Renée Ahdieh, best known for her bestselling young adult novels, makes her adult fiction debut with Park Avenue a story that glitters with high-end luxury and simmering family tension. Pitched as Crazy Rich Asians meets Succession, this novel delivers a heady mix of ambition, wealth, and moral reckoning set against the dazzling backdrop of New York high society and global billionaires.
At the heart of the story is Jia Song, a driven Korean American attorney who has spent her entire life climbing the ladder from her parents’ modest bodega to a Manhattan law firm. She has everything she once dreamed of designer clothes, power, prestige until a single case forces her to question everything. When her firm’s biggest client, the Park family, faces a crisis that could destroy their billion-dollar K-beauty empire, Jia is assigned to manage the chaos.
The Parks are the very definition of “rich people behaving badly.” The patriarch is filing for divorce while his wife lies gravely ill, and their three adult children are locked in a bitter power struggle over inheritance, image, and identity. What begins as a professional challenge soon spirals into personal entanglement, as Jia becomes enmeshed in the family’s deceit and secrets. Private jets, Parisian dinners, luxury handbags, and whispered scandals fill the pages but beneath the sparkle lies a question that every ambitious person must face: what does success truly cost?
Readers’ reactions to Park Avenue have been sharply divided. Shantha found it “well-written, glamorous, and empowering,” praising its blend of class commentary, ambition, and romance. For her, Jia’s story is one of self-discovery a reminder that what we think we want is not always what we truly need.
Others were far less convinced. Brandice admired the fast pace and glossy setting but found the mysterious narrator unnecessary and the dialogue repetitive. Niharika, meanwhile, delivered perhaps the most passionate critique: despite the promising premise, she felt the book leaned too heavily on young adult tropes, with immature dialogue, underdeveloped characters, and a romance that bordered on implausible. She also pointed out that the book’s ambitious tone part legal drama, part family saga, part romantic comedy left it feeling uncertain of its own identity.
Still, Ahdieh’s writing shines in moments of introspection. Jia’s internal conflict between her hunger for success and her longing for authenticity adds a relatable emotional thread to a story otherwise drenched in excess. Readers who enjoy the voyeuristic pleasure of watching the ultra-wealthy unravel behind their designer façades will find plenty to feast on here.
In the end, Park Avenue is a glittering yet uneven debut that tries to balance glamour with heart. It may not reach the sharp satire of Succession or the charm of Crazy Rich Asians, but it offers a captivating glimpse into ambition’s seductive and destructive power.
Perfect for fans of contemporary fiction, corporate intrigue, and messy rich family drama, this novel makes for an entertaining and reflective read.
👉 Buy Park Avenue on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4q00eaD
