"It's rare to read a book knowing that it will stay with you long after it's finished like this. It had me wiping away tears and laughing within the same page. Mai Nguyen writes about grief with humour, deep insight, and incredible honesty. It's a beautiful story of a mother's love, sorrow, joy, and human connection." --Natalie Sue, bestselling author of I Hope This Finds You Well

Praise for Sunshine Nails

"Filled with heart and humor, Sunshine Nails is an insightful, moving story with striking depth, taking on gentrification, family expectations, and generational differences. You will be rooting for the Tran family through every risk and sacrifice they make to save their salon, and ultimately themselves. Mai Nguyen has proven herself to be a real standout." --Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Carrie Soto is Back

"The story of the Tran family is full of zany, hilarious fun -- but it's also poignant and told with care. Sunshine Nails made me laugh, cry, and think deeply about culture, family, and the ties that bind. What a witty and engaging debut -- I was thoroughly charmed!"--Marissa Stapley, New York Times-bestselling author of Lucky

"Nguyen debuts with a glittering story of a family nail salon in Toronto...Nguyen imbues her characters with humanity and nuance, making hay from all their imperfections. Readers are in for a treat."--Publishers Weekly

"Sharp, witty, and warmhearted, Nguyen's debut tackles gentrification, small business ownership, prejudice in the workplace, and--most importantly--the depth of familial ties, and the power of a good manicure."--Shelf Awareness

"Sunshine Nails has been marketed as lighthearted, and it is in many ways -- it's funny...and it's a gratifyingly speedy read. But beneath the dust jacket's bright yellows, purples and pinks is a novel of character studies that simmers with questions about work, class, generational divides and the expectations facing refugees making new homes in their asylums."--NPR

"Deeply emotional and unexpectedly funny. Nguyen masterfully balances heartbreaking vulnerability with wit and hopefulness. A truly beautiful novel and window into a mom's profound love for her baby." --Emily Austin, bestselling author of We Could Be Rats

"Mai Nguyen's morbidly funny sophomore novel, Cleo Dang Would Rather Be Dead, explores the raw depths of grief as the title character flounders after her infant daughter's death. Touching and insightful, Nguyen's novel is a moving depiction of motherhood and an honest portrait of grief in its multilayered complexity." --Shelf Awareness

"Cleo Dang Would Rather Be Dead is a window into grief: its ability to make us our worst selves, but also how, over time, it can turn us into a person who sees life for how precious and beautiful and exquisitely improbable it truly is. Nguyen's writing is open and vulnerable and so very raw. I cried a lot, but I also laughed and was reminded that grief is a journey that never ends but shifts and morphs and should be tended to as long as is needed. It is a testament to the healing power of connection, and I'm so glad this book exists." --Charlene Carr, author of We Rip the World Apart

"Propulsive and unflinching, Cleo Dang Would Rather Be Dead captures the depth of human loss with the tenacity of life's hopes. When her newborn child dies, Cleo finds herself in an impossible search to make meaning out of tragedy and profound grief. Told with exceptional candor, heartbreak, and humor, Nguyen's novel evokes a complex spectrum of emotions, causing readers to pause and reflect on their own love, loss, and other life experiences long after reading." --Ann Y.K. Choi, author of All Things Under the Moon

Nguyen (Sunshine Nails, 2023) writes with raw, unflinching honesty about the agony of losing a child, balancing pathos with dark humor. Cleo's messy, nonlinear, yet ultimately hopeful story of rebuilding proves that while some wounds may never heal, they can be transformed into something unexpectedly profound." --Booklist, starred review

"Cleo Dang Would Rather Be Dead is a deeply compassionate and unexpectedly funny novel about love, loss, and the messy, resilient business of being human. Mai Nguyen always writes with warmth, insight, and emotional precision, and here she finds moments of wit and connection even in the most painful terrain. This is a story that sticks with you--not just for the way it turns sorrow into moments of light, but for its tenderness and humanity." --Marissa Stapley, NYT bestselling author of Lucky