kerasalwaysreading's review
3.0
I think I am one of the few who doesn’t hate nepo babies and still thinks that even with their privilege, they can provide worth to society. We are all just humans here on this floating rock after all… with that said, I wanted to love this. I think that part of me did, too. I liked the writing. I enjoyed the strong character building and the hazy 70s LA atmosphere.
This book follows Bea, a well known photographer, and her group of friends, the young and beautiful people in Hollywood. Running in the crowd of actors, writers, directors, musicians, and more, this book is filled with eye catching drama.
Unfortunately, I cannot say that I particularly liked any characters, considering they were all so BLIND!!!! It infuriated me to no end. From the first scene where the character who truly shakes everything up, I knew they were bad freaking news and through the entirety of the book, nobody seemed to catch on, not enough to do anything about it anyway.
You would think that in a world of spotlight, people would be much more wary of sharing it with others, but no… they all allowed this one person to waltz in and take everything from them.
So, while I could see so much good in this book, I read it with a rage that kept me turning pages just to laugh at these characters.
This book follows Bea, a well known photographer, and her group of friends, the young and beautiful people in Hollywood. Running in the crowd of actors, writers, directors, musicians, and more, this book is filled with eye catching drama.
Unfortunately, I cannot say that I particularly liked any characters, considering they were all so BLIND!!!! It infuriated me to no end. From the first scene where the character who truly shakes everything up, I knew they were bad freaking news and through the entirety of the book, nobody seemed to catch on, not enough to do anything about it anyway.
You would think that in a world of spotlight, people would be much more wary of sharing it with others, but no… they all allowed this one person to waltz in and take everything from them.
So, while I could see so much good in this book, I read it with a rage that kept me turning pages just to laugh at these characters.
janet's review
medium-paced
The comparisons to Daisy Jones & the Six hold up: The Sunset Crowd tracks a group of entitled, wealthy, and often untrustworthy beautiful people as they navigate their social and professional worlds in L.A. and beyond. The Libro.fm/AvidBookshop version of Tanabe’s novel makes for a good road-trip or while-tackling-chores listen.
haileylm's review
3.25
i normally love books like this, but i thought the pacing of this one was super strange. everything started happening all at once at the end. also, i really didn’t care for any of the characters… theodora was objectively the most interesting to me
mwillmon's review
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
jennifer_charbo's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
maryelizab3th's review
adventurous
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
heidirgorecki's review against another edition
3.0
The writing was ok, albeit a bit wordy and on the slow side. The biggest detractor for me is I found I really did not like any of the characters or the setting. Everyone was superficial, self-absorbed and self-serving. Even Bea, who at least cared about her friends some of the time was obsessed with her friend’s boyfriend non-stop. Yes she honored the relationship but it didn’t stop the obsession and the laying in wait till the second it was going to implode. And I was annoyed that even after the odd and off interactions with the friend in question (trying to avoid spoilers) she ignored them and everyone just continued in the self-absorbed and superficial way of life cuz why wouldn’t you dive into whatever entertained you or made you feel good about yourself.
Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are mine.
Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are mine.
birdomens's review
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
dawnh's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
3.75
3.75 stars. Karin is a favorite author of mine. I feel bad giving less than stars but I have to stay honest. This just wasn't my favorite of hers. I did love the time and place (so refreshing, really). I listened to this on audiobook and the narrator really did a great job differentiating between all the characters. I wonder if I read this I might have liked it better. There were just soooo many characters and mentions of characters that it felt hard to keep track. I get that she was probably trying to give the sense of being in that crowd and mingling but it was a lot. I was shocked at the ending, not what I expected but very good. As always I loved her ability to put the reader down into a time and place.
burghblakebooks's review
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0