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Sunshine Nails
A tender, humorous, and page-turning debut about a Vietnamese Canadian family in Toronto who will do whatever it takes to protect their no-frills nail salon after a new high end salon opens up—even if it tears the family apart. Perfect for readers of Olga Dies Dreaming and The Fortunes of Jaded Women.
Vietnamese refugees Debbie and Phil Tran have built a comfortable life for themselves in Toronto with their family nail salon. But when an ultra-glam chain salon opens across the street, their world is rocked.
Complicating matters further, their landlord has jacked up the rent and it seems only a matter of time before they lose their business and everything they’ve built. They enlist the help of their daughter, Jessica, who has just returned home after a messy breakup and a messier firing. Together with their son, Dustin, and niece, Thuy, they devise some good old-fashioned sabotage. Relationships are put to the test as the line between right and wrong gets blurred. Debbie and Phil must choose: do they keep their family intact or fight for their salon?
Sunshine Nails is a light-hearted, urgent fable of gentrification with a cast of memorable and complex characters who showcase the diversity of immigrant experiences and community resilience.
Vietnamese refugees Debbie and Phil Tran have built a comfortable life for themselves in Toronto with their family nail salon. But when an ultra-glam chain salon opens across the street, their world is rocked.
Complicating matters further, their landlord has jacked up the rent and it seems only a matter of time before they lose their business and everything they’ve built. They enlist the help of their daughter, Jessica, who has just returned home after a messy breakup and a messier firing. Together with their son, Dustin, and niece, Thuy, they devise some good old-fashioned sabotage. Relationships are put to the test as the line between right and wrong gets blurred. Debbie and Phil must choose: do they keep their family intact or fight for their salon?
Sunshine Nails is a light-hearted, urgent fable of gentrification with a cast of memorable and complex characters who showcase the diversity of immigrant experiences and community resilience.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published July 4, 2023
241 people are currently reading
23617 people want to read
About the author
Mai Nguyen
2 books251 followersMai Nguyen is a National Magazine Award–nominated journalist and copywriter who has written for Wired, The Washington Post, The Toronto Star, and several major brands. Raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia, she now lives in Toronto. Sunshine Nails is her debut novel.
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January 27, 2023When a high-end salon opens across the street from the Tran's family-run one, they're terrified they'll be forced to close their doors. But each family member quickly takes it upon themselves to do whatever it takes, risks and sacrifices be damned, to save their beloved salon. A moving story filled with humor and heart.
December 30, 2024
This is the Vietnamese Canadian experience, which is arguably similar to other Vietnamese diasporas in the US and Australia. The Trans own a nail salon. If you’ve ever been to a nail salon in a major metropolis, it is probably owned by a Vietnamese family.
I get the parental conflict. I get hating your job. I get dating mediocre white men. And while I felt the plight of each of the Trans, I just didn’t feel for or connect with any of them. Dad is a useless gambler. Mom puts up with it and has her own bullshit. Daughter is a little woe is me. Son is even more so.
I did enjoy the bit about the white owned salon coming in and gentrifying the neighborhood. That happens is so many places. Sure, you enjoy the matcha place that moves in. But people are displaced because they can no longer afford the rent. Think of them. But you probably won’t.
This was one of my most anticipated reads this year. I’m sad it fell a little flat for me.
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books
I get the parental conflict. I get hating your job. I get dating mediocre white men. And while I felt the plight of each of the Trans, I just didn’t feel for or connect with any of them. Dad is a useless gambler. Mom puts up with it and has her own bullshit. Daughter is a little woe is me. Son is even more so.
I did enjoy the bit about the white owned salon coming in and gentrifying the neighborhood. That happens is so many places. Sure, you enjoy the matcha place that moves in. But people are displaced because they can no longer afford the rent. Think of them. But you probably won’t.
This was one of my most anticipated reads this year. I’m sad it fell a little flat for me.
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books
January 27, 2025
this is a book about a family nail salon sabotaging the chain that opens up across the street.
as someone who is a fan of both pranks and supporting small business, i just hope the happy ending does not involve learning some kind of lesson about how crime is bad.
worse, it's not really about sabotage at all — more about kind of upsetting hijinks and financial errors committed by a family trying their best.
it aims for a lot, like separate plotlines and happily ever afters for each of the 5 family members we follow and themes of gentrification, family, immigration, community, and success.
as you can imagine it didn't quite stick the landing on everything.
but it wasn't a bad read, and it made me really hungry for vietnamese food. that's good enough in my book.
bottom line: pretty good!
(thanks to the publisher for the copy)
as someone who is a fan of both pranks and supporting small business, i just hope the happy ending does not involve learning some kind of lesson about how crime is bad.
worse, it's not really about sabotage at all — more about kind of upsetting hijinks and financial errors committed by a family trying their best.
it aims for a lot, like separate plotlines and happily ever afters for each of the 5 family members we follow and themes of gentrification, family, immigration, community, and success.
as you can imagine it didn't quite stick the landing on everything.
but it wasn't a bad read, and it made me really hungry for vietnamese food. that's good enough in my book.
bottom line: pretty good!
(thanks to the publisher for the copy)
June 17, 2023
Debbie and Phil Tran are Vietnamese refugees living in Toronto. They have built a life for themselves there and own a nail salon. Everything appears to be going well for them until a glamourous chain nail salon opens across the street. With their livelihood threatened and an increase in their rent, they are willing to do what it takes to save their nail salon.
Debbie and Phil are not the only ones dealing with stressful events in their lives. Their daughter, Jessica, has returned from California after a breakup and their son, Dustin, is not being appreciated at work.
This book explores gentrification, family dynamics, the immigrant experience, community, and relationships. It is an enjoyable read and I enjoyed watching the family, especially Jessica and Dustin, find their footing and confidence.
This was a quick enjoyable read. Although I enjoyed it, it was lacking a little bit of something that garnered a higher rating. This book did prove to be thought provoking. Gentrification is very real and happens everywhere. This book showed how small businesses are affected when bigger stores come in.
Thank you to Atria Books and Edelweiss who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
Debbie and Phil are not the only ones dealing with stressful events in their lives. Their daughter, Jessica, has returned from California after a breakup and their son, Dustin, is not being appreciated at work.
This book explores gentrification, family dynamics, the immigrant experience, community, and relationships. It is an enjoyable read and I enjoyed watching the family, especially Jessica and Dustin, find their footing and confidence.
This was a quick enjoyable read. Although I enjoyed it, it was lacking a little bit of something that garnered a higher rating. This book did prove to be thought provoking. Gentrification is very real and happens everywhere. This book showed how small businesses are affected when bigger stores come in.
