Title: Park Avenue

Author: Renée Ahdieh

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Publisher: Bedford Square Publisher

Publication Date: 17th July 2025

Rating: 5/5

Cover:

Summary:

As the daughter of Korean bodega owners, Jia Song promised herself that she would have every luxury when she grew up. Now she’s made junior partner at her prestigious law firm, and it’s all finally within reach. So when her boss asks her to sit in on the hush-hush family implosion of a client, she accepts without hesitation – only to find out that it is one of the most famous Korean families in the world.

The Parks and their mega successful Korean beauty brand are worth a billion dollars. But the father is filing for divorce while his wife is dying, and the children can’t stop fighting. With both the family fortune and their legacy under threat from the worst kind of scandal, it’s up to Jia to set things right – and she only has a month to do it.

As Jia chases the truth across the globe, she finds herself falling for this broken family, though it’s clear they’re hiding dark secrets. Can she find the truth in time to protect their fortune and secure her success at the firm? And can she hold on to what’s most important, even if it means admitting that what she’s always wanted isn’t what she actually needs?

Review:

I’d seen Park Avenue described as having Succession meets Crazy Rich Asians vibe and so I was sold immediately and I wasn’t disappointed. Although, I actually think it’s better than both! I was totally compelled by this book from the first page to the last. It is full of wit, sharp sparkle, drama and truly excellent writing. The narrative is split between ambitious lawyer Jia, who finds herself entangled with the obscenely wealthy Park family and an unknown and mysterious second narrator who dips in and out every few chapters to drop warnings and hints about what is going on beneath the surface of this incredibly addictive story. This works beautifully well as it adds a whole other dimension of cleverness and complexity to the whole thing. 

Jia herself is an engaging and layered main character that is very easy, in my view, to root for and like. I wanted her to prevail in her goals, and although she is not perfect, I found her intelligence and determination impressive from the start. I also loved all the fashion and everything else in terms of luxury that comes with reading about the super-rich. I find rich people behaving badly strangely fascinating for some reason and the Parks of Park Avenue fit the bell perfectly. However there is also another layer of depth to this book, which on the surface may appear to be about glamour, scandal and money, but is actually more about what is really important and how far people are willing to go to get what they think they want or need. Park Avenue is a deliciously sharp, intensely addictive, beautifully written and utterly captivating read that I genuinely could not put down. I couldn’t recommend it more highly. One of my favourites of the year. 

★★★★★

Thank you so much to Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for inviting me on this tour and organising it. I kindly received a copy of the book from the publisher. My review is entirely my own honest opinion.

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