L.A. Women by Ella Berman is a sumptuous, slow-burn novel that weaves together ambition, friendship, and betrayal against the glittering but haunted backdrop of 1960s–70s Los Angeles. Berman’s prose is rich, evocative, and luminous—transporting the reader into the Laurel Canyon scenes, the bohemian parties, and the tensions hidden behind polite smiles. At its heart are Lane and Gala, two writers whose rivalry, admiration, and guilt are so tangled that the mystery of Gala’s disappearance becomes as much about what neither of them has said as what may have happened. Through alternating timelines, the book does an excellent job of showing how time warps memory, how envy can both inspire and poison, and how creative lives are shaped by more than talent—they’re shaped by fear, longing, and compromise. If you enjoy character-driven historical fiction with moral complexity and emotional weight, L.A. Women will linger with you long after the last page.

Berman captures the glitter and grit of Los Angeles with sharp insight. This novel feels both glamorous and devastatingly human.

I loved this book. I was fascinated by both the time period and the relationship between the two women. The descriptions of the Laurel Canyon party scene were fascinating. Highly recommended!

I liked the premise of this book, 2 women's journeys in 60s & 70s Hollywood. However, the storylines & characters did not draw me in. I was curioius to see how it would all unfold, but it was a long drawn out story. The timeline alternated back & forth which left things a bit unclear at times. The characters were hard to relate to. I did appreciate the struggle both women went through in finding their identity as successful talented women in that period in time. Charlie's struggles also seemed authentic to the time period. It felt like a longer than necessary story for an unsatisfying ending. It felt like the story could have been told in less pages. The book dragged on.

I think this would make a beautiful screen adaptation with amazing sets & costuming. Maybe the story would be better told on the screen, if the audience were to see it come to life.

Full of glitz, glam and gluttonous betrayal, this fictional book is a look at complex women and how the Hollywood scene chews them up and spits them out. Using time jumps spanning across a decade, the reader learns the good, bad and ugly of two multifaceted women writers in an affluent LA party scene.

The deep rooted insecurities and competitive cutthroat frenemy vibe is perfect for fans of “Yellowface,” minus the race fishing.

L. A. WOMEN, penned by Ella Berman, tells the story of a complicated love/hate relationship between two women whose fate is forged on the 1960’s party scene of L.A.

Gala Margolis is a socialite who meets Lane Warren on the party scene in the 1960s. Lane was a struggling author and Gala was a party girl who also dabbled in writing. This connection forges a bond between Lane and Gala, with a relationship that causes them to dip in and out of each other’s lives over the years. Lane becomes a #1 best selling author with her book, Paradise Found. But she always harbour’s resentment at Gala’s slow rise to stardom. Gala falls for and nurtures Gabriel Ford, lead man for the band Belle Vue. Gabriel is the love of Gala’ s life and she does everything in her power, and money to make the band the hit it becomes. But when tragedy strikes, Gala disappears. Lane is hired to write a book about Gala and their relationship. But she harbour’s a betrayal that ultimately changed the lives of both women. Can she find Gala to participate in writing the book and ask for forgiveness, or will she be forced to only tell part of the story? Through all this is Charlie McCloud, publicity head for a record label who is friends with both women. Lane’s ex,, Scotty, also has a hand in the lives of both women.

I really enjoyed this novel. I thought the characters were very well developed and I enjoyed seeing the intertwining of all of these lives together. I was invested in whether or not Lane would find Gala and to learn what really happened all those years ago. I believe this is my first Ella Berman novel, but it will not be my last. She will be on my list of authors to watch.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing Group for this ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

This book looked interesting, and I have liked Berman's writing before, but this was just not good. I loved the cover and the premise was ok but not terribly original but the writing was very generic and it felt like a dozen books I'd read before.

Who doesn’t love a story that’s part throw back, a bit rock and roll, drugs, sex, female friendships/frenemies, betrayal, motherhood, and about people who write great literature! I really enjoyed diving into the relationship between Lane and Gala, the ups and downs and mysterious connection that keeps them coming together and pulling apart. There’s a lot going on in this story, but it works. The varied layers and subplots add and don’t distract from the mystery of what happened to Gala. Lane can’t rest until she figures it out, but not everyone thinks she should be digging into her disappearance. Great book

this was a really fun exploration of the 1960’s hollywood scene! very reminiscent of the taylor jenkins reid hollywood series but with different types of characters.

the two main characters of this story are a writer named lane and her “friend” gala who was a known party girl that inspired a lot of notorious men of the time. both are very complex female characters and we follow their complicated friendship through many years and important events. the two have a rivalry that only seems to grow stronger as the years go on.. but at the same time, their friendship seems to grow stronger as well. another main focus of the book seems to be gender roles of the time.

this book explores themes of addiction and grief in pretty great detail, so just be aware of that if that’s something that might be triggering.

overall, i think that this book was very well written and hit all of the points it was trying to. it did feel a bit like there was TOO much going on at times and that made it hard to remember what was happening, but the characters were likable (even when they weren’t— if that makes sense😆)

if you like a nitty gritty historical fiction, you’d definitely like this one!!

The writing is the strength of this book. Ella Berman does a beautiful job with the writing and I really enjoyed the flow of the prose. The story is difficult to get through at times but I found it moving by the end. The characters are flawed and troubled. We never fully get a deep view into their motivations but their air of mystery really adds to the story. I did not end this book feeling uplifted by any means but the rawness of the story will sit with me. I think that is a marker of a book done well.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts are mine alone.