Thank you to Atria Books and Edelweiss who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
June 6, 2023
3.5 Stars
I wouldn't normally have noticed this, but after a publishing marketer pushed this one my way about three times I decided to take the plunge. It does have elements I like such as a close knit family and hard work ethic.
The story depicts the Tran family, Vietnamese immigrants who opened a nail salon in Toronto, Canada twenty years ago. Conflict arises when a large franchise nail chain decides to open directly across the street from the Tran's modest nail business, Sunshine Nails. What slowly and quietly evolves is like a dance between these two entities, as the Tran family responds to this financial threat. At the same time the Tran family unit is explored, where their children are finding their own way in the business world. Their eldest daughter Jessica has returned home from Los Angeles after a bust up with a wealthy fiance. This shattered both their daughter's dreams and the grand hopes for a better life from her parents, Debbie and Phil Tran. Their son Dustin is marking time in a tech job where his boss has kept his salary stagnant for too long. Niece Thuy has become the rock star at Sunshine Nails with her nail artistry. All are living together at the Tran home, navigating these life changes.
I enjoyed the culture of the Tran family. The parents had a quiet dignity and loyalty to each other. I loved the descriptions of family/friend gatherings and the food that was prepared. I especially admired their work ethic and adherence to budgeting to maintain their simple, but good lives. I also got a kick out of the mom character of Debbie. She had a genteel temper, was prayerful, but had spunk when people tried to mess with her family! Overall this was a quiet and pleasant read that I enjoyed.
Thank you to the publisher Atria Books / Simon & Schuster who provided an advanced reader copy via Edelweiss.
I wouldn't normally have noticed this, but after a publishing marketer pushed this one my way about three times I decided to take the plunge. It does have elements I like such as a close knit family and hard work ethic.
The story depicts the Tran family, Vietnamese immigrants who opened a nail salon in Toronto, Canada twenty years ago. Conflict arises when a large franchise nail chain decides to open directly across the street from the Tran's modest nail business, Sunshine Nails. What slowly and quietly evolves is like a dance between these two entities, as the Tran family responds to this financial threat. At the same time the Tran family unit is explored, where their children are finding their own way in the business world. Their eldest daughter Jessica has returned home from Los Angeles after a bust up with a wealthy fiance. This shattered both their daughter's dreams and the grand hopes for a better life from her parents, Debbie and Phil Tran. Their son Dustin is marking time in a tech job where his boss has kept his salary stagnant for too long. Niece Thuy has become the rock star at Sunshine Nails with her nail artistry. All are living together at the Tran home, navigating these life changes.
I enjoyed the culture of the Tran family. The parents had a quiet dignity and loyalty to each other. I loved the descriptions of family/friend gatherings and the food that was prepared. I especially admired their work ethic and adherence to budgeting to maintain their simple, but good lives. I also got a kick out of the mom character of Debbie. She had a genteel temper, was prayerful, but had spunk when people tried to mess with her family! Overall this was a quiet and pleasant read that I enjoyed.
Thank you to the publisher Atria Books / Simon & Schuster who provided an advanced reader copy via Edelweiss.
April 29, 2023
Here is the naked truth: the publicist for Sunshine Nails sent me a messages that I was granted access to the novel. I took one look at the colorful cover and thought, nope, not for me. Then, I got a second. Third message, I thought, alright already, I will take a look at it.
I took a look and kept reading. It was the right book for the right time. Great, colorful, and likeable characters. Well plotted story line. Believable problems. And enough depth into the immigrant experience and struggle to give it weight.
Phil and Debbie Tran spent twenty years building a nail salon business, ensuring their children had an education and opportunity for a better life. As refugees after the Viet Nam War, they endured horrific trauma. Invited to settle in Toronto, Ontario, running a nail salon was one business they could run without knowing much English. Now, headline news articles about worker abuses at nail salons is hitting them, and a glitzy, upscale, national nail salon is taking advantage of the scandal, opening a new salon just across the street. As the salon losses money, Debbie and Phil are determined to make it work, any way they can.
Meanwhile, their successful daughter’s career in LA has met a curveball, and she is back home and working in the salon. Their workaholic son is frustrated by his stalled advancement. He is conflicted when he learns that a local landmark building is slated for demolition–and his boss is thrilled to be a tenet in the new building. Rounding out the family is relative from Viet Nam. She is a star nail artist in the salon, hoping to help her family back home by sending money for a mattress so they aren’t sleeping on cement.
If the universe was going to keep throwing punches at her, she was going to duck, swerve, hit back. Whatever it took to take back some control.
from Sunshine Nails by Mai Nguyen
As their problems mount and ill advised decisions stress familial bonds, each Tran family member learns important lessons. What really brings them joy. How to take control of their life. The value of love and loyalty and forgiveness.
The undercurrent of racism surfaces throughout the novel, as is the failure of the “promised” dream.
The author Mai Nguyen’s own family ran a nail salon. She wanted to honor Vietnamese immigrants who became nail technicians to establish their new lives. She has given us a warm hearted story
Thanks to Atria Books for a free book.
I took a look and kept reading. It was the right book for the right time. Great, colorful, and likeable characters. Well plotted story line. Believable problems. And enough depth into the immigrant experience and struggle to give it weight.
Phil and Debbie Tran spent twenty years building a nail salon business, ensuring their children had an education and opportunity for a better life. As refugees after the Viet Nam War, they endured horrific trauma. Invited to settle in Toronto, Ontario, running a nail salon was one business they could run without knowing much English. Now, headline news articles about worker abuses at nail salons is hitting them, and a glitzy, upscale, national nail salon is taking advantage of the scandal, opening a new salon just across the street. As the salon losses money, Debbie and Phil are determined to make it work, any way they can.
Meanwhile, their successful daughter’s career in LA has met a curveball, and she is back home and working in the salon. Their workaholic son is frustrated by his stalled advancement. He is conflicted when he learns that a local landmark building is slated for demolition–and his boss is thrilled to be a tenet in the new building. Rounding out the family is relative from Viet Nam. She is a star nail artist in the salon, hoping to help her family back home by sending money for a mattress so they aren’t sleeping on cement.
If the universe was going to keep throwing punches at her, she was going to duck, swerve, hit back. Whatever it took to take back some control.
from Sunshine Nails by Mai Nguyen
As their problems mount and ill advised decisions stress familial bonds, each Tran family member learns important lessons. What really brings them joy. How to take control of their life. The value of love and loyalty and forgiveness.
The undercurrent of racism surfaces throughout the novel, as is the failure of the “promised” dream.
