Park Avenue explores themes of family relationships and struggles, while tying in a mystery that keeps you guessing till the end. From the moment that we are introduced to our main character, Jia, she has a personality that fits the plot perfectly. She is cautious yet has the arrogance needed to deal with the rich as their lawyer. For being the first adult novel by Renée Ahdieh, she did an incredible job portraying the struggles of finding oneself in a quest to save family fortunes. I really loved the ending of this book, I did not expect that amazing twist and the ways in which it all came together. I found myself going back and listening to parts with a new perspective. I would highly recommend this book, but also the audiobook version of it. The narrator did a great job acting out the characters and portraying their feelings.

Ever since Jia Song saw her first Birkin bag as a child working in her parents bodega, she dreamed of a life of luxury. As an adult, she has just made junior partner at a prestigious law firm in New York when she lands a career making, or breaking, case. The uber-wealthy Park family are the owners of the Korean beauty brand Mirae. After their matriarch, Jenny, was given a terminal diagnosis, Seven, the patriarch, has filed for divorce, offering her and their three children $25 million and the Park Avenue residence. The only problem is that the three siblings believe the company to be worth much more than that. They have hired Jia to look into Seven's financial accounts, which also involves jet-setting around the world with the three siblings and their handsome house manager. This was a thrilling story about rich people behaving badly and maybe redeeming themselves.

I listened to the audiobook and I think that the narrator did a great job with it. The voices she did for each of the characters really fit with the narrative. There were also chapters from the perspective from an unknown narrator that were reminiscent of Gossip Girl, which I found to be really fun. The settings were opulent, the characters were entitled, and the time limit set for Jia to get the evidence needed really ramped up the stakes for the story. There was also a good amount of soul-searching and character development, which was satisfying for the reader. Jia really had to come to terms with the expectations that were set by her family and what her own actual dreams were. This will be a great one for people who enjoy mysteries and stories that revolve around the incredibly wealthy.

Renée Ahdieh’s adult debut is like Crazy Rich Asians crash-landing into Succession—with a hefty side of legal briefcases and designer envy.

The story follows Jia Song, a sharp-as-a-tack junior partner at a top Manhattan law firm—and the daughter of Korean bodega owners—who’s about to snag the ultimate trophy: a gold-on-gold Birkin bag… or at least that was the plan. But life (and her boss) have other ideas. Jia is fast-tracked onto a hush-hush case: the Park family—a K-beauty empire worth a billion—is imploding. The patriarch is divorcing a dying matriarch, hiding assets, and leaving their three chaos-driven adult kids in a stew of greed, lies, and private jet drama.

Jia sprints across the globe incognito: from penthouses to private jets to Seoul and the Cayman Islands, all while untangling the financial skeletons and resisting the irresistible pull of the dysfunctional Parks.

There was crisp pacing, high-fashion havoc, and a heroine who’s equal parts ambitious lawyer and undercover therapist to a billionaire brood. This was a fun read!

I am surprised by how much I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The narrator was fabulous and the plot enticing and binge-able. It was so fun to get into my car and have this to listen to on my commute. I’ve been to Korea a few times so loved the mention of some of the history and art and food. While I didn’t like many of the characters at the beginning of the story by the end they all seemed like friends. Congratulations to Renee Ahdieh on this entertaining and engaging story. I’m looking forward to what you are putting down next already - I’m a fan! Do yourself a favour and go on a holiday and listen to this tale of saga and style, suspense and family dysfunction . Thank you to Netgalley, Flatiron Books, and Macmillan Audio for an audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review. This is 4.5 stars of pure entertainment from me!!!

I really enjoyed "Park Avenue" by Renee Ahdieh and brilliantly narrated by Michelle H. Lee. It tells the story of a junior partner at a prestigious law firm. Jia Song, who had grown up with immigrant Korean parents. Determined to get ahead in life, her dream was to work hard enough to be able to afford every designer luxury and symbol of affluence. It isn't until she is assigned a case dealing with one of the richest Korean families in the world. Through her dealings with them, she learns that money has drawbacks and does not ensure happiness and love. The Park family is squabbling over the fortune; the philandering husband is trying to cheat them out of their inheritance by hiding his fortune. Jia is hired by the wife (who is dying of cancer) and children to track down the fortune and make sure everyone is done right by. Will this case be the key to Jia's future at the firm? Will she become the youngest senior partner in history? With twists and turns and a few clues offered by an anonymous narrator in several interlude chapters, Jia finally discovers what it is she wants in life.

Many thanks to Net Galley and to the publisher for an ARC of this great book. My opinion is my own.

