I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Wow! What an enjoyable book. I really enjoyed this sweet story about the consequences of online life and mountain life. Can I say that I fell in love with Kannery National Park and the gang a little as well?? This book is the perfect sweet read for anyone to enjoy.

2.5 stars

Famous for a Living is the story of Cat Cranwell, a disgraced influencer who—thanks to her park ranger uncle—goes to work at a small National Park in Montana while waiting for the storm of her life to blow over. It was the National Park aspect that first drew me to this book, and I enjoyed all of the descriptions of the mountains and cold northern climate (despite the springtime cover art, the book is set during the winter). I also enjoyed the small town characters who worked at the park and their annual outdoor winter activities/festivals.

While the book starts with Cat being quite vapid, she does experience growth throughout. And, while the story is hinged on the premise of Cat’s content creator job leading to her sudden life change, I didn’t expect the book to be so vehemently preachy against social media use. “Are we meant to know every thought and deed, traumatic event, and triumph of every person in this world?” It asserts that regular social media use is akin to drug addiction. “Social media had changed the region of her brain that controlled emotions, attention, and decision making. Tell me this isn’t about a drug-dependent person.” It was heavy-handed and felt so much like an agenda, that it fully detracted from the story.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an advanced copy of this manuscript to review. Before this book’s actual release in May 2023, I hope the copy editing issues and inconsistencies are resolved as well.

📖 Review: Famous for a Living by Melissa Ferguson

Famous for a Living is a sweet and funny romance novel that will have you laughing along with Cat’s antics.

Cat Cranwell is “famous for a living”. She is a sought after social media influencer, and on her thirtieth birthday she is launching a brand new app with her partner, Bobby. Unfortunately, 3 months later, the app is sued with data fraud, and Cat is shunned from her platform. She’s innocent though, and her best friend, Serena, suggests getting off the grid by staying with Cat’s Uncle Terry, at Kannery National Park, in the middle-of-nowhere Montana.

You’ll love Famous for a Living, if you like:
❤️Romance
🏘️Found Family
⭐️Quirky secondary characters (probably my favourite part!)
🌄Beautiful settings
📖Books by Sophie Kinsella

I enjoyed reading this laugh-out-loud novel that addresses the current issue of being addicted to one’s phone through Cat’s internal conflict about why she is an influencer. The story also has some fantastic secondary characters that make for a quirky cast that brighten the frozen Montana tundra and the antics that follow. Overall, it was an enjoyable read with delightful characters and a sweet romance.

Famous for a Living comes out on May 16, and will be a light and charming novel that, despite its wintery setting, will make a perfect beach read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for this digital ARC in return for an honest review.

In my humble opinion, Ferguson has still not topped The Dating Charade, but this book was super cute! If I didn't before, I definitely want to visit Montana now.

"Famous For A Living" takes a light-hearted look at a rather serious topic - technology addiction. Not having a smart phone until I was 19 or 20 (or a phone at all until I was 18) and not getting social media until I was 19, I was able to enjoy growing up unaddicted to SM and technology and I started out with super strict boundaries so I could own it rather than being owned. In the years since, I've had my ups and downs and know how easy it is to get sucked in. I really appreciate Melissa for tackling this topic and being brave enough to call us all out on our dependence - if not addiction - to phones and social media.

I really liked Cat. Yes, she is a social media influencer who is addicted to her phone, but she wasn't shallow. She was a good friend, she recognized her flaws, & she was willing to try out new things. Mina was super sweet and I think I would like to know her in real life. I grew to like Zaiah and the more open and knowable he got, the more I like him.

There were several moments that had me laughing out loud (one I had to read to my brother) and so many moments that were so sweet!!! Some of my favorites were:

- the moose
- the bonfire
- the cabin dinner with the heat and a super sweet compliment. It was all so cozy and I loved it!

And we can't forget "Mama Bear" Cat. I loved that scene and it was made even better when Mina turned around and gave it right back later that same day! Absolutely brilliant!

