Breezy, enjoyable read that pulls off the heist angle more successfully than I expected (maybe I’m still traumatized by portait of a thief). The book highlights social issues women in China (and worldwide) face and I enjoyed the Shanghai setting. I wish these women felt more like actual friends (which the book at least does comment on)

✰ 4.5 stars! ✰
The more I read, the more I got absorbed into this book. It was a very enjoyable read.

The characters: I liked how each of the three best friends got their own POV chapters and their stories got the chance to be told. The characters all felt real, which made it easier to connect with them. I think my favourite characters were definitely Rina and Mei.

The relationships: The familial, platonic, and romantic relationships were well-written and complex. The decisions the characters made, their thoughts, and the cultural aspect of it were all realistic.

The issues tackled: Loved the exploration of cultural expectations and gender roles.

The heist: It was exciting to read about the actual heist being pulled off. Close calls, decoys, tension, and more!

The ending: I really loved how everything tied up, and I couldn't have imagined a better ending.

I did feel like the heist planning took up a lot of the novel, but I also liked that it gave more time for character/relationship progression.

Overall, this was a fun read that I would pick up whenever I had spare time.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review

4*

Women of Good Fortune is a lighthearted read that is perfect for fans of Crazy Rich Asians. I loved the dynamic of friends Lulu, Jane, and Rina, and the concept of the heist was really intriguing.

I loved that this book handled the cultural narrative as well as strong women with distinct personalities who face constant discrimination, familiar familial struggles, as well as love and laughter. Though this book starts a little slowly, it's worth the pursuit as the characters grow and their stories evolve.

Sophie Wan's Women of Good Fortune can be described as Crazy Rich Asians meets Oceans 8 - I loved this! The plot kept me engaged and turning page after page. I wasn't a huge fan of the three main characters, but it almost made it more interesting to read as I watched their characters develop! This was a solid read - I will definitely be reading whatever Sophie dreams up next!!

This story has a well-paced plot and characters that are riveting and captivated me as I read. I was happy to receive this ARC from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my review. I look forward to more from this author.

I was a bit disappointed by this one. It was very slow to start, and even once the story picked up with the more thrilling element to the plot, I didn't find myself caring about any of the characters. I also found the concept overall to be unbelievable based on who the characters were and what they were trying to achieve. I can appreciate what the author was trying to do here, but unfortunately it wouldn't be a personal recommendation.

This story took me forever to get into. Each of the characters were so dislikable that I had to force myself to keep reading. And if I hadn't requested it as an ARC I might have stopped reading it.

But I'm so glad I didn't.

They each grew throughout the novel and they also made their way into my heart and as the plot got more and more convoluted, I was so invested in each of them and in finding out what happens. I loved the way the story came together and I laughed and I cried and I cheered.

I'm so glad I didn't give up on this one.

with gratitude to netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

This book was fun, Crazy Rich Asians meets a heist. Jane, Lulu and Rina are all very different personality wise and not happy with where their lives are heading. Lulu engaged to Harv even though she really doesn’t want to sees the wedding as an opportunity to get them all out of their current living situations. Heist planning and wedding planning over the course of 8 months, the target, a safe full of red envelopes. I loved seeing the growth in the three friends individually especially Jane and Rina, even Harv. Mei was probably my favorite.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

This book was a fun, quick heist read and honestly what's not to like about that. Strangely enough where this book thrives is outside the heist plot, and when it focuses on the relationships between the three women. Their development separately and together was b y far the highlight of the book. My favourite dynamic is with Rina and her personal as well as romantic plotline. Unfortunately I feel some of the heist moments were sped through, and lacked the tension that I prefer present during this high stakes plot. They weren't necessarily bad, they just didn't hold my interest as much as other aspects of the book did.
Overall it was an enjoyable read that I would recommend more to a person looking for a book centered on female relationships and dynamics rather than someone looking for a crazy heist plot.

A well plotted heist with sufficient detail and twists ✅. A believable narrative about female insecurities and female friendships ✅ A bit of sweet love story that is not cloying ✅. Altogether those checks made for a very satisfying time spent with these characters and, as a bonus, the non Asian reader is given a glimpse of another culture in faraway world.

A heist takes place amid a high society Shanghai wedding - bit of a slow start for me but got hooked and ended up enjoying this read! Developed and dynamic characters, high quality ending with a twist, and detailed Chinese culture - what more do you need?!