The author Mai Nguyen’s own family ran a nail salon. She wanted to honor Vietnamese immigrants who became nail technicians to establish their new lives. She has given us a warm hearted story
Thanks to Atria Books for a free book.
September 17, 2023
Weird ending...
June 20, 2023
I don’t start a book wanting to dislike it. It doesn’t bring me joy to poke and prod at someone’s hard work and list everything wrong with it when so much time and effort has been put into creating it. So, with that being said, I hate to say it, but I really did not like Sunshine Nails.
I don’t know who okayed the plot summary on the back of this book, but, it is so outside the realms of what the book actually is, that it’s infuriating. I went in to Sunshine Nails expecting a hilarious, over the top, fun story about a family coming together to save their nail salon from a chain store competitor. It promised good ole’ fashioned sabotage hijinks, but instead gave an out of left field blackmail plot. I’m sorry, but since when did we as a society start equating friendly sabotage to blackmail? They aren’t even remotely the same thing. And this whole blackmail plot is literally the only instance of someone in the Tran family attempting to ‘sabotage’ the new nail salon, not to mention that it doesn’t even take place until well into the story.
The majority of the plot actually focuses on the Tran family (parents Phil and Debbie, kids Jessica and Dustin, and niece Thuy) and their individual internal struggles. Phil is dealing with repercussions from a past DUI conviction and the subsequent financial troubles this has caused, Jessica is heartbroken and jobless without a sense of direction in life, Dustin is unhappy at work, Thuy feels overlooked and unappreciated within the family, and Debbie struggles to keep the whole family afloat. Seeing as we get POVs from each of these 5 characters and their individualistic struggles, the overall story felt disjointed. Each POV really felt like I was reading a separate book. Nothing seemed to connect properly, and it felt like we only scratched the surface of each character and what they were experiencing. It read more like an interconnected short story collection. As a reader, it’s frustrating to read a book where all (or at least, most) of the characters’ problems can be solved by communicating with one another but they all refuse to do exactly that. Sunshine Nails is basically the embodiment of the miscommunication trope.
The timeline of events also took place over many months, but it really read like it all could have happened in the span of a week. I found it jarring when it suddenly mentioned that x amount of months or weeks had passed. What about the time in-between that we didn’t see? I expected to see more of Jessica transforming Sunshine Nails into the business that her family needed it to be, and I was bummed that we never really got more info into the seemingly shady side of Take Ten that was always hinted at but was never explored or developed. A lot of the plot just seemed like a missed opportunity. The ideas were there, but the execution was lacking.
Sunshine Nails does not deliver on the humor and fun that it hints at. Instead, it’s quite depressing, and it took me a whopping 15 days to finish.
* I received a copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway
I don’t know who okayed the plot summary on the back of this book, but, it is so outside the realms of what the book actually is, that it’s infuriating. I went in to Sunshine Nails expecting a hilarious, over the top, fun story about a family coming together to save their nail salon from a chain store competitor. It promised good ole’ fashioned sabotage hijinks, but instead gave an out of left field blackmail plot. I’m sorry, but since when did we as a society start equating friendly sabotage to blackmail? They aren’t even remotely the same thing. And this whole blackmail plot is literally the only instance of someone in the Tran family attempting to ‘sabotage’ the new nail salon, not to mention that it doesn’t even take place until well into the story.
The majority of the plot actually focuses on the Tran family (parents Phil and Debbie, kids Jessica and Dustin, and niece Thuy) and their individual internal struggles. Phil is dealing with repercussions from a past DUI conviction and the subsequent financial troubles this has caused, Jessica is heartbroken and jobless without a sense of direction in life, Dustin is unhappy at work, Thuy feels overlooked and unappreciated within the family, and Debbie struggles to keep the whole family afloat. Seeing as we get POVs from each of these 5 characters and their individualistic struggles, the overall story felt disjointed. Each POV really felt like I was reading a separate book. Nothing seemed to connect properly, and it felt like we only scratched the surface of each character and what they were experiencing. It read more like an interconnected short story collection. As a reader, it’s frustrating to read a book where all (or at least, most) of the characters’ problems can be solved by communicating with one another but they all refuse to do exactly that. Sunshine Nails is basically the embodiment of the miscommunication trope.
The timeline of events also took place over many months, but it really read like it all could have happened in the span of a week. I found it jarring when it suddenly mentioned that x amount of months or weeks had passed. What about the time in-between that we didn’t see? I expected to see more of Jessica transforming Sunshine Nails into the business that her family needed it to be, and I was bummed that we never really got more info into the seemingly shady side of Take Ten that was always hinted at but was never explored or developed. A lot of the plot just seemed like a missed opportunity. The ideas were there, but the execution was lacking.
Sunshine Nails does not deliver on the humor and fun that it hints at. Instead, it’s quite depressing, and it took me a whopping 15 days to finish.
* I received a copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway
July 24, 2023
Sunshine Nails is the story of the Tran family, Vietnamese immigrants in Toronto struggling to keep their nail salon open when an international chain opens its first Canadian location across the street from them. Take Ten is a modern, posh nail salon, well-funded by its investors.
Debbie and Phil have worked hard to have and keep Sunshine Nails over the last 20 years. With the arrival of Take Ten and gentrification making its way to their neighborhood, the Tran family is feeling the financial squeeze. Their landlord doubles the salon rent and Debbie and Phil each separately decide to do whatever they have to, to keep it afloat. Their adult daughter and son, along with their niece who lives with them and works at the salon, are also main characters in this story.
I appreciated the realistic elements in Sunshine Nails, like the impact of gentrification on a neighborhood’s residents, along with the family relationships. Though I can’t say I found much humor in it, this was an easy and enjoyable enough read.
Debbie and Phil have worked hard to have and keep Sunshine Nails over the last 20 years. With the arrival of Take Ten and gentrification making its way to their neighborhood, the Tran family is feeling the financial squeeze. Their landlord doubles the salon rent and Debbie and Phil each separately decide to do whatever they have to, to keep it afloat. Their adult daughter and son, along with their niece who lives with them and works at the salon, are also main characters in this story.
I appreciated the realistic elements in Sunshine Nails, like the impact of gentrification on a neighborhood’s residents, along with the family relationships. Though I can’t say I found much humor in it, this was an easy and enjoyable enough read.
January 4, 2024
When I saw the premise of this book was about a family owned nail salon who would be battling with a new upscale competitor who was getting ready to move into the neighborhood I immediately wanted a copy and was hoping for some of these vibes . . .
Man, I still looooooove the Barbershop/Beauty Shop franchise!
