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Fortune

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HarperCollins is ready to set the publishing world alight with the acquisition of the world's first 'snogbuster', a new teen genre that is set to grace poolsides everywhere this summer. Written by hot new talent Megan Cole – the pseudonym of a journalist and writer steeped in celebrity culture – FORTUNE combines the allure of the super-rich with the thrill of first romance, all in a glossy, blockbusting format.

Fortune tells the story of three very different girls – Madison from New York, Simonetta from Rome and Sapphire from London – who all receive mysterious invitations to the 50th birthday of Brad Masters, billionaire record executive. But what could the girls possibly have in common? The truth shocks them all, and turns three strangers into something much closer and more dangerous – after all, family make for the deadliest enemies...

Most of all, though, Fortune is something totally new in the booming teen romance market. So it's time to wet our lips and unashamedly embrace the glitz and glamour of the snogbuster.

432 pages, Paperback

First published July 8, 2010

5 people are currently reading
553 people want to read

About the author

Megan Cole

16 books19 followers
Megan Cole is a celebrity and fashion blogger who lives in London with her best friend Jess. She has written for numerous magazines, flown all over the world interviewing stars and was once asked out for mojitos by an A-Lister, but had to leave to catch her flight. He wasn't her type anyway (honest) but it was nice to be asked…

Megan Cole is the pen name of a journalist and writer.

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5 stars
109 (25%)
4 stars
118 (27%)
3 stars
133 (30%)
2 stars
59 (13%)
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13 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
Profile Image for Tapasya.
366 reviews
July 2, 2017

This book was okay.
A rich man has called upon his 3 daughters from VARIOUS mothers (😏), so that he can choose the correct one to become the heiress. From these three, two are bitches and one is sweet and saintly. It was obvious from the start that the Sweet one 'Sapphire' is going to be the heiress. But trust me I hated her. She was so dumb and a doormat. She was like a walking punchbag.


About the other sisters...well they are the villains. Madison was the most cruel. Simonetta was Okay. I did enjoyed reading about these sisters. Good Beach Read.

This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Shelby (readbytwilight).
141 reviews79 followers
June 8, 2012
This book made me want to go on a beach holiday after reading it! It was a good book, predictable though. A good happy ending. Readable. Liked the romancing between the two young males in the book. Probably the exciting parts to the story!
Profile Image for Reut.
316 reviews
May 22, 2011
Original Review at http://reutreads.wordpress.com/2011/0...

While reading Fortune, I was LIVID. ANGRY. And it wasn't even about the book. Okay, the book was not the best. The characters were not fully developed or they weren't three dimensional, the plot started off far-fetched and then just got crazy, sometimes I threw the book across the room because Sapphire was being INCREDIBLY STUPID, but fine. I can still point out a few things I liked. And I will. But first, a rant.

How dare HarperCollins invent a new genre of books, albeit with an absolutely ridiculous name, and market it to teenage girls? Okay, there's chick lit. But this is something else. This is taking an unoriginal plotline, pre-packaged characters, and cheesey romance, and putting in through the presses. This is not what making a book is about. Making a book is about creating characters, and putting them in situations so that they learn or experience something, and thereby impart that knowledge or experience on to the reader.

Even some of the cheesiest romance novels I've read were better than this. This is just an excuse to make money, and it saddens me to realize that someone very high up in the publishing industry actually approved of this, this new genre which totally stereotypes teens and the books they choose to read. I like to think, thank you very much.

So, there I go on my first official blog rant. But I actually need to write a review now.

Fortune, as has already been established, is not the best book in the world. The author, Megan Cole, which is actually a pseudonym, would be better suited to screenwriting rom-coms. Even though this is not a comedy. The barbs tossed back and forth were clever, so I'll give her that.

But Fortune could have been better, by giving the characters more depth, maybe changing the narration style. Toward the end we saw Simonetta get deeper, and that was why she was probably the best character. But she still was a bit of a cliche. Madison never showed anything other than her mean girl side, and it would have been interesting to see her backstory and how she became so mean, since I believe that no one is born mean.

The romance storyline was okay, the "love triangle" a little too much for me, but it worked because this book was, in general, too much for me. A whole 400 pages of the equivalent of teen smut.
Profile Image for Julz.
8 reviews1 follower
January 29, 2013
What an absolute load of drivel. Perfect if you are 16 years old and have no brain to speak of. All about 3 sisters who don't know they are sisters competing to win their new found fathers fortune. Except he's as conniving and ridiculous as his daughters. Avoid avoid avoid
7 reviews2 followers
March 23, 2011
Julia e Sabrina para o século 21.

