This was a fun and entertaining read. So suitable for a sunny summer day or holiday! A lovely story of friendship from three different perspectives. The heist idea reminded me of one of the Ocean 6 -11 etc movies. Sometimes the dialogue between the women seemed a bit forced but the plots was engaging and moved along well. An enjoyable, warm fuzzy of a read! I look forward to seeing what Sophie Wan writes next.

4.5 stars. i loved this so much! it was complete escapism and i finished it in one sitting! although i wasn't attached to any particular character, i loved the setting and the friendship, the narration style and the heist! it read like a movie, and was an extremely fun read :)

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC!

Women of Good Fortune was a fun and entertaining read. The women in this book were the real stars - they made me laugh, and I also wanted to give them all a hug at some points in this book!

Wan's writing was great. I look forward to reading more of her work in the future!

Thank you again for the ARC!

I could not stop smiling while reading this book. Lulu is such a fun main character that I just wanted to spend more time with her. I would also die for this to become a movie! I can't wait to see what Sophie Wan writes next!

I really enjoyed this book about friendship, class, and the finding the future you want for yourself. While the book started slowly, I appreciated how the characters discovered themselves during the book. I enjoyed learning about aspects of Chinese culture in a fun manner.

A fun read that would make a great movie. This Shanghai-set story has Crazy Rich Asians and Counterfeit vibes, with classic heist hijinks. Well-paced and engaging, with close friendships, family drama, and romantic relationships being tested.
Thanks to NetGalley and Graydon House for the ARC!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ FIVE STAR perfection. The emotional journeys are superb and the heist plot is fun (and believable!). The women in this story have such relatable issues: the struggle of balancing a career and aging out of fertility; beauty and self worth; finding purpose and learning to put yourself first; and the pressure of living up to others’ expectations while sacrificing your happiness to please family. Women of Good Fortune tells a beautiful and captivating story of family, love, romantic relationships and friendships and the reality that relationships change as we grow.

The story is told in snips that moves quickly but manages to capture so much. It is incredibly cute, funny and heartwarming while also sprinkling in some tear-jerker moments in between. I particularly loved the Asian Gilmore-isms to pop culture references and the societal/cultural aspects of living in China, especially for women. I found myself rooting for the characters every step of the way, and was incredibly satisfied at the end. It’s all so perfect, and so many of the character thoughts, emotions and experiences resonated with me.

It’s like, you tried hard and realized it wasn’t worth it.

This would make such a good movie!

This book gave such good energy I loved it. It was so much fun seeing how the girls were there for each other. Also I love books about weddings so it was perfect for me. Plus you learn some history about the culture which is amazing as well. I give it 5/5

A really fun novel that had a lot more layers than I expected it to. A fast-paced story about the planning of a wedding heist, it is also a story about relationships and self-love. Three best friends Lulu, Jane and Rina are unhappy with their lives when they decide to pull off the ultimate heist - to steal all the wedding money from Lulu's upcoming wedding to a rich heir and escape.

As I continued to read, I kept questioning whether or not they were really going to pull it off. I was rooting for them but also in some ways felt they hadn't really thought through the consequences. While the first half of the novel is about the planning of the heist, the second half is where things start to fall apart. The friends start to realize they are losing trust in each other, people start getting cold feet, and things start to go wrong at the wedding. I was totally blindsided by the ending! I enjoyed this novel more than I thought I would AND I'm so pleased to see books written by Chinese and Asian authors that can be fun and adventurous.

I loved this book! I was expecting a plot focused on relationships (love, family, friends) and Asian culture, which is all there, but it gets even better…there’s a heist!

I really liked getting to know all the characters - their strengths, their flaws, and seeing their growth & how the relationships changed over time. The heist plot was intriguing, and I always love books featuring Asian culture. The author did a great job balancing the focus between the relationships and the plotting.

Overall, this book is fabulous!

{This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.}

A wonderful entertaining read.I loved the characters the three girlfriends.There is intrigue wealth drama fun.I was drawn right in enjoyed from beginning to end.#netgalley #harlequin

Three friends, Lulu, Jane, and Rina, are all unhappy with their current lives, They decide to steal a fortune at Lulu's wedding to fuel their dreams. They create an elaborate plan, but what can go wrong? With interesting characters and insight into modern Chinese culture, this book is very entertaining.

Who doesn’t love a heist story? And a wedding story? With just a touch of a love story(or two) thrown in there.
This was such a fun book.
Lulu is engaged, to one of the wealthiest and most eligible bachelors in Shanghai, and everyone is so excited about it. Except for her. When her two best friends joke about stealing the red envelopes from the wedding and running away, they realize the money could fulfill all of their dreams.
This is one of those books that ticked every box for me. I loved the friendships and self discovery that was centred in the story. The heist planning was so fun. And the romance was just enough so it didn’t overwhelm the main story. Definitely a feel good book.
Releasing on March 5 2024, add this one to your watch list.
Thank you to @netgalley and @greydonhouse for letting me read this one early in exchange for a review.
#womenofgoodfortune #read #reading #bookstagram #canadianbookstagram #canadianbookstagrammer #reading #redenvelopes #readmorebooks #readersofig #readersofinstagram #bookaddict #booklovers #bookcommunity #bookreview #bookrecommendations

Women of Good Fortune
By: SophieWan
Publisher: Harlequin Trading Co
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Pub Date: March 4, 2024

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy of Women of Good Fortune by Sophie Wan for an honest review.
This book was an absolute joy to read from beginning to end.

