A cute, clean romance about a mega-famous social media influencer who discovers that there's a wonderful world waiting for her outside of her phone.

This reads JUST like a Hallmark movie. Fun, light, not too deep. It follows the established conventions of the genre. It's what you expect from a clean contemporary romance published by a Christian house, but it's cute! I wouldn't stereotype it as a piece of cardboard or something to roll your eyes at—even though we're all tempted, aren't we? This is a mood read. When you're in the mood for this type of book, then this is the book you pick!

The strength of this book is in the colorful cast of characters. I don't want to spoil it, but Melissa Ferguson does a great job of mixing together distinctive characters who stay consistent throughout the book and who create sparks (good and bad) when they're thrown together.

Our main character, Cat, is a social media influencer based in NYC. It's her job to act as a walking billboard for brands and influence people to buy stuff. But SHE'S the one who has been influenced by the pressures of living a public life online. She knows she has an unhealthy relationship with her phone and (as a result) herself. Because she's under so much pressure to DO and BE, she makes a bad decision that gets her canceled.

So, she escapes to the boonies of Montana where her only living relative, Uncle Terry, gives her a job as social media manager for the tiny national park he works for as a ranger. So, glitzy NYC glamour girl gets dropped in small-town middle of nowhere against her will. Hallmark!!!! Of course, there is a hunky and sensitive park ranger looking for commitment. Hallmark!!!! And she comes to appreciate "real living" and the wonders of nature. Hallmark!!! Seriously, if you love Hallmark, this book is for you.

The romance is clean but not completely sterile. I'd feel comfortable giving it to a mature teenager.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Synopsis: “This. This is what I do. I’m Cat Cranwell. Half owner of the platform about to take the world by storm. And famous for a living.” As an renowned influencer, Cat Cranwell has it made. She lives the high life in New York with all the perks of being popular on social media. But when all her fame is tainted with a bad deal, Cat finds herself feeling depressed, lost, and hopeless. Given the opportunity to get away, Cat takes up residence in Montana with her park ranger uncle and his crew, including a young handsome, yet broody, man who doesn’t approve of Cat’s lifestyle. But maybe there’s some validity to his criticism. Cat begins to ponder if maybe there are things greater than being famous for a living.

Analysis: Famous for a Living is a short, sweet story that makes for a quick, easy read. It has cozy, getaway vibes (almost like a summer camp) and excellent supporting characters. Cat was a little difficult to swallow and has a very typical influencer personality especially at the beginning. But she does grow and change while still being true to herself. I also loved Cat’s love interest! The romance was underplayed until the very end, but I loved how it turned out! I think the big thing to know going into this book is that while it’s marketed as a romcom, it didn’t necessarily read as a romcom. Yes, there’s fun and humor, but there are deeper themes and messages that I think are so important today. If you’re looking for a refreshing take on some clean, summer fiction, this is a great book for you!
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Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It’s cute, but I didn’t connect with the characters as much as I wanted to and found things to be a little too far removed from reality at some points.

I really enjoyed this refreshing read. I have loved this author for a while, and this book did not disappoint. She continues to be on my "must-read" list. Definitely pick this one up today!

Cat Cranwell, a former famous NYC socialite and our FMC, rediscovers herself in Montana away from her hectic lifestyle in New York. Zaiah Smith, a park ranger and a nature lover and also our MMC hates Cat’s old life. It's the old opposite attract trope and I thought I would love it but there wasn't much romance involved, This book is more women’s fiction than romance. Romance only comes into play after 3/4th of the book honestly.

This book is more about the self-discovery journey of Cat more than romance. In fact, romance was barely present till much later in the book. Cat's character development was amazing though, But I think there's not much to this book than Cat's development. Therefore reader of women's fiction would enjoy it more than a typical romance reader.

“Famous for a Living” was my first novel by Melissa Ferguson and I truly enjoyed it!! First, I loved the concept of the story and the way Melissa used the plot to urge readers to analyze their relationship with social media. This central message impacted me a lot and got me thinking about “unplugging” from social media platforms more often!!

Second, the romance between Cat and Zaiah was super sweet!!! This story definitely leaned more towards Women’s Fiction rather than romance/romcom, but the light romance elements were super adorable😍 I mean, who doesn’t enjoy a rugged, bearded mountain man with a flip phone??🥹❤️

Third, can I just say how much I ADORED the Kannery crew—Mina, Jax, Kevin, & Uncle Terry!! Kevin in particular must be protected at ALL COSTS😭❤️ I loved his passion for nature and limitless knowledge of the outdoors!! He might’ve been my favorite character from the whole book😂😂

Finally, I’d like to note that I listened to this story on audiobook and really liked the narrators’ voices🤩 I definitely recommend giving the audiobook a try if this story interests you!!

Overall, I recommend this story!! This story is great for readers who would enjoy books that take place in wildlife settings, have light romance, and contain an overarching message of the dangers of social media❤️

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
This was the first book I had read by Melissa Ferguson and I am looking forward for more.
I really enjoyed this book, but I wouldn't categorize it as a romance book specifically.
It highlights the struggles of life in the limelight and the journey of self discovery.
I would definitely recommend this book!!

