the start of the book was promising but it just got more and more boring. it had so much potential 😭

as a character, Cat felt really superficial and not in the exaggerated fun way. I don’t feel like there’s that much character development at all.

I did audio this so character name spellings might be wrong, but Mina? Nina? was my favourite character, except she’s like, little sister vibes? she was fun to start off with but the whole viral Etsy business thing rubs me in the wrong way, because it just worked out *far* too well. it’s not that it’s unrealistic, but more so it felt so soulless.

and I think I managed to ignore the entire romance plot because I ship literally anyone and anything and I did not ship Cat and Zaiah.

Main takeaway: I liked it, but I didn’t love it.

After reading Meet Me in the Margins by this author last summer and absolutely loving it, I was expecting this one to be another roll-around-on-the-floor-laughing-out-loud read. And while there were comedic moments, it was hard for me to get past the main character, who I found a bit insufferable.

The major point of drama in this book is that the main character, Cat, got “cancelled” for being the partner and face of a large app that had a massive data breach due to her not taking the time to read a contract properly with a lawyer. Were we, the readers, supposed to feel bad for her after her company was responsible for a massive data breach, and then face the consequences of her actions? It was sort of a weird commentary on cancel culture that left me feeling confused and a bit off-put. I feel the same way with the statement on social media, which came off as judgmental of social media addiction, yet also supportive of social media as a pillar of your life? Idk, I honestly felt confused by what the main takeaway should’ve been on this topic.

All that being said, I found that despite the issues I had with this book, I still enjoyed the writing style and felt engaged throughout the book. It’s missing the humour element that Meet Me in the Margins had, but I enjoyed hearing Cat’s inner dialogue. I also didn’t want to put this book down either because I found the description of the setting and small town, remote life in Montana to be so cozily atmospheric, which left me with a bit of a book hangover (which has since been resolved since picking up The Suite Spot by Trish Doller).

I’m honestly struggling with how to rate this book because I liked and disliked it in equal measure. But I do appreciate Netgalley and Thomas Nelson publishers for providing me with an advanced listening copy of this book.

Cat Cranwell is famous for a living. Since the age of seventeen she has been honing her skills as an influencer on social media and things are going well. Until a partnership with the wrong person leads to disaster. Now she is infamous and needs a reset. Her uncle Terry is the head ranger at Kannery National Park in Montana. The park needs an image makeover and Cat is the woman for the job. Many of the best scenes of the book are the creative events she finds herself participating in when she is living inside the park. My favorite was Skijoring Race -- the Kentucky Derby meets Jet Skiing meets skiing. The romance was not as believable as I had hoped and I am of a different generation from Cat with my media habits. This was a clean, enjoyable read. My favorite from Melissa Ferguson has got to be "Meet Me in the Margins."

Thank you to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

2 stars

So this was women's fiction with romance, which is great, but I was expecting something different... a little bit more romance focus. Instead, we got our heroine "growing up" and becoming a better person, which is also fine but not what I was expecting.
The plot was okay semi entertaining, yet it didn't hook me.
The characters felt underdeveloped, which was sad because some had a lot of potential.
Overall, I know some people will love this one, but it was just not for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I listened to this one and I enjoyed the narration. It was emotional enough without it being distracting.

The story itself was also endearing and super relevant to the time we’re living in. Influencer ending up in hot water? People jumping to conclusions and assuming the worst? Re👏🏻le👏🏻vant👏🏻.

I liked listening to the story and realized the book was going to be about the FMC’s journey more than it was going to be a romance. That was fine with me. When her love interest shared the story of his past to explain the reason he’d stalled a relationship with her… I found that a lot less credible. While the story itself was not unbelievable, it just felt too perfectly connected to the FMC.

Finally, the kiss interruption felt so Hallmark I couldn’t. Overall an enjoyable listen and I was rooting for Kat!

3.5/5 stars (rounded up to 4)

So cute, with such a great message! This romcom is less romance and more plot which I enjoyed, but keep that in mind if you’re looking for a steamy read.

Famous for a Living is the story of Cat, an NYC influencer who forms a partnership with a business that ends up going south, bringing her reputation with it. When her uncle offers her a job as a social media manager for a national park in Montana, she moves to Kannery National Park and meets a variety of characters, including her young, energetic roommate, Mina, and a grumpy, old-fashioned ranger, Zaiah, who still carries a flip phone.

Like Meet Me in the Margin, Melissa’s first book, this book is very FMC driven - the romance is present enough but almost takes a backseat to Cat’s story (which I don’t mind one bit). I loved seeing Cat’s character growth prior to her romance with Zaiah and then through her romance with Zaiah. I also loved the setting and desperately wish Kannery National Park was real! The side characters were super fun, especially Cat’s roommate, Mina, the sweet, if green, ranger-in-training.

I was shocked when I received this arc! I loved this book and I love Fergusons writing. I can never get enough. the plot the suspense, the characters,,,I always wanted more in the best way. highly recommend for the summer.

Narrated by Talon David ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Story by Melissa Ferguson ⭐⭐⭐

A nice cosy book with a budding relationship.

What I really appreciated about this book was the author not following the we fall in love then have a major fight/misunderstanding only to come back together again. Thankyou for not doing that.

Thank you #netgalley and #thomasnelson for this advanced ALC book.