“What’s the point in being honest? There are so many roles for her to play: meek daughter-in-law, eager bride-to-be, capable friend. None of them feel like her.”
“Everything is going perfectly. I can’t wait.” - Lulu

Three friends living in Shanghai are all at turning points in their lives. None of them are exactly happy with how their lives are playing out; they all feel stuck and feel like they can’t be happy unless they do this or get that.
There’s Lulu, engaged to be married into a high society family. Does she love her fiancé, not really. In fact, neither of them is excited about their upcoming nuptials. In the end, it will all be worth it if she can financially help her family.
Then Rina, who spent some of her childhood in the US, is living in Shanghai out of obligation. She is career-driven and is relying on being promoted. If she’s promoted, she will have the money to go to the US where she can freeze her eggs and return to Shanhai where she lives to watch over her parents.
Lastly Jane, who has been married less than a year and did not marry out of love, but neither did her husband. Jane is a bored housewife who loves to shop for anything high-end. And dreams of plastic surgery.
All three women want to make a change, but none are financially capable to make the changes they want. That is until they conjure up a scheme to steal the money Lulu and her fiancé will receive on their wedding day. As the date gets closer, they learn things about one another that have them second guessing their plan. If the scheme works, everyone will get what they want. If not, they will not only be a tremendous disappointment to their families, but nothing will ever be the same again. At least that’s what they all believe. The question is will they go through with the plan and if they do will it be successful? Can money buy happiness?

Triple perspective of flawed, female characters bonded because of their struggles. Lulu, Jane, and Rina share a love of food and the need to escape their current situations but their friendship is tested when their selfish goals are revealed. This book was a light read but themes of class, freedom, and true love created an engrossing dynamic.

Thank you to Netgalley and Graydon House for the early copy!

this was such a fun read! thanks netgalley & the publisher for the arc, in exchange for an honest review

This story follows a group of friends as they plan and execute a heist to their own friend's wedding.
This book is starts off fast paced. Everything moves quickly, decisions are made, characters are established already. There is a lull in the middle where all the prep works happens and the character and story is fleshed out more. Then it is a chaotic whirlwind of events for the last 10%. I find the pacing of the book really inconsistent and takes me out of the story at times.
The book itself goes into themes of female friendships, familial duty, and cultural identity. I appreciate that each character is unique and develops and grows in a different direction. However, certain characters can be more relatable than others, especially with the rushed introductions in the first half of the book.
Overall it was an enjoyable read.

Was looking for a lighthearted read, and "Women of Good Fortune" didn't disappoint! Although it isn't the usual genre I veer towards, I was intrigued by the cover and love seeing new work by AAPI authors.

The novel is a work of contemporary fiction, taking place in present-day Shanghai, and focuses on three Chinese women who are close friends. First is Lulu, who's preparing to be married to Harv (short for Harvard), despite how little time has passed since they first met. Harv's family is shockingly wealthy, and for Lulu and her family, it seems like a no-brainer decision - even though Lulu is beginning to have doubts. Jane has problems of her own; even though she's married, she knows it was a marriage of convenience and finds little satisfaction in her day-to-day life and eventually becomes convinced that plastic surgery will solve her unhappiness. Finally, there's Rina, a hardworking employee who has put in more than just the standard 9-9-6 (9am to 9pm, 6 days a week), but keeps getting passed over for a promotion that's been dangled in front of her. Given her age, Rina hopes for a chance to freeze her eggs, but it's not a procedure available within China.

The story lays out the months leading up to Lulu's grand wedding as these friends put together a planned heist to make use of the monetary wedding gifts, each hoping the money will be able to change her life. As time goes on, however, small things begin to change - Jane has a chance to connect with her husband, Rina re-meets an old college classmate - and we see how these small movements shift the story and plotline as a whole.

While there are certainly elements of romance and comedy, the core of the story is focused on the friendship between these 3 women and the decisions they make for themselves. While I didn't grow up in China, there are aspects that I think many female readers will connect with - having to choose between family and career, committing to a partner for love or practicality, and going against social norms and expectations. These topics are brought up in a light-hearted fashion, but nonetheless ring true. Sophie Wan's writing is also well-paced, balancing the elements of humor and gravitas well.

I think for readers who enjoyed novels like "Crazy Rich Asians" this will be a natural segue. Very much looking forward to when "Women of Good Fortune" is published in March 2024!

-Shanghai high society, strong female characters, great friendships, crime fiction
-Lulu, Rina and Jane are the best of friends and have finally had enough of society and its treatment of women
-they hatch a plan to steal from Lulu’s wedding as the ultimate way to fight back 🧧👰🏻‍♀️🤵🏻
-the planning of the heist was the majority of the book which I felt could’ve been shortened
-I enjoyed the characters and the plot, it’s always interesting to learn more about cultures
-thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC

3.8⭐️

A fun and entertaining read recommended for fans of commercial women's fiction.

Rina, Jane, and Lulu are fascinating characters, and the author does a wonderful job of bringing them to life.

The heist plot line keeps you turning the pages, but ultimately I view this as a character-driven novel where we see some amazing journeys as the women grow, adjust, and change.