I liked "Pick a Color" by Souvankham Thammavongsa. Anyone who's ever worked in the service industry can relate, but there is a kinship with your fellow employees. I wish there were more backstory on Ning's boxing career.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Little, Brown and Company for the advanced copy. I really enjoyed the structure of this book. The fact that it described everything that happened in one day gave an interesting insight into Ning's life is typically like. I also liked that this book introduced questions about what is happening in the lives of the characters and never fully resolved them because that's what happens in life. This book knew exactly what it wanted to be and its identity was a big strength. I would highly recommend.

Ning, a former boxer, runs her nail salon with precision. She and her “Susans”-no one wants to know or will remember their real names-work unnoticed and unappreciated by their customers. They talk about their customers while they are there and wonder who they really are.

Covering one day in the life of nail salon workers trying to make it through their shift, this novel covers many themes and gives a rounded look at grief and uncertainty. While quick and interesting, I found it difficult to invest in Ning as a character due to her guarded nature even within her own mind.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!


I review on Goodreads and Fable.

A quiet, subtle novel that speaks volumes about the not so nice ways people treat others. Ning aka Susan runs a nail salon. We follow her over the course of the day as she ruminates on her past, her loneliness, her customers, and her employees. The writing was lovely and I enjoyed Ning's perspective and her musings. A great read for anyone looking for a smart slice of life story.

Thank you very much to Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

I love when an author is able to take a simple thing and give it depth. This book follows a single day in the life of a nail salon owner. It was funny, sad, warm, and lonely all at the same time. I love the concept of 'the Susan's' and how all the different customers are described. I like the snippets of Ning's life that we get exposed to: her boxing career, her previous jobs, etc. I also loved the writing style, as it made the book super bingeable.

Thank you to Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley for the ARC.

To her clients, Ning is simply Susan, a nail salon worker, concealing her past as a retired boxer.
On this summer day, the Susans meticulously attend to their clients, listening, smiling, and nodding, while Ning's intellect and complexity remain hidden beneath the surface. As she navigates the intricate web of relationships among her fellow Susans, Ning's dual identities will eventually collide, sparking a confrontation that challenges the way the privileged world views a woman like Ning. With precision and wit, Pick a Color illustrates the intricacies and complexities of being an immigrant in SUCH a brilliant way. Five stars!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I honestly don’t have much to say about this book.

It’s very short and has great writing flow and prose.

I’ve read the authors other book and enjoyed it for the same reason.

It’s so interesting how it covers exactly one day in the life of the nail shop owner.

There’s lots of cheeky moments which poke fun at stereotypes.

It’s a nice quick read that to me reminds me of “Convenience Store Woman” by Sayaka Murata.

There’s lots of little details and I enjoyed how it came full circle while you’re still left wondering a bit.

I enjoyed how the books title was incorporated into the story.

I think it’s a great read for anyone interested in literary fiction and easy to read in one sitting or multiple short sittings.


I will share a review to my Instagram followers closer to the publication date.

In Pick a Color we have an unusual setting, a nail salon, and an unusual first person narrator, the shop manager. It’s a mix of introspective character study, a look at the ins and outs of this business, and social commentary.

I was entertained, saddened and enlightened by this book. The narrator is often tongue-in-cheek
humorous. The personalities who work with her are both individuals and a hive-type, mostly invisible set of nearly identical Susan’s”. The clients are oblivious to the nuances of the business and the behind-the-scenes scrutiny and critiques to which they are subjected

If you’ve ever wondered about the inner workings and social nuances of the nail salon business and enjoy a quirky first person narrator, this book is a peach.

Pick a Color is written from the perspective of Ning, a nail salon owner, who wryly observes the relationships and happenings in her salon. The novel plays into the common worry amongst (largely non-Asian) people that their nail tech might be *gasp* talking about them right in front of them. And why shouldn't they? Ning's perspectives are both mundane and revelatory. Her thoughts aren't outrageous by any means, or they are simply because of who she is. Her clients aren't asking for her back story. She's just another "Susan" to them, and yet she is very much aware of how she is perceived in this world. She can't be written off as a blank slate upon which you can project your own ideas of who she is or should be, and that's what makes this story powerful.

A smart, quick novella that takes place in a single day at a nail salon owned by a retired boxer. This novella is a sharp examination of how class, race, and identity obscure and expose who we are. It’s extremely well crafted and executed.

I love it when a novella builds a fully realized world that will stay with me. I read this novel in two sittings, and it will do just that.

Rita Bullwinkle’s “Headshot,” one of my favorite reads of last year, kept coming to mind as I read this one. There’s boxing, sure, but the pacing and tension were similar. If you liked that novella, I strongly suggest picking this up.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Pick a Color was a quick and thought provoking read covering the workday of a nail salon owner. The author does a wonderful job of portraying characters that you don't get to know very well, but you feel like you do. You get to see these women how they are at work, laughing and joking with one another, but also vulnerable and thoughtful. It affected me so much that I had second thoughts about going to a nail appointment I had.

