Loved the setting and time period. Always one of my favorites to read. I found the pacing of the story to be a bit slow. I really enjoyed Bea's character and all the friendship dynamics.

I really wanted to like this one but it felt wayyyy too descriptive and wordy without any sort of balanced pacing. The voice was also lacking and I just couldnt stay immersed in the story. Not for me.

The Sunset Crowd has too much glitter and glamor and Hollywood star and movie business and characters involved in that race for me. Sorry for this review of the advanced reader copy. U

I had a hard time with the beginning of the book, but I did end up liking it. A good and fun summer read. Thanks to NetGalley for the early read!

This book is an accurate portrayal of hedonism in Hollywood during the 70's. It was the years of excess as anyone who was anyone had to be out and seen and accompanied by very large quantities of drinking, drugs and cash. However, just like the photographs that Bea takes for Rolling Stone and Vogue, it is just a facade and a story of which they are willing participants. Like Sunset on Sunset, how you dressed is who you were going to be that day. This is why Theodora reinvented herself and people bought into it. She almost believed the lies she told. In the end, everything including the friendship with Bea and Evra disappeared as the movie ended.

Beatrice is a rebellious teen New Yorker from old money. After being sent to a private school in Switzerland for her behavior, she befriends (and falls in love with) Kai de la Faire. Kai is gorgeous, part Hawaiian, and the crush of every girl in the school.

Years later, in the mid-1970s, Beatrice is a photographer in LA. The hottest thing going on the strip is a new store -Sunset on Sunset- owned and operated by Evra Scott. Evra is a wealthy socialite, the daughter of Hollywood Royalty. Her store is THE store, and Avra is THE girl in LA,. Avra's current love interest is Kai de la Faire. Beatrice, Evra, Kai, and their friends live the ultimate LA party life. Fueled by drugs and alcohol, they enjoy all that fame and money have to offer.

One day, Theodora Leigh comes into Sunset to return outfits from Paramount Studios. Evra is fascinated by this young girl with a mysterious past... Part Chinese, and multi-lingual, she is getting ready to produce a film of her own. Evra is fascinated by young Theodora and takes her under her wing. Theodora soon becomes a part of their crowd as well. Young, beautiful, and talented, she seems to know all the right people. She shows up everywhere at just the right moment.No one seems to notice until it is too late.

This novel will take you from the Hollywood Hills to the French Riviera. You'll get a front-row seat at how glamorous people live. You will also get a good look at their motives and mores. The author has developed real and believable characters.. It is interesting to see how each of them reacts differently to events and to each other. I think this is one saving grace for Beatrice. Deep down, some East Coast common sense remains.

This book is a great read, especially if you love to read about the rich and famous. I don't want to leave spoilers, but, I will say I wasn't especially happy with the ending. I'd have liked a little more closure. However, I think that was the point. Sometimes you're just left to wonder.

I am a fan of Daisy Jones and this reminds me of that. I loved some of the characters and some not so much. This was a fun read if you like reading about people in the ’70s.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book for my honest opinion

If you're looking for a novel that plunges you into the seemingly glam world of the L.A. in crowd of the mid-'70s, this is it. Not having firsthand knowledge of the scene, I can't swear it's true to life, but it sure feels real—world building at its finest. The voice of the narrator, DuPont scion and glossy-mag photographer Bea, is one of a kind and more than makes up for some of the plot predictability and the occasional "you've come a long way, baby, but not long enough" filibustering. And while this will make a great beach read, it also contains layers that make it worth a reread, if for no other reason than to try to determine just how reliable a narrator Bea really is.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley, for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Set in the 1970’s, this book follows the exclusive group in Hollywood - called the Sunset Crowd or the Sun Set. Evra is the daughter to Hollywood royalty and owns the most popular clothing store in the country, Sunset on Sunset. Bea is a successful photographer of the rich and famous. And Kai is a screenwriter with one the biggest movies in Hollywood, boyfriend to Evra, and a longtime friend (and crush) of Bea’s. Everything has been business as usual, until they meet the gorgeous and ambitious newcomer, Theodora Leigh. Evra and Kai are both enchanted by her, but Bea can’t help be suspicious - where does Theodora’s money come from? How is she so well connected? And how did she seemingly come out of no where?

