This book was well written and entertaining, but also not what I expected. It was historical fiction without ACTUALLY being historical fiction. 3 stars, probably will read another book by this author before I write them off entirely.

This was a challenging and confusing read and listening to the audiobook while reading the digital book only provided some mild entertainment. This story would be better told in a visual format as there is too much going on that it looses it's "star" appeal. I enjoyed some of this author's previous books but this one felt too busy.

The plot is set in 1970's Los Angeles' where the young and beautiful flocked to parties where drinking and drugs were commonplace. The road to success is rocky even for those from wealthy families. Aside from those who long for a spot on the screen, there is Beatrice DuPont, who makes her living behind a camera. She works for Vogue and Rolling Stone and attends all the society parties recording history in on film. She is a transplant from New York and surprised to find her long ago "crush", Kai de la Faire, living in LA. He's not only rising to fame but is attached to Evra Scott, the fashion diva of Sunset on Sunset, an exclusive boutique for the rich and famous in LA.

There are strong connections between the characters that build and demolish as the years pass and some rise to stardom while others aren't so fortunate. Scattered among the rich and soon-to-be famous are people who aren't who they claim to be. The writing flows but the plot feels cluttered with many stories and developed characters who all seem to be entwined. It's difficult to really find many likeable characters as they are all pretty flawed some with better intentions than others. I felt there was too much "in the middle" and the story exposed the secrets and lies and wrapped up in the end. It just felt like a longer journey to get there.

Many thanks to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me access to read this digital book. My review of this book is my honest and unbiased opinion. All comments are expressly my own.

Thank you to netgalley.com for this ARC.

I have read other books by this author and enjoyed the story lines and the strong sense of the descriptions of the places that the stories that place in.
This was just as good. Reading it felt like I was in LA during the 1970's. While the story line was a bit predictable in places, it was entertaining and a quick read. This is a good companion read to Daisy Jones and the Six if you like that time period and genre.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of The Sunset Crowd by Karin Tanabe in exchange for my honest review and opinion. This is a great book talking about life in the 70's and being in with the "in" crowd. Very interesting read that at times felt like historical fiction but wasn't. Highly recommend.

This book is not at all what I had expected it to be. I felt like there was going to be a little more glam, and a little more fame and sparkle. Instead, I felt like some scenes were dragging out and a few random unnecessary characters. The California setting and time frame did add a little to the book, so there was enjoyment, just not my most favorite.

I expected more from this book. It was just okay for me. I felt like there was a lot of build up to something but then no action.

I was truly looking forward to reading this book and was excited to receive an ARC. But this missed the mark for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

I won’t go into too many details about, as I don’t want to spoil anything. But I will say that I really loved how the author wrote their characters and presented them all raw and unpolished. Plus, I vibed with the writing style as well.

i loved the sound of this one. 70s, LA, the party scene, the french riveria...so much promise. it was fun, but not my favorite.

This book was an interesting mix of celebrity and drama. Evra has power because of who her parents are. She can integrate the celebrity crowds with ease. Her store, Sunset on Sunset is the place to visit and where the Sunset Crowd meets. Theodora appears and ingratiates herself into the Sunset Crowd, but what does she really want from everyone?

Bea and Kai add an interesting dynamic. Who wants to be with who? Who has power over who?

The characters were well written, at times I wanted to root for them and at times I couldn’t stand them. It made me want to see what was going to become of everyone.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my ARC of this book.

Unfortunately not much action and not many likeable characters in this book. Hollywood 1970's scene-fake glamour. Want to be's and up and comers. Just didn't hold my interest.

I'm going to be honest - this fantastic cover was absolutely wasted on this drag of a book. I HAD to pick this up...but then had to put it back down. Unfortunately, The Sunset Crowd just missed the mark for me. It goes on and on without anything happening and introduces a long list of characters that are hard to keep track of. I've heard good things about Karin Tanabe and hope her next attempt hits the mark.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

After hearing this book had a very Daisy Jones and the Six-like feel, I was really intrigued! What followed was meeting and experiencing a whole cast of vapid characters - very few were likable. I did find that the final ~40% of the book caught my attention most of all, and it was very interesting to get an inside look at the sex, drugs, and rock & roll era of 1970's Hollywood along with a bit of mystery.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Such a good novel about the fake glitter of Tinseltown! You are going to love and hate the characters, and feel the deep pull of their desires. The combination of real and fake is as alluring as LA and all that it has to offer.

I really enjoyed this book a lot I liked the 1970's LA scene: rock stars and models and fashionistas and rich people behaving badly. I usually get tired fo the rich people behaving badly, when you make them Hollywood types, I'm in. We follow a group who hang around Sunset on Sunset, the coolest sounding clothing store ever. The main character Bea Dupont is a NY transplant via boarding school in Switzerland. She sees herself as outside of the scene, but really she is in the middle. Add in a very wealthy, very sexy young woman who threatens to take over, and it's quite a ride!

This seemed to have my kind of vibe - set in the 70’s in LA with a cast of characters that are part of the Hollywood elite. There are a lot of characters and some seemed unnecessary. The story was predictable and it was really obvious what was going to happen. That being said, I loved the drama!

I was really looking forward to reading this novel. I have previously read Karin Tanabe’s Women of Intelligence, which I loved. However, I could not connect with this story. Thank you #NetGalley, #StMartin’sPress, #KarinTanabe and #TheSunsetCrowd for the novel for my honest review.

It was going to be a one-star for me except the last 1/3 picked up a bit. I just didn't like any of the characters and I guess I don't care enough about Hollywood or celebrity to find a story like this interesting. Endlessly naming celebrities just doesn't do it for me.

Sunset is the place to be for young ingenues and up-and-coming luminaries in the rock world and Hollywood in the 1970s. Evra Scott, child of a famous actor and director, runs this clothing boutique where celebrities, socialites, and other stars buy their frocks for parties, restaurant openings, and the red carpet. Bea Dupont captures it all on camera for magazines like Vogue and Rolling Stone. Then Theodora Leigh becomes part of their crowd, a woman striving to be a successful producer. Their lives will never be the same in The Sunset Crowd by Karin Tanabe.

I wanted to love this book. It contains all the elements of a good read for me--the 1970s, rock stars, journalists, celebrities, decadence, scandals, and jet-setting. I strapped myself in for a good time and all the thrills of this lifestyle through vicarious means. It starts off pretty well but pretty soon became lackluster.

The writing is good and deliciously descriptive. I liked how the author wove the names of hot shot celebrities from the time into the story without sounding like name-dropping. You never felt like the celebrity wasn't brought up without a reason, but the main characters really didn't hold sway with me.

I liked the narrator, Bea Dupont, who was from a wealthy, cultured family from the East Coast. She rebels against convention to become a photographer, and I thought her perspective was good. The other characters didn't stand out that much to the point where some blended together. And Bea's unrequited love interest was so bland and dull to me even though he was portrayed as dynamic and exciting.

Towards the end, the book does pick up, but it's so far from the beginning that I believe some readers will lose interest before that time. One reveal I caught onto halfway through the book, but the other was shocking. I think that some intrigue was lost until about 80 percent of the book, which is a shame. There was potential in this book, but it was boring in too many parts. I think it's more of a 2.5 than a 3-star book.

Wow!
I agree with a lot of reviews, this will make a wonderful show/film if it gets chosen to be adapted!
I would love to see it onscreen!
Very articulate, descriptive storytelling by the author. I would read more written by her.
Yes, lots to absorb in the beginning but definitely worth it at the end!

Thankyou to author Karin Tanabe, Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for tte opportunity to read this ahead of publication date.
Charlene @lastnownext 📚🌸🤗