The Downstairs Girl

 

The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee  YA  

(from Amazon)  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.

(My Review)

I thought this was a good read.  It took me a bit to get into it, but about half-way through, the story got more interesting.  This was definitely a view of early-twentieth century Atlanta that we are not used to seeing.  I thought it was interesting, and heart-breaking (albeit, not really surprised), to see how Chinese were treated.   This book had a sweet story, which will definitely draw the reader in.  My only criticism was the author's heavy use of exaggerated southern colloquialisms.  I felt it distracted me, and slowed down my reading.