This book definitely gives you the vibe of 1970’s Hollywood - the clothes, the partying, the stars. But it was a long buildup to an ending that felt a little rushed (although a satisfying ending). I found all the characters to be unlikable, which is probably the point, but it kept me from being invested in any of the characters or empathizing with them.

The Sunset Crowd by Karin Tanabe is set in 1970s Los Angeles and the author captured the mood so well I never wanted to leave!! I first read Tanabe by listening to the audiobook of A Woman of Intelligence about a year ago and just falling in love with her writing. (To anyone reading this review before TSC is released in July, read or listen to AWOI immediately!!!!) I really enjoyed the 70s setting and the ups and downs of the friendships of the characters. Highly recommend!!!

This novel frustrated me to end. It had so much potential but ended up having immensely unlikable, flat characters. I seriously didn't like or sympathize with anyone...a novel filled with privileged, rich, spoiled characters who are completely out of touch with reality and live in a world that doesn't seem touched by any problems. And it's set in 1970s LA! If you liked "the seven husbands of evelyn hugo" or "malibu rising" you might enjoy this, but don't expect the depth of either of those novels.

Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for the ARC!

70s Hollywood is such the thing right now and this book has just what you need when you are wanting it. It was so good.
I just reviewed The Sunset Crowd by Karin Tanabe. #NetGalley
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I was really interested in reading a book set in the 70's in Hollywood and all the crazy scenes hat went on back then... but I don't think this is the book I was looking for. The first 1/3 or so was both incredibly slow & also had so many characters, that it was an arduous read, had to force myself to pick it up at times. That said, he last third just galloped along to a mostly satisfying conclusion - so mostly it's a matter of pacing here. The three MC's are interesting, especially Bea Dupont, but a lot of the characters are rather unlikable. Overall, just okay for me. My sincere thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the complimentary DRC - opinions & rating my own...

I really enjoyed this book! It was out of my typical genre but I still really liked it. The 1970's Hollywood scene really reminded me of Taylor Jenkins Reid and I liked that vibe. I enjoyed immersing myself in the 70s party scene and would recommend this to anyone who was a fan of Daisy Jones.

THE SUNSET CROWD is a glamorous and wild ride! Buckle up because Karin Tanabe is back with a propulsive page turner that will make you feel like you have an inside look at the "in" crowd in 1970s Los Angeles. I've really enjoyed this author's other books and I'm delighted that this one will soon be available.

First, a note of warning. The beginning of the novel is scattered and kind of messy. There are a lot of names thrown at you, and you aren't quite sure where the focus is or should be. It feels out of control. However, I'm wondering if the author did this on purpose to convey what Bea was feeling as she met all these different new people. Nonetheless, I wish the novel had started in a different place so that the reader would feel more settled and grounded.

Now that the warning is out of the way, I think Tanabe did a terrific job at conveying the time period and the crazy party scene. The inter-personal drama is really what drives the narrative forward, and it's handled well. I was definitely curious to follow this crowd through their many adventures and see who would betray whom. The references to LA landmarks, 1970s celebrities, the drinks, the fashion--it's all very evocative and flat out fun.

Oh… My…..
I knew this book would be good. I knew I would be completely sucked in. I knew the characters would be rich and interesting. I knew the end would be tragic.
What I didn’t comprehend was the depth. This book was utterly unable to be put down. I ignored every responsibility. I have to finish this. I felt like I was living with the characters in ‘70s Hollywood. The ending was so tragic that I couldn’t have seen it coming. This was completely mind blowing in the story that was crafted and the obvious talent that this author has! I was floored and greatly impressed by this story and can’t wait for more!

First, thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the arc. I wasn't sure what to expect from The Sunset Crowd as it was my first book by Tanabe.

Much of the novel takes place in the Los Angeles of the late 1970s: hedonism, movie stars, cool fashion and rock and roll suffuse the narrative. All overlaid with a strong female perspective.

