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American Spirits
A love letter to pop music, American Spirits charts an icon’s fall—and an obsessive fangirl’s rise.
Thirty-eight-year-old Blue Velour has finally achieved the critical acclaim she’s long been chasing. Over the last decade, she’s released six studio albums to mixed reviews, landing her somewhere between performance artist and niche legend. But her latest album, Blue’s Beard—a cheeky reference to the subreddit fanatically dedicated to her suspected secret relationship with longtime producer Sasha Harlow—has rocket-launched her reputation. Blue hires nerdy superfan Rose Lutz as her assistant to handle the pressures of the upcoming tour.
When the pandemic shuts down the tour, however, Blue decides to hole up in the redwoods with Sasha to make another album. An aspiring singer herself, Rose is frothing at the mouth to be isolated in a cabin with these two legends, but what begins as a creative retreat spirals into a flurry of chaos and betrayal—culminating in a tragic act that changes their lives forever.
Smart, entertaining, and edgy, American Spirits is a compelling exploration of the dark side of fame.
Thirty-eight-year-old Blue Velour has finally achieved the critical acclaim she’s long been chasing. Over the last decade, she’s released six studio albums to mixed reviews, landing her somewhere between performance artist and niche legend. But her latest album, Blue’s Beard—a cheeky reference to the subreddit fanatically dedicated to her suspected secret relationship with longtime producer Sasha Harlow—has rocket-launched her reputation. Blue hires nerdy superfan Rose Lutz as her assistant to handle the pressures of the upcoming tour.
When the pandemic shuts down the tour, however, Blue decides to hole up in the redwoods with Sasha to make another album. An aspiring singer herself, Rose is frothing at the mouth to be isolated in a cabin with these two legends, but what begins as a creative retreat spirals into a flurry of chaos and betrayal—culminating in a tragic act that changes their lives forever.
Smart, entertaining, and edgy, American Spirits is a compelling exploration of the dark side of fame.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published April 14, 2026
About the author
Anna Dorn
6 books1,140 followersAnna Dorn is the author of Perfume & Pain, Exalted, Bad Lawyer, and Vagablonde. She was a Lambda Literary Fellow and Exalted was a finalist for the L.A. Times Book Prize. Her next novel, American Spirits, is forthcoming from Simon & Schuster. She lives in Los Angeles.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 488 reviews
June 20, 2025
i loved writing this book so much i hope it's not terrible <3
November 3, 2025
The second that I started this, I was all in. It reads like a Reddit thriller crossed with Lana del Rey Tumblr culture, and is completely un-put-downable.
Blue, a thirty-eight year old pop star at the top of her game, impulsively hires a woman named Rose to be her assistant - what she doesn't realize is that Rose is the founder of a crazed Reddit forum, dedicated to figuring out whether or not she's romantically involved with her music producer (a woman named Sasha). Shortly after her new tour begins, the COVID-lockdown is initiated, leaving the three of them at a remote cabin together, collaborating on a pandemic album, much like ~Folklore.
This was a total rollercoaster, with each page growing more twisted, more frantic. Every character in here has an unknowable self, lurking beneath the surface, giving the whole thing a shimmery, if not deranged feel to it. And the ending? Not to be dramatic, but I would do anything to read that for the first time, again.
An incredible book that I am already looking forward to reading again.
Blue, a thirty-eight year old pop star at the top of her game, impulsively hires a woman named Rose to be her assistant - what she doesn't realize is that Rose is the founder of a crazed Reddit forum, dedicated to figuring out whether or not she's romantically involved with her music producer (a woman named Sasha). Shortly after her new tour begins, the COVID-lockdown is initiated, leaving the three of them at a remote cabin together, collaborating on a pandemic album, much like ~Folklore.
This was a total rollercoaster, with each page growing more twisted, more frantic. Every character in here has an unknowable self, lurking beneath the surface, giving the whole thing a shimmery, if not deranged feel to it. And the ending? Not to be dramatic, but I would do anything to read that for the first time, again.
An incredible book that I am already looking forward to reading again.
June 6, 2026
this is an example of one of the stupid enigmas of contemporary novels— when authors thinks their readers are dumb. the amount of telling instead of showing is insane. the only thing open for interpretation is the theme of fame and what it leads to: shallowness and drug addiction, well to answer that: those things are bad. wow. i’m a revolutionary genius. again; telling vs showing— done poorly. (no hate to the author)
American Spirits is about a girl named Blue Velour, a famous pop star that is put in your face as a reference to Lana Del Rey. the other main characters are: a fan of Blue Velour who becomes her assistant, named Rose, and Sasha, a woman rumored to be in a secret relationship with Blue and who is her manager or something. the problem is that this is so filled with pop culture references that it is sort of like an easter egg hunt at times. not only that, but it becomes almost a parody because of the language the author uses (low-key was seriously used in a descriptive sentence). there were just so many like modern references to vapes, flavors of vapes, vape smoke, Zoe Kravitz, Lana Del Rey, Lana Del Rey, Lana Del Rey… it just became boring. mind you, Lana Del Rey was my most streamed artist for every month in 2025, by far.
also the “secret relationship” that with the info given didn’t seem like a mystery at all to me (which the fans of Blue thought was a mystery), was a reference to “gaylors” aka people who believe Taylor Swift is gay. it just seems like a parody. there’s even a subreddit for it which is how Rose met Blue, in some convoluted way. it’s just tiring, there was too much of everything going on. like damn we get it.
the writing was the same way, using words i can describe as pretty and sparkly to make the writing seem that way, but it wasn’t. other than the annoying overuse of certain words (vape vape vape) that was very in your face, the writing wasn’t bad.
