5/5 stars
I knew nothing about this book when I started it, and I’m glad I didn’t, because I’m not sure any back page summary could ever really capture all the nuance of this story. I really loved it….the characters, the improbability of all of it, the chaos and the love. It was a delightfully surprising, odd and beautiful novel….no notes.

Margo's Got Money Troubles unravels the complexities of a woman’s unconventional journey through motherhood, societal biases, and the unexpected bonds that emerge from adversity.

The narrative kicks off with Margo's unexpected pregnancy after an affair with her professor. Undeterred, Margo chooses to keep her child, naming him Bodhi. As the plot unfolds, I got immersed in Margo's tumultuous life, marked by the loss of her job, pushing her to navigate the challenging landscape of single parenthood.

A twist of fate leads Margo to reunite with her estranged father, Jinx, an ex pro-wrestler. Thorpe skillfully navigates the nuances of familial reconnection, capturing the heartwarming transformation as Margo and Jinx, through Bodhi, forge new bonds and bridge years of emotional neglect.

The recurring theme of the book is summarized by Margo's mother's wisdom, "beauty is like free money.” It serves as a thought-provoking anchor on societal expectations and the unconventional paths Margo chooses to secure a future for her child. Furthermore, the book boldly tackles the stigma surrounding sex work as Margo turns to OnlyFans for income. It offers a compelling commentary, challenging stereotypes and exposing the prejudices endured by individuals in this profession.

Despite the weighty themes, the book maintains an engaging quality, thanks to Thorpe's infusion of lively dialogues. These interactions make it not only thought-provoking but also unputdownable. At its core, the heartwarming aspect of the story lies in the intricate relationships Margo cultivates with her parents and son. Thorpe masterfully captures the emotional nuances, portraying Margo's struggles as a young mother confronting societal judgments and the constant fear of losing custody of Bodhi.

Overall, the narrative skillfully blends societal critique with heartfelt relationships. Thorpe's storytelling makes you reflect on human resilience and the unconventional decisions people can make despite societal biases. READ THIS BOOK.

TW: substance abuse, recovery, drug use, sexual content, CPS

This was such a refreshing and modern fiction book that made me laugh, cry, empathize, sympathize and everything in between. The changes from first person to third person were so seamless it didn’t stop me from keeping my reading momentum going.

Margo is such a unique and creative character, showing just how far you can go to bring up yourself from the trenches while still taking care of all the people around you.

The positive light that the book shines or sex work is refreshing and a nice way of showing that it IS legitimate work.

Her writing style as a character is so fun and light hearted. No matter how rough the situation, she never loses her creative sparkle.

✨Book Review!✨
“Margo’s Got Money Troubles”
Written By: Rufi Thorpe
Published by: William Morrow
Publication date: June 11th, 2024
ARC provided by Netgalley
•••
Margo is a 19 year old college student who soon finds herself in the biggest predicament of her life after having a romantic relationship with her married English professor. Margo soon finds out just how difficult raising a baby is with a lack of help and resources for young mothers. With an absent father, an unreliable mother and a professor who wants nothing to do with his child… Margo must find a way to provide for herself and her child without leaving her home.
How does she do this you ask?
None other than…OnlyFans.
•••
Margo’s Got Money Problems was a laugh out loud story about a struggling young mother doing her best to provide for her child and keep her sanity while fighting the stigmatism of online “sex work”.

Thank you SO much to Rufi, William Morrow and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC! It was honestly a really well thought out and well written story that pulled at my heart strings, pissed me off a bit on Margo’s behalf and made me laugh more times than I could count.

1- Characters: 9
2- Atmosphere/Setting: 9
3- Writing Style: 10
4- Plot: 9
5- Intrigue: 9
6- Logic/Relationships: 8
7- Enjoyment: 9

Total Score: 61
63/7 = 9
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The only thing that really made me give the story 4 stars instead of 4.5 or 5 was the semi-abrupt ending. I felt like I maybe needed more out of it in the end? Or maybe I was just enjoying the story so much that I was sad when it ended? Either way, I really enjoyed the book overall!