Unfortunately, there wasn’t a whole lot of time spent in the nail salon like I was hoping – and the description of how run-down the place was made me feel like I was in danger of getting a fungus through my Kindle while reading. The characters weren’t all that likeable and they made some terrible choices which made it hard to fully be on their side . . . even though I REALLY wanted to be on their side, I wanted them to save the history of the neighborhood, I wanted a simple update/facelift done to the shop, etc., etc., etc. It just didn’t ever all come together, sadly. And for only being around 250 pages, this seemed to drag on : (
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Man, I still looooooove the Barbershop/Beauty Shop franchise!
Unfortunately, there wasn’t a whole lot of time spent in the nail salon like I was hoping – and the description of how run-down the place was made me feel like I was in danger of getting a fungus through my Kindle while reading. The characters weren’t all that likeable and they made some terrible choices which made it hard to fully be on their side . . . even though I REALLY wanted to be on their side, I wanted them to save the history of the neighborhood, I wanted a simple update/facelift done to the shop, etc., etc., etc. It just didn’t ever all come together, sadly. And for only being around 250 pages, this seemed to drag on : (
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
June 19, 2023
If you like character driven family stories this was really good. I truly enjoyed following the Tran families experience as Vietnamese Canadians who struggle to keep their long running family business afloat after a new nail salon opens across the street from them. There was a lot of really good witty humor to be found in the authors writing style and the balance between this and the immigrant experience was really well done. You hear from every member of the family in alternating viewpoints and they’re all relatable in some way. I thought the portrayal of a dysfunctional family was spot on and full of heart as well as really well done as far as showing the intricacies of their unique family dynamic. Overall this was a strong debut and I’ll be looking forward to seeing what the author comes up with next.
January 20, 2023
EDITOR'S NOTE (so I'm VERY biased):
Get ready for your favorite read of summer 2023!
Sunshine Nails is a contemporary debut that’s Kim’s Convenience meets The Fortunes of Jaded Women, Gold Diggers, and other entertaining “family in crisis” books. In this novel, a Vietnamese Canadian family finds their Toronto nail salon threatened by the arrival of a shiny new “Starbucks of nails” salon.
I'm excited to introduce our determined and chaotic underdogs, the Trans: complete with workaholic immigrant parents, an aimless (and boyfriend-less) millennial daughter, and an obedient son stuck in a thankless tech job. The Trans must sharpen their claws—or should I say nails?—if they want to protect what’s theirs. Mai Nguyen also plays with the boundaries of humorous family-focused novels as she weaves in discussions about gentrification, privilege, and freedom.
SUNSHINE NAILS is a lighthearted yet urgent story featuring a cast of memorable and complex characters who showcase the diversity of immigrant experiences and community resilience. It’s an honor to publish Mai Nguyen at Atria Books.
Get ready for your favorite read of summer 2023!
Sunshine Nails is a contemporary debut that’s Kim’s Convenience meets The Fortunes of Jaded Women, Gold Diggers, and other entertaining “family in crisis” books. In this novel, a Vietnamese Canadian family finds their Toronto nail salon threatened by the arrival of a shiny new “Starbucks of nails” salon.
I'm excited to introduce our determined and chaotic underdogs, the Trans: complete with workaholic immigrant parents, an aimless (and boyfriend-less) millennial daughter, and an obedient son stuck in a thankless tech job. The Trans must sharpen their claws—or should I say nails?—if they want to protect what’s theirs. Mai Nguyen also plays with the boundaries of humorous family-focused novels as she weaves in discussions about gentrification, privilege, and freedom.
SUNSHINE NAILS is a lighthearted yet urgent story featuring a cast of memorable and complex characters who showcase the diversity of immigrant experiences and community resilience. It’s an honor to publish Mai Nguyen at Atria Books.
December 20, 2022
What a wonderful, powerful debut from Mai Nguyen! It's obvious how much tenderness, thought, and care went into writing these characters and this story, and I fell in love with the Tran family from the first page. It took a few chapters to get into the rhythm of the book since it cycles through five people's points of view, but I really enjoyed that aspect and the complexity and nuance it brought. We often hear about how no community — particularly underrepresented and marginalized ones — can be treated as a monolith, and including numerous perspectives showed how different folks can view the same situations through a wide array of lenses.
Plus, hats off to Mai Nguyen for taking this novel in some different directions than I expected! I audibly gasped a few times, and I definitely let out a cackle at the end.
There were a few places places where I would've loved either a little more detail on certain characters' backgrounds/motivations or more resolution on specific fronts, but overall, this was a splendid novel. I can't wait to see what comes next.
Content warning: Anti-Asian racism, threats of violence
Plus, hats off to Mai Nguyen for taking this novel in some different directions than I expected! I audibly gasped a few times, and I definitely let out a cackle at the end.
There were a few places places where I would've loved either a little more detail on certain characters' backgrounds/motivations or more resolution on specific fronts, but overall, this was a splendid novel. I can't wait to see what comes next.
Content warning: Anti-Asian racism, threats of violence
May 3, 2023
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This was the perfect story to finish in May, also Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Mai Nguyen writes a fictional story about a Vietnamese family that emmigrates to Toronto, Canada to make a life for themselves and their family. The story revovles around Sunshine Nails, owned by Debbie and Phil Tran. It's the story of hard work and children who are raised in Toronto, their need to break away from their tight knit family and make it on their own, and the family they come back to. The characters the author creates could be real people, especially with the real world problems they face. This is a quick and enjoyable read. July 2023 Pub Date
This was the perfect story to finish in May, also Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Mai Nguyen writes a fictional story about a Vietnamese family that emmigrates to Toronto, Canada to make a life for themselves and their family. The story revovles around Sunshine Nails, owned by Debbie and Phil Tran. It's the story of hard work and children who are raised in Toronto, their need to break away from their tight knit family and make it on their own, and the family they come back to. The characters the author creates could be real people, especially with the real world problems they face. This is a quick and enjoyable read. July 2023 Pub Date
May 25, 2025
Sunshine Nails is, after reaching to the final page, is a whelmed read that I do enjoy a great deal. The drama in this family drama is or are grounded and realistic, where the character doesn't suffer from unlikability or stupidity. It's a story about people who are perfectly imperfect.
The novel focuses on the Tran family. The Trans is a family of Vietnamese immigrant. Father and mother, Phil and Debbie (cutely named after singers Deborah Harry and Phil Collins), runs a nail salon business in the Junction neighborhood of Toronto. When an upscale American nail salon franchise has moved directly across the street from the Trans’ business (the titularly named Sunshine Nails), and the Trans’ rent winds up doubling at the same time. At the same time, daughter, Jessica has come home from Los Angeles after breaking up with the man she was to marry, while son, Dustin is working like a dog for a start-up tech company where his hard work is not being rewarded with a sought-after raise. Then there's niece, Thuy, a recent immigrant who tries to fit in her new home and country.
