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Margo's Got Money Troubles

The unputdownable novel that inspired the Apple TV series

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About this listen

 'I read the first paragraph and was immediately hooked'
Jacqueline Wilson

'Enormously entertaining and lovable'
Nick Hornby, New York Times

'Nonjudgmental, original and very funny; the book is warm and generous too. I loved it'
India Knight, Sunday Times STYLE

** Big Little Lies creator David E. Kelley is to adapt for A24 - a TV show starring Nicole Kidman and Elle & Dakota Fanning **

Margo Millet's got money troubles. As the child of a Hooter's waitress and an ex-Pro-Wrestler, she's always known she'd have to make it on her own. When she finds herself pregnant by her college professor - who is very keen not to be involved - she realizes she will need cash fast.

At twenty, alone with a baby, what Margo lacks in options she makes up for in ingenuity, and soon she has a plan: she'll start an OnlyFans as an experiment, producing content and writing storylines unlike anything else out there. Help arrives in the form of her live-action role-playing flatmate Suzie, and her father, Jinx - a recovering addict and veteran of the wrestling world, who has experience of making an audience fall in love.

Before she knows it, Margo is an online phenomenon. Could this be the answer to all of Margo's problems, or does internet fame come with too high a price?

'An expansive, offbeat, gorgeous exploration of resilience, forgiveness and multi-generational parenthood'
Pandora Sykes

'A hilarious novel about making the most of what you've got'
Emma Straub, author of All Adults Here©2024 Rufi Thorpe Coming of Age Editors Select Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Money Witty Funny Feel-Good Heartfelt Thought-Provoking

Editorial Review

A humorous and wholly original story about single-motherhood
Per the title, Margo’s got, well, money troubles. A single mom at 20, Margo’s fired from her waitressing job when she can’t find childcare. Now struggling with rent and the cost of living in California on unemployment, she moves in with her father Jinx, an ex-pro wrestler, and launches an OnlyFans account using his advice on how to craft a character. I’m a mama to four boys and my living room often resembles a WWE ring, so Margo speared her way into my heart. Despite the premise, humor infuses the narrative, and author Rufi Thorpe plays with point of view in a wholly original way that kept me both entertained and on my toes. Narrated by actress Elle Fanning, who has been tapped to star in the TV adaptation alongside Nicole Kidman, I can already envision the mannerisms she’ll bring to Margo via the nuance she delivers in this performance. — Katie O., Audible Editor

Critic reviews

The warmth of Thorpe's tone, together with the thoroughness of her imagination and the artfulness of her pacing, means that skepticism is kept at bay. She sells us on both the characters and the plot . . . [in] this enormously entertaining and lovable book (Nick Hornby)
Endearingly chaotic, this coming-of-age tale is certain to score a passionate fanbase (Lauren Puckett-Pope, Best Books of Summer)
The most captivating narrative of motherhood, sex work, point of view, and regret. I'm obsessed! (Leila Mottley, author of Nightcrawling)
When I finished it, I couldn't quite believe it was over, that is how much I was completely rapt by Margo's Got Money Troubles. A brilliantly unique story, fallible and lovable characters and moments so human and hilarious that I laughed out loud multiple times. I can't quite believe this is only the first book I've read by Rufi Thorpe, because after reading her latest novel, it's clear that I need to go back and read everything she's ever written. She is a genius, after all. (Ore Agbaje-Williams, author of The Three of Us)
An audacious, wildly funny, completely unpredictable novel by a writer so singular that it's hard to compare her to anyone else . . . An absolutely brilliant book (Kevin Wilson, New York Times bestselling author of Nothing to See Here)
When she can't afford the rent, single mum Margo turns to OnlyFans, with help from her ex-pro wrestler father, flatmate and a community of the platform's content creators. Funny and self-aware.
A hilarious novel about making the most of what you've got. Sharp and funny by turns, this is an exceptionally tender look at young motherhood and love that also involves professional wrestling, and yes, OnlyFans. I gobbled it up. (Emma Straub, author of All Adults Here)
Long after the last page of Margo's Got Money Troubles, I think of certain lines and burst out laughing. In public. This novel is damn funny, but also touching and smart and surprising and beguiling and just completely bad ass. Rufi Thorpe is truly one of one! (Deesha Philyaw, author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies)
Margo's Got Money Troubles is just so good: the humor, the pathos, the redemption - every sentence, every twist of plot is wildly original and unexpected. When has such a lovable heroine ever been created? (Stephanie Danler, New York Times bestselling author of Sweetbitter)
A thrilling, uproarious, and above all affirming exploration of one young woman's fight to make it in a world that's rooting against her. Margo is an unforgettable heroine, so real she walked right off the page and into my heart. (Kirstin Chen, New York Times bestselling author of Counterfeit)
All stars
Most relevant
Enjoyed this. Loved the nuanced account of how we can survive and thrive despite our families of origins, while also being able to know those family members in a different way through an adult viewfinder.
And narration was 👌

Real

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Margo's Got Money Troubles is unlike anything I've ever read. Thorpe had created the most real, candid, lovable character in Margo, and Elle Fanning did a stunning job of bringing her to life - she genuinely feels real and so, so disarmingly, charmingly honest. What a totally fresh, unexpected, compelling story. I was rooting for Margo and Jinx and Bodhi all the way to the last beat. Some really beautiful philosophy and life wisdom subtly woven in too. Bravo, Rufi Thorpe. The only thing remotely comparable that comes to mind is Bridget Jones - yet this is squarely different and its very own, perfectly formed baby.

Wow. Totally unique & voicy.

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Easy to read, although a little strange at times. Ending was a little abrupt. Good for the beach .

easy read

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I love this book so much! It's got everything: a smart, creative woman fighting against the odds, entrepreneurial thinking, humour, and pointing out unfair patriarchal ways and systems without preaching. I can't wait to read more from this author. And Elle Fanning did a fabulous job with the narration!

Best book I've read or listened to this year

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It did take me a little while to get into this book, but from chapter 7 onwards I could hardly put it down. It’s well written got a fun quirky style of writing. And well read. The subject matter is way out of my experience - fans only! But I found it fun interesting and dealt with in such a nice matter of fact way. I laughed a lot and felt huge empathy for the character. I would definitely recommend this book.

Fun and an eye opener!

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