LA Women, Ella Berman’s latest novel, skyrocketed to the top of my TBR after I learned it was not only about two ambitious female writers, but that it took place in sun-drenched Los Angeles and promised to be oozing with Laurel Canyon vibes.

In 1970s California, former literary darling Lane Warren is back with a new book deal with the potential to send her back into stardom. The catch? The novel is a thinly-veiled tell-all about the free-spirited Gala Margolis, her sometimes-friend, sometimes-rival. Gala’s been missing for months—leaving Lane to wonder if she’s crossing a boundary by publishing Gala’s story. The novel then heads ten years back into the past, when Lane and Gala meet in the LA party scene, with Gala offering Lane literary advice. When Gala’s literary star begins to rise, Lane grows envious and eventually does something she won’t ever be able to take back.

While I really enjoyed this novel, it’s certainly not for everyone. At just over 400 pages, it’s a slowburn that often focuses more on character than plot development. With timelines swaying back and forth between the 1960s and the 1970s, it’s full of not only glitzy details about parties and fashion, but historical and political discussion on topics like sexuality, race, and abortion. While it feels like Taylor Jenkins Reid that regard, I think some readers might feel that it’s a bit slow and more literary than her work.

The thing I loved most about this novel was the allusions to the complex relationship between Joan Didion and Eve Babitz. While this isn’t a direct fictionalization about them, the parallels are fascinating. I also loved the way this novel explored what it takes to be a woman in the spotlight and who has the right to tell someone’s life story.

This is the first book I’ve read by Ella Berman and I really enjoyed it! I loved the story of two strong women trying to make it. Their relationship gets woven into the story as well. Definitely recommend!

i was swept up by the vintage allure, the tangled bond between women, and the sharp take on artistic rivalry. while some turns felt familiar, the tension was irresistible. berman writes with cinematic heat that makes it hard to look away.

Wow ..this story really took me back to my childhood. I was born to a drug addicted mother. Now that's she has passed I always wonder what her plans were for her life before all the bad that happened and this tale of dreams and how life can really interrupt those dreams. I love when women friendships are the theme of a story because I enjoy the nuances and complexities of friendships. Add drugs and rock and roll and yeah it's complex as hell.

Would you do whatever it takes to get the life that you have envied for so long? What are you willing to risk? Your morals or your self-worth? These are some of the questions that the characters of this story should ask themselves. The characters are two rivals in their field. One is a rising star, and the other wants that life. Set in the nostalgic 1960s where the atmosphere was filled with free love and fascination. The writing sensational and the characters are very entertaining. The plot keeps the reader engaged and wanting to read more. A nice thrilling and dreamy ride. A well written book.

Disclaimer: Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for this review copy and I am writing this review voluntarily.

An unflinching look into the complexity of female friendships and societal expectations placed on women at any given time during some of the most tumultuous decades in our history.

i liked the beginning of this book, but ultimately the joan didion and eve babitz of it all made me feel uncomfortable — it was too similar to the two of them to feel ethical or unpredictable but too dissimilar to really pique my interest.

Thank you Berkley Pub for the free book and thank you PRH Audio for my #gifted listening copy of L.A. Women! #BerkleyBookstagram #BerkleyIG #berkley #berkleypub #PRHAudioPartner #PRHAInfluencer #LAWomen #EllaBerman

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐋.𝐀. 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐄𝐥𝐥𝐚 𝐁𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧
𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫: 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐋𝐲𝐧𝐧 𝐊𝐮𝐧𝐠
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟓, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

𝟰★

I’m a big fan of Ella Berman so I was so excited for this book! This was definitely a slow burn read and was very character driven. I thought Berman did an excellent job crafting such flawed characters in Gale and Lane. This was a heavy read at times and I thought the author did a really good job incorporating some difficult topics such as addiction and parental neglect.

When Lane Warren gets the book deal of a lifetime she is ready to take her career back to the top again. The only problem is, the book deal she secured involves writing about the life of her friend and sometimes rival Gale Margolis. And Gale has been missing for months. Now, Lane must confront something that changed both of their lives.

💙Hollywood in the 1960s and 1970s
💙Two Writers
💙Complicated Relationships
💙A Book About Books
💙Female Friendship & Drama
💙Character Driven

🎧The audiobook was narrated by Grace Lynn Kung, who I thought did an excellent job with this dual timeline novel. I believe this was my first time listening to Kung and I would definitely listen to more audiobooks by her in the future. She was dynamic and did a great job bringing this character driven novel to life.

Posted on Goodreads on August 27, 2025: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around August 27, 2025: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on August 27, 2025
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A story of two rivals / friends in 1960s/70s LA. Reminiscent of Taylor Jenkins Reid - I enjoyed the themes explored, but lacked connecting with the characters. Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the opportunity to read an advanced copy.

I am sorry to say that I ultimately decided to DNF this book. It started off okay and I was definitely intrigued to learn more about the characters, how their lives were intertwined, where the story was going, etc. But the further along I got, the less interested and engaged I became. I realized at nearly 40% in that I didn't care about the storyline at all and that I could put the book down and never care or wonder what happened to the characters or where the story led. I was bored for quite a while but persisted in the hopes it would get better. Once I got to 40% and it was a struggle to pick the book up each time, I decided it was time to quit.

There is nothing specifically or inherently wrong with the book. It could also be a case of it just being the wrong time for me to read it, but for whatever reason, it wasn't working for me at all.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the e-arc, I am sorry that I ultimately had to DNF it!