Margo's Got Money Troubles: A Novel

📚 Why We Recommend It

Margo never thought having money could be more exhausting than not having it. When a surprise inheritance lands in the lap of this penny-pinching single mom, she figures life is finally cutting her a break—until the numbers in her bank account start vanishing faster than last week’s grocery budget, and the “long-lost relatives” and “financial gurus” popping up everywhere have eyes greedier than a kid eyeing the last slice of pizza.

This “wealth disaster” turns Margo’s life into a chaotic farce: her 12-year-old blows trust fund money on designer sneakers, her ex-husband suddenly “misses” her (and her new balance), even the cashier at the corner store is peddling “foolproof” investments. Clutching her tattered notebook full of budget formulas, she learns a hard truth: guarding windfalls takes more than math skills—it takes the guts to spot a con in a nice suit.

No glitzy mansions or over-the-top drama here—just the messy, hilarious reality of a regular person drowning in unexpected cash. Margo haggles with PTA moms over bake sale prices while puzzling over legal jargon; lectures her daughter about “wise spending” then splurges on that fancy lipstick she’s wanted for years. It pokes fun at the myth that money fixes everything, but underneath the laughs, there’s a warm truth: what gets you through life’s curveballs isn’t the digits in your account—it’s smarts, grit, and the people who love you, no matter your balance. Dive in, and you’ll see a little bit of yourself in Margo’s chaos—and maybe learn a thing or two about what really counts.