I was really excited about this book, and it started off great. I thought very witty, and I was really enjoying the main character, but I had some trouble with the switch between 1st and 3rd person POV. I thought some of the book was a little over the top, but I liked the ending and how everything wrapped up so I would say this was an average read for me.

Margo is nineteen, having an affair with her college professor, and working as a waitress at a local diner. She never would have thought that her professor, Mark, would knock her up then try to convince her to get rid of it.

Margo believes she needs to have this child and gives birth to her son, Bodhi. Everyone told her she wasn’t ready, but she didn’t listen. Now she’s unemployed, barely scraping by, and everyone around her has turned a blind eye. Daycares are full, she’s lost all help and doesn’t know where to turn until her father brings up his wrestling days and how one of his friends has an OnlyFans profile. Curiously Margo does some research and decides that OnlyFans would be the only way for her to earn money, work from home, and be able to care for Bodhi.

I had no idea what I was getting into when I started this book, but now I feel like I’ve gained some unwanted knowledge about how OnlyFans works and how realistic WWE performances are portrayed. This story was humorous, entertaining, and I rooted for Margo when her life was getting tough. All the characters were likable, except for creepy Mark, and I loved being apart of Margo’s story.

What an emotional rollercoaster of a book. You will laugh, you will cry, you will find yourself rooting for the main character throughout the entire book. This book is all over the place in what actually happens - it adds to the charm and in ways realistic nature of the main character. When a brief affair with her professor ends with a baby, 20 year old Margo finds herself struggling with a newborn. When she turns to Only Fans to make money and be home for her son and the support of her dad, she never expects to become so successful. I loved the realistic challenges portrayed, the relationships surrounding a young, single mother and the entertaining parts mixed in with the difficult parts of life. My main issue with the book was that it switched between 3rd person and 1st person perspective, which really bothered me for some reason. Overall, a cute, entertaining book that will make you feel for the characters.
Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

Happy release day!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Willam Morrow Publishing for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review

Overall, there were things I really liked about this book and then things I did not like. I thought it was a unique and interesting premise, and I enjoyed the complexities of Margo’s character and her development. I also enjoyed the commentary about sex work and women’s sexuality. I feel that this was falsely advertised as a comedy because while
unique and interesting, it was most definitely not funny. My expectations were more skewed towards comedy, which made it more difficult for me to enjoy because it was not what I would have expected. I think it would’ve been more enjoyable if advertised as a drama or women’s fiction. I also feel that the occasional perspective shifts and narration changes were inconsistent and confusing and did not add anything to the story. I loved the character of Jinx, one of my favorite parts. Will probably be thinking about it for a while

THIS BOOK!

First of all, can we just appreciate this vibrant and fun cover? One of my faves of the year!

I went into this book a bit trepidatiously - I saw so many early rave reviews and then read the synopsis and was like what?? A young adult who has an affair with her college professor, gets pregnant, has money issues and starts an OnlyFans page, and ends up living with her washed up ex-WWE wrestler dad? How is this a 5 star read???

Well.....it is! The VOICE of this novel (and I don't mind literal voice, I read this with my eyeballs) is so unique! This is my first Rufi Thorpe book and I truly cannot compare her writing or characters to any others I have read. Her characters are so over the top but grounded in reality - I don't know how she did it. How did I end up caring so much about these characters and what would happen to them. This book was hilarious and moving at the same time - sometimes in the same sentence! I fell in love with Margo and her father Jinx and was so invested in their broken yet beautiful relationship.

There's also a very difficult and messed up dynamic between Margo and her mother - a former Hooters waitress, now engaged to a very odd and religious man, who has changed her ways and now has many many opinions about Margo's lifestyle. This relationship was very layered and I found myself on numerous occasions wanting to smack the mom across the face.

