i love nails. i love family. i love pettiness. give me a sabotage plot any day and I am in.
but this one fell flat for me. not a lot of death. some things were a little too grimmy.

Sunshine Nails by Mai Nguyen is a beautifully crafted debut novel that explores family, identity, and the immigrant experience through the lens of a Vietnamese-American nail salon. The story centers on Lily, a young woman working at the family-owned Sunshine Nails, as she navigates the tension between her traditional upbringing and her desire for independence.

Nguyen skillfully weaves together the lives of her characters, each with their own dreams, struggles, and sacrifices. The novel is a poignant portrayal of the challenges faced by immigrant workers in the U.S., offering a deep, emotional connection to the characters' lives, both within the salon and beyond.

With lyrical prose and a heartfelt narrative, Sunshine Nails is a powerful story about family, cultural assimilation, and the quiet resilience of those who often go unnoticed. It’s a tender, engaging read that will stay with you long after you finish.

I'm so sad that it took me so long to read this because I absolutely loved it! It's the perfect book to get you out of a reading slump. You will smile and laugh to yourself while reading it (I know I did when I was on the subway!). I can't wait to see more from this author!

A high end salon opens up across from this family’s businesss and they are afraid they might have to close their doors. They built a life for themselves and now are in a dilemma. This was ok. I think it was pushed up to be something that it is not and had it been marked differently i might would have given it a higher rating.

Sunshine Nails by Mai Nguyen is a relatable story for anyone who has ever been to a nail salon or is the child of entrepreneurs. It is easy to picture this immigrant story in any city. I found myself rooting for every member of the Tran family in a different way.

I enjoyed this book. It was fascinating to see what life is like for people who own nail salons. It really is a cutthroat business. There were some things in the books that I thought added unnecessary length to the book and didn't add much to the plot but overall, I liked this book, especially the cast of characters.

This was a cute contemporary story! I enjoyed following the nail salon, it’s not something I read much about - it was light hearted and fun, a perfect summer read!

Loved the Tran family & their different personalities. Their loyalty, and love for one another shone through during difficult times as they faced a new, trendy salon opening across from theirs. They are hardworking immigrants who fought to open their salon and now to keep it open. There are many different characters and its interesting to hear the story/background through their lens.

I switched between the ebook and audiobook and the audio really adds something extra!

This one was really cute, but kind of different from what I usually read. I loved the multiple POVs from a single family; I have never seen that before!

A really sweet book about family banding together to save the thing they love most: their nail salon. I loved the setting most of all, as it was new and unique and a fresh idea. This would be a perfect beach or vacation read, or just something to pick up when you need your world to be lightened up a little.

I really enjoyed this novel. It reminded me of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s early works which kept me engaged the entire time.

This was a cute, fast-paced read with feel good family vibes. The added bonus was the nail salon setting. Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!

I was positively surprised by this reading! This nail salon is the backdrop for an immigrant family, gentrification and traditions, I really loved it.

When I saw the premise of this book was about a family owned nail salon who would be battling with a new upscale competitor who was getting ready to move into the neighborhood I immediately wanted a copy and was hoping for some Barbershop vibes . . .

Man, I still looooooove the Barbershop/Beauty Shop franchise!

Unfortunately, there wasn’t a whole lot of time spent in the nail salon like I was hoping – and the description of how run-down the place was made me feel like I was in danger of getting a fungus through my Kindle while reading. The characters weren’t all that likeable and they made some terrible choices which made it hard to fully be on their side . . . even though I REALLY wanted to be on their side, I wanted them to save the history of the neighborhood, I wanted a simple update/facelift done to the shop, etc., etc., etc. It just didn’t ever all come together, sadly. And for only being around 250 pages, this seemed to drag on : (

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a really cute book about family sticking together. The book was really good but not amazing. It’s a light-hearted cute read.

Thank you netgalley.

A cute story about a cute family. Some of the plot lines (namely, the brother’s) held my attention a little better than others. An easy, feel-good read.

This is an entertaining family saga that gives interesting insight into a Vietnamese immigrant experience. It's more touching than funny and that's okay - you come to love the family and root for their success in achieving their dreams.

Thanks to Atria for the copy to review.

Good, not great.


I really enjoyed reading this book. It was really cute and pretty well written. It was just missing a little something to be great.

This book has a lot of heart with family at the center. Lots of funny and emotional moments. Appreciated the POVs from all the Tran family members, we get their first-hand experiences living in Canada as an immigrant and first generation.

4.5⭐️

The Tran family is a Vietnamese Canadian family living in Toronto. Their family nail salon, Sunshine Nails, has been in business for 20 years. They have been through many financial ups and downs throughout the years, but begin to worry when a nail salon chain opens up a new location right near them. Each family member is determined to do everything in their power to support their family and family business.

I loved the family dynamics in this novel. The characters’ stories were woven together nicely with humor and real-world scenarios. The author did a great job of examining racism and classicism within the story as well. I was invested in each character’s personal story despite their quirks and sometimes questionable choices. Looking forward to more from the author!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.