A hard look at social media
This was an interesting take on the ups and downs of life of an influencer. I enjoyed the story and the heroine's introspection. I loved the epilogue! This was a sweet read, I'd rate PG for kissing and talk of social media addiction.

To start, I don't this book is a romance novel. I think it's a story about Cat and how she's learning about herself and her true priorities. That being said, I really enjoyed the romance once it really became a factor in the story. I think the opposites attract was done really well in this story and done to where I didn't dislike either character. I especially enjoyed the ways in which they challenged each other and both saw a lot of growth. A great read!

Rating: 2.5/5

Thank you to Thomas Nelson for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

Okay this cover is super pretty and 100% why I requested this book. Unfortunately, many elements of this book did not work for me i.e. the romance and personal development plot line. It was interesting to read about influencers in the day and age of the influencer. There was a great dialogue about social media and the effects it has on our lives.

After seeing this one everywhere, I had to check it.oir. and that cover! It's so cute. This was such a cute, lighthearted fun little book. I thought the characters were great, and the storyline was engaging. This book had alllll the witty banter I wanted 🥰

Such a funny and poignant book on what it's like when you're on top of the world as an influencer and then what happens when that world crashes down. loved the romance and loved the going back to her roots to find out what was really important!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

After a partnership gone sour, influencer Cat Cranwell suddenly finds herself out of a job. When Cat’s only living relative, Uncle Terry, offers her a social media position on his staff for small national park in Montana, Cat heads for the hills. As Cat arrives and realizes the future of the park lies with her, the pressure builds. And to make matters worse, she’s stuck working with the ruggedly handsome park ranger who hates cell phones, social media, and everything they stand for.

I wanted to love this one so badly because of how much I enjoyed Meet Me in the Margins. But it just didn’t quite meet the mark for me, unfortunately. Don’t get me wrong, it was still a good book! I just really struggled to get into it until around the halfway point. I absolutely LOVED the setting for one. How many things are more beautiful than Montana?? 😍 I love national parks so I really connected with Cat’s uncle and the park employees! The side characters were well written and so funny! I’m not sure why I couldn’t totally connect with Cat’s character, but I loved her journey and watching her grow. And then there’s Zaiah 😍 I mean who doesn’t love a broody mountain man? My only wish is that we didn’t have to wait so long for the romance and that instead it was sprinkled throughout the book. I did love the book’s message about how we need to take the time to look up from our phones and appreciate what’s around us! Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my gifted e-ARC!

This book was the definition of a comfy easy read. I loved the conversation this book was trying to have and the main characters were easy to like. With that being said, it was almost too easy of a read and I kinda (dont hate me) needed more conflict maybe? Or more growth? I cant honestly pinpoint it but I did really enjoy this book and liked Cat and Zaiah. I'm a huge sucker for opposites and grumpy/sunshine so I was all in with it! I would easily recommend this book for a light beach read.

Such a cheeky read showing how social media is so incredibly hard to completely disconnect from. She has a social collapse and heads to the woods of Montana to work with her uncle. She is now navigating an entirely differnt world where no one is watching. This may be how she finally begins to fall in love with herself for real.

I loved the premise for this book -- who doesn't love a mountain man character? But I found the female main character so unlikeable at the beginning and for the majority of the book, that it was really hard for me to change that view of her. Her roommate was adorable, and I wish we would've gotten to know more about her. The setting was perfect. Overall, I enjoyed this book. But I wish the FMC wasn't quite so cringy from the beginning.

Famous for a Living is a story of New Beginnings, Self-Reflection, Change, Growth and some romance. Cat Cranwell is a superstar influencer when her business partner is accused of serious financial crimes. Guilty by association, Cat is suddenly persona non grata. Her uncle, who is the head ranger of Kannery National Park, Montana asks her to come and help him out. He needs a social media campaign to build their presence before Kannery is absorbed by other sites. Suddenly Kat is in the wilderness, trying to keep warm, stay safe and help out her uncle and his small staff. The more she gets to know the staff and the park, the more she realizes that this is not the real Kat, she has not been honest to others or herself.

There were many parts of this book that I loved, but also several that I didn't connect with. I was very frustrated with Cat. I really don't get the whole influencer thing and the follows and followers on Instagram or TikTok. That makes this type of story a bit harder for me to connect to. I found Kat shallow, but I liked seeing her growth and self-realization as the book progressed. The staff at Kannery were wonderful. They were there because they loved it, not because it was a job. Zaiah, is the ruggedly handsome park ranger who seems to be keeping his own secrets. He hates social media and only has a flip-phone. He beings falling for Cat, but knows she won't be happy without being connected all the time. Once they begin to open up to one another, whether by accident or not, Cat realizes that maybe there is more to life than the perfect instagram picture. This is a slow burn romance, but it is more about Cat growing and finding out what she really wants and needs out of life.

This book is chefs kiss💗✨


Thank you soooooo much netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advanced review copy if this book💗

Instagram influencer, Cat Cranwell is cancelled when she's linked to a scandal with her business partner. Advised to lie low while her lawyers figure out how best to proceed, she retreats to work with her like-father Uncle Terry at the Kannery National Park in Montana. She's left her high rise penthouse for a frigid cabin and a young roommate. Counting the days until she can get back to the spotlight and her branding, she begins to bond with the crew at the park, especially the handsome ranger, Zaiah. But he's not hidden his disdain for all things social media, and that may include her.
This was a cozy romance with sweet characters providing an easy and quick read with a Hallmark movie type feel.
Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for my gifted ebook.

