Thank you for the advance copy. I really enjoyed this book. I was enthralled and couldn’t put it down. I can’t wait to read more from this author!

From the author of Sold on a Monday and The Ways We Hide, Kristina McMorris returns with another informative and engaging historical fiction. With themes of racial discrimination and class division, McMorris tells the story of Chinese immigrants' mistreatment in America.
A story of survival and perseverance with well rounded characters. A very well written book about motherhood, friendship, true love and resilience. Another winner for Kristina McMorris that I’ll be recommending to all historical fiction fans.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the advanced reader’s copy.

This book recounted the life of a half Chinese woman during the late 1800's and the discrimination against the Chinese during that time period. It depicted what life was like during that time. The book brought to light the massacre of Chinese miners whose murderers were never brought to justice. The fact that the story is based on the life of an ancestor of the author makes it an even stronger story.

The Girls of Good Fortune is a charming and uplifting story about friendship, dreams, and the pursuit of happiness. The friendships in the book feel authentic, and the author's ability to balance humor with more serious themes creates a wonderfully well-rounded read. A heartwarming journey of growth and self-discovery.

For most of this exciting and informative historical fiction book, the heroine, Celia, doesn’t seem to be experiencing much good fortune. The story takes place between 1885 and 1888, in Portland, Oregon.

I have read several books by the author, Kristina McMorris, and I enjoyed this story the most. Reminiscent of her other books, the main characters are doing their best, but are faced with prejudice and an uncaring American society. “The Girls of Good Fortune” focuses on Celia, the daughter of a Chinese father, who has worked on the railroads. Celia was employed at a prominent home in Portland, and had a secret romance with the son. This led her to employment in a Portland brothel.

At this point, Celia faces a desperate future, as events become increasingly worse. Who can she count on? This is a book which will keep you reading until late in the night. It’s an exciting story, but even more important is that it reminds us that there are tragic moments in America’s history.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an advance review copy. This is my honest review.

This was a very interesting book that takes place in Portland OR, 1888, and the author does a very good job of bringing the history to vivid life, in particular the anti-Chinese sentiment that was prevalent at the time. Celia is part Chinese and works for a couple as a servant/nanny, she is also very close the the son of the couple she works for, so close that after he makes promises to marry her she allows him to be intimate before he leaves to University, in England, and will be gone for a few years. Of course, she eventually finds out she's pregnant, which gets her kicked out of the house, though the couple do arrange for her to work at another house, a brothel, where she's expected to clean/cook. When the baby girl is born, the madam allows her to stay so she can both continue to work and look after her child. Celia gets caught up in a raid and is arrested, she eventually ends up on a boat heading to California, she's with another fellow that she's not sure she can trust, She is desperate to get back to her daughter, and she teams up with the fellow in a wild trip back to Portland. This story was so very good, and I would highly recommend. Celia is a very resourceful character and was very entertaining. Thanks to #Netgalley and #Source Landmark for the ARC.

The Girls of Good Fortune tells the captivating story of Celia, who is half-Chinese, passing as white during the late 1800s, when anti-Chinese sentiment was high. Celia’s life takes a drastic turn when she is forced to leave the home she has served in, for the mayor and his family. Circumstances lead her to being “shanghaied” and now she has to fight to return to the life she’s been taken away from. As she struggles to return home, secrets are revealed, and Celia is determined to expose the injustices committed in covering up two massacres in Wyoming and Oregon, that resulted in the deaths of Chinese laborers. Now Celia must learn to adapt and find strength in her own identity to save herself and those she cares about.

I found The Girls of Good Fortune to be so good, I couldn’t put it down, and ended up reading it in one day. Celia’s story is heartbreaking and she faces so many tragedies in her life. She was a great character for McMorris to show what women went through during this time period, with the added complexity of being half-Chinese when faced with rampant racism. I also liked the fact that Celia was a very mature character, unlike FMCs in other books, that seem to make bad decisions just for the sake of making bad decisions.

