Let me start off by saying that the writing is great. I can imagine liking other books by this author but I just couldn’t deal with the cheating husband. I was so angry with how he treated her when he told her and how he didn’t seem to fight for the relationship at all.

The story of a woman who finds out her husband is having an affair, then is diagnosed with cancer back to back. Despite the heavy subject matter, this relies heavily on humor and leans into the absurdity of life’s surprises. The way this portrayed the dissolution of a marriage seemed really inauthentic and too tidy. I wish it was a little more focused, really loved the writing though and can’t wait to see what this author does next.

While I have some thoughts about a book title with a semicolon AND a comma, AND a joke line, I can forgive it for this book. A first-person narrative where the protagonist has had two life-altering things happen to her simultaneously. She quietly deals with the situations with the help of her best friend, Darlene, and the day-to-day caring of her children. She shares Chinese stories with her children that her mom shared with her. Quietly, everyone heals.
If you are looking for an overt, deliberate book to tell you how to feel, keep looking; this is not your book. If you appreciate subtlety, good writing, and much unsaid, here is your book.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the arc of this book.

This book is a little gem and I am grateful to NetGalley for an advance copy. It drew me in and kept me deeply engaged. Her writing is full of nuances- observational and emotional. It’s a tender story about delicate subject matters…and handled in ways that are both interesting to read and also feel quite real and not hyperbolic or overdone.
So glad to have found this book.

I loved this book! I read it in two days, thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy! This book though grappling with difficult topics (an affair, a divorce, breast cancer) felt more stream of consciousness than a steady plot, but I loved the book for its unique writing style! It was witty and at times made me tear up, while at other times it gave me thoughts about life to chew on. What a great debut book! I look forward to more from this author in the future.

Katie Yee's Maggie; or, A Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar offers an introspective look into a marriage in the process of ending. I particularly enjoyed the main character’s interrogation of how her own upbringing differed so significantly from her husband's. The narrative suggests they could discuss these differences frankly during their marriage, but that his privilege and sense of entitlement become more impactful now that they are separating.
There are also moments of humor and relatability in her observations on the practical shifts of daily life, such as the challenge of accidentally buying more bread than one person can consume before it molds when transitioning from shopping for a family of four.
Yee employs a very creative, associative style, weaving comparisons between her family life, her experience with cancer, party games, and fables. This was often inventive and fun. At other times, however, the connections felt less clear to me, or the metaphors didn't fully land for me. For instance, while the extended metaphor comparing the difficulty of cooking a fresh artichoke to her husband's flakiness and musings on hearts versus brains was certainly unique, I wasn’t sold. Similarly, while the Jenga analogy about forcing others to ruin things felt like a stretch at first, it also sparked a fun, thought-provoking angle on how seemingly innocuous games might subtly shape our worldview, especially for children.
Overall, the narrator's voice was very pleasant and engaging. I enjoyed reading her reflections on life. Despite the complexities of the subject matter, there was a relaxing quality to accompanying her on this journey of introspection. While the pacing dragged a bit for me around the two-thirds mark, the book remained an enjoyable and thought-provoking read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

My mistake. Clearly I’m not the right reader for this one. I didn’t find it funny. I did find it smothering on the subject of children. As for the heartbreak of being dumped by your husband, where was it ? No anger. No desolation. Instead, the cancer metaphor.
Maybe this will be the summer read that everyone loves. Good luck to it. Just not my cup of tea.

Mixed thoughts on this story...I could not relate to the main characters seeming lack of negative feelings while experiencing a divorce and cancer at the same time. On the other hand, the relationship between the two best friends was touching and I loved the references to folklore and legends as told as bedtime stories. The writing was good but overall, just not the book for me. Thanks to NetGally and the publisher for this ARC.

Incredible writing, amazing character development, and themes that are dark but tinged with humor perfectly. I loved this so much!

Maggie; or, A Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar is an incredible read. Katie’s candid perspective of dealing with her own cancer diagnosis while processing the unraveling of her marriage and her husband’s infidelity. She decides to name her humor after his mistress.

This is a book that I could not put down. Katie reflects on relationships and time in a way that feels refreshing and familiar at the same time. The writing is consistently beautiful and honest.

“And it’s true: when it was me and Sam in that car at the very beginning, my wants were all so airy and unspecific….My dreams are so heavy now. When did that happen? Maybe it’s something that comes with age. Or family.”

An exceptional read. Everyone will be talking about this book.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 stars.

