An excellent read for any and all readers! Author comes at you with both barrels and knocks you out of your shoes! Great job fleshing out all the characters. I give this book FIVE stars! Definitely recommend!

I enjoyed this authors last book so I was exited to read this one. The characters are incredibly real and complex and I really enjoyed this story of friendship and women supporting one another.

4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book is a wild ride! I spent a third of the book rooting for the characters, another third of the book hating them, and the other third having no idea what was going on. Every character of L.A. Women were complex and masterfully written. Even when you would hate a character with all of your being, a little later in the story you would find yourself relating to that character in some small way.
There were some moments where I just didn't want to keep going because I would find myself not really liking anybody in the book but as I kept on reading, the author had some really nice character development that made me want to come back. All around, L.A. Women has masterful writing and character development; there are some moments that are hard to keep reading but the good plot development outweighs the bad feelings.

*Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this free ARC!

This was such a great story. I love reading about complicated relationships between people who are even more complicated themselves. This book is for the people who love following the minds of twisted yet compelling characters. Lane and Gala weren’t necessarily great people, but their flawed and contradicting values and characteristics were so captivating. And when I saw that the author has a degree in psychology it made so much sense as to why they were so interesting.

I love how similar yet distinct Gala and Lane are to each other and the ways we see how their similarities cause them to clash but also keep them coming back to each other time and time again. The two understand each other in ways that no one else does, and they know it, and they hate it. It’s shown with such subtlety it’s brilliant.

The non linear story serves the story well and gives it more momentum since the story is mostly character driven which often makes for slower reads, but knowing Gala was missing made me want to know who she was and what happened right from the jump. The pacing of the tension building throughout was really well done.

The only thing that bothered me throughout the book was Lane’s inability and unwillingness to make her novels more fictional and instead dead-set on making her story and gala’s identical to their real lives. I suppose it’s in character for her, but the fact that she didn’t even try bugged me. It would be more understandable if when she did try it was never as good as the truth, I’d get why it would be a crutch then. I was also a bit surprised that their circle wasn’t bigger since they were in the heart of the Hollywood scene, I expected some more significant side characters in addition to Scotty, Gabriel, and Charlie.

Thank you Netgalley and Berkeley for the eARC!!

thank you Berkley Publishing for the e-ARC via NetGalley!
while this story had a slow start, i found Gala & Lane’s friendship to be quite toxic and both insecure in their own ways.. the only person i felt bad for at times was Charlie. however, each character’s struggles brought a mix of relatability and heartbreak.

read if you enjoy dual timelines and the writing style kinda reminds me of Eve Babitz!
the LA references were fun too, especially since i am a valley girl at heart 🫶🏼

I COULD NOT PUT THIS DOWN!

L.A. Women is a beautifully written, lyrical look at life, friendship, and hardship that I will continue to think about for a long time. I will say the initial description is very intriguing (one woman writes a book about another) but in the end, the focus shifts to many issues. The book covers being gay in the 70's, sex, drugs, motherhood, love, and friendship. One of the major themes is what it means to be a woman in the world. Especially in a world that has very little expectation of you other than to be a mother.

What does it mean to subvert the expectations of others?

I'd say of the main two women, Lane and Gala, neither is fully likeable or unlikeable, but both have glimmers of good and bad traits. I found myself empathizing with both in various stages.

Berman is an extremely talented writer, who covered many topics in one novel, all while I furiously highlighted various lines that I thought were stunning.

I loved this story. While maybe not for everyone, this was a true examination of the messiness of human life, and I won't forget it. So far one of my top reads of the year.

Thank you to Berman, Berkley, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

L.A. Women was my first novel by Berman, and while there were many aspects to this book that I enjoyed, it was a mixed bag overall. The synposis places a lot of emphasis on the fact that the protagonist Lane decides to write a novel inspired by her friend Gala, and while this does come up, it's not really the focus of the story. I liked that Lane and Gala didn't have the stereotypical female friendship usually explored in books where they behave like sisters who always have one another's backs. Rather, they are complicated women with an even more complicated relationship. The book also explores Lane's relationship with her husband Scotty, and her gay but mostly closeted friend Charlie (my favorite character). However, because there is rarely, if ever, a point in which all four adults are on friendly terms, it can leave the book feeling compartmentalized at times. The characters are explored over two periods of time, about a decade apart, and Berman does a nice job of creating the atmosphere of Hollywood in the 1960s and 1970s. Much of the crux of the book explores Gala's disappearance and the impact on Lane. There is also what many will describe as a twist near the end of the book, however I saw it merely as a lie by the author - not a literary twist so much as a character lying about an aspect of his/her life. Still, it's a quick, breezy read that I think many will enjoy.

This was really good an easy read jealous and envy cause leave you dead !!!!! Crazy when you think someone is a friend and they turn out to be anything but that !!!

L.A. Woman by Ella Berman is a book about friendship, addiction, co-dependency and excesses. It drew me in and occasionally threw me out. Lane and Gala are drawn to each other and repeatedly betray that friendship. Lane sabotages Gala’s writing career and completely fails to provide any support after the tragic death of her rocker husband-Gala appears at Lane’s carefully orchestrated Sunday soirees, often high, and disturbs the atmosphere and eventually sleeps with Scotty, Lane’s husband, and financially blackmails him. What is the old adage “with friends like this who needs enemies”.

I found the story very readable but a good editor might streamline some of the repetitive scenes, especially the debauchery surrounding Gala. I got it, she is stunning, brilliant but terribly troubled. I also understand both women came from backgrounds that left them both with scars, but again, I got it. Overall, it is more than a beach read and less than a meaty historical fiction novel. I enjoyed it.