The story has an episodic nature to it, following the plot thread thread of each member of the Trans family. Nguyen's prose, simple and basic, is effective in that it doesn't bother or take aways from the story. It's clear and sharp. Each members of the Trans family have a distinct voice, which is such an important aspect of writing. What it really is, is a fun-filled, sometimes funny, romp through the world of Vietnamese Canadian culture. Nguyen does feel like a seasoned writer.
Like much of immigrant stories, themes of immigration, identity, gentrification and the obligation to the family, especially within the context of an Asian family are presented by the story. While, not every plot thread have a definitive ending or resolution, it does have a “life goes on” vibe to it.
This was a whelmed read but was an enjoyable one. A great debut for Mai Nguyen, overall.
The novel focuses on the Tran family. The Trans is a family of Vietnamese immigrant. Father and mother, Phil and Debbie (cutely named after singers Deborah Harry and Phil Collins), runs a nail salon business in the Junction neighborhood of Toronto. When an upscale American nail salon franchise has moved directly across the street from the Trans’ business (the titularly named Sunshine Nails), and the Trans’ rent winds up doubling at the same time. At the same time, daughter, Jessica has come home from Los Angeles after breaking up with the man she was to marry, while son, Dustin is working like a dog for a start-up tech company where his hard work is not being rewarded with a sought-after raise. Then there's niece, Thuy, a recent immigrant who tries to fit in her new home and country.
The story has an episodic nature to it, following the plot thread thread of each member of the Trans family. Nguyen's prose, simple and basic, is effective in that it doesn't bother or take aways from the story. It's clear and sharp. Each members of the Trans family have a distinct voice, which is such an important aspect of writing. What it really is, is a fun-filled, sometimes funny, romp through the world of Vietnamese Canadian culture. Nguyen does feel like a seasoned writer.
Like much of immigrant stories, themes of immigration, identity, gentrification and the obligation to the family, especially within the context of an Asian family are presented by the story. While, not every plot thread have a definitive ending or resolution, it does have a “life goes on” vibe to it.
This was a whelmed read but was an enjoyable one. A great debut for Mai Nguyen, overall.
May 30, 2023
Sunshine Nails follows a Vietnamese Canadian family as they struggle to keep their family nail salon in business after a competitor moves across the street.
This was overall a fabulous debut filled with heart and humor. I fell in love with the Tran family from the very first page. They felt very much like a real, dysfunctional family who knew how to forgive and still went great lengths to support each other. I enjoyed the short chapters, multiple POVs (five total), light-hearted tone of the book, nail salon setting, and learning more about the immigrant experience. A perfect read for fans of Fortunes of Jaded Women or Fresh off the Boat.
Read if you like:
-Vietnamese-Canadian experience/ culture
-Authentic characters
-Multiple POVs
-Nail salon experiences
Thank you Atria for the complimentary ARC! Pub date 7/4/23
This was overall a fabulous debut filled with heart and humor. I fell in love with the Tran family from the very first page. They felt very much like a real, dysfunctional family who knew how to forgive and still went great lengths to support each other. I enjoyed the short chapters, multiple POVs (five total), light-hearted tone of the book, nail salon setting, and learning more about the immigrant experience. A perfect read for fans of Fortunes of Jaded Women or Fresh off the Boat.
Read if you like:
-Vietnamese-Canadian experience/ culture
-Authentic characters
-Multiple POVs
-Nail salon experiences
Thank you Atria for the complimentary ARC! Pub date 7/4/23
June 13, 2023
Sunshine Nails by Mai Nguyen. Thanks to @atriapub for the gifted Arc ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sunshine Nails is owned by Debbie and Phil, two Vietnamese refugees doing the best for their family. When a new salon opens in town and their rent skyrockets, their salon is in trouble.
I wasn’t sure I was going to like this book but I ended up loving it! I am always so excited when I step outside my usual genre and end up being so pleased that I did. This was a great family story and showed the struggles on immigrants in a new country. I loved every character, but especially Debbie. All the characters had a little pizazz that really made the story.
“Being a woman came with so many burdens. It was no wonder they went to great lengths for beauty, for being beautiful was perhaps the only upper hand they were born with.”
Sunshine Nails comes out 7/4.
Sunshine Nails is owned by Debbie and Phil, two Vietnamese refugees doing the best for their family. When a new salon opens in town and their rent skyrockets, their salon is in trouble.
I wasn’t sure I was going to like this book but I ended up loving it! I am always so excited when I step outside my usual genre and end up being so pleased that I did. This was a great family story and showed the struggles on immigrants in a new country. I loved every character, but especially Debbie. All the characters had a little pizazz that really made the story.
“Being a woman came with so many burdens. It was no wonder they went to great lengths for beauty, for being beautiful was perhaps the only upper hand they were born with.”
Sunshine Nails comes out 7/4.
July 4, 2023
This is such a charming family-centered book that has something for everyone. With an ensemble cast, each character bringing their own unique voice and situation into the mix, you will laugh, you will cry, and you will definitely feel for this family struggling to keep their small business afloat in the face of steep competition. A fantastic debut by Mai Nguyen, definitely add this one to your summer reading list.
𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞:
•family dramas
•multi-generational
•character driven stories
•heart warming reads
•multiple pov
•Canada setting
Thank you {partners} TLC Book Tours, Atria Books and Simon Audio for the gifted copies.
𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞:
•family dramas
•multi-generational
•character driven stories
•heart warming reads
•multiple pov
•Canada setting
Thank you {partners} TLC Book Tours, Atria Books and Simon Audio for the gifted copies.
April 7, 2024
This was a super fun and profoundly moving book about family, gentrification and change. I would recommend it to anyone but especially to my fellow Torontonians, because the city really plays a starring role in this book. I can’t wait to see what this author does next!
April 7, 2023
I'm always here to cheer on more Vietnamese books and this one did not disappoint at all. I love the way Mai Nguyen shows the complexities of family, the way that the white gaze affects us negatively even when it's "good intentioned," the way that we are affected by things that are out of our control and how we respond to them. I can't wait for this book to be out in the world so that everyone else can read.
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Bookish Brews | Ko-Fi | Twitter | Pinterest | Tumblr | Facebook
July 8, 2023
This one took me awhile to get into. It was an ok family drama but things stayed pretty surface level. The audiobook had several narrators which was enjoyable but the story was just fine for me.