i’m going to introduce an insane idea, everybody hold your horses.. a book in the lgbtq+ category such as this can also be racist. SO— all of the characters are white, and their “aesthetic” (because the characters are famous and have to have an aesthetic) stems from their whiteness— Rose is described as virginal and in the same sentence her paleness is described, Blue is white, as is EVERY. SINGLE. CHARACTER. in the book and the only mention of another race is when Blue releases a controversial song during the pandemic at the same time that BLM is occurring, and repeats over and over how she doesn’t care about politics. also that the “woke” people are out to get her. i don’t care if this was just for the book, it was so genuine, and it wasn’t painted in a bad light. it lets the author get away with no repercussions, which i feel "iffy" about.
in the last 35% the plot was so turbulent, there was no showing and solely telling
the ending is so weird, it was so abrupt and poor. it felt like the author wrote this on hard drugs. just like the annoying ass characters.
it was not that bad of a book, however it was sometimes unintentionally funny for those reasons. i can say that i liked the uhh… uhh… so… yeah... okay, i can’t name anything i liked, but overall i guess the drama was enjoyable. it was entertaining and it is extremely binge-worthy. if the synopsis sounds good to you, you will probably like it, especially if you’ve read and enjoyed similar books before, but it just wasn’t for me at all, unfortunately.
2/5 ⭐️
American Spirits is about a girl named Blue Velour, a famous pop star that is put in your face as a reference to Lana Del Rey. the other main characters are: a fan of Blue Velour who becomes her assistant, named Rose, and Sasha, a woman rumored to be in a secret relationship with Blue and who is her manager or something. the problem is that this is so filled with pop culture references that it is sort of like an easter egg hunt at times. not only that, but it becomes almost a parody because of the language the author uses (low-key was seriously used in a descriptive sentence). there were just so many like modern references to vapes, flavors of vapes, vape smoke, Zoe Kravitz, Lana Del Rey, Lana Del Rey, Lana Del Rey… it just became boring. mind you, Lana Del Rey was my most streamed artist for every month in 2025, by far.
also the “secret relationship” that with the info given didn’t seem like a mystery at all to me (which the fans of Blue thought was a mystery), was a reference to “gaylors” aka people who believe Taylor Swift is gay. it just seems like a parody. there’s even a subreddit for it which is how Rose met Blue, in some convoluted way. it’s just tiring, there was too much of everything going on. like damn we get it.
the writing was the same way, using words i can describe as pretty and sparkly to make the writing seem that way, but it wasn’t. other than the annoying overuse of certain words (vape vape vape) that was very in your face, the writing wasn’t bad.
i’m going to introduce an insane idea, everybody hold your horses.. a book in the lgbtq+ category such as this can also be racist. SO— all of the characters are white, and their “aesthetic” (because the characters are famous and have to have an aesthetic) stems from their whiteness— Rose is described as virginal and in the same sentence her paleness is described, Blue is white, as is EVERY. SINGLE. CHARACTER. in the book and the only mention of another race is when Blue releases a controversial song during the pandemic at the same time that BLM is occurring, and repeats over and over how she doesn’t care about politics. also that the “woke” people are out to get her. i don’t care if this was just for the book, it was so genuine, and it wasn’t painted in a bad light. it lets the author get away with no repercussions, which i feel "iffy" about.
in the last 35% the plot was so turbulent, there was no showing and solely telling
the ending is so weird, it was so abrupt and poor. it felt like the author wrote this on hard drugs. just like the annoying ass characters.
it was not that bad of a book, however it was sometimes unintentionally funny for those reasons. i can say that i liked the uhh… uhh… so… yeah... okay, i can’t name anything i liked, but overall i guess the drama was enjoyable. it was entertaining and it is extremely binge-worthy. if the synopsis sounds good to you, you will probably like it, especially if you’ve read and enjoyed similar books before, but it just wasn’t for me at all, unfortunately.
2/5 ⭐️
July 21, 2025
need to hear “a vape cartridge named desire”
April 14, 2026
Another 2026 pop star novel! And this one is not even pretending to be subtle. It’s basically: what if Lana Del Rey had an enigmatic female producer and everyone secretly thought they were a couple, à la the Gaylor theory. In fact, Blue Velour is so aggressively Lana-coded that we get everything from spats with journalists to diamante face masks in here. All of which is fine with me: as discussed previously, I find celebrity a very interesting subject for fiction, and I wrote much of this listening to WFHTDH on repeat so, you know, bring it on.
American Spirits is very compelling and bingeable – I burned through most of it in a single night. The dynamic between the characters, centring on the involvement of obsessive fangirl-turned-assistant-turned-rival starlet Rose, is fun and well-drawn. Dorn gets stan culture and the machinery of celeb mythmaking; those elements work. Unfortunately I wasn’t wild about the final ‘twist’, which reveals the story to exist within the kind of framing device I always find a real cop-out. I get it – both as a nod to the hugely referential nature of Blue Velour as a character, and as a cute link to the forthcoming reissue of Dorn’s Vagablonde – but it undercuts the dramatic stakes. There’s also a bit too much telling-not-showing for my taste, with major developments simply recounted in past tense summary. (Incidentally, the framing is a too-convenient excuse for this.)
Taking American Spirits purely as a compulsive, gossipy, pop-cultural fever dream, yes, I was definitely entertained, but it’s difficult not to compare it to Ultranatural, which I found more emotive and more thoughtful as an examination of fame’s consequences.
I received an advance review copy of American Spirits from the publisher through Edelweiss.
American Spirits is very compelling and bingeable – I burned through most of it in a single night. The dynamic between the characters, centring on the involvement of obsessive fangirl-turned-assistant-turned-rival starlet Rose, is fun and well-drawn. Dorn gets stan culture and the machinery of celeb mythmaking; those elements work. Unfortunately I wasn’t wild about the final ‘twist’, which reveals the story to exist within the kind of framing device I always find a real cop-out. I get it – both as a nod to the hugely referential nature of Blue Velour as a character, and as a cute link to the forthcoming reissue of Dorn’s Vagablonde – but it undercuts the dramatic stakes. There’s also a bit too much telling-not-showing for my taste, with major developments simply recounted in past tense summary. (Incidentally, the framing is a too-convenient excuse for this.)
