Women of Good Fortune
A Novel
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4.0 • 41 Ratings
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
A reluctant bride and her two best friends plot to steal all the gift money from her glitzy high-society wedding in this dazzling, heartfelt, funny novel for fans of Crazy Rich Asians
“A glittering debut. Delightful.” —Carley Fortune, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Every Summer After
Bride-to-be Lulu is about to marry Shanghai’s most eligible bachelor. She just has one secret: she isn't in love and is only marrying him under pressure to fix her family’s financial issues. But for Lulu and her two best friends, her upcoming nuptials may offer a different opportunity entirely…
It will be the social event of the season, lavish and over the top, but the three women’s focus will be on one thing: the red envelopes filled with cash gifts, stored in an elaborate safe at the center of the ballroom. More than enough money to solve all their problems and transform their lives.
Friends who steal together, stay together.
With the help of a mysterious luxury goods counterfeiter and a snarky getaway driver, the women forge a brilliant plan to lift all the red envelopes on the big day. But as their plot grows increasingly complicated and relationships are caught in the cross fire, they're forced to face that having it all might come at a steep price.
“Joyous, indulgent, immensely clever.” —Grace D. Li, New York Times bestselling author of Portrait of a Thief
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
We love a great rom-com and we adore a taut heist thriller, and they both come together in Women of Good Fortune. Lulu has just gotten engaged to the richest bachelor in Shanghai, and at the advanced age of 27, it’s not a moment too soon. But she’s only going through with it for the benefit her family, who could desperately use the money. Her bridesmaids—the work-driven Rina and luxury-obsessed Jane—have problems, too, and money would solve all of them. And given Chinese customs, there’s going to be a lot of it at Lulu’s wedding. So how hard could it be to just…steal it? Debut novelist Sophie Wan does a great job of balancing the comedy, crime, and romance elements of her story on the way to a head-spinning wedding day climax. This is absolutely one of the most fun reads of the year.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Wan's crackling debut, a bride and her friends plot to steal the gift money at her wedding. Lulu is about to marry one of Shanghai's most eligible bachelors, and the ceremony is sure to net a large sum of cash from the guests. She and her friends Jane and Rina view the money as a way out of their unhappy lives; their initial scheme involves swapping out the real safe containing the envelopes of cash for a fake one. At 27, Lulu would rather explore foreign lands and find her true self than settle down, while Jane wants to divorce her husband and get plastic surgery. Rina's plan is to freeze her eggs and concentrate on climbing the corporate ladder. Unexpected developments lead each woman to reconsider whether their original goals are worth the risk and the sacrifices they entail. The novel moves along briskly while dutifully adhering to the tropes of the heist genre, but this stands out for its unexpected depth; Wan expertly delves into her protagonists' emotional backstories and reveals their complexities. Suggesting that the women's desire for independence need not necessarily clash with the expectations of family and patriarchal society, she shows that friendships and self-worth are fortunes worth treasuring. Wan pulls this off without a hitch.
