"Sunshine Nails" is a lighthearted and easygoing book that offers a delightful escape into the world of a small-town nail salon. While it has its charm, it falls short in certain aspects, leaving room for improvement: At times, the story's pacing felt sluggish, leading to moments of disinterest that may require patience to push through. While the characters are enjoyable, the book could have delved deeper into their backgrounds and motivations, giving them more depth and complexity.

In summary, "Sunshine Nails" is a cozy read that provides a gentle and heartwarming escape. However, it falls short in some areas, with pacing issues and a somewhat predictable storyline. Nonetheless, if you're seeking a light and undemanding book to pass the time, this could be an enjoyable choice.

This family drama is about a Vietnamese Canadian family in Toronto. Parents Debbie and Phil came from Vietnam decades ago and eventually established their own nail salon, the Sunshine Nails of the title. Their Canadian-born adult children have not gone into the family business, but Dustin still lives at home and Jessica finds herself returning to home after an upheaval to her life in Los Angeles. And their young cousin Thuy has come from Vietnam and is also living there and working at the salon. The book, told from all five perspectives, follows them through a time of personal and professional travails especially when a fancy new salon moves in down the street.

I really enjoyed this one! It’s a family drama written with a light touch, but which touches on lots of topics from the immigrant experience, differences in outlook from immigrant parents and children, family dynamics, and discrimination against Asians.

After leaving their family and everything they knew in Vietnam, the Trans have built a decent life for themselves in Toronto. Their nail salon has been successful enough to pay the bills, but when a fancy nail salon chain opens up across the street AND their landlord doubles their rent in the same month, all of that success is in jeopardy.

This story covers so many big topics - the immigrant experience, gentrification, and a lot of family dynamics. I loved that this story was told through so many points of view so that we got the perspectives of everyone in the family as the story played out. Most of all, after reading the author’s note, I love how Mai Nguyen honored her own family, who owns a nail salon, through this book.

Thank you @BookClubFavorites #BookClubFavorites for the gifted copy.

Set in pre-pandemic Toronto, this touching family drama is set around the Sunshine Nails salon, owned and run by Debbie and Phil Tran for 20 years. When a fancy US-based nail chain opens up opposite them, the stage is set for drama.

Debbie and Phil were refugees from Vietnam and have struggled through the prejudices, both intended and casual, and the legalities of making Canada their home and to create a future for their children.

Their daughter, Jessica, moved to LA for love and opportunity, but as those have both fizzled out, she’s moved back home and, in the absence of any other opportunities, starts work at Sunshine. Their son, Dustin, imbued with his parents’ work ethic and unwillingness to make waves, has been taken advantage of by the owner of the tech company he had worked at for many years.

The battling nail salons and financial struggle storyline gets a little convoluted, with the Trans getting themselves into all sorts of pickles, only to be sorted out by a deus ex machina, though it is nicely done and knits in the strength of the community. The resolution is a little too easy but is heartfelt, even as it plays to the “wouldn’t -it-be-nice” crowd.

The heart of the novel, though, is the fully dimensional Tran family and their relationships. Phil and Debbie’s long marriage and the struggles they have been through together make them a formidable power, as well as role models for their children. Their openness and willingness to accept mistakes and move on and the lessons and values they have handed on to their family guide the family through its troubles and on to better days.

While the immigrant and community themes are hardly original, this is a solid and skillful take on them and opens a window to the world of nail salons from the other side of the foot spa.

Thanks to Atria and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

SUNSHINE NAILS is a character-focused tale of the Trans, a Vietnamese-Canadian family, led by husband and wife Phil and Debbie and consisting of siblings Jessica and Dustin, as well as their cousin Thuy. What’s most striking about this novel is the character work that went into it. The characters feel fleshed out, believable, and real. The only exception is Phil and Debbie’s niece Thuy; I was initially intrigued by Thuy and her perspective on things, being that she recently emigrated to Canada to work in Phil and Debbie’s nail salon. As the story progresses, though, Thuy falls by the wayside and doesn’t get enough development, especially compared to the other characters.

SUNSHINE NAILS talks about the harmful nature of white guilt, especially its impact on small businesses, specifically those run by immigrants and those in other marginalized groups. I found this to be poignant and precise, and it definitely made me take a step back and reflect. This novel also confronts the question: What is the American Dream and who is it for? SUNSHINE NAILS mixes societal commentary on gentrification, the American Dream, and “subtle” racism with humor and evolving family dynamics through brevity and quick pacing.

