Name: Stella's review of The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee
Item: The Downstairs Girl
Rating: 4
Author: Stella

Stacey Lee

A Reese's Book Club YA Pick A New York Times Bestseller From the critically acclaimed author of Luck of the Titanic, Under a Painted Sky and Outrun the Moon comes a powerful novel about identity, betrayal, and the meaning of family. By day, seventeen-year-old Jo Kuan works as a lady's maid for the cruel daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Atlanta. But by night, Jo moonlights as the pseudonymous author of a newspaper advice column for the genteel Southern lady, "Dear Miss Sweetie." When her column becomes wildly popular, she uses the power of the pen to address some of society's ills, but she's not prepared for the backlash that follows when her column challenges fixed ideas about race and gender. While her opponents clamor to uncover the secret identity of Miss Sweetie, a mysterious letter sets Jo off on a search for her own past and the parents who abandoned her as a baby. But when her efforts put her in the crosshairs of Atlanta's most notorious criminal, Jo must decide whether she, a girl used to living in the shadows, is ready to step into the light. With prose that is witty, insightful, and at times heartbreaking, Stacey Lee masterfully crafts an extraordinary social drama set in the New South. "This vividly rendered historic novel will keep readers riveted as witty, observant Jo deals with the dangers of questioning power." --The Washington Post "Holds a mirror to our present issues while giving us a detailed and vibrant picture of life in the past." --The New York Times "A joyful read . . . The Downstairs Girl, for all its serious and timely content, is a jolly good time." --NPR

The Downstairs Girl

Karleigh McCarville

A New York Times bestselling novel, The Downstairs Girl is a compelling and poignant story following seventeen-year-old Jo Kuan, a Chinese American girl living in segregated 1890s Atlanta. 'Everyone needs to read this book' Stephanie Garber, New York Times bestselling author of Caraval 'A jewel of a story. By shining a light on the lives of those whom history usually ignores, Stacey Lee gives us a marvellous gift: an entirely new and riveting look at our past' Candace Fleming, award-winning author of The Family Romanov *** Seventeen-year-old Jo Kuan is leading a double life. By day, she works as a lady's maid, navigating life on the margins of a society determined that a person's worth is measured by the colour of their skin. By night, she's the voice behind the most radical advice column in 1890s Atlanta. Jo is used to feeling invisible, but she won't let it hold her back. While her priority is making sure that she and her father, Old Gin, remain safe in their hideaway beneath a print shop, she still has ambition. And strong opinions of her own that she begins to share in a newspaper advice column under the pseudonym 'Miss Sweetie'. Suddenly, all of Atlanta is talking about her ideas, although little do they know that the witty advice comes from a penniless Chinese girl. As curiosity about Miss Sweetie mounts, Jo's secret identity may not stay secret for much longer. And as she learns more of the hard truths about her identity and her country, she must find the courage to decide between being herself or staying invisible . . . *** Praise for The Downstairs Girl 'Immersive, important, and thoroughly entertaining, The Downstairs Girl sparkles with all of Stacey Lee's signature humour, charm, warmth, and wisdom' Kelly Loy Gilbert, Morris Award Finalist for Conviction 'A gorgeously researched, feminist historical novel' Melissa Albert, bestselling author of The Hazel Wood 'This vividly rendered historic novel will keep readers riveted as witty, observant Jo deals with the dangers of questioning power' The Washington Post 'I couldn't put it down. It was so much fun. Stacey writes great historical fiction centring people of colour' Camryn Garrett, author of Full Disclosure '[A] thrilling historical novel' Booklist 'A detailed and vibrant picture of life in the past' The New York Times 'Clever, funny, and poignant, The Downstairs Girl is Stacey Lee at her best' Evelyn Skye, New York Times bestselling author of The Crown's Game 'Prepare to fall headlong in love with The Downstairs Girl. I certainly did!' Robin LaFevers, New York Times bestselling author of the His Fair Assassin trilogy

a New York Times bestselling, must-read novel of a young Chinese girl in segregated 1890s Atlanta

This is an amazing book and reminded me of the davenports/ it could be set in the world of the davenports a few decades prior.

