Title: Famous for a Living
Author: Melissa Ferguson
Genre: Romance
Rating: 3.00
Pub Date: May 16, 2023

I received complimentary eARC and ALC copies of this book from Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Audio via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted #Ad

T H R E E • W O R D S

Witty • Lighthearted • Cautionary

📖 S Y N O P S I S

When her business partner is accused of serious financial crimes, superstar influencer Cat Cranwell falls from her penthouse perch. Des­perate to get away from the online trolls and paparazzi, Cat accepts her uncle’s offer to work with him in Kannery National Park.

Cat’s world shifts from the swirling haze of likes and comments to lit­eral blizzards of frostbite temperatures and waist-deep snow. In place of negotiating brand deals, she finds herself negotiating at the ledge of a frozen lake with her die-hard Polar Bear Plunge coworkers. Instead of padding through the marble kitchen of her Manhattan loft, she’s sharing a tent-sized cabin with a roommate eager to bond like characters in sitcoms. But something curious is also happening in this overwhelming breath of fresh air as she reacquaints with the most honest parts of her­self and begins to ask the hard questions.

Then there’s that other tiny problem—she’s falling for Zaiah, the ruggedly handsome park ranger who hates anything remotely connected to social media, quite possibly her included.

💭 T H O U G H T S

I was drawn to Famous for a Living partly because of the cover, and partly because the small town/national park setting piqued my interest, so I was excited to receive an ARC to read ahead of its upcoming release. I think it's important to preface this review with the fact that the cover itself is quite deceiving. The majority of this book takes place during the winter months with snow and bitter cold temperatures, whereas the cover gives a much more summery vibe. This seems like an odd marketing choice. But I guess it worked...

What I like:
• an endearing supporting cast. I actually liked some of the side characters more than Cat and Zaiah, especially Cat's uncle and roommate Mina.
• the small town/national park setting. I absolutely gravitate towards small town settings, and with so much beautiful scenery I loved this one even more.
• the humour. I literally laughed out loud several times, which is rare.

What I didn't like:
• the romance. It took a back seat, not really blossoming until the last third, making it more a story about a woman finding herself than anything else. If it has been marketed as that than maybe I'd have enjoyed it more.
• the social media aspect. A little superficial at times, some of the corniness left me rolling my eyes. I just don't jive well with the social media/influencer type of character that comes across as shallow.
• the ending. Everything got wrapped up with a nice little bow all too quickly. The romance felt rushed, and it just felt unrealistic.

While certainly a timely novel contrasting the positive and negatives sides of social media, I am not a huge fan of the social media aspect in books and there were quite a few plot holes that I found myself just not caring. The audio, narrated by Talon David, is decent but nothing to write home about. Overall, it just didn't leave any lasting impressions on me, and I have a feeling I'll quickly forget the storyline and characters.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• lovers of the opposites attract trope
• fans of closed door romance
• Hallmark movie enthusiasts

⚠️ CW: car accident, social media addiction

Cat Cranwell has millions of followers on social media. When public opinion turns on her after a partnership gone wrong, she retreats from NYC to the small national park her uncle runs in rural Montana. The job Uncle Terry offers her running their social media pages is more important than she initially realized – it might be the only chance to keep their park from being incorporated into the much larger Glacier National Park. One of her new coworkers, Zaiah, is ruggedly handsome and a genuinely good person, but he thinks social media is a major problem in today’s world. Can Cat save the park, and will she and Zaiah find common ground despit their differences?

This book is definitely more about self-growth and the dangers of social media than it is a romance. Talon David did a nice job with the narration of this audiobook. I absolutely adored Melissa Ferguson’s <i>Meet Me in the Margins</i>, and while I liked this one, it was nowhere at the level of MMitM for me. There were many funny moments throughout this book, though. Pick it up if you’re in the mood for something light, but know that it is more women’s fiction than romance.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.

From Park Avenue to Parks department, social media star, Cat's life changes in a moment. After a partnership goes wrong, Cat moves to her uncle's small-town park in Montana. With the help of her skills, she helps revamp & attracting tourists to the park with the help of a few quirky colleagues & a very handsome but judgmental, Zaiah.

This was such a wholesome book that I can't stop thinking about it. There's something about Melissa's writing that brings out both vulnerability & humor in the story.

Cat & Zaiah's banter was amazing, especially the airport pickup scene. I just loved them together; very subtle, soft, and romantic.

The side characters were whole, another level of quirky. I loved Mina so much & honestly would give anything to have her own book. And not to forget Uncle Terry, that man was too pure for this world & I loved his & Cat's relationship.

