Immersive and evocative — the voice of Lee's story is complex and alive. She brings to life corners of history not often addressed.

The Downstairs Girl hit many areas that I love about novels, one of which is that it is historical fiction.  It combined enjoyment of reading an engaging story while also increasing knowledge.  Jo was an independent, Asian woman living in Atlanta, GA in the late 1800s.  By day she made a living as a maid in a wealthy household, but by night she secretly lived in the basement of a local newspaper office and home.  Because of her gratefulness to the family, she began to anonymously write an advice column to help the newspaper's sagging sales.  The novel included many social issues, intrigue, and a budding romance.  It is geared toward young adults and should be a great option for students who enjoy historical fiction.

After being dismissed from her job as a hat maker, Jo Kuan is forced into a job as a lady's maid.  Her charge is difficult, cantankerous, and determined to make Jo uncomfortable.  Jo and her adopted father, Old Gin, live in a hidden cellar.  Above them lives the Bell's a newspaper family.  When Jo learns that the newspaper is in trouble, she begins pinning an agony aunt column "Dear Miss Sweetie."  Her irreverent columns, and challenges to society's normal quickly lands her in hot water, as people across the city try and uncover her identity.

I was pleased to discover a strong, female character, determined to make a difference in the world.  I loved Jo's attitude and point of view.  Although Jo was a strong character, a lot of the secondary characters were one dimensional and felt like caricatures.  The plot itself was a bit predictable, and easily resolved.  Overall, 3 out of 5 stars.

The Downstairs Girl is a wonderful, historical novel with great period detail. This is a great choice for committed readers of historical fiction who want a thoughtful, detailed story. Highly recommend.

Stacey Lee's skilled writing reveals the issues of society in early 1900s Atlanta while giving us a young witty woman to root for.

Oh, what a lovely book. What a special, wonderful read. I loved the historical accuracy, even when it hurt to “watch.” I adore Miss Sweetie. I drank in the period details. I want to recommend it to so many kids! I’m so so so glad I read this book after holding on to it for so long. 🤓💜📚

In The Downstairs Girl Chinese-American Jo Kuan lives in 1890 Atlanta with her guardian, Old Gin, in the abolitionist quarters underneath the home of the publisher of a failing newspaper. When she loses her job as a milliner's assistant, she returns to a job as a lady's maid to the cantankerous daughter of a society maven. She overhears the publisher talking about bolstering newspaper sales with an "agony aunt" column, so she begins anonymously submitting a column that offers advice on fashion, women's suffrage, and prejudice that sparks controversy and raises subscriptions.  Her sharp wit and questions about her identity are the talk of Atlanta. Subplots about Jo's parentage and her romance with the publisher's son complement her first-person narrative, which sheds light on the struggles of women and people of color in the Reconstructionist South.  The well-researched narrative raises important questions about how we understand the past, as well as the ways that understanding shapes the present.

Jo Kuan is a Chinese American girl living in Atlanta in 1890. She loses her job working for a milliner even though she has a talent for making hats. It’s just one of the many instances of bigotry that the girl suffers. She later gets hired by a wealthy family as a maid and must tend to their spoiled daughter who enjoys insulting and demeaning her. What makes Jo’s story especially fascinating are the circumstances of her homelife and her new opportunity to write an anonymous advice column for the local paper, while still suffering indignities as a maid.

Jo is clever, compassionate and spunky. Her Dear Miss Sweetie column is a hit with the same people who look down upon her. She is determined to reach beyond her status and yet wants no credit for the impact her advice has on people or for the way her words spur others to action. This book will entrance and enchant all who follow Lee’s story. Jo is a character that will stay with readers long after they finish the book. Lee points to racism, women’s inequality and the need to speak up and be a voice of change. This title adds to her reputation as an author whose YA novels are carefully composed stories of critical issues that are important for all readers to consider.

4.5*

Jo never knew her parents, but her adopted father Old Gin raised her from infancy in a subterranean room used by the Underground Railroad (since Chinese weren’t allowed to own or rent property). She uses the lessons Old Gin taught (academics, strength, patience, etc.) to find her place in a society that, at best, shuns her and, at worst, threatens her. Despite this, she perseveres and stands up for herself, first by going back to work for a spoiled, nasty society debutante, then by writing an anonymous column for a progressive paper. As she works to uncover the mysteries of a letter and clothing left behind by someone named Shang as well as why Old Gin involves himself with a notorious criminal named Billy Riggs, she discovers the truth about her parents and information about her employer and others that she uses to her advantage.

