4.25 STARS!!!!

This was my first Kristina McMorris book and I absolutely loved it.

The Girls of Good Fortune takes place in 1888 in Portland, OR, a city I love and visit to often. Unfortunately despite all of it's small town grandeur, it possesses quite the racist history. There is a history of blatant and dangerous past of murdering the Chinese, especially during the Chinese Exclusion Act. This book takes place during that time period, where the Chinese had to hide underground in a place called the Shanghai Tunnels (which still exists and visitors can still take a tour of it) so they wouldn't have to live the same fate of being killed, simply for being different.
Celia, is half Chinese, but is able to hide her ethnicity, works as a servant to the mayor and his family. While the family knows her background, they keep it a secret, until a forbidden act has her sent to live in a brothel. Celia ends up drugged and "shanghaied" and sent to sea.

From here, there are some thrilling acts of courage and the book, while a love story, takes us on an exciting journey as Celia plots a daring escape to save herself and what little family she has. I won't reveal many of the major plot points, as I feel that the best parts were shocking and mesmerizing to say the least.
The Girls of Good Fortune tells a great historical story of an unthinkable time and is a long lost love story. I highly recommend this book and hope it's a big hit once released in May!

I received a free DRC of this book through Netgalley. What I liked about the book: -Main character Celia and her look at the world -Madam and women at brothel working together to help Celia -Action and adventure throughout story helped it move along. What I disliked: okay, there was too much jumping back and forth in the timeline for probably the first half of the book which left me feeling disjointed. I was glad when that part went away.

As a reader who enjoys both historical fiction and misteries, this was a great fit!!
The dual timeline made it even more interesting. I didn't know about the Shangai Tunnels or the Rock Springs massacre, but the author seems to have done a good research about them and I appreciated being shown such important but understated historical events. The writing is vivid and compelling, you can picture everything in your mind as if it was happening right in front of you. I'll look up for more of her books. Thanks Netgalley for my Arc!

"The Girls of Good Fortune" is a remarkable work of historical fiction by Kristina McMorris. The narrative unfolds across two distinct timelines: the present day and the 19th century, focusing on Celia, a half-Chinese girl who is kidnapped within Portland's Shanghai Tunnels. The story deeply resonated with me as Celia navigates the challenges of prejudice and the repercussions of her forbidden romance. I admired her character's resilience as she confronts formidable obstacles. For readers who appreciate historical fiction featuring a strong female lead, this book is a must-read.

I extend my gratitude to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing this ARC for review.

I absolutely loved this book! It had everything I want in a book-suspense, action, adventure. I also learned about about how the Chinese were treated during this time, I had no idea. It kept me guessing what would happen until the end. I really enjoyed this book.

This is a great historical fiction. It touches on a subject about the Chinese massacre, the Rock Springs massacre. I was not familiar with this sad occurrence. Celia is trying to bring attention to the murder of her father and all the other people. Celia’s life gets messy with an unplanned pregnancy and the abandonment of the love of her life. I was given an advanced reader copy of this well written book by NetGalley and I am freely sharing my review.

I will admit up front to being a huge fan of Ms. McMorris's work, but it's books like this that are the reason why. The author has a gift for taking little-known events and integrating them into part of a larger story to educate her readers as well as entertain them.

The story is set in Portland, Oregon, in the mid-1880s. Celia Hart, a half-Chinese, half-Caucasian servant at the Portland mayor's household, falls in love with the mayor's son and discovers later that she is pregnant with his child after he leaves to go overseas to study. When the mayor and his wife find out, they essentially evict her and find her employment in a shady downtown business. When her love for her child and a desire to reconnect with the mayor's son result in her being "shanghaied" in Portland's famous underground tunnels and sent to sea, Celia must use all her skills to return home to whom she loves.

Though not a native Oregonian, I lived there for about a decade and have always thought its history ripe for good stories. I knew of the tunnels used in the book and Oregon's gold history (and miscegenation laws), but I was unaware of the disasters mentioned in the book. Ms. McMorris proves once again that she is artful in telling a good story and doing her research to enthrall her readers.