While "Margo's Got Money Troubles" tackles relatable themes of motherhood and societal expectations, I found the execution lacking. Margo's character, a 20-year-old mother turning to an OnlyFans account for income, has potential, but her story felt inconsistent. The innovative shifts between first and third-person perspectives were ambitious but often jarring, and Margo's development was overshadowed by the book's brisk pace. Despite some genuinely funny moments and a heartfelt attempt at a coming-of-age narrative, the storytelling felt unfinished, leaving me disconnected from Margo's journey.

snappy, funny, and super heartwarming more often than not. i laughed, i teared up, i highlighted (quite literally) over one-hundred passages while i was reading. never did i ever think a book about an onlyfans girl, her newborn, and her ex-wrestler dad would touch me like this, but i’m really, really glad it did!

the only “weird” thing about the book is the way rufi thorpe swaps back and forth between different perspectives; it took me out of the book a tiny, tiny bit in the beginning, and i barely noticed it by the end, but i could see that grating at people who are particular about that sort of thing.

thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the ARC!

After sleeping with her married college English professor, Margo finds herself pregnant and decides to keep it. After giving birth, she quits college, is fired from her job, and the baby daddy wants nothing to do with Margo or her baby, Bodhi. Margo’s former addict and WWE star father, Jinx, moves in with Margo to help raise Bodhi. With dwindling cash and limited options, Margo decides to start her own Only Fans account to make ends meet.
This isn't something I would generally pick up, and addictive writing style really helped with that. I mean this is the perfect example of a page turning novel that grabs your attention from the first line. Everything felt so raw and authentic, I'm genuinely in awe of the author. The POV was interesting to say the least, just mesmerizing! I loved the references to Margo's English class and how those may have impacted the experience.

This is a wonderfully entertaining book, with a cast of offbeat characters. The characters are well-developed, especially Margo’s dad, Jinx. It was wonderful watching them reconnect and develop.
I cannot wait to read more by this author. I think this will be on many reader's book club lists as a must read.
Thank you NetGalley, William Morrow and Rufi Thorpe for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

This was interesting and thought provoking. It was written in different POVs periodically, I think to show the difference in writing styles that Margo learned about in Mark's class. However it was a bit disconcerting. Overall, a great book following Margo's journey and one that really got me frustrated with Margo's mother, the CPS system and the unfairness of the entire parenting process. I also really hated Mark and his inability to be something other than a responsible adult as well as the fact that he is of the mindset of Only Fans being inappropriate sex work to support his child that he managed to extricate himself from. Overall, great read and fantastic book that really pulled you in!

A young woman with a newborn and a contentious relationship with the baby's father decides to start an OnlyFans, with the help of her new roommate: her long-absent, fresh-out-of-rehab, former pro-wrestler dad. What could go wrong, you say? Well, actually, let's think about what could go RIGHT.

This is a tender reflection on the complications of family and love. It was an inverse of what I think of as an "ennui girl book" (Nobody, Somebody, Anybody ; My Year of Rest and Relaxation ; Sad Janet ; etc. - all books I loved, for the record): Margo - thoughtful, emotional, and often afraid - cares a whole lot about doing the right thing - for herself and for her son - and about standing by those she loves and who have helped her. You root for her ceaselessly. I was more on edge during this book than I ever was with the last thriller I read: I couldn't stand the thought of things not turning out all right for Margo!

I loved the windows into the emotional reality of motherhood Thorpe offered here, and that they didn't consume the narrative. The glimpses were slim and extremely pointed, encapsulating the reality of so much love, pain, fear, and desperation in just a few lines. Well done! I'll be looking into Thorpe's backlist for sure.

Many thanks to the publisher + NetGalley for the ARC! This book - and several others with hot pink covers - releases this Spring: June 11. I liked it enough that I've already pre-ordered my copy!

I really think the "new adult" genre has a lot for those in their late teens and early twenties, and I think Rufi Thorpe's newest novel MARGO'S GOT MONEY TROUBLES fits perfectly into this space.

Margo has an affair with her professor, and she ends up pregnant. Wanting to keep the baby and with the baby's father not wanting anything to do with her, she drops out of college and starts an OnlyFans account on a lark to pay the bills after her lack of childcare makes almost all other jobs untenable. Her mother has been dysfunctional her whole life, and she's obsessed with her new guy and won't look after her son. Then her father from the pro wrestling world, who she has never had a relationship with, comes to try to find a place to live after he got of rehab. Margo is trying to get by as she lives with her father, her roommate Suzie, her new baby boy Bodhi and tries to establish herself on OnlyFans and TikTok. She does meet a man named "Jelly Bean" who becomes her highest-paying fan.

