3.5 stars

Thanks so much to Berkley and NetGalley for the advance copy of this recent release! This story of friendship, rivalry, and emotional scars was a slow burn yet compelling read.

In 1960s Los Angeles, two women met for the first time at a party. Lane was a writer with a penchant for telling the unvarnished truth; Gala was a socialite who seemed to find her way to every party and event worth her time, invitation or no. Each finds the other curious, yet at first they don’t realize how complex they both are.

Little by little, the two women develop a friendship. Lane values Gala’s intelligence and creativity; Gala believes that Lane has real writing talent. After the publication of Lane’s first novel, their relationship starts to weaken, because Gala suddenly becomes the toast of the town, leaving Lane in her dust.

Ten years later, Lane has the handsome husband and adorable children, as well as the beautiful house. And she’s finally found a way back into literary stardom: a book about Gala, tracing her meteoric rise. While excitement for the book is building, so are mystery and fear: no one has seen Gala for months. It’s almost as if she disappeared into thin air.

I love the nostalgic feel of the book; Ella Berman does a great job capturing the setting and the vibes of both decades. Both women have dealt with real emotional upheaval and pain, and both impact the decisions they make.

I didn’t find Lane or Gala particularly likable or sympathetic, but I was still interested in their stories. This reminded me a little of Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid. The book was definitely an emotional one.

Lane and Gala are frenemies. They are both making a name for themselves in the L.A. literary scene. Gala is Laurel Canyon’s resident party girl and self-proclaimed muse. Lane is a journalist whose debut novel was a bestseller that was followed by a sophomore flop. Gala has essentially fallen into writing, but for Lane writing is what defines her.

The story is told using two timelines, 1965 to 1976 follows the arc of their toxic friendship and the toxicity of other relationships and the people around them. The 1975-76 timeline focuses on Gala missing and its impact on Lane.

I thought this was going to be a brain candy, guilty read kind of book, but it turned out to be heavier than anticipated in a good way with topics ranging from heavy topics addiction to infidelity. There is also a lot of insight into the complex nature of female friendships and women that don’t live according to the expectations placed on them by society (aka “The Difficult Woman” or “The Hysterical Woman”). The story ends in the perfectly imperfect, hopeful way that I love. Highly recommend this one. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.

This book takes you into the glamourous yet messy world of 1960s Hollywood, as we follow the toxic/complex friendship and the lives of Gala and Lane. Lane is a successful writer dealing with her own personal issues and Gala is party girl.

It was a character driven story with a little bit of mystery. I loved the atmosphere, the multiple perspectives of the two women and the jumping around of the timelines. It definitely was a slow burn read. Both characters were unlikeable, and I felt there was no resolution at the end. Unfortunately, this was just an okay read to me.

Berman does a great job of setting up an atmospheric feel of the town and era, but I found Lane and Gala so unlikeable that it was hard for me to make an emotional connection to the book in general. I can generally handle unlikeable characters, but this one just never found its footing for me.

This was a book that grew on me. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it (or the characters), until I continued reading. I had to know how each of the women’s stories ended regardless of how I felt about them. I also really liked the character of Charlie, who was a best friend to Lane.

Thank you to Ella Berman, Berkley Publishing Group, and Netgalley for the ARC. My review is voluntary, and all opinions are mine.

I wanted to like this book. The time period and are of Laurel Canyon interested me, but unfortunately, I have to be honest. I couldn't work up any enthusiasm for any of the characters. I am an avid reader, but this book put me to sleep any time I started to read. Maybe it wasn't my cup of tea.

3.5 stars
I love a book set in Hollywood/LA in the 1960s! This one had a strong start for me and I was hooked from the beginning. It started to dip for me in the second half as things were revealed about our two main characters. But maybe that’s the point- both women were fairly shallow and we weren’t meant to root for them all the time anyway!

I was so excited to read this book because it was said to be similar to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. I think the only similarity is that it is based in old Hollywood. This book did not pull me in and I was did not care about the characters, nor did I relate to them. I really wanted to love this book, but it just fell short for me.

Gala and Lane, both writers living in LA, are about as different as two people can be. Gala is a free spirit with a devil-may-care attitude. She believes in living life to the fullest. Lane, who experienced a traumatic childhood, is cautious and controlled. The story follows the two women as up-and-comers in Hollywood, in all its gritty and glitzy glory. It takes place in the 60s and 70s, and alternates between the past and the present, giving perspective to the characters. When I first started the book, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to finish it, but about 1/3 of the way through, the story found its groove. I couldn't put it down. The women are the main characters in this one, with men in the 'supporting' roles, but if you've read any of Ella Berman's other books--I've read <i>The Comeback</i>, you know that women's lives in Hollywood are her specialty.

Set in the swinging ‘60’s and early to mid ‘70’s, L.A. Women is a lyrical, somewhat gritty tale of two very different women who become accidental friends…well not friends, exactly.
Lane is a successful writer fresh from New York ready to take on Hollywood and the west coast literary scene. Gala is a glittering bohemian and sometimes groupie, ready and willing to transform want-to-be rockstars and artists into something shiny.
Matching the tumultuous times, L.A. Women embraces controversial (for the era) themes of women’s rights, abortion, substance abuse and homosexuality. The plot is solid, although not ground breaking, and while the pace is slow, the alternating POV helps keep the reader engaged. A great vacation read, perfect for fans of historical fiction. 4 1/2 ⭐️

As an LA person, I found LA Women to be enthralling. It is the story of two female writers in LA in the late 1960s and 1970s. This had all of the Daisy Jones kind of vibes - wild parties in Laurel Canyon, rock stars on drugs, the early beginnings of the fight for LGBTQ rights, the women trying to assert feminism and make their way. It was messy and heartbreaking and yet so fun to get lost in that world. I loved reading about what life was like back then. So different from the LA that I know now.

Set in Los Angeles in the 1960s and 1970s, L.A. Women is a vibrant, transportive character study centered on two complex women. In the 1960s, Lane Warren is the darling of the literary world after her intensely personal break-out debut novel, and Gala Margolis is a free-spirited party girl who Lane is drawn to immediately. Gala and Lane, complete opposites in nearly every way, strike up what is not exactly a friendship, but more a mutual respect for and appreciation of each other. In the 1970s, their relationship has soured, and Lane is trying to salvage a failing career. When she starts writing again, it’s about Gala – but then her muse disappears without a trace, leaving Lane scrambling for answers and inspiration.

L.A. Women is an immersive novel rich with atmosphere, transporting the reader into the sights and sounds of Los Angeles with all its glitz, glamour, and grittiness. What I appreciated about this novel the most is Ella Berman’s willingness to craft unapologetically unlikable characters. Gala and Lane are not “easy,” agreeable women; they are complicated and incredibly flawed, each of them somewhat toxic in their own way – and that toxicity affects their most meaningful relationships in a variety of damaging ways. Berman uses these women to explore the complexities of womanhood and motherhood, friendship, addiction, romantic relationships, and self-awareness and -improvement, all set against the backdrop of a captivating historical setting.

This truly is a character study that delves deeply into the psyches of its characters; it’s more about getting to know who these women are, and why they are the way they are, than any major plot events. And I found it incredibly compelling in the way that it peeled back the layers of Gala and Lane so the reader could truly understand what motivated them and why they interacted the way they did. Berman totally sucked me in with her complex characterizations, and that kept me engaged just as much as, if not more than, the secondary mystery of Gala’s disappearance. Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group for the early reading opportunity.

Gifted by @berkleypub, this was my ONLY 5-star read of July—smart, sharp, fabulously L.A., and totally addictive.

Set across dual timelines in the 60s and 70s, this one’s got Laurel Canyon vibes, a missing “friend”, and the story of two very different, very talented women. Sun-soaked secrets and ambition = unputdownable. If you love messy women and 60s Hollywood nostalgia, don’t sleep on this one. ✨📚

If you like your historical fiction moody, messy, and soaked in complicated female dynamics, L.A. Women is for you. It’s about ambition and ownership, truth and betrayal, and how the stories we tell—about others and ourselves—can become their own kind of weapon. I didn’t expect this one to hit so hard, but here we are. Highly recommend.

I loved Ella Berman's Before We Were Innocent and really wanted to like L.A. Women, but I think it was probably a mismatch for me. I don't love fictionalized retellings of real lives, (T.C Boyle's The Inner Circle, for instance). I think a lot of readers will find enough depth in this to explore the characters and messiness but also to enjoy the frivolity and fun in parts of it.

A vividly describe piece of historical fiction, with shades of Daisy Jones and the Six, L.A. Women focuses on Gala, an woman whose reputation precedes her in 1960s-1970s Los Angeles. When her friend, Lane, is offered her dream job, writing about Gala, she is thrilled for the opportunity but Gala disappears and throws a wrench in things. A slow burn of a story, building up towards and interesting and satisfying resolution, I think many readers will enjoy L.A. Women.

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley and the author for the gifted arc!