2 stars

I love a Hallmark movie romance plot as much as the next person but I require them to be at least a tiny bit original or, you know, accurate. This book was perfectly set up with Cat being a disgraced influencer who moved back to a small town (or into a national park her uncle was the...something of? Head ranger? Overlord?) and a hot mountain man guy who helped her survive her idiotic City girl impulses like improper footwear and driving a convertible Mercedes in the snow. Sounds great, right? Well you would be WRONG.

This book, in the year 2023, requires you to believe:
- mason jars were never popular and this influencer made them sell out across the country! I did not suffer through the hipster and Pioneer Woman eras where we made small batch pickles and poured carafes of water into mason jars for this crap.
- a national park needs a City girl influencer to make them popular and boost attendance so they aren't absorbed into Glacier National Park??? ???? In what world would a national park in Montana, you know, where the 10th most visited park is, not also be popular? ???? The least visited parks are in remote parts of Alaska a park in Montana you can easily drive right to would not have these problems. And not having enough visitors wouldn't lead to them being not a national park anymore ???? They are for preservation not making a profit?? And how on earth would more Instagram followers help any of this anyway. Absurd.
- that a side character with a full time job can easily sew 200 intricate custom cozies at a time for the new mason jar trend and not want to throw themselves and their sewing machine into the nearest river from burnout.

But those aren't even the worst parts. Nope. That would be that the entire book is actually a Very Special Episode about the dangers of social media because it will lead you to text while driving, cause a car crash, and go to jail like the male main character's (whose name is Zaiah...) ex girlfriend. So flip phone Zaiah now hates everything to do with social media and how will he and Cat the influencer who is addicted to her phone work this out??? Through the power of love and her leaving her phone at home during a date obviously. And eventually her changing nothing about herself, staying an influencer, and Zaiah getting over his phone trauma I guess.

Oh, and also there is an epilogue baby. Gross.

This is the story of Cat, an influencer, who after an unfortunate business mistake leaves the big city for a remote cabin in Montana. She works for her uncle tasked with revitalizing the social media for the park to increase visitors & prevent a shutdown. Along the way she meets a quirky but likable cast of characters and is introduced to the National Park and all it has to offer. She has a sweet, very closed door, romance with a very like able mountain man with a past. I had a tough time really getting into the romance. It moved very quickly and lacked development. Major topics were brushed over and forgotten immediately. But the setting was fun and the secondary characters were interesting. A nice Hallmarky love story, quick, easy read.

This was a nice wholehearted story. I would not categorize this as a romance. It’s more of women’s fiction with a splash of romance. I liked the message it reflects about dependency on social media. This is a great book that discusses some heavy topics. The nice part is it’s partly set in a national park.
I recommend this for anyone looking for a clean wholehearted story.

Famous for a Living was very much about Cat’s journey figuring out what’s important in life without trading in her identity. Cat was likeable and thoughtful from the beginning, so it wasn’t like she needed major positive changes, but more that she got swept up by fame and maybe missed the important bits of living, like being in the moment and not concerned with every “like” or with being at the top of popularity. Social media can be really great, but it can also overtake a person’s life, and I thought the story captured the positives and negatives well.

The cover of the book and title originally got my attention. The fun story and sweet romance kept me sucked in. Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read this book!
The book was inspiring and motivational! Makes me want to rethink my attitude towards life and goals for sure!
I loved Kat and Zaiah! They had cute chemistry! I loved the forest setting! It was very relaxing and enjoyable!
I highly recommend this book! It was positive, funny, charming, and a great quick read!

Famous For a Living is about influencer Cat Cranwell, who is always planning her next perfect, post-worthy moment. Unfortunately, some bad luck comes her way forcing her to leave NYC and head to Montana, aka one of the top places on my bucket list! Enter a grumpy, outdoorsy, and of course, good-looking guy named Zaiah who hates phones and social media, and you have the set up for a fun enemies to lovers rom-com. Zaiah gave me major Jonah vibes {#iykyk }. I really enjoyed this read and the overarching theme to just put the phone down sometimes and live your life!

Read this if you’re looking for something light, fun, clean and happy! Definitely a good book for summer vacay, even with the cold, snowy setting!

Thank you, @uplitreads and @our_friendly_farmhouse for my #gifted copy!

I listened to Famous for a Living and it was a fun read. Cat Cranwell starts out as someone very few people could relate to but by the end, her strengths come through for her friends.

Cat's life has been all about the "likes and follows" since she left home at 17 for the bright lights of New York City. Her social media following is massive, and she makes her living simply on the merits of her fame. When Cat partners with an app, she thinks she's "made it" until the app is accused of stealing customer data. Cat flees to Montana, where her uncle is a park ranger at Kannery National Park. With her extensive knowledge of social media, she's a shoe-in to work at bulking up the park's online presence. Living the outdoor life, though? THAT might just kill her.

Zaiah Hudson has no experience with social media, other than the tragedy that destroyed the life of his fiance because of her social media obsession. Seeing Cat in action brings back memories that aren't all that good. As they work together, though, to showcase the best part of their park, he finds someone with more depth than her online posts show. Can their work friendship turn into more