Reviews for Park avenue : a novel
Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.
YA and children’s author Ahdieh makes her adult debut in a stunning fashion. Jia Song has just made junior partner at a high-flying New York City law firm. She has eyes on both a senior partnership and a specific Birkin bag that would represent her success. When she’s tapped for a case involving the famous Park family, she knows it’s because of the Korean heritage she shares with them. Still, the case draws her in. The Park siblings—Sora, Suzy, and Minsoo—stand to inherit a fortune from their makeup-mogul father, but Seven Park intends to divorce their dying mother before the siblings can collect. There’s a fair amount of drama involved, from Seven’s pregnant mistress to Suzy and Sora’s ongoing vendetta against each other, but Jia is determined to help her clients get what they want. An unexpected love interest and a mystery secondary narrator add to the twisty, juicy plot. As Jia jets around the world surrounded by the lavishness of extreme wealth, Ahdieh describes every location with a distinct, spellbinding style. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: A best-selling YA author makes her adult debut with this juicy family tale bolstered by a large print run, meaning it should catch the eye of many readers.
Publishers Weekly
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In this entertaining novel from Ahdieh (The Ruined), a rising New York City lawyer takes on a delicate and potentially reputation-making case involving a wealthy fellow Korean American family. The three adult Park children are suing their father, a lucrative client at Jia Song’s firm, to prevent him from divorcing their mother, who has terminal cancer, and marrying his young mistress, who is pregnant with his son. The Park family is intimidating enough, but Jia’s mission is further complicated by her own anxiety and perfectionism, born of being raised by extremely demanding shopkeeper parents. What’s more, the Park family’s young butler, Darius, is drop-dead gorgeous, empathic, and wise, and could present Jia with a major distraction, though she views him as a potential ally. As the characters jet-set between Manhattan, the Hamptons, the Cayman Islands, Paris, and Crete, Ahdieh spoofs rom-coms and chick lit while indulging in their high drama and steady stream of haute couture name-dropping. The novel also has depth, as Jia faces her fears and the Parks turn out to be surprisingly complex, especially the youngest son, Minsoo, who was rejected by their bully father for being gay. Fans of Succession will love this layered tale of a warring family. Agent: Barbara Poelle, Word One Literary. (June)
Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
When a young lawyer takes on a case involving a wealthy Korean American family, she enters a world of deception, seduction, and betrayal. All Jia Song ever wanted was an Hermès bag. For years after a customer strode into her family’s bodega with that exclusive purse, Jia knew what to work for: “a future kissed by the Midas touch.” The daughter of Korean immigrants, Jia dreamed of a life beyond the bodega where she could provide for her family with ease and buy a mega-expensive purse as an afterthought. At 34, Jia has never been closer to her goal. She’s a junior partner at a prestigious New York City law firm with a senior role already waiting in the wings—barring any mishaps with her newest clients. All that comes between Jia and complete financial security are the Parks, billionaires with a vendetta against their family patriarch. Sora, Suzy, and Minsoo Park are convinced that their father, Chilsoo “Seven” Park, is concealing his wealth and cheating their dying mother, Jeeyun “Jenny” Park, in their divorce settlement. The three siblings, amid incessant bickering, can agree on only one thing: Their father is a scam artist, and they want their mother to live her final days in peace—with justice served. Jenny gives Jia 30 days to uncover Seven’s con, a feat made almost impossible by the Park children’s raging animosity and the way Seven’s spies thwart Jia at every turn. With the help of the Parks’ handsome house manager, Darius Rohani, Jia jets from New York to Seoul, the Cayman Islands to Paris, hoping to find clues about Seven’s funds. In search of her own success by proving the Parks’ suspicions, Jia might be in way over her head. Ahdieh’s debut adult novel is a striking tale of deceit set behind the glamorous facade of Park Avenue’s riches. Jia is a strong heroine with everything to lose but even more to gain, and fans ofCrazy Rich Asians,Schitt’s Creek, andWhite Lotus will get more than their fix of backstabbing and danger. A delectable and drama-filled thriller. Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
