This is a book all about family and all the struggles and sacrifices that come with that.

In Sunshine Nails we meet a Vietnamese family who own a nail salon in Toronto. They have been just getting by, but when a multi-million dollar company opens a competing salon across the street, the Tran family does whatever they have to in order to keep Sunshine Nails open.

Along with this main plot line, you have Phil and Debbie’s children, Jessica and Dustin, as well as their niece, Thuy, trying to find their own place both in the family and in the world around them.

I really enjoyed reading this book, and it was so hard to watch this family struggle. The micro aggressions were also incredibly frustrating, and I really liked how the author inserted these very real racist views into the story. Following each character’s arc was fantastic, and I really enjoyed watching them grow and determine what was truly important to them.

If you’re looking for a book to add to your summer reading list, definitely check this one out!

I enjoyed this one; bonus points for being Canadian! I really rooted for the family to find their voices and appreciated their strong loyalty. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

As it appeared on my Goodreads

I think this book has a really interesting premise. The Tran family are Vietnamese refugees who have worked hard to establish their nail salon business in Toronto. At the start of this book there is a lot of upheaval. Jessica (the daughter) has fled Los Angeles after losing her job and having her relationship fall apart. The Tran nail salon is also in crisis, a shiny new nail salon has just opened across the street providing unwelcome competition.

I enjoyed the setting, especially the location and culture. This is a well written book. However, my dislike of several main characters especially Jessica and her father Phil hampered my enjoyment. I feel like a few more moments of humor or lightheartedness would have balanced out the drama nicely. In my opinion the colourful fun looking book cover was a mismatch for the complex family drama and tale of gentrification within.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for providing me with an ARC of this book to read and review.

3.5 stars

Told from the points of view of five Vietnamese-Canadian family members. Each shows a side of the immigrant experience in trying to build a life for themselves in Canada though owning a low-budget nail salon whose existence is threatened when a high-end nail salon chain opens across the street. It was interesting to learn about the nail industry and Vietnamese culture.

The story looks at cultural differences between immigrant parents and their Canadian-born children, the gentrification of the Toronto neighborhood in which they live, resiliency, and the lengths they are prepared to go to hold onto their dream when life doesn’t seem to be going their way. This was an interesting look into an immigrant family’s life in Toronto but I found the plot slowed down in the middle. Overall, an enjoyable quick/easy to read novel that could have delved into each character more - there were so many, that it was hard to really relate to any one in particular.

Thanks to Atria Books and Netgalley for this complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the arc!
Out: July 4, 2023

3.5/5 ⭐️

About:
• Vietnamese-Canadian culture
• Reality of the nail industry
• Gentrification

Read this if you're into:
• Multiple povs (five)
• Successful immigrant stories
• Family drama

As someone who lives in Toronto and loves getting mani pedi, this book called me by my first name.

A nice addition to one's AAPI list too!

This was a different departure on what I normally read but I'm not mad about it!

This was a story told in alternating POV's and really made me think about the effects of gentrification, how far one would go for family (even if some decisions were questionable), immigration and traditions among the different generations.

I genuinely loved reading about the Tran family and this was a great debut novel.

This book was so much fun! It has heart, compelling characters, and an interesting plot. Stories set in Toronto are always a special treat for me and Sunshine Nails is no exception.

4 Stars.

As someone who loves Kim’s Convience, reading this book’s description and seeing that fans of the tv show will love this book, I was super excited to read it. Sunshine Nails summary positions itself as “tender & funny” and although I knew it wouldn’t be all rainbows as butterflies as it reflects on the families struggle with gentrification and racism. It’s definitely a more serious book then it makes itself out to be.

I *think* the humour might supposed to be coming from how the family further tangles themselves into trouble (gambling, loan sharks, blackmail and stealing) but instead of being amused, I just wanted to stop reading.

It’s not a bad book, it’s well written, it’s just I went in with different expectations to what the book was going to be about and was disappointed. The ending was nice though.

This was a great debut novel and I enjoyed reading about the Tran Family. I loved the descriptions of food and the family gatherings. There was a lot going on and at times it felt like maybe too much. However, i did appreciate the story and the characters. This book made me think a lot about gentrification and about

The perfect novel to curl up with over a weekend (like I did)! It was a pleasure to read every page. I am usually challenged by mulit-POV books, but Nguyen seamlessly weaves together the five characters in this book. Phil stressed me out, Debbie made me laugh, I was cheering for Jessica and encourage by Thuy. Dustin, well, he made the right moves. Such a great story illustrating the immigrant experience, family dynamics, and the challenges (and rewards!) of running a business. Solid 4.5 stars.

