Really struggling to get into this one. It's hard enough to make "spoiled little rich girl" a likable character, but make her an entitled millionaire influencer who projects emotions on everyone she meets pushes it over the edge. This exchange pretty much sums it up:

“It’s about you. This happens every single time you find yourself in a room with someone who isn’t tripping over themselves with excitement to meet you.”
My shoulders hitch up as I growl, “It absolutely does not.”
“I’m not saying you’re narcissistic— frankly, if you were, that’d be easier to deal with. No, what I think— you wanna hear what I think?”
“No.”
“What I think is that you’re just absurdly, like next-level ridiculous, insecure about yourself."

The guy doesn't gush over her, so she leaps to the assumption that he dislikes, judges, and pities her. Her internal dialogue is very off-putting, not just about him but everyone else as well. It doesn’t really get better from there. She’s selfish and self focused but then randomly does a couple nice gestures for people and that’s supposed to make us like her? I really didn’t feel like a got a payoff for sticking with the story until the end.

This was a cute one! I liked the characters, development, and setting. Definitely worth a read! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The reader gets a glimpse into the life of a full-time content creator / influencer through the First Person eyes of Cat Cranwell, who is ‘Famous for a Living’. As the result of unfortunate circumstances, Cat finds herself plucked from big city New York and plopped down in rugged back-country Montana working for her Park Ranger Uncle.

I liked how this book explored a few relevant topics in today’s society, packaging them in a more lighthearted Hallmark-esque romance story.
Things like the volatility & pressure of internet fame; the challenges influencers face as real humans themselves; the danger of how social media can become an true addictive drug with many of the same dangers as the pharmaceutical kind.
I really enjoyed the author’s descriptions of the landscape. Through her use of words to paint a picture, it was as if I could really see in my mind’s eye the beauty of the Montana setting. I also liked seeing the chapters contain actual titles - that’s becoming more and more rare in modern books.

I would’ve liked to see a little more development and growth portrayed in Cat, specifically her relationship to her phone and social media. There were some snippets of it in the epilogue, but I wanted to see more maturity taking place earlier in the book so we as the readers could be along for more of the journey. I found her to be very self-absorbed (understandably) and insecure, so I would’ve enjoyed seeing those aspects shift and change as she took time away.
The romance aspect was sweet, but I would have liked to see a little more of it. It was there, but not enough that a relationship developing between the two characters made sense to me.

This book is published by a Christian publisher, so it was a bit surprising to me that there weren’t any faith themes in it. Just a good clean book! No swearing or bedroom action, just a few kisses!

Overall a cute, light hearted romance. Didn't have as much depth as I was hoping for so it fell a little flat. I also think it was pretty heavy on the anti-social media bias and didn't balance it well with how being an influencer definitely has positives, specifically for women who turn it into a profession. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the eARC!

❄️🌲🏔️- famous for a living by melissa ferguson

I loved this book so much!! firstly, the setting!?! it sounded so beautiful and was so vivid it was like I was actually there- I enjoyed the the constant appreciation that Cat had for the landscape- even when 9/10 she surprised herself by how much she loved it. the whole towny feel at kannery national park honestly just added even more to the enjoyment of the book- they all felt like family by the end and you could see their individual personalities shining through with their own little quirks!

cat~ i honestly loved her… she wasn’t as whiny as I thought she’d be. she did grieve her reputation but I empathised… the woman was being vilified by the whole country for something she didn’t do and was trying to build her life back up. once the plan was made though she pretty much got on with it… you definitely saw her character develop throughout the story as she came to love the national park and the people that lived and worked there as much as the reader comes to love them. it was so enjoyable to watch her transformation and way her social media account reflected this change towards the end of the book!

zaiah~ I loved his character so much!! he was grumpy but not too much that he seemed like an asshole. and he had baggage but there was COMMUNICATION… even before they started a relationship.. he was so sweet with cat even at the beginning of the story (the hike + her boots *swoon*) he was just such a refreshing MMC from the last book I read *cough- magnolia parks*.

overall, I really enjoyed this book and devoured it in one night. the ONLY thing that would elevate this book even more is if i had a zaiah pov. but that’s just because I’m greedy for his thoughts 🫨

Between the pro-gun uncle who really didn't add to the story, the preachy anti-phone/social media message and the lack of romance, this really wasn't it for me. While I had been excited about the setting, I'm tired of books making women with stereotypically feminine hobbies being made to look ridiculous and couldn't get into the book as a result.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I started Famous For a Living and simply could not put it down. Melissa Ferguson wrote an adorable, and timely, rom-com that deals with the very real out falls of cancel culture, and the influence social media has on our lives. It follows Cat, a disgraced influencer, as she heads out to hide out in Montana, where her beloved uncle runs a state park. The cast of characters is delightful and quirky and at times, hilariously funny. You can’t help but love Cat, and the main male character Zaiah. I kept my fingers crossed the whole time, knocking it would work out and then crying real tears at the end. This book felt like an unexpected gift, and I will absolutely catch myself up on Melissa Ferguson’s back list.

Special thanks to Net Galley and Thomas Nelson publishing for sending me an advanced reviewer copy in exchange for my honest review and opinion.

3.5 ⭐️

From Park Avenue to the Parks Department— the world’s most beloved social media start is about to get a rude awakening.

Famous for a Living was a cute read that took a deep look at the influencer culture and the effects social media addiction has on our lives. Overall I liked the premise of the story and think it’s unfortunately relative to our current world. The characters were well developed and likable, I just wish there would have been a little bit more in the romance department between Cat and Zaiah.

What I enjoyed;
📱 Small-Town Montana Setting
📱 Opposites Attract
📱 Found Family
📱 Self Discovery

I struggled with the formatting on the kindle app and it definitely altered the reading experience, however I know wont be an issues with the final copy.

Thank you to the NetGalley, UpLit reads and the author for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was an enjoyable easy read, I wouldn't say it's a romance as there doesn’t feel like that it’s the main focus of the book to me it felt more like womens fiction. I loved the setting of the national park inMontana and the small town vibes. This book focuses a lot on the impacts of social media and being addicted to your phone and I found that aspect so interesting! It's got a lil side romance but not much and there's no spice if that's your thing. I really liked the ending it felt pretty realistic and the epilogue was really sweet!

I didn’t love this book. It seemed way too similar to the premise of it happened one summer to me.

It was cute, but don’t think it’s something I would read again.

I’ve been reaching for more lighthearted reads as life as been hectic and “Famous For A Living” really hit the spot. This story was a mix of romance, family and working through the hard parts of life. The addictive nature of social media and the grip it has on Cat’s life is easily relatable to today’s society. This book had you questioning your own habits and choices and the questionnaire/tips at the end capped off a perfect read!

A sweet, easy-to-devour book about love and the shortcomings of fame. I finished this book in the span of two days. It's a quick, easy read that'd be perfect as a tagalong to any summer vacation.

I love the cover, the premise and the author - I could not get into this book and had to put it down, DNF.

Famous for A Living is pure Melissa Ferguson in every best way. Never have there been such opposites as Cat and Zaiah. This book focuses on more than the romance and the stunning Montana parks, delving into the psychological effects of social media.
The secondary characters will make you laugh and the bonds formed between old and new friends will warm your heart.

“There is no honor in falling. Just failing to take the risk.”

Melissa Ferguson knows how to write rom-coms. I found myself crying through the book - one minute from laughing so hard and the next minute clutching my heart in sympathy. The author made the wintery landscape of Montana mountains so real with its beauty, hidden dangers, and below freezing temperatures. The camaraderie and ridiculous fun found amongst the park rangers and the townspeople of Kannery are addictive. Though narrated in first person present tense by Cat, we get to know Zaiah pretty well through their interactions. And Zaiah is definitely a worthy hero. The supporting cast of Uncle Terry, Mina, Jax, Kevin, Peggy, and Mark is awesome and I’m hoping for a sequel about Mark. And, of course, we can’t forget Serena, Cat’s best friend, who is a little scary and over-the-top but so necessary in pulling the entire story together.

I really enjoyed the story but unfortunately didn’t gel with Cat. I think I’m too old to fully understand an influencer’s life. Her stream of consciousness narrative lost me more than once during the story but her innate desire to help people really came through in her actions. She does have moments of epiphany, which help her realize what’s truly important.

It’s a fun clean romance (no faith threads in the story) to enjoy on a blustery Saturday morning with a steaming cup of coffee. I received the book from Thomas Nelson via NetGalley and was under no obligation to post a positive review. All opinions are my own.

Cat Cranwell is beloved in the social media world, with millions of followers she calls her "dearest family" is in for a rude awakening when a sponsorship goes horribly wrong and she ends up shunned from the community. Two months shy of her thirtieth birthday, Cat is forced to find her way in the world the old-fashioned way: by getting a 'real' job. Her only living relative, Uncle Terry, offers her a position on his staff at a small national park in Montana to get away from the city, so she picks up and moves from Park Avenue to the Parks Department. What she doesn't realize is that her new role is to be the social media strategist and her job is to save the Kannery National Park from being absorbed into the Glacier National Park and she needs to boost their number of visitors FAST. At least one of her new colleagues, the ruggedly handsome Zaiah Hudson, is around to show her the ropes.

This was my first Melissa Ferguson novel, but the amount of wit and charm written into these characters is definitely putting her on my radar. All the supporting characters were lovely, and the growth that Cat and Zaiah both go through in their own ways was really inspiring. This book tackled some heavy topics surrounding social media and the dangers of being overdependent on it in a really thoughtful way. I would say this book leans more Women's Fiction than Romance, so if you're looking for a book filled with more romance this probably won't be what satisfies that for you, but the blossoming romance was sweet, transparent, and honest in a way that was really refreshing!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

When I started this, I wasn’t really sure it was my cup of tea and I found myself speed reading so I could get to my next waiting novel. But a few chapters later and I was IN. I slowed down a bit, even reread some passages because I just wasn’t ready for it to be done. The family of characters in MT were my favorite. It made me want to be a part of it. To sink into their world. To live in a secluded area, forget the pressures of everyday life (and my phone) and just truly be in the moment. Thank you @melissa for this book and for the reminder to live in reality which is not something that can/should be done virtually.

Such a cute book! It is perfect for a quick read. I enjoyed the premise of a fallen from grace influencer falling for a mountain man. The moral of the story is so relatable too, that it makes you think twice about what your read and post.

As a social media addict/influencer living in the mountains of Idaho (near Montana) this one hit reallllly close to home! Melissa Ferguson has a tremendous ability to write relatable characters that are sweet, funny, and still somehow human! I loved the subtle romance and hilarious experiences shared by city girl gone to the mountains!

I just could not finish this. I got to about page 100 and didn't feel like I was engaging enough with the characters to enjoy it, sadly.