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.

Sadly, I just did not enjoy the main character of this book as I did not find her to be relatable. Nothing about her pulled me in or made me want to like her.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I enjoyed this one. It felt a lot like a lot of other stories, but that made it a comfortable, easy read. Nothing here is super innovative, but it doesn't need to be. I enjoyed the protagonist and found her more complex than your average heroine in this genre. I did spend most of the book thinking it was a standalone, but the end makes it pretty clear that the author at least hopes for a sequel. I will probably pick that one up, too!

Renee Ahdieh ventures into adult contemporary fiction with Park Avenue, a deliciously messy story about Jia Song, a Korean-American lawyer who's just made junior partner and finds herself thrust into the chaotic world of an ultra-wealthy family's legal battles. When the matriarch is dying of cancer while her husband divorces her for his pregnant mistress—all while trying to hide billions in assets from his children—Jia must navigate not only complex legal maneuvers but also the assumption that she was chosen for this case simply because she's Korean. What begins as a straightforward inheritance dispute quickly evolves into something far more intricate, with private jets, luxury destinations, and family secrets that run deeper than anyone imagined.

Ahdieh crafts a story that initially seems to follow the familiar rags-to-riches trajectory but cleverly subverts expectations with a grandiose, snarky narrator who appears between chapters like a modern-day Lady Whistledown. This narrative device adds an intriguing layer to the storytelling, building suspense while offering wry commentary on wealth, status, and family dysfunction. The author handles the complex themes with surprising nuance, exploring the costs of ambition and the reality that money doesn't guarantee happiness. While the neat ending and heavy reliance on therapy as a plot device feel somewhat predictable, Ahdieh never sacrifices the story's momentum—the twists and revelations keep you engaged throughout.

The audiobook narration by Michelle H. Lee deserves special praise for bringing this multi-layered story to life with exceptional skill. Her performance captures the distinct voices of the various characters while perfectly matching the book's sophisticated yet accessible tone. Park Avenue succeeds as both an entertaining family drama and a thoughtful examination of identity, ambition, and what we're willing to sacrifice for success. It's a compelling read that proves Ahdieh can masterfully navigate adult fiction just as skillfully as she has YA fantasy, delivering a story that's both engaging and surprisingly insightful about the true cost of wealth and status.

Jia Song has finally made it: junior partner at a top Manhattan law firm, a tight-knit circle of best friends, and her dream Birkin bag in reach. But when she’s tapped to handle the crumbling marriage of the ultrarich Park family – Korean beauty moguls with a billion-dollar legacy – her career and values are put to the test.

With one month to fix the mess before the patriarch’s divorce hits the tabloids and the matriarch’s health fails, Jia is thrown into a whirlwind of secrets, backstabbing, and global jet-setting. As she becomes entangled with the Parks, Jia must decide what success means – and whether the life she’s always wanted is really the one she needs.

This was such a fun read – glitzy, dramatic, fast-paced – with a sharp sense of humor and a surprising emotional core. Park Avenue gave me big Kevin Kwan vibes in terms of the glamorous excess, juicy family secrets, and over-the-top rich-people problems (but with a Korean American heroine and a K-beauty empire at the center).

Jia is the kind of protagonist I love rooting for: ambitious, competent, deeply loyal – and just a little bit swept up in the fantasy of the world she’s navigating. There’s a lot of sharp commentary here about class, image, success, and the impossible standards placed on women (especially women of color) who dare to want more. I really appreciated how the book balances the allure of the Park family’s wealth and influence with Jia’s growing awareness of what she might be giving up to play by their rules.

There's also a lot of cultural nuance threaded through the story – especially in how it explores success, self-presentation, and filial obligation – without ever slowing the pace or falling into easy archetypes. The tone shifts seamlessly between slyly funny and emotionally sincere, which made it easy to stay invested.

This is a great pick if you enjoy books that explore privilege and power with a little bite – especially if you want your social commentary wrapped in luxury branding and beauty industry politics.

3.5 stars

Jia Song has put a lot of pressure on herself to excel and to meet the goals and destiny that she has received from some fairly untraditional places. She's made may strides toward achieving as planned, but a new challenge puts her in a unique position to succeed or fail epically.

I really enjoyed the way Ahdieh develops these characters. Readers spend a lot of time in Jia's mind and get to understand her motivations and proclivities well. While there's less exposure to various members of the Park collective, these also feel like round characters whose actions, though odd and surprising occasionally, seem reasonable because of Ahdieh's efforts to evolve the folks who participate in them.

This is not a quick read. It is engaging, but I did find it a bit slow at times. Some of the romantic connections were harder for me to get invested in than various other aspects of the plot. I'd have loved a more economical presentation, but I still found this an intriguing concept overall.

I adored Ahdieh’s fantasy series so my interest is always peaked when an author steps into a new genre. Park Avenue is a fun contemporary rags to riches story. Jia Song has always wanted power and success, she just made junior partner but she wants more, when her firm puts her to work on a very high profile case she is entangled with one of the richest Korean families in the world, is being part of their world really all it’s cracked up to be?

This is marketed as Crazy Rich Asians meets Succession and I don’t disagree, there are definitely the soapy elements mixed with the nuance of power and privilege but this also has a bit of Gossip Girl vibes, there’s fun diary entries at the beginning of each chapter from an unknown author that plays into the mystery at the heart of this book. Comparisons aside this is a snarky, layered and at times juicy story that plays with mystery and drama in interesting ways.

Ahdieh tackles a lot of characters and sub plots in this book and at times it can feel slightly convoluted but ultimately it is a fun read with many surprises. If you like a rags to riches story mixed with mystery and luxury, Park Avenue is the perfect book to sink into this season.

In her debut adult novel, Park Avenue by Renée Ahdieh is a captivating and stylish novel that blends glamour, intrigue, and romance with effortless charm. Ahdieh’s writing is sharp and immersive, pulling readers into a richly drawn world of high society and personal ambition. With compelling characters and unexpected twists, it’s an entertaining and satisfying read from start to finish.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this digital audio e-arc*

This audio was fantastic!
I loved The drama and most of all the omniscient POV chapters mixed in! Gave strong Gossip Girl vibes.
I also Appreciate how everything was tied up in a bow at the end! (I’m one of those people who needs to know how it happened)
This is a fun summer read…a little mystery, a lot of drama.

This one was more fun than I expected it to be! I knew Ahdieh was originally a fantasy author (I think), and I'm not sure when she made the transition to contemporary fiction, but I'm glad she did! The characters were well developed, and I loved all the snark and witty dialogue. I enjoyed the overall story, and the way events unfolded. It is fun to get peeks into the lives of the wealthy, and I thought Ahdieh did a fabulous job of incorporating elements of that world without being overdone. The only drawback for me was the inclusion of the "author's chapters" (I listened on audio and maybe that impacted how I took them in) - they just pulled me out of the story, confused me, and didn't really add to the story for me. Overall, this was a win, and I can't wait to see what Ahdieh writes next!

This was such a quick and enjoyable book. Although I did not like all the characters, that was the charm of the book. The storyline and characters were all well developed and their roles in the story were all clear. I loved the family drama, the mystery, the scandal and the romance. I found it to be such a fun book to read and got lost in the characters' lives. I listened to this and loved the narrator. Jai is a lawyer who is moving up in her firm when she is handed a client that requires delicate hands. She is working with a wealthy, famous Korean family - filled with drama, scandal and chaos. Jai must prove that she can appropriately and properly handle this case to impress her firm. Just a great book for any time of year!

Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copy.