If you enjoyed Netflix’s The Maid you’ll love Margo!

Margo has always known she was white trash. Her birth was the result of a one-night stand between a Hooters waitress and a married pro-wrestler. At the time her mother didn’t even know her father’s real name, only his ring alias. Now, 19-year-old freshman Margo is in the same predicament, pregnant by her older married community college professor. Within weeks of her son Bodhi’s birth she has quit college, been fired from her waitress job, two out of three of her roommates have moved out, and the father of her baby has ghosted her. Out of options, and desperate to make quick money, Margo creates an account on OnlyFans uploading topless photos of herself in order to gain paid subscribers.

Margo was in a bind and had a steep learning curve ahead. But as tough as things were for her Margo was resilient, determined, savvy, intelligent, and had a straightforward, honest, sarcastic way of narrating. She was also irresponsible and overly trusting. I was completely in her corner rooting for her to succeed and find happiness. My heart broke for her as she was barely twenty and had been let down by everyone her entire life. All she wanted was support and love. No wonder she wanted a baby who would love her unconditionally. I would’ve preferred more focus on Margo adjusting to new motherhood instead of her financial woes as her interactions with Bodhi were hilarious, but I can’t really complain as it was explicitly stated in the title what the focal point would be.

I couldn’t help being entertained over Margo’s experience with OnlyFans and other social media. Yes, she was being exploited, but the combination of Margo’s business sense, detailed research, and writing skills (she was majoring in English in college) meant she had the control, well as much as she could in that situation anyway – not saying it was all smooth sailing. The writing was blunt and direct and included graphic descriptions of male and female genitalia, bodily functions, sexual content and sexual slang, and drug use. I wasn’t fazed as it fit the tone of the novel and the personality of the narrator, and was usually conveyed in an amusing way, but to decide if this book is the right fit for you, I suggest listening to or reading a sample first.

I flitted between the kindle and audio, and the audio was phenomenal, read by Elle Fanning, the perfect voice for Margo, and the cover image even looks a lot like her. And it’s lucky I loved her performance as Apple TV is turning Margo’s Got Money Troubles into a limited series, and Elle Fanning is set to star. Yay!

If you enjoy reading about characters who are a train wreck, yet are strong, tough, and fascinating then I highly-recommend Margo’s Got Money Troubles. I adored it!