In this book Ferguson shows the true meaning of wholesome rom-com. The witty back and forth and character charm (or at least one of the characters) is palpable.

I loved the setting of this book. Being in a National Forest/Park was definitely unique for me as far as romance books. And Ferguson has a way of making you feel like you’re there. It probably helped I listened to this while doing yard work on my 2.5 acre farm so I was outside immersed in trees and birdsong.

The chapters for me were much too long at times and seemingly overfilled with inner monologue about social media. To a point that our FMC became unlikable for most of the book. I appreciated the take of being pulled out of that life while still having a foot in it.

Overall, this is a delightful read as long as you can get passed a superficial FMC.

Completely see this one as become a definite and delightful Summer 2023 must read!

4 stars for the story
5 stars for the narration
4 stars for our character’s journey and growth

Overall- 4.25 stars for this audiobook!

A really fun, cute romance with beautiful setting of a National park. I did think at times this was slow with Cat having constant inner monologues about social media which happens quite a lot and I wish that we saw more growth from her after all that. However I really liked seeing her and Zaiah come together, I think they had a lot of chemistry and sweet relationship which was the best part of the book. Overall this was a solid romance but maybe could have been a bit shorter at times.

A generous 3.5 ⭐ that I've rounded up to 4.

I am conflicted as how to rate this audiobook. The narrator was fine although it took me several chapters to get used to her make character voice.

The writing itself wasn't bad. The storyline had real potential. The problem was in the execution, or maybe in the classification of the book.

I do not think this should be called a romance. While there was a romantic element to it, it wasn't prominent and wasn't developed deeply. There wasn't a date between the 2 main characters almost 3/4 of the way through.

The first 30 percent of the book was spent describing an very unlikeable female lead. There wasn't anything redeeming in her. She was self-absorbed and shallow. It wasn't until halfway through there there was even the first glimpse of something to care about., and it wasn't a person.

The only redeeming value of the book is the important message it has but you don't get to that until the last part of it. I could see this being marketed more in a women's fiction category. Then I may not have cared so much about the lack of a romantic aspect. I never really came to like most of the characters.

I did receive an audio copy of this book from the publisher, Thomas Nelso through Netgalley.

“That’s the thing about the internet. Once it’s out there, it’s there forever.”

Imagine an IG influencer falling from grace in NYC, running to the wilderness of Montana to help her uncle at a national park, and then having to walk through deep snow banks and not get attacked by a mama moose while trying to take a selfie and you have Famous for a Living. And then Melissa Ferguson throws in a grumpy/sunshine aspect which is just perfect.

I loved that at the beginning of each chapter was a picture of an Instagram post and that there was real talk about issues like mental health surrounding influencers. I flew through this book because the writing was really captivating and kept drawing me back in.

Rating:
4.25 stars

Read if you like:
Sweet romances
Grumpy/sunshine
National Park settings
IG posts at the beginning of chapters

Loved this book and following the story of Cal and Zaiah. Was surprised by Cal's willingness to learn and adapt to the Montana out doors and lived reading about the community in Montana. Would definitely recommend the audiobook!

This is a not for me, Was excited about the National Park setting and the romance, but I can't stand Cat and I hated being in her head, The romance had little to no checmistry.

Grab the book and go catch some sun, because this book is the perfect company to be outdoors with.
I appreciated every moment I pressed play, was really relaxing and calm to listen to.

The book was so beautiful and so well put together. The characters were amazing and I enjoyed them so much, with all of what their personalities brings to the book.
The main character was real, resembling a lot of people now a days.
And I loved the romantic interest. I saw the differences, but there were connections between them, and I could feel the love and the caring side they have for each other.
Their love came slowly by the pages and was so adorable.
And to top all of that, the book covers a important topic, the technology. Shows the benefits and the addiction it brings. With also showing some small changes we can do or create.

I really did enjoyed the book. And recommend a lot the audiobook for it.

“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.”

The characters in this novel were so endearing! I adored all of them! Especially Uncle Terry! I thought plot was well written. It had great pacing and kept me entertained the whole time. This is a perfect summer read!

I really enjoyed the narrator of this audiobook and thought she did a great job. I also absolutely love the cover art and the premise of the story, however, it did fall a little flat for me. I didn’t feel like there was very much chemistry between Cat and Zaiah, and I really felt like by the end, Cat had hardly grown at all. This is just me being picky, but I didn’t like that Zaiah’s last name was Smith. If you’re going to give him an interesting name, at least give him a more unique last name and perhaps make him a poc. I actually thought he was going to be until reading the description of him in the book, and then I was disappointed. I also found the whole story of his ex-girlfriend to be a little trite. Overall, I think it was a good concept, but wasn’t executed as well as it could have been.

This was a sweet fish-out-of-water romance. It was reminiscent of Alexis Rose and Mutt from Schitt's Creek; that's who I was picturing throughout the story. I liked the social media meets a national park plot; I also enjoyed the change of our main character.

I received an advance audio copy. All thoughts are my own.

Good book. Nicely written and easy to follow along. Addresses an important issue of modern day, “Insta Life”.

I love the concept. How in the eyes of digital world you are a hero and villain in the span of a day. How it’s not always as amazing as the influencers portray it to be.

I also liked how the writer slightly nudged us towards enjoying the life instead of having great photos.