The ending was straight out of Hallmark but I like that sort of thing (in small doses, that is) and the epilogue was PERFECTION!!! I would definitely re-read this one. It has moved into second place for best Melissa Ferguson books.

This gem is good food for thought: "Are we meant to know every thought and deed, every traumatic event, and triumph of every person in this world?"

Thank you NetGallery for the ARC, but I sadly did not finish this book! I couldn’t get into it and got to page 100 before I finally gave up.

5 stars

Where Cat Cranwell learns to live her best life.

Watching me start the process of losing those first petals of my youth had been daunting. Terrifying. Until I met Zaiah. And Jax. And Mina. And Kevin. And Peggy. And went to live in a place where people were just too busy living life with the ones they love to worry about such a small thing as skin.

I wasn’t seventeen anymore. I was aging, gracefully albeit, and I was learning to accept it. And for those people who couldn’t, who would leave if I couldn’t meet their impossible standards, then so be it.

"You are without question the best person to cook for."

Initially, I expected this to be a 50% grumpy-sunshine rom-com with lots of witty banter and the rest being Cat's story adjusting in Kannery National Park after a very happening New York lifestyle. Boy was I wrong, in the most pleasant way. This book was Cat's metamorphosis and so fucking warming that I felt wrapped up in a blanket reading it.

Melissa Ferguson did a phenomenal job with the book's characters. Because I didn't only like the MCs but the supporting characters were perfection. Since the first chapter, I loved Serena. She was strong and had a way about her that made me wish to have a Serena in my life. I was a little sad at first to not have more of her in the book, but lo and behold! the author introduced Mina. She was a 180 when compared to Serena but feels like a cosy hug full of fierce loyalty. And I couldn't be happier with it. Mina made everyone's day brighter, including mine.

There is something about books set in small towns that gets me every time. Maybe it's the sense of togetherness and undying support. And even though I didn't realise it till later in this book, but it was all in the book. And most importantly, the message of the book does not only apply to influencers, but the whole generation. It was an eye-opener and healing at the same time and I feel so good after reading it all.

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this one! Melissa Ferguson knows how to write a fun rom-com that also has a good message within the pages. I love that her rom-coms are not only funny but they also have depth to them.

It did take me a little while to get into this one mostly because I didn’t particularly like the main character in the beginning. That being said, Cat had great character development and I really enjoyed watching her grow throughout the story. I ended up really liking her character! As for Zaiah, he was great! I really liked the “mountain man”. He was perfect for Cat!
I also loved the fun group of side characters— Mina, Jax, Kevin, Uncle Terry, and Peggy. I especially liked Mina. She would be the best friend. And she was hilarious. 😂

I loved the outdoorsy, snowy setting of the book! It was definitely one of the main highlights of the book for me. It’s perfect to read during winter when it’s snowing since the book is set during the winter months and the MC is freezing 95% of the time. It was also just cozy because the characters are living in cabins.

One of the things I really liked about this book is how Melissa Ferguson addressed how addiction to our phones and social media can affect us negatively. I think this topic is so important. Reading about Cat’s struggle with disconnecting from her phone was definitely a reality check for me. It made me seriously think about how often I grab for my phone out of habit when bored, stressed, etc. and how that could be affecting me.
I also wanted to say I appreciate how clean this book is!

In conclusion, I really enjoyed this story! It was just a fun rom-com that made me laugh but also had depth to it. It felt like a really quick read so it’s perfect for when you want something fun and quick to read on the weekend. I think you’ll especially like this one if you enjoy stories with main characters who are famous and characters who have to try things out of their comfort zone.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