Stella

Sonia Grgas

Vicky (A City Girl's Thoughts)

Beautiful Story of a Chinese-American girl living in Georgia Post-Civil War 

This YA historical fiction enlightened me of the plight of Chinese immigrants who lived in the South post-Civil War. Jo is spunky and witty, yearning to make a difference in her community but longing to know who her parents are. Lee tries to keep this as historically accurate as possible with perfect pacing and excellent writing. I think the surprises should've been revealed a little more interspersed instead of all at once, plus the romance between Jo and her crush is cliche, but other than that it's an excellent story!

Hope Gamble

Loved the plot twists! I figured one out, but not the others!

Ana Paula

I absolutely loved this book, I won't lie and say we didn't have a few rough patches at the beginning but it was all worth it.

English isn't my birth language, so while a native English speaker might discover new words once in a while I discover them a bit more frequently, and this book was an amazing road towards new words (Quixotic, I'm look at you)

The characters growth and journey is outstanding, just like the subtle jokes and the nod to female empowerment in the late 1800s were. I feel like I learned a lot, not just vocabulary wise but self wise.

Don't give up on it, try it out and see the flower of happiness bloom within you. 
Be it from your own discoveries within the book or the ones I mentioned, that's the beauty of reading... How one book can help us all in different ways. 

Enjoy! :)

Megan Lowe

Wow.
I loved this book. I loved Jo, I loved the relationships, I loved the women and their strength and their hope.
I loved the twists and turns, and my heart wrenched at the truths held within.
This is just an amazing book, an amazing story.

Steph L 

This book was excellent. The first star in my review is for the characters. I really enjoyed Jo, Old Gin, The Bell's, and even Caroline was pleasant in the of the book. I really enjoyed the plot in this book. It was fun and I thought it was very well developed. The plot is the perfect mix of light-hearted moments mixed with the heavier ones. I loved the writing in this book. I had not read this author before, but I am going to read more from her now. I loved the setting in the book, I've never been to Atlanta, but the setting made me feel like I was in the 1890s Atlanta. The last star in this review is for personal enjoyment. I had a delightful time reading this story.

Grace Elizabeth

Let me start by saying that this book was an absolute gem! I loved every single minute of it. I listened to this as an audiobook (read by Emily Woo Zeller) and it was lovely. The reader had such a beautiful voice and diversity between the different characters' voices and was complimented by a very in-theme southern accent. 

The book follows the story of an Asian girl living in Atlanta after the civil war. Racism was terrible enough between the black and the white people, and this was a very different perspective, one I had never even thought of. What about people of other ethnicities? How were they treated in the midst of all the racism? Jo Quan, our protagonist, is forced to leave her job as a milliner and take on the job of being a lady's maid to her old nemesis/childhood friend who happens to be the daughter of one of the richest families in Atlanta. Jo is indignant because her only chance at making a true living for herself has been taken away from her. However, she makes her voice heard by beginning to submit an advice column under the name "Miss Sweetie" to a local newspaper. As the book progresses, we are met with mystery and intrigue as Jo begins to dig deeper into the mysteries of her parentage and history relating to her caretaker. This is a powerful book about identity, courage, stepping out into the light, and making yourself known. 

I loved this book for a myriad of reasons. The first is the characters, which is what I find to be the most important part of any book. Jo is witty, strong-willed, determined, and hilarious. She is sassy and full of spunk and you can root for her throughout the entirety of the story. Some of Jo's best friends (I won't try to spell their names cause I listened to this book and will botch it lol) are amazing and supportive and so full of life. Caroline and Billy Riggs, the so-to-speak antagonists of the book, are portrayed as both unlikeable, but not entirely bad or good. Just... human. There were so many other characters I could list (but I don't want to spoil anything). These characters feel so real and life-like to me. Another thing I enjoyed was the plot and the pacing. It always kept me guessing and hungry for more and never able to guess what was going to happen next, which is something I appreciate from a book. The descriptions are vivid and bring the world to life without being too wordy. 

This book was such a wonderful story with such a wonderful message. It definitely impacted me and I can't stop thinking about this book. I honestly can't think of anything that I didn't like about it! 

'A triumph of storytelling. A bold portrait of this country's past, brilliantly painted with wit, heartbreak, and unflinching honesty. Everyone needs to read this book' Stephanie Garber, New York Times bestselling author of Caraval By day, seventeen-year-old Jo Kuan works as a lady's maid for the cruel daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Atlanta. But by night, Jo moonlights as the pseudonymous author of a newspaper advice column for the genteel Southern lady, "Dear Miss Sweetie." When her column becomes wildly popular, she uses the power of the pen to address some of society's ills, but she's not prepared for the backlash that follows when her column challenges fixed ideas about race and gender. While her opponents clamor to uncover the secret identity of Miss Sweetie, a mysterious letter sets Jo off on a search for her own past and the parents who abandoned her as a baby. But when her efforts put her in the crosshairs of Atlanta's most notorious criminal, Jo must decide whether she, a girl used to living in the shadows, is ready to step into the light. With prose that is witty, insightful, and at times heartbreaking, Stacey Lee masterfully crafts an extraordinary social drama set in the Southern States. 'This deftly plotted novel shimmers with honesty, wisdom, compassion, and gorgeous writing, but it is Jo herself who shines the brightest in this sparkling tale - her keen wit, quiet courage, and growing determination. Prepare to fall headlong in love with The Downstairs Girl. I certainly did!' Robin LaFevers, New York Times bestselling author of the His Fair Assassin trilogy 'A jewel of a story. By shining a light on the lives of those whom history usually ignores, Stacey Lee gives us a marvelous gift: An entirely new and riveting look at our past' Candace Fleming, award-winning author of The Family Romanov 'Clever, funny, and poignant, The Downstairs Girl is Stacey Lee at her best' Evelyn Skye, New York Times bestselling author of The Crown's Game 'Immersive, important, and thoroughly entertaining, The Downstairs Girl sparkles with all of Stacey Lee's signature humor, charm, warmth, and wisdom' Kelly Loy Gilbert, Morris Award Finalist for Conviction

Elena Garcia Navarro

It was interesting learning about the Chinese community living in the American South in the late 19th century and how they came to be there. 

However, I wasn´t completely sold on the horserace storyline and some of the reveals felt a bit far-fetched. 

Quick, entertaining read but it didn´t blow my mind.

Michelle Xu

4 stars

It took me a really long time to get into this book, mixed with the fact I was super busy... but when the pieces started connecting and a few mysteries were brought in, I became pretty invested. Even though it was a slow start, I ended up loving the second half of this book. It was so uplifting with lots of great messages throughout. I also enjoyed the author's note at the end about the real historical events happening in the 1890s in the South. I had no idea that Chinese workers were shipped in after the Civil war to essentially replace the newly freed enslaved African Americans. I also had no idea that there was some relative freedom and rights given to POC in the south prior to Hayes' halt to reconstruction and newly set Jim Crow laws. While the story itself was uplifting, it was a little sad for me to imagine the struggles that Jo and her friends would have to face in the upcoming DECADES. Overall everything facing Jo, Old Gin, Noemi, Robby, and more faced back then still are so pertinent today. A few quotes I really liked:

"Unlike the sidewalk, there ain't rules yet for bicycles. means we got to jump in and make the rules. Or someone else will make them for us" 

"It's like they put a plate of hot biscuits in front of us, but before we get a chance to eat, they say, that'll be five dollars. And if you come up with the five dollars, they say no, no, no. You gotta tell us, if you got sixteen hens and thirty-seven roosters, where is Rutherford B. Hayes buried."

"The Chinese just try to stay out of the rain, and if we are caught in a downpour, we make do, knowing that the rain will not last forever."

Elizabeth Raines

I really enjoyed this young adult, historical fiction novel! I love the Atlanta setting, this might have been set in 1890 but I still recognized certain street names and landmarks. I also learned a lot from this book like before I didn't know after the American Civil War Chinese laborers were brought in, to basically take the place of African slaves. I live in the American South and never knew that! I felt like the characters in this story were all enjoyable and well written. I like how they came from all different walks of life and a different backgrounds, the story was not set on just one class of people. This novel, also has a TON of plot twists, I only was able to predict all of them but Stacey Lee had my jaw dropping with some of these turns. My only complaint is the pacing was weird, the first thirty percent of the book was slow and I was having a hard time getting into and the middle pacing was perfect but then the last thirty percent was very fast paced. Thank you to BOTM for having this as a choice on your website!

Deborah Kerr

I really enjoyed the characters, themes and messages of this book, I struggled with really getting into the story as it lacked the needed tension for me to get truly invested.

The audiobook is fantastic.

Sharon Steinman

Jo Kuan lives underneath the Bell house and lives with Old Gin. Jo doesn't know what happened to her parents. Old Gin won't tell her anything about her parents. The closest thing to family Jo has is Old Gin who has taught her how to read and taught her many new things. Jo Kuan is Asian and living in Georgia in the 1890s, she worked most of her life. At the beginning of the story she is working in a hat shop where she is eventually fired from. She is fired because she is Asian and it has nothing to do with her skills or work ethic.

This is a YA book, that is very pretty heavy and involves racism, oppression and sexism. I found the story interesting and learnt more about the discrimation that has existed in the US. I hadn't really though about what it would have been like to be Asian in North America in the 19th century where black were enslaved and women weren't allowed to vote. I enjoyed having these issues brought to my mind.

Sunny Song

This book took me by surprise! I wasn’t expecting to absolutely love it but I knew I probably wouldn’t dislike it either. I loved the characters, especially Jo she’s very clever and courageous especially for a girl like her in a time like that! I loved how they talked about how a lot of Chinese came to America once slavery was abolished as a sort of “replacement” since my grandfather left China with somewhat similar circumstances, with the promise of work and freedom of sorts since it’s not a well known subject. I was definitely here for all the multiracial characters too!!! Not just biracial cause believe it or not even back in the day that was a thing, although it was rare. 

I did not see that plot twist coming and normally I can spot them from a mile away, I want to say half of the reason was because I had my guard down for this book thinking there wouldn’t be any major events other than the “expected” ones.

I did the audiobook for this so I’m not gonna lie I had a hard time following along with the southern accents (I’m just awful with accents in general) so if that’s something that’s a problem for you I would recommend just reading the book, it’s a delightful read with a great twist that’ll leave you on the edge of your seat!

Kate

Apparently historical fiction novels following badass teen journalist using their voices to stick it to societal norms and shine a light on injustice is absolutely my kryptonite. 

Jo Kuan (with the help of Stacey Lee) proves the power words can hold and the changes that can unfold when you decide to use them for good. She is proof of just how strong women (especially women in marginalised communities) have been, are and always will be.

This was truly, completely and utterly wonderful.

Lauren James

Full review on my blog, Storied Adventures!

This was a surprisingly sweet read! It didn't go deep into the historical injustices, BUT I think this would be a great way for teens to dip their toe in the water. Jo was really witty, bold, and smart with how she fought. I loved her. Oh, and she still kept her KINDNESS while fighting. Something people don't know how to do these days.

Karleigh McCarville &
The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee

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Karleigh McCarville &The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee

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Karleigh McCarville &
The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee