Sunshine Nails - by Mai Nguyen (Paperback)

About the Book

"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"--

Book Synopsis

This "insightful, moving story with striking depth" (Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author) follows a Vietnamese Canadian family in Toronto who will do anything to protect their no-frills nail salon after a new high-end salon opens up--even if it tears the family apart.

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. 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?

"Sharp, witty, and warmhearted, [Mai] 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).

Review Quotes

"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

"Sunshine Nails is a phenomenal debut from Mai Nguyen. This page-turning story about the Tran family's desperate attempts to keep their nail salon in business will have you rooting for them as often as you shake your head. It's a delightful romp, with keen social commentary and writing that simply sparkles. Put it on your summer reading list ASAP!"--Carley Fortune, New York Times bestselling author of Every Summer After

"Sunshine Nails is a compelling exploration of family, identity, and community. Readers everywhere will root for the Tran family as they navigate love and work. Told with a rare blend of humor and insight, this delightful story shows that Mai Nguyen is a writer to watch! --Saumya Dave, author of What a Happy Family and Well-Behaved Indian Women

"Sunshine Nails is a fresh, fun take on family dynamics and the secrets we keep to protect each other. Well-defined characters and deft navigation of the highs and lows of the immigrant experience make this book a delightful read. Nguyen's writing sparkles--I can't wait to tell everyone about this!" --Sierra Godfrey, author of A Very Typical Family

"Sunshine Nails manages to be lighthearted and funny while it also shrewdly addresses complex topics, like gentrification and anti-Asian racism. I loved the Tran family and their bright, compelling story." --Emily Austin, author of Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead

"A whip-smart and hilarious David versus Goliath romp. The Tran family will have you biting your nails as they claw at their competition and each other. Will they survive? Or will they lie forever in the proverbial nail bed that they made? But the Vietnamese diaspora will always find their way back home--even if they lose an eyelash or two along the way." --Carolyn Huynh, author of The Fortunes of Jaded Women

"An uplifting story about family, acceptance, and moving forward, Sunshine Nails beautifully illustrates the push and pull of generational divides within the boisterous Tran family and the Vietnamese diaspora within their Toronto community. Sunshine Nails is a heartwarming and colorful debut, proving Mai Nguyen to be an exciting new voice in fiction."--Sonya Lalli, author of A Holly Jolly Diwali and Jasmine and Jake Rock the Boat

"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

"Like a fresh set of diamond-encrusted gel nails, Nguyen truly sparkles in this hilarious, poignant and utterly engrossing comedy of Vietnamese diaspora, gentrification, class, race, and the millennial pressures of finding oneself among overbearing family members. The immigrant story is usually stoic and filled with suffering, but here, a new kind of Asian-Canadian narrative comes to light, one that is so fundamentally joyful and human, it will make you laugh out loud and cry simultaneously. With an abundance of wit, heart, and cleverness, Nguyen explores the complex realities of kinship and belonging faced by Asian immigrants. I loved it."--Lindsay Wong, author of The Woo-Woo and Tell Me Pleasant Things about Immortality

"Sharply observed and incisively detailed, Sunshine Nails is a beautiful debut novel rich with specificity, rooted in a love of and understanding of Toronto and the intricate nuances of the intergenerational divides within an immigrant community. Affectionately written with care for each facet of character, it is a deeply pleasurable, moving, and fast paced read seeped in sensory detail and deeply loving of its subject matter, inviting the reader to fall in love with this funny flawed family too."--Leah Franqui, author of America for Beginners and After the Hurricane

About the Author

Mai Nguyen is a Vietnamese Canadian author whose debut novel, Sunshine Nails, was longlisted for Canada Reads and named one of the best books of 2023 by NPR and CBC. Her journalism has appeared in Wired, The Washington Post, and The Toronto Star. Raised in Halifax, she now lives in Toronto with her husband, daughter, and French bulldog.