I thought this book would be laugh out loud funny and I was somewhat wrong. I say somewhat because I did LOL quite hard at some parts. But many parts broke my heart. Margo wasn’t my favorite character in the beginning. I felt that she made many unwise, naive decisions but I think that was the author’s point. None of us make wise decisions all the time. Especially when we’re ages 18-22. In a television show I heard something I will never forget. In an argument a character shouts “ You didn’t make good choices. You had good choices.” The best way I can sum up this book is what happens when you don’t have anyone to help you with those good choices? What happens when almost everyone who should help you doesn’t? By the end of the novel, I was extremely proud of Margo and all the hard choices she had to make by the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Margo’s got money troubles
This was a surprise to me – I wasn’t quite expecting what I got.

Margo finds herself at 20, with a newborn son after an affair with her professor. She learns fast that working and paying rent are not going to be easy. When her previously estranged ex-wrestler father moves in, fighting his drug addiction, and in the process of leaving the family that Margo was never part of, Margo has a lot to deal with.

Witty, though not laugh out loud funny for me, heartwarming, and definitely different, we follow Margo as she turns to OnlyFans and TikTok to pay her bills. We watch as she is judged for her choices, as she makes the best of a bad situation. I was really routing for her, especially when someone told the authorities she was an unfit mother, even though she was so naïve.

I read that there will a TV series and I’m sure it will be a big hit. I can definitely see this translating well to the screen.

I wasn't expecting to love this novel as much as I did, but I'm so glad I read it. The characters felt so real - I didn't want the story to end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free e-copy.

4.5 stars rounded up

Margo's Got Money Troubles is just about perfect as a novel, with a unique storyline, great (beyond great, actually) characters, humor, heartbreak, and a story that shows immense growth in both the relationships and the confidence of the MC. I love a good strong female main character, and through her personal and professional challenges, Margo becomes a very strong woman over the course of the story.

Margo is an exceptional character, and we get to see her growth on so many levels. I loved how her relationship with Jinx evolved, as well as that with Shyanne and with JB. I also loved seeing her grow more confident as a mother, in a very realistic portrayal of the challenges of new motherhood and being a single mom. While I didn't 'laugh out loud' or cry, this book has heart, and made me feel a lot of emotions. It also gave my empathy a workout, with Jinx's addiction, Mark's actions, and the Only Fans work being portrayed in such a way that the reader can understand and empathize with the decisions made.

Although I kind of get the purpose of the occasional perspective shifts in the telling of the story, I wasn't fond of them and I expected to get more clarity through them by the end. I'm not sure that happened, but overall, it was not a deal breaker on my love of this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for the digital ARC of Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe. The opinions in this review are my own.

Margo got knocked up by her professor and is determined to keep the baby, if only because she wants to make her own decision. Her somewhat estranged, former pro-wrestler father reappears and offers to help her. She gets a job as a web cam girl on the website Only Fans. She is new to this kind of social media and promotion and has to learn fast in order to support herself and the baby. Along the way, she finds out more about herself and her family members, as well as who is a true friend.

This is a strange book and will NOT be for everyone. However, I found it fascinating. I knew nothing about this world so what all Margo has to do was so interesting and surprising. I was rooting for her to make it on her own and loved that the author made her an unconventional, yet successful, young mother. The characters are so well drawn, and I just couldn't get enough of this unique and somewhat quirky story. Again, this will not be for some people, but if you want something different and memorable, try this one.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

MARGO’S GOT MONEY TROUBLES
Rufi Thorpe

How hard could it be?

MARGO’S GOT MONEY TROUBLES. She just ended an affair with her professor, dropped out of school, and she finds out she’s going to be short a roommate soon and she'll have to cover their part of the rent.

With more rent due and running out of options, Margo decides to open an ONLYFANS account. She has no idea what she's going to do on it but she thinks it's the key to her current set of problems.

What she couldn't have known was how many other problems would arise given her hasty decision.

This was funny. I laughed out loud several times reading MARGO. The set of characters is fantastic. They are so basic that it's imaginative. The honesty and tartness are refreshing.

