This is a cute “fish out of water”, opposites attract romance.
Cat is a famous online influencer whose life has gone sideways. She went from famous to being trolled every day. To get away from the noise and negativity, she goes to work for her uncle in Kannery National Park. In the winter.
Suddenly Cat is more interested in avoiding frostbite than anything else, and she’s developing a crush on Zaiah, a handsome park ranger.

I really enjoyed reading this book, and there’s some good discussion about social media's influence on their audiences. 4 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

Such a cute read!! This read is more of a personal journey for the main character, Cat, than it is a romance. The romance between Cat and Zaiah is definitely a part of Cat's journey, but not the focus. I listened to the audiobook while reading along with the ebook, and the narrator was perfect for Cat's voice. I was drawn in right from the start and just couldn't stop. Gave me all the feels!!

*Thank you so much @thomasnelson for the #gifted egalley and audiobook in exchange for an honest review.*

i started reading for the romance but stayed for the journey. it isn't so much about cat finding love with zaiah but about her self discovery and character development. as a fan of women's fiction, it was incredible seeing her realisations and taking charge of her own life in a way she'd never before: abandoning her phone. i'm no zaiah but it's worth letting yourself find purpose, so if leaving your phone is the way, you go girl.

While I’ve loved everything I’ve read by Melissa Ferguson. Famous for a living only falls under enjoyed because I loved the hero Zaiah and the setting of the National Park. I did not love Cat nor the troupe. I didn’t like her when the book started, but at least by the end I could as least tolerate her. Because the reader can see the character growth.

3.5 This was a cute little romance novel that I had a lot of fun with. This story follows Cat a famous instagram influencer who finds herself tied up in a scandal,trying to avoid the spotlight she escapes to Montana where her uncle offered her a job to run the state parks social media account. When Cat shows up she realizes the parks in a lot more financial trouble than she realized. Zaiah works at the national park as a ranger and despises anything to do with social media, but he can’t resist when he meets Cat. The two are a classic grumpy sunshine romance and I was all for it!

I really enjoyed this book I thought the premise was unique following an influencer and seeing what that’s like. The characters were also engaging and I adored the family that the park staff formed. The writing pace was where I struggled a little there were some places where I found myself losing interest but still really had a good time. I look forward to picking up more from this author in the future. I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

Another delightful read from Ferguson. What happens if you take an influencer away from all of her creature comforts but put her alongside a handsome park ranger? Love and laughter!

When I came across this book, just by the cover I thought "it's giving small-town romance AND opposites that attract! I'm going to love this book". And I really would've loved it if it weren't for some small details.

The plot is nice, I'm suspicious of talking about small-town romance because I love it so much, but even that was a bit superficial. Firstly because the romance is very little developed and secondly because the main background isn't a small town at all, it's just the national park most of the time.

I missed a better character development of both the main characters, and also a better development of the chemistry between them, since one day they couldn't look each other in the eyes and the next ohmygodi'msoinlovewithyou - and we barely even saw this process happen, which is extremely frustrating.

Don't get me wrong, Zaiah seems to be a very nice guy, with the foldable cell phone and everything, but sometimes he was too hard on Cat. like... come on! it's 2023! everybody uses social media! if you're a caveman that's totally on you! and even though he was right many times, I don't think free rudeness would help that much.

This brings us to the second problem, which is the protagonist herself. She's so shallow that it's even disappointing. She's our typical NYC it girl (and I don't blame her for that), but the author managed to mention more brands than the character's good actions. I thought that during the book she would have some kind of awakening and realize that cell phone addiction is really bad - which in fact happened, but the only solution proposed for this was to stop texting while driving, leaving your cell phone in your bag during social events and look someone in the eye when having dinner. Which is something that normal human beings already do.

But if we ignore the details, the book in general is nice, despite having the potential to have been much better. 3.5 ⭐️ because I wasn't bored at all (although I skipped some long unnecessary descriptions a few times)

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I received an advanced reader copy of Famous for a Living in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this opportunity The cover is what got me with this one love a good outdoorsy type book. So with that being said when I saw this cover, I had to request my own copy to review. This is one of those cute haters to lovers romance taking place in a national park. Books was a five star for me as I am a sucker for a good romcom light read.

I'm a little disappointed with this one. I had much higher hopes going into this story. I thought it would become one of my favourites, just by reading the plot, but it was average at best. The story fell a little flat on execution. Nonetheless, it was a quick, fun read.

4.5 ⭐️
I would like to thank Thomas Nelson--FICTION, Thomas Nelson, and NetGalley for granting me this ARC in exchange for writing an honest review!

I quite enjoyed this comfy romance.