July 4, 2023
A heartwarming, funny, feel-good family drama about the Trans, a Vietnamese Canadian immigrant family who own a nail salon in Toronto and fear the increasing gentrification of their neighborhood will be the end of their business.
Told in alternating perspectives from the four members of the family, this was a great debut novel about starting over, making a new home and finding what makes you happy. Great on audio with a full cast of narrators and perfect for fans of authors like Kim Thuy, Ann Choi or Ann Shin.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review. 10/10 recommend, especially for anyone who loved the show Kim's Convenience store or just can't resist a gorgeous yellow cover with a story that won't disappoint!
Told in alternating perspectives from the four members of the family, this was a great debut novel about starting over, making a new home and finding what makes you happy. Great on audio with a full cast of narrators and perfect for fans of authors like Kim Thuy, Ann Choi or Ann Shin.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review. 10/10 recommend, especially for anyone who loved the show Kim's Convenience store or just can't resist a gorgeous yellow cover with a story that won't disappoint!
June 17, 2023
A multi-POV family drama that examines all things work. How work defines us, saves us, and can ultimately drown us. An Asian immigrant family works tirelessly to save their nail salon in the face of gentrification, racism, and trauma.
******
Thank you to Atria for providing me with an early copy for review.
******
Thank you to Atria for providing me with an early copy for review.
February 12, 2023
[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Sunshine Nails releases July 4, 2023
Sunshine Nails is a family centered debut novel set in Toronto, Canada, that explores what it’s like for an immigrant family with a nail salon, as well as gentrification.
I enjoy seeing a new voice in literature for diversity and representation, and I think Asian-Americans/Canadians will be able to resonate to some extent with the Tran family. However, that being said, I thought this was going to be more light-hearted and inspiring, but instead, we got malicious blackmail and a married couple that had really poor communication. I often failed to see the humourous side to this story.
While I appreciated the important layers and spotlighting the difficulties of owning an independent business that was to be overshadowed by a more modernized chain brand across the street, in a neighbourhood that was to be drastically changing by way of gentrification, I couldn’t get past the character traits found here.
I found it difficult to keep track of the timeline within the story, and the 5 pov’s at times were muddled and had so many different directions, with Thuy really fading into the background as an afterthought (though, I didn’t anticipate her betrayal, but honestly good for her! She ended up being my favourite character)
On one hand, we had Jessica, a 30 year old first born daughter, recently back from her time spent in Los Angeles. She’s jobless and loveless after catching her fiancé cheating on her. It was hard to get a clear read on her — first she’s saying that she’s above working a service/hospitality job that is meant only for immigrants with no education and poor English skills, but is soon found to be supporting her family’s nail salon when she is shit out of luck on job prospects and out of savings.
Then, we have Dustin, their 28 year old son who is an overworked tech employee to a man that refuses to give him a pay raise, and is also leasing a soon to be developed office tower right in the same neighbourhood as Dustin’s family’s salon, that will destroy the existing history. I really thought that Dustin would have played a bigger part in helping Sunshine Nails, but instead he was mostly off-page in a new workplace romance… And don’t even get me started on when he invited his girlfriend to someone else’s Buddhist funeral and said “all you have to do is look cute” - I’m sorry, what?
Maybe worst of all were the parents. I really didn’t care for the scene of them getting frisky (not saying that 60 year old's can’t do that, but it wasn’t needed here), or the part when Phil publicly urinated?!
The blackmail was so irritating even though I saw it coming with how much Savannah was being mentioned, it didn’t feel like the right type of characterization for this family and their business. And then for Debbie to act freaking holier than thou towards Thuy as if she just forgot the actions she did herself?! PLEASE. In the words of Thuy - a hypocrite.
Phil (aside from the gambling and heavy drinking that was triggering for me personally), was also low key pretty hypocritical about the scandals of other nail salons — the way he couldn’t understand how those immigrant Vietnamese workers didn’t up and leave for a better job elsewhere, when they most likely didn’t have the luxury and depended on every dime. I’m surprised he acted this way and judged them so harshly being a Vietnamese immigrant himself who still sends money overseas to help his struggling family there.
Plus, when his own son got diarrhea from his cooking for a week and his mentality was “oh, well one less mouth to feed” BFFR.
The arranged marriage/green card plotline was weaved in unnaturally and I still can’t get over the one white woman saying kimchi reminds her of a wad of wet toilet paper…
Also, when Jessica got a missed phone call at 10pm on the night of her parent’s party from a job interview - that was so illogical!!
And lastly, as a mixed race Chinese-Canadian, reading this following sentence really off centered me as someone who continually struggles with identity and sense of belonging, which is a shame, especially to read in a book written by an Asian author, centering Asian characters. I mean, is this what people really believe? That if I acknowledge my culture or identity that it’s out of convenience? It's so disheartening regardless if it's fiction.
“What do you care, you probably can’t even read it anyway, Debbie thought. This must be what happens when people marry outside of their race and disassociate themselves from their culture and community. They sever their ties to their identity, then claim it back whenever it was convenient for them.”
And that ^ sentence doesn't even align with Debbie's characterization either. How can she think that towards a "friend" when her son is in an interracial couple, dating a Desi woman, and both of her children can't even read or hardly understand Vietnamese anymore? Yet she somehow supports them? Are you sure about that?
This whole book is a big contradictory to itself and the more I think about it or write this review the more of a headache I get.
edited to add: I’m fighting so hard not to give this a one star rating out of spite because it really negatively affected me and I don’t think that’s ever happened before in context that is so personal to who I am as a person and something I can’t even change.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Sunshine Nails releases July 4, 2023
Sunshine Nails is a family centered debut novel set in Toronto, Canada, that explores what it’s like for an immigrant family with a nail salon, as well as gentrification.
I enjoy seeing a new voice in literature for diversity and representation, and I think Asian-Americans/Canadians will be able to resonate to some extent with the Tran family. However, that being said, I thought this was going to be more light-hearted and inspiring, but instead, we got malicious blackmail and a married couple that had really poor communication. I often failed to see the humourous side to this story.
While I appreciated the important layers and spotlighting the difficulties of owning an independent business that was to be overshadowed by a more modernized chain brand across the street, in a neighbourhood that was to be drastically changing by way of gentrification, I couldn’t get past the character traits found here.
I found it difficult to keep track of the timeline within the story, and the 5 pov’s at times were muddled and had so many different directions, with Thuy really fading into the background as an afterthought (though, I didn’t anticipate her betrayal, but honestly good for her! She ended up being my favourite character)
On one hand, we had Jessica, a 30 year old first born daughter, recently back from her time spent in Los Angeles. She’s jobless and loveless after catching her fiancé cheating on her. It was hard to get a clear read on her — first she’s saying that she’s above working a service/hospitality job that is meant only for immigrants with no education and poor English skills, but is soon found to be supporting her family’s nail salon when she is shit out of luck on job prospects and out of savings.
