Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe [Book Review]

A witty, heartwarming novel about young motherhood, financial woes, and unexpected success. Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe is a must-read!

Margo’s Got Money Troubles swept me off my feet from page one! I was completely unprepared for just how captivating and witty the story would be. Rufi Thorpe takes what could be a heavy premise—young, single motherhood, family reconnections, and financial hurdles—and infuses it with warmth and humor. You can’t help but root for her in this story that’s as heartfelt as it is laugh-out-loud funny. Find out why I gave the book four out of five stars!

(Update: Soon to be a series on AppleTV+ starring Elle Fanning as Margo and featuring Michelle Pfeiffer, Nicole Kidman, and Nick Offerman. David E. Kelley and Dakota Fanning are attached behind the scenes.)

What is the book about?

As the child of a Hooters waitress and an ex-pro wrestler, Margo Millet’s always known she’d have to make it on her own. So she enrolls at her local junior college, even though she can’t imagine how she’ll ever make a living. She’s still figuring things out and never planned to have an affair with her English professor—and while the affair is brief, it isn’t brief enough to keep her from getting pregnant. Despite everyone’s advice, she decides to keep the baby, mostly out of naiveté and a yearning for something bigger.

Now, at twenty, Margo is alone with an infant, unemployed, and on the verge of eviction. She needs a cash infusion—fast. When her estranged father, Jinx, shows up on her doorstep and asks to move in with her, she agrees in exchange for help with childcare. Then Margo begins to form a plan: she’ll start an OnlyFans as an experiment, and soon finds herself adapting some of Jinx’s advice from the world of wrestling. Like how to craft a compelling character and make your audience fall in love with you. Before she knows it, she’s turned it into a runaway success. Could this be the answer to all of Margo’s problems, or does internet fame come with too high a price? [Goodreads.com]

**A24, David E. Kelley to Adapt Red-Hot Book Where OnlyFans Meets Wrestling**

My thoughts:

Margo’s Got Money Troubles was a delightful surprise! Even though I read the synopsis, I had no idea what I was getting into, but almost as soon as I started, I couldn’t put it down.

The story follows Margo, who becomes pregnant after an affair with her college professor. Choosing to keep the baby, she quickly learns that life is not kind to young, unprepared, unwed mothers. When she loses her job due to a lack of childcare, Margo opens an OnlyFans account, which turns into a surprising success. She also reconnects with her father, whom she barely knew as a child, and it starts to seem like maybe life won’t be so bad. That is until the baby’s father comes back into the picture.

Although the premise seems heavy, Margo’s Got Money Troubles is a funny and witty take on a young mother down on her luck. Author Rufi Thorpe reminds us that life isn’t always fair, but that doesn’t mean we should stop trying. (This was my first introduction to the author, and I can’t wait to read more.)