This had gilmore girls meets hallmark vibes and potential to be positively adorable and unfortunately missed the mark by quite a bit. I've read this author's other novels and they've been great so I had high hopes for this one. The small town Montana scenery. The quirky cast if characters, a disgraced former social media star meets mountain man, it could have been so good. But the FMC was positively entitled and absolutely annoying, a book marketed as a romance with a first date 3/4 of the way through the book and no butterflies or chemistry to speak of and a very rushed ending with an epilogue that didn't effectively tie up loose ends, I hate to say this one could have been sooooo much better.

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas Nelson--FICTION for the ARC in exchange for my review!

I’ll admit it: I went into this novel with low expectations and was pleasantly surprised by what I found. Was it the best contemporary novel I’ve read? No. But it did carry its own charm and theming well. I just found the plot lacking in depth, which made it difficult to turn off my inner developmental editor.

Honestly, this story felt like a Hallmark movie and that was a delightful experience. I utterly lost myself in the Montana wilderness setting and the wonderful side characters Ferguson brought to life. This is a novel that made me long for fall weather and a warm tea mug in hand; it made me want to go on a hike and explore a mountainside. But where it novel succeeded the most was in reminding the reader that our digital lives aren’t everything. There’s an entire world out there to explore and we shouldn’t waste our time getting sucked into everything found on a screen.

If there was one critique to give, it would be the lack of depth to the plot. Cat’s character arc was well done—as she learned that being on her phone and/or social media all the time was not a great life to lead—and her growth was seen on page. But it did feel like there was a piece missing from the plot; in my opinion, the transitionary scenes were sorely needed. Plot events were often planned out and then expanded off page, which was frustrating. An example of this is Cat helping Mina start her cozies business. In one chapter, Cat and Mina spoke of getting an Esty store set up; in the next, Mina’s sales are exploding to the point that she must close the shop and increase the prices. And it’s all due to Cat’s single Instagram post about Mina’s business. That is one example of a plot piece that should have dragged on longer, which could have helped both the pacing and brought the themes into further conversation with the plot.

The romance needed further development. (Who’s to say, maybe this plot was the missing piece to tie everything together?) As much as I loved Cat and Zaiah as separate people, their overall arc felt rushed. The romance didn’t kick into gear until the last 20% of the novel; and, even then, it only took up approximately 2-5% of that third act. I wanted more exploration of Cat and Zaiah’s relationship–it felt like Zaiah quickly went from disliking Cat to wanting to date her, despite his backstory in being fully against technology due to an ex-girlfriend. Zaiah’s past is another plot device that could have fully served Cat’s arc and the novel’s themes; the two characters could have worked through that issue together. Instead, we got an epilogue where they were suddenly married and with a baby with little plotting to support that outcome.

Overall, this was a cute, cozy read that did a great job of exploring Cat’s character development and story themes. However, the plot fell a little empty for me and that stole some of the novel’s charm.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Good, quick read. I love any kind of behind the scenes trope and this behind the scenes look into the life of a cancelled influencer was great! I’m still unsure about why the main character was cancelled, I feel like there could be a lot more development of that storyline and a few of the side characters, but overall a good read for when you need a brain break! Thank you #Netgalley and #ThomasNelson for the ARC. I will definitely be looking for more #MelissaFerguson books! #FamousForALiving

This copy was kindly given to me by the publisher and netgalley for review. All opinions are my own.

I have a thing for park rangers, so this romance was right up my alley. Also, my desire to move out west to reconnect with the great outdoors could have contributed to why I like this book as much as I did. I really enjoyed how the author portrayed a social media influencer and the influence of social media on our lives. The all consuming point it can get to, the inability to put our phones down and that we do not have to document every moment to validate it.

The romance was slow but not in a slow burn or boring way, more like a nature falling for each other kind of way. I loved the adventures and crazy things the group of rangers and MC get into; Mina her roommate was such a sweetie.

I had a hard time getting into this one at first, but I kept pushing through because I've enjoyed other books by Melissa Ferguson and it did not disappoint! It was a sweet story that had a great message attached!

When influencer Cat gets canceled, she accepts her uncle’s offer to work at Kannery National Park in Montana. Life in Montana is very different than life in New York City - including the ruggedly handsome park ranger Zaiah.

I’ve read most of Melissa Ferguson’s books, and I feel like there is always something missing. This was a solid book - I thought the premise was super creative. I just wanted a little bit more. It’s definitely not heavy on the romance - it leaned more women’s fiction to me

I think the overall idea of this book, about a social media influencer who falls from grace and truly has to find herself again, is compelling, and it did keep me interested for a while. However, it eventually became very predictable and had somewhat of an uninspiring ending. Overall, it felt like if it was released pre-COVID, before national parks became huge on social media and among social media influencers, that it may have felt more innovative. That being said, it's a fairly breezy read with definite escapism elements that I certainly didn't mind reading.

FAMOUS FOR A LIVING
By Melissa Ferguson

Famous For a Living is about Cat Cranwell a million follower influencer shunned by the social media community after an app has gone wrong, making an escape to Montana to let this all die down. This is an absolutely charming story that warmed my heart. I really enjoyed this cozy story with one of the best character arc I have read recently.

With topics that are current and relevant, the themes in this story is sure to wow many readers.