Women of Good Fortune by Sophie Wan is a captivating novel that takes place during a lavish Shanghai wedding in high society. The story follows a reluctant bride and her two best friends, all of whom are tired of the way society mistreats women. Together, they devise a plan to steal all the gift money on the wedding day. This debut novel is joyous, indulgent, immensely clever, and a delightful romp through the world of the elite. Wan's writing sparkles with humor and heart, making it a must-read for anyone looking for a fresh and entertaining story.

A whirlwind ride about three friends in Shanghai who decide to steal one of the friend's wedding money and abscond with it to achieve their dreams. This was a really in-depth look at the different pressures placed on women and their role in contemporary Chinese society. Each of the three women (Lulu, Rina, and Jane) were all very fleshed out and their insecurities and anxieties were very believable. I loved watching them all work through their doubts about themselves and really come into their own.

I would have loved more crazy heist antics, but this was still very enjoyable!

After a short whirlwind romance, Lulu is engaged to be married to one of Shangai's wealthiest bachelors, Harv. By marrying into his family, she will be able to provide for her parents, who face many hardships, for years to come, but is it worth her own unhappiness? Lulu's two best friends, Jane and Rina, are also in need of extra cash. Jane struggles with her self-image and is in need of a little extra money to afford extensive plastic surgery to help build her confidence. At the same time, Rina, a workaholic trying to climb her way up the company ladder, wants to invest in her future by freezing her eggs. Knowing that Harv's family's friends will give money generously at their wedding, Lulu, Jane, and Rina decide to take advantage of the situation by planning a heist to steal the money in pursuit of their happiness. Will their plans play out in their favor, or will it all come crashing down?

This was a fun and lighthearted read! I loved the theme of female friendship and found myself rooting for the characters to find their happy ending. I also really enjoyed learning more about Chinese culture and wedding traditions. One thing I did not love was the pacing. The first half of the book moved very quickly through the months leading up to the wedding (each chapter was a new month). I felt like I was missing something because of how fast the author moved on to the next month. The second half of the book focused primarily on the night of the wedding and heist, which made that part feel like it went on forever compared to the beginning. Parts of the heist also felt messy. It was hard to track who was involved in what, but it could have just been the author's intention to try and trick the reader. Overall, I liked this book and still thought it was a good read. It was somewhat of a cross between Crazy Rich Asians and Ocean's 8. This is Sophie Wan's debut book, and I look forward to reading more of her books in the future. I give it 3.5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion!

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC!

A wedding heist by the bride and her two best friends… can it be done? Lulu is engaged to one of the most eligible and rich bachelors in China, Harv. Harv’s family is expecting him to marry and have kids so that he can continue his family name, while Lulu’s family (namely her mother) wants her to marry rich so that they are taken care of for life. Harv’s mother treats Lulu awfully and is very controlling, while Harv’s dad treats Harv like a child. Lulu’s own mother is out for what best suits her and is all about what Lulu can give her rather than appreciating her for who she is and what Lulu might want in life.

Lulu’s two best friends realize that Lulu does not want to marry Harv, essentially because she didn’t have a choice and because it will not be for love. Rina and Jane come up with a plan to steal all of the red envelopes stuffed with money at Lulu & Harv’s wedding, split the money three ways, and each get what they most desire.

Months of plotting, planning, lying, scheming, and hilarious antics that set the girls up for a wild ride to the wedding.

I would ideally give this book 3.5 stars, but rounded up to 4. The novel was fast and slow paced at the same time. The POV hopping made the characters have more depth and as the reader, you could see all of their internal struggles with the heist and what bothered them about the life they had.

This book is a really interesting read. The focus on living the life that you want vs what those expect of you is challenged by the structural framing of patriarchy (marriage, beauty, and wealth). However, friendship and the desire to create a life that you would like to try to disrupt the oppressive dynamics of this friend group.

Counterfeit meets Crazy Rich Asians in this funny, heartfelt debut novel.

Read it if you like:

🕴 Heist tropes
💞 Strong female friendships
✨️ Lighthearted reads

Women of Good Fortune's core is a high-society wedding between Lulu, a girl from a humble background, and Harv, Shanghai's most eligible (and crazy rich) bachelor.

Despite Harv's wealth, Lulu doesn't want to get married and confides in her two best friends, Jane and Rina.🧡

Jane and Rina have struggles of their own, but they all need money to fulfill their dreams. The solution is simple - the three agree on stealing Lulu's wedding gifts and disappear.

Wan's narrative is so lighthearted and funny, even though the novel touches on heavy teams such as meeting a demanding's family expectations, struggling with career growth as a woman, and navigating an unhappy marriage. ✨️

It also gives us a glimpse of Asian culture, which is wonderful to discover if you have a different cultural background.

Parts of the book felt a little flat for me, and I didn't like Jane too much (for reasons you'll discover if you decide to give this book a chance).

Overall, Women of Good Fortune is a fast and fun read!

Thank you Graydon House, Sophie Wan, and NetGalley for this e-ARC. All opinions are my own.

