This book reminded me of Gossip Girl. It was such a fun escape. It’s full of ambition, secrets, drama basically everything I want in a story set in New York’s elite circles. The characters are messy in the most relatable way, and even when they make questionable choices, you kind of get it.

The writing is sharp and addictive.

If you’re in the mood for something juicy but not shallow, this is the one.

I honestly forgot I was reading this book for awhile, I just couldn't connect to the characters or the story itself! The writing was decent, but nothing about this felt particularly stand out, I didn't care for anything that was happening and found the overall tone a little boring.

I adored this family saga, especially the outsider looking in perspective that we get through out narrator. A fascinating story of family love, revenge, and redemption. The ending blew me away!

Honestly mixed opinions, I was really looking forward to Ahdieh's first adult book.

Imagine if crazy rich asians met suits, this would be it.

Except I found it hard to connect with the characters and didn't care for the plot twists, even though I was invested in the story

I feel this is because some characters felt underdeveloped, in particular the narrator who I felt didn’t add substance to the story.

I will say this was enjoyable/ relatable to read about an immigrant daughter’s guilt as well as battling cultural/societal expectations. Also, I did love the ultra rich aspect and how the themes of ambition, wealth and success all interlinked in the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bedford Square Publishers for providing me with an arc, all opinions are my own.

Jia Song is working hard to live her best life and achieve all her goals. She's getting there too. Then she is given the chance to represent one of the wealthiest families. The Parks a korean family like her. Can she help the wife get what she is owed or is the husband destined to take all the money?

This was an interesting story with lots of corruption, greed and betrayal. I enjoyed the story. Its a little slow getting going but its consistent and you become invested in whether Jia can succeed. I really enjoyed the twists along the way though I did figure out the end one. It was clever though. The story is interspersed with small sections from the author. Normally this distracts me but I actually found it worked well. I loved Jia, she's real and determined. I liked the ending with her staying true to herself even in such a tricky world. A good read and a little insight into Korean culture and families.

Think “crazy rich Asians” If like me you loved it then you are in for a treat. This is a novel about wealth and how it can destroy families. The Parks are in dispute. The father has abandoned his dying wife and family and taken a mistress the age of his daughters. It transpires that she is pregnant, and this causes chaos as her child could become the heir to the empire.

Jia, a smart rags to riches attorney with a Koren background, is drafted in and made junior partner, with the promise of becoming the youngest senior in the company. Her task is to uncover the hidden millions and assets Mr. Park has in offshore accounts. She has one month to ensure that the divorce settlement is fair for the Park family. If successful, then her company will bill millions too. That's where the fun begins as we are taken on exotic trips to Korea, Greece and Scotland in her quest to complete the mission. Along the way, however, she meets opposition when Mr. Park appears to know all of her moves.

This is a well-written piece of work which is both engaging and insightful as we delve into Korean values and customs. I highly recommend this for YA.

Thank you NetGalley and Bedford Square publishers for the opportunity to read this ahead of publication

A solid 3.75/5 stars.

I went into this having not read any of Renee Ahdieh's YA work and while I don't think I'll be adding it to be my TBR, I'd certainly be interested in continuing with her adult novels. Because the biggest plus of this book for me was the writing. Ahdieh's prose is intriguing and excellently well paced, turning 'Park Avenue' into exactly the kind of novel you want - rich people doing shitty things, undercutting each other, and being deliciously catty and soapy to each other. Honestly, if you just liked the parts of Succession where they acted like six-year-olds, you will love this book.

Where I think it suffers a little is under-development in its characters and the way it ends. Certainly as we enter the second half, I felt the pacing started to slow and the plot took a back seat for the same thoughts being repeated by the same characters over and over again. Suzy disappeared completely from the story when she had before been so involved in it, and the other siblings didn't get much light and shade to their characters. Truly, the saving grace is the unnamed narrator who chimes in every few chapters. This is where Ahdieh's writing really shines - if she happens to turn her talents to a Ripley-esque novel, I think she'd be a marvel.