PS The graphics of the insta posts at the beginning of each chapter stole my heart completely.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Cat’s life is been on display for far too long and now is ruining for a bad decision. Can she rewrite her life and learn to live her life in a small mountain town with friends and family, without her phone and her social life and finally find happiness and love? A journey to self discovery and a reflection about social media and it danger to people’s life in more than one way. The audiobook is great, Talon Davis does an amazing job with Melissa’s words.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance reader's copy of this novel.

I DNFed this one pretty quickly. I am in a phase of life where books about people just about to turn 30 have to be incredibly well done in order to hold my attention. I'm totally fine with reading about people who are in a different stage of life than I am, but when the character thinks they're old because they're about to turn 30, it's just too absurd. If you're a teenager, you think 29 is old. If you're a grownup of any age, you should know better. So many authors of romance novels seem to be struggling with extreme ageism in the way they write their characters. You can write a story about that stage of life without adding in ageist nonsense, I promise you.

Cat and Zaiah have my heart. I loved this book cover to cover. It's so fun and campy (literally) and yet so heartfelt and touching. Truly well done.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, from start to finish. The character development was excellent, from the main character Cat to intern Jax. The setting is second to none and I loved how complete the story felt, all the loose strings were tied up prettily. My only critique is I wish we could have had more chapters to explore some of the storylines that were wrapped up quickly, like addiction to technology.

I really think this book would have benefitted from not being marketed as a romance. There was a small bit of romance in this book but it felt much more like a women's fiction novel. When it came to the romance component, I didn't feel a lot of chemistry between Cat and Zaiah.
I think the idea of this could have been executed better because I was excited about this story when I read the synopsis. There were some good discussion included about social media and the balance between being online and focusing on real life.
This book just didn't end up being what was advertised so I ended up being disappointed.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Super famous social media influencer, Cat, has a whirlwind financial crisis and gets into major legal trouble. Being forced to leave her home in the city and trek all the way across the country to a tiny, isolated town amongst the wilderness. She finds friendship, love, and learns what life is actually all about. It was a really cute story and I thought the author did a great job of painting the imagery for the nature scenes. Definitely a good read for hikers and people who love travel/exploring wilderness. I didn’t love the main character, but she didn’t ruin the story for me. Just could’ve been less self absorbed but at least you see her growth throughout the book. Rating: 3/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I've enjoyed all of Melissa Ferguson's books, but this one is my favorite! "Famous for a Living" is just the book I needed to start off my summer reading (somewhat ironic because the book is mostly cold and snowy). It's light, fun, well-paced, and with just enough tension and drama.

First, all hail a queen who gives us a romance without a miscommunication trope OR an outrageous third-act break-up. Second, these characters are all so fun. I hope we see them again (preferably in a book where Mina finds love (or maybe Uncle Terry)). I feel like for every person in this book, I know a real-life equivalent.

The settings are also putting in work here. There was no bashing of New York over the simple life; it was talked about from both characters' perspectives, which was really interesting. It was easy to understand why the main character would feel pulled to New York with the food, glamour, best friend, and other attributes. Equally balanced were the descriptions of Montana. After reading this book, I'm itching to visit both places.

I recommend this book as well as Ferguson's other work. They're delightful closed-door romances with funny characters, but she also tackles an issue in each book. For this one, it was the pitfalls of social media, which I found oh-so-relatable.

4 Stars - 0.5 Spice

Melissa always writes a cute clean romance, and Famous for a Living was a fun read/ listen! An Instagram star meets a man that HATES social media, and in the little small town, Cat has to learn to disconnect. And hopefully find her way back to the world she had before a villianous co-worker destroyed her public reputation. I wish this was a Dual POV SO bad because I would have loved to hear Zaiah's commentary at some of the hijnx that occurs. The chaos of all the staff for the Park made the story light and funny often, and the pace of the book was ready so it never felt like to slowed down . But overall, it was an enjoying read!

One of my only problems with this book, which isn't even a problem really, is the cover makes you think its a summer/ spring story. Nah. They are dealing with winter and snow in Montana for the majority of the plot? Im confused.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson - Fiction, for an eARC of Famous for a Living, written by Melissa Ferguson. This is my honest review!

DNF
The eARC was too difficult to read. I understand the real copy will be fine.
For me, the frequent publisher logos and no indentations turned me off.
Thanks anyway.

This was a little too slow-burn of a romance for me, but I still enjoyed the overall plot. If you enjoy grumpy/sunshine, closed-door romance, opposites attract, and found family tropes, this should be right up your alley! I also have been enjoying small town romances, that take place in more secluded areas — like a national park!