The synopsis, title, and cover immediately drew me in- the promise of an exploration of loneliness, love, labor, and class through the story of a nail salon owner serving unaware, privileged clients. Sounds fascinating! But while the premise is compelling and the writing sharp, I struggled to stay invested. The plot development was lacking and I was waiting for something more to happen. That said, I recognize this may be one of those “right book, wrong time” experiences. Sometimes, I am fine with less happening. On another day, I might’ve appreciated its quiet elements more.

This is a slice of life book about a Lao salon owner (or possibly Thai, the author doesn't specify and the names can be either Thai or Lao).
It gives insight on how service workers are overlooked, undervalued, and often times invisible. It also gives us a look into how the salon workers go about their day. The challenges they face. Ning is the owner of the salon. She is a former boxer but doesn't want anyone to know about her past or about her life. She is the narrator.
Entertaining and insightful this is a quick read.

Thank you to @netgalley and @souvankhamthammavongs and Little Brown Books for this egalley. I was under no obligation to leave a review all opinions are my own

I enjoyed this realistic portrayal of a nail salon owner, Ning, how she deals with her staff and clients, and how she achieves the smooth running of her shop. Nings's observances of people and situations puts her on top of all possible scenarios that might crop up, and rewards the reader with astute comments in this first person narration.

Ning is acutely aware of the biases and the stereotypes that the public makes of her occupation, even by her very own clients. This character driven novel is informative, giving us an inside look into a workplace and the staff and customers and their interactions or noninteractions as the case may be.

A highly recommended and unusual book.

~ I received an ARC copy of Pick A Color from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ~

Pick A Color is a reflective narration of a day in a nail salon run by immigrants. The main character reflects and interacts with her employees/co-workers as she takes on clients and hires a new employee. The piece is a quick read and an interesting window into all the thoughts a worker would have throughout the day.

I requested this short book on a whim, and I’m glad I did! It’s an ideal length to read during a short flight, like the one I just had.

The narrator’s perspective on the intricacies of a nail salon was intriguing. I appreciated how, despite the entire story unfolding in a single day, brief flashbacks provided valuable background information about the main character, “Susan.”

The writing is exceptional, and the cast of characters is captivating. I’d be interesting in reading more from this talented author!

This is a story of "Susan" and her other "Susan's" who work with her in her nail salon/spa.
Ok, her name isn't really Susan, but she doesn't really care for people to call her by her name, or necessarily even know if... she likes to be standoffish and keeps herself to herself. But we, as the reader, get many glimpses into her inner workings.
The whole story plays out in the course of one day working at her shop.
There isn't much plot development, and there isn't any climax or big end.
I did kind of want *something* to happen at the end, that is why I am marking it down a star from what I would otherwise rate it.
But the writing was beautiful and I appreciated the window into another type of life that I am not familiar with.
Definitely worth a read to put yourself in someone else's shoes and "live a day in their life".
Overall, I enjoyed it. (Also, it was a quick read!)

PICK A COLOR REVIEW
RATING: 4.5
GENRE: Literary Fiction

Pick a Color is depicted as a novella as we peek into the span of one day in the life of Ning, retired boxer and now nail salon owner. We see her dedication to running her own shop that she started after she was kicked out of her former salon and how she treats her employees. We meet three main employees; Mai, the season manicurist, Noi, her first day working at the salon, and Annie, the part-timer that Ning met through her old employer.

We learn about Ning’s fierce independence about running her salon and how she tries to not get too close to her staff but also establishes camaraderie through joking about their customers.

I really enjoyed learning about Ning’s thoughts, her interactions with her customers and staff, and even a brief encounter with a surprise visitor. I highly recommend this read and it’s a quick and easy one.

Thank you to Netgalley and Little, Brown and Company for the ARC. Please check out this book releasing on 9/30/25!

This story was an absolute eye-opener in terms of the lives of nail techs & beauty service workers. Often times, many walk into these salons or shops expecting the best services without any questions about the lives of their techs based on the norms presented to us regarding beauty service workers. It truly was an eye-opening read about the intersections of immigration, service work, and racism l (though I do not believe the story is explicitly set in the US, that is the lens I read through).

Similarly, the way the author weaves the identities of the women without ever attaching a race/ethnicity to the characters was a fascinating choice- the only time this really happened in my eyes was the conversation about accents & how the dominant population thinks these women talk. It allowed me- and i presume those who will choose to pick this up- as a reader to examine my own biases and assumptions throughout the book, which I wholeheartedly appreciated.

All in all, I appreciated the opportunity to read this before its publication and look forward to sharing the recommendation with my reader friends! Thank you NetGalley & Little, Brown and Company for access to the ARC!

Much to enjoy here, in a portrait of the peculiar culture of a nail salon - the comical responses (in a foreign and therefore impenetrable language) of the staff, the obligations, intimacies and assessments of the customers. And then the portrait of its owner, with her boxing past and mysterious missing finger. The mood, detail and consistency are all admirable. Less so, though, the cumulative content. The book is atmospheric and absorbing, but does it have enough content for a novel? I’m unsure. Ultimately it amounts to a terrific scene-setting. But not enough happens. A plot would have been nice.