This was a book that I had such a hard time putting down. I didn’t really know what to expect, but the description had me so curious about how all the elements would come together, and I found myself completely hooked. I went in with pretty much no expectations, having not read any of the author’s other work, and ended up enjoying it greatly.

We start off with Margo in the midst of an affair with her much older professor, but most of the book takes place after he has cut ties and she has had his baby, following along as Margo tries to make things work and get money to support her child. The arrival of Jinx is where things really take off. Not only do we get a tale of a daughter and her father reconnecting, but the family unit that develops with Margo, Jinx, Bodhi (the baby), and Suzie (Margo’s last remaining roommate) is so endearing and I loved this weird little crew. The emotional growth and the journey of each character were so rewarding, and the way that they played off of each other was quite compelling.

The combination of using storytelling techniques from pro wrestling and applying those to sex work primarily through OF was so interesting, and often just presented as a matter of fact. Margo’s instinct for merging these two channels was so fun to see grow, and it was quite rewarding to see her come into her own. She goes from being slightly removed from the events she is partaking in, to having a sense of true ownership in everything she does and being empowered through everything she accomplishes.

The way the story is told was interesting, switching between first and third-person POVs from Margo, and I loved the way that that is gradually explained within the work itself. There are also moments where the narration breaks and speaks directly to the reader. It was super meta while also being very earnest, and I was a huge fan of how all of the elements came together to create what is ultimately a heartfelt story. I was so invested in the entire story, and am now interested in reading some of the author’s other work.

I fell in love with Margo. A single mother to Bodie, trying to make it out of poverty. Laugh pitloud funny in places while showing the struggles of real llife. I adored this novel.. not to be missed!

I enjoyed this one. I wasn't sure what I was getting into as I went into this without reading much of the summary. I thought it was a bit of a roller coaster. I'm not a mom so I couldn't really relate with some parts but liked it either way!

This was my first book from this author and I knew nothing about the plot - so this was a complete rollercoaster for me! This book is funny, sad, serious, weird, anxiety-inducing, and so much more. It was an engaging profile of a young mom and what she is willing to do to provide for her child. It's also about relationships, systemic issues, bias, addiction, and the consequences of our choices. This was an engaging and interesting read for me, and I'll be adding other books by this author to my list!

This one wasn't for me. As a new, first-time mom, I did find a good bit of it relatable, particularly with how much Margo had to balance on her plate at once. Some parts made me chuckle, but overall I wasn't a fan of Margo and felt like she kept making one silly decision after another. Of course, we're all human and no one's perfect (especially at 20!), but a lot of the poor decision-making felt more like an entertainment trope than reality - I did feel bad for her, but overall I just wanted to shake some sense into her! Sometimes the plot felt sidetracked, making it a little difficult to follow. I appreciate the ARC!

I was having fun and definitely planned on giving this one a four star rating but the way it kept disrespecting religion out of nowhere and for absolutely no reason was so insanely unfunny. Dnf 51% in,

I’m not quite sure how to review this novel because I had very mixed feelings reading it.

What I liked: I liked how the book attempted to address issues surrounding the impossible situations in which women are inevitably placed. For instance, Margo is judged by her employer for having difficulty caring for her child while keeping a consistent work schedule. She is judged for not working and not having the resources to raise her child. Then, she is judged for the job she choses which allows her to make a living wage while staying home with her child because the work is labeled “shameful”. I also enjoyed some of the clever and unique humor.

What I did not like: I felt like the storyline became very disjointed at times, and the author tried to address too many issues and wrap things up too quickly. There were parts of the story that just felt unnecessary to me, especially in the first half. While I enjoyed some of the humor, there were times where the analogies were mildly disturbing! Additionally, I thought, in theory, the change in the point of view in the narration was novel and interesting; however, I felt the execution was lacking. Finally, something that is just my own pet peeve, some of the storylines around Bhodi were developmentally inaccurate (again, just me!).

Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow publishing, and Rufi Thorpe for this free ARC digital copy.

Margo's Got Money Troubles is an interesting, witty, and surprisingly deep story about a new mom who decides to use Only Fans when she needs to support her baby but can't find reliable child care. As a newish mom myself, I found this book deeply relatable, and I loved the cast of characters. Margo was frustrating but lovable, and I was really rooting for her by the end of the book.

