Margo's got money troubles A novel

Thorpe (The Knockout Queen) returns with a tender and offbeat story of sex work and teen parenthood. Margo, 19, gets pregnant by her college English professor, who, along with her mother, wants her to have an abortion. She has the baby anyway and struggles to keep up with rent before reaching out to her father, Jinx, a retired professional wrestler and heroin addict who wasn't around for much of her childhood. It turns out Jinx has recently left rehab and needs a place to live, so he moves in and helps Margo take care of the baby, whom she's named Bodhi. With Jinx watching Bodhi, Margo finds time to explore online sex work. She briefs Jinx, with whom she has a candid relationship, on her new income stream, and he reluctantly offers advice on her OnlyFans account. Margo enjoys the work and quickly gains subscribers, but her popularity brings trouble when Bodhi's father learns what she's up to and disapproves, leading to a fight for custody. Thorpe infuses the portrayal of Margo and Jinx's relationship with sweetness, and she makes Margo a character to root for as the young mother learns how to support herself with help from her unconventional family. Once this gets its hooks into the reader, it doesn't let go. Agent: Michelle Brower, Trellis Literary Management. (June)Correction: A previous version of this review mischaracterized Jinx's reaction to learning about Margo's OnlyFans account.

A college freshman finds out that everyone was right: Her decision to have her English professor's baby really does ruin her life. Until it doesn't. "I'd learned about the terms first person, third person, and second person in high school, and I'd thought that was all there was to point of view until I met Bodhi's father in the fall of 2017." Not for nothing does Margo's journey into motherhood begin in English class, as she switches back and forth between third and first all the way through the book, using third for distance from her cringier mistakes. The elevator pitch for Thorpe's fourth novel--as exuberant as the first three--is Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow with online porn instead of video games. Really! It's a story of friendship, love, and family set in a different part of the big world of cyber-storytelling. Shortly after Bodhi is born, Margo finds she can't afford the child care necessary to hold on to her waitressing job. Then two of her three roommates move out in response to infant wailing, and she has to find a source of income fast. She ends up posting pictures on OnlyFans, a subscription-based porn site. "Lonely, hot girl in financial freefall, please help me make rent this month....If you want to find out what Pokémon your dick most resembles and what attacks it might have, send me a $20 tip and I'll provide a full write-up." Turns out she is very good at this. Further help with the rent comes when her father, Jinx, a wrestling world icon, comes fresh from rehab to move in and help her with the baby, and then she reaches out to OnlyFans viral stars WangMangler and SucculentRose, who have much to teach. Just as she's beginning to get it together, the English teacher does a complete 180--instead of wanting nothing to do with Bodhi, he's now demanding full custody. The title is the only bad thing about this book. Terrific characters, rich worldbuilding, deep thoughts about fiction and morality, a love story, and a happy ending. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.