The historical fiction aspect of the book is done really well, and McMorris brings attention to two massacres of Chinese workers that occurred in the late 1880s, that I did not know about. One of the massacres took place in Wyoming and McMorris ties Celia’s story into this through her family. Celia also finds herself connected to the second massacre during a chance encounter with one of the men involved in the murders. McMorris also reveals the racism and corruption of those in power and how their actions led to the end of Celia’s story and the legacy it created for her family.

I felt like the epilogue wrapped up the story really well. It was satisfying to see how Celia’s growth, throughout the obstacles she faced, made lasting impacts for the later generations of her family.

I highly recommend The Girls of Good Fortune if you love stories of resilience, embracing your identity, fighting injustice, and overcoming adversity.

A very well written novel full of heartache, perserverence, strength that all began with a promise. Though the promise itself is not the fault of the historical event, it is the beginning of this fast paced novel. Fast paced is not something I normally use to describe a historical fiction novel, but it tends to be true for this one.
Without projecting my own feelings in regards to the terrors of the past, this story will make you FEEL the anguish and trials Cecelia faced throughout the book. The battle of self identity and trials faced because of it. The unpunished crimes for gold.
There is a lot happening in this book. A lot of awareness, too. I recommend it to anyone who likes historical fiction.
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. It was a story needed to be told.

Special thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. I'm a big fan of Kristina McMorris' historical fiction writing. I found it an especially interesting historical fiction book because it was written about a different part of history that I was unfamiliar with. While I did appreciate learning about how terribly the Chinese were treated and following Celia through her journey, I did feel like she made some really dumb decisions mid way through and wanted her to continue to be the strong female character she was portrayed as for most of the book. I still really did like the book and think its worth taking the time to read.

The Girls of Good Fortune
by Kristina McMorris
Pub Date: May 20, 2025
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
From the New York Times bestselling author of Sold on a Monday and The Ways We Hide

She came from a lineage known for good fortune…by those who don't know the whole story.

This is a gripping and compelling tale of the hardships that women encountered in the 1880’s, especially those who were not seen as upper class. But ultimately this is a story of motherhood, friendship, resilience and true love.

I don’t want to give anything away because the joy of this book is in the turn of each and every page and the new found adventures awaiting the reader. I’ll suffice it to say that this book is enlightening, propulsive, heart-pounding at times and incredibly well written. It is one of the best historical fiction books I have read to date.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book
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I Dmdidn't know if I would enjoy this read, but, yes, yes I did.

Can recommend.

It was an enjoyable read.

It was a great read. Humorous, romantic, had history and a tale of adventure but also some very deep looks into culture and time period. I would recommend this book.

The Girls of Good Fortune follows the plight of the Chinese immigrants in 1880's Oregon, where there is a lot of prejudice against them and crime against them is rampant.

Celia is half-Chinese and works for the mayor as a maid. She and the mayor's son fall in love and she finds out she is pregnant after he leaves for London for college. Cast out by her employer, she finds work as a maid in a brothel. She gives birth to her daughter and tries to find justice for Chinese men who have been murdered at a gold mine, which leads to her eventually being kidnapped.

There is a lot of action in this novel, some a bit over the top, but it was a good story and I enjoyed it.

This read is an enlightening one for those not familiar with this era in the United States and is rather disconcerting with the exposed vitriol and racism of this period.

There doesn't seem to have been a time when the Chinese, faced with never ending conflicts within their own country, have looked to other countries with stabilised governments and opportunities that would enable them to prosper and be safe. However, new opportunities don't negate the likelihood of bigotry and racially driven violence for which this read points out and the atrocities that insued with the Hells Canyon Massacre where the Chinese miners were murdered and their gold stolen.

The main protagonist Celia works as a housemaid for the Mayor of Portland. Her father now works in the coal mines. He had married an American woman and had worked for the Union Pacific railway that took him away from home for long periods of time. Celia, now old enough to work; inheriting her mother's European looks is easily able to hide her Asian heritage. However, the innuendos and racist comments from her employer's friends and officials combined with the love affair she is having with the Mayor's son, Stephen makes life difficult for her.

