A Reese s Book Club YA Pick and 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