The writing is perfect and the pacing is spot on. I had a lot of fun reading it and I think you will too.

Thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow for the advanced copy!

MARGO’S GOT MONEY TROUBLES...⭐⭐⭐⭐

Pros: I first heard about this book on the Bad of Paper Podcast and have heard other book podcasts rave about the author’s previous book. After reading this book I can see why. Throughout this book the author treats the often taboo subjects of sex work and addiction with nuance, respect, and thoughtfulness. I found myself cheering for the main character even when I thought she made dumb decisions. There was a lot of heart in this book, and I especially enjoyed the many types of found families throughout. I also thought the author’s use of first and third person to be an interesting and affective way to tell this story.

Cons: This really isn’t a con but more a note to readers that the topics and nsfw language will not be for everyone.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read this book.

I fell in love with Rufi Thorpe after 2020’s The Knockout Queen and Margo’s Got Money Trouble has been at the top of my most anticipated reads list since it was announced. Usually, those kinds of high expectations are a recipe for disappointment, but Thrope does not miss. This is another five-star read.

Margo is a 19-year-old college student turned young mother who quickly learns how inhospitable the world is to anyone on the fringes of society. She turns to OnlyFans as a way to make money and work from home and finds her estranged former pro-wrestling father is uniquely equipped to help her market herself.

The story and these characters are singular, yet the themes are universal. It is laugh-out-loud funny, insightful, thought-provoking, unpredictable and sad. Sometimes all within one paragraph.

𝑀𝑒𝓂𝑜𝓇𝒾𝒶𝓁 𝒟𝒶𝓎 𝒲𝑒𝑒𝓀𝑒𝓃𝒹 𝑅𝑒𝒶𝒹𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝑀𝒶𝓇𝒶𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓃

𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙤’𝙨 𝙂𝙤𝙩 𝙈𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙮 𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙨
by Rufi Thorpe
Preorder now!
Will be released June 11, 2024

Thank you Rufi Thorpe, @williammorrowbooks & @netgalley for this ARC.

AppleTV+ outbid several other streamers to bring this outstanding story to the screen and it is going straight to a possible 8 part series. I am hoping it will enchant enough viewers to be a multi-season series starring Elle Fanning and Nicole.

This gem of a contemporary women’s fiction novel was a great read, and it was a 5 star book for me.

Read this if you enjoy
🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 family dramas
💗found family
🍿 pop culture
🤼 WWE
👩‍🍼appreciate the reality of a single mom story
😅enjoy a heartwarming and hilarious character driven story
💗love a female forward protagonist to root for

One of my favorite elements of this story was that it featured multiple generations of single motherhood, and compared how these women faced life on their own raising their children - Margo and her mother Shyanne both are single mothers. I think it was important to show this contrast, and how it affected Margo’s experience. Please read it so we can talk.

I loved this- it was one of those books that was perfect for me, and I hope to see it read in book clubs and everywhere else- put it on your summer reading list. Read it before you watch it!

I’m not sure who I would cast as Jinx, but there are several WWE stars who are also actors- will be fun to see who they pick!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
#arcreader #newbooks #bookstoscreen #contemporaryfiction #womensfiction #humorousfiction #currentlyreading #amreading #bookrecommendations #bookreviews #bookstagram

Margo becomes pregnant after an affair her English professor and keeps the baby, but she’s finding raising a child is as hard as everyone told her it would be. When her estranged father, a retired pro-wrestler, comes back into her, she uses his career tips to start an OnlyFans.

I loved Knockout Queen and I loved this one even more. Thorpe has a way of writing characters that you can connect deeply with, even if you have nothing in common with them. I loved Margo and watching her come into her own. Parts swapped perspective, and it was cleverly done. There’s an interesting undertone of narration, and some quips included about it. Overall I loved how it showed how unexpected life can be, and how we can find stability and happiness in unexpected places.

“It’s the biggest love you’ll ever experience. And it will change everything about you. At times you will think your whole life is ruined, but you know, like, you wouldn’t change any of it.”