I don't really know how to put into words how I felt about this one. I really loved it. Just give it a chance - go in not knowing much and have an open mind with the whole OnlyFans thing. If that aspect of it would turn you off, I promise it will actually have you laughing out loud and caring so much for Margo (and her sweet roommate and her hilarious new OnlyFans friends) and also defending that she is a GREAT mother even if her profession might make people think otherwise.

I loved every minute of this weird, quirky, unique book and it will absolutely be on my list of best books in 2024! I heard it is being made into a miniseries starring Elle Fanning and Nicole Kidman and I cannot wait to watch it!

Thank you to Netgalley & William Morrow for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion!

In a summer of buzzy books, MARGO’S GOT MONEY TROUBLES is truly a standout title. Take a scroll through your social media feeds this week and you’d be hard pressed not to find multiple posts praising it — and it IS praise-worthy!

After a six-week affair with her English professor, Margo has found herself alone and pregnant. The only thing she’s certain of is keeping the baby. Everything else, she hopes, will fall into place — and help does come from the most unlikely of sources: a cosplaying roommate, her ex-WWE star father, and OnlyFans.

Within weeks Margot is seeing her follower count double, triple. And she’s making more money than she ever thought possible. Though it’s not the life she had imagined, Margot and Bodhi are making their way just fine. But when Mark suddenly decides he wants custody of the child he never met (claiming Margo’s career will irreparably harm his son), Margo’s thrown into a tailspin.

All those posts, all the blurbs and starred reviews lauding this one? Believe them. MARGO is a book absolutely worth the hype. On its surface, a novel about a floundering teen mom dealing with the aftermath of an affair with her teacher might not seem like a summery read — but it’s so much more. There’s character growth in spades, found family, love in all its forms, fun wrestling behind-the-scenes and Easter eggs (thought readers who weren’t around for the Monday Night Wars won’t find themselves lost).

Though there were times the book felt longer than its barely 300-page length, I was fully there every step of the way. Thorpe continues her literary rise and I can’t wait to see what she does next! Be the coolest person in your friend group and get yourself a copy of this book now!

This book was hard for me to get into but once i was in a few chapters, it hooked me. It was not what i thought it was at all. It made me think about my preconceptions. I do not know how i would have handled her life with a baby and not much help. I ended up really liking Margo and how she was able to come up with a way to support her kid and still be a good mother. I think this is a good read and encourage you to try this book. It was really unexpected.

I had a free ARC copy from net galley for an unbiased opinion.

This was such a unique and fun read, that I truly wasn't expecting. I didn't read a lot about this book before diving into it, so the topics took me a bit by surprise. The pace of the first half kept me highly engaged and interested, while the second half dragged a bit for me. I was absolutely engaged enough to finish it out, but I missed the humor and pace of the beginning.

Highlights of this book for me were the unique grown child/parent relationships, the emphasis on how hard we make it for moms to have a career, and a glimpse into the world of social media and why these moms may be drawn into it. My favorite part was the humor of the author- this book has me laughing aloud throughout, and rooting for the main character. This was a thoughtful and creative read and I look forward to what this author writes next!

This was my favorite book of the year so far. I loved Margo's story and it is a definite re-read for me!

I read 50% of this straight through on a road trip and then decided to take a break. But once I was reading something else, I found myself missing the story and now that it's over, I miss it even more. It wasn't exactly what I expected and from the reviews it seemed like it would be most laugh at loud funny but I wound up really enjoying it. Love Jinx despite his shortcomings. Margo is frustrating but you still want to keep rooting for her. Excited to check out more from this author.

This is a hard novel to describe. The promo summary, along the lines of “twenty-year-old single mom Margo starts an OnlyFans while her ex-pro-wrestler opoid-addicted dad helps with childcare,” makes the story seem more sensationalistic than it is. Mostly it isn't about drugs or porn, but the authenticity of human connection. Between Margo and her father, who has always spent most of his money and time on the children he shares with his wife. Between Margo and her mother, neither of whom want to admit how similar they are. Between Margo and the baby’s father; between Margo and her fans.