The story of Bea (Beatrice) intrigued me from the start, especially as the opening chapters immediately draw us into a mystery. I liked learning Bea's backstory and how she ended up in L.A. We meet Evra, Mariama, Kai, Strass and others and watch them live seemingly teflon lives with few consequences of their actions.

Enter Theodora - and this is where it gets complicated, and things change forever.

There is a sense of the reader being a "fly on the wall" but there's also a mystery and tension - and this is where I struggled a bit with the novel. I think I would have liked much more of Theodora's backstory - the why and how of her actions , and maybe a first person view of her thought processes.

In total, a strong interesting perspective on the Hollywood scene - and its sometimes darker underbelly - of the 70s

My expectations were high coming into this book with the era comparisons to Daisy Jones & The Six, but it absolutely paled in comparison and I feel did not well reflect the era it was trying so hard to encapsulate.

I genuinely do not know what was driving this story or what the focal point was that we were building towards. It felt like just plot points of the sunset crews lives, with Theodora social climbing slowly throughout. There are approximately five scenes that start with Bea saying this is when she’ll finally find out if Theodora is genuine or duplicitous and turn around to “oh who cares we’re having fun right now”. This lack of focus made it so slow to read and tension wasn’t introduced until the very end of the book with the full wrap up consisting of maybe three pages.

Another of my main problems is that everything seems to be written in past tense. In large chunks of the book, it’s more than a flashback it’s the characters living in those first years, but it’s only past descriptions not the characters presently living their lives. It also doesn’t feel like we are seeing the world through Bea’s eyes or even with her at the edge of the group or sat back as the photographer viewing this life through her lense with how much is just past descriptions.

There’s also extreme cultural name dropping that add nothing to the book unless you’re aware of obscure 1970’s LA hotspots and casual references of then celebrities like Apollonia. There’s a reference every other paragraph for the entirety of the book. It is not setting the scene when it’s every single location the girls visit, and half the references likely will go over the heads of anyone under 45. It seems like the book is trying to frame this casual elitism but ends up being complete elitist itself.


Cw: drug use, mentions of domestic violence in film, racism, fatphobia, rape, eating disorders


***** BELOW CONTAINS SPOILERS & CW*****

I didn’t become interested or engaged until April arrived and really turned Theodora on her head and got the ball rolling on the women turning on each other. That is, I did not become interested in the plot until 80% into the book. And at this point it’s a catty breakdown of female friendships. Through the story of three women navigating incredible careers the only thing that seemed like a plot point with tension is the cattiness of women, and I don’t think it was an active choice.

The way Theodora’s Chinese heritage is discussed is gross. When people realize she’s half Chinese there are multiple times the response is, “I can see it in the eyes”. Any hint of racism against Kai - calling him exotic, the producer telling him to get lei’s- are very clearly portrayed as racist and the characters openly protest it. But it seems to be only his that’s called out. All of this to find out that she isn’t Chinese and had been lying, it was not addressed well.

My absolute biggest complaint is the way that the publication of Antonia’s rape was turned into victim blaming. And it’s not like it’s driving home how poorly the late 1970’s media is turning this rape into a way that has people disappointed in Antonia for not coming forward. It’s doing the distortion itself. It is genuinely said that Antonia and Evra could have been heroes but didn’t act like it. WHAT? Not coming forward when raped or seeing your mother being raped being absolutely vilified is an actual plot point. Especially when the way it’s leaked is through Theodora after she was told by Kai because he was angry with Evra. It was handled so poorly and I felt actual anger when reading every word associated with this.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ARC. This book was posited as a sister book to Daisy Jones and the Six and unfortunately this book did not live up to the hype. The main character was extremely flat and made it hard to connect with the novel. I do wonder if this book would connect with someone who had more facility with the 70s references than I did, but overall I was underwhelmed.

Surprised how much I liked this book!
Bit of a slow start but so entertaining & completely engaging--honestly couldn't wait to keep reading!
The characters are so well formed & written.

With great thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for this e-ARC!