Thank you RBmedia (audio book) & Sourcebooks (ebook) via NetGalley for the opportunity to read & listen to this book.
This is my 6th Kristina McMorris book, and I definitely like it the least.
Overuse of adjectives and adverbs made me feel like she was writing like Dickens, paid by the word count.
It felt like a Hallmark movie and ended like one too.
I don't know if this storyline was to near and dear to her heart, but it felt like she was more focused on the perfect sentence than letting the story flow. I made it about halfway and then skimmed the rest just to see if there were any surprises, nope.
Narrator ok but even she could not salvage this book for me.

I had a hard time getting into this book. The story is interesting at first but begins to lose steam as it goes along. I did appreciate the author's treatment of this moment in history and the racist sentiment that was rife against immigrants.

I enjoyed the narration, with Cindy Kay imbuing the characters different voices and attributes. Overall, just an average story. Three stars.

The Girls of Good Fortune is a compelling novel of one young woman's struggle in Portland, Oregon in the late 1800's. The story spans about 5 years and jumps back and forth between two timelines of the same woman (5 years apart). What I loved most about this story is the main character, Cecilia. She is always true to herself, 1/2 Chinese and 1/2 American. Faced with extraordinary life experiences and several terrible circumstances, she never loses hope and forges ahead. She is a kind hearted soul and grows up to be a good natured resilient woman.

The writing is amazing as Kristina McMorris has a way of sucking you in and won't let you go until you the very end. Plus you can't stop thinking about it!!! After several surprising turns, the story comes full circle (I love books that do this!). The story concludes in with hope, friendship, and new beginnings - and most importantly, family.

Cindy Kay narrated the audiobook and she did an exemplary job, demonstrating appropriate emotions in all the right places. I also really appreciated the Author's note at the end of the book, which was enlightening to say the least. I can't wait to listen to the next audiobook by Kristina McMorris!

I had previously read Kristina McMorris Sold on a Monday and The Ways We Hide and loved them. So I was extremely excited to read her newest book. The novel is part historical fiction, part mystery and part romance. It deals with the prejudices of Chinanese Americans during the 1800’s in the Northwest. Cecilia is a light skin 1/2 Chinese and 1/2 Caucasian woman. Her story is told in two parts. The story is about adversity and resilience, fighting for what is right and love. I went between the audiobook and ebook. The narrator did a good job.

Thank you #NetGalley, #RBMedia, #SourcesbooksLandmark, #KristinaMcMorris, #CindyKay and #TheGirlsofGoodFortune for the advance copies for my honest review.

Oregon, 1888. Amid the subterranean labyrinth of Portland's notorious Shanghai Tunnels, a woman awakens in an underground cell, drugged and disguised. Celia soon realizes she's a "shanghaied" victim on the verge of being shipped off as forced labor, leaving behind those she loves most.

This story takes place in the late 1800s and deals partly with anti-Chinese sentiment in Portland during that time. Celia, the main female character, is half Chinese, passing for white, who is a maid in the Mayor's home as the story begins. I really liked the first part of this book but I felt that it soon became too unrealistic as Celia got involved in trying to right the horrific treatment of Chinese miners and bring the perpetrators to justice. She experienced too many narrow escapes to be believable and I was confused at times by the constant jumping back and forth between 1885 and 1888. The book contained some good characters but I thought the ending was a bit cheesy.

Along with a digital ARC, I also had access to the audiobook, narrated by Cindy Kay. She had a pleasant voice and did a satisfactory job although I had to listen to it at 1.25 speed, something I've never done before.

Thanks to RB Media, via Netgalley, for approving my request to listen to the audiobook. All opinions expressed are my own.
Publication Date: May 20, 2025

3.5 stars...I received this book as a NetGalley ARC from RBmedia. This is a historical fiction set in the 1880s during the Rock Springs Massacre that targeted Chinese American miners. This book has a lot of action and drama with a mysterious undercurrent. I wish the main character's identity as a Chinese and American woman had been explored further. This would be a good book for someone who likes their historical fiction with more plot and action than character building.