This was such a wholesome book that I can't stop thinking about it. There's something about Melissa's writing that brings out both vulnerability & humor in the story.

Cat & Zaiah's banter was amazing, especially the airport pickup scene. I just loved them together; very subtle, soft, and romantic.

The side characters were whole, another level of quirky. I loved Mina so much & honestly would give anything to have her own book. And not to forget Uncle Terry, that man was too pure for this world & I loved his & Cat's relationship.

PS The graphics of the insta posts at the beginning of each chapter stole my heart completely.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Cat is an influencer & a pretty big deal. However, after a bad partnership causes media backlash, she goes to Montana to get out of the spotlight. There, she meets Zaiah who absolutely HATES social media.

Overall, this was a really enjoyable story. I adore Melissa Ferguson’s writing and definitely want to read more books by her. While it didn’t feel like a romance, I loved it as a women’s fiction/romcom.

I listened to this on audio & the narration was fantastic. It kept me engaged and made for an enjoyable listen. I will definitely be re-reading this as a physical book.

HUGE thank you to NetGalley, Thomas Nelson, and UpLit Reads for the eArc & physical gifted copy. And thank you to LibroFM for the ALC. These were in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Cat is instagram famous with millions of followers until she trusts the wrong person and makes a terrible business decision. She's now been cancelled and gone into hiding with no idea how to pay her bills. When her uncle Terry offers her a job at a small national park in Montana, she reluctantly accepts. This new environment is out of her comfort zone but building up their social media account to bring visitors is something she knows well. 

Cat goes through a journey in this book. She starts off as an out of touch influencer with a champagne lifestyle. But living in a more secluded and slower environment and with the help of her new co-workers, she starts to see the world in a different light. Famous for a Living is more of a women's fiction novel that deals with the need/addiction to being connected or attached to our phones at all times and letting go of constantly checking social media and connecting with the world around you!

There is a love interest present in the story but nothing really happens until close to the end of the book. Although you know she's going to end up with Zaiah, it does sort of come out of nowhere! There was no build to their relationship which we crave from all the rom-coms we read.

Many thanks to @thomasnelson + @netgalley for the e-book ARC in exchange for our honest review.

"You are impossible to ignore."

🏔 Rom-Com
🏔 Influencer
🏔 Forced Proximity
🏔 Big City to Small Mountain Town
🏔 Closed Door Romance
🏔 Found Family

This book follows Cat, an influencer with millions of followers, who finds herself embroiled in a fraud scandal thanks to her boyfriend/business partner. She leaves the city and the scrutiny to go stay and work for her Uncle Terry in the Kannery National Park in Montana in the winter.

This book was cute and I rather enjoyed the plot of the story. This book was less on the romance and more about Cat coming at a crossroads and discovering who she is in the wilderness of Montana. I found her growth believable and her character relatable, especially in this era of social media and social influencers. This book did bring to light a very real issue in the social media culture and it was an enjoyable read. The side characters were quirky and cute and I would love to read more about Serena and Mina. There were also a lot of memorable moments like the polar bear plunge and the skijoring competition.

3.5⭐️/ 0 🌶

This had so many great discussions on social media and its addictiveness. I appreciated that Cat wasn’t a caricature of an influencer but rather a genuinely kind person simply needing a better balance with her phone.

After a partnership goes terribly wrong, landing Cat in a scandal, she heads to Kannery National Park in Montana—her uncle offering a position in charge of their social media presence. This was such a calming, beautiful setting, along with its quirky cast of character, to help push Cat towards living more in the moment.

As Cat helps revamp their advertising (proving there is also a positive, beneficial side to social media), a romance slowly builds with the ruggedly handsome park ranger Zaiah.

For some reason I wasn’t overly invested in their relationship, but I really liked the perspective Zaiah brought to the story. His negative associations with social media (and phone usage in general, really) had a much deeper reasoning than I expected. I loved the message this story leaves you with.

I love Melissa Ferguson and this one did not disappoint. It was fun, unapologetic, sweet, and sexy. The use of social media as a plot device was well done I thought, and while most characters like this would annoy me, Ferguson wrote them well.

Famous for a Living gives a great view of life as an influencer on social media. At the heart of the book the message is we need to put down our phones and live life. Sharing, posting, and staying connected with friends electronically is important, but we also miss what is going on right now in our lives. Cat Cranwell had to learn the hard way after an app partnership went sideways. Cat goes from being an online darling to being canceled on all formats. Luckily for her, a favorite uncle rescues Cat and brings her into the National Park service where she can use her skills to save the beloved Kannery National Park.

My thanks to the author and the publisher for an early copy of this book. The opinions here are entirely my own.