While there is an extensive deep dive on OnlyFans and the monetizing of social media, which I found interesting, I'm not sure it will resonate with all readers. There is quite a bit of drug recovery and the intricacy of Child Protective Services investigations, and I also found this educational. I've never seen this assortment of topics in a novel together before, but they served the greater purpose of Margo finding her purpose in the world.

Margo is a resilient character who you want to root for, and I really developed a fondness for her father Jinx as well. Pick up this novel if you like new adult novels and don't find OnlyFans objectionable.

Wow. I did not expect to love this book as much as I did. When Margo’s college professor gets her pregnant, a surprisingly heartwarming journey ensues. This book tackles sex work and feminism in such an illuminating way. The larger than life characters throughout this book really make it something special. I could not recommend this more highly.

Do you ever have lines from a book stick with you for days? I literally cannot stop thinking about this book stating that the internet is like trying to have a nice dinner party in hell. A perfect description from a nearly perfect book.

Although the story line isn't appropriate for all ages, this novel is well-written. It shows the trials that a young single mother goes through to earn a living and provide for her child. Daycare is too expensive, bosses cannot deal with employees who cannot work because of their child care issues, and roommates leave due to the crying baby. With her options limited, Margo decided to post nude pictures of herself on an internet site. She is making money, but may lose custody of her baby because of this and the fact that her father, who is struggling with a drug problem, is now living with her. Just when Margo thinks things cannot get worse, the absent father files for custody and Child Protective Services receives a complaint from Margo's mother. The big question is what does Margo have to do to keep her baby and earn enough money to provide for him.

Got this book as an ARC from Goodreads. I really enjoyed this book! It’s a modern day, quirky story of a struggling young mother. The book goes into the deep relationships between the narrator, Margo and her parents. I did enjoy learning about Margo’s father, Jinx- but felt that many of the wrestling rants and stories didn’t add much. Jinx’s relapse did come at the right time in the story, but the relationship between jinx and Margo post relapse almost felt unrealistic and too good to be true. I’d say the book is three stars for me just because I wasn’t super interested in the wrestling story lines, and would’ve loved to hear more about Margo’s personal life. Again, I do think this book will be a great hit, and think the story line is unique.

I was really excited to read this book. Unfortunately, it fell flat for me. The story just didn't pull me in but, I did like that character of Margo and especially Jinx. If you want a story of a young woman making a place for herself in the world, then this is s story for you!

I'm struggling with how to review this book. I liked the overall story it told of women in society and the social judgement against women that own their power and make a living on their own terms . But the story didn't grab me and pull me in.

This absolutely ripped! Thorpe took a big swing on the alternating first and third person POVs of the same character (plus all the fourth wall breaking!), but overall it really worked for me. Kayfabe, image making, and “reality” are all absolute catnip topics for me, though, so your mileage may vary. Oh, and the last line is tattoo-worthy.

Just wow. This was funny and profound and pure joy to read. I love how Thorpe took this idea of the things people do for money and turned it on its head. And the result is love and acceptance.

There are so many ways to show love, compassion, and kindness and I think Thorpe, through each character, showed us so many facets to create a complex and well built world for our entertainment. I hope this wins awards.

I was attracted to tthis book by the title and the cover. I thought it would be a light, frivolous read. Instead I found a book filled with wonderful, flawed, loveable characters.

I don't want to go into much detail regarding the plot due to the possibility of spoilers. Suffice to say the main character, Margo, starts as a very naive 19 year old, gradually metamorphasizing into an self confident young adult.

The author shines by creating a cast of quirky characters but Margo shines brightest of all.

The author tackles some women's issues but in no way preaches.

I plan on reading more of the author's books very soon.


Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC.

This was such a unique book and one that will stay with me for awhile. I felt like it rawly approached some subjects that you don't see in other books and was completely relatable in ways that I didn't think it could be. Definitely one to check out and I can see this one being popular once it publishes later this year. Would love to see what the author comes out with next. Thanks to the publisher for an ARC of this one!

I was drawn in by the description of the book, and am glad I was. This is a very interesting read and also very comical at times. Thought provoking and also time appropriate. Enjoy the read.