In the late 1880s, Celia Hart is a young woman, passing as white in Portland despite having a Chinese father, in a time period when racism and prejudices towards Chinese people were rampant. The story is told in alternating chapters from multiple timelines in Celia's life, as she works as a maid in the wealthy home of the Mayor of Portland, and several years into the future when Celia finds herself "Shanghaied" on a ship. As the book opens, we know Celia has been captured, disguised as a man, but what led her to this moment is slowly shown as the earlier timeline moves forward in time.
This was the first book I've read by Kristina McMorris, and I enjoyed the writing very much, as well as learning more about the time period that I don't typically read about. Primarily this is a book that explores both the previously mentioned racism towards Chinese people in that time in America, as well as Celia's understanding and acceptance of her own identity as a half Chinese woman. The author chose to portray true historical events in her book to demonstrate how truly awful things often were for people from China in the United States and associated territories, and how often justice failed those people. The threads of the story were tied up in a satisfying, albeit somewhat melodramatic ending. Overall, it was a great book.
Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this novel for review.

This was my third Kristina McMorris novel and I enjoyed it as much as the previous two. The book took place in Oregon during the late 1800's. The main character, Celia, was of mixed lineage (Chinese and White). She worked as a maid in the home of the mayor and had initially been able to keep her diverse heritage a secret. Celia had a romance with the mayor's son, Owen, and he proposed marriage to her. Owen wanted to wait until he finished school before wedding. His parents did not know about their plans. Soon after he left for England, Celia realized she was pregnant with his child. His parents denied her claim of Owen being the father and found her new employment in town. It was in a brothel and she would work as a maid. Celia was completely cut off from any way to correspond with Owen, but she hoped to find a way to let him know about the baby.

The rest of the story told of Celia's plight to care for herself and her daughter as a single parent. Anti-Chinese sentiment was rampant during this time and she feared for herself and her child. At one point she was separated from her child and she did everything within her ability to get back to her daughter. I especially enjoyed the way Ms. McMorris wrote the details about this part of Celia's story. I felt anxious for Celia during this part of the story. I wanted her to get safely home as well. I would have loved a little more of Celia's story before the story switched to current time. I think it would resonated more with the title of the book and seeing how good fortune was found for her and her descendants.

I received an e-ARC for The Girls of Good Fortune and want to thank Kristina McMorris, Sourcebooks Landmark, and NetGalley for the opportunity to voluntarily read and give an honest review of this book. The Girls of Good Fortune will be published on May 20, 2025.

Unfortunately, I didn't love this book as much as wish I had. There were a lot of things I liked. The supporting characters were great although Celia frustrated me sometimes with her recklessness. I feel like I learned a lot and I think the author did a great job working with the historical context.
However, the adventure part only started about halfway through the book and while I enjoyed both parts separately, put together there was some tonal dissonance. The writing also often felt show rather than tell. However, I enjoyed it and it was definitely a page-turner.
Overall, 3 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

THE GIRLS OF GOOD FORTUNE by Kristina McMorris 3.0
Story takes place in Oregon 1888. Chinese were coming to America to help build railroads but when they were through, the people did not want them there. There ended up being a massacre. At another location, Celia (whose father was working with the railroad) was a maid for the Bettencourt family. She was hired because she did not look Chinese – but she fell in love with their son and they were hoping to be married. But when Stephen was sent to Europe to become a doctor her world changed. She was found to be pregnant, the family did not want her there anymore so unbeknownst to Stephen, they took her to a place where she could work and have her baby. From there things happen and seem to happen fast. Celia certainly got around and was kidnapped, was put on a ship to wherever and from there another adventure?.
Even though I did like most or all of Kristina McMorris books, I did not particularly care for this one. You may like it and I do believe it was an ok book but not one of which I was fond of.
Happy reading!

Very informative, interesting and sad history of the late 1800s and the prejudice and violence against the Chinese in the US during the gold rush, the tunnels, and being shanghaied.

I had heard small bits about this time in history but knew very little about the landscape of how the Chinese were invited to work when they were needed but then retaliated against violently when greed came into play. I’d never heard of the massacres and murders described that Celia’s character bore witness to, and it’s a little incredible that that period of history isn’t known.

The story itself was a little slow at times, and Celia felt a little overly naive, but I liked the mystery and how the timeline hopping kept you in the dark about what ultimately led to Celia’s captivity in the tunnels. I thought that was done really well and had me invested in the story, trying to piece together possibilities.