I really enjoyed this book. It follows the story of a mom and pop nail shop run by Debbie and Phil Tran in a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood in Toronto. Their adult daughter, Jessica, has just moved back in with them after losing her job and fiance in Los Angeles, and their adult son, Dustin still lives at home. Their niece, Thuy also lives with them and works at the shop. Their world is thrown into upheaval when a bougie nail chain, Take Ten, opens a location across the street.

Things I loved: the social commentary, the nuance (I love the defense of the immigrant owned nail salon and clap back against white guilt after the famous NYT piece about labor abuses), the character development is rich although a little uneven (I ADORED Debbie but found Dustin to be a little unbelievable).

Things I didn't love: There were some elements that felt a little unbelievable or a little easily wrapped up, like the development of Dustin's character, or how easily Jessica stepped into her new role.

3.5 rounded to 4 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

At first glance, Sunshine Nails reads like a fun summery story, but it quickly reveals its depth as Mai Nguyen uses multiple viewpoints to tackle narratives of xenophobia, wealth disparity, racism, and more.

Although the language sometimes felt unbelievable and the shifting points of view meant that some characters got significantly more attention than others (I would have loved to get more insights from the older generation in particular), I loved following along with the family’s increasingly out-there attempts to save their nail business. I’m not sure how much of it I’ll remember a few months from now, but for a summer read, it delivers the drama and the fun while still including surprising depth.

Fun read. A look inside a salon and the family that runs it as they navigate challenges and the age old question what would you do for your family?

I really enjoyed this book! I'm normally very bored by family dramas, but I loved the pace of this book! I think it featured the perfect amount of characters. I appreciated the social commentary about gentrification as well! This is a fantastic book and I'll be recommending this to others!

"What was it about getting beautified that made women want to spill out their salacious stories?"

💅Sunshine Nails is a nail salon in Toronto, owned by Vietnamese refugees Debbie and Phil. They've made a decent living for themselves.. until a new high end salon opens across the street.

Just reading the first chapter, I knew this would be an entertaining read! I enjoyed the eye opening topics of gentrification, the pressure to keep up with the times, racism, and how the Tran family will get through it all. I loved the multiple points of views between Debbie, Phil and their adult kids Jessica and Dustin. I found them all to be intriguing, complex characters. This book has humor, scandal 🙊, but ultimately it's about family coming together. I found this to be reminiscent to the show Kim's Convenience 🙃

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Audience: Adult

Thank you @netgalley and author for the arc!

I liked that this book talked about gentrification from the voice of a different minority than myself. I liked that we saw a bit of what it looks like for Vietnamese families who immigrate and support families back home. We honestly never know what happens in the nail salons we frequent. Why they make the design choices and why they are slow to upgrade to new shiny things. This book was great and so is the audiobook.

Multiple POV family drama. Character driven. Examines the meaning and importance of work. Also tackles the ideas of gentrification, trauma, and racism.

The Tran family has owned a nail salon in Toronto for years. When a very upscale salon opens nearby, their salon's future is on the line. The family members each try to save the shop in a different way. At times slightly sad, this is a look at a Vietnamese-Canadian family trying to get by. I think the cover led me to believe this would be a bit more upbeat than it actually was.

This one was cute! Loved the Canada setting — more books set in Canada! really liked the cast of characters, but felt a bit frustrated by some of the miscommunications. Really made me appreciate the nail salon owners across America.

Vietnamese refugees Debbie and Phil have built a nice life for themselves in Toronto Canada. They have run their nail salon for years now and have raised two wonderful children. When an ultra-glamorous salon opens across the street from them, everything goes sideways.

Just when they think things can’t get worse, their landlord almost doubles their rent. They were struggling before but now they aren’t sure they will ever make it. With the help of their son and daughter, they devise some devious sabotage. Relationships are put to the test and the line between right and wrong gets murky. With everything on the line, do they sacrifice it all for their family?

What a delightful read! I was so excited to get a copy of this one from @netgalley. I love getting my nails done and the women in the salons always have such interesting stories. So this one was really fun and I loved the glimpse into the world the author built. This book is such a lighthearted read, and it was so entertaining. It was really hard to tell that this was a debut novel as it was so eloquently written. I thought that this book touched on some really important issues that immigrants face, and also gentrification. The author took on these heavy topics with humor and strength and I absolutely loved it. Even though this one is set in Toronto, Canada, I entirely related to it being from the US. I feel that this type of story happens more often than we’d like to admit.

Thank you so much @bymainguyen for writing such a lovely story!

Additional thanks go to Atria Books, @Atriabooks, and Netgalley, @Netgalley for providing me this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Fresh, modern, relevant, and fun! Sunshine Nails will have you laughing out loud while also being deeply relatable. The Tran family owns a nail salon in Toronto and has survived more than most people will in several lifetimes. But when a white-owned, bougie nail spa opens across the street, will they have what it takes to survive? This novel is a must-read!

