This book was so charming! There were so many different parts in this book that had me smiling/laughing.

I loved the relationship that Cat had with Terry, and Serena, and so many others.

****possible spoilers, read on with caution****

AND ZAIAH! OMG, he was so sweet. He was a little grumpy, but was the literal calm to Cat's storm. I love the way he balanced her out, and all the different times that he stopped her from thinking too hard and stressing herself out of something. (Like, specifically during the polar plunge) and the way that he created an Instagram just so he could show her support, by following her and liking her posts... And I appreciate that there wasn't some huge blow up miscommunication between the two.

I like how this book (maybe) makes you think about how much you're using your smart devices, and how that also in a way disconnects you from the real world.

There were a few things that I wish had been a little more fleshed out, which is why it didn't get a full 5 stars, but it's still one of my favorite books so far this year.

Thanks so much to Thomas Nelson, Melissa Ferguson, and Netgalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this title. All thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

*This review is currently posted on my blog, and has been submitted to Amazon, I am waiting to be approved*

Cat Cranwell is a famous Instagramer with millions of followers until an app partnership leads her to be “canceled”. Cat had partnered up with a shifty friend, got pressured to sign last minute documents and then it was discovered it wasn’t aboveboard. Many followers and brands dropped and vilified her. Now as the case goes to court her best friend, Serena, encourages Cat to take Uncle Terry’s offer of a job in Montana working for the small Kannery National Park, to get her out of the city and out of the public eye. Uncle Terry is Cat’s closest family member, and beloved father figure and she knows part of the offer is to help Cat get out of the spotlight. But the park does really need her help to get it noticed more so it’s not absorbed into the giant Glacier National Park.

Famous for a Living was very much about Cat’s journey figuring out what’s important in life without trading in her identity. Cat was likeable and thoughtful from the beginning, so it wasn’t like she needed major positive changes, but more that she got swept up by fame and maybe missed the important bits of living, like being in the moment and not concerned with every “like” or with being at the top of popularity. Social media can be really great, but it can also overtake a person’s life, and I thought the story captured the positives and negatives well.

Zaiah, even though he clearly didn’t like social media, wasn’t judgmental and appreciated all Cat could do, but he had a history that made his position make sense. He was an absolute sweetheart and I loved seeing them get close and fall in love.

I loved the setting! The rustic cabins, the snowy mountains, pines, wildlife, and the fun local winter festivals! The cast of secondary characters from Uncle Terry, Cat’s BFF Serena, Mina, to Kevin were quirky and so much fun! I laughed out loud so many times!

Famous for a Living was engaging, low drama, and a just a pure delight! Loved everything about it!

I alternately read an e-copy and listened to the audio version. I really enjoyed Talon David’s performance of both female and male characters! She enhanced an already wonderful story! I listened at my usual 1.5x normal speed. I recommend either version!

Synopsis: Cat is a social media influencer, until one decision breaks everything. Now desperate to get out of town, she goes to a small National Park in Montana to work as a Park Ranger.

My thoughts: I’m a huge fan of small town romances, but when you have a “celebrity” taken out of luxury and thrown in the rugged terrain with a sexy ranger, it’s bound to be a winner!

I liked the characters and especially the growth Cat went through as the book progressed. I also enjoyed the scenic descriptions through out the book, which made me really want to visit a hiking trail!

Read if you love:
📱 Social Media
📱 Small town romances
📱 Closed door romance
📱 Nature and Wildlife
📱 Personal growth

This was exactly the cute rom-com I was expecting and hoping it to be—no disappointment here! Big city influencer culture mixed with small town charm, and the characters (at least the main couple) had some actual depth and backstory that made me really appreciate them, their similarities and their differences. As a fan of both city living and the great outdoors made this story so much fun to read—and made me want to travel somewhere! I do think it’s interesting to read about the effects of social media and our collective addiction to our phones and devices—and a little ironic that I did so on a Kindle (better than on my phone, I suppose?). It highlighted both good and bad that can result from the use of technology and social media, a balance that we probably all need to work on in our own lives.