Ultimately the ending surprised me, and I thought everything tied together well, while telling the history of the Chinese immigrants in Portland at the time. As sad as it was, I’m really glad to have learned about it.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are mine.

Ive read all McMorris’s in the past and thoroughly enjoyed them. I’d say she’s one of my favorite authors. Initially I liked this book, the plot, the characters. etc. It got a little convoluted in the middle there for a bit which made me sort of lose interest. I did however enjoy the change of scenery to a ship. It was never buttoned up what happened to Owen, which I would’ve liked to know. The ending was a bit too unbelievable and cheesy for my taste. Otherwise if a fan of hers it’ll be a good read. Thanks for the advanced copy!

Wonderful story of someone who is of mixed blood during gold rush days! How sometimes you have to just have to be strong. Our country has always been a melting pot. Sometimes now treated very nicely!

I’ve read several of Kristina’s books, enjoyed them all. This one was not my favorite. Not sure where the title comes from, but I didn’t feel that Celia had much good fortune. I learned quite a bit about the Shanghai Tunnels, never knew they existed, found it fascinating and so sad for the situation. The author’s descriptions of the boat and being shanghaied were very good along with her in-depth research she performed.
I did like the ending; it was well deserved. My favorites were The Way We Hide and Sold on a Monday, it would be hard to keep up with those two, but I will continue to pick up this author and enjoy.
I received an ARC from Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for my unbiased review. Comes in with 4 stars

The Girls of Good Fortune by Kristina McMorris review by Shirley Weidner 2-7-25
Celia a young, naive woman awakens in a dark cell confused by drugs and wearing men’s clothes. The year is 1888 in Portland, Oregon and she soon realizes she is being forced into labor on a ship way out at sea. The story evolves as she remembers she has a young child, and she desperately needs to get back home. Her story is revealed throughout the novel of her separation from her hard-working Chinese father who lives in another part of Oregon, while Celia was hired as a maid for a corrupt mayor.

Celia who favors her deceased Mother, in looks, worries she will be treated unfavorably by the blatant prejudice of the mayor’s anti-Chinese friends. Celia overcomes many unfortunate circumstances but finds friends in the unfavorable place she endures once she is removed from the mayor’s home.

I enjoyed the way author Kristina McMorris weaves the story with the indomitable spirit of the protagonist as she tries to fight against great challenges laid before her due to societal restraints at that time. There is a wonderful conclusion that ties it all together at the end.

I enjoy Historical fiction, and this book opened my eyes to many injustices at that time and place for Chinese immigrants once the railroad was completed.

Lots of intrigue in this one!
Opens with our main character ,Celia, trapped in a wet cell. Dressed as a man, she has no idea where she is!
Being part Chinese, she fears she has been captured as part of the slave trade-in 1988!

As we learn more about Celia, her family and her history, we can only root for her survival!

A good read!

The Girls of Good Fortune by Kristina McMorris is an interesting and intelligent story about Celia, a young woman of mixed Chinese and Anglo heritage at the turn of the century, who finds herself caught up in race riots, the opium trade, the gold rush, a brothel, all in an attempt to avoid the pitfalls of a scandalous situation when she finds herself pregnant by her bigoted empoyers' eldest son. Her betrothed's parents ugliness rooted in racism finds Celia working as a housemaid and then cook in a brothel while those same in-laws-to-be deny the existence of Celia's and their son's daughter. Celia clings to his promise to return to marry her, never giving up hope despite his parents' best efforts to entice her to do so.

The story is an adventure and a testament to belief in love. I was caught up in Celia's plight and her efforts to set things right. Her tenacity and belief are the core of the story and though not a true "romance," the romance at the core of this story is affirming.

I received an ARC of this novel from NetGalley, and this is my honest review.

Kristina McMorris has given us another page turner for a part of history many don't know about (myself included). In this novel, we learn about the Shanghai Tunnels. At the beginning of the story, Celia is basically trapped in an underground cell. Why was she there? Can she get out and who can you trust?
I knew literally nothing about this subject, and the author created a plot that could not have been more intriguing.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

#NetGalley #Sourcebooks #TheGirlsofGoodFortune #KristinaMcMorris

The Girls of Good Fortune by Kristina McMorris. The Girls of Good Fortune was a historical story about a girl getting pregnant and sent to a brothel to live.