Enjoyable with some interesting plot details - compassionate POV For multiple very different characters (teen mom needing to make money somehow, bad dad seeking second chances, super conservative Christian boyfriend trying to handle things well…).

4.25 stars

Margo's Got Money Troubles was my first Rufi Thorpe novel and after finishing it, it will definitely not be my last. I wasn't expecting to enjoy this as much as I did because I didn't know how I could ever relate to a 20-year-old who got pregnant via her college professor, kept the baby, started an OnlyFans, and lived with her ex-pro-wrestler dad. But somehow I did relate to her despite having almost no similarities and I think that was exactly the point.

Margo was in a position that was uniquely her own and although I'm sure women out there have gone through similar struggles, I am not one of them. That being said, I was rooting for Margo through every mistake, every naivete, through all the good and all the bad. She made me laugh, she made me want to cry, and she showed me how to be wholly empathetic to a situation I will never find myself in.

Thorpe's prose was enchanting, to say the least. I was intrigued from the first page and eventually finished the majority of the book in one sitting because I couldn't put it down. It wasn't only Margo's story that I found myself so involved with - it was her dad, Jinx, and her roommate, Suzie, and the boy from the OnlyFans website, JB, and even Bodhi himself despite having no interest in having children of my own.

Margo and her complicated story had so much heart that I was disappointed to see it end. Thorpe did a wonderful job leaving the story where it was and allowing the audience to make assumptions of their own about the rest of Margo's life. I wouldn't call it an ambiguous ending because it wasn't open-ended more than it was left off in present tense, giving the audience the chance to see the direction it was taking, but nothing more specific than that - an ending I find perfectly suitable to the style of the rest of the book.

I loved this. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good read, anyone who feels lost, anyone who needs to see how horrible life can be sometimes, and anyone who knows that their life may not be what they wanted but that it's the cards they were dealt and they'll have to figure out where it takes them anyway.

Thank you to Willam Morrow and NetGalley for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars. I typically do not read books like this, but I am glad I decided to read this one because I did enjoy it. Margo is a 20-year-old unwed mother (she had an affair with her English professor while a student in her local junior college) who is struggling financially but does her best to help herself and her infant son survive. She is ambitious and resourceful, even when in the midst of a custody battle for her son. This is a heartwarming, sort of coming-of-age story, one replete with quite a few laugh-out-loud moments. Margo is simply a delightful character, one that I am glad to have gotten to know.

Knocked up by her college professor, nineteen year old Margo finds herself all alone with a new baby. With no support network to help with the care of little Bodhi, life is proving to be very difficult for Margo. Margo is bodacious; she’s intelligent, resourceful, creative, and an excellent mother. She’s trying so hard. She’ll have to overcome one obstacle after another if she’s going to be able to care for herself and her baby. Told with humor and charm, this is a wonderful heartfelt story about family and the many dilemmas facing young mothers. 4.25 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the digital review copy.

This book falls into the "messy twenty-something" category, as we follow along with Margo. After a brief affair with a college professor, she winds up pregnant - and decides to keep the baby. Everyone warns her it will ruin her life, but she goes through with it anyway... only to come up against all the ways society isn't set up to support a single mother like her.

With the synopsis out of the way, let's dive right into my review of Margo's Got Money Troubles!

What I Liked About Margo's Got Money Troubles

Thorpe plays with point of view in a really interesting way here, with our first-person narrator stepping in occasionally to explain why certain parts of the story simply must be told in the third person. Throughout the book, we flip between first person and third person, and somehow, it just works.

Margo is somehow relatable even as she makes questionable choices and tries to rationalize them. She feels like a real, complicated character in the best way, even if her own narration sometimes calls her reliability as a narrator into question.

The subtle, wry humor throughout the book makes it enjoyable to read even as you're stressed out for the ways in which Margo's life is threatening to fall apart.

Thorpe also resists lining her characters into easy columns of good and evil, painting most of the main characters with nuance and complexity. They make bad choices, but they are rarely portrayed as doing so simply because they are evil or bad. Instead, we come to understand their humanity, even if we might not want to.

What I Didn't Like About Margo's Got Money Troubles

Honestly, this was a five-star read for me, and I don't have any major complaints with the book. I will say that, like most books these days, the ending felt like it came together a bit quickly. But, at the same time, it's not a neat bow so much as a slight indication that things might be better - for now.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Margo's Got Money Troubles is a must-read if you love the hot mess 20-something genre, particularly if you're looking for a book that does interesting things with perspective and storytelling. I absolutely loved the wild ride, even if it was stressful at times.

Brilliant storytelling by Rufi Thorpe!

This book was fun, heartfelt, quirky, and most of all, very relatable... I truly loved it! I was drawn into Margo's life right from the start, and I was rooting for her every step of the way. Margo not only struggles with being a single teen mom, but she also struggles with finding her place in this world. Follow her on a journey of self discovery and financial stability.