Margo’s Got Money Troubles comes out 6/11.

This was def interesting. Margot seems both naive and at the same time resourceful and I'm glad she seems to find a support system. Her parents thought; her mother is terrible and what she did is a line that should never be crossed and I hope she never sees her grandchild again. Although jinx made me so so so so so so so mad..he put everyone, and himself, in jeopardy.

Thank God for Suzie.

Good book, takes on everything in a dysfunctional family and shies away from nothing. Oh and Mark can jump off a pier.

A fun sweet read! Highly recommend.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC.

Margo Millet is twenty years old and a new mother after having an affair with her married English professor. She has a lot on her plate as she finds her finances dwindling and her responsibilities mounting. But Margo is determined, courageous, smart, witty, and willing to do what it takes to provide a home for herself and her son.

Margo learned at a young age that she can stand on her own. Her mother was a Hooter waitress, and her father was a married pro-wrestler who lived with his wife and children elsewhere. But now her father, Jinx, is back and they agree to help each other. Margo's quest to provide for herself and her child sees her turning to OnlyFans to make money.

Margo's Got Money Troubles was an enjoyable, endearing, witty, and touching read. I could not help but root for Margo! I appreciated how the author showed the struggles of being a single mother. Margo finds herself in interesting situations, relying on her humor, her courage, her determination, and her father.

This was a wonderful book with heart! I was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. I liked how the author showed that relationships can be messy, that being supportive and understanding goes a long way, that humor helps, the importance of knowing your rights, and that there is no shame in having an OnlyFans account.

After having an affair and a baby with her college professor, a young woman struggling to make ends meet finds a surprising solution: she enlists the help of her father, a former professional wrestler, and uses his advice about creating a character to launch a successful Only Fans account. This was an emotional roller coaster but managed to remain insanely funny throughout. Margot and her dad Jinx are some of my favorite characters ever. A real gem!

This book was not what I expected it would be and that was a great reading experience. Loved the characters. Will be thinking of them for a long time!

Loved it!! People are complicated, flawed and worthy of love. The humor and warmth of this novel made me not want to put it down. Highly recommend.

This story about a young single mother battling impossible odds to govern her child the best life she can is as inspiring as it is raw. I loved the main character. She was strong and determined and surprisingly mature for her age. All the characters were very real and multifaceted with flaws and foibles. I thought the plot flowed really well with the FMC really coming into her own. I appreciated the frank and honest discussion about a certain self posted sex-work website (not sure if I can name it without getting banned!) and the insight into the amount of hard work needed to make it on those platforms. Overall it was a very interesting and memorable read.

Rating: 5/5 stars

This book had me gripped from the very beginning. Margo's narration was funny while also showing the real life pressures that young adults in today's age face. The author had me rooting for Margo and Bodhi the whole time. I was also pleased with how this book explored the biases related to sex workers, and how Margo even overcame her own bias overtime. I recommend this to anyone who needs a laugh out loud, refreshing book to bring them out of a reading rut, or to just have a pleasant, quick read.

I've been trying to read this book for 15 days and feel like I'm still reading the same setup. This book is billed as humor, but the only funny part was the penises being compared to Pokemon. The rest of it was just sad. The main character doesn't seem to care about her misfortune, so I can't either.

During COVID lockdown I went through a period of reality tv binge that took me down a wrestling rabbit hole that started with Total Divas and Total Bellas which eventually leaded to watching Dark Side of the Ring, which for someone who never watched WWE or had any ties to it culminated in this vast knowledge of wrestling that was, in real life, useless. Until now anyway! The way Rufi Thorpe used wrestling as a metaphor and entrance point for building an online persona was incredible. And my COVID binge finally paid off in that I caught all the wrestling references!

While I initially found this book slow to start, the build up to the end had me really pulling for Margo! This probably wasn't something I'd immediately gravitate towards, but the characters were interesting and loveable.

Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow, and Rupi Thorpe for the chance to read an early copy!