There is the usual "boy meets girl" and "boy leaves girl" story on one side. It's sweet and hopeful. Then there's the more important side. I was taken aback by how Celia's life changes when she learns about the theft of gold from miners' homes and the killing of Asians during the Hells Canyon Massacre. The main characters and readers of the story learn about the Portland Shanghai Tunnels in a way that I found very interesting.

I was intrigued by the story because of the intricate plot, interesting time period, unique characters (major and minor), and tragic real-life events.

As the book unfolds readers go on an unforgettable journey with Celia and see how mature and strong she becomes. As I got into Celia's story, time seemed to fly by. I was glued to the book and couldn't put it down.

The book includes some recipes and discussion questions that would be good for a book club meeting. There is also an engaging interview with the author. This is a book you don't want to miss. If you haven't read any books by this author, I recommend this one.

An interesting book, simply written. I found the dialogue a bit basic, but the general storyline and writing style were competent.

A gripping and moving tale of family, motherhood, love, resiliency, identity, and class. The Girls of Good Fortune had a great opening scene with a woman waking up, wearing clothes that are not hers, and not knowing her surroundings. From there readers learn the story of Celia, a half Chinese young woman who falls in love with her employer's son in Portland in the late 188o's.

Celia's life is not easy. She is living during a time of anti-Chinese sentiment. Kristina McMorris weaves the Hells Canyon massacre into the story as well as how many found themselves "shanghaied" to be shipped off for forced labor. Celia, who can pass as white, endures many hardships during the novel. Being a young woman, she is naive and often exhibits poor decisions making and judgement calls. She also is brave, determined, resourceful, and loving.

In the beginning of the book, I went from being gripped by the captivating opening scene to wondering if this was the book for me. That changed drastically in the second half of the book where I was hooked, hoping for the best, fearing the worst, and rooting for Celia the entire way. She goes through a lot in this book from falling in love and being kidnapped to name a few, I wondered just how much more can one person take?

I appreciated the amount of research that went into the writing of this book. I also enjoyed how the book picked up and slowly wrapped me around its finger. I felt for several of the characters and the injustice that they faced.

Wonderfully written, well thought out, moving, and captivating.

Through her tale of a mixed race Chinese woman living in Portland, Oregon in the 18880s, Kristina McMorris shines a light on the difficulties faced by those of Chinese heritage and on the atrocities carried out against Chinese migrants, particularly the Hells Canyon Massacre where thirty or so Chinese goldminers were murdered and their gold stolen.

The main character, Celie Hart’s father had escaped poverty in China to come to America where he hoped for a better life. He married an American woman and Celie was born and found a job with Union Pacific railroad, taking him away from home for long periods. After her mother died, and she was old enough to leave home, she took her mother’s maiden to hide her mixed heritage, and took a job as a maid with the Mayor’s family in Portland.

Although Celie can pass as white and doesn’t experience much of the prejudice directed at those with Chinese heritage, a romance with a white American leaves Celie in a difficult position, especially as he has gone away overseas for several years. Her life experiences has left her sheltered and quite naïve and she makes some poor decisions which lead her into a string of dangerous situations. However, she is brave and resilient and never loses sight of getting back to what is most important for her.

I found the book a little slow initially and Celie’s actions somewhat predictable and I also wasn’t getting a good feel for Portland in the 1880s. However, the pace and interest picked up significantly in the second half and Celie’s adventures were entertaining. Her experience of Chinatown, particularly in the network of tunnels underneath it, and on trains and a sailing ship were definitely more atmospheric of the era.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the arc.
Giving this book a 3 star. It was entertaining but I was confused about the title. I can’t say too much don’t want to give the story away. The main female character at times was shown to be intelligent but then she would do some really unintelligent things. There were times I was screaming in my head I can’t believe she thought that was a good idea after everything that has happened.
It was an entertaining and at times a tiresome read. I would recommend.