A complicated family drama that revolves around money, manipulation, duplicity, guile, infidelity, backstabbing, racism, social and career climbing and using people to get what they want no matter who they hurt along the way. The level of entitlement was astounding. The tag line for this book should be “He or she who dies with the most wins”. Most of the characters wouldn’t know what to do if they had to live without the vast sums of wealth they were born to and one who only sees it as a way to show success and be happy, even though she isn’t happy at all. Sadly, most of them are incredibly unhappy under their very expensive clothes. The story is well written, complicated and compelling. Not the easiest listen as no one is terribly likable, but I couldn’t press stop! The narration was stellar. Upped to 4 stars from what would have been a 3.5 rating if half stars were available.

Thoroughly satisfying, delightful and engaging narrative interwoven with NY high fashion, Korean food, art, culture and heritage with well-developed characters that one could form a bond with. In a sea of superficial pretense, greed and wealth this simply a story of a woman reclaiming herself. Thank you for this beautiful story and thank you for a peek inside the world of Birkin bags and Korean eommas.

3.75 rounded up. This started off confusing to me. There were a lot of characters and I had a tough time figuring it out, especially via audio. About 30% in most of the characters started to click in my head and I could navigate the story easier. I loved the drama of the Park family, and Jia was a great main character, I found her likeable and fun to follow. The narrator was easy to listen to, and the pacing was perfect. Overall a really fun drama filled story of a wealthy family!

This was a solid audiobook listen. A Korean family drama with mystery, intrigue and Singin' In the Rain references. A very slow burn but the pay-off is great! I liked the Gossip Girl like chapters. This would be great for a long road trip to keep your mind occupied.

Wow! I didn’t know what to expect going into this, but I was totally hooked. It’s been pitched as Crazy Rich Asians meets Succession, and honestly, that’s spot on. I always love a book about the super wealthy, especially when they behave badly, and this one was packed with juicy drama that had me flipping pages nonstop. I devoured it in under 24 hours.

The story follows Jia Song, a Korean American lawyer who’s just made junior partner. She gets pulled into this wild family drama when she starts working with the Park siblings, heirs to a major Korean beauty brand fortune. Their parents are going through a bitter divorce, and Jia is brought in to help investigate their father’s suspiciously low financial disclosures. What follows is a rollercoaster of secrets, power plays, and major “who can we trust” moment. And I ate it up!

I also loved the integration of Korean culture and language throughout the book. I tandem-read with the audiobook, and the narrator’s authentic pronunciation of Korean words and names really brought the story to life. I highly recommend the audiobook!

This book was bingeable, dramatic, and so much fun. I truly had the best time reading it and could not put it down.

I would not place Park Avenue in the traditional mystery or thriller categories, but it is a novel chock full of intrigue, drama, and suspense. Korean-American lawyer Jia is hired by a super-wealthy family, the Parks of Park Avenue, to negotiate an unusual divorce settlement. She must deal with the couple's warring children and suggestions of financial impropriety--and possibly even more sinister acts. The action moves from New York to Scotland, from Korea to the Cayman islands, and from Paris to Greece. I loved the globetrotting and the tension, as well as the bad behavior of the filthy rich. Jia's Hermes obsession grew old quickly, but it provided a thread along which we see her life evolve. Definitely a fun read with unexpected twists, and I enjoyed the audiobook version. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this audiobook.

I loved this book!! This was such an addictive read....once I started it, I just had to finish. I've seen this book described as Crazy Rich Asians meets Succession and I agree! I loved Jia...the gutsy lawyer trying to the right thing and finding herself along the way. She was a great character. The messy famiky, rich people drama kept this book so entertaining. Thr narrator, Michelle H. Lee, was extraordinary...which made the book easy to devour. I will defintely be looking for more books that she narrates. This is a perfext summer read. I rated this a 4 star book kn my Goodreads and am defintley recommending on my socials.

I loved this, but I'm not surprised. This is my first Renee Ahdieh book, but I don't think it'll be my last. Park Avenue is Crazy Rich Asians meets Succession and a crazy fun ride from the first chapter. Michelle H Lee did an incredible job with the narration and gave each character their own personality and style with her inflection. I loved the pacing, character development and plot from start to finish. Park Avenue follows Gia Song, a Korean-American lawyer who just made junior partner at her firm and has big dreams of name partner and the perfect Birkin. That is, until her newest clients, an ultra-rich Korean family in the beauty business set her onto a new course.

I'd recommend to any fan of Kevin Kwan or just looking for a great read. Thank you to Netgalley, Flatiron Books, and Macmillan Audio for an audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Park Avenue by Renée Ahdieh (book cover is in image) is about how the children of a rich Korean man are trying to ensure that he does not cheat their dying mother out of her share their money during a divorce. With a cast of characters of morally deficient that can only come with ridiculous amounts of money and no accountability, this book is filled with characters you love to hate. Along with the omniscient narrator, like that in the popular TV series of Gossip Girl, you are taken on Jia's journey, a junior partner in a firm that serves the social elite, to find the money the father is hiding from the dying mother. If you love to read about social elites misbehaving badly, this is the book for you.

