm sort of surprised how much I loved this, Astrid is messy and cynical and self centered and she definitely kind of sucks but she has a self awareness that was at once confounding and refreshing. I think I was so gripped by this narrative because even though she seemed to be making the worst decision at every turn, I couldn't help rooting for her. This was also oaced really well in ny opinion, every new mistake Astrid made pushed the narrative (and her character) exactly where it needed to go.

If youre looking for something dramatic and provicative and undeniably incredibly messy absolutely pick this one up.

Astrid Dahl is a “canceled for now” author after an incident that didn’t settle well with the public.
After moving into a tiny bungalow and back in the writers group she initially confounded, Astrid tries to get her life and career back on track. But distractions are all around her. From her bohemian neighbor to her new love interest, her raging alcohol and Adderall addictions that leave her blacked-out and unable to focus, and actress Kat Gold deciding to adapt Astrid’s previous novel into a television series, her life is definitely a mixture of perfume and pain.

I wanted to love this novel. It had a bohemian, California, L-Word vibe throughout. While the concept was fresh and exciting, it lacked a bit more depth. With an almost drug-induced haze throughout, maybe this is what the author intended. If so, great job. I was convinced.

Overall, it is a bit lackluster but a breezy and fun read. Even with Astrid’s life being as confused as it was, I enjoyed her character and her interactions with the characters around her. She was self-absorbed but still somehow likable.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

It is always so interesting to read a book when you have almost nothing in common with the main character. It covers so much in a short time period. The drugs, the romance, and the obsession is both interesting and heartbreaking to read. I found myself really rooting for Astrid to find whatever it is she needs to find, for becoming at peace.

Definitely worth a read when it releases, I am going to be looking for her previous books because this is the first I've read from her.

Thank you NetGalley for the review copy!