Written in dual timelines & multiple pov’s through 1960 & 70’s Hollywood, this story is a deep dive into female friendships tainted by jealousy, fame, motherhood, addiction & grief.

I wasn’t sure I would enjoy it because these characters are messy. And when I say messy, I mean toxic, over the top, self destructive, opposite but the same, completely unlikable with a lifestyle that I couldn’t relate to ... living out an absolute train wreck. However, it ended up growing on me with each chapter and I just had to keep trucking through the debris to find out what happened to these frenemies & see the outcome of the little mystery that weaves its way through the pages!

The west coast / LA / Hollywood vibes for this era are strong in the presentation, giving it the ideal atmospheric feel all the way through. I love the pacing & the writing & the short chapters that kept things moving & engaging! But my favorite part of this was the way everything wrapped up … in fact, I thought it was pretty clever & a perfect way to end the story of these frustratingly complicated women!

Lane and Gala, both authors, become friendly. They couldn’t be more different, both in temperament and upbringing. The friendship is intense, filled with lies, secrets and mystery.

I was drawn to this book, first by the cover and second the write-up. The 60-70 time period was a plus. Heavily character driven, I had a very hard time connecting with the main characters. I did enjoy the secondary characters and their storylines. The book was too slow of a burn for me. It did keep me turning the pages, but I kept looking for more and was left disappointed. The author did a wonderful job of portraying the LA party scene of the rich. 

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for this ARC. This is my honest opinion.

This book grew on me. It was hard to get into, but once I did, I enjoyed the characters. I enjoyed how they evolved and how the storyline moved along with them. I also liked the ending.

There's lots of things I loved about this book. The story was a slow burn, with dual timelines switching between the 60's and 70's. This timeline change worked really well with this book. This is a character driven story, which I typically love. In this case the characters are very complex, but not really likeable. Because of this I had a harder time connecting to them.
Overall, this was a good story that I enjoyed and would recommend.



Thank you to Berkeley Publishing Group for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

L.A. Women details the complex friendship between Lane and Gala, two up and coming women on the brink of fame in the mid-1960s. The story is told in dual timeline narrative, featuring both Lane and Gala's POV at the start of their relationship in 1965 and then jumps to 1975 when Lane is an established writer, married with kids and famous, and Gala- the subject of her latest book- is missing. Lane has not seen Gala after a falling out, but it's clear from the way that Lane starts looking for Gala that she still cares about her.

I love a book with complicated female relationship dynamics, and the friendship between Lane and Gala is as intoxicating as it is volatile- a magnetic push-and-pull of admiration, envy, loyalty, and betrayal. Lane, drawn to Gala’s glamour and fearless energy, often finds herself both empowered and overshadowed by her friend’s larger-than-life presence. Gala, in turn, thrives on Lane’s steady devotion but bristles against her quiet judgement. Their relationship captures the way female friendships can be both a lifeline and a trap. It’s this tension that makes their bond so compelling to read about.

As characters, Gala and Lane are both somewhat unlikable but yet very relatable. I found myself favouring one woman over the other, as I'm sure other readers will do. In the end, it's hard to know if Gala and Lane have hurt each other in a way that's impossible to come back from or if they will always really need each other.

Incredibly well written, I think this read will resonate with readers who like character driven stories and complicated people.

Told in dual timelines set in 1960s and 1970s Los Angeles, Ella Berman’s L.A. Women follows two very different women whose lives slowly entwine. Lane is a successful writer, yet she’s haunted by a loveless childhood and a deep-seated belief that she’s unworthy of love, admiration, or even friendship. Gala is a free spirit, chasing distraction in drug- and celebrity-filled Laurel Canyon parties until a romance complicates her path.

Berman captures the atmosphere of the era perfectly—her scenes are alive with the sights, sounds, and excesses of the time. She digs into themes of loneliness, female friendship, addiction, privilege, and motherhood with nuance, offering an insightful take on the ways women both support and fail each other. Lane’s friend Charlie, a secondary character bound by societal expectations, adds a spark to the story whenever he appears.

When Lane’s fading literary career is given new life by a book deal based on Gala’s tumultuous existence, the stakes rise—especially when Gala disappears. But the tension is muted. The novel is slow-paced and wholly character-driven, with little in the way of sharp twists or turns. Still, the quiet pull of wanting to see how both women’s stories end kept me reading, even if I never felt deeply invested in them.

Ultimately, L.A. Women is a book that grows on you—rich in period detail and interpersonal complexity, but lacking the narrative momentum to make it unforgettable.