🌲 I am a proud Melissa Ferguson fan and will read any and every thing she writes. I'd read her newspaper articles or jokes written on a napkin. 😂
.
.
🌲 Needless to say, I was excited when I received this e-book from @netgalley and @thomasnelson to read and review!
.
.
🌲 This story definitely has a message, and it's far from discreet. I do think that tech overuse/addiction is a very prevalent and important topic, but it did come off as heavy handed and a little preachy to me. I wouldn't say that there's anything that I disagreed with though.
.
.
.
🌲 This one also felt quite choppy to me at times - there were several times I had to go back and re-read a section because I either didn't know who was talking, where they were, or just didn't know what was going on. Perhaps that was edited post Net Galley, but that was definitely distracting.
.
.
.
🌲 The relationships in this one were my fave. I was rooting for the city girl and the mountain man (in fact, I wish they'd been together more!), I loved the bond that Cat formed with Mina, and of course, her quiet, but fiercely loyal and doting uncle. I loved them all and felt like most of their banter and interaction was genuine!
.
.
.
🌲 One thing that I did NOT realize is the amount of money that an influencer can make through the deals that brands will offer them. 😱 I guess I've just been sheltered here in my tiny space that I had no clue they could make 5 digits with just one brand. So it makes this concept of social media addiction more complicated - it's literally their main source of income. I feel like there's a lot there to discuss, and in that sense, this would make an excellent book club pick!
.
.
🌲 There is no objectionable content in this book or any of her others, and I love her for that 😍 If you enjoy Melissa Ferguson's other books, this one will likely feel a little different, but that's ok! Meet Me in The Margins felt different too and I absolutely adored it!!

I enjoy pretty much everything Melissa Ferguson writes, and I love that her stories have strong female main characters that work through struggles and find a nice guy along the way. HEAs are just fun to read.

Cat Cranwell was actually kinda annoying to me at first, which is perfect to set her up for the struggles and changes she endures. I didn’t relate much to her vast social media present and the need to survive off that type of lifestyle- I can see how this WOULD be very appealing and interesting to many readers though. I did love that she went to a small national park where she had to run social media (much like many social media managers instead of the tons of followers she has) for the park in order to save it for her Uncle Terry. Love that storyline!

While there she is taught to stop being THAT phone absorbed person SO MANY times. I loved it. It reminded me so often of people dancing around in tiktok dances rather than experiencing life in a park (my small digression though).

My favorite scene was the Moose and her babies…I just loved it, hahaha IYKYK!

Of course while at the park, Zaiah, a ranger who interestingly enough is from NYC originally, keeps putting Cat in her place, causing her to rethink her perspective and what is important in life.

Light, quick read, you will enjoy this if you’ve enjoyed her other novels.

2.7 Read
I wanted to love this book, but it just wasn't the book for me. I adored her last release and went in with such high hopes. There were a few hilarious moments of this book, but overall I disliked the main character so much I almost put the book down. She does change near the end, but I felt that it was still very superficial.

So I didn't love the author's other novel (Meet me in the margins) and I liked this novel more than the other one; however, neither Meet me in the margins or this one should be marketed as romance. It's fiction with a sprinkling of romance. There's no "romance". Found the social media aspect a tad preachy and the uncle preaching about his gun rights, I didn't know what that was about. The writing style also incorporated a lot of time jumps and overall, not my favourite book. The relationship was sweet overall, but yeah, I think the execution was lacking for what I wanted in the book.

I DNF'd this one at 14%. I just couldn't get into this one, the writing style didn't work for me and I didn't like the main character. The starting scene also seemed to drag out a bit long and I just didn't get invested, when I started skimming within the first chapter I figured it was time to set this one aside.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC of this book!
I am so happy I was able to read this book early. I really enjoy this author and haven't been let down by any of her books! Can't wait to see what's next! I loved the characters and setting of this book so much. The sweet romance is just up my alley!

I love Melissa And her writing so much. There’s nothing like an influencer going to Montana (I should know, I did it in college and I wasn’t even that influencer-y). I love a good opposites attract and she delivers with wit and charm and a good clean read. Instantly going to pre-order cause I need Melissa to continue to write books.

This book was a bit of an anomaly for me. I will admit that I dragged my heels at first to start this ARC e-book, Famous for a Living, because of my own thoughts on social media and it’s role as a potential profession. This novel did a really good job of showing both the benefits and the downfalls of social media and becoming an influencer. It also explores the healing power of nature which I found really refreshing.

