This book starts out as a behind the scenes look at the 1970s Hollywood party scene. The jet-setting and the partying and the it girls. The plot thickens once Theodora Leigh enters the group and shakes everything up.

The main characters are fun and well developed, even if they aren’t all likeable. The story is very character driven. The writing is good, but the beginning did take a little time to pick up. Once it picked up it really had me hooked for the rest of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy.

This was a good book. The first half of the book is slower but it does pick up. I decided to see if I could read this in advanced since I saw reviews saying it gave a Daisy and the Six vibes and I loved that book so I wanted to check this out. I'm glad I did. I would would recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this ARC in advanced.

I really enjoyed this story and honestly could not put it down. The characters just drew me in - they were all flawed and so well developed. The foreshadowing was heavy but I think some of the final twist could be seen coming - some of it was more of a surprise. I enjoyed my time spent in the Sunset world very much and would definitely recommend it to others!

I am an avid fan of both Karin Tanabe and historical fiction, so I was thrilled when I had a chance to read her newest novel, “Sunset Crowd.”

Karin Tanabe excels at creating compelling characters that are set in different eras of history. Her stories tend to focus on women struggling to find their place. Here, we meet Bea DuPont, a young photographer living in Los Angeles during the seventies. Her best friend is Evra who is Queen of the “it” crowd. Then there is Theodora, who is gorgeous, but is more interested in producing movies versus acting in them. Then there is Kai, with ties to all three women.

Because this is a book about Hollywood, you expect it to feel slightly glitzy and over the top, which is does. Also, there are a lot of characters in this book and it took me awhile to get into the story. If I wasn’t reviewing this, I might have stopped and turned to something else. But it does get better once you get a third of the way through the book.

Three stars.

Thanks to Karin Tanabe, the publisher, and Net Galley for my advanced copy

I read this book as many reviews mentioned this would be perfect for fans of Daisy Jones and the Six, and while I enjoyed it, I’m not sure I agree. It has many of the same elements, but this feels much more for the celebrity obsessed. The first half of the book is very slow, and while the ending does have some unexpected twists, much of it is predictable. I did enjoy how much time we truly spent in our lead, Bea’s, head. We see her growth and change throughout the year we follow. The conclusion did leave something to be desired for me, but overall, I did really enjoy the book.

I relate to Beatrice Dupont in so many ways. Smart, driven, and highly educated, she learned early on how to read people and preferred to surround herself with fun, aspirational types rather than her family's staid set. She is a rebel, eschewing polite society in New York City to work as a professional photographer in LA. She ingratiates herself with the jet set on Sunset to create the fun and exciting life she craves, and to be close to Kai de la Faire, the man she's secretly adored since boarding school. And it goes great! But change comes with Theodora Leigh - a surprising addition to the group who has secrets of her own - and with it, myriad questions for Bea. Intrigue and deception occur, and Bea needs to decide just why she's chosen Hollywood and this life after all.

The settings and supporting characters of this novel are so FUN - a hip boutique on Sunset owned by the daughter of Hollywood royalty, all-night parties with rock stars and actors, meals at the finest dining establishments, the CANNES FILM FESTIVAL. Bea is the heart of the story - she fits in everywhere she goes, making friends throughout, and has her reasons for everything she does. I love how Theodora's arrival doesn't inspire envy in Bea, despite her immediate closeness with Kai's girlfriend Evra Scott, the aforementioned boutique owner, and Kai himself. I also loved the dynamics of the friend group - they seemed loving and supportive, the opposite of what you'd expect from those making their ways in Tinseltown. When seeds of doubt creep in, no one gets defensive or snarky. I felt real connection between characters.

To avoid giving up too much, I'll just recommend picking up The Sunset Crowd and ingratiating yourself with Bea, Kai, Evra, and the rest. The writing is good, and it's an easy read that was over too soon. This would be an excellent choice for book clubs, or for readers who have enjoyed the novels of Taylor Jenkins Reid, particularly Daisy Jones and the Six or The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.

***Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!***

I did not like this book. The first half of the book focused on just character development which was clearly established in the first 50 pages. Then things picked well in the second half/at page 200. The drama finally kicked in and it ended kinda strong.