The only reason I requested this ARC was because it said something about a flip phone. I am a sucker when it comes to the old life (the life I wish I was born in) and a flip phone is considered a "vintage" by now. I might have expected a different storyline but oh boy, I was not disappointed. This book was a very cozy romance and I loved every bit of it. It doesn't only revolve around love/romance but it focuses on growth and being out of your comfort zone too. It got me smiling and grinning. It was so adorable and fast-paced. I love how it focuses on a real-life problem that many are afraid of confessing to; addiction to the media. Being addicted to social media and your electronics is a pandemic that many brush off when mentioned. This book was very eye-opening and I really do agree with Zaiah. I totally recommend it even though the first chapter was tough to finish since it revolved around influencer talk that I didn't feel the need to understand. Also, I loved the whole little town vibes where it snows; it's so alluring. It's everything I want to live in. I fell in love with all the characters and I enjoyed having an art before every chapter. I totally recommend it if you are into comfy romance.

Comments on some characters:
- Mina is literally the sweetest ever; she's like a little sunflower that sprinkles pixie dust all around her.
- Cat's character development was inspiring in some way and amazing to witness.
- Zaiah's love for Cat is so adorable and the fact that he put aside his hate against social media for her is just it.
- The rest were all heartwarming.

"Are we meant to know every thought, deed, traumatic event, and triumph of every person in this world?"

"All I can think is, He probably could've survived the Titanic!"
^^^ love the movie references in the book.

"There is a pleasure in the pathless woods"

"A part of me needs to feel like I have a place, a purpose."
^^^ this hits home.

I received this book for free for an honest unbiased review from Netgalley.

I wish more books were this well written. Characters were witty and the setting fantastic.

This was super super cute! Closed door romances aren't usually my cup of tea, but the story was so fun and unique that it had me hooked right away!

I sadly will need to step away from reading books based on current times of people trying to be famous or Hollywood-related books. They are just unbearable to me. I do not find any joy in reading them and most of the time the characters have no redeeming qualities.

This was a cozy, enjoyable read. I liked the two main characters and the best friend. It was refreshing to see a positive female friend relationship and women uplifting other women. Some of the plot felt a bit forced/overly reliant on coincidences, but I didn’t mind too much suspending disbelief to enjoy the cozy setting and likable characters.

Favorite Quotes:

I don’t know what it is about him, but he makes me feel like my hand is always caught in a candy jar.

I’m pretty sure that if I wanted to even get on Zaiah’s radar— really be on his radar— I’d have to throw away my phone, makeup, 99 percent of my clothing, take up making deer jerky and canning on the weekends, and start going on long walks while reciting Thoreau.

My Review:

This is a sweet and humorous tale with considerable insights about social media addictions and influencers that gave me pause and something to ponder.  The main and secondary characters were uniquely endearing and inhabited story threads that were engaging and entertaining as well as informative and thoughtfully contrived. I enjoyed the breezy writing style as much as the main character’s journey and transformation.

This is for those who love slowburn!!

Zaiah and Cat are the cutest and they couldn't be more oppossite
Her: obsessed with internet and social media
Him: hates internet but joined instagram to show her support and has a flip phone !!!

One of the things I most loved in this book was how Cat learned that exists a world out of social media and started to really live and enjoy life. Very proud of her

Zaiah is the sweetest!!! Always making sure Cat is okay and supporting her. I want one Zaiah for me thank you very much

I loved the whole book and the ending was heart warming

Just one disappointment: not have a pov from zaiah. Would love to see Cat in his point of view

Anyway, this was the first book I read from this author and I will be reading more

A thank you to Thomas Nelson Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!
.
I started this book at work and it was a struggle at first. Not really the fault of this novel itself, but rather the formatting of the digital advanced copy. Every page had the publisher’s logo randomly in the middle of words and this obviously had a huge impact on the pacing. Once I got about halfway through, I was able to get more of a handle on the formatting and then I flew through the rest of the book as soon as I got home from work that night.
.
Cat is fairly shallow and selfish for a lot of the book, and I definitely found myself siding with Zaiah for much of the novel. The grumpy-sunshine dynamic worked well-enough, and once Cat was able to move past just social media and engage with the other characters she was much easier to handle. In the real world would I enjoy her? Probably not. But if this was a Hallmark movie, I would be head over heels.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of Famous for a Living by Melissa Ferguson in exchange for my honest review and opinion. I was really excited to read this just by the cover alone. Unfortunately, this was not one of my favorite rom-com books lately. Cute story but I found it to be a bit slow. I would love to try this author again in the future.

Melissa Ferguson is a must read author for me and I was excited to read this book especially since the MC is a social media influencer.
However, after reading the first half and then skipping through the rest, it had me wanting more from the characters.

I Absolutely Love Melissa Ferguson’s Books!

I can always count on Melissa Ferguson’s books to make me run through so many emotions. Laughter is huge! The self introspection was done well. When you can come away from a book and really take something away and ponder it. Social Media is such a pertinent topic!

The storyline, the characters will truly make this book enjoyable. I will definitely be talking about it with my friends!

I look forward to reading more books by Melissa Ferguson!

Audiobook: Read by Talon David
I toggled between reading the ebook and listening to the audiobook and enjoyed both!

I always appreciate when the narrator doesn’t over act, doesn’t read too fast or too slow and is able to draw you in to the book without detracting from it. Talon David hit it out of the park!

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from NetGalley on behalf of the Publisher and was under no obligation to post a favorable review.