And the ending. Whilst I didn't predict correctly who the narrator would turn out to be - nor did I predict the conclusion (though I had an inkling), the manner through which things wrapped up in a rather neat little bow seemed entirely at odds with the tone the novel had taken to this point. I do think a more bittersweet option would have been more satisfying - another last minute turn, a sudden red herring, it would have been so very decadent - but I can understand why a HEA (or something close to it) was the option the author chose. It's just not my favourite.

'Park Avenue' is distinctly lacking the bite and subtlety that made so Succession so deeply awful and wonderful at once, but if you're a big fan of the 'rich people doing rich things' genre, you'll love this book.

Interesting book. I enjoyed the main narrative but found the additional narrative a bit jarring. It all came together in the end but maybe a bit too tidily. I would definitely recommend reading it but I can’t help feeling it was a little over complicated for the sake of it given that the plot was already very strong. Thanks to NetGalley and Bedford Square for the ARC.

This turned out to be a great read.It had quite a few twists and turns which kept the pace of the story rattling along.It had humor underlying many situations. Insights into how two different American Korean families lived their lives. Even a bubbling romance.Where was the money being secreted away? All against a tight timeline.Riveting.

I loved this author's previous work, especially the young adult fantasy. I really wanted to love this book too, but unfortunately, it just didn't work out for me.

Thank you publisher and netgalley for this early digital copy.

After loving Renne Ahdieh young adult books I expected to love this.
But sadly this didn't work for me.
While its different than her usual genre. I still had hope.

such a compelling and enjoyable read. i loved getting to know Jia world and just where she came from and where she drives herself forward to be. she yearns money status and all the things she couldn't have given herself before getting there. but done it she has and has worked her way up from her families beginning to a top law firm and no junior partner. things are on the up and up. but then she is given a case that come with mess attached. a family who are all in chaos one way or another. the mother is dying of cancer and the dad is leaving to be with a younger mistress. and the kids know hes hiding his wealth and will do anything to bring him to justice and hand over the money, their inheritance no less! and Jia is pushed hard and fast in the middle of all the drama and their drama comes with buckets of the stuff. she is taken away in luxurious destination on private jets and put in front of secrets and also often feels behind certain secrets.
there is one side with family loyalty and then the other which comes from money and the greed that inevitably follows it.
the mirror it shines on Jia's own yearning is not lost on me as a reader. they have all she wants. dont they? i loved how her home visits kept pulling her in and down to earth but she was never far from the expectation she feels on her shoulders and her own inner demons of finally finally needing acceptance.
getting to know the siblings was a hoot. in good and bad ways. they come with some traits i tell you that now. but again there are layers to each of them including the mum and dad. its the way Renee forms these grey areas is done to perfection.
i also really enjoyed seeing Jia come into herself or at least try to. but how things can knock you back with each learning curve. and what you want or think you want can sometimes be at odds with morals or family loyalty.
and really how your never done asking yourself questions and forever want to be!

I really enjoyed this legal drama which combines the exciting fast-paced lifestyle of the ultra privileged with some serious reflections on happiness, family and the trappings of wealth.
The characters are interesting and layered and the plot moves at a great speed.
I was a little unconvinced at times by the behaviour of the main character. A woman in her 30s (that was the age range impression I got) who has successfully made junior partner in her firm is going to be a little more poised around someone she's attracted to that she meets in the course of her work duties. Some of the initial moments with Darius just seemed a little immature when she's being her professional self.
But overall I really enjoyed the book and it was a great h0liday read with just the right amount of critical reflection,

I absolutely loved this book. Our characters were intricately written and fascinating to read about.
The story ever bit as compelling as the best Chaebol filled Korean Drama.
I was hooked from the start, and it kept me hooked throughout.
I'm so thrilled I got the chance to read this book.
An easy five star.

Interesting insights to the difficulties of being a successful female from an ethnic minority. On one hand you have to be prepared to fight to get to the top but then you are not being feminine and subservient enough. How do you win?
A fast moving chase through many jurisdictions to track money being hidden in a divorce case.
Very enjoyable until the ludicrous and unbelievable ending.

