Book Review: Cleo Dang Would Rather Be Dead by Mai Nguyen
Key Book Info
Genre: Contemporary, Fiction
Publication Date: April 14, 2026
Page Count: 288
Listening Time: 9 hours 55 minutes
Print Publisher: Atria Books
Audio Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Cleo Dang Would Rather Be Dead by Mai Nguyen
Book Review and Rating
I’ll cut right to it; this book will not be for everyone. It parks itself in grief and does not leave. The book centers on Cleo Dang, who is pregnant at the same time as her best friend, Paloma. They both go into labor; however, Cleo’s baby does not survive. You can feel her life split into two parts, the classic before and after, and as a reader we witness her grief in depth.
I think this type of book can either make someone feel seen or poke at the raw parts of someone’s grief. It was so accurate that my heart broke a little for the author, even though I knew nothing of her real life while reading. Much like real life, the book is infused with humor and healing along with sadness.
I grew quite attached to the main character and thought the author did an incredible job finding the balance between letting her be enveloped by loss and pushing her forward with life. I cried when I read the author’s acknowledgements in the back of the book and I hope writing this book was healing for her. Mai Nguyen will remain a must-read author me.
My rating: 5.0 / 5.0
Cleo Dang Would Rather Be Dead by Mai Nguyen
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