Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own

Description: Set against a high-society Shanghai wedding, a heartfelt, funny, dazzling novel about a reluctant bride and her two best friends, each with their own motives and fed up with the way society treats women, who forge a plan to steal all the gift money on the big day.

Although I have watched quite a few heist movies and television shows, this novel marks only the second time I have read a heist-centric novel. I liked the premise. I didn't like the characters. I couldn't understand what each of them thought was so miserable about their lives and the men they were with. Not enough payoff for me, I guess.





Publication Date 05/03/24
Goodreads Review 27/03/24

#WomenofGoodFortune #NetGalley

I DNFd this one about 25% in. I wanted to love it but none of the characters were well developed enough for me to want to keep going. I was intrigued by the prospect of the best man and the single friend but not enough to read the entirety of the book. While normally a heist story would keep me going, there wasn’t a promise of pay off and I was dreading picking this up. Ultimately that meant and I had to let it go. Also the formatting was so off it was distracting (not the author’s fault obvi)

I was so excited to read this book. From the synopsis I thought it would bring together Oceans 8 and China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan. Overall, I was let down. The storyline was good and I was interested throughout. But I did not like any of the characters… But I also didn’t hate them. I just didn’t care if their story worked out or not.

What I enjoyed:
-The storyline/concept. The concept is absolutely amazing. Who doesn’t love a good heist book with women in charge?
-The focus on friendship and personal growth
-The characters are easily distinguishable. They each had their own storyline and background. Which was nice to be able to keep them separate throughout their POVs.
-Learning about traditions/standards in Chinese families through young women’s POVs.
What I did not enjoy:
-The three main characters were not likable. I don’t always need the characters to be likable, but they also weren’t characters that I wanted to hate/dislike. I did dislike Jane throughout most of the book.
-There was so much focus on money and the wedding, and I feel like we didn’t get to see/read about the extravagance.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I received this advance reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. This novel was interesting but didn't captivate my attention. I found some of the themes tedious and although I had looked forward to reading it I found it a bit disappointing for me. This will likely be a good bookclub read for various readers.

Lulu has lived her entire life based on her parents' expectations, never her own. When an eligible and wealthy bachelor proposes to her, she has no choice but to accept. Her friends see through it, though, and it isn't long before Jane and Rina are helping Lulu plot to steal her wedding gifts at her elaborate wedding in Shanghai. All three women's lives would be dramatically improved if their relationships were different and they had financial independence. Sophie Wan's story is about what happens when women dream for themselves. The setting is thoroughly described and even side characters bring a lot to the story. I found myself laughing out loud at times. A great read!

I just finished Women of Good Fortune by Sophie Wan and here are my thoughts.

Lulu doesn’t want to get married but when the most eligible bachelor proposes… It's the answer to your family's money problems. Money makes the world go round and that is all that matters right?
She doesn’t love him and the only people she can tell are her 2 best friends.

Jane and Rina are the people she trusts and when a crazy idea comes to Jane, they could all be free… The amount of money Lulu’s money will bring in gifts is enough to fix all three women's problems. They plan a heist but things will not be easy for any of them.

The idea of an all woman heist? SOLD! It didn’t disappoint either. I could really connect with Rina and I could respect Jane after getting to know her. All three women have something special and the fact they have to work 5 times harder than a man to get the basics of rights is sad and infuriating. You can see why they want to do what they do.

I loved all the heist preparation. I was fully invested in the ins and outs of what they would have to do to get their payday! The book was entertaining as all hell and I actually chuckled a few times during the book. It was beautifully written and so much fun. The friendship between the women was probably my favorite part of the whole book. All so different but all fiercely loyal to each other.

Definitely one of my favorites of the year!

4.5 stars thank you to @netgalley and @harlequinbooks for my gifted copy!

OUT NOWWWWWWW

This book was laugh out loud funny but also had it's very serious moments. This centers around three women as one of them prepares to get married. They are all stuck in different phases of life and not too happy. They decide to pull a big heist at the wedding to make their dreams come true. This was so witty and full of so much heart. I really felt for these women. I loved this book!

Sophie Wan's debut novel “Women of Good Fortune” tells the story of three best friends who plan to steal the cash wedding gifts on Lulu's wedding. I thought some of the writing was a bit clunky, but the story was entertaining. The female friendships were the best part of the novel, although some of it fell into stereotypes that lessened the appeal. It took a little bit for me to get into the story, but then I was entertained by the heist drama.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Graydon House.

Rounded up to 3.5 ⭐️

Sophie Wan's debut novel, Women of Good Fortune, is a provocative and entertaining tale centered around a glittering Shanghai wedding, where three best friends—Lulu, Rina, and Jane—plot a daring heist on Lulu's big day in hopes that successfully executed, will change each of their lives for the better.

Disillusioned with love and marriage, Lulu sees the heist as a means to secure a better life. Rina seeks to address her career frustrations, while Jane dreams of divorcing her husband and living luxuriously.

The book's premise is intriguing, and I particularly enjoy the portrayal of strong friendships throughout. It's one of my favorite parts of a novel. The author also included a little romance that suited the book perfectly! It wasn't spicy, but blended perfectly with any future stories she may present us with...one of which I'm particularly excited about!

The characters were well-rounded, and their friendships added certain enjoyable moments to the story. However, I found the occasional "mean girls" elements somewhat uninspiring.

I did also enjoy learning about the places and culture in Shanghai. The portrayal of society's treatment of women in the book was discouraging, although I acknowledge that it isn't the author's fault.

I felt the book lacked a little oomph, but overall it was a quick and fun read.

Thank you so much, NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Graydon House for the opportunity to be granted access to this book!

Women of Good Fortune by Sophie Wan
.
Three best friends plan a heist at a wedding. Lulu, Jane, and Rina would do anything for each other. They each want something that seems unattainable. Can they pull off the heist of their lives and still be friends when it’s all over?
.
What I liked:
-I love heist books, so I was really excited when I realized they were trying to pull off a heist.
-I loved the three girls, and each chapter helped me to understand them. I was rooting for all of them, and also inwardly wincing when they each made their own mistakes.
-The little love stories in this book were so sweet.
-The epilogue was everything I could ever hope for.
.
4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This book was a lot of fun and then it smacked me in the face with all the emotions. I loved that.

I loved this story so much!! It's like a heisty Crazy Rich Asians. I loved the strong female friendship representation. The culture present was done well. It sucks you in quick and keeps you on the edge of your seal. It was a very hard read to put down at night. I really enjoyed seeing the growth in all of the characters.

I’ve been on an enjoyable kick reading about Shanghai lately, and this book didn’t let me down. I love learning about other cultures—especially how they are similar and how they are different to the American culture.

The focus of Women of Good Fortune is a high-society wedding that features a reluctant bride and her two best friends. Lulu, the bride-to-be, does not want to marry the man who seems to have it all. Her friend Rina is focused on her career but still wants a baby. And her other friend Jane wants to be more beautiful, divorce her husband, and get a better one. Since none of these women is happy with her lot in life, they conjure up a scheme which will enable them to escape.

With themes about money, family, beauty, marriage, love, and friendship, the book questions the role each of these play in real happiness. As the women plot to steal the wedding money, they are challenged to consider what they really do want and if the plan is indeed the answer to all their problems.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a review copy of this debut novel. I’ll be keeping my eye out for more from Sophie Wan.

I really enjoyed parts of this story! I loved the women supporting each other in a culture that makes it difficult for them to succeed outside of their husbands. This became a bit of a revenge story where the women were taking control of their lives which I loved.

I did have a very difficult time getting into the story and connecting with the individual characters. The pacing was very inconsistent throughout. Some parts moved so quickly while others seemed to drag on and on. Overall, this wasn’t really my cup of tea, but there were definitely aspects of it that I enjoyed and I can see why others would enjoy it!

Very fun and high-stakes novel about "sheng-nu" (leftover women) in China and the patriarchal expectations still perpetuated by the culture. I loved reading about Lulu, Reina and Jane and was fairly surprised and satisfied at the ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, Graydon House, for my ARC copy! This review contains my personal thoughts and opinions.

"Women of Good Fortune" by Sophie Wan is the perfect blend of heartwarming and thrilling, bringing together the elements of friendship, found family, and a hard-to-pull-off heist.

The story centers around the friendship between Lulu, Rina, and Jane. As the trio navigates the complexities of life as women in Shanghai, their friendship is tested as they plan and execute a heist that takes place during Lulu's wedding. Each woman is relatable in their own way, and I connected with them, which was nice as a reader.

One of the most compelling aspects of the book is the theme of found family. All three women and the two leading male characters, Harv and Vic, had deep-rooted issues with their respective families. Although there were difficulties between the friend group, they still found a family in one another. It was heartwarming to see how they were there for one another when they could not find love from their biological families.

Although the story mainly focuses on friendship and the heist, Wan did include a little bit of a love story between Vic and Rina. I thoroughly enjoyed the banter between the two of them. I won't give away any spoilers, but I was also satisfied with how things left off with them when the book ended. I would honestly love a follow-up story about the two of them!

Overall, "Women of Good Fortune" is a delightful read. It had humorous elements and valuable lessons, making me feel like my time was well spent.

Rating: 4/5

"He’s not going to stay for your face, so make sure you keep him with your cooking."
Whoa! Harsh much?! Friends Lulu, Rina, and Jane are all victims to the societal pressures of women being good for nothing but taking care of a man and children. And they're sick of it! So they plan a heist to steal all of the wedding cash from Lulu's "fake" wedding. Will they get away with it? Will it provide the freedom they are searching for? The story was lacking a bit of oomph in the planning up to the wedding but, it was a fun story and all of the loose ends tied up neatly at the end.

I was intrigued by the premise of this book but ultimately found that it could not hold my interest enough to make myself finish it.

I was given an ARC by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Women of Good Fortune by Sophie Wan is a contemporary novel focusing on three women in their thirties looking to carve a new future for themselves. Lulu has been pressured into marrying the son of a very rich man while Rina is looking to freeze her eggs as she focuses on her career and Jane is in the first year of her arranged marriage, desperate for plastic surgery to be beautiful. As Lulu’s wedding grows closer, the three women plan a heist to steal the red envelopes from the wedding and start their futures.

I am obsessed with Rina and the best man, Vic’s, romance. Rina and Vic met in college, didn’t see each other for ten years, and then met again when it was revealed Lulu’s fiance, Harv, was Vic’s best friend. Vic had been pining for Rina ever since while Rina is convinced he’s still who he was in college.

Their banter, their arc, the way Vic openly expresses his interest—-I love all of it. I would happily read an entire book on what happens after the novel.

Lulu and Harv have a very calm relationship that is mostly built on pressure from external forces as is Jane’s and her husband’s relationship. The two pairings create a juxtaposition for how relationships based on an arrangement can evolve in different ways.

Jane, Lulu, and Rina’s friendship goes through its own relationship as do their romantic relationships and their characters. It's beautifully done and puts value on female friendships and reminds us that life doesn’t end at thirty and there are more options for us besides getting married.

I would recommend this to fans of contemporary books with multiple romances, readers looking for books on female friendships, and those interested in books set in contemporary China from multiple female POVs.

From the cover of the book, I understand that this is to be a fun story set somewhere in China. As you dig deeper, you discover that the main cast consists of strong women, though each one has a fatal flaw that we the reader hope she'll overcome by the time we're done with the story. A few more chapters in, and we learn that this is also a heist story, almost like an all-female Ocean's 11 set in Shanghai, only this time, the women are stealing a treasure trove of red envelopes stuffed with cash, as well as their own destinies.

I appreciated the insider nods to Chinese culture, such as the valuing of Kirkland vitamins as gifts sent abroad (I am personally familiar with this in my own family) and the use of WeChat as the texting platform of choice, along with the women meeting at their favorite hot pot restaurant. As for the story, there were some elements I wanted earlier, and some elements I wanted fleshed out better. For example, it seemed a logical leap that the ladies mentioned 0ff-handedly to perform a heist with two additional helpers, then the plot suddenly swept us in that direction. I also wanted earlier hints at why the MC and her fiance are getting together at all, since the match is so ill-conceived. When we finally find out, it's gutting, but I felt it asked a lot of the reader to go along with until we got to that point, which was not until the end of the book.

Debut author Sophie Wan blends Chinese culture with a dash of romance, heist, and lots of femme power for a fun story that has a surprise empowering twist at the end. It will be interesting to see what this author does next.

Oh my god, I absolutely devoured this book! Ever since I came across it on NetGalley for request and was intrigued by it right away, I couldn’t wait to read this. It did not disappoint!!

This was so reminiscent of Crazy Rich Asians in the setup of all the characters and their families and the craziness of a wedding, but was 100% female-centric and involved a heist (IKR!). I have to admit it took me at least a week to actually get attached to this enough to go past the first five chapters. However, once I was able to sit with the book, I was through the whole thing in less than two hours. No, seriously.

I just loved the concept of this story, most importantly. Three friends, unhappy with their lives and full of this feeling of being trapped, plan a heist with the backdrop of one of their weddings, while also navigating the changes and realizations in their lives. The execution was just so good here, and I found myself attached to all three of the protagonists, similarly enthralled in all of their POVs. Of course, I did have a favorite (Rina, my girl), but I was invested in their journeys individually and together.

Although Rina was my favorite girl and I adored Vic, I had a soft spot for Jane and Zihao just a little bit more. There was so much to unpack there with their marriage and dynamic, but it was so realistic and the conflict was so heart-wrenching and heartwarming at the same time. I wanted to shake both of them to wake up and not be stupid, but their growth was so gentle and full of yearning — just the type I’m a sucker for.
Of course, Vic though — he was just a dream. I liked the lightheartedness of him and Rina, and the reprieve it gave from the intensity of the other relationship dynamics. That wasn’t without its flaws and angst either, obviously, but just so easy flowing to read.

I also have to mention Harv and Lulu because that was honestly such an ambiguous situation the whole way through. I genuinely couldn’t predict what was it would go, but I was satisfied with what it eventually turned out to be. I think that was the best way to handle their circumstances and give Lulu the “freedom” she had been looking for the whole time.

Basically, all the loose ends in Women of Good Fortune were tied up very well, and I loved all of the endings in this so much. The girls’ individual ones, as well as the ending (new beginning?) they found with each other. Ugh, it was just so so cute. I honestly don’t know what I was expecting from this book, but it has to be one of my favorite reads of the year so far, because even though I couldn’t get into it as quick as I had anticipated, it delivered everything! A definite, definite recommend.