On the HahaFiction shelf
Margo's Got Money Troubles
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.
From the publisher’s blurb
“A hilarious novel about making the most of what you’ve got”Read the full description at Emma Straub, quoted on Hachette UK's book page
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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.
A few distinguishing details
- Wrestling lessons in persona and audience-building inform an OnlyFans venture.
More funny coming of age
Sources & further reading
- University of North Texas Library record for Margo's Got Money Troubles
Library catalog
- Rufi Thorpe official books page for Margo's Got Money Troubles
Author commentary
- Kirkus Reviews review of Margo's Got Money Troubles
Review
- Muse reader leads, October 2026, part 4: archived reader discussion report
Reader discussion
- Google Books bibliographic record for the 2024 HarperCollins edition
Book information
- Hachette UK publisher listing for the hardcover edition of Margo's Got Money Troubles
Publisher
- Authorized opening excerpt of Margo's Got Money Troubles on BookBrowse
Reading sample
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