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!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this brief, stream of consciousness style story of a women going through a bit of a rough patch, needless to say.

I found myself wanting our heroine to get angrier with her plight - confront your husband about his affair! Tell him you have cancer! She was certainly more stoic than I. I can also understand that her internal monologue was a way to process these hurdles, and I found her musings generally touching and introspective. I just wanted a bit more oomph. There were beautiful reflections on motherhood, love, autonomy and friendship that I really enjoyed. This type of novel works when the prose is tight and clean and it definitely worked here. I would recommend this book and I look forward to the author’s future work.

I love this narrator's voice! I think the pace compliments the plot and the characters are perfectly likable and unlikable in authentic measure.

A fragmented, but approachable storytelling debut from Katie Yee. I am not usually drawn to novels featuring the narrative stream-of-consciousness style, but Yee's charming main character and unhinged plot design created a unique story that I couldn't put down. Yee has certainly earned a place in my top reads of 2025.

Absolutely everything I want in a book. This was so good!
You follow a FMC figuring out her stand in life through divorce, motherhood, health issues, friends & so on. The way the author sucks you into each line is impeccable. 💖 I loved seeing the little folktales told in between the main story when she is putting her children to bed. It encouraged me to start adding my own flavor to bedtime stories w my kiddo!
If this FMC was a real person, I would whole heartedly try being her friend, she’s 1000% my vibe.

Thank you NetGalley, the author, & publishers for this ARC!

The plot of “Maggie; Or a Man and A Woman Walk into a Bar” by Katie Yee can be summarized simply - a woman learns in short order that her husband is having an affair and that she has breast cancer. The results of these events are what create the action the novel. However, the depth of the book comes from the narrator’s observations about the joys and sorrows of being alive, about friendship, motherhood, and ways of seeing the world. At one point the protagonist says, “I think if enough bad things pile up, they inevitably cross over into comedy. I am a collector of bad things with the hope that I can make them funny.” This is exactly what Yee does in this novel. She takes bad things and casts them in new light, making them funny and poignant as well as real and relatable.

What struck me most in this novel was the power of the connections that Yee makes through her choice of metaphor and the vividness of her prose. I found myself highlighting sentences and passages because of the unique connections that struck me as relevant and true. This novel elevates the joys and sorrows of every day. It gives the act of living importance and power and celebrates our humanity.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster and Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for my independent and honest review.

A surprising early contender for my favorite new release of the year. The stream of consciousness style of storytelling feels fragmented but never disjointed. The narrator's nuanced thoughts and feelings about grief, love, loss, and existentialism are explored in a really compelling way, and Yee is exceptionally good at describing these big, complicated emotions in terms of the mundane and relatable. Equal parts funny and sad, hopeful and nihilistic.
Thank you to the author (Katie Yee), the publisher (Simon & Schuster), and NetGalley for granting me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is certainly an emotional book, but not emotional just for the sake of it. Really enjoyed the main character and an excuse to get into my feelings.

Do you know that feeling when you just finish the final season of series. You sit quietly, your heart beating slightly faster than usual, as you stare out into nowhere wondering what comes next. I got that same feeling finishing this book. Utterly speechless. It's quite literally 4am in the morning but I had to get this review out.

This might just be one of my favorite reads of 2025 and it's not even out yet. For fans of slice of life books, one step away from a stream of consciousness, this story is for you.

We follow the main character after she finds out that not only is her husband unapologetically having an affair but that she also has breast cancer just like her mother did. It seems like God is just handing out one punishment after another, but in some ways her cancer also comes at the perfect time, helping her cope with the news of her husband.


I honestly don't even know how to explain this book without giving spoilers. All I have to say is that this is a 2025 must read, especially if you're going through a time of grief or general disconnect with your life.

5 FREAKING STARS

I only give these coveted 5 stars to a book that captures my attention and evokes emotion (or a head-scratch) with unique/creative ideas or prose, creates characters and storylines that stay with me for a long time, and spurs me to tell all my friends to read it. Maggie hit all these marks for me! So impressed with this debut novel -- following Katie Yee from here on out.

Outside of the title (hoping it may change before publication to be less unwieldy?), I was a fan of everything else in this book. It handled really tough life gauntlets -- infidelity, divorce, cancer, raising bi-racial children, class inequalities -- so adeptly with sincerity and thoughtfulness but also humor and optimism. An untold number of times, observations from the main character hit spot on to things I'd witnessed or seen in my own life without giving a second thought to; I kept thinking, "Damn, how have I NEVER thought of that??" Each relationship had its own evolution with the simultaneously vulnerable and strong lead character be it with a cheating husband, ice-cold MIL, dear friend, a tree-obsessed son or inquisitive daughter.

My takeaway from this one: Life can come at you REAL hard all at once, but if you lean on yourself and those people who truly care about you, you can make it through better than you were -- even if it means reconstructing yourself or the life you thought you had ahead of you into something completely new and different. Also, F%&K Maggie.

****Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for advanced access to this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

this was a good book! I liked the themes of womanhood, sisterhood, family, relationships, and growth. It was a good story and evoked emotion. I liked the way it made you think and feel. Overall I enjoyed it a lot!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

I really enjoyed this story. It was easy to follow along with and I enjoyed the characters. I liked how the woman interacted with her children and told them stories. I liked how she turned the unfortunate circumstances of her husband leaving her and the cancer diagnosis into a bit of a comedic outlooks.

Maggie; or, A Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar by Katie Yee is a gem. As a Chinese American woman, Maggie's journey through heartbreak and cancer hit me hard. Yee’s writing is sharp and heartfelt, weaving humor and resilience into Maggie's story. The blend of grief, motherhood, and myths is beautifully done. This novel is both moving and uplifting. If you liked *Crying in H Mart, you’ll love this one.