The book is full of meta-commentary, moments when Margo's narration shifts from third to first person so Margo can comment in retrospect on her own story and, very often, her naivete and youth. But even Margo’s older voice feels innocent (in fact, if she is commenting now on these events of 2018 and 2019, she is all of 26). Maybe because of this, or maybe because of all the unfair obstacles she is forced to overcome, I found myself frequently flinching from this story, putting it down and reading something else. But I'm very glad I finished it, because the narration is powerful, the second half is faster-paced and more interesting than the first, and the ending is satisfying.

Fantastic narration by Elle Fanning on the audiobook! Laugh out loud funny story that has you rooting for Margo and all the circumstances she overcomes to find herself, her people and her true calling.

THe details provided truly bring you into the complicated life that Margo is living. She's wise yet immature. She's funny and bold, and most importantly such a good person with good intentions and a huge heart. She does everything she can with the situation she's in, and makes us laugh throughout!

What a delightfully odd but heartfelt coming-of-age story. You can’t help but root for Margo, a naive young woman who finds herself pregnant after a brief affair with her English professor. Completely unprepared for motherhood and its accompanying financial hardships in this hellscape of a country with no paid parental leave or meaningful resources (seriously, tell me this is not a subtle but scathing social commentary on the state of our nation), Margo turns to OnlyFans to generate income and much hilarity ensues. Don’t let the humor fool you though - this book is full of tender moments and genuine connection between characters, my favorite of which involve Margo’s ex-professional wrestler father who shows up on her doorstep straight from rehab. The more I reflect on this one, the more I like it. 4.5 stars - highly recommend.

Pub Date: 6/11/24
Review Published: 6/11/24
eARC received from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so much fun to read! There were so many things I loved about this book.

I loved Margo’s journey throughout the book. She figured out who she is as a woman and also as a mother and it was such a beautiful transformation.

There were so many wrestling references in this book and it made my wrestling fan heart so happy! I really liked Margo’s dad. Even though he struggled with his own demons he was there for Margo and Bodhi and always did what was best for them.

I really liked how the author approached some of the deep hard topics in this book such as the teacher/student relationship, drug addiction, and even sex work. This book was very well written and approached the subjects without making the atmosphere of the book become so dark.

I definitely look forward to more from this author.

Wow. Wow. WOW am I glad I decided to read this one! This will definitely be in my top reads of 2024!

I loved every single thing about this book! It surprised me in all the best ways and it was one of those rare gems that I just did not want to end. This really surprised me because I actually opted not to read it... but then I saw it was a BOTM pick AND I got an audio copy from Libro.fm (thank you!) and after seeing a few glowing reviews decided I'd give it a go. I had already fallen in love with it (less than halfway through) when I learned that Apple TV picked it up and hot dang I am excited!!

I listened to this novel on audio and the narrator - Elle Fanning - was spectacular. She was so, so perfect for the role of Margo and I'm not sure an audiobook has ever felt so natural to me.

The characters in this novel are perfection. They are developed just enough, there are just the right amount, and they are the right level of quirky and relatable while also feeling entertaining and fictional.

Margo was a gem of a protagonist. She was young but this didn't read like YA at all which was a plus for me and her age didn't often feel like a factor except when you considered how people took advantage of her and some of her less than excellent choices. But, overall, it was so easy to root for her. She was a wonderful mother and her love for Bowdie permeated through the pages.

Quirky, unique, well written, emotional, and overall just perfection. This book was amazing and I can't recommend highly enough. Thank you to William Morrow, Libro.fm, and NetGalley for the copy.

I absolutely loved everything about this quirky I want to say coming of age novel, but I don’t think that does the book justice.

When Margo, the child of a Hooter’s waitress and a married ex-pro wrestler, ends up pregnant after a brief affair with her community college professor, she decides to keep the baby. Not because she wants a baby, but because she thinks it’s the right thing to do. The professor disagrees. Strongly enough that he disappears from her life and leaves 19-year-old Margo on her own with a new baby.