Felt like the nail salon version of Kim’s Convenience and I’m obsessed. I was hooked from the beginning and I couldn’t put the book down!!
Will recommend this to anyone who asks!

3.5 rounded up

This story is about a Vietnamese Canadian family who own a nail salon in Toronto. Things go sideways when their landlord jacks up their rent and a multimillion dollar chain salon opens across the road.

It’s a cute, general fiction book told in all the family members’ POV. And how far each person will go to try to save the family business. It was okay for me, nothing extravagant.


Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for a DRC. Sunshine Nails is available July 4.

As a Torontonian who is of Vietnamese descent and has relatives that own nail salons, I was excited when I first learned about the existence of Mai Nguyen’s Sunshine Nails! It made my heart happy because it was set in Toronto because not only is it another Vietnamese story being published but a Vietnamese Canadian one which isn’t as common as most Vietnamese diaspora books are American.

Sunshine Nails is a multi-point of view novel that follows three generations of the Tran family. We have Phil and Debbie Tran the head of the family who came from Vietnam as refugees and started their own nail salon, then we have their grown up kids Jessica and Dustin who are both dealing with personal and professional issues and the finally we have Thuy, a teenaged cousin who was brought over to Canada to help the Trans run their salon. The short chapters that rotate between the perspectives of each of the five Trans allow readers to better understand the individual struggles and where each of the characters is coming from...

Read the rest of my review at the link attached.

2.8*

I really liked how this book was laid out and getting to see different POV’s across the different generations of the family. However, I felt the first half of the book was paced a little too slow to really pull me in. Decent read nevertheless

Thanks NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this! it was set in Toronto which always makes me happy, and I really liked the characters. I think the setting worked for the story, and the roving perspectives worked supremely well here. I was hooked from character to character, and loved seeing the story through so many eyes. I didn't love all of the actions taken by characters within this book, but I do think the story was interesting and well done.

3.75/5

What a great debut! You know by now that I love a story with strong family dynamics and drama woven in. I really liked the Tran family. They were real people with believable, real life issues. They weren’t always perfect, but that is what made them so relatable. Add in 5 different POV’s and you have all angles of the story.
This book was about overcoming obstacles and creating what brings you joy, even if that means making difficult choices along the way.
Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
Sunshine Nails will be published and available for purchase on July 4th, 2023.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. I was excited to branch out of my normal reads but I just didn’t connect with the ton of the story. I had high hopes but it unfortunately just didn’t fit for me.

Based on the synopsis I expected this to be a light-hearted, Hallmark-style story about a family trying to save their business. But this five-perspective story offered so much more depth! All the protagonists are flawed at complex. The only downside of the multiple perspectives is that it's difficult to connect with each of the characters. For instance, Dustin's subplot, while entertaining, seemed like more of a distraction from the subplot. I was also pleasantly suprised by the ending. I wish the author limited the number of POVs or increased the length of the book to flesh out the characters better. Overall, Sunshine Nails was a good read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

Oh this was such a great read! Take a hard working family and pile as many obstacles in their way as you can. How do they cope? Can they? Through fights, major financial strain, and communication issues you can't help but root for the characters - even as they make some terrible choices. I have already started hyping this book up to my friends!

The book's cover perfectly reflects the bright and uplifting tone of the story. It follows the lives of the Tran family, whose members provide multiple perspectives throughout the book. Debbie, the mother, is a particularly compelling character, as her refugee status often makes her feel like an outsider in the situations she finds herself in. Despite this, she is a feisty matriarchal figure and a central voice in the novel, making her an enjoyable character to read about.

The rest of the family includes Debbie's husband, a naïve gambler, their unemployed daughter Jessica who has returned from LA after breaking off her engagement, their workaholic son Dustin, and their niece Thuy, who recently immigrated to Canada to support her family back in Vietnam. The family's business and livelihood are in trouble, leading to some dramatic sabotage and a reshuffling of priorities.

Although some chapters - such as a scene on a nudist beach and some office sex drama - may not appeal to all readers, there is plenty of light comedy to balance them out. However, what really shines through is Debbie's childlike yet mature voice. Her disappointment and self-deprecation at not achieving the better life she had hoped for in the US, after sacrificing everything for her children, is a poignant and important story to hear.

Lastly, the warming letter to the reader by author Mai Nguyen provides valuable insight into the background and inspiration for her writing.