This was pretty good and I did find myself caring for the characters, but I feel like it would've been better if like half of the plot was cut out to truly let the other elements shine. Celia's adventure from the moment she dressed as a man to the moment she got back home felt like way too many different things were happening for it to make sense or make me want to care. For that reason, I thought the first half of the book was much better than the second half. The writing style is generally very well executed, so I think this book could have easily become a 4 or even 5 stars read if less had happened (her getting arrested, to going to an asylum, all felt very laughable and overdone). I also really disliked the epilogue and believe it wasn't necessary to bring focus to the historical and generational impact of Celia's life.

This book is provides a good take of a not so known part of the part. I always enjoy books that teach me about an element of history that I wouldn't have otherwise known. Audiobook narrator was just okay.

I found this to have an amazing prologue, that hooked me immediately. Set in Portland at the end of the 19th century, Celia discovers she has been drugged and confined underground with no apparent means of escape. She realizes she has been taken and will soon be shipped out for forced labor due to her race and that she is dressed as a male. The book was intense, and a true page-turner loaded with lots of interesting history that was unfamiliar to me.
There are strong topics of racism, family, resilience and corruption but it also has elements of hope. The book was harrowing and enlightening. Well done!
The narrator, Cindy Kay, did a great job and held my interest. She managed to express the emotional along with providing different inflections.

Thank you to RBmedia | Recorded Books, SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and NetGalley

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

The hardest reality sometimes is knowing that historical fiction could very easily have truly been someone’s real life and we just don’t know their name. Such a good job shining a light on a hard part of our past in a way that still resonates in our present day in ways.

Enjoyable narration. The narrator did a great job and held my interest.

By the author of SOLD ON A MONDAY, which was my all time favorite by this author. This one pulls you right in and keeps you wanting more.

You meet Celia in prison at the beginning of this story. Set in the late 1800's and told from before Celia's imprisonment and after. You get to know her and how she became a prisoner. And why.

Celia is a housekeep for a very rich family in Oregon. Her and the couple's son are madly in love. Stephen has to go abroad for school but vows that he and Celia will marry when he returns. Celia holds on to that while suffering a devastating loss. Her father, a Chinese man, was killed in a slaughter at a gold mine. Celia finds out she's with child and the Bettencourt's, Stephens parents, send her away. They don't want to believe that she is truly pregnant by their son. She's half Chinese and a maid. And they are upper class and a bit snobbish.

Celia goes through so much once she has to leave. They've sent her to a brothel to be a maid and she works hard. She gives birth and ends up being taken away for a bit. She's on an adventure that no young woman needs to be on. You find out why she was put in jail and how she managed to get out. How she survived the whole ordeal and got back to her baby. Only to find her precious Pearl gone...

This book is heartbreaking and heartwarming. It deals with bigotry and hatred. Towards the Chinese. You will be rooting for Celia and Stephen to find their way back to each other. And for justice for what happened along the way.

I enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it. This author did a great job of researching the time period and she left a couple of recipes at the end that sound good. I'll have to try them.

Thank you to the publisher for this ARC.

This book highlights a time in history that is overlooked or forgotten. While this book has a lot of history, you can feel connected to the main character, Celia, who goes through so much, including all the challenges that were going on during the 1880s. When Celia faces challenges, how she approaches them and is willing to hang on and fight for what she believes is right is inspiring. This book had me thinking about it after I finished it, and I found myself looking up articles about its historical events. This book was hard to put down and will be even harder to forget—a delightful read.

A beautifully written, well researched novel. The authors note at the end is a must listen. The story explores the anti-Chinese movement in Portland in the late 1800’s. I love historical fiction and this one was fantastic. I had no idea about this piece of history and loved learning about it. The story followed Celia in two timelines and my heart broke for her in all scenarios. Every character was purposeful and had depth. The dual timeline was easy to follow. This was a heartbreaking story with many topics that were explored such as racism, motherhood, deception, and survival.