Brit pulp fiction to read on the beach.
Profile Image for Sophia Barsuhn.
838 reviews7 followers
August 8, 2025
This might just be the most surprising read of 2025 for me. I was fully expecting this to just be a trashy, so-bad-it's-good read, and there are certainly moments that are very trashy in the best possible way, moments where I was genuinely laughing out loud. But this is also a book that feels like it was written with genuine passion, like the author really wanted to tell a story.

I finished reading Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone just a few days ago, and while both that book and this book definitely relied on tropes, Shadow and Bone felt very paint-by-numbers and soulless, whereas this book felt very genuine. Case in point: the character of Maggie. We've seen this kind of character so many times before: older housekeeper/nanny, often of European background, who is endlessly kind and giving and wise. Even though Maggie was definitely a cliché, she felt so real. The scenes where she and Sapphire sat and talked and hugged felt legitimately heartwarming. I also loved how Brad and Sapphire's relationship grew over the course of the book; I really believed that he wanted to be a good father. It was also so refreshing how both he and Simonetta actually apologized to Sapphire at the end of the book; genuine apologies are so very rare in fiction, particularly YA.

I'll definitely read this book again at some point. I really hope Megan Cole is still writing. There is genuine passion and talent here, and that's something I love to see.
Profile Image for Jessy.
152 reviews37 followers
January 27, 2018
Just not my cup of tea. I bought this book without reading the synopsis or having an idea what it was about (gara2 discount Popular punya pasal) Read about some chapters, gave up and then straight to the end.
Profile Image for Maggie.
530 reviews3 followers
March 3, 2018
A story of three girls from around the world invited to a mysterious 50th birthday party. When they arrive they find out there are no other guests. Amongst a few other surprises they find they are competing for a fortune. A fun beach read.
Profile Image for Tracey McVann.
126 reviews
July 13, 2017
This was a very easy book to read. Light hearted, one that you could pick up and drop quite easily. perfect for a holiday. it's not the best book in the world but I enjoyed it.
Profile Image for Kelly Finn.
36 reviews2 followers
April 23, 2020
A nice easy read, a bit predictable as these types of books always seem to be. However I did enjoy it, can't beat a bit of light hearted easy reading.
Profile Image for Daisy.
10 reviews10 followers
March 29, 2022
Easy frothy read which I actually really enjoyed - good escapism and takes you out of yourself!
Profile Image for Ria.
467 reviews
January 3, 2024
3.75 stars

Overall I liked this but it felt a bit rushed towards the end. Definitely a quick and easy read
Profile Image for Leah.
1,650 reviews338 followers
August 6, 2011
Fortune is Megan Cole’s debut novel (well it’s her first novel under that name; as it’s a pseudonym, who knows if she’s already a published author?) and I bought it way back when it first came out, but it’s been sat on my shelf for over a year. I don’t know why I have only just picked it up now – because it is the perfect summer read, for the beach, for in the garden, for in bed… I enjoyed it much more than I expected to.

Fortune is one of the least-taxing books I’ve ever read; it’s not going to win any major literary awards, but for what it is – a beach read – it’s hugely enjoyable. It seems somewhat familiar – as if I’ve read it somewhere before, but I couldn’t for the life of me tell you where I’ve read it before. It’s about three teenage girls – Simonetta, a model who lives in Rome; Sapphire, an aspiring London musician and Madison, a spoilt New York brat. When they’re all summoned to Brad Masterson’s fiftieth birthday party they all presume it’s for reasons to further their careers but that couldn’t be further from the truth and much fun ensues as the girls vie for a slice of Brad Masterson’s pie.

I knew pretty quickly exactly why Brad Masterson had invited them to his birthday party. I don’t necessarily believe it was a secret, nor was it a surprise. What I enjoyed about the book was the battle between the three girls. They’re all vastly different. Sapphire’s the consummate good girl whereas Madison – and to an extent – Simonetta are total cows. I did find the characters to be hugely stereo-typical but for a teen beach read, I’m not necessarily surprised and there was comfort in the fact I was rooting hugely for Sapphire and that I wanted Madison and Simonetta to be found out for the spiteful people they were. I’d have liked Simonetta to have been a bit more forthright, as despite seemingly being a feisty Italian, she kind of faded into the background the more the book went on. I desperately wanted to stab/punch/scratch out the eyes of Madison. She gave me murderous thoughts. I loved Sapphire though, and I ended up getting hugely frustrated how no one believed her when Madison and Simonetta were trying to get her into trouble.