Park Avenue has a great plot and cast of characters. Set in New York the story centres on a fallout in the mega rich Park family and lawyer Jia who is tasked with winning the case in 30 days to secure a senior partner position. I enjoyed the structure of the story which is well paced and leaves the reader intrigued to read on. I rate it 3.5/5 mainly as I did not like the twist ending and found the narration to be a bit flat in parts.

Park Avenue was a story that started really strongly. I was invested in Jia, her hopes and dreams and determination, and drawn in by the various members of the Park family and their staff. Things initially moved at a good pace, but my interest waned a little around the middle of the book when it felt like little progress was happening in the narrative and I begin to skim, waiting for something more to happen. Luckily, things picked up again in the final third, with a few twists and turns as we reached the story's conclusion. Jia definitely grew as a character over the course of the tale and I found the ending mostly satisfying. I am giving this book 3.5 stars. It was an interesting read, but you do need to persevere through the middle section. Recommended for fans of contemporary fiction, family drama, and books with a bit of a mystery twist.

I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A deeply satisfying slice of life following the Korean-American diaspora, as an ambitious attorney fights for the beleaguered soon-to-be-ex wife of a powerful CEO and their fractured family. Armed with sparkling prose and masterful storytelling and plotting, Park Avenue weaves a story about greed, grief, power, and redemption that makes it one of the year's best.

Renée Ahdieh’s Park Avenue offers a sharp, compelling story about ambition, family, and the cost of success. Jia Song’s journey from the daughter of Korean bodega owners to junior partner at a prestigious law firm is inspiring, but it’s her involvement with the powerful Park family that really draws you in. As Jia navigates their bitter disputes and hidden secrets, the stakes become incredibly high—both professionally and personally.

Ahdieh’s writing is engaging and nuanced, weaving themes of cultural identity and loyalty into a fast-paced narrative that keeps you hooked. The characters feel authentic, with complex motivations that make the drama feel all the more real. Jia’s growth throughout the book is particularly well done, especially as she begins to question what she truly wants from life.

Park Avenue is a thoughtful, engrossing read for anyone who enjoys family sagas laced with corporate intrigue and emotional depth.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

Park Avenue by Renée Ahdieh is a deliciously addictive read that serves up family drama, high-stakes legal intrigue, and the complications of identity and ambition with both flair and depth.

At the heart of the novel is Jia Song, the daughter of hardworking Korean immigrants who rose from a bodega in Queens to the polished halls of a Manhattan law firm. She’s finally within reach of the life she’s always dreamed of — but her latest case threatens to unravel everything.

Jia is pulled into the orbit of the ultra-rich and deeply dysfunctional Park family, a Korean-American dynasty whose glittering public image conceals secrets, betrayals, and buried agendas. Hired to assist in a tense divorce between the powerful matriarch Jenny Park and her estranged billionaire husband, Jia quickly realises this is no ordinary case. What begins as a legal challenge becomes a personal trial as she navigates a minefield of betrayal, family infighting, and a mysterious narrator bent on manipulating events behind the scenes.

Renée Ahdieh masterfully balances sharp wit and emotional complexity. The novel is full of satirical fun — lavish lifestyles, backstabbing siblings, and a morally grey, high-powered protagonist you can't help but root for. Yet it also explores serious themes, from the immigrant drive to succeed in elite spaces to how wealth both empowers and isolates. Jia’s ambition is relatable and grounded, her desire for success driven not only by personal hunger, but by the weight of family responsibility and sacrifice.

The Parks are a chaotic blend of opulence and dysfunction. With a cast that includes entitled twins, a closeted financial genius son, and a patriarch who mistakes wealth for wisdom, the book offers no shortage of juicy conflict. But what makes Park Avenue more weighty is Ahdieh’s refusal to let any character remain a caricature — every one of them has moments that complicate your judgment.

Part legal thriller, part social satire, and part coming-of-age story, Park Avenue is unputdownable. It’s a perfect storm of gossip-worthy scandal, clever plotting, and emotional resonance. For fans of drama among the wealthy, strong female leads, and stories that unpack the American dream with heart and humour, this book more than delivers.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.