This stunning historical YA novel touches on a number of social issues including feminism (suffragettes), racism, and the plight of Chinese in late 19th-century Atlanta at the start of Jim Crow. These are all witnessed and narrated by Jo, a strong, intelligent, charming, and quick-witted Asian teen who is trying to navigate her way in a society that is determined to keep her down in a time period not often featured in teen fiction. There is also the beginnings of an interracial relationship which was illegal at the time.

The one concern is that her outspoken manner and the way she challenges people in power (whether rich or dangerous) would probably not have gone unchallenged at the time, and would have put her and those who cared about her in danger. It’s also questionable whether there would have been so many people willing to risk their livelihoods or reputations to protect and defend her. Despite this, it’s still an extraordinary piece of historical fiction. Highly recommended.

 
I received a complimentary ARC of this book from G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Jo Kuan is a seventeen year old Chinese girl. She works as a lady’s maid for the cruel daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Atlanta in 1890. But there is much more to Jo than meets the eye. At night, Jo moonlights as the pseudonymous author of a newspaper advice column for the aristocratic Southern lady, “Dear Miss Sweetie.” Her column becomes wildly popular, and Jo uses the power of the pen to address some of society’s ills. She’s not prepared for the backlash that follows when her column challenges ideas about race and gender. 

Everyone wants to know the secret identity of Miss Sweetie. A mysterious letter arrives one day setting Jo off on a search for her own past and the parents who abandoned her as a baby. This, most unfortunately, puts Jo in the direct path of Atlanta’s most notorious criminal. Now, Jo must decide whether she, a girl used to being invisible, is ready to reveal herself and claim her fame. 

I think you will find this book memorable, if not captivating, as you wonder at the restrictions placed on women and people of color and the resulting effects. The book celebrates the strengths and talents of people struggling to break society’s barriers in any age.

 Ages 12–up.

Many people do not know about the Chinese laborers who were brought into the South to take the place of the freed slaves. This story takes place in 1890, a few years after that. It illuminates the way that they didn't fit into the white or black world. Jo is an excellent milliner, but is let go because of her race. This forces her back into being a lady's maid, for a girl she has never gotten along with. Jo and Old Gin live illegally in the basement of a printer's barn, an old Underground Railroad housing place. Lee does an excellent job of showing the tightrope Jo had to walk, as well as showing life in the South during Reconstruction. A lovely historical fiction.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This novel deals with racism and a family's hidden past.  Good characterization.

This book sheds so much light on minorities after the Civil War in the deep south. At a time where racism and classicism is still among hardened minds. This story pushes us to rethink how we classify each other. We are still grasping at what human rights is and how we can make the world better for those who are looked down upon.
It explores the world of the Chinese people who were brought over to work in place of the African American slaves who were freed after the war. Although they were paid, they were little more than slaves themselves. So many of them refused to work in those horrible conditions and ended up on the run and disappearing into the southern states. 

Jo Kwan is the Downstairs Girl, who struggles to find her place in a society where she is either ignored or considered lesser because of her race. Her parentage is unknown to her and her tenacity and spunk see her through many hardships. She lives below a family's basement in an old abolitionists hideout,where she overhears that their family business might go under if they don't get more subscribers. She, then, frustrated with social niceties and injustices to her person. Writes a column address these in issues, in the guise of "Miss Sweetie".
We she submits it, soon she is the talk of Atlanta and Miss Sweetie's advice column is all the rage. Everyone is talking about it, if only they knew if was a tenacious Chinese girl who was giving them advice. She carries a smile with her secret as she remains anonymous, adding her personal commentary onto the social goings on of a very divided world. She gives her approval to bicycles (a very controversial mode of transportation for women)  and woman's rights, and soon becomes a leading voice in the culture pushing controversial topics and handling them with ease. And in a time when Jim Crow laws were being passed and implemented, a lot is changing for the black people and herself, she is told that, "She isn't quite colored but she isn't white either." 
She has no place in society but she will make one. 

I really love Jo Kwan's story, she goes after truth and honesty with a reckless abandon, she lives life with purpose that is not much seen in any culture. She is her truest self and does not shy away from it. 