I hugely enjoyed Fortune. There were a spate of errors in the first 100 pages (“sent” instead of “scent”, “Sapphire” became “Saffron”, Brad was “bought up” by Maggie, instead of “brought up”) but they tailed off, thankfully and I was able to enjoy the book without getting frustrated at a lack of editing and proof-reading. Although why the girl’s are invited to Brad’s party is meant to be the big surprise, I found the big surprise to be what happened at the end. That was something else, I didn’t see it coming at all and I was infinitely surprised. I really, really enjoyed Fortune. It was a quick read and I only wish I had a cocktail and a pool to lie beside while I’d been reading it. It’d have been the perfect setting. Fortune is the ultimate beach read and although the girls are teenagers, Chick Lit fans will still enjoy the book, I know I certainly did and I can’t wait to read Riches, Megan Cole’s second novel.
Profile Image for Sophie.
1,647 reviews3 followers
July 19, 2010
Fortune is a sparkly debut full of glitz, glamour and bitchiness.

This novel is written in a very odd narrative. When I first started it, I thought that it would be a straightforward 3rd person perspectives alternating between Madison, Sapphire and Simonetta. But it shifted strangely, reaching into the viewpoint of other characters such as Brad, turning it into a kind of omniscient narration. Though saying that, the majority of the novel was still focused on Sapphire.

I was rather glad about that because she is the only one of the three girls that I actually liked. She’s sweet, homely, friendly and a brilliant musician; the type of girl I’d like to be friends with. Madison is a spoilt, bratty, nasty bitch and is everything I dislike in another girl. Even though Simonetta is beautiful, haughty and arrogant, I started to like her a smidge once her weaknesses were revealed. I bet that says a lot about me!

Fortune is a novel that I found difficult to read . The mixing of the three girls caused some serious bitchiness that was completely undeserved and it made me rather uncomfortable. I even got to the point where I couldn’t wait to get it over with. Only the happy ending rescued it for me.

Megan Cole has written a guilty pleasure of a novel to be read while lounging by the pool or sunbathing on the beach.
Profile Image for Jesse Owen.
73 reviews61 followers
July 20, 2010
After reading just the synopsis it immediatley reminded me of Mamma Mia! I can’t really reveal too much as to why but I think it’s enough to say that the story is based mainly around the gorgeous sounding private island and even though I’m not a huge fan of the sun I wanted to go there.

Our of the three girls I very quickly warmed to Sapphire, she seemed warm and caring with real dreams and a passion for music which was a stark contrast to particularly Maddison and to an extent Simonetta who seemed more interested in themselves.

I enjoyed how the three main characters interacted with each other although I would of like to have seen more of Simonetta. I felt really sorry for Sapphire in so many places but again it would reveal too much to say why.

Fortune has lots of twists in the plot, some of which you can see coming a mile off only to then be hit by a couple of big ones that I didn’t see coming which shine a whole new light on things.

Fortune was a fun, fast paced and enjoyable read, something lighthearted which you could easily take on holiday, sit by the pool or simply read in the garden with.
Profile Image for Alea.
282 reviews252 followers
July 19, 2010
I found the premise of Fortune to be rather interesting, 3 half sisters (that don’t know they are half sisters at first) competing for their extremely rich and successful new father’s fortune. The tag line is “Half Sisters. Half Enemies.” But it should have been more like “Half Sisters. Full Enemies.” The book is definitely very fun and also extremely catty, with a rich spoiled girl, a model, and a down to earth musician (can you tell which is the nice one?), throw in 2 boys and let the claws come out.

While the book was pretty predictable it was fun and extremely easy to read, I couldn’t believe how quickly I would go through the pages when reading. Basically the girls try to sabotage each other to make themselves look good and some hilarity ensures.

While there are a few twists and turns it ends how you would expect. I was hoping for some kind of shocking ending or something to make my jaw drop. Overall it was a light and fun summer read.
Profile Image for Laura's Book Addiction.
2,741 reviews453 followers
July 26, 2010
fortune is about 3 girls called madison,simonetta and sapphire. All three get invites to a birthday party of brad masters(billionaire music mogul). when all 3 arrive it is clear there all have something in common at 1st it is not clear and then it turns out that brad masters is there dad and he wants to make just 1 of them his only heir so madison and simonetta start to make sapphire's life horrid so she will leave and one less daughter to be the heir.