The narration performed by Michelle H. Lee was great, giving each character a unique voice and performing male and female voices amazingly well.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this ALC. All Opinions are my own.

Rating: 4 stars
Pub Date: Jun 03 2025

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Thanks to NetGalley and PRH Audio for the advance listen of Park Avenue by Renée Ahdieh, narrated by Michelle H. Lee.
I’m familiar with the world of Park Avenue, so I was especially drawn to this story’s insider look at ultra-wealthy Manhattan—particularly the tension between old money traditions and the boldness of new money success. In Park Avenue, Ahdieh dives into this elite space through the eyes of Jia Song, a driven young lawyer who’s on the verge of having it all. When she's asked to handle a high-stakes crisis for one of her firm’s biggest clients—a powerful Korean family with a billion-dollar beauty empire—her carefully curated life gets turned upside down.
What unfolds is part corporate drama, part family soap opera, part identity reckoning. Jia is sharp, capable, and at times deeply conflicted, which made her feel both aspirational and relatable. As she’s pulled deeper into the Parks’ world of private jets, public scandals, and personal betrayals, she begins to see cracks not only in their façade, but in her own long-held ambitions.
I really appreciated how the book explored ambition and loyalty through the lens of culture, wealth, and image—especially from an Asian-American perspective we don’t often see in commercial fiction. The plot twists were well-timed, the pacing tight, and the story had enough emotional depth to balance the high-gloss setting.
Michelle H. Lee’s narration was spot-on—her delivery captured both the polish and the simmering tension underneath each scene. A compelling adult debut from Renée Ahdieh that’s as entertaining as it is thought-provoking.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Audio Review: The audio is amazing, the narrator was able to bring the story, tone, and characters out really well.

Review: I knew this book would be great and it was. One thing I was pleasantly surprised about is the story is exactly what the synopsis says it's going to be. If you are a fan of "Crazy Rich Asians," you will love this book. I make the comparison, as the synopsis did, but this is a very different story and squarely stands on it's own unique voice. The characters are morally grey, simultaneously relatable and not, There are moments that make you feel deeply, laugh out loud, experience anger as well as worry about the characters.

If the synopsis sounds like something you would like, I very much recommend. Even though this is very much a literary book, it's not super plot heavy, and is mostly a dialogue heavy book, it does have a few twists and an interesting ending.

I have no complaints about it. It's on my list of books to buy for my shelf!

Jia Song is a lawyer in NYC who is trying to make partner. She gets pulled into a high-level client case (one of the most famous Korean families) because of her Korean background. This book had it all, family drama, scandal, likeable and unlikable characters as well as a bit of a mystery and a love interest. A bit of Crazy Rich Asians meets Succession. The writing was easy to follow and I had fun while reading. This was a fast-paced, entertaining read with some fun family dynamics. I listened to the audiobook and liked the narrator.

I loved this book! It's filled with glamour, drama, and smart women who aren’t afraid to fight for what they want, Park Avenue is the perfect binge-worthy read.

Thank you to Flatiron Books and Macmillan Audio for the review copies of Park Avenue by Renée Ahdieh.

This read surprised me—in the best way. What starts off a bit choppy and slow settles into a compelling, K-drama-style story filled with wealth, secrets, and emotional depth. Ahdieh mixes high-gloss family drama with thoughtful reflections on identity, ambition, and the pressures of being the child of immigrants—all while delivering a twisty, addictive plot that doesn’t lose its soul. Michele Lee’s audio narration is a standout, perfectly capturing the characters’ complexities and the story’s polished, gossip-laced tone (plus a mystery narrator that adds a unique flair).

Though the book leans into contemporary fiction’s current love affair with therapy as a growth device, Ahdieh manages to complicate and question that reliance while never losing sight of story. Definitely recommend if you’re craving Crazy Rich Asians with a darker edge—and a heroine you’ll root for.

If you've heard anything about this book, you might have heard it described as Crazy Rich Asians meets Succession. Which I don't disagree with. But it's so much more than that, too.

This book is about the ultra-wealthy and about cultural norms and misconceptions. This book is about working hard for what you want and then realizing your priorities have shifted. This book is about family and honor and the damage of dishonesty.

This is a beautifully written debut novel. I wanted to know what was going to happen, but I also wanted to go have drinks with each of the Park siblings. I wanted to pack my bags and jet off to any one of their enchanting residences (on a private jet, of course). I loved the structure of how this book was written, and the audiobook narrator did a wonderful job of giving the story a voice.

Finally, I loved the fashion and the aesthetics described in this book. The cover is obviously eye-catching, but the handbags and the interior design and the architecture and the floral design that Ahdieh describes beautifully bring to life this opulent world.

Like I said, it's Succession meets Crazy Rich Asians... and then some.