I stopped after chapter 2 (3%) but the writing wasn’t working for me. It was third person present, and it just feels so jarring. It’s like, who is this random narrator who happens to be watching every move in real time? Maybe as I continue to be exposed to it, it will feel less odd.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC.

Classic strong female friendship novel. Loved the fast paced and easy read. Multiple relationships and voices meets fast paced criminal heist. Wasn’t my favorite but it was an easy read and probably would’ve enjoyed it more if it wasn’t set in a different country.

This was a fast paced, engaging read that balanced complex woman’s issues with a light hearted idea for a money heist. This is the story of three female friends in Shanghai. China . It takes place in the months leading up to Lulu’s wedding to a very eligible bachelor. The woman devise a plan to steal the money from the wedding to change their own lives. This book has it all, sharp insights into class and gender wrapped in a shiny, glamorous, hilarious bow. So fun to read!

- thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc to review!

- a solid story about found family, and doing what is necessary to survive. Wan writes engaging characters in a fun style, and this book will keep you engaged for sure.

This book was very refreshing. It was light-hearted and highlighted the Asian American experience very well. This has both good comedy and swooning romance. I may not be Chinese American, but as an Asian American, I felt like the characters accurately portrayed the Asian culture. The characters are super relatable, which was a great way to bring up serious topics like social norms and practices in a relatable and light-hearted manner. This is a nice mix of Crazy Rich Asians and Helen Hoang's books. Overall, 5/5 and I would highly recommend this book.

I am a simple girl. Combine hot women with heists that subtly go against patriarchal values and I am sold. "Women of Good Fortune" was such a fun and lighthearted read that also had me clutching my chest in moments of internal culture wars. Wan does a fantastic job at contrasting a setting where these three women—Lulu, Jane, and Rina—living in modern day Shanghai are not only are clever, independent, and beautiful, but also complicated, messy, and frustrating at times. I am a big fan of characters that depict a full spectrum of complexities and yet, an underlying current urges to you root for their happiness and success no matter what crimes they commit.

I would've have loved for a deeper dive into the resolution of each woman finding and living their own version of a perfect life. I think great characters are the steel backbone of any book and my personal tastes demands every facet of their complexities to be utterly dissected. Nevertheless, I LOVE WOMEN.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Note: NetGalley provided a free digital advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

Lulu, Rina, and Jane are three best friends living in China all impacted by the oppressive beliefs of society and their family as to what a good woman should be/do. Specifically the cultural belief of “leftover women” and how it has impacted each is a theme. Each with their own reasons, they decide to steal the wedding gift money from Lulu’s wedding. Once the storyline was established for each character, the pace moves pretty quickly through the planning of the heist and then the act by act of the wedding day. It was an enjoyable read and kept me entertained. They are each flawed characters trying to escape something and the character growth was nice to see at the end.

Women of Good Fortune is a wonderfully entertaining and thoughtful book about three close friends, who are navigating through their place in Shanghai society. Lulu is reluctantly engaged to a man from high society, and feels her family’s pressure to support them financially. Jane is in an unhappy marriage and is focused on the role society places on beauty. Rina is unhappy at being passed over by men at her job; she wants a career but she is worried about her biological clock. Together they plan a heist for Lulu’s wedding day and the book follows the eight months leading up to it. The three desperately hope the huge amount of money they get will help pay for specific ways each wants to change and improve their life. Sophie Wan expertly weaves the fun of planning the heist with their crew, with very well developed characters with backstories, and the cultural expectations of women in Chinese society. At its heart, this is a book also about friendship and loyalty. I highly recommend this enchanting and moving book. With thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this wonderful ARC. My opinions are my own.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing/Graydon House for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

The synopsis of the heist drew me in, but the book ended up being about so much more than that. It was a look into cultural expectations in China, including class relations and the strict line drawn between upper class and middle/lower class families. It examined gender roles; that women can only bring value if they carry out their duty to their parents, husbands and husband's families. Similarly, it touched on family relations and the struggle to always live up to parents' expectations.

The book felt a liiiiitle long but overall I really loved it. Lulu, Jane and Rina were very relatable characters whose thoughts, feelings and experiences really resonated with me. The writing flowed easily and kept me engaged and there was a great balance of humor, romance and heartbreak throughout. Come for the heist, stay for the self-discovery and character development.