The setting: Shanghai. Three women of different circumstances--Lulu, Jane, and Rina, Lulu is getting married to one of Shanghai's most eligible and WEALTHY bachelors [though she's not in love with him--it would solve her family's financial woes], Jane, a housewife in a loveless marriage who is obsessed with changing her [not good] looks and acquiring status symbols. Rina, a workaholic, endlessly passed over for promotions, who is watching her biological clock.

The three come up with a scheme for a major heist at Lulu's wedding--thinking all those red envelopes stuffed with cash will solve their problems.

A fun, fast read that I can definitely see as a movie! Lots of humor but also poignancy because --well, being a woman in China has it's limitations.

Some great descriptions:
"aggressively defined cheekbones"
"Peng Ayi and Lulu's mom are aruging...Lulu and Harv watch...like it's a tennis match"

Loved some of the minor characters--especially Mei and Michelangelo.

Saw a trajectory coming a mile away/didn't much care--didn't really spoil it for me

Ace means gay in China--didnt know.

Enjoyed reading about Chinese culture/traditions.

Many reviews liken to Crazy Rich Asians and Oceans Eleven--yes!

3.5 but not rounding up becasue basically was fun/fluff.

Lulu accepts marriage proposal from Shanghai’s most eligible bachelor, because his family’s fortune would solve all her parents’ financial issues. But she's not marrying for love. When she confides in her best friends, Rina and Jane, they decide to steal all the money on the big day to solve all their money problems.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for my advanced electronic copy. My opinions are my own.

Lulu was plucked from her life as a restaurant hostess in Shanghai by Harv, a crazy-rich bachelor. All her life she's been told she owes it to everyone to provide what they need, especially her family. Now she’s traded her cage of poverty and and her family’s expectations for the cage of her rich in-laws expectations. And the kicker is, she doesn't even love Harv--and she's pretty sure he doesn't love her either. So when her friends Jane (trapped in an unattractive body and longing for acceptance for who she is), and Rina (a career woman desperate to stop time by freezing her eggs for when she finally has time for a relationship) come to her with a plan, she's ready to listen. And what they are planning will be the heist of the season in Chinese high society. But in the end will they be willing to pay the price to pursue their dreams?

What a rich, immersive story! Such well-rounded, realistic characters, all of whom I rooted for despite their flaws. And the attitudes and actions of main and side characters alike reminded me so much of what I saw while I was working near Shanghai). This had Crazy Rich Asians meets Ocean's 11 vibes, and was oh-so-cinematic! I couldn't turn the pages quickly enough to see if this team of women--all different but united in purpose--would go through with it and get what they wanted in the end.

So clever!

I am obsessed with this book's premise. High stakes heist with a bunch of complex women! Three friends with three personal struggles come together in such a unique premise.
I found myself relating to each of the girls for so many reasons.
I am also the type of reader that supports women's rights but ALSO women's wrongs lol
so the whole planning, plotting, finding your own slice of something good, is right down my alley.

Three women, all from vastly different backgrounds, become friends and then make a decision to change their lives. Rina, Lulu and Jane are all living in Shanghai in the modern day. Rina and Jane had educations abroad while Lulu has come from the country to support her family. Lulu is engaged to be married to a rich Chinese man, Jane is in an arranged marriage that she hates and Rina has chosen work over marriage, for now. They all want more and different lives and with this Jane proposes that they steal the wedding money from Lulu's nuptials. The planning of the heist and what follows really are the best part of the book but it was an enjoyable read. It took me nearly half this book to finally get into it and want to continue but I am glad I did.

This was a fun read! It was kind of like Crazy Rich Asians meets Ocean 11. The premise is that 3 friends are down on their luck in different ways. Lulu is set to marry a man from a rich family she's not keen on, Jane is in a lackluster marriage and Rina just lost out on a promotion. They decide to set up a heist to steal all the wedding red envelopes in order to help solve their problems.

You'll love this book if you love:
- women friendships!
- hijinks
- strategy meetings at a hotpot restaurant
- seeing characters and relationships change and grow throughout the book
- a happy ending

Thanks to Harlequin and Netgalley for getting an advance copy for me to read and review!

This was such a fun, interesting read. Loved learning about Chinese culture, specifically around classism, misogyny, and family ideals. The characters were funny and infuriating, the heist was ridiculous yet unpredictable and therefore somehow believable. The relationships were complex and the chemistry between Vic and Rina was palpable. That being said, the ending left me wanting more.

3.5/5

This was a very fun read - I love a heist plot and this did not disappoint in that regard. I agree with some of the other reviewers that I'm not sure each of the three friends' reasons justified the heist, but it was still exciting to see how they planned to pull it off. I also enjoyed learning more about Chinese customs, culture, and societal expectations. I would have loved to see a more developed ending, but I'm glad we got a glimpse at and some closure for each story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Got the ARC from Netgalley.

What a delightful story! Another review pointed out that this was like <i>Ocean 11</i> + <i>Crazy Rich Asians</i>. I beg to differ. The only similarity to <i>Crazy Rich Asians</i> was how the bride was to marry the heir of one of the richest in Shang Hai. It felt more like if one of the girls of <i>The Joy Luck Club</i> were to marry a megarich man.

I was a little wary at first. Many ARCs I read had not been well written. The plot was confusing. There were grammatical errors. Not the case here! The words flowed very well and kept my attention throughout.

