Margo's Got Money Troubles: A Novel
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“Margo’s Got Money Troubles is the feel-good novel we need right now.” —The Washington Post
“[An] enormously entertaining and lovable book.” —Nick Hornby, New York Times Book Review
A bold, laugh-out-loud funny, and heartwarming story about one young woman’s attempt to navigate adulthood, new motherhood, and her meager bank account in our increasingly online world—from the PEN/Faulkner finalist and critically acclaimed author of The Knockout Queen.
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?
Blisteringly funny and filled with sharp insight, Margo’s Got Money Troubles is a tender tale starring an endearing young heroine who’s struggling to wrest money and power from a world that has little interest in giving it to her. It’s a playful and honest examination of the art of storytelling and controlling your own narrative, and an empowering portrait of coming into your own, both online and off.
“A wholly original novel. . . . Thorpe is both poetic and profound in the way she brings her remarkable story to an end.” —The Associated Press
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Community Reviews
The cover is what initially caught my attention. Maybe itâs the millennial in me, nostalgic for Saturday morning cartoons, but I can never resist a cute cartoon cover. That said, this book turned out to be so much more than a cute cover.
Thereâs a lot to appreciate here, starting with the authorâs writing style. The story alternates between first and third person, but the entire narrative is presented as if written by the protagonist, Margo. What stood out to me was how âMargoâ would shift into third person during moments of high emotion or poor decision-making, almost as if sheâs stepping back to process or distance herself from her choices. This structure wasnât just cleverâit makes the reader think about the blurred line between whatâs real and whatâs staged, whether in professional wrestling, OnlyFans, or even the stories we tell ourselves.
One of the most compelling aspects of this book is how it grapples with morally ambiguous characters. Every person in this story operates in shades of gray. The book does an incredible job showing how society can slap a label on someone without ever knowing the full story. It challenges you to think about the assumptions we make about others and whatâs happening behind the scenes that we might never see.
And then thereâs Margo herself. Sheâs a character who is easy to root for, even when sheâs making mistakes or choices you might not agree with. Sheâs not perfect, and thatâs what makes her feel so real. At times, I wanted to shake her (especially when her naivete got the best of her), but more often, I just wanted to hug her.
The only reason this wasnât a full five-star read for me was that Margoâs rise to success felt a little too smooth and easy at times. It seemed to underplay just how difficult SW (and related industries) actually are. That being said, I think the book highlights some of the dangers of SW and I found my heart racing through the chapters where Margo is doxxed.
This book is heartfelt, thought-provoking, and full of depthâdefinitely worth a read.
4.5
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