Rufi Thorpe has a new fan in me!

Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe delighted and surprised me in the best way possible. The writing style and wit was amazing. Thorpe has such a unique voice, and this is a book I won't soon forget. I fell in love with Margo, Jinx, Bodie, and the whole crew. I ended up rooting for the characters and hope that somewhere in the multiverse, they are all doing okay.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

Margo is twenty with a baby. Although she’s estranged from her father, a retired professional pro wrester, he comes back into her life, moving in with her in exchange for childcare. Using her father’s wrestling advice, Margo begins an OnlyFans page that takes off. I so wanted to love this book. I think this is the first time I felt “too old” for a particular book. I read young adult novels sometimes, so it’s not the subject matter, I just couldn’t connect with or relate to Margo in a way that the book wanted me to. I think this happens with books that are so rooted in the world of the Internet. I am sure this novel will be a better match for a different kind of reader.

Honestly, this was very close to a DNF for me. The narration of this book was very juvenile. Yes, I get that Margo is very young, and has been lured into an unethical sexual relationship with her professor that resulted in a pregnancy and baby, but it was just so hard to stay with her through all of her troubles, money and everything else.. There is both first person and third person narration, which is jarring. And there’s a lot of wink wink nod nod at the reader. It wears on me. The plot is pretty original—Margo’s dad is a drug addicted wrestling fan, and she learns from him how to think about acting and making money, which is how she ends up wildly successful on OnlyFans. I was hoping that at the end, I would have seen Margo grow up a bit, but honestly, she’s the same. She figures out how to take care of her son and continue making money, but only with the help of JB, who is a bit of a puppy person following her around. I get that so many love this book and called it witty and clever, but it just KNOWS it’s supposed to be witty and clever. I had a hard time with it.


Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review,

What a fun, refreshing story! When Margo finds herself pregnant after sleeping with her English professor, she has to figure out a way to support herself and the baby. and her unconventional line of work on Only Fans made me alternately cringe and laugh out loud. You might not agree with her choices, but she did what worked best for her and her baby. This quirky book takes the reader on a roller coaster ride as Margo navigates her situation. As you might imagine, there are lots of interesting characters--her father is a former WWE wrestler-- and the pages practically turned themselves.

It's hard not to hope that Margo comes out ok in this novel. She's a college student who get pregnant with her married professor's baby and keeps the baby. She supports herself by joining Only Fans. Add in her former pro wrestler dad and former Hooters waitress mom and it sounds like a comedy but it really isn't. It's a good read.

Margo finds herself pregnant at 19 after a whirlwind affair with her married English professor. She decides to keep the baby despite everyone she knows telling her that it will ruin her life. Things are certainly hard when little Bodhi enters her life, but she has zero regrets about having him and is determined to raise him herself. It's looking grim until a random comment by her recently returned and retired professional wrestler dad leads Margo into the world of OnlyFans and a whole lot of new problems come up. But it's nothing determined Margo can't handle as long as she keeps doing her hardest and trusting in herself.

It's a very simple story full of complex characters and complicated topics. Margo is very straightforward in her thinking and actions so it's interesting to see the complicated people she has to deal with in her quest to being able to raise Bodhi and having enough money to do it. Her decision to start an OnlyFans is almost an afterthought to her dire need of money, but the way she fights not to let others shame her for it and the way she takes ownership of her "character" and what she puts out there is downright inspiring. You spend the majority of the book rooting for her to do what she wants becuase the only one who should have a say in it is her. I loved that.

I did have some trouble at first with the way the book is written because the voice jumps from first-person to third-person and I-don't-know-what-person, but there's a reason for it and I eventually got used to the unusual narrative structure. I guess I understand why Thorpe chose to tell the story that way, but it almost made me give up on the great story of Margo. I feel like the story is enjoyable beyond needing the extra detail of how it's told if that makes any sense.

Overall, I really enjoyed seeing Margo grow into herself and find that she can be who she wants and not let what others think define her or how she lives her life.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the intriguing read!

Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe was such a blast!
The story is funny and oh so clever.
The writing was smart and fun. I devoured it and was sad to see it end.
I thought the characters were quirky and interesting.
I will definitely be picking up this authors next upcoming title.

Thank You NetGalley and William Morrow for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Margo has had a rough year. When she finds herself pregnant (with her English teacher’s baby), she realizes her current waitressing job isn’t exactly conducive to finding reliable childcare. On top of that, two of her roommates have moved out, and her estranged father has shown up on her doorstep.
So Margo decides to get creative, and signs up for Only Fans. This is a story about a fierce woman sticking up for herself and for her child, facing expected and unexpected obstacles along the way. It was comical, heartbreaking, intriguing, and devastating all at once. Fantastic book.