I liked this; I wanted to love it :( I did enjoy the incorporation of the bedtimes stories / folklore tales that were introduced throughout the book. It added a different layer and some background but I wasn't sure why some of the stories were included -- I couldn't draw a parallel to the story being told. Best friend Darlene was a great character -- terse and to the point. I didn't see the "comedy," either. There several funny lines, but I guess the "humor" was more wry than ha-ha.

I did enjoy reading this. For a first novel, it is a valiant effort.

Would I read more from the author? Yes.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being left freely.

This book is really great on a sentence level. I found myself nodding along, feeling like the author was almost inside my head, for how relatable it felt. That happens throughout this book, sometimes when I least expected it.

That said, I was a little bit thrown by how inauthentic the story itself felt. The dissolution of a marriage, no matter how amicable, is not quite as it's presented here. I'm not talking about my own divorce here, but in fact in reflecting on everyone I know who is divorced, even the easiest ones never worked like this. The breakdown of parenting time is unrealistic. The way the narrator is deeply in love with her now-ex-husband feels fantastical at best. The kids read both too old and too young for their ages, which really bothered me. Plenty of people without children write novels featuring children; being childfree doesn't disqualify. But here the children were so wildly inaccurate that it took me entirely out of the story.

Maggie the tumor felt more real, and also like a metaphor (obviously) which worked for me. The part of the story that I connected with the most was Darlene. All of us need a Darlene in our lives, and all of us should strive to be the Darlene for someone else. Female friendship is amazing.

3.5 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC: I devoured this book in a couple of sittings: it reads like a memoir of an unnamed woman who learns that her husband is unfaithful and shortly thereafter discovers she has breast cancer. The book flows and features many stories that the protagonist tells her children--they are Chinese folk tales. The protagonist is a Chinese woman, married to a wealthy white man who abruptly tells her of his infidelity. The book does have a dream like quality where the emotion is muted. The unnamed protagonist does mention that she assumes she cried because later she found tissues that indicated she had. She discovers a lump in her breast and names it for her husband's new love: "Maggie". Her breast cancer experience doesn't ring quite true, where other aspects of the story do. Her best friend is stalwart and her children are realistic and lovely. Overall, well written, absorbing and a very promising debut.

So well written. Dark humor in the face of a divorce and a cancer diagnosis. I stayed up to finish it. I wanted to see how it ended.. Dare I say delightfully dark and yet hopeful.

This reads like a memoir, or perhaps more of source material from a journal for a memoir. It’s a quick read of only about 200 pages, and maybe that’s my most significant criticism. I wanted more. I wanted to know the main character more. I wanted to know why she thought her marriage fell apart. I wanted to know why she didn’t ask her husband the “why” question. I wanted to know why she didn’t tell her (soon to be ex) husband about her cancer diagnosis. I don’t feel like I got to know her as much as I wanted to.

One of the minor characters is her best friend, Darlene, who is an amazing best friend. So, my most significant takeaway is to treasure the friends you have in your life, like Darlene, who are beyond supportive.

This book is excellent for people who like female-centered, quick-paced fiction. There is a great sense of humor about how the main character views everyday life, like waiting room characters, the hidden messages behind children’s games, and the best place to deliver bad news.

Thank you to S&S/Summit Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley.

Maggie; Or, a Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar is a sharp, emotionally layered debut that turns heartbreak and illness into something darkly funny and deeply human. With a fragmented yet intimate narrative, it captures the rawness of grief, cultural identity, and womanhood while offering a refreshingly honest take on survival. Wry, poignant, and quietly powerful—this one lingers.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a heartfelt and at times morbidly funny story of a Chinese American woman dealing with cancer while finding out that her white husband is cheating on her with another woman, called Maggie.

I really enjoyed this story. The writing is engaging and you cannot help but feel so much for our narrator. Overall, this is a wonderful read and I can't wait to read more from Katie Yee.

Maggie; or, A Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar by Katie Yee

This book reads like a memoir but is fiction; it is sad, funny, heavy, and light. A bit of everything. The story of a Chines American woman whose husband leaves her and immediately after that she is diagnoses with breast cancer. She handles the turbulent circumstances and emotions with aplomb, her humor, and one amazing friend see her through to the other side. In some ways a very ordinary story or a woman but also remarkable in her resilience.

#maggieoramanandawomanwalkintoabar #netgalley

A sharp, funny and poignant book about how we handle life’s upheavals. I loved it. This was recommended by Becca Freeman from Bad on Paper Podcast

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

Yee paints a picture of a woman who could be devastated by any of the tragedies facing her. She discovers that her husband is cheating on her. Shortly after, she is diagnosed with cancer.

The Chinese-American woman at the heart of the story is funny, witty, and observant about life as she navigates love and despair while trying to stay positive for her children.