Then, we have Dustin, their 28 year old son who is an overworked tech employee to a man that refuses to give him a pay raise, and is also leasing a soon to be developed office tower right in the same neighbourhood as Dustin’s family’s salon, that will destroy the existing history. I really thought that Dustin would have played a bigger part in helping Sunshine Nails, but instead he was mostly off-page in a new workplace romance… And don’t even get me started on when he invited his girlfriend to someone else’s Buddhist funeral and said “all you have to do is look cute” - I’m sorry, what?
Maybe worst of all were the parents. I really didn’t care for the scene of them getting frisky (not saying that 60 year old's can’t do that, but it wasn’t needed here), or the part when Phil publicly urinated?!
The blackmail was so irritating even though I saw it coming with how much Savannah was being mentioned, it didn’t feel like the right type of characterization for this family and their business. And then for Debbie to act freaking holier than thou towards Thuy as if she just forgot the actions she did herself?! PLEASE. In the words of Thuy - a hypocrite.
Phil (aside from the gambling and heavy drinking that was triggering for me personally), was also low key pretty hypocritical about the scandals of other nail salons — the way he couldn’t understand how those immigrant Vietnamese workers didn’t up and leave for a better job elsewhere, when they most likely didn’t have the luxury and depended on every dime. I’m surprised he acted this way and judged them so harshly being a Vietnamese immigrant himself who still sends money overseas to help his struggling family there.
Plus, when his own son got diarrhea from his cooking for a week and his mentality was “oh, well one less mouth to feed” BFFR.
The arranged marriage/green card plotline was weaved in unnaturally and I still can’t get over the one white woman saying kimchi reminds her of a wad of wet toilet paper…
Also, when Jessica got a missed phone call at 10pm on the night of her parent’s party from a job interview - that was so illogical!!
And lastly, as a mixed race Chinese-Canadian, reading this following sentence really off centered me as someone who continually struggles with identity and sense of belonging, which is a shame, especially to read in a book written by an Asian author, centering Asian characters. I mean, is this what people really believe? That if I acknowledge my culture or identity that it’s out of convenience? It's so disheartening regardless if it's fiction.
“What do you care, you probably can’t even read it anyway, Debbie thought. This must be what happens when people marry outside of their race and disassociate themselves from their culture and community. They sever their ties to their identity, then claim it back whenever it was convenient for them.”
And that ^ sentence doesn't even align with Debbie's characterization either. How can she think that towards a "friend" when her son is in an interracial couple, dating a Desi woman, and both of her children can't even read or hardly understand Vietnamese anymore? Yet she somehow supports them? Are you sure about that?
This whole book is a big contradictory to itself and the more I think about it or write this review the more of a headache I get.
edited to add: I’m fighting so hard not to give this a one star rating out of spite because it really negatively affected me and I don’t think that’s ever happened before in context that is so personal to who I am as a person and something I can’t even change.
July 29, 2023
Using the impact of the opening of a shiny, new, high end nail salon that is part of an American chain, Mai Nguyen introduces us to the Tran family. Mother and father Debbie and Phil are immigrant Vietnamese who have worked diligently at running their no frills nail salon in Toronto.
Their adult children Jessica and Dustin are at turning points in their lives. Jessica is returning home from Los Angeles to lick her wounds after her fiancé cheated on her and she blew up her job. Dustin works ridiculous hours for a small firm that has created an app to track one's moods and suggest ways to improve it. He has a crush on one of his coworkers, Mackenzie, and has been denied raises repeatedly, despite the quality of his work and his dedication.
Debbie has worked incredibly hard for years, along with Phil, doing whatever was needed to keep their hard-earned business going. That’s only gotten harder since Phil’s DUI and the effect on their finances. Then their landlord warned he’d be doubling rent, which sends Phil into endless spreadsheet manipulation, and desperate, misguided attempts to make money, some of which put them further in the hole, including affecting staff.
Phil isn’t the only one making poor decisions for money to save the nail salon. Jessica, unable to secure other employment, goes to work at the failing salon; she tries attracting new customers through promotions, and entering into an unpleasant agreement with a family friend, while Debbie gets ruthless with the owner of their competing salon. Meanwhile, Dustin gets increasingly disenchanted with his IT job.
While all this is happening, there are clear signs that their neighbourhood has begun its transformation to a place attractive to well-off couples and families, and more and more businesses are getting rents doubled or being bought out. There is also a possible construction project that would tear down a heritage building to replace it with a shiny, tall building.
"Sunshine Nails" shows a family that is trying hard, and not coming out ahead, due partly to their own mistakes, and partly to things outside their control, like the gentrification of a neighbourhood so that long time residents and business owners are getting squeezed out.
The story is also a love letter to the immigrants who toil away, unnoticed. their lives containing much struggle, hope for their and their children's prosperity, love, gossip, judgment, and exhaustion. The novel is funny, cringey, big-hearted, and hopeful.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.
Their adult children Jessica and Dustin are at turning points in their lives. Jessica is returning home from Los Angeles to lick her wounds after her fiancé cheated on her and she blew up her job. Dustin works ridiculous hours for a small firm that has created an app to track one's moods and suggest ways to improve it. He has a crush on one of his coworkers, Mackenzie, and has been denied raises repeatedly, despite the quality of his work and his dedication.
Debbie has worked incredibly hard for years, along with Phil, doing whatever was needed to keep their hard-earned business going. That’s only gotten harder since Phil’s DUI and the effect on their finances. Then their landlord warned he’d be doubling rent, which sends Phil into endless spreadsheet manipulation, and desperate, misguided attempts to make money, some of which put them further in the hole, including affecting staff.
Phil isn’t the only one making poor decisions for money to save the nail salon. Jessica, unable to secure other employment, goes to work at the failing salon; she tries attracting new customers through promotions, and entering into an unpleasant agreement with a family friend, while Debbie gets ruthless with the owner of their competing salon. Meanwhile, Dustin gets increasingly disenchanted with his IT job.
While all this is happening, there are clear signs that their neighbourhood has begun its transformation to a place attractive to well-off couples and families, and more and more businesses are getting rents doubled or being bought out. There is also a possible construction project that would tear down a heritage building to replace it with a shiny, tall building.
"Sunshine Nails" shows a family that is trying hard, and not coming out ahead, due partly to their own mistakes, and partly to things outside their control, like the gentrification of a neighbourhood so that long time residents and business owners are getting squeezed out.