There was a real brilliance in the writing of this book on many levels. One was the characters. So many of them could have been unlikeable in the hands of another author, but Thorpe somehow brings a humanity to every single one of them. It’s such a generous way to write, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about every quirky, beautifully fleshed out character. The form of the book was also brilliant, written in third person at times when Margo needed to distance herself from actions she thought the reader might judge her for and commenting on the choice. And the themes were also brilliant. The discussion of what is moral and when something crosses over the line into being pornography and who makes those decisions are things I’ll be thinking about for a long time.

Actress Elle Fanning narrates. Sometimes I’m distracted by a celebrity narrator, but Fanning did an amazing job giving voice to Margo. I highly recommend this audiobook. But however you read it, this is a book that will stick with you.

It is so difficult for me to find a truly funny novel that makes me belly laugh. Thankfully this book is as advertised: funny, heart breaking, heartwarming, and surprisingly page turning. I loved the character of Margo and the supporting characters. The author brought them to life with such nuance and humor. In the running for my favorite book of the year.

I went into this book COMPLETELY blind and boy am I glad that was how I approached it. Was I completely thrown off in the first few chapters, as the reader is thrown into Margo's wild, slightly heartbreaking life? Absolutely. But I almost enjoyed the shock of not knowing what to expect from this book and enjoying every second of this wild ride.

Margo is a college student who starts having an affair with her English professor after he comes onto her. A few weeks later, she is pregnant with his baby. Despite being a poor college student with very little family support, Margo decides to keep the baby and become a single mother. Very quickly, this monumental decision uproots Margo's entire life. While she is hopelessly in love with her son, Margo quickly realizes that she doesn't have the finances, or the support to take care of a baby. She drops out of college, she gets fired from her job, her roommates move out, and suddenly Margo is stuck with a few things: her WWE famous wrestler, drug-addict dad, and OnlyFans.

The premise of this book was so unbelievably unique and fresh. It followed so many themes I wouldn't normally think would work well in a book or that I would be drawn to read, but it was done so well. I found myself falling trap with so many stereotypes of the different characters, and then navigating complex situations with Margo. Margo was such a weird, brave, caring woman and I loved seeing her come into herself and grow as a mother, a daughter, and a human. I found myself laughing out loud so many times throughout this book and truly could not put it down. At no time did I know what would happen next, and as Margo's life panned out in the most bizarre ways, I realized how this is a story reflecting what so many young woman go through. It was truly inspiring and freeing to read about Margo's choices, her attitude to life, and the way she chose to right her mistakes yet continue being unashamedly herself.

Everything about this book was so fun, beyond engaging, and will leave me thinking about this book for a long time to come. Thank you so much to William Morrow and NetGalley for providing me with this advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review!!

This is such a good story. Margo has an affair with her married 37 year old English professor which ends upon her finding herself pregnant. Deciding to keep the baby without resources or prospects, Margo’s got money troubles.
What Margo also has is the ability to really see people as they are, and although naive- a rare ingenuity. This book has questionable decisions and laugh out loud moments with an assortment of quirky side characters. If you are a fan of Kevin Wilson or are not bothered by irreverence, read this. Actually 4.5 stars for me and thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins.

This is my first Rupi Thorpe novel, and once I finished, I immediately wanted to dive in to her backlist. Margo’s Got Money Troubles follows Margo Millet – a young woman who, after an affair with her college English professor, gets pregnant and ends up alone with an infant to care for. Desperate for cash, Margo decides to start an OnlyFans page, creating a persona and becoming a major success.

I really enjoyed following Margo’s journey in this novel. She was such a compelling character. It helped that she was surrounded by an interesting and quirky ensemble of characters, including her wrestler father Jinx. My favorite aspect of this novel was the writing. Thorpe has such an engaging writing style, and I was totally sucked in by the opening paragraph. If you like Diablo Cody movies, I think you’d like this novel.