** spoiler alert ** Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review. All opinions stated here are my own. Set in the old West during a time when it was very dangerous to be a woman or Chinese, we meet a mixed race woman trying to survive. She must be fierce to manage life and keep not only herself but her daughter safe in a time when rampant violence against Chinese people were happening all around. In this review there will be spoilers, so if you don't want to read my 'why', stop here.
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Spoliers.
I really appreciated the first half of the book. The characters were well developed and the storyline had a good hook. I wanted to love the book but couldn't. Here's why. I thought the book was really well paced and interesting until things got unbelievable. I felt like the author was throwing so many hazards into the book and found it really hard to get through it all - one thing after another - all to land on a storybook happy ending. The raid, being Shanghai'ed (I didn't know what that meant), the jails, the trek home (and many more). It was, well, a lot. I know the title is Girls of Good Fortune but at that 70% mark it just kind of went off the rails for me.
Still I enjoyed it, but I wouldn't pick it for my book club.
3.5 stars

This was a slow moving yet fairly enjoyable historical fiction story, although predictable in spots and filled with unrelatable characters making annoying choices. I found myself sighing as I picked it up on several occasions, committed to finishing but it really didn't capture me.

Wow, what a powerful book! I had no idea of the anti-Chinese ideas and policies that were in place through the late 19th century, and this book perfectly captures that. Celia’s life and family have so many ups and downs, and her being “shanghaied” just shows how terrifying it would have been being Chinese (even half-Chinese, as Celia is) throughout this time period.

Overall an exciting book, and I learnt a lot.

4.5 stars out of 5 ⭐️

A grandmother reflects on her family lineage known for good fortune. The story her ancestor Celia is told.
Celia was half Chinese, living in Portland in 1888. While her employer is aware of the fact,she works as a maid
and passes as white. Anti-Chinese sentiment is growing and she fears for the safety of her Chinese father.
Her father's murder and an unexpected pregnancy force a change her place of employment. In seeking justice for the
murder of her father, she embarks on a path that ends up with her fighting to return to her child.
Touches on the hardships and treatment that Chinese immigrants endured.
#TheGirlsofGoodFortune #SourcebooksLandmark #NetGalley

A fine historical tale, but not nearly as lyrical and captivating as, say, a Kristin Hannah. It almost read as YA, given the very factual, almost stilted sentences. However, a thrilling adventure and a happy ending lead to much forgiveness for this reader.

Kristina McMorris draws attention to little-known atrocities against Chinese immigrants in the 1880s in the United States, but her main character's naivete and foolish decisions derailed much of "The Girls of Good Fortune" for me.

Celia Hart's father was Chinese and her mother a white woman. Celia passes for white. While she manages to escape the outright racism directed at Asian immigrants, she's still a servant. Life isn't easy. It gets harder after she succumbs to a wealthy rich man's charms and then makes a series of rash decisions.

Much of the story veers between two timelines, one of which has Celia disguised as a man. I nearly stopped reading about halfway through when she made yet another foolish decision. Remarkably, despite my almost-continuous bellowing at the book as I tried (unsuccessfully) to convince Celia to make better decisions, I ended up liking the book overall. Go figure.

The themes in this story were important and aptly displayed through Celia’s interactions throughout the novel. I appreciated the supporting characters and how the added to a sense of place and time with their attitudes and statements. My biggest feedback is the ending felt disjointed and like an effort to more directly share the themes. I think without the extra ending, I would have felt somehow more satisfied with the story and the themes it was trying to depict.

Another wonderful read from Kristina McMorris. Her books never disappoint. Abundant research, on her part, endeavored to bring to light the massacres of Chinese miners in Oregon, in the 1800s, and the descriptions of the Shanghai Tunnels. Neither of which I had any knowledge. The book is also a story of Celia, the main character, and her resilience, her fierce devotion to her daughter, in light of many obstacles, and her work ethic and enduring love. Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks for granting me this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I appreciated learning about the struggles of Chinese immigrants and I was unaware of the hardships they endured. However, I found Celia to be an unlikable character in that she was impulsive and seemed to make poor choices given the times and circumstances. It felt like a far fetched adventure story and wrapped up a little too neatly for my taste.

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.