**Review originally published on Instagram on March, 4, 2024.**

DNF @ 46%.

Thank you so much @htpbooks @netgalley for the ARC/e-ARC of this one. While on paper this one sounded so much fun (Crazy Rich Asians meets Oceans Eleven), unfortunately the execution just didn’t quite click for me. The setting was by far my favorite part - I haven’t read many books set in China and I loved the look at both Shanghai and the culture and difficulties faced by women. I thought the main characters and their relationship with each other was underdeveloped so then the quick leap to the heist didn’t make sense to me. The pacing just feels off and at almost halfway, I’m not feeling invested in the story at all and have decided to move on.

This was a lighthearted, fun and easy read! A
book about a heist isn’t something I would usually gravitate towards, but it was nice to read something a little different! I enjoyed the themes of strong female friendships, but the story lacked some of the depth needed in order to make it a 4 or 5 star read for me.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the e-ARC of this book.

Lulu moved to Shanghai to find a better life and now is getting married to the most eligible bachelor in Shanghai, because he asked, and she felt she had to say yes. Her friends have decided to save her from a loveless marriage and make themselves rich in the process by planning a wedding heist - they will steal all the red envelopes at the wedding and plan Lulu’s escape. Now the social event of the season is also going to be the biggest heist of the year if the three women and can pull it off.

I thought this would be a fun read but much of the book was weirdly sloggy and a bit boring. It definitely picked up during the wedding scenes but the relationships and characters never really felt fleshed out for me and were pretty unlikable in general. There was some interesting parts regarding life in Shanghai and I really liked the dynamic between the best man and one of the friends but in general, the book fell a bit flat for me.

3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC to review

"Women of Good Fortune" is a debut contemporary novel set in Shanghai, where three very different Chinese women plot an elaborate wedding heist in the hopes of starting new lives. Rina, Jane, and Lulu are all stuck in lives they don’t want. Lulu is expected to marry a rich man to help out her family. Jane keeps getting passed over at work no matter how hard she works. Rina is stuck in a loveless marriage and she wants out. All three of them devise a plan to steal the gift money from Lulu’s wedding and start new lives.
I had so much fun reading this book. It’s fast-paced, funny, and over the top. It reminded me a bit of the Finlay Donovan series, you will definitely need to suspend your disbelief in some areas as the plot is exciting and ridiculous (in a good way).
I also loved the focus on the friendship of these three gals. The ways in which they support each other and also the individual character growths they each had.
My very small qualm with the book is the beginning. Initially, the characters felt a bit like caricatures but that was easily resolved by the end.

Thank you to Netgalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Graydon House for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Name of the publication/blog/outlet where your review will be published/posted: Instagram
Run date for when the review will be posted/published: 3/3/24
A link to your review, if available, so the publisher can share your review (note: click the link icon): https://www.instagram.com/p/C4El9CaLAcU/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Review:
PUBLISHING MARCH 5 (just two more days!!)

Thank you @netgalley and @harlequin for this advanced readers copy! Women of Good Fortune is about three friends who decide to pull off a heist in order to get what they think they've always wanted. This is a mix of Crazy Rich Asians if it also featured a female heist story. That said, this was more than a fun book about a heist. At the core, it was a story about the sacrifices of being female in a male dominated society and how friendships can be just as tough as romantic relationships at times. Women of Good Fortune had moments of lightheartedness and vanity mixed with tender, touching moments between the main characters. I related to each of the main women in the book in different ways throughout the read. Something I really appreciated was the character and relational development between the characters throughout the book. A fast, fun read!

Women of Good Fortune takes place in Shanghai and focuses on the lives and friendship of three 30-something women, Rina, Lulu, and Jane. All have something they want and the only way they can get it is by stealing the money from Lulu’s wedding.

I really enjoyed learning about Chinese culture in this book. We see how society feels about women who are unmarried in their 30s, how women are treated in the workforce, and the relationship between parents and children.

Other than that, I personally was not a fan of the story and had a hard time connecting to the characters. I found most of them to be a bit selfish and found myself getting frustrated. I kept hoping the story would get better and, though I somewhat enjoyed the heist bits, it never really enjoyed it.

I will say I liked seeing how the characters and relationships between people changed from the beginning of the story to the end.

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Women of Good Fortune releases March 5, 2024

2.5

Set in Shanghai, Wan’s debut tackles socioeconomics and the societal expectations and pressures for women to get married by a certain age, while layering the intricate pieces that are required to plan a heist.

Told in alternating pov’s, we have three friends: Lulu, Rina, and Jade.
Lulu has just been proposed to by Shanghai’s most eligible and wealthy bachelor. Their wedding is set to happen in the next 10 months, though she’s not too eager to be married at all. Being born a girl during China’s one child policy has left her with lingering guilt her whole life, so she goes through with the engagement in order to be able to provide for her family.
Jane has grown up believing she’s not pretty and has an obsession with designer items and clothing. She’s been married for 6 months but isn’t happy because her husband didn’t settle based on her looks, so she wants a divorce. In order for that to happen, she believes that she needs to undergo plastic surgery.
Rina is Lulu’s roommate and a career-focused woman. At 32 years of age, her goal is to travel to the US to freeze her eggs, but her timeline has been derailed when she doesn’t get the promotion she was working so hard for.