From the 1st time i started reading about sapphire i really like her and felt so sorry for her because of the not so ulgy sisters (as she calls them in the book)i have to say i really did not like madson and still didn't like her at the end but by the end of the book i really did like simonetta.

the book was awesome a must read and i loved the ending
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Ana.
100 reviews1 follower
November 5, 2011
I have to say, that when I picked up Fortune I had no idea if this is really the type of novel for me. I've read some of the reviews and most of them said that it's very similar to Mama Mia (the movie of course). And I agree. It's about three girls: Madison, Simonetta and Saphirre. The only one I liked was Saphirre, but I really hated Madison. I couldn't decide what to think about Simonetta, because she was really selfish the whole book, only at the end when she was talking to Saphirre on the phone I thought that maybe she can be ok at times.
The book really wasn't for me, because I hate this kind of novels that have the most perfect happy ending.
Although I didn't like it, I read it really quickly because it's short and the writing is easy to read.
Profile Image for Melanie.
2,073 reviews96 followers
July 30, 2013
Easy read read in one sitting (Been doing that a lot lately with books).

Fortune is by no means a 'real life' book, in fact its the stuff fairy tales are made of really. I read this book without reading the synopsis or having an idea what it was about. If you want a book with a good girl, bad girl and something in between that all share something in common then this might be the book for you.

If you also like a hit guy (Bring forth Cam) and brooding Muscian of sorts (That's Raphael)and some excitement and sparks then you'll enjoy this too.

Its a little fluffy round the edges and as I said a totally unrealistic fairytale, but enjoyable all the same. 3 out of 5 stars and suitable for most teen ages really.
Profile Image for Rebecca.
327 reviews7 followers
July 23, 2013
This was sort of like reading a written version of a reality show, with the same predictable plot and vapid characters you would expect to see on such a thing. I thought that while the plot was predictable, it could have been pulled off much better than this book, as I felt the majority of the characters were one dimensional, Sapphire in particular seemed to have regular personality transplants, and I really didn't need the whole section at the end explaining how the plot had unraveled as it was obvious from the outset - it was similar to a villain speaking until they are killed at the end of a superhero movie. I've read much better books in this genre and unless you are really into The Hills-esque reality shows then I wouldn't recommend this one.
Profile Image for Fiona.
57 reviews5 followers
May 10, 2012
Not sure if it was just my copy of what, but it had a lot of typos (and once, it said Madison, when really it's supposed to be Sapphire/Simonetta). So, didn't anyone read through to check them? It's not even an ARC.

Anyway, it was okay. The plot is fine. Sapphire is the typical perfect nice girl, which I think is boring and stupid. Not enough depth for other characters, especially Madison and Simonetta, considering that they're very important characters too. And Brad, it's like he's in the book for the sake of needing a character for it to make sense.

The ending... Now the ending is weird. Can't pinpoint why it's weird, but it's not the way I would imagine the ending to be.
Author 1 book5 followers
July 6, 2010
I enjoyed this book a lot. I guessed the first plot twist but there were many more to come.
The characters were interesting and a few had some real depth in them. Heroine Sapphire was a bit TOO perfect but still O.K.
The plotline was unique and I enjoyed it very much. Great holiday read, with a bit of a romance plot as well as some genuine tension. The writing was a little repetitive but mainly flowed really well. It was easy to read and perfect for the beach!
Profile Image for Ifahh.
274 reviews1 follower
October 27, 2010
It was a surprisingly easy read, since most of the font is big enough for a toddler to read (I kid you not) but I kind of like the whole story. The author made us want to hate Madison, and I can't imagine anyone who could definitely relate to her. As for Simonetta, well, I expected her to inherit the money.

When I put the book down, I thought 'Oh, what a happy ending'.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Alyssa.
78 reviews3 followers
March 12, 2016
Towards the end of the book I realised I quite liked it after all. Predictable, easy to read good old chick-lit. I liked the main character Sapphire. Overall, I probably would recommend this book for a quick easy read if someone asked me about it but it's not something I would tell people they need to read.
Profile Image for Rashmeet.
421 reviews47 followers
May 5, 2014
I would classify it as a normal chic-lit, with a hint of mystery and the ordinary sabotaging by mean girls so that the good girl can't reach where she wants to, and there's a romantic triangle, all sorted by one reaches the one, and viola! The good girl wins. I read it on a chilly day, sunbathing, and it was fun. Nothing moving, but simply a fun way to spend those leisure hours.

- R -
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews

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