I love historical fiction because it gives me a glimpse into important events through compelling character POVs. The Girls of Good Fortune started off strong in that vein, opening my eyes to racial and class inequities in deeper ways through Celia’s unique struggles. Unfortunately for me, the last 1/2 or so was nonstop action, which I I found far-fetched in a way that can take away from the message. There are many people who prefer thrilling fast-paced action even so, and I hope they love this book. I am glad I read it for what I learned.

3 stars for the story plus 1 for Cindy Kay who is becoming a favorite narrator of mine. Her voice is very emotional and she was able to balance Celia’s early naivety with her eventual strength well.

This historical fiction follows Cecilia, a Chinese American who passes as white,in 1880s Oregon, where tensions and hate towards Chinese Americans are high. This story, told in a flashback timeline paints a picture of the events that led up to Cecilia being "shanghaied" one night. Following her story from, maid, to lover, to brothel worker, to political advocate, and to prisoner is one heck of a historical journey. Cindy Kay, the narrator, does a fine job bringing this story to life, and I enjoyed the listener experience with her fine articulation and different inflections. It was easy to visualize this story.

What an incredibly well written and researched book. It explores a topic that I have read (and learned!) very little about - the anti-chinese movement that took place in Portland in the late 1800s. The story is told from Cecilia's perspective, a few years apart. Both stories are heartbreaking and wonderful. The two timelines are clear and well written - no confusion as to which time it was. Cecilia was a maid in the mayor's house until she was impregnated by their son. She is then a half Chinese woman raising her child on her own. When she finds herself in the Shanghai tunnels, she fears that she will become forced labor. She must do her best to escape to save her child. A wonderfully written story about a difficult time. The story is emotional and it was easy to feel for Cecilia and the tragedy that she faces. If you are a fan of historical fiction, this is a fascinating and heartbreak topic that everyone should read about.
Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copies.

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark, RB Media, and Netgalley for the ARC!

Did someone cut onions while I read this book?

When this book started, I was pretty sure I knew where it was headed. I thought it would be the same old story, girl falls in love with rich boy, he lies, her life is ruined. But NOPE! It was so much more.

This was a book about learning to check one's biases, about the pain and racism that Asian immigrants had to deal with as a result of American xenophobia, the strength of sisterhood and friends, and the beauty of motherhood. Celia had to learn how strong she is when forced not just to deal with the dangers of being an unwed mother but also part Chinese. Her life was filled with challenges, dangers, and joys, and I loved how McMorris wove this story. I really recommend this book, especially after COVID and the hatred that Asian communities have continued to face.

As a fan of historical fiction, this book was right up my alley. I would consider this a heavy read and would advise readers to check TWs before diving in. Overall, it's a riveting story full of heart-break and hope.

This was a good book with a different perspective on historical fiction but definitely offers an unusual story line. Celia works as a maid for the mayor in Portland, but has plans for a much better life for herself. She is in love with the mayor's son, Stephen, and he plans to marry her when he comes back from earning his medical degree. Shortly after he sets sail however, she discovers she is pregnant with Stephen's baby. Celia implores the mayor & his wife to contact Stephen to let him know, but instead, they terminate her employment and send her to a brothel to work as a maid. Celia - being half-Chinese, passing as white during an era fraught with anti-Chinese sentiment - discovers that her father is killed in a goldminers massacre, and vows to get revenge. However, in the process of trying to obtain information, Celia gets "shanghaied" . She awakens in an underground cell, drugged and disguised, in the subterranean labyrinth of the notorious Shanghai Tunnels. Celia realizes she is on the verge of being shipped off as forced labor, leaving behind those she loves most. Desperate, she must find a way to escape and return to a place where unearthed secrets can prove deadlier than the dark recesses of Chinatown. Definitely would recommend as there is a lot to this story and it was well written. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and Sourcebook/Landmark.