The story is also a love letter to the immigrants who toil away, unnoticed. their lives containing much struggle, hope for their and their children's prosperity, love, gossip, judgment, and exhaustion. The novel is funny, cringey, big-hearted, and hopeful.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.
June 2, 2023
✨ Review ✨ Sunshine Nails by Mai Nguyen
Honestly, I was pulled into this one by the fun cover, but I really enjoyed this story of family and immigration and gentrification.
The book centers Sunshine Nails, a small nail salon in Toronto owned by Vietnamese immigrants Debbie and Phil Tran. The book switches between Debbie and Phil's POV's as well as their kids Jessica and Dustin and their niece Thuy. As the bougie Take Ten Nails, a multimillion-dollar backed nail brand is set to open up across the street, Sunshine Nails and the Tran family faces the impacts of gentrification with rising rents, higher competition, and land speculation.
As a historian of cities of gentrification, I loved how this made the issues around gentrification and urban development easier to see -- how incoming upscale businesses can have negative impacts on family businesses, historic preservation, and neighborhood environments.
I also loved how this featured immigration and generational shifts and stereotypes. Debbie and Phil have very different perspectives from their kids, and their niece brings in another POV completely. The book explores family loyalties, monetary obligations, ideas of hard work, and relationships. I loved how the characters were messy and complicated and still loved each other anyways!
This book reminded me a lot of Kim's Convenience, not only for the urban / family business setting and the immigrant family dynamic, but also for the ways it wove humor into the story.
There were some threads left hanging for me (was Mackenzie's dad involved in the Take Ten nails investing?!?) or places that could have been a little more developed, but overall, this was a great debut read!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: contemporary fiction, family / multiple POV
Setting: Toronto
Reminds me of: Kim's Convenience
Pub Date: July 4, 2023
Thanks to Atria and Simon & Schuster for an free copy of this book!
Honestly, I was pulled into this one by the fun cover, but I really enjoyed this story of family and immigration and gentrification.
The book centers Sunshine Nails, a small nail salon in Toronto owned by Vietnamese immigrants Debbie and Phil Tran. The book switches between Debbie and Phil's POV's as well as their kids Jessica and Dustin and their niece Thuy. As the bougie Take Ten Nails, a multimillion-dollar backed nail brand is set to open up across the street, Sunshine Nails and the Tran family faces the impacts of gentrification with rising rents, higher competition, and land speculation.
As a historian of cities of gentrification, I loved how this made the issues around gentrification and urban development easier to see -- how incoming upscale businesses can have negative impacts on family businesses, historic preservation, and neighborhood environments.
I also loved how this featured immigration and generational shifts and stereotypes. Debbie and Phil have very different perspectives from their kids, and their niece brings in another POV completely. The book explores family loyalties, monetary obligations, ideas of hard work, and relationships. I loved how the characters were messy and complicated and still loved each other anyways!
This book reminded me a lot of Kim's Convenience, not only for the urban / family business setting and the immigrant family dynamic, but also for the ways it wove humor into the story.
There were some threads left hanging for me (was Mackenzie's dad involved in the Take Ten nails investing?!?) or places that could have been a little more developed, but overall, this was a great debut read!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: contemporary fiction, family / multiple POV
Setting: Toronto
Reminds me of: Kim's Convenience
Pub Date: July 4, 2023
Thanks to Atria and Simon & Schuster for an free copy of this book!
June 18, 2023
4/5 ⭐️
Sunshine Nails follows a Vietnamese-Canadian family that is struggling to keep their nail salon running against many odds. It also discusses immigration, gentrification, generational trauma, and micro aggressions that many members of the family face on a regular basis. Told through multiple POVs, I really liked how each member of the Tran family was featured; it was interesting to read how the parents viewed their actions and decisions, versus how the parents actions were perceived by their adult children and their niece. Debbie and Phil Tran really went to great lengths to keep their salon afloat, to not give up on this dream of a better life for them and their family. I was expecting Sunshine Nails to be funny with banter, but I found it more hopeful, messy, and couldn’t help but root for the Trans as they each made sacrifices (from over-the-top messes to smh-worthy schemes) to help keep their business alive, stood up for themselves against their foes, and figuring out how to relate to one another beyond a bloodline. I’m so glad that this book is the next featured book for The Book Wardrobe’s AUTHORity book club in July!
Thank you @simonschusterca for the gifted copy!
Sunshine Nails follows a Vietnamese-Canadian family that is struggling to keep their nail salon running against many odds. It also discusses immigration, gentrification, generational trauma, and micro aggressions that many members of the family face on a regular basis. Told through multiple POVs, I really liked how each member of the Tran family was featured; it was interesting to read how the parents viewed their actions and decisions, versus how the parents actions were perceived by their adult children and their niece. Debbie and Phil Tran really went to great lengths to keep their salon afloat, to not give up on this dream of a better life for them and their family. I was expecting Sunshine Nails to be funny with banter, but I found it more hopeful, messy, and couldn’t help but root for the Trans as they each made sacrifices (from over-the-top messes to smh-worthy schemes) to help keep their business alive, stood up for themselves against their foes, and figuring out how to relate to one another beyond a bloodline. I’m so glad that this book is the next featured book for The Book Wardrobe’s AUTHORity book club in July!
Thank you @simonschusterca for the gifted copy!
June 26, 2023
4 stars rounded up to a total of 4.5. as someone who was born to vietnamese immigrants, i’m so happy to be able to read vietnamese based stories like these! i like this, this was a quick read (though it did took me 3ish weeks to finish lol). anyways, the story started out slow at first, but then there were twists and turns that i couldn’t even believe! overall, i felt as though this book had the perfect mixture of humor, deception, & drama.
thank you to goodreads and atria books for this ARC 😊
thank you to goodreads and atria books for this ARC 😊
June 20, 2023
I really enjoyed this debut, centered around the life of the Tran family, who own a nail salon in Toronto. It was full of humor and heart, and I loved learning about the Vietnamese culture.
The multiple POVs, family drama, and short chapters kept me entertained, and it was a timely read on immigration and gentrification.
📖𝙎𝙪𝙣𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙉𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙨
✍🏻Mai Nguyen
🗓️7.4.23
💅🏻Fiction
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
*many thanks to Atria for the gifted copy for review
The multiple POVs, family drama, and short chapters kept me entertained, and it was a timely read on immigration and gentrification.
📖𝙎𝙪𝙣𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙉𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙨
✍🏻Mai Nguyen
🗓️7.4.23
💅🏻Fiction
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
*many thanks to Atria for the gifted copy for review
November 4, 2022
A wild, hilarious ride. RTC!!
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