[Review] The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee

The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee

Rating: 4.5 stars

Format: ARC

Published: August 13th 2019

Goodreads Synopsis:

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.

After being fired from her job as a hat milliner, Jo finds a position as a maid at the Payne household. Because of laws against Chinese (and other POC) being citizens, Jo and her adopted father Old Gin have to hide in the basement of Nathan Bell and his family, without them knowing. After years of being oppressed and being told she's too much of a 'saucepot', Jo starts moonlighting as the agony aunt for the Bell newspaper, The Constitution, going by the pseudonym Miss Sweetie. But when Miss Sweetie starts speaking about the racial and gender injustices that run throughout Atlanta, enemies start popping up.


Reading this again made me fall in love just a little more with Stacey Lee's historical fictions. And she also addresses the injustices of the era, of which include racism and sexism.

"Don't you dare let some self-loathing, chicken-livered blueblood make you doubt yourself. You know where you're from, and I know where you're from, and that ain't a shelf or a country or even a place. Sometimes I forget you're even Chinese."
"I don't." I help myself to another disposable.
"That's 'cause you care too much about what the world says. Listen to those who know you best, and you'll be okay." - p. 280

Jo's sass and sharp wit when writing her advice columns was great.

Yes, little thought is paid to the benefits of remaining single, or at least, delaying marriage. While some women are spinsters simply because life has not dealt them the marriage card, I submit that many women are single by choice, though it may not be obvious. It is one thing to be single and miserable, and quite another to be single and content. We cluck our tongue at the former and brand the latter as "off her onion." - p. 165

Nathan and Jo's blossoming friendship/romance was the cutest thing ever. They reminded me of Nancy and Jonathan from Stranger Things S3 - always ready to crack the case and get the news! I did wish we got more of Nathan, though...

The relationship between Caroline and Jo was perhaps the one with the most depth. We see Caroline's racism, and Jo biting back to get even an ounce of respect from her in the beginning. And I love that Jo doesn't back down from Caroline's terrible nature. I'd say Caroline is a character I loved to hate. In the end, the mutual (albeit, grudging) respect was a vast improvement and the strongest part of the novel.

The plot twists in this were really unexpected and hurt me so much. But with the way they unfurled, I do wish there was more resolution regarding Jo's family. I feel like we ended on an open-ended note, especially regarding some relationships.

That aside, this was an enjoyable read! I certainly like how Jo got to reflect at the very end, on where she came from and who she was. And how it didn't define who she was going to be.