Taking American Spirits purely as a compulsive, gossipy, pop-cultural fever dream, yes, I was definitely entertained, but it’s difficult not to compare it to Ultranatural, which I found more emotive and more thoughtful as an examination of fame’s consequences.
I received an advance review copy of American Spirits from the publisher through Edelweiss.
December 19, 2025
Let me start out by saying I loved Exalted and Perfume and Pain. I am shocked by how much I disliked this.
American Spirits follows a pop star named Blue and her crazy fan base on Reddit. A woman named Rose creates a subreddit dedicated to uncovering hints that Blue and her producer Sasha are in a relationship. Blue needs to hire an assistant and ends up hiring Rose, the creator of the subreddit, without knowing she is an obsessive fan. When the pandemic hits, the three women end up isolated and quarantined together. The story goes from there.
I had many problems with this book. I feel as though we keep getting the same unhinged stalker woman drama stories. I generally enjoy Anna’s writing so I want to see MORE from her. I truly want the best for her and I don’t think this book reflects that.
This is satire on obsessed internet culture, celebrity culture, and just how out of touch celebrities become in general. I LOVE satirical novels and yet I felt like the satire was kind of….okay and? I didn’t feel as though this proved any sort of point. Everything felt very surface level and these characters were unlikeable in a way where I was just annoyed. (Constantly mentioning vaping, music references, how edgy she is for not caring about the pandemic and BLM, etc). There’s a meta aspect to this book that removes the author completely from any sort of backlash and this was something she also did in Perfume and Pain. Again, I want her to do something DIFFERENT. This read like a never ending stream of random thoughts and events happening (it also takes place over 5 years which doesn’t help) and it got to a point where I literally felt as though I were reading an internet thread full of nonsense myself (aside from the fact that there are also Reddit posts in this book). The pacing was entirely off because it starts off as a day by day the first half of the book and then suddenly starts jumping around within the span of FIVE YEARS during the second half.
I am just completely disappointed by this, sorry.
American Spirits follows a pop star named Blue and her crazy fan base on Reddit. A woman named Rose creates a subreddit dedicated to uncovering hints that Blue and her producer Sasha are in a relationship. Blue needs to hire an assistant and ends up hiring Rose, the creator of the subreddit, without knowing she is an obsessive fan. When the pandemic hits, the three women end up isolated and quarantined together. The story goes from there.
I had many problems with this book. I feel as though we keep getting the same unhinged stalker woman drama stories. I generally enjoy Anna’s writing so I want to see MORE from her. I truly want the best for her and I don’t think this book reflects that.
This is satire on obsessed internet culture, celebrity culture, and just how out of touch celebrities become in general. I LOVE satirical novels and yet I felt like the satire was kind of….okay and? I didn’t feel as though this proved any sort of point. Everything felt very surface level and these characters were unlikeable in a way where I was just annoyed. (Constantly mentioning vaping, music references, how edgy she is for not caring about the pandemic and BLM, etc). There’s a meta aspect to this book that removes the author completely from any sort of backlash and this was something she also did in Perfume and Pain. Again, I want her to do something DIFFERENT. This read like a never ending stream of random thoughts and events happening (it also takes place over 5 years which doesn’t help) and it got to a point where I literally felt as though I were reading an internet thread full of nonsense myself (aside from the fact that there are also Reddit posts in this book). The pacing was entirely off because it starts off as a day by day the first half of the book and then suddenly starts jumping around within the span of FIVE YEARS during the second half.
I am just completely disappointed by this, sorry.
August 22, 2025
American Spirits by Anna Dorn is the literary equivalent of a 350-page tabloid article—entertaining but lacking substance.
American Spirits centers around a cult pop star named Blue Velour defined by her brash (some might say problematic) public persona and grungy, hyper-feminine aesthetic. Many of Blue’s fans are convinced that she’s in a sapphic relationship with her producer, Sasha. One superfan named Rose creates a subreddit called r/BluesBeards dedicated to uncovering hints that Blue and Sasha are deeply in love. Rose’s obsessiveness pays off when she learns that Blue is hiring a personal assistant. She gets the job and soon finds herself enmeshed in Blue’s life. When the pandemic leads Blue, Sasha, and Rose to isolate together in a luxury cabin in northern California, their unmitigated desires and ambitions lead to explosive results.
Anna Dorn loves to write about toxic, obsessive sapphics. American Spirits takes that theme and dials it to 100. This book is nonstop toxic female drama nestled in the context of obsessive fan subreddits like r/GaylorSwift, a subreddit dedicated to uncovering “hints” and “Easter eggs” that Taylor Swift is actually a lesbian. I’ll admit that the story drew me in; it’s propulsive and pulpy in Dorn’s signature style.
But at the end of the day, I grew tired of the drama, especially in the absence of deeper thematic exploration. Much like the devoted fans of Blue Velour who dissect her lyrics to shreds for supposed hints at sapphic love, one could spend considerable time analyzing how American Spirits comments on fame and fan culture—but does such commentary really exist? Or would we be fabricating deeper meanings out of what is ultimately just a fun, aestheticized piece of entertainment?
In American Spirits, Blue Velour’s unfiltered, self-absorbed, and out-of-touch nonsense (describing Ayn Rand as “the original girl boss”, for example) is part of her charm. These qualities, however, draw ire during the height of the pandemic and George Floyd protests. Blue could not care less about stopping the spread or standing in solidarity with black Americans. She’s casually racist in an ignorant sort of way. Dorn has enough plausible deniability here to deflect accusations of being problematic herself. Blue’s racism is obviously meant to poke fun at how clueless celebrities become lightning rods for scrutiny in culture wars. There is also a frame-narrative, meta-element to the book that further removes Dorn from the story and possible criticisms of it. I noticed a similar pattern in Perfume and Pain, and it makes me somewhat uneasy. I think white authors who write racist characters have a greater responsibility to address and critique that racism, whereas Dorn seems to use it merely as adornment for her protagonists’ royally problematic crowns.
Those who love toxic drama will probably love American Spirits. It kept me entertained for a day or so. However, I’m not convinced that much literary value exists behind the colorful, dynamic smoke show.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Author
American spirits is a fever dream of obsession, crazy fan culture, fame, LA and sobriety.
Having read two of Anna Dorn’s books now (and immediately adding all her others to my tbr), I can honestly say her writing is so compelling and with each chapter it got harder and harder to put this book down. I adored the build up to this big climax of unhinged-ness that you can just feel impending.
Both the POV’s were well crafted that they were actually equally compelling characters to read about and were interesting to watch them change across the novel.
This book although, follows Blue velour a famous singer, I think is much more a conversation on the obsessive fan culture, parasocial relationships in the age of the Internet and everything being heightened at the backdrop of the pandemic and lockdown than it is about Blue Velour’s fame. She was the perfect vessel to discuss these crazy times and how some people will do anything for clout and even scarier do terrible things for people who don’t even know they exist.
Loved the subreddit snippets and the last chapter for how meta it all was, literally made me view the whole book in a totally different lens and realise just how layered this book is.
Thank you so so so much to Anna Dorn for the ARC, I loved this book.
Having read two of Anna Dorn’s books now (and immediately adding all her others to my tbr), I can honestly say her writing is so compelling and with each chapter it got harder and harder to put this book down. I adored the build up to this big climax of unhinged-ness that you can just feel impending.
Both the POV’s were well crafted that they were actually equally compelling characters to read about and were interesting to watch them change across the novel.
This book although, follows Blue velour a famous singer, I think is much more a conversation on the obsessive fan culture, parasocial relationships in the age of the Internet and everything being heightened at the backdrop of the pandemic and lockdown than it is about Blue Velour’s fame. She was the perfect vessel to discuss these crazy times and how some people will do anything for clout and even scarier do terrible things for people who don’t even know they exist.
Loved the subreddit snippets and the last chapter for how meta it all was, literally made me view the whole book in a totally different lens and realise just how layered this book is.
Thank you so so so much to Anna Dorn for the ARC, I loved this book.
May 8, 2026
This felt like watching a car drive directly off a cliff, only to realise that there's a massive safety net below as it was a stunt for a movie
March 18, 2026
I enjoyed this! It was a smooth, easy read, very much like a good pop ballad. Main character Blue Velour was extremely Lana Del Rey inspired, while her fans seemed more like the crazier brand of Swifties that the rest of them don’t associate with. (The Reddit posts were especially fun/unhinged.) And I have nothing against Swifties, btw. Every fan group has its code crackers. (And I’ve been known to listen to her stuff once in a while, too.)
The core story here is simple but intriguing: what if a devoted fan got the chance to work for her hero as a personal assistant? I was instantly drawn in, and Anna Dorn’s descriptive writing style and complex characters combined to make me feel like I really knew these people on a deeply personal level. With song titles like “Pink Cocaine” and “A Vape Cartridge Named Desire,” I was dying to hear Blue’s discography. Dorn seems knowledgeable about the music industry and has a knack for writing album reviews that sound like something straight out of Rolling Stone, so she really made this world come alive for me.
When I said that Blue is essentially Lana, I neglected to mention the big difference is that Blue is a train wreck bordering on psychotic. She is both a very simple cliche of a modern day pop star and a complex, kind of awful person at the same time. But in a fascinating way.
I feel compelled to mention: Early on, the book is a bit heavy on the COVID subplot at times. I think Dorn maybe wanted to root the story in a realistic and relatable frame, given all the real pop culture references made. But I know that some readers prefer to avoid books that deal with the pandemic. (I get it.)
The stakes are pretty low for most of the book, but the vibes are great and things do ramp up later on. I had a great time being along for the ride, and I think Lana fans especially will find this one entertaining. I’m going to go revisit “Born to Die” now because it’s been a minute.
I’m not sure how I feel about the ending, but I will say that it was surprising and interesting.
Thank you to NetGalley and to the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.
Biggest TW: Hate speech, Substance abuse, Driving on Substances, Animal neglect, Recent/Current events
The core story here is simple but intriguing: what if a devoted fan got the chance to work for her hero as a personal assistant? I was instantly drawn in, and Anna Dorn’s descriptive writing style and complex characters combined to make me feel like I really knew these people on a deeply personal level. With song titles like “Pink Cocaine” and “A Vape Cartridge Named Desire,” I was dying to hear Blue’s discography. Dorn seems knowledgeable about the music industry and has a knack for writing album reviews that sound like something straight out of Rolling Stone, so she really made this world come alive for me.
When I said that Blue is essentially Lana, I neglected to mention the big difference is that Blue is a train wreck bordering on psychotic. She is both a very simple cliche of a modern day pop star and a complex, kind of awful person at the same time. But in a fascinating way.
I feel compelled to mention: Early on, the book is a bit heavy on the COVID subplot at times. I think Dorn maybe wanted to root the story in a realistic and relatable frame, given all the real pop culture references made. But I know that some readers prefer to avoid books that deal with the pandemic. (I get it.)
The stakes are pretty low for most of the book, but the vibes are great and things do ramp up later on. I had a great time being along for the ride, and I think Lana fans especially will find this one entertaining. I’m going to go revisit “Born to Die” now because it’s been a minute.
I’m not sure how I feel about the ending, but I will say that it was surprising and interesting.
Thank you to NetGalley and to the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.
Biggest TW: Hate speech, Substance abuse, Driving on Substances, Animal neglect, Recent/Current events
April 21, 2026
okay so this is definitely MY FAVORITE BOOK THIS YEAR SO FAR!!! it’s like it was specifically written for me!!!