I can tell you right now that no one, NO ONE, wants to read a book about nepotism babies. We don’t feel sorry for them or emotional attached, especially in this book. They were acting so dramatic, like their lives were so hard. It was annoying to hear them complain about how affected they were by their parents.

Also, the ending? It was so stupid that she was in love with Kai since high school. And that he loved her since then too. She was literally bashing him for getting together with one of his ex’s friends, and then immediately turned around and did the same thing within the same conversation. I will say that Kai dying was really good. But Theadora not getting caught, Evra doing the same thing, and Bea doing nothing, it just showed that the entire plot was useless. Bad ending.

Book received for free through NetGalley

Read 12% of the way into this book but kept starting and stopping and ultimately forgot about it. Figured it was better to review as is. It was written well just not my cup of tea.

I found it hard to put this story down every night, I was so curious what would happen next in this novel looking back at a time in Beatrice DuPont’s life when she hung with the Sunset Crowd, navigating fame, friendships, and one seemingly futile, lifelong crush. I loved that the supporting characters were well developed enough that they could hold their own as plot lines. Évra Scott, descendant of Hollywood royalty, Theodora Leigh, former Paramount assistant with a mysterious past and questionable motives, and Kai de la Faire, wealthy Hawaiian ingénue with insecurities about his next venture: all of them were visible characters in my mind as Bea reminisced about fashion, photography, and the politics behind fame in the 70s. I enjoyed the references to fashion houses, actresses and rock stars which added to the narrative in my imagination. I also appreciated that the author wove so many important themes into the book including the changing role of women at the time, and the difficulty with speaking out when oppressed or abused, by family or in the workplace. None of the characters were perfect, but they were relatable and I empathized even with the one I disliked most. This is a book I could easily picture as a movie, it was so well played out in words and scenes, from Hollywood to Cannes.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read this advance copy.

A fan of Karin Tanabe's prior novels, I was excited to receive an early ARC of her latest. This story of 1970's Hollywood has a lot of glitz, glamour, high fashion, model thin film personalities and more, but it takes a while to engage with the characters, most of whom are not the most likable. It's hard to initially relate to the challenges of Bea Dupont, born into the wealthy New York Dupont family, who tries to make her name as a rebel bohemian LA photographer while never giving up her Gucci shoes. Same with her best friend Evra, daughter to Hollywood royalty who is challenged in multiple ways by the male-dominated and misogyny that pervades the film industry well before the MeToo movement exposed much of the worst male power-based behavior in the entertainment world we have all come to know. Enter Theodora Leigh as a mysterious new social climber with her effortless glamour and the aura of the Sunset Crowd becomes a bubble soon to be burst. While the first half of the book is slow, I stuck with it and am glad I did. Tanabe captures the vibe of the Hollywood and Cannes movie scene during the 1970's and ultimately compels the reader to want to know what happens to Bea, Evra, Theodora, and Kai, the Hawaiian screenwriter who is tied to each of them romantically throughout the story. In the end, the story itself was as dramatic as a 1970's movie about making movies in the 1970s. Fans of Daisy Jones and the Six will enjoy this read - I recommend it! Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC!

I really wanted to like this book but it's a no from me. Full transparency: I did DNF at the 53% mark. It was so slow, so boring, there was nothing to pull me in. I really didn't like any of the characters and the plot was lacking. There wasn't enough intrigue to keep my attention unfortunately.

The Sunset Crowd by Karin Tanabe was an excellent read.
My first time reading Tanabe's stuff and I have to say I really enjoyed this story.
At first I wasn't so sure it would grab me. But as I read on I quickly got sucked into the story of these glittering characters their success and stardom.
I found the writing to be compelling and wonderfully done.
Gritty, glamorous and gripping.
I absolutely loved this book.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

stars Kindle Copy for Review from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press.

I received a free, advance copy of this book and this is my unbiased and voluntary review.

Hollywood in the 1970’s and the struggles of being aa child of an Oscar actress. The fame and fortunes for your own recognition in a world where you are judge for not who you are but who you know. Life isn’t easy and not knowing who to trust.

Fans of Daisy and the Six will enjoy this book.