This book was certainly a ride! Honestly I liked it much better than I thought I would at first, but it's an honest portrait of a young woman doing her best in a situation she wasn't fully ready to understand. I even liked the switching between perspectives! I do wish there was a little more resolution at the end, though I do like how things were left with the love interest. I guess after being with Margo through everything you want to know that she's going to be okay, and keep making the best choices she can. (And to stay away from her mom.)

3.5 Stars

This is a story about a young woman, Margo, who has an affair with her english professor, and ends up pregnant. What follows is what makes this worth your time.

When Margo comes home from the hospital after her son is born, she is not only still recovering from giving birth, she is let go from her job, and thus struggling to get by on multiple levels. There’s no way her mother is going to help support her, her mother is getting ready to be remarried and is not terribly interested in babysitting at this point in her life.

Money problems are what moves this story often, but it’s what she ends up doing, working from home, that changes her life. It’s also what she ends up doing in her new career that changes her life, as she can now have the best of both worlds, working from home while still being able to be near enough to nurse him when he gets hungry, comfort him when needed, and still manage to create an income that helps her get by.

This is a story about family, and what love looks like even when family may be somewhat fractured. Her father struggles with physical pain, which creates some obstacles, but she is just happy to have him being there to listen and offer help when he can.

There is more to this story, including TikTok, her choice of what she ends up doing for a living, an unexpected turn of events, and her father’s former career as a pro-wrestler.

I loved watching her blossom, feeling more confidant in her ability to make her own decisions, regardless of with others think, and I loved the new bond she was able to establish as her relationship with her father grew. Watching her grow into this new, more confidant, version of herself.



Pub Date: 11 Jun 2024

Many thanks for the ARC provided by William Morrow

This book was not for me. I don't want to tear it apart, but I didn't like it. I really disliked how the POV went from 1st to 3rd person almost from page to page. The characters did not keep my interest. I felt the whole premise was just dumb and immature. Maybe that's how I felt about the the book, the characters were so immature, and to me really played the victim. This just wasn't for me.

Margo got my attention! I love love love going into a book "blind" (not reading much of what it's about) and letting it unfold. I was 100% thinking this was going to be a comedy about a girl going broke and some rom com mixed in with a twist and she's got money. I was 100% wrong and thank goodness for that because what I got was a perspective of a life I'd never thought much of. Camgirls. And all the messed up, contradictions and judgmental folks who have an impact on others. This book spoke volumes about that. Really enjoyed it!

This book was smart and funny - I found myself cheering for our MC and also shaking my head. I think this book will do super well as it feels timely.

I am the publicist assigned to MARGO’S GOT MONEY TROUBLES by Rufi Thorpe and read via NetGalley review copy. The book is on sale June 11, run, don’t walk!!

This book isn’t gonna be for everyone, but it was 100% for me. I read it in a single day, and found myself thinking about it in the short time between picking it up and finishing it (I had to go teach yoga and I totally wanted to play sick and just stay home and read!). I went into it pretty blind, and I feel like that was so the way to go because the weirdness just works, you don’t need to know what you’re in for. However, if you do want a little info: Margo is 19 and gets pregnant by her community college professor, and she decides to have the baby.. She doesn’t come from money - her mom raised her pretty much alone, and her dad is a retired professional wrestler with another family - and Margo works as a waitress, which makes it hard to get a babysitter. The rest of the book is about what happens next, which is hilarious and heartwarming and sad and just awesome. This is a book about the family we make for ourselves, about morality, about getting to know people we love as real flawed people, and about the many weird wrestling facts that make sense when applied to real life. I absolutely freaking loved it.