I already stan anna dorn but combine her writing with a story ABOUT A POP STAR, and a pop star specifically based on lana del rey at that! I lovedddd all the pop culture references and following several years of their lives, where we get a peek at the making of the albums, tours, and obviously the wild personal lives of our MCs. and to make it even more FOR ME, the britney references galore…HELLO???? yeah anna dorn is the damn queen
I already stan anna dorn but combine her writing with a story ABOUT A POP STAR, and a pop star specifically based on lana del rey at that! I lovedddd all the pop culture references and following several years of their lives, where we get a peek at the making of the albums, tours, and obviously the wild personal lives of our MCs. and to make it even more FOR ME, the britney references galore…HELLO???? yeah anna dorn is the damn queen
August 12, 2025
Rich and luscious.
An in-depth look at the complexity of mixing work and sex. Riveting and addicting.
Loved the use of a Reddit obsessive group of fans as a mirror - fans forgetting celebrities are people, have a right to privacy. And make mistakes.
An excellent look at the pressure, the cost of sobriety, reasons to a decent person.
An in-depth look at the complexity of mixing work and sex. Riveting and addicting.
Loved the use of a Reddit obsessive group of fans as a mirror - fans forgetting celebrities are people, have a right to privacy. And make mistakes.
An excellent look at the pressure, the cost of sobriety, reasons to a decent person.
September 9, 2025
Suddenly I’m 15 years old listening to Lana Del Rey, scrolling Reddit, sneaking a cig and watching Gaylor conspiracy videos! oh wait that’s the vibes this book gives. Ridiculous, unhinged, chaotic, pop music stan culture on crack. Iconic and the girls and gays who love this book will just get it. ILY Anna you crazy girl.
May 6, 2026
This story just confirmed music band tropes are just not for me. I know people love books like that, but, I don’t can’t dig it.
A lot of the story follows the lead singer of the band, Blue Velour. It follows her fame, her rise and fall from stardom and her bisexual love life.
I think this is a great fit for others who loved Daisy Jones and ones like it. However, I’m just not the right reader, unfortunately. I do love this cover though.
3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the gifted copy
A lot of the story follows the lead singer of the band, Blue Velour. It follows her fame, her rise and fall from stardom and her bisexual love life.
I think this is a great fit for others who loved Daisy Jones and ones like it. However, I’m just not the right reader, unfortunately. I do love this cover though.
3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the gifted copy
Review of advance copy received from Author
3/21/26
this cured me out of my reading slump, thank you lizzy grant
-----
when anna shared a snippet of this book at a chevalier's books reading, she mentioned how lana del rey-coded it is. it is all i needed to know to hook me in.
instant will-read.
this cured me out of my reading slump, thank you lizzy grant
-----
when anna shared a snippet of this book at a chevalier's books reading, she mentioned how lana del rey-coded it is. it is all i needed to know to hook me in.
instant will-read.
April 28, 2026
She was in love with her music. Her audience. The celestial voice God had given her. And a different God from the punishing, intolerant God her mom loved so much. Blue’s God was benevolent and accepting and merciful and beautiful and probably a woman and definitely a Gemini. Her God was a heart-shaped chemtrail, a silver ripple on the Pacific, cherry Coke on her lover’s breath, a fan mouthing her every lyric, Max’s laugh, Jim Morrison’s torso, Dolly Parton’s voice cracking on “Jolene.”
Onstage, Blue channeled this God.
And she was—for the only time ever—completely at peace.
The newest entry in the enduring trend of novels about musicians, American Spirits introduces Blue Velour, who is very obviously Lana del Rey coded (Anna Dorn even thanks Lana in the Acknowledgements). In her late thirties, free-spirited Blue has finally achieved critical and mainstream acclaim with her latest album, Blue’s Beard - a not-so-subtle reference to the subreddit dedicated to her suspected relationship with her long-time producer, Sasha. To prepare for the upcoming tour for the new album, Blue hires a personal assistant, Rose - a meek aspiring singer who also happens to be a Blue Velour superfan. When the COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the tour, Blue, Sasha, and Rose retreat to a home in the redwoods to make a new album. But what begins as a creative sanctuary gradually evolves into something much darker, culminating in a shocking act of violence.
American Spirits had me in a chokehold from the very first line. Dorn’s writing feels so effortless on the page but is full of insight, texture, and subtle humor. Through the fascinating, visceral points-of-view of Blue, Rose, and (to a lesser extent) Sasha, she explores artistic creation and expression, sexuality, dysfunctional relationships, and the parasocial, entitled nature of some fans’ relationships with their idols. From a musical perspective, Blue feels like Lana, but her fans are more like Swifties - the particularly rabid subset that search for Easter eggs in every outfit, song, and statement and obsess over Taylor’s personal life. I’m not throwing any shade at all - I myself am the tamer, more “normal” type of Swiftie - but Dorn is definitely tossing it around and I was here for it. The reddit posts embedded within the novel, in which Blue’s fans speculate about her romantic partnerships, take deep dives into her lyrics, and adamantly defend her actions against even the smallest criticism were some of my favorite sections.
The three women at the center of this book are so complex and authentic. They’re not likable, not in the least, and Blue is selfish at best and downright destructive and purposefully cruel at worst, but they are conveyed so realistically and intimately that I felt like I knew them personally. The dynamic between the characters is riveting; the narrative takes a while to get where it’s going, but the characters and their interactions make the entire ride impossible to look away from.
I also love how rooted American Spirits feels in both the music industry and the real world. There are lots of pop culture references, and the embedded reviews of Blue’s albums were a high point for me; they could’ve been lifted directly from the pages of Rolling Stone. I have never wanted to listen to a fictional discography more than I want to hear Blue’s, particularly her songs “A Vape Cartridge Named Desire” and “Cool Ranch Doritos.” The closest I can get in the real world is Lana, whose albums I started listening to again in order as soon as I finished this book.
This is the second of Anna Dorn’s books I’ve read (the other being Perfume & Pain), and it’s clear that she has her own unique, compelling, energetic worldview that is such a vibe for me. Now it’s imperative that I go read Vagablonde right away - IYKYK. Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the complimentary reading opportunity.
May 25, 2026
all about eve as barely disguised sapphic lana del rey fan fiction (complete with gender-swapped jack antonoff producer figure). so much of this book is name dropping bands and albums and celebrities. it was honestly an exhausting and baffling read that i hated.
August 7, 2025
What in the parasocial relationship did I just read?! (in a good way)
American Spirits is an ode to pop music, pop culture, and “the ultimate woman, Lana Del Rey.” It is very cool girl, very Lana-coded. It’s for the girls and the gays that just “get it,” and especially those that love the internet, chain smoking, and self sabotage!
In the novel, we get to follow the POVs of two unhinged women battling to be the main character, Blue and Rose; Blue is a successful pop icon and Rose is her biggest fan/wannabe. While they seemingly land on quite opposite ends of the unhinged woman spectrum, when their worlds collide, they might actually be more similar than they appear on the surface, especially when it comes to their mutual interest in producer Sasha Harlow. What follows is a sharp, satirical tale of obsession, love, and the lengths one will go for clout.
Short, alternating perspective chapters with Reddit posts thrown in the mix makes for an engrossing read. Anna Dorn always delivers lesbian greatness, and this novel is no exception, with some fun nods to her previous novels thrown in (what a great detail)!
Thank you so much to Anna Dorn for writing this, and to Net Galley and the publisher, Simon & Schuster, for allowing me to receive this ARC.
American Spirits is set to release April 14, 2026, and this is one party you definitely don’t want to miss!
American Spirits is an ode to pop music, pop culture, and “the ultimate woman, Lana Del Rey.” It is very cool girl, very Lana-coded. It’s for the girls and the gays that just “get it,” and especially those that love the internet, chain smoking, and self sabotage!
In the novel, we get to follow the POVs of two unhinged women battling to be the main character, Blue and Rose; Blue is a successful pop icon and Rose is her biggest fan/wannabe. While they seemingly land on quite opposite ends of the unhinged woman spectrum, when their worlds collide, they might actually be more similar than they appear on the surface, especially when it comes to their mutual interest in producer Sasha Harlow. What follows is a sharp, satirical tale of obsession, love, and the lengths one will go for clout.
Short, alternating perspective chapters with Reddit posts thrown in the mix makes for an engrossing read. Anna Dorn always delivers lesbian greatness, and this novel is no exception, with some fun nods to her previous novels thrown in (what a great detail)!
Thank you so much to Anna Dorn for writing this, and to Net Galley and the publisher, Simon & Schuster, for allowing me to receive this ARC.
American Spirits is set to release April 14, 2026, and this is one party you definitely don’t want to miss!
August 2, 2025
Gauzy and indulgent and absolute perfection.
I love a problematic, delusional, and self-destructive main character but in the very precise way that Anna Dorn knows how to craft.
Anna Dorn is my national anthem and she can take me for all that I’ve got.
I love a problematic, delusional, and self-destructive main character but in the very precise way that Anna Dorn knows how to craft.
Anna Dorn is my national anthem and she can take me for all that I’ve got.
April 19, 2026
Anna Dorn really does write toxic and obsessed sapphic characters like no other.
I loved the mixed media and how Reddit especially played a big part in this story. This was both very different from anything else I’ve read and felt so real to the characters; A way to establish the fanbase and the fan-culture element.
There’s also what I would describe as a meta element in this book, which reminded me quite a lot about Anna Dorn’s 2024 release, Perfume and Pain. That last chapter really threw me for a loop and made me reconsider everything I had read up until that point. Kinda genius.
Though I was entertained for most of the book, and had a hard time putting it down, I also have to admit that the lack of depth does reflect itself in my rating of this one. I enjoyed reading about these characters, but it did oftentimes feel like the issues and conflicts at hand were very surface-level and that the book lacked when it came to actual commentary on celebrities and overall fan culture.
The publisher very kindly provided this arc through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I loved the mixed media and how Reddit especially played a big part in this story. This was both very different from anything else I’ve read and felt so real to the characters; A way to establish the fanbase and the fan-culture element.
There’s also what I would describe as a meta element in this book, which reminded me quite a lot about Anna Dorn’s 2024 release, Perfume and Pain. That last chapter really threw me for a loop and made me reconsider everything I had read up until that point. Kinda genius.
Though I was entertained for most of the book, and had a hard time putting it down, I also have to admit that the lack of depth does reflect itself in my rating of this one. I enjoyed reading about these characters, but it did oftentimes feel like the issues and conflicts at hand were very surface-level and that the book lacked when it came to actual commentary on celebrities and overall fan culture.
The publisher very kindly provided this arc through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Read
April 10, 2026We all make mistakes and this one was mine
May 26, 2026
thank you much to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced digital copy.
highly recommending this to EVERYONE.
--
this is the third or fourth book of anna dorn's that i've read and i'm starting to think she's the only one writing books that actually feel like something.
blue velour is thirty eight and wearing a diamond studded mask to the grocery store during a global pandemic and dropping hints about her personal life like she's leaving a trail of blood for the dogs. she hires a fan as her assistant. the fan runs a subreddit where she and a bunch of other freaks pick apart every lyric, interview, and instagram post trying to prove blue is fucking her producer, sasha. blue doesn't know. or maybe she does. maybe she's not as stupid as she acts. maybe she likes being watched.
then covid hits and the tour gets canceled and the three of them end up in a cabin in the redwoods making an album like some kind of cursed folklore era. and everything goes exactly how you'd expect when you lock three women who all want something from each other in a house with nowhere to go.
the book is about wanting to crawl inside someone else's skin and wear it around. about loving an artist so completely that you stop being a person and become a consumer. about how fans think they know their faves and they don't. about how being famous is probably lonely and weird and not worth it but also none of us would turn it down. about how the fantasy is always better than the reality and how we keep choosing the fantasy anyway because what else are we supposed to do.
blue is the kind of woman who has been told she's brilliant so many times she stopped trying to be anything else. she's selfish and reckless and she drinks too much and she makes bad decisions and she's never learned how to say sorry. i should hate her. i don't. dorn puts something in her characters. some chemical. some pink cocaine. i couldn't stop reading. they're not so unbelievable they feel fake, they're just swamp trash. they're interesting. this whole book feels like scrolling through ethel cain's tumblr at 3am with a cigarette burning down to the filter and a glass of something cheap.
the song lore is what got me. i'm not someone who pores over lyrics trying to decode secret messages. i have never cared about taylor swift easter eggs. but this book made me want to. dorn writes about albums that feel real enough to search for on spotify and by the end i was desperate for a companion book full of blue's lyrics and rose's lyrics too. the way a few fragments made me start connecting dots in my own head. i became the reddit freak for a little while. that's just good writing.
the queerness is messy and true. the way these women orbit each other and crash into each other and fall apart. the subreddit spends the whole novel obsessing over this epic love story between blue and sasha and we get to see that blue and sasha are just two fucked up people who are bad at being together. the fantasy never matches the reality. that's the knife twist. that's the whole point.
the ending reframes everything. i finished it and immediately wanted to start over.
dorn writes books that feel like mainlining something you shouldn't be. dirty and glittery and mean and soft in ways that sneak up on you. read it alone at night with a cigarette hanging out your mouth and a glass of something you probably shouldn't be drinking and no plans for tomorrow. this will be your favorite book of 2026.
--
THANK YOU Simon & Schuster for sending me this arc. 🥹 i didn't even have to give you my first born. ily anna dorn.
highly recommending this to EVERYONE.
--
this is the third or fourth book of anna dorn's that i've read and i'm starting to think she's the only one writing books that actually feel like something.
blue velour is thirty eight and wearing a diamond studded mask to the grocery store during a global pandemic and dropping hints about her personal life like she's leaving a trail of blood for the dogs. she hires a fan as her assistant. the fan runs a subreddit where she and a bunch of other freaks pick apart every lyric, interview, and instagram post trying to prove blue is fucking her producer, sasha. blue doesn't know. or maybe she does. maybe she's not as stupid as she acts. maybe she likes being watched.
then covid hits and the tour gets canceled and the three of them end up in a cabin in the redwoods making an album like some kind of cursed folklore era. and everything goes exactly how you'd expect when you lock three women who all want something from each other in a house with nowhere to go.
the book is about wanting to crawl inside someone else's skin and wear it around. about loving an artist so completely that you stop being a person and become a consumer. about how fans think they know their faves and they don't. about how being famous is probably lonely and weird and not worth it but also none of us would turn it down. about how the fantasy is always better than the reality and how we keep choosing the fantasy anyway because what else are we supposed to do.
blue is the kind of woman who has been told she's brilliant so many times she stopped trying to be anything else. she's selfish and reckless and she drinks too much and she makes bad decisions and she's never learned how to say sorry. i should hate her. i don't. dorn puts something in her characters. some chemical. some pink cocaine. i couldn't stop reading. they're not so unbelievable they feel fake, they're just swamp trash. they're interesting. this whole book feels like scrolling through ethel cain's tumblr at 3am with a cigarette burning down to the filter and a glass of something cheap.
the song lore is what got me. i'm not someone who pores over lyrics trying to decode secret messages. i have never cared about taylor swift easter eggs. but this book made me want to. dorn writes about albums that feel real enough to search for on spotify and by the end i was desperate for a companion book full of blue's lyrics and rose's lyrics too. the way a few fragments made me start connecting dots in my own head. i became the reddit freak for a little while. that's just good writing.
the queerness is messy and true. the way these women orbit each other and crash into each other and fall apart. the subreddit spends the whole novel obsessing over this epic love story between blue and sasha and we get to see that blue and sasha are just two fucked up people who are bad at being together. the fantasy never matches the reality. that's the knife twist. that's the whole point.
the ending reframes everything. i finished it and immediately wanted to start over.
dorn writes books that feel like mainlining something you shouldn't be. dirty and glittery and mean and soft in ways that sneak up on you. read it alone at night with a cigarette hanging out your mouth and a glass of something you probably shouldn't be drinking and no plans for tomorrow. this will be your favorite book of 2026.
--
THANK YOU Simon & Schuster for sending me this arc. 🥹 i didn't even have to give you my first born. ily anna dorn.
September 29, 2025
5⭐️ 3🌶
Wow, this book is step ahead. Hats off to the author. This is my first novel of hers. It definitely won't be the last.
She's able to craft a twisted tale, much like a high-rise water slide. Each step you take leads to a higher level of intrigue and betrayal. Platform after platform twists the views of the main characters, making you dizzy and filled with dread, but turning around and going back isn't an option. When you reach that top level and descend into the slide, knowing there's no way out, you're in too deep. You can close your eyes, but the pressure won't let up until you start the descent. The twists and turns thrash you about as the plot jettisons you to a knowing splash into the deep end. You hold on for dear life through every crazy drop and feel your stomach bottom out, praying that you make it through unscathed, knowing it's an unlikely outcome.
Her ability to bring you along this ride and evoke the time before the pandemic and the fever and unknowingness that took over during this time, all while crafting a cautionary tale of celebrity obsession, addiction fandom, and capturing the raw id of bipolar mania is a master class. This story takes place over several years, but time flies when you're watching this train crash play out.
I don't want to give too much away. The main characters, Blue, Rose, and Sasha, are all flawed. No one has moral superiority, but that is what makes this so delightful.
I was given an advanced copy for an honest review. I want to thank Netgalley and Simon publishing.
Wow, this book is step ahead. Hats off to the author. This is my first novel of hers. It definitely won't be the last.
She's able to craft a twisted tale, much like a high-rise water slide. Each step you take leads to a higher level of intrigue and betrayal. Platform after platform twists the views of the main characters, making you dizzy and filled with dread, but turning around and going back isn't an option. When you reach that top level and descend into the slide, knowing there's no way out, you're in too deep. You can close your eyes, but the pressure won't let up until you start the descent. The twists and turns thrash you about as the plot jettisons you to a knowing splash into the deep end. You hold on for dear life through every crazy drop and feel your stomach bottom out, praying that you make it through unscathed, knowing it's an unlikely outcome.