It started out as a simple heist story. Get the money. Get out. The girls would have the funds to pursue their dreams. Sprinkle in some "death to tradition" and "death to patriarchy" which is a common theme in works written by Asian Americans. However, there were more issues hidden under the surface than a simple plot to steal money. I could understand the pressure of pleasing everyone, living up to the family's expectations, and saving the family's face. While my situation was never as dire as these ladies, I could understand just taking a leap of fate to do what I wanted and not what everyone else wanted.

As with all heist stories, the plan went awry, but in the most unexpected way. I did not see this outcome and was delightfully surprised.

Lulu accepts the proposal of her rich boyfriend, who she was basically bullied by her mom into dating and saying yes to. She and her friends decide to steal the safe holding all the cash gifts at the wedding, with each friend planning to spend their share in her own way. Lulu plans to run away to Thailand. Rina plans to freeze her eggs. Jane plans to get plastic surgery and leave her husband.

I thought of this book as a mix between Ocean's 8 and Four Aunties and a Wedding. At the beginning, it seems like they have everything together, but since they aren't thieves by trade, obviously things are going to go wrong. I did find the way the events played out to be unbelievable, but I grew to like the characters so much that I didn't care. A lot of the story focuses on the lives of the three friends and their relationship, which kept me invested in the story.

Women of Good. Fortune- follows the POV of three friends.

Lulu who is about to marry Harv- who is from a rich family has reservations about whether she truly wants to get married or not.

Jane, who feels her husband and family does not support her and feels like she is in a loveless marriage.

Rina who is a workaholic who never feels appreciated at her job and being passed on from promotions.

They realize that a way to solve their problems is money and devise a.plan to steal the wedding money from Lulu's wedding.

This story me thinking it was a cross between Crazy Rich Asians, Kdramas, and the Oceans movies. It was great seeing each character grow in the story and continued developments of each relationship in the story.

Overall this book had some drawn out parts but it was entertaining. I enjoyed that we had multiple POVs that provided more insight on each of the character.

Enjoyed.

This book did not get or keep my attention. I couldn’t finish it but I think for the right audience it would be ok

WOMEN OF GOOD FORTUNE is on sale March 5, 2024.

I certainly learned a lot about Chinese wedding culture while reading Sophie Wan’s WOMEN OF GOOD FORTUNE. The story of three women, all from very different backgrounds, becoming friends and planning the ultimate course to their freedoms is interesting, to say the least.

Lulu, is about to marry Harv, whose family is very rich. But why is she marrying him? Her mother wants her married so she can support their family, but her father just wants her to be happy.

Jane is married to Zihao, but she feels he only married her because her parents bought her an apartment. She has felt like there was never love there and she feels like plain Jane.

And then we have Rina, a workaholic who gets no respect at work, and no promotions.

Money would buy freedom for one, beauty for another and the chance to start over for all of them.

Now all they have to do is figure out the perfect heist and Lulu’s upcoming nuptials may be the answer to everyone’s problems.

A delightful, high stakes heist slash women's fiction debut that sees three unhappy Shanghai friends scheming to steal the wedding money at one of their upcoming high society ceremonies. Perfect for fans of books about strong, clever women who work hard to make their own happiness no matter the cost. This was a fun blend of Ocean's Eleven and Counterfeit and great on audio too. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

I enjoyed this book although it was slow paced which took me a little longer to get through. I enjoyed the characters and how the story developed. I wish there was a bit more excitement in the story to have kept me hooked.

Lulu is about to be married into one of Shanghai's richest families to benefit her family. Her friends,
Rina and Jane are facing their own challenges. Rina, despite her education and expertise, keeps
losing out on pomotions. Jane feels she is trapped in a loveless marriage and that changing her
appearance would be a benefit. The three come up with a plan to steal the wedding money at
Lulu's wedding. However, as the plan progresses, the three are confronted with situations that have
them reevaluating what they really want.
#WomenofGoodFortune #NetGalley

I told friends this book was a combination of Crazy Rich Asians meets Ocean's 11. This was such a fun read.

It takes a cultural look into customs and expectations of women, but gives its three main characters a chance to break away from it and take back control of their lives through a heist. I really like how Wan explores each of the women’s own dilemmas, including their relationship with the people they care about, as well as how their friendship is affected with the goal in sight. Not everything is simple as planned and we see what is at risk for all of them, especially as relationships begin to develop and what they each thought was so important is called into question.

This was truly a heartwarming book and the ending was so well done!

Sophie Wan has my heart. With a cast full of characters that shine and a plot that had me hooked from the first page, be ready to fall in love. If you loved Crazy Rich Asians, Chaebol Kdrama plots, or anything in that vein, this is the book for you.

An exploration into womanhood, finding yourself, romance with heist, and descriptions that sing, I truly enjoyed this read.

This was such a fun read!

Told through the POVs of three female friends, we get to see three women who are stuck in relationships or paths chosen for them by society and family pressures. As they plot a wedding heist to regain their freedom, whatever that means to each one, doubt starts to creep in.

I enjoyed the setting of Shanghai and e glimpse into its wealthy families. The women each had their own story and I loved how the ending have them get what they needed, rather than what they had thought they needed.

A fun, light, female centered début that I’d highly recommend.

4.5. Thrilling heist novel that was super fun and I never expected to see the red packer tradition in a heist. Thanks for the arc!