A River of Stars by Vanessa Hua was a great first read of 2019. Scarlett is sent from China to America to wait out her pregnancy (she was the mistress of her factory boss) since this baby is to be a boy (his first after three girls with his wife). Scarlett ends up in a secret maternity home for other mothers-to-be sent from China for better medical care and US citizenship upon birth. However, she and pregnant teen Daisy strike out on their own. Their lives in San Francisco’s Chinatown after giving birth are the focus of the novel. It’s a wonderful, engaging, and seemingly realistic look at the trials of desiring American citizenship and the drive so many have to achieve such.