Her ability to bring you along this ride and evoke the time before the pandemic and the fever and unknowingness that took over during this time, all while crafting a cautionary tale of celebrity obsession, addiction fandom, and capturing the raw id of bipolar mania is a master class. This story takes place over several years, but time flies when you're watching this train crash play out.
I don't want to give too much away. The main characters, Blue, Rose, and Sasha, are all flawed. No one has moral superiority, but that is what makes this so delightful.
I was given an advanced copy for an honest review. I want to thank Netgalley and Simon publishing.
August 1, 2025
WTF (complimentary)
first of all, I devoured this.
second of all YESSS this book was so delicious.
I truly never knew what to expect at any moment, and in true anna dorn fashion the ending is totally and completely batshit crazy (once again, complimentary).
also, perhaps the beginning of the anna dorn cinematic universe 👀👀 love all the little hints and references to her past characters.
such a cool way to explore the theme of fan/stan culture, queer speculation, and the violence that can come along with it.
so trippy and beautiful.
also, “a vape cartridge named desire” is an unreal name for a fake song and I highkey need the lyrics.
I feel like rose on the subreddit writing this review LOL. this one will definitely stick with me.
first of all, I devoured this.
second of all YESSS this book was so delicious.
I truly never knew what to expect at any moment, and in true anna dorn fashion the ending is totally and completely batshit crazy (once again, complimentary).
also, perhaps the beginning of the anna dorn cinematic universe 👀👀 love all the little hints and references to her past characters.
such a cool way to explore the theme of fan/stan culture, queer speculation, and the violence that can come along with it.
so trippy and beautiful.
also, “a vape cartridge named desire” is an unreal name for a fake song and I highkey need the lyrics.
I feel like rose on the subreddit writing this review LOL. this one will definitely stick with me.
Want to Read
June 21, 2025Anna Dorn is the chaotic queer author we all need in our lives.
April 17, 2026
historically accurate gaylor. this was fantastic and very gay and very fun. i loved the ending 😭
May 6, 2026
4.5 ⭐️
I’m having one of those “what did I just read?” moments, but in a good way.
I’m having one of those “what did I just read?” moments, but in a good way.
December 1, 2025
R/AnnaDorn'sIconic ⚫️ posted by u/read.weirdbooks ⚫️ November 2025
AMERICAN SPIRITS HER BEST YET ?!?!?!
OMG, OMG, OMG. Has anyone else gotten their greedy paws on Anna Dorn's latest (and greatest?) novel 'American Spirits'? Or am I suppose to hold in all my thoughts about this book until it's release in April? Because I don't think I can. I will combust.
Okay, so like this book is about two different women (okay well technically three). Blue Velour, who is bit of a wild card and quite self destructive, is a famous singer about to embark on a tour of her new album through small-town America. Rose, a die hard Blue fan, is the creator of subreddit where they analyze everything Blue does and says to figure out all the subtle ways she's trying to tell her fans that she is secretly in a relationship with her producer, Sasha. Rose is given the opportunity to become Blue's new assistant (!!!), which is like a dream come true. But COVID hits, canceling the tour and causing the three women to escape to a remote cabin in the woods where Blue is determined to create a new album. But Rose, who wants to have everything Blue has in life (including Sasha), takes this as an opportunity to get her own foot in the door for the music industry.
I love books about parasocial relationships, especially completely delusional ones where they will try to find meaning in every little thing the celebrity does. This was totally a modern take on the movie "All About Eve". Nobody writes toxic women and toxic sapphic relationships like Dorn.
I was like totally side eyeing the last couple chapters (like Anna wtf is this cheese fest?) But then BAM the final little tidbit! I died. Literally dead. I was soo floored! I never saw it coming I have to admit. Anna you got me good! This is the kind of book you want swiped from your memory to read all over again.
(P.s. if you are new to my reviews please know I swear I don't actually talk like this, I'm replicating reddit posters from the book.
Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the free arc in exchange for my honest review.
AMERICAN SPIRITS HER BEST YET ?!?!?!
OMG, OMG, OMG. Has anyone else gotten their greedy paws on Anna Dorn's latest (and greatest?) novel 'American Spirits'? Or am I suppose to hold in all my thoughts about this book until it's release in April? Because I don't think I can. I will combust.
Okay, so like this book is about two different women (okay well technically three). Blue Velour, who is bit of a wild card and quite self destructive, is a famous singer about to embark on a tour of her new album through small-town America. Rose, a die hard Blue fan, is the creator of subreddit where they analyze everything Blue does and says to figure out all the subtle ways she's trying to tell her fans that she is secretly in a relationship with her producer, Sasha. Rose is given the opportunity to become Blue's new assistant (!!!), which is like a dream come true. But COVID hits, canceling the tour and causing the three women to escape to a remote cabin in the woods where Blue is determined to create a new album. But Rose, who wants to have everything Blue has in life (including Sasha), takes this as an opportunity to get her own foot in the door for the music industry.
I love books about parasocial relationships, especially completely delusional ones where they will try to find meaning in every little thing the celebrity does. This was totally a modern take on the movie "All About Eve". Nobody writes toxic women and toxic sapphic relationships like Dorn.
I was like totally side eyeing the last couple chapters (like Anna wtf is this cheese fest?) But then BAM the final little tidbit! I died. Literally dead. I was soo floored! I never saw it coming I have to admit. Anna you got me good! This is the kind of book you want swiped from your memory to read all over again.
(P.s. if you are new to my reviews please know I swear I don't actually talk like this, I'm replicating reddit posters from the book.
Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the free arc in exchange for my honest review.
April 30, 2026
Bruh what
April 21, 2026
(4.75) i really hope lana del rey reads this
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