L.A. Women

By Ella Berman
** Publication Date 5 August 2025 **
​4 stars


Having grown up in L.A. in the 70s, this was somewhat a trip down memory lane. I remember a lot of the places mentioned in the book. So for me this was a fun ride. While I definitely wasn’t old enough to be into the scene that the characters were, I can say I remember some of my friends’ parents being part of them.


Lane is a writer. She’s done very well as a journalist based in New York, but she wants to tackle a novel. Lane thinks that LA is the place to do it. Since she really won’t be leaving too much behind in NYC, it’s a fairly easy move. 


But LA isn’t what Lane expected. She moves into a small apartment in the Hollywood area. A stone’s throw from Chateau Marmont and Laurel Canyon. When she is invited to a party by an acquaintance, she meets Gala. Gala is everything that screams ‘the scene’ in Los Angeles. Vibrant, wild, reckless all describe Gala. When Gala sees how closed off Lane is, she makes it her mission to break her out of her shell. 


In comes Charlie. Charlie who is beautiful and rich and definitely not into women. But times as they are, Charlie can’t afford for anyone to know for certain that Charlie is gay. He and Lane strike up a friendship that is mutually beneficial. They are best friends. Charlie does everything he can to make Lane the talk of the town. 


But as so true in Los Angeles, things are not always what they seem. Gala’s devil may care attitude may come back to bite her. Lane’s stoicism isn’t going to make her a lot of friends. And no matter how hard Charlie tries to hide his homosexuality, people are going to suspect. Life is going to speed off the rails for all of them, if they continue on their current trajectories.


The dynamics of the relationship between Gala and Lane is so fascinating. Not exactly competitive, at least not for Gala. Lane believes that there is only one right way to go, and it’s not Gala’s way. It’s a quite taut existence. Sometimes they are the best of friends, other times sworn enemies. I really liked the way that Berman was able to dive into the core of these two women. The remaining characters tend to be a bit more superficial, but the story does really focus on Lane, and her brokenness. 


It was good. Slow to begin but works its way up to a pace that means you won’t want to put it down. There are plenty of fireworks to keep you engaged.