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.

The Girls of Good Fortune by Kristina McMorris tells the story of Celia half American and half Chinese living during the 1888. There was a lot of historical fiction research regarding the Shanghai tunnels and what went on. I really didn’t know anything about this period in history.

Celia and the other characters were hard to get to know. I’m not sure I really liked them. I had a hard time with some of the choices that Celia made. Saying to myself really??? Then when she laments about her difficult circumstances, I roll my eyes saying “look at the choices you made”

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebook Landmark for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very different historical fiction to what I have read before. I loved the story of immigrants trying to find a better place to live, in America, only to continue finding hardship - something that many may relate to. The story of Celia is so compelling, intriguing, and enthralling. I loved the plot development and Celias character development as she goes through American life within the immigrant community. There are so many layers to this story that makes it even more interesting, not only the story of immigrants, but also the story of a young woman trying to find her way. The whole story is very suspenseful and I highly recommend it to anyone! Will she survive?

The authors writing is also incredible, I was immersed throughout the whole story. I loved how McMorris wrote, I couldn't put this down! I was reading many stories over the summer holidays from Netgalley and I absolutely loved this one.

Why I requested this book:
-Blurb seemed intriguing, seemed like a very important topic for me to know more about
-The cover is gorgeous


I put this book down at 17% for the following reasons:
-The writing style did not "click" with my brain. I was confused and continued trying to find hints. It seems like there is a woman who is trapped and kidnapped, a drunk man, and a carriage. I did my absolute best to follow everything but I struggled to understand what was happening. This might be because I do not have the physical book and an ereader ARC instead, and it might be simply due to how my brain processes information.

What I had requested versus the experience was different. I want to learn more about these events, but I am very confused.

Thank you for the opportunity to provide honest feedback.

I absolutely loved this book. I loved Celia's story. Once I started, I truly couldn't put it down. I wanted to know how things turned out.

The story is set in Oregon 1800s. Where a half-American half-Chinese woman is struggling to live. Since she doesn't look Chinese she can live as "white" woman when Chinese are looked down on. Her struggle puts in different scenarios she must overcome.

You should totally read this book.

This book was quite different than I expected. Perhaps the description can be changed before publishing because the events mentioned, for the most part, do not take place until the second half of the novel. The first half mostly centered on a different storyline which, while not completely unrelated, I had not anticipated from the description. When the storyline did catch up to the events described, I felt the tone of the novel changed to that of an adventure story. I believe this was intentional based on the author's notes mentioning the legends about the underground tunnels and, for that matter, the prologue's mention of the same. Still, I found it a bit jarring. (On the subject of the author's notes, I really appreciated these ones, and the themed recipes were a fun inclusion.)

Celia's numerous impulsive decisions frustrated me. However, her struggles due to her mixed heritage were poignant and well written.

This book also brought some much-needed light to some horrifying events for which no justice was ever rendered and which have, sadly, been largely forgotten.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the early read.

I love historical fiction books! I was really intrigued by the synopsis of this one, however I feel the execution could have been a bit better. It was slow moving, I think mainly because of all the history lessons behind it. I understand it’s a historical fiction, and history is needed but I think it could have been done a better. I did enjoy learning about Chinese immigration and what they dealt with.