Thanks to Olive and June, I’m team at home mani but I do love to treat myself to a salon pedicure from time to time. SUNSHINE NAILS gives readers an inside look into the world of family-owned nail salons and the triumphs and tribulations of running a family business.

This own voices debut had more depth to it than I was expecting based on the whimsical cover. I appreciated the way Mai Nguyen explored intergenerational family dynamics, racism and gentrification.

I took this story in through a combination of print and audio. The full cast narration brought this ensemble of characters to life and is a story I’d recommend!

RATING: 4/5
PUB DATE: July 4, 2023

3.5 stars

Sunshine Nails follows the Tran's, a Vietnamese Canadian family living in Toronto, exploring various topics such as family dynamics, gentrification, the immigrant experience, and more. Told from 5 different perspectives, we get to see several different sides to the story as each character speaks of their own personal experiences through the trials they endure. Debbie and Phil must find a way to rescue their family nail salon as their neighborhood is being overtaken and ripped down by corporations. Meanwhile their daughter Jessica has returned home and has to figure out what she wants to do with her life. Their son Dustin is also struggling to find happiness in his career while their niece Thuy is adjusting to living in America and trying to provide for her family back home.

I thought that this book was just so interesting and explored so many bold and real topics that were also just so relatable at times. Each character makes their own mistakes and has their personal hardships but they all have to learn how to make it through and learn a lesson of their own along the way. Themes of personal fulfillment and family bonds are extremely prominent in this book and made it such an enjoyable read.

My only criticism is that some of the character's decisions just really frustrated me (although I know that was technically the point) - it also took me a really long time to get through the book (thanks reading slump) which caused me to not be as fully engaged with the story. Overall, this was a really intriguing story though which I would recommend to anyone looking for a powerful contemporary fiction with lots of heart and real topics!

Overall Rating - ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
World Building - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Character Development - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Trigger/Content Warnings - Racism, Classism, gambling, alcoholism, the reality for a number of Asian immigrants in this country.

Overall Thoughts; I actually kind of loved this. I am from an hour outside Toronto. While I was never a nail person, my mom and sister were, I was not unaware of all the Vietnamese nail places near me. This felt like home to me, as much as it can for a white woman, anyways. But seriously, this hit so many points, specifically in the Asian immigrant experience (as I've been told it by those who experience it), it's very real and refreshing. I really think this book could make people aware of a lot of cultural aspects of Vietnamese people, especially immigrants and first generation Canadians and what they experience. Cause it's set in 2016 but I am very sure it's the same in 2023. This was great. And as the acknowledgement says, I hope all the Vietnamese people who are never the center of attention enjoy being the center for once.

Plot; The plot was a lot more than I was expecting, if we are being honest. There's a lot of drama, turmoil and growth that I wasn't really expecting. Going into this, I felt like it was gonna be a cute little guy vs big guy yay the little guy wins and that's it kind of book, but I was very wrong. There is not a single plot point I disliked or felt was unnecessary. This plot was just so realistic and satisfying.

Characters; I have a love hate relationship with some of the characters, but I think that's kind of how it's meant to be. The parents are a product of their generation and their culture. It's one of the things that I liked so much, was how the author didn't try to Canadianize the parents at all, likely because they have a number of people to base them on, I'd assume. The contrast to their kids is also a really good example of what the environment and culture you grow in does to you. I saw people I knew in almost all of these characters, and it was beautiful. And how varied they were was also so nice. I could disagree with one of their actions or their philosophies and still enjoy the book and the character, kind of like you do a real person. Loved them all.

Romance; Now this isn't a romance book, but I think the relationships deserve to be addressed here. Specifically for Phil and Debbie. Cause there's not many examples (that I've read, anyways) that have older people and it actually goes deeper into their desires and ideals in relationships, and I think their relationship is so wholesome. I love them. Especially when you compare it to Jessica or Dustin's relationships, which are both so different, yet also very deep and realistic. You could tell me this was a biography and I'd believe you.

Writing; The writing was good! I enjoy multiple person view books, and I think this one specifically did it VERY well. It doesn't feel like it jumps all over timeline wise, just continues from someone else's perspective, which is brilliant. It feels realistic in that stuff just happens, and then more stuff happens and you just deal with it. I feel like so many books I read have such an emphasis on foreshadowing sneakily, but this one didn't need it. At all. It did brilliantly without. Also really refreshing. I enjoyed the sprinkling of Vietnamese in there too. 10/10 would definitely read another book by this author again based on writing style alone.

a cute story with a message that is easy to read in one go

thank you to netgalley and to the publisher for this review copy.