Margo’s got troubles, all right. Margo’s got money troubles, family troubles, life troubles… you name it, she has it. A twenty-year-old mother to newborn Bodhi, Margo is lacking a steady income and languishing in social isolation. She has been fired from her job, forced to drop out of school, and is desperately searching for new roommates to help cover rent. An unexpected lifeline appears in the form of her estranged father, Jinx, a washed-up wrestler and recovered addict who is newly divorced and suddenly moving in with Margo and her remaining roommate, Suzie. Not only does Jinx provide childcare and endless advice, but he unwittingly gives Margo an idea for a new business venture: starting her own OnlyFans account. As Margo shows off her business acumen and catapults into success, she must reckon with a society that frowns upon college dropouts, unwed mothers, and sex workers, all while raising her baby and growing up herself. With a lot of heart, Rufi Thorpe presents a memorable young woman who looks her reader straight in the eye and commands respect.

This book has so many good things going for it. Margo and Jinx are extremely well developed, both offering their share of quirks, flaws, and strengths, all of which naturally fit together to form believable, cherishable people. The pacing is perfectly executed — the book is good at piquing the reader’s interest and consistently nudging her to turn the next page (even the first paragraph masterfully hooks the reader). This is due in part to the writing itself, which is engaging, yes, but also highly innovative. Thorpe seamlessly switches between first person and third person POV throughout the narrative, keeping the reader on her toes while allowing Margo to tell her story on her terms. The author even goes a step further, occasionally positioning the narrator to address the reader directly and grab her attention in a way that meshes well with the rest of the narrative.

The book’s greatest strengths are also the source of its weakness. The idea of a first- and third-person Margo is intriguing, gives points for creativity, but could also be further developed. The third-person Margo is contained within the past, while her first-person counterpart is an older Margo reflecting upon her past. The notion of an older Margo, however, is never really fleshed out. There is no clear sense of who this older Margo is relative to the younger Margo, nor even that she brings a unique perspective that the third-person Margo does not yet have. This leads me to my second critique: first-person Margo can be baiting, and not for any discernible reason. She admits that she has lied to the reader throughout the narrative, but then never expands upon this (pretty bold!) claim. As strong as Third-Person Margo is, she is weighed down by the not-fully-fleshed-out First-Person Margo, the two halves never quite reconciled and thus slightly weaker (though no less lovable) for it.

Any shortcomings aside, this book is a total joy to read. It is a heartfelt coming-of-age story that has something for everyone. The storyline, the questions it asks, the demands it makes of its reader are timely and intriguing. I highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC.

This book is a one-two punch. It will have you laughing and then crying and laughing again. Everyone who has ever looked down on someone for making different choices than them should read this book. That means all of us. Everyone makes choices for themselves others don't understand and that should be ok. This book shows that the world is not black and white, but a kaleidoscope. Everyone is trying to do the best they can.
Margo, a young mother, learns the world is not set up for young mothers, daycare is inaccessible and expensive. Margo thinks she is doing the right thing by having the baby but instead she is punished by the world. There are systems in place to protect the most vulnerable but this books shows how easy it is to abuse those systems. It's someone's job to make sure a child is safe but at the same time abuse their position to scare others into doing what they want to feel powerful.
Jinx was my favorite besides Margo. He was an emotionally intelligent, but complicated drug user who shows us drug users aren't bad people. He loves his family fiercely, he just can't stop harming himself because of the pain he feels.
More Suzie.
And spoiler, Mark is a terrible teacher and not just because he slept with a student.

I'm a big fan of Rufi Thorpe and this book did not disappoint. She is masterful at creating unique, unforgettable characters who capture your heart (despite their flaws and foibles). The story of Margo has been done many times before -- young woman gets pregnant, keeps baby, faces many difficulties -- but Thorpe's handling of this narrative is entirely fresh and modern. I very much appreciated the subtle-yet-impactful commentary on the lack of social structures in place to help mothers, as well as the collective disrespect (and even criminalization) of sex work that women do to make a life for themselves in a system designed to keep them down. I'm thrilled to see that this novel will make its way to the big screen and cannot wait to see how the story is told there. Wonderful book!

Love love love! Margo's Got Money Troubles is my first 5 star read of the year. It is smart, funny, a little racy, but still so full of heart. I went into this one blind and it made it all the more fun - I suggest you do so, too!

This is a powerful example of how the internet can make or break a person in just a few days. Margo is groomed by her teacher and winds up a very young single mother who needs to make a living. I think it’s shameful how horribly she was treated by the people in power in her life because it’s so realistic and true to life. If only everyone got so lucky. Good read that really makes you think.