Could you live without social media?⁣
⁣
I just adore Melissa Ferguson’s books and Famous for a Living might be my new favorite! ⁣
⁣
So my answer would probably be no… because social media introduced me to her! 😆⁣
⁣
When an app partnership blows up in her face, influencer Cat reluctantly goes to work with her Uncle at a National Park to boost their socials, attract more visitors, and help save the park’s future. There she meets hot and handsome - but grump of a park ranger - Zaiah, who thinks social media is ruining the world. ⁣
⁣
She’s Insta-famous…
He uses a flip phone.⁣
⁣
I love the opposites attract trope and this sweet rom-com is full of all the best things: hilarious antics, sweet friendships, witty banter and snark, and it is such a fun reminder to get out and enjoy life beyond the screens.

Following Cat Cranwell's journey was very entertaining! As an influencer Cat has all eyes on her following her every move. But when she trusts the wrong people her followers begin to turn on her and that is when she turns to the only person she has every really trusted, her Uncle Terry.
Cat trades her exciting city life for a quiet, sometimes uneventful life in the mountains with her Uncle Terry and his co-workers. It is here that she finds out who she wants to be in life.
I truly loved each character in this book but Cat's roomate, Mina, may have been my favorite! They each were unique and fun. People I would love to be friends with if given the chance.
The storyline was a true journey of self-discovery for Cat. She thought she had the world in her hands, until she found out that her followers were just that followers. She found out that true friends were the ones who mattered in her life and the social media followers were just a way to make money.
This was a carefully crafted story that had so many laugh out loud moments mixed in with heartwarming moments. I loved this book from beginning to end.
I highly recommend this very entertaining book. I am extremely grateful to Thomas Nelson Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read a digital copy of this wonderful book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas-Nelson Fiction for the electronic copy! All thoughts are my own.

3.5 stars rounded up.

Synopsis:
With her millions of followers, Cat Cranwell is adored around the world. But when an app partnership goes very, very wrong, Cat suddenly finds herself shunned from the community that not only fed her soul all these years but paid her bills. When Cat’s closest living relative, Uncle Terry, offers her a position on his staff at a small national park in Montana to get away from the city, Cat hesitantly accepts the opportunity.
What she doesn’t realize is that as the new social media strategist her goal is to save Kannery National Park from being absorbed into Glacier National Park by boosting the number of visitors. And at least one of her new colleagues—namely, handsome and rugged ranger Zaiah Hudson—thinks social media is the root of everything that’s wrong with the world. Written with bestselling author Melissa Ferguson’s signature wit and charm, this romantic comedy of opposites attract is full of hilarious romp and a romance that will melt readers’ hearts.

Overall thoughts:
This book was a JOURNEY. Both because it was a slow burn but also because it follows the characters on quite the journey as well. It is marketed as a romance, but I would not say that the main journey is the romance portion. I think this book is more about the journey Cat goes on with her own life and learning what is truly important.
Being someone who is a (self proclaimed, lol) 'bookfluencer', this book and the characters were somewhat relatable. I often struggle with the balance of social media vs real life. I love sharing my life, or at least my reading life, with my community on Instagram, but the internet can also be an overwhelming place at times. I think that 'Famous For A Living' really tackles that in the plot and just how easily social media can get away from us, given the results of the failed app partnership.
Overall the book was cute but it was a very slow burn. I would go into this one more looking for a chic-lit book versus the romance portion, but it was still a pretty fun read.

This was a really cute read about learning to find meaning outside of the world of social. media for an influencer. While marketed as a rom-com this felt more like women's fiction with a side plot of romance. But overall, this was a quick and easy read that left me feeling good. I enjoyed all the characters and loved all their growth.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the advanced copy for review.

Cat Cranwell is a NYC influencer who trusts the wrong person with a business venture and swiftly falls from grace on the socials. Her Uncle convinces her to come to Montana to help his park ranger group with their social media presence.

This story was pretty cute. It's definitely a sweet, slow burn type romance. I really enjoyed the development of the relationship through the book.

The main character definitely grows as a person but doesn't completely change who she is. I enjoyed that.

This is my first book from this author and I had so much reading this! I haven't read a fun Rom Com in a while and this was such a breath of fresh air! The characters were interesting and kept me hooked! Once I started getting into this I didn't want to put it down. The pace was perfect and I can't wait to read more from this author! Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson - Fiction for the digital copy and the opportunity to provide my review.

🌲BOOK REVIEW🌲

Famous for a Living - Melissa Ferguson
Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐️

“With her millions of followers, Cat Cranwell is adored around the world. But when an app partnership goes very, very wrong, Cat suddenly finds herself shunned from the community that not only fed her soul all these years but paid her bills. When Cat’s closest living relative, Uncle Terry, offers her a position on his staff at a small national park in Montana to get away from the city, Cat hesitantly accepts the opportunity.

What she doesn’t realize is that as the new social media strategist her goal is to save Kannery National Park from being absorbed into Glacier National Park by boosting the number of visitors. And at least one of her new colleagues—namely, handsome and rugged ranger Zaiah Hudson—thinks social media is the root of everything that’s wrong with the world. Written with bestselling author Melissa Ferguson’s signature wit and charm, this romantic comedy of opposites attract is full of hilarious romp and a romance that will melt readers’ hearts.”

This was such a cute, fun read! I know it’s technically considered a romance but definitely enjoyed the friendships and Cat’e journey to figure out what is important just as much! I want Mina to come be my BFF! The romance was definitely a slow burn that started late in the book. Overall, I definitely enjoyed the message of being more present in the moment.

Recommend if you like:
- Found family
- Slow burn, closed dood romance
- Opposites attract
- Self growth and discovery
- Hallmark movie vibes

Thanks to @tnzfiction @our_friendly_farmhouse @tlcbooktours and @netgalley for this ARC!

🌲Do you prefer the city or country? Have you ever visited a National Park?

#FamousForALiving #MelissaFerguson #romcom #sweetromance #netgalleyreview #bookreview #booktok #parkrangerromance #booksbooksbooks #romancebooks #instafamous #influencer #bookchallenge #goodreads

This book was a very light, quick read with a happy ending. This was a closed-door romance(ish) story with a more YA vibe. Based on the book cover, I expected this to be a summer read with camping vibes, yet I found this to be misleading as the entire story is set right in the middle of a brutal Montana winter.

The story sheds light on the influencer lifestyle and addiction to social media and our phones. There was some interesting material for discussion from that point of view and did make me reflect on my own use of social media.

I find it difficult to classify this book as a romance because I found there to be a lack of true connection and chemistry between our female main character and her love interest. There is a "happily ever after" ending, but no true buildup to this ending... it just sort of happens all of the sudden in the epilogue.

Overall, this was an "OK" book. If you're looking for something light in between heavier books, this is a good choice.

Read if you like:
🏔 Stories set in the mountains
❄ Snowy settings
🚪 Closed door romance
📱 Influencer MCs
❤ Happily ever after endings

⚠️ Potential trigger warnings: abuse, strained family relationships, addiction (may not be an exhaustive list)

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Goodreads rating: 3.68 ⭐

🙏 Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the gifted electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was such a fun read! The relationship dynamics between Cat and Zaiah were so cute and I enjoyed watching them grow and develop throughout the course of the story. The plot felt relevant and Cat's struggles with her dependence on social media were very relatable.

