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readingwithgoose's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The messy lesbian dream I've been waiting for. I ate this up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking, Addiction, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Drug use, and Sexual content
madisoy's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
first and foremost thank u to anna dorn herself for mailing me this copy! i have been so excited about perfume and pain, and it was as much of a delight as i hoped it would be.
perfume and pain follows LA based author astrid dahl, who is presently trying to “get healthy” after a light public cancelation. for years, astrid had been reliant on a cocktail of pills, booze, and cigarettes that she refers to affectionately as “the patricia highsmith.” she rambled through life in a daze, writing successful satirical lesbian fiction novels and dating toxic women. although she’s striving to clean up her act, astrid falls back into old patterns of behavior and sexy distractions. she becomes infatuated with a phd student named ivy who’s researching ‘50s lesbian pulp fiction, and she develops a resentment for her new nosy neighbor penelope. at the same time, famous starlet kat gold is in the process of adapting one of astrid’s earlier novels. can astrid hold it together, or will the patricia highsmith and her destructive tendencies ruin it all for her…?
this book is full of the things i love about anna dorn’s other books: sharp hilarity, wonderful sarcasm, messy and narcissistic characters, iconic descriptions such as calling someone’s tragic sense of style “fedora-adjacent.” throughout all of astrid’s sardonic comedy and increasingly disastrous choices though, there is a really great heart and tenderness to this one too.
i was also obsessed with and soothed by the idyllic southern california bungalow on a hill that astrid lived in… and found entertainment in the way that this book felt like a self aware take on autofiction… see: astrid dahl’s initials, her having previously written books about a famous astrologist, a kendall jenner fanfic, and a lawyer, astrid insisting her protagonists are not based on herself. i found it to be a fun meta take on autofiction…
4.25 stars from me! absolutely recommend for fans of marcy dermansky, emily austin, sloane crosley, and anna dorn’s other work
perfume and pain follows LA based author astrid dahl, who is presently trying to “get healthy” after a light public cancelation. for years, astrid had been reliant on a cocktail of pills, booze, and cigarettes that she refers to affectionately as “the patricia highsmith.” she rambled through life in a daze, writing successful satirical lesbian fiction novels and dating toxic women. although she’s striving to clean up her act, astrid falls back into old patterns of behavior and sexy distractions. she becomes infatuated with a phd student named ivy who’s researching ‘50s lesbian pulp fiction, and she develops a resentment for her new nosy neighbor penelope. at the same time, famous starlet kat gold is in the process of adapting one of astrid’s earlier novels. can astrid hold it together, or will the patricia highsmith and her destructive tendencies ruin it all for her…?
this book is full of the things i love about anna dorn’s other books: sharp hilarity, wonderful sarcasm, messy and narcissistic characters, iconic descriptions such as calling someone’s tragic sense of style “fedora-adjacent.” throughout all of astrid’s sardonic comedy and increasingly disastrous choices though, there is a really great heart and tenderness to this one too.
i was also obsessed with and soothed by the idyllic southern california bungalow on a hill that astrid lived in… and found entertainment in the way that this book felt like a self aware take on autofiction… see: astrid dahl’s initials, her having previously written books about a famous astrologist, a kendall jenner fanfic, and a lawyer, astrid insisting her protagonists are not based on herself. i found it to be a fun meta take on autofiction…
4.25 stars from me! absolutely recommend for fans of marcy dermansky, emily austin, sloane crosley, and anna dorn’s other work
jennadoyle's review
dark
funny
hopeful
4.5
My Year of Rest and Relaxation meets Writers and Lovers. The dark humour had me chuckling many times. Easy to to pick up and put down and just get lost in the story and ridiculousness of it all, making it a great vacay book.
tash_readsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
This was a messy book. In the best way possible. It is such an interestkng take on lesbian pulp. I relate so much to Astrid in mannerisms, relating to the world around her, the way she deals with difficult situations (minus the whole Patricia Highsmith). She is chaotic and unapologetic while trying to do better. Astrid is chaotic and self destructive, but trying to figure herself out.
krispy's review
funny
lighthearted
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
icanfixhim's review
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
local lesbian is such a Mess. this was a galley and i liked it. read it pretty quick. i don’t have much to say tbh. gonna try and stretch out my thoughts on netgalley lol.
hellomadalyn's review against another edition
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
pomengranate_moon_'s review
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.
Perfume & Pain gave me anxiety in the best way. This book is unhinged and the main character is what I imagine what a sapphic version of Ottessa Moshfegh’s lead characters would look like. It’s almost too relatable if you’re a queer woman. Imagine The L Word but if you made Jenny and Shane into one character with only their worst qualities and made them the focal point of the chaos.
Dorn’s writing is great and this fast paced book is so entertaining. Definitely recommend.
Perfume & Pain gave me anxiety in the best way. This book is unhinged and the main character is what I imagine what a sapphic version of Ottessa Moshfegh’s lead characters would look like. It’s almost too relatable if you’re a queer woman. Imagine The L Word but if you made Jenny and Shane into one character with only their worst qualities and made them the focal point of the chaos.
Dorn’s writing is great and this fast paced book is so entertaining. Definitely recommend.
galliexyc's review
dark
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
vivbriseno's review
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
To read about a protagonist whose experience echos my (lesbian and neurodivergent/at times socially awkward) self was both incredibly intriguing and deeply unsettling in a masochistic way. That said, I absolutely could not put it down!