A New York Times Notable Book. One of Time ’s 100 Must-Read Book of 2025. Summer’s Best Beach Reads by The New York Times • Books You Should Read This July by New York magazine • Books We’re Most Excited About by Today • Best Beach Reads by Harper’s Bazaar • Best Books of Summer by ELLE • Most Anticipated Books of the Summer by Time • Best Summer Reads by Oprah Daily • Books to Read this Summer by The Washington Post “As with Nora Ephron’s Heartburn …you read Maggie to spend time with its author.” — The Washington Post A Chinese American woman spins tragedy into comedy when her life falls apart in a taut, wry debut novel, “as playful as it is profound” (Alison Espach, author of The Wedding People )—perfect for fans of Joan Is Okay and Crying in H Mart . A man and a woman walk into a restaurant. The woman expects a lovely night filled with endless plates of samosas. Instead, she finds out her husband is having an affair with a woman named Maggie. A short while after, her chest starts to ache. She walks into an examination room, where she finds out the pain in her breast isn’t just heartbreak—it’s cancer. She decides to call the tumor Maggie. Unfolding in fragments over the course of the ensuing months, Maggie; Or, a Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar follows the narrator as she embarks on a journey of grief, healing, and reclamation. She starts talking to Maggie (the tumor), getting acquainted with her body’s new inhabitant. She overgenerously creates a “Guide to My Husband: A User’s Manual” for Maggie (the other woman), hoping to ease the process of discovering her ex-husband’s whims and quirks. She turns her children’s bedtime stories into retellings of Chinese folklore passed down by her own mother, in an attempt to make them fall in love with their shared culture—and to maybe save herself in the process. In the style of Jenny Offill and the tradition of Nora Ephron’s hilarious and devastating writing on heartbreak and womanhood, Maggie is a master class in transforming personal tragedy into a form of defiant comedy. “[A] quirky, thoughtful, and genuinely funny exploration of what it means to be left behind by your partner and discover a whole new life in the wake of your relationship’s destruction.” —Daisy Jones and Emma Specter, Vogue “Wildly original...you’ll laugh your way through this insightful–even hopeful–novel. Yee, whose conversational writing is reminiscent of Nora Ephron’s, is poised to become one of fiction’s most exciting new voices, proving that levity can be found in even the most unexpected places.” —GOOP, 5 Smart Beach Reads Worth Packing “Awe-inducing….Hilarious and heartbreaking, Yee packs a serious punch in just around 200 pages.” —Clare Mulroy, USA Today (15 new releases to read now) “Yee manages to spin genuine laughs—not to mention a thoughtful meditation on the meanings of health, love, family, loyalty, and identity—out of her protagonist’s pain.” —Emma Specter, Vogue “Incredibly witty and insightful…ideal if you’re looking for a summer read with some substance.” —Asma Khalid, WBUR’s Here and Now “Feels pleasurably like clicking through the back archives of a webcomic or lingering over lunch with an old friend. As with Nora Ephron’s Heartburn …you read Maggie to spend time with its author.” —Sophia Nguyen, Washington Post “Through impeccably witty fragmented reflections and in just under 200 pages, Yee transforms life’s most brutal bombshells into spectacular fireworks, glittering with humor, insight, and a dazzling display of best friendship against the darkest of backdrops.” —Charley Burlock, Oprah Daily (Best Summer Reads of 2025) “Stands out as one of the most unusual literary debuts of the summer.” — Washington Post (30 Books to Read this Summer) “One of the most delightful debuts I’ve read in a long time.” —Elisabeth Egan, The New York Times (The Summer’s Best Beach Reads) “A wry meditation on grief, healing, and reclaiming one’s identity.” —Shannon Carlin, TIME Magazine (The 16 Most Anticipated Books of the Summer) “A beautifully crafted debut that isn’t afraid to guffaw in times of darkness.” —Allison Cho, Booklist “Yee is an attentive storyteller, empathetic to all her characters, even Maggie. Readers drawn to nuanced domestic narratives will find much to savor.” — Publishers Weekly “A light and nimble debut novel about some of life’s most devastating events...this a novel that crackles with heartfelt intelligence and wit....A funny, stirring novel about resilience.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “In this comedic and heartbreaking debut novel, the narrator confronts her grief head-on, from naming the growing tumor inside of her Maggie to developing a user manual guide for her ex’s new woman.” — Harper’s Bazaar (Best Beach Reads of 2025) “An absolutely delightful debut! Katie Yee’s novel about a wife and mother whose world is cru