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!

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.

3.5 Stars

This is a thought-provoking read about divorce, illness, and family with a few Chinese myths thrown in. I had to see if this book was fiction because it reads much like a memoir. It is a well-written read, but I would have been happier with more dialogue.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for this ARC.

Maggie; or, A Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar
Pub date: July 22, 2025
When I started this book, I thought it was a memoir—it reads like a diary. It follows a Chinese American woman who learns her husband is having an affair and plans to leave her, only to be diagnosed with breast cancer soon after. The premise is heavy, but the narrator is funny, sharp, and deeply honest. Her reflections on love, loss, death, and parenthood are raw and moving. This isn’t a book for someone who wants a tidy, linear plot—it’s more fragmented, more real. It beautifully captures what it means to be human, and how the smallest, most ordinary moments are often the ones we miss most. I read it in one night.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC.

I walked into this book prepared to hate the man who leaves my female main character. Instead, I ended up just loving *her* a little deeper with every page. An emotional, hilarious, and painfully relatable story about love, loss, motherhood, and myths. It was lighthearted and heavy all at the same time, with almost whimsical reveries about death and crushing meditations on bedtime stories. I was torn apart and put back together in just over 200 pages.

This novel follows a woman who finds out that her husband has been cheating on her with a woman named Maggie shortly before finding out that she has cancer. The woman grieves her marriage and the life she thought she would live, while talking to her tumor (who she calls Maggie) and compiling a list of things Maggie (the person) will need to know about being with the woman’s ex-husband.

I loved how the book talked about divorce, grief, motherhood, friendship and how she incorporated her Chinese-American heritage into her children’s lives through story time. I loved how this book was written. I found the prose style to be very engaging and kind of cozy, if that makes sense.

This book is great for the thought daughters and people who love Nora Ephron movies. It is under a 150 pages so you can get through it in a day.This novel follows a woman who finds out that her husband has been cheating on her with a woman named Maggie shortly before finding out that she has cancer. The woman grieves her marriage and the life she thought she would live, while talking to her tumor (who she calls Maggie) and compiling a list of things Maggie (the person) will need to know about being with the woman’s ex-husband.

I loved how the book talked about divorce, grief, motherhood, friendship and how she incorporated her Chinese-American heritage into her children’s lives through story time. I loved how this book was written. I found the prose style to be very engaging and kind of cozy, if that makes sense.

This book is great for the thought daughters and people who love Nora Ephron movies. It is under a 150 pages so you can get through it in a day.

This was well done and (but?) despite the promised humor it was also extremely sad—not a criticism, but not quite what I was seeking for my mood. The tone, brevity, and wistful reflections on love and fleeting family life reminded me of Catherine Newman's Sandwich.

3.5 Stars

“Maggie; Or, A Man and Woman Walk Into a Bar” is a darkly funny yet bitterly melancholic debut that is perfect to add to your “Sad Girl Summer” TBR list.

The novel follows a Chinese American mother as she grapples with the news that her husband is having an affair AND that she has breast cancer.

The story is told primarily in quick bits and bite-sized chunks, making it a breezy read, however I found myself slowing down from the relatable tragicness that follows our unnamed protagonist. While the “quick bits” showed how disjointed and fragmented our protagonist’s life had become (it almost felt like she was struggling to find something to hold and grasp onto in the whirlwind), it occasionally had me just wishing there was more development between the bits. There were tons of beautiful and poetic anecdotes, but I was wishing to see some moments more fleshed out. Sometimes the quickness and rehashing of events felt repetitive, however I think that is just the cost of obsession and processing that the protagonist is going through.

I absolutely adored the references to folktales and mythological stories, even ones that are familiar feel new, as Yee tells them as they were told to her by her Mother, and we have the privilege of her passing them on to us!

It was fascinating to see the protagonist attempt to cope with everything, she begins by just fully surrendering, but overtime takes control of her own narrative.

This was a delightful debut with an incredibly dry-wit but I bet it’ll leave several people without dry eyes.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the free advance copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Congrats to Katie Yee on her debut novel!

"Maggie; or, A Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar" completely blew me away! 😅 I can't believe this is Katie Yee's debut novel because it’s a whole masterpiece. From the moment I cracked it open, I couldn’t put it down. And when I had to take a break? I was still thinking about the narrator like she was my best friend who just needed a hug (and maybe a margarita).

This book is a rollercoaster of emotions—heartbreak, humor, hope, and so much more. It's like the perfect mix of chaos and calm, and I loved every second of it. The story follows a woman navigating two big traumas (heartbreak and a health scare) and trying to keep it all together. The pacing was just right—nothing too slow, nothing too rushed—and the emotions? You feel them.

I also really loved the inclusion of the mythical folktales interwoven throughout the novel, as well as the insightful commentary from the children. Such sweet moments of peace in a life that felt a little too wild. They made me wanna grab a blanket, sip tea, and hug my own chaos.

Bottom line: an absolute gem of a debut. Katie Yee has created something truly special.

A huge thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

Always support an addition to the genre of Asian American Women Being Totally Normal /compliment. Of course there's a place for big stories about war, historical trauma, racism, etc., but I felt very seen by how Katie Yee captures the wry, meandering consciousness of a woman just getting through life, the way events can crash over you like tidal waves but also wash through you as if you're a sieve beneath those waves. As other reviewers have noted, Weike Wang is a great comp, and fans of her work would definitely enjoy this!