I really enjoyed the tumultuous relationship between these two frenemies, set in a glamorous and gritty 1960s/1970s Hollywood.

A very accurate portrayal of the women in LA. This has the writing and wit and mystique to oil off such a noir lit fic.

I’m quite conflicted about this book:
. . . Just because the characters are “challenging,” doesn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy it;
. . . Just because it was difficult to read, doesn’t mean I won’t persist,
But, I felt like it took a very long time to sort itself out as a character study. Of people I might not need to “ study.”

So, my conflict is: what did I gain by the time I felt exploring these people.
Ahhhhhhh, there’s the rub! Not much.

I think some book groups may enjoy a deep dive ( pass the martins, please) over the aspirations and lifestyles of these characters. So, the discussion might be interesting, fun, or self-illuminating. But, I actually did not find the time I spent with this book rewarding in any way.
. . .

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.

This story takes place in Los Angeles (hence the title), and revolves around the lives of two women. Lane Warren is a well reserved, classy, up and coming writer. Gala Margolis is sloppy, parties hard, and doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her. Gala looks out for number one- and that is herself.

We get dual timelines in this story and that is, Then 1965/66, and Now 1975/76. So this story took place when women weren’t yet totally liberated or had the freedom to choose to live so freely. During these timelines we get a lot of Lane’s backstory, and in that I really resonated with her character. Lane was a woman who never felt worthy of love, admiration, or even friendship. Gala on the other hand, well let’s just say I couldn’t stand her character. In fact, I’m left confused as to why Lane wanted to be friends with her in the first place. For me, Gala was a very unlikable character, and I was super glad that she went missing in this book.

All in all, I did enjoy this book as I very much enjoy Ella Berman’s writing. She can write about complex, complicated friendships and relationships better than any other author out there. However, this book was very slow moving and did take a while to get into- but in the end it was worth it.
(3.5 stars- rounded up)

Many thanks to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group, and the author for a DRC of this book in which I had the pleasure of reading.
Publication date: August 5, 2005
Genre~ Women’s Fiction, General Fiction (adult)

The synopsis for L.A. Women claim to be written about friends, but Lane and Gala are anything but friends. The book centers around the judgemental, impulsive, cowardly, jealous people who think they run the Hollywood scene in the 60s. Can these women grow and attain what they truly want out of life in spite of all the negativity and hardships?
I was engaged from the moment I started reading this book, but I always wanted more. The book had many deep topics that, in the end, were really only glazed over. I wish Lane and Gala (or any of the characters) were at all likable.
This was an interesting and thought-provoking novel. Had it been about the two writers I have seen it claimed to be about, it would be so much better. Since it is a work of fiction, I wanted more for the author. She stopped just at the threshold of what could be a great book.

Thank you, NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group, and Ella Berman, for the opportunity to read this digital ARC for my honest review.

I got about 30% of the way through this book before I decided that finding out what happened to Gala wasn't worth another second with Lane.

I so throughly enjoyed Ella Berman's LA WOMEN. Her previous other two books are two of my favorites of all time. I wish I had loved this one just the same. I really dug her writing style and the vivid imagery she created for the world of Lane and Gala. However I just never clicked with the characters the way I wanted to.

LA Women is an interesting story about the complex relationship between Lana and Gala. Their jealousy of each other was reflected in their toxic behaviors towards each other. The story is told in a dual
timeline between the present and 10 years earlier when they met in the sixties. When Gala goes missing, Lana begins her search for her reflecting back to when they met and her actions that changed both of their lives. The ending and the complex relationships kept my interest in reading the book.

.A. Women by Ella Berman
This 3rd novel by Ella Berman sports the ‘already done plot’ of young woman goes to Hollywood only to try to survive the decadence of becoming rich and famous. Sadly the book lacks the nuances of Malibou Rising and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. While technically very well written, with a deft command of dialogue, L.A. Women has plot holes and parts that are never really explained. Probably its biggest flaw is that none of the characters are likeable or people that most of us can relate to. They are drug addled, sex obsessed, self absorbed and frankly just plain mean to other humans. Then add to that a slow moving plot that jumps back and forth over 10 years and you find yourself saying how many more pages? Finally at the end, the characters see the light, but there’s no real transition to make any metamorphosis believable. 3 stars. Thank you to Berkley Publishers and BookBrowse.com for this Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for an honest review.

L.A. Women by Ella Berman is the story of two women. Lane and Gala are both talented writers, with diverse backgrounds. Gala is a free spirit, wanting fun and exciting, and being the center of attention. Lane is very anxious, always trying for perfection, satisfied sitting on the sidelines observing life. However, beneath the veneer, both ladies are struggling to be their true self. These two different women together with many interesting characters make for an insightful look at friendships and caring as well as self-discovery. Through a series of events, some tragic, some deceitful, a betrayal and some compassion, Cara and Lane begin to understand themselves. They form a friendship. This novel takes a deep dive into women’s belief that they must be what other people want and how other people see them. But, in the end, we are only what we are, and acceptance of oneself also brings acceptance of others. A good novel which I enjoyed very much. Very insightful as to what is truly meaningful in life and how personal growth always works.

⭐️⭐️.5 rounded up

LA Women follows Lane and Gala, two women in Hollywood in the 60s that strike up a toxic friendship over 10ish years. Both women are jealous, competitive, but also totally different and a bit obsessed with each other (and not in a good way). When Lane’s competitiveness and jealous causes her to do something that changes both of their lives forever, it sends her into a spiral that she may never come back from.

I really enjoyed Before We Were Innocent and was really looking forward to this book. It was a slow start, I wasn’t invested until about the halfway mark due to both FMC being extremely unlikeable but overall I enjoyed the read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.