Cat is at the height of her career when we first meet her, her uncle Terry and his senior park ranger employee, Zaiah. She is having a launch party for an app and sees how her uncle and Zaiah can’t comprehend her lifestyle. Fast forward a few months, she is being sued for fraud and must escape to her uncles national park to run their social media accounts and up their visitor numbers. She sees all the amazing and zany things the park has to offer including the handsome Zaiah Smith. The park and it’s occupants might even tempt her to put her phone down once and a while and appreciate the little things in life.

I liked seeing Cat and Zaiah’s growth throughout the story and the secondary characters were hilarious. The overall premise of the book and all the park activities they did were fun to read. I did find that the love story between Cat and Zaiah was underdeveloped as well as certain parts of the story could have been explained in more detail for the readers enjoyment as you get attached to the characters. Overall this book really caught my attention even though I was not sure it would.

A social media content creator and an off-the-grid National Park Ranger? Sign me up please. Honestly, that’s all that it took to sell me. A great hook.
Not everyone is going to love Cat right away. And that’s okay because she grows and you’ll end up cheering for her in the end. Her and Zaiah that is. ;) While I personally could have used a bit more romantic tension (there’s never enough!), these two opposites attract do work. Plus, the cast of secondary characters are all fun!

I really enjoyed the character development of Cat. I was actually kind of worried at first I wouldn't like her because she seemed very materialistic and kind of vain. However, once she moved to MT I really enjoyed how she dealt with the change from city to outdoorsy, rural life. I liked how she wasn't stuck-up and tried to do her best in her new position. I also liked how the author gave out nuggets to readers of Cat's previous life vs. just giving us the entire background in one go. I do wish there had been more scenes with Zaiah, especially early on as I wanted more tension and attraction before the date. I also wish there had been more scenes with Cat and her uncle; he was her only family and I understood they were close, but having a few more scenes (even ones as flashbacks) would have been nice. Overall, I really enjoyed the story; Cat's experiences were really fun and I think I even laughed out loud once.

This is a unique story about an internet influencer and a park ranger at a little known national park.
The phrase 'write what you know' is perfect for this book, as Melissa Ferguson is not only a mother, wife, author but also an influencer who uses her influence online regularly. So this book gives a lot of background on how being an influencer all works.
This book is different from her other stories and I had a hard time getting into it and really even understanding what was going on at first. But I really enjoyed it after getting into it. And I enjoyed all that I learned as there are not many novels with characters that have these occupations. I would recommend it .

Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read this book. The opinions are entirely my own,

I want to start by saying that this was a fast paced read. I literally read it in two days, but now for the bad news: WHAT DID I READ BECAUSE I SWEAR IT WAS SO FAST PACED THAT NOTHING HAPPENED.

I don’t know if it’s from the bad editing that this experienced when moved to the kindle but good lord, I really felt like nothing had happened yet, so imagine my surprise when I looked and saw that I had read 60% of this book!! She had this whole “I need to spend less time on my phone” realisation but it was brought on by someone silently judging her and not from an actual realisation.

It was a fine, easily forgettable book.

FAMOUS FOR A LIVING is another most enjoyable laugh-out-loud romantic comedy by MELISSA FERGUSON, with a serious undercurrent of broken relationships, childhood abuse and the dangers of media addiction.
When Cat Cranwell finds herself no longer “famous for a living” and hated by her fans, she is forced to find who she really is when she goes to work for her beloved Uncle Terry in the Kannery National Park in Montana, literally in the middle of nowhere.
The ruggedly handsome “mountain man” Zaiah Smith is as opposite to her as anyone can be, hating all things media and cellphone related……
That is all I am going to tell you as I do not want to spoil things for you. Famous for a Living is a lovely read - a real breath of fresh air. I cannot recommend the novel highly enough.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Thomas Nelson. The opinions in this review are completely my own.