Mathews' first novel,
All This Could Be Different, was published by
Penguin Books in 2022. The novel centers a South Asian queer protagonist who is navigating love, friendship, and career in Milwaukee during the
Great Recession and the Obama presidency. The novel was received with critical acclaim and was a finalist for the 2022
National Book Award. Mathews was also previously a Margins Fellow at the
Asian American Writers' Workshop, and her short story,
Rubberdust, was selected for
The Best American Short Stories of 2020. == Personal life ==