Perfume & Pain Review | Anna Dorn | Is It Worth Reading?

Perfume & Pain by Anna Dorn is exactly the kind of sharp, sexy, slightly unhinged sapphic novel BookTok loves to champion. It is funny, self-aware, and unapologetically adult — a witty riff on classic lesbian pulp with a thoroughly modern (and thoroughly disastrous) heroine at its centre. If you like your romance messy and your comedy dark, this one delivers.

What Is Perfume & Pain About?

Astrid Dahl is a mid-list Los Angeles author whose career has just been “lightly cancelled” after an incident, sending her back to the Zoom writing group she cofounded, Sapphic Scribes. Newly installed in a tiny bungalow with her prized perfume-bottle collection, she does what she does best: distracts herself with romance and self-sabotage.

Enter two very different women. There is Ivy, a grad student who smells of metallic orchids and happens to be researching 1950s lesbian pulp fiction. And there is Penelope, the responsible older vegan neighbour who smells of patchouli, quickly charms Astrid’s whole circle, and whom Astrid finds equal parts threatening and irresistible.

As Astrid juggles desire, jealousy, ambition, and a truly impressive amount of bad behaviour, Perfume & Pain becomes a wickedly funny satire of the LA literary scene, cancel culture, and the chaos of trying to find real love while sabotaging yourself at every turn.

What Makes This Sapphic Satire Work

• ✓ Sharp, laugh-out-loud humour. Dorn skewers the LA literary world, cancel culture, and wellness culture with real comic precision.
• ✓ A gloriously messy heroine. Astrid is vain, horny, and self-destructive — and impossible to look away from.
• ✓ A loving pulp homage. The nods to 1950s lesbian pulp give the book a knowing, playful literary texture.
• ✓ Sexy and unfiltered. The romance and desire are frank, adult, and refreshingly unpolished.
• ✓ Breezy but clever. It reads fast and fun while still having something to say about art, ego, and love.

Tropes & Themes at a Glance

Element	What to Expect
Genre	Literary comedy / contemporary romance
Key trope	Messy heroine + love triangle
Relationship	Sapphic, adult, comedic
Heat level	High — frank and steamy
Tone	Witty, satirical, self-aware
Setting	Contemporary Los Angeles
Length	352 pages

How Spicy Is Perfume & Pain?

🌶🌶🌶

Perfume & Pain runs hot. Sex and desire are central to Astrid’s story, and the scenes are frank, playful, and adult — fitting for a book that tips its hat to steamy lesbian pulp. It is more knowing and comedic than gauzy, so expect heat with a wink rather than soft-focus romance.

Who Should Read This Book?

You’ll love it if:

• ✓ You love witty, satirical literary fiction with real bite.
• ✓ A chaotic, self-sabotaging heroine sounds like a good time.
• ✓ You want a sexy, adult sapphic read with a comic edge.
• ✓ You enjoyed messy queer literary novels like Big Swiss.

You might skip it if:

• ✗ You need a likeable lead and a tidy, low-drama romance — try our She Drives Me Crazy review instead.
• ✗ Explicit content or drug use is a dealbreaker for you.
• ✗ Satire and unlikeable characters tend to frustrate you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Perfume & Pain a standalone?

Yes, it is a complete standalone novel.

Is it actually sapphic / WLW?

Yes. It is a queer novel with a sapphic heroine and her romantic entanglements at its centre, complete with a knowing nod to classic lesbian pulp fiction.

How spicy is it?

Quite spicy. The sex is explicit and frequent, written with a frank, comedic sensibility.

Is the main character likeable?

Deliberately not always! Astrid is a messy, self-sabotaging heroine, and the fun of the book is watching her stumble through her own bad decisions.

Is it a romance or literary fiction?

A bit of both. It has romance and a love triangle, but it is really a witty literary comedy about art, ego, and desire — so temper your HEA expectations accordingly.