This book was not at all what I was expecting. I was really expecting a romance centred story, however the romance is more secondary to the story. Cat Crandall is a big social media influencer who is trying to repair her image after her business partner is accused of financial crimes. Cat trades the city for the mountains, running away from the paparazzi to a national park her uncle is a ranger at in Montana. She falls for a grumpy park ranger who has a really good reason for disliking social media, cellphones, and all the dangers they can cause.

I was thinking I was going into a much more light hearted romance, and while I did enjoy the development of Cat and her struggles to find herself after years of living her life for her followers, I found it didn’t keep my attention enough. I kept putting this book down, and when I would pick it back up I would have to read back to get back in the groove. Another reason I didn’t enjoy this as much as I had hoped, the author has written the character with a lot of internal dialogue that is sometimes written as if I was spoken, and it became hard to tell what was being said vs what was internal thoughts. Maybe it was because I put down the book too often that it became disjointed, but I was over 70 percent in before I really got into the story.

If you enjoy slow burn romance reads that focus on the plot more than the romance, I would very much recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a like/hate for me

I liked where the author ended up towards the end of the book, but the execution to get there was all over the place.

After her world comes crashing down, social media influencer Cat goes to live with her Uncle in the remote nation park wilderness in Montana. She meets a slew of new people who begin to teach her that there’s more to life than your social media following.

This book had so many hypocritical moments that my head was spinning. Cat leaves New York to go off the grid after a business deal goes wrong and her “investors” lose tons of money. Then, while in Montana, she becomes the social media coordinator for her Uncle’s national park? It didn’t make sense.
Cat felt incredibly shallow for 80% of the book. The other 20% was her actually sticking up for herself, which I appreciated. The ending felt all kinds of weird and there were a ton of plot holes left (namely, Cat’s past which was supposedly horrible but we learn NOTHING about).
I also felt like this was a spin-off of “It Happened One Summer” with the spoiled social media princess being sent to live in a small town where the rugged handsome worker makes her swoon. So that was hard for me to get over.
Unfortunately this just wasn’t my favorite.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson and #netgalley for an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Cute qnd sweet read. This was just the right amount of sugar. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read.

Honestly this rating is for the format. I couldn’t even read more than a couple pages of this when the publisher logo is on every other page. It was pretty distracting and made it super difficult to read the book. It was disappointing since I was excited to read this but I just couldn’t do it.

He's a city boy who escaped to the country, and she's a country girl who made it big in the city. So, it seems like their relationship is doomed from the start, especially when she learns why he dislikes social medial so much (which just happens to be her entire livelihood!).

There was a bit of a PSA feel to this story as the dangers of social media were explored and expounded upon at length. But eventually, it focused more on temperance and how to keep social media from taking over your life.

I loved the "found family" aspect of this story and had never heard of skijoring before, which turns out to be real! So that was fun to hear about.

The romance aspect of the story was enjoyable without getting too spicy. So, if you like clean HEA's, you'll enjoy this one.

Thanks to Melissa Ferguson, Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

While I loved Meet Me In The Margins, I didn’t enjoy this book as much. It felt more womens fiction than romance and was soooo focused on social media. Yet, I also felt like if the point was to show how bad social media is it could have dove deeper. I just never really felt like I got the point it was trying to make. The female main character was annoying most of the time too. I did love the park aspect and the found family there but I wanted more of that and less social media.

I love it when a big city girl meets a mountain man and has to learn to adapt in a new environment. It was fun watching her experience a totally different life complete with a polar plunge. Zaiah and Cat seem so opposite but Zaiah comes to appreciate Cat's strength of character. She's not as frivolous as he imagines a social media influencer to be. They had great chemistry and their banter was fun and delightful.

The only thing wrong with this book is that it's a standalone novel. I want a series. There are great secondary characters like the over-protective Mina or nerdy Kevin that just beg for a book to be written about them.

An unexpected side to this book for me is the information on the dangers of social media. It made me think about my own habits to see if there's anything I need to change. It is thought provoking and would make for a great discussion.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson for providing me with a free e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own.