With 8 months to go until Lulu’s wedding, the three friends come up with the elaborate idea to pull off a heist at her wedding where they’ll steal all of the red envelopes filled with money that are given as wedding gifts.

The characters were insufferable and not fleshed out enough. I wanted more insight and details pertaining to the planning of both the wedding and the heist.
Lulu’s wedding with Harv was supposed to be the biggest and most extravagant wedding of the year, and it just did not come across that way.
The ace rep felt like a forced diversity check box.
Also, I don’t want to say the Chinese incorporated was incorrect per say, but it definitely didn’t read the most natural.

Thank you to Sophie Wan, Graydon House, and NetGalley for pre-approving me to receive an electrical Advanced Review Copy of Women of Good Fortune. All opinions mentioned in this review are my own.

The strength of Wan's debut novel lies in its well-developed characters and sharp dialogue. Lulu, Jane, and Rina each bring their own unique perspectives and struggles to the table, and watching their friendship evolve throughout the story is both heartwarming and engaging. Wan skillfully explores themes of family, ambition, and self-discovery, making the characters' journeys feel relatable and authentic.

I particularly enjoyed the insight into contemporary Chinese society and culture that Wan provides. From traditional customs to modern-day dilemmas, the novel offers a fascinating glimpse into the lives of its characters and the world they inhabit. Additionally, Wan's clever use of time stamps and character voices keeps the story organized and easy to follow, despite its multiple viewpoints.

While "Women of Good Fortune" is primarily a light-hearted romp, it also touches on deeper issues such as sexism, classism, and societal pressure. These themes add depth to the story without weighing it down, making it a thought-provoking and enjoyable read for readers of all backgrounds.

Overall, "Women of Good Fortune" is a charming and well-crafted debut that is sure to delight fans of contemporary fiction. With its engaging characters, witty dialogue, and insightful commentary, it's a book that's hard to put down. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fun and thought-provoking read.

Review to post on duffRUNStough.com on March 4th. One day before release date.

Women of Good Fortune follows three unhappy friends through their lives in Shangai. Lulu grew up poor and thinks her best opportunity is to marry a rich socialite. Rina has her focus laser set on promoting in her current job and Jane is a brand-obsessed woman desperate to divorce her husband. The women suddenly see Lulu's wedding as a way out of their depressing lives. The woman plot to steal the wedding money from Lulu's wedding and start a new.

This was a really fun read- it showed the complexities of female friendships and finding the balance of making yourself and those around you happy.

A fun, frothy read reminiscent of “Sex and the City” combined with the cultural context of “Counterfeit.” I particularly enjoyed the author’s descriptions of the setting (Shanghai) and its quirks. The ending felt fairly tidy but still satisfying.

I’m here to rave about this book for forever and a day! Perfect for fans of Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan and Counterfeit by Kristin Chen (two of my all time fave books) when I tell you this book was smart and ohhhh so funny👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 BRAVO!

5.0⭐️

⭐️WOMEN OF GOOD FORTUNE out MARCH 5TH⭐️

Thank you @graydonhousebooks @htpbooks @htp_hive for the review copy for my honest review❤️

#womenofgoodfortune #sophiewan #graydonhousebooks #htpbooks #htphive #htppartner


See my review here: https://www.instagram.com/p/C4BcmrLLvLq/?igsh=MTZ5bDU5Y29wNGE1aA==

Women of Good Fortune is Women's Fiction. It's set in Shanghai and follows 3 unhappy friends: Lulu, Jane and Rina.

Lulu is getting married to a rich man with a controlling mother. The book starts 10 months before the wedding.

Lulu really feels pressured to get married. Rina is a workaholic who is constantly being passed over for promotions at work. And Jane is a housewife whose husband won't give her the luxury lifestyle that she desperately wants.

The three women plan a heist. This book took me a long time until I felt invested in the story. I only really enjoyed it once the wedding was taking place. It was interesting to see the development of each romantic relationship. And some of it was definitely funny.

I really enjoyed the Asian rep. I liked the premise. And the cover is amazing! And I did end up liking the end. Just moved to slowly until they got to the wedding.

Lulu and her two dearest friends are utterly exasperated with the way women are perceived and treated by society and their own families. As a result, they hatch a daring plot to steal all the cash gifts at Lulu's upcoming wedding. With the money, they each can take control of their lives and enjoy the financial independence they had been seeking. The trio has been meticulously planning their heist for weeks. The question now is, will their preparations pay off? Will they be able to execute the heist with precision and get away with the stolen money?

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Graydon House for this e-arc.*

Women of Good Fortune by Sophie Wan is a fun and entertaining novel about three best friends who plan an elaborate wedding heist.

Told in three character POV, this novel is full of friendship, romance, and women supporting women.

This is a total gem gem of a book