# Margo's Got Money Troubles

By Rufi Thorpe

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/margo-s-got-money-troubles-6f6fe3d3/

Pregnant by her English professor, college student Margo faces motherhood with bills mounting. She tries OnlyFans, drawing on her ex-wrestler father’s understanding of performance to create an earning persona.

## What makes it funny?

A phallic baby-shower cake spurts pudding, leaving Margo to feign amusement before crying. One reader highlights the unlikely premise of a broke young mother applying her ex-wrestler father’s ring psychology to OnlyFans.

### The comedy at work

The opening addresses readers about what they want from a novel, then introduces an embarrassing family celebration. Sexual jokes accompany shame and affection; financial need gives Margo’s later performances practical stakes.

### Try this if…

Contemporary family fiction gets an irreverent voice here. Book-group readers recommend it in a thread seeking books that made people laugh; one describes laughing so hard they worried others would notice. Another describes humor, heartbreak and triumph.

### Good to know

Expect sex-work themes, unplanned pregnancy, financial insecurity, family addiction and recovery, and a custody dispute. One reader disliked the first two pages but became absorbed; another found the humor an acquired taste.

## What to expect

- Genre: Contemporary & literary
- On the shelf: Coming of age
- Kind of humor: Dark comedy · Situational comedy
- The atmosphere: Irreverent · Warmhearted
- Format: Novel
- Published: 2024

## A few distinguishing details

- Wrestling lessons in persona and audience-building inform an OnlyFans venture.

## Sources & further reading

- Library catalog: [University of North Texas Library record for Margo's Got Money Troubles](https://discover.library.unt.edu/catalog/b7850862)
- Author commentary: [Rufi Thorpe official books page for Margo's Got Money Troubles](https://www.rufithorpe.com/services-4)
- Review: [Kirkus Reviews review of Margo's Got Money Troubles](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/rufi-thorpe/margos-got-money-troubles)
- Reader discussion: [Muse reader leads, October 2026, part 4: archived reader discussion report](https://facebook.com/groups/211610599638106/permalink/1838249116974238)
- Book information: [Google Books bibliographic record for the 2024 HarperCollins edition](https://books.google.com/books/about/Margo_s_Got_Money_Troubles.html?id=Qtgm0AEACAAJ)
- Publisher: [Hachette UK publisher listing for the hardcover edition of Margo's Got Money Troubles](https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/rufi-thorpe-2/margos-got-money-troubles/9781399732505)
- Reading sample: [Authorized opening excerpt of Margo's Got Money Troubles on BookBrowse](https://www.bookbrowse.com/excerpts/index.cfm/book_number/4922/margos-got-money-troubles)