This is a masterful, beautiful story full of unexpected joy and how a downstairs girl can rise above racism and find herself and her place in society. 5/5

A historical fiction novel set in the south during the reconstruction period, it was interesting in that the main character is a young Chinese American woman. Lee addresses both the issue of racism and sexism as everyday realities in the life of Jo Kuan. Jo works as a maid for a wealthy family, a family who she has been associated with since childhood. At night, she authors radical columns under the name, "Miss Sweetie," advocating for women's rights and rallying against racism. Quite a powerful novel, as Jo is somewhat invisible as a maid, as a Chinese person, as a woman, but keenly observes the life around her and expresses her outrage anonymously as "Miss Sweetie." However, as she becomes more comfortable expressing her opinions, it's difficult for her to maintain the quiet exterior that gives her safety in a turbulent time. With themes of resistance, the power of unity, forbidden love and mysterious origins, I suspect this novel will be very popular, and it's an very good read.

This was my first Stacey Lee book, and I'm so glad it was! This was a fantastic feminist historical fiction story about a girl named Jo who is working as a milliner's assistant, and then as a housemaid, in 1890's Atlanta. Jo becomes frustrated with the blatant displays of racism and sexism in Atlanta, so she writes an anonymous op-ed column for a local newspaper. Her column shakes things up in the city, and has an effect on her personal life as well. 
I absolutely loved this story. It was the perfect example of how a book can be historically accurate, but still be feminist and anti-racist. So many people try and apologize for problematic historical fiction books, saying "that's just the way it was back then!" "The Downstairs Girl" proves that this doesn't have to be the case. It shows the racism, sexism, and xenophobia that existed in 1800's Atlanta (and the rest of the country as well), but it doesn't excuse that behavior-it fights back at it. I want every single teen and adult in my library to read this book.

The Downstairs Girl is a masterpiece. This is an intricately drawn picture of a Chinese-American girl who is discriminated against at every turn and yet her spirit never diminishes. She works hard to break out of the mold that everyone has set and rise above the bigots that try to control her life. This is a must-read for every teen who feels like the world is against them. An excellent historical fiction.

I had such high hopes for this book, but was sadly highly disappointed. At 40% I am putting this book away and moving on to something else.

I never connected to any of the characters in the book, and in fact, the more I read, the more I began to dislike the characters. The plot of Jo writing the help column doesn't make sense to me as logistics go...Living in someone's home doesn't logically make sense to me.

And the worst is, I don't even care about the "twist" that will be revealed. I've read another review that discusses it and at that point I know I would be questioning it. Not that passing was not a thing, as it was, but I don't know...this just seems off to me.

All in all, I was bored and just not wanting to finish, and it disappoints me :(

Stacey Lee's new historical fiction is a gem.  With perfect pacing, a main character to cheer for, soft romance, and plenty of gumption to seize the day, this book will hook fans of historical fiction and win new ones.  The issues Jo faces are still reflected in issues we have today -- women's rights, race relations, social status, and more.  This will help teen readers relate to the reformation and be inspired to learn more.  The spunk of Miss Sweetie is contagious, and the entire story something to love.

The Downstairs Girl is a historical novel perfect for modern audiences. It tells the story of Jo Kuan, a Chinese girl living in Atlanta in the late 1800s. She has never known her parents, instead being raised by one of the few other Chinese residents in the city, Old Gin. After Jo is fired from her millinery job, she returns to work as a lady's maid for the Payne family. Jo is smart and clever and opinionated, which are not traits that are appreciated in a Chinese woman at the time. But Jo decides to let her voice be heard and she becomes Miss Sweetie, an advice columnist for a struggling paper. 

As Jo finds her voice and her place in society, she realizes what family and friendship really means and that no one else can dictate who you are or what you can do.

Jo is a great character who is strong and smart. She shows how you can fight for yourself with dignity and poise. Stacey Lee is a master at historical fiction that shows you a glimpse of lesser-known history. The Downstairs Girl gives a voice to an underrepresented group of people in ya and in ya historical fiction especially.  

A highly recommended historical fiction book with strong, likable, diverse characters.

**I received an eARC from Netgalley**

This was truly phenomenal. Jo is a smart, sassy, strong, and opinionated Chinese woman living in Atlanta in the 1890s. While warring with the treatment of Asian-Americans at the time, she also recognizes that African-Americans had it equally badly, if not worse. When she begins writing an agony aunt column for a newspaper, she realizes that the society she thought had issues is actually way more broken than she thought. And whatever Jo can't fix, maybe Miss Sweetie can. There are so many parallels to the treatment of POC today that I can't even begin to list them all, even while I seethe over them. I love the side characters and find their development to be exactly what it needs to be as they pertain to Jo's life. Do I know Caroline's favorite song or Nathan's childhood best friend's name? No, but Jo doesn't need to know that either. They aren't cardboard, which I feared with this large a cast--instead, they are shaped to Jo's perspective. No more. No less. That way, Jo and her city and all of its issues take center stage.