This is book was just my flavor. The perfect balance of humor and trauma. Everything didn’t get wrapped up in a neat little unrealistic bow, but things were handled. This was great. Margo was a fascinating and inspiring FMC. I honestly have no negative notes. This was easily digestible, flowed extremely well, and kept my interest from start to finish. I kind of hope there’s a sequel with JB and Ghost Ink??

Ps I hope mom rots

Thanks so much to NetGalley and William Morrow for the eGalley.

This was my first from Rufi Thorpe but it absolutely will not be my last. I really enjoyed her writing style and voice. I loved how the narrative switched between first and third person omniscient. I thought this was so refreshing and made the story even more compelling. It was ridiculous and funny and also tender. I really appreciate when authors can explore serious topics with humor. I found some parts of the story hard to believe (such as the fact that Margo didn’t consider childcare for the entire nine months of her pregnancy) 😂. However, I had to remind myself that she was 19 at times and of how naive I was at that age.

I appreciate how Thorpe is attempting to attack the stigma of sex work/OF as well as addiction. I don’t know that I agree 100% with the messages but it was definitely thought provoking and made me reconsider a lot I always appreciate when a book can do that. For that and the writing style alone, I give it 4 stars! Also, the narration by Elle Fanning on audio was fantastic 👌🏼

I'm giving this one 4.5 stars, and am torn on rounding up or rounding down, hopefully by the end of this review I'll have my decision.

I went into this almost totally blind, I knew it was about a 19 year old who gets pregnant after an affair with her professor, but some how missed the entire OnlyFans part. My critical reading skills were really on point here. Anyway, I really ended up loving this story. There's so much growth in Margo, going from some dumb 19 year old kid who basically keeps her kid because her mom and the professor said it'd be a stupid thing to do, to figuring out how to be a parent, how to earn an income. I especially loved the relationship between her and her father. While both at times took issue with the actions of the other, and took time to reflect, they continued to support on another. At no time between the two of them did you ever think there wasn't love, it was true unconditional love. You also start to see more sides of Margo's mom, she's definitely got her own issues going on, but by the end I found it harder to hate her for her choices.

The drop in the half star is the writing, it flips back and forth between first person and third person. I think it's really all written in first person as Margo telling us her story, but at times whatever part of the story she's telling us about she has to view her past self as someone else to get the story across. I will say, it took me a good 1/3 or so into the book to get the hang of it. At first, I honestly thought it was two separate people.

I think I've decided on five stars, since that writing style was the only issue I had, and it was clearly done intentionally (based on the English 102 class where she meets the professor), I don't think it justifies a full star demotion. I also flew through this book, if work had gotten in the way I probably would have finished it in a couple days.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!

I think the beginning of this book was a little prescient. It was like the author knew I was not ever going to feel close to this book. It had its moments. It just never grabbed me and I as disappointed by the neatness of it in the end. I enjoyed the perspective on female sexuality. The book was not what I was hoping for. It wasn’t the fun I was hoping to have.

(Thanks to @williammorrowbooks #gifted.) By the time I read 𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗚𝗢’𝗦 𝗚𝗢𝗧 𝗠𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗬 𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗨𝗕𝗟𝗘𝗦 last month, I’d already seen at least 15 reviews and they were ALL positive. That made for some very high expectations, but I’m happy to say Rufi Thorpe easily fulfilled my soaring assumptions in this, her fourth winning book.⁣
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The title really says it all. Margo, a single mom (thanks to her college English professor) is already broke and down when she realizes that the cost of daycare is more than she can possibly make in the type of jobs she’s qualified for. Plus, the thought of leaving her tiny son in the care of others is terrifying. Margo, inspired by her father’s pro wrestling career, takes an unusual path toward financial independence. It doesn’t go smoothly, but what else can she do?⁣
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I think what I loved the most about this book was the rich cast of characters created by Thorpe. The relationship between Margo and her father, Jinx, was so special and so complicated that I absolutely adored it. But, beyond those two, almost every character stood out in one way or another. Together they brought to life what I think is Rufi Thorpe’s most endearing novel to date. Sometimes told in first person, other times in third, the book covered really tough topics. Yes, sometimes Margo’s problems were resolved a little neatly, but there was SO MUCH to love. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫⁣
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“She felt incredibly stupid. For believing him, for having the affair with him, for having a uterus.”⁣
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“How much kindness would mean right now, and how unwilling anyone was to give it. How sacred the baby was to her, and how mundane and irritating the baby was to others. Margo felt so raw and leaking, so mortal, and yet stronger than she’d ever been.”⁣
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“It wasn’t clear to me if Jinx was okay or if I should worry. It was sort of like adopting an exotic pet you had no idea how to care for. Did he have OCD?”

I loved this book! What a romping good time Margo and her crew throw us. So many things going on for Margo and in her face problems that we root for her to overcome. I must now go and read her other two books, see you later.