This love affair was never going to eventuate into anything permanent, the Mayor would not ever have allowed his son to marry a maid of the household and Stephen's mother certainly would not have given consent to a mix race daughter in law, rather Stephen is sent away to improve his education. At the same time Celia's father is looking to marry her off and when she receives notice of a husband that has been chosen, the pressure finds the two lovers indulging in a course of action that leaves Celia pregnant.

The book picks up the pace with Celia moving to Chinatown, living with her new baby in a brothel and working as a maid. Her involvement into the murders of the Chinese miners puts her in great danger but finally there is a happy ending, Stephen returns home to Celia and confronts his father.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for this advanced reading copy and for the opportunity to comment and review.

Set in Portland Oregon during 1880s where Chinese were treated poorly. Celia hides her background and gets a job working in a wealthy home. She ends up in dire circumstances; homeless, brothel, kidnapped, etc. Very good read with info on Chinese culture, massacres, Shanghai tunnels, etc. It had a good plot with surprises and was more enjoyable because there was no explicit language.

A definite page turner - I could not put the book down. Cecelia goes from one adventure to the next, some of her own doing and some being done to her. My only quibble was the the ending was a too easily achieved even for a happily ever after one. The struggles and racism that Chinese immigrants faced during the 1800's was heartbreaking and you could tell that the author did extensive research to weave these social injustices into the story. I appreciated the author's note at the end that showed how she wove the truth in the fiction. Very well done!

Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and NetGalley for a copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions in my review are entirely my own.

This is a gripping and compelling tale of the hardships that women encountered in the 1880’s, especially those who were not seen as upper class. But ultimately this is a story of motherhood, friendship, resilience and true love.

I don’t want to give anything away because the joy of this book is in the turn of each and every page and the new found adventures awaiting the reader. I’ll suffice it to say that this book is enlightening, propulsive, heart-pounding at times and incredibly well written. It is one of the best historical fiction books I have read to date.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebook Landmark for this amazing 5-star read. I highly recommend this to not only historical fiction lovers but anyone who just loves a great, well-written book.

Historical fiction. Set in Portland in 1888, Celia is a maid in the household of an upwardly mobile political figure and his family. After a few unfortunate choices, Celia ends up being sent to work at a bordello as their housekeeper. When she hears that there have been a number of massacres of Chinese goldminers, she gets caught up in trying to seek justice. Instead, she ends up being shanghaied and placed on a boat headed for a new life as a forced laborer. This is the story of Celia, fighting for all that she deserves, as well as those who were victimized by prejudice and hatred.
Good story. You will be cheering Celia on throughout her journey.

This historical novel is set mostly in Portland, Oregon, during the 1880s era and following a half Chinese girl who fell in love with her employer’s white son. While the son is studying abroad to become a doctor the employers find out Celia is pregnant and refuse to acknowledge the baby is his. Celia is sent away to work for someone else. The author has done an excellent job of depicting the life of a Chinese woman during this time period. At first I wasn’t sure about this story but it didn’t take long to get drawn in to the life of this woman facing oppression and prejudice and doing her best to raise her daughter under less than ideal circumstances. There are many twists and turns in this story that kept me reading. If you’re interested in US historical history you should read this book. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

After a slow start this book really leans into the adventure/mystery of the protagonist, Celia. I was pleasantly surprised by a few of the plot twists and points, as this book could have taken the easy route with some expected outcomes and didn't. Especially with how characters get out of difficult circumstances. There aren't heroes emerging at the last minute, but rather small choices and moments of luck that lead to new chances.

The beginning of the book alternates between the current and future experiences Cecilia is facing until the two timelines converge in the present. The structure is well done and kept it interesting. Characters were well formed and I was definitely invested in their futures!