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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was fun! I didn’t need the Greek Chorus style narrator but really enjoyed the story, the world, the character development and the light mystery element. I also love to see a main character who is put together but still sweaty 😂
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
This book was presented as Crazy Rich Asians meets Succession, and sure—the fashion, the wealth, the high-gloss NYC backdrop are all there. But that surface is just a screen. What’s underneath is much heavier, much more personal, and honestly, pretty uncomfortable in a way I didn’t expect.
Park Avenue follows a Korean-American woman navigating her place in a powerful family where image is everything and emotion is… well, something you keep to yourself. There’s so much going on under the surface—unspoken family expectations, the emotional code-switching that happens within your own culture, and a kind of tension between love and performance that doesn’t get named, but is constantly felt.
The portrayal of family dynamics is sharp. No one ever directly confronts things. Instead, they talk around them—dropping comments, holding eye contact a beat too long, keeping quiet when something should be said. The microaggressions between siblings, the jabs that look like politeness, the pressure to always maintain face even inside the family—it’s all here, and it’s done really well.
I didn’t care much for the luxury fashion world side of the story. It felt like a flashy distraction to me, even though I understand why it was there—to show just how much of this family’s identity is wrapped up in appearance.
The hardest part for me is the ending. It’s not empowering. It’s not satisfying. It leaves a sour taste. And maybe that’s because it felt a little too close to home. I don’t think everyone will experience this book the same way. If you haven’t lived in that space between cultures—carrying one set of values while growing up surrounded by another—some of this might fly under the radar. But if you have lived it, this book sees you in ways that might sting.
I can’t say I liked it exactly, but I think it was brilliantly done. It’s quiet and sharp and deeply layered. There’s a lot happening between the lines—and if you know, you know.
fast-paced
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Jia Song, daughter of Korean bodega owners in New York City, has always pushed herself to succeed so she can have every Fifth Avenue luxury (including an elusive Birkin bag) and her dreams are finally in reach. She has just made junior partner at a prestigious Manhattan law firm and a senior partner wants her to sit in on a confidential meeting with a high-level client embroiled in a family dispute. Jia accepts without hesitation only to find out that it is one of the most famous Korean families in the world.
The Park family has a megasuccessful Korean beauty brand and their net worth is estimated to be a billion dollars but there's trouble brewing. Patriarch, Seven, is divorcing his terminally ill wife, Jenny, and their three adult children, Sora, Suzy and Minsoo, can't stop bickering. The children believe that their father is hiding assets to cheat their mother out of what is rightfully hers and are determined to convince her to fight back. Jia is hired and given only a month to find proof of Seven's con knowing that her career is likely on the line if she can't satisfy her client.
An entertaining slow-burn story of rich people behaving badly - juicy family drama with elements of mystery and romance as well as globetrotting to some beautiful places. I loved the unknown narrator who occasionally breaks the fourth wall and addresses the reader directly - I figured out who it was just before the reveal but it had me guessing throughout most of the book! Overall an enjoyable debut that works well as a summer beach read.
The Park family has a megasuccessful Korean beauty brand and their net worth is estimated to be a billion dollars but there's trouble brewing. Patriarch, Seven, is divorcing his terminally ill wife, Jenny, and their three adult children, Sora, Suzy and Minsoo, can't stop bickering. The children believe that their father is hiding assets to cheat their mother out of what is rightfully hers and are determined to convince her to fight back. Jia is hired and given only a month to find proof of Seven's con knowing that her career is likely on the line if she can't satisfy her client.
An entertaining slow-burn story of rich people behaving badly - juicy family drama with elements of mystery and romance as well as globetrotting to some beautiful places. I loved the unknown narrator who occasionally breaks the fourth wall and addresses the reader directly - I figured out who it was just before the reveal but it had me guessing throughout most of the book! Overall an enjoyable debut that works well as a summer beach read.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated