Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe. Pub Date: June 11, 2024. Rating: 4 stars. When I first started reading this novel, I did not think I would enjoy it as much as I did. The main character seems to be a bit of a train wreck who finds herself pregnant by her college professor. Single, grappling with the realization she is going to be a mother, she finds a way to navigate this new life with the help of OnlyFans. Encouraged by her ex-pro wrestling father who has demons of his own, she somehow figures out how to be successful, take care of her child as well as navigate reconnection with her father. It was such a heart warming story packed with laughter, realness and truth. I really enjoyed this novel. Thanks to #netgalley and #williammorrow for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed reading about this. The rawness of being a newly mother while still struggling to survive amongst life's obstacles was captured beautifully in this book. Margo went through it, she thought she had the right people she needed but at the end she learned that all she could really rely on for her and her son is herself - but it's not out of pity and holding grudges either and I think it's one of the things I liked about her character. She was never really resentful and gave people chances after chances - especially her mother OMG.

[REVIEW: Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rick Thorpe]

Thank you to @NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC. Opinions are my own.

⭐️⭐️.5 stars, rounded up.

To summarize, Margo finds herself pregnant after sleeping with her English professor (tale as old as time) and chooses the rocky path of single motherhood after declining his payment for an abortion. She then ditches her waitressing job to create an Only Fans account in order to pay for the expenses of caring for her kid. And a bunch of really cringy, poor judgement calls follow, which in turn had me seriously lacking empathy for her situation. (Am I being too judgey??) I acknowledge sex work as work as much as the next left-leaning millennial but I found the story to be grating above all else.

I also really could NOT make myself care about her ex-pro wrestler, drug-using father who endangers Margo’s infant child by using needles in their home. Just no.

I wanted to love this book with my whole heart but several other elements fell short for me too. I was a big fan of The Knockout Queen and still admire Thorpe for the fresh, original voice I find her to be, however there just was not enough redemption to be found here.

Woof. Tell me why this took me three months to read. I guess that’s a clear indicator of how long I put this one on the back burner and repeatedly chose other books to pick up instead. Hurts to say it, but this isn’t one I’d recommend.

Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rudy Thorpe skyrocketed this year. A charming, unexpected story about a young mom trying to make ends meet and figure out her path. Laugh out loud funny but contemplative and endearing. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I can't help but smile and laugh a little when I think of this book. I was just so amused at how relevant this was to the times we are living in. OnlyFans, Instagram, starting a youtube channel, algorithms, getting more views. I mentioned to my husband, if I recommended this to his mom (who is 80+), would she understand it?

Margo finds herself pregnant by her college professor with no job and no idea how she is going to make ends meet. Enter her ex professional wrestler Dad who happens to mention another wrestler has an onlyfans account, and off we go.

This was such an endearing look at what a young mom would do to make sure her child has what he needs. I found myself rooting for the characters (most of them) and really liking Margot and Jinx (her dad). Things aren't always pretty and sometimes there is no one coming to rescue you and you have to figure out how to make things happen for yourself.

I feel a bit sad at the idea that I wont know how things turn out for Margot down the road.

4.5 stars! I was so excited to read this one that I put down another book I was in the middle of to read it. I was intrigued by the premise, and it did not disappoint.

Margo had a relationship with (read: was taken advantage of by) her college professor and ends up pregnant. Once she decides to keep the baby, she soon realizes parenthood is more than she bargained for. Desperate for a way to provide for her son, she discovers OnlyFans and starts an account. She then finds herself in the middle of a custody battle and a CPS investigation.

The author did a great job writing characters that were flawed, but you also couldn’t help but root for (except Shyann-she had no redeeming qualities). Margo’s father ends up moving in with her, helping her with the baby while he fights his own battle with drug addiction recovery. The other roommate is a nerd-type girl who finds a home in being part of Margo’s team.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I only took away a half star because I feel like the amount of pop culture references will date the book more quickly. But I loved it, and thank you to net galley for letting me read it early.

I had a really hard time deciding how I was going to leave this review. I went into this book thinking I would love it. But I didn’t.
I’m curious how Margo did not know that she would need money for childcare. That was my first drawback. Such a silly part of the book. Being raised the way she did with a single mother and an absent father, what did she think would happen.

Secondly, the middle dragged so much it was really hard to get to the end.
I think I may of enjoyed it more if I was more into social media. I don’t have a TikTok or anything like that but it was hard to believe they let her post what she was without flagging it.

I enjoyed some of the banter but it didn’t save the book in my eyes.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book! I heard so many positive reviews about this book that I really thought it wouldn’t live up to the hype, but it did. Margo Millet is a financially struggling 20-year old college student who ends up having an affair with her college professor and getting pregnant. When she decides to keep the baby with no clear way to support herself or the baby, that is when the story really begins. I found it impossible not to love Margo and root for her to succeed. The author clearly shows how hard it is in this country just to get by, with no system of childcare or support for single mothers. Her father Jinx, a former manager in pro wrestling, and an addict, both helps and hinders her efforts to succeed. I loved all the struggles she faced and the way she dealt with each one, with growing maturity and strength. I was sad to finish this book and would love to see a sequel. One of my favorite books of the year.

I adored this book. I thought I sent in my review long ago. It was so funny, endearing, and heart breaking all at the same time. I loved each of the characters so much.

I loved this! I read it over the course of 24 hours, I was so sucked in. It has a very unique premise and I really rooted for Margo. Definitely recommend to others

I LOVED this book. The pacing was exceptional- so hard to put down. The back and forth in perspective confused me a bit at the start but I slowly started to understand it the more I read, and then late in the book there's a moment when Margo kind of tells us exactly why she's telling us her story this way, sometimes in first person and sometimes in third person. And then knowing the name of the class where she met Mark (Unnatural Voices: Taking Narration to the Edge) makes this point all the more interesting! I loved Margo's humanity, her wit, and her open-mindedness most of all. She takes life as it comes, figuring out how to cross the next inevitable hurdle in ways that I found to be so admirable and charming. I want to keep reading about Margo & Jinx & baby Bohdi!!

One of my favorite lines, when Mark tells Margo that he saw some of her OF content and it wasn't what he thought it would be: "As much of a nitwit as Mark was, I knew what he meant. I hadn't been expecting Arabella's account to be what it was. I hadn't expected to think pro wrestling was a form of art. I hadn't expected infidelity to be about cuddling or drug addiction to be about eating Milky Ways." Perfection.

One of my favorite books of the year - clever, funny, heartwarming and an easy, breezy read. Margo and her friends and family had so much heart and I found myself rooting for her so much. Rufi Thorpe did such a great job of weaving together disparate elements that did not seem to naturally go together into a unique and charming story.

Not much to say that hasn’t already been said! This was so good, so funny. Characters were well developed and I loved this so much!

I loved this book! It was so unique and real and I felt for Margo and was just waiting for her happiness! A interesting and unique story that was so special.

This laugh out loud book shares the journey of Margo as she navigates her journey of being a new mom, reunited with her dad and trying to find a way to make ends meet. Will she? How will she be able to support herself, let alone her baby.

Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe is a funny but also kind of deep book about a girl named Margo who’s trying to figure out her life and all the mess that comes with it. Margo is super relatable—she’s dealing with a lot of pressure, from her family’s expectations to her own struggles with money. It’s about trying to balance everything, especially when things feel out of control.

Margo’s story is both lighthearted and serious at times, which keeps the book interesting. She’s funny and quick-witted, but also has some tough moments that make you feel for her. The book also shows how complicated relationships can get—whether it’s with friends, family, or even money itself.

The writing is easy to follow and flows well, and you really feel like you’re inside Margo’s head the whole time. If you like stories about growing up, facing tough choices, and learning about yourself, this is definitely a good read. It’s not just about money troubles; it’s about figuring out who you are in the middle of everything that’s going wrong.

This was a unique read that piqued my interest after lots of positive reviews. I'm excited to see it turned into a series, I think that will translate very well! I’m usually skeptical about books that lean into modern Internet culture but the representation of OnlyFans and the legality around it was fascinating and felt like discourse that will stand the test of time. I’m also generally not familiar with professional wrestling and it was interesting learning more about that world. I have never read a book like this and that was fun!

this was one of my favorite books of 2024 - I recommended it to everyone. I loved the plot - it was a sort of a feminist breaking bad

Thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Margo’s Got Money Troubles is the first book that I’ve read by Rupi Thorpe.

Reading the blurb, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but what I got was a quirky, wild ride of a story. Margo and the rest of the characters are relatable and weirdly wonderful in their own ways. Well, most of them. Except for you, Mark.

The characters were well-developed and well rounded, and definitely weren’t perfect.

I enjoyed reading it very much and am looking forward to reading more by this author.

3.5/5 This is a weird mash up of unplanned pregnancy, only fans, TikTok, custody dispute and family relationships. A fast read for me and at the same time gave me lots of second hand anxiety. It's a hard book to recommend because I'm not sure who the audience is. I was lot on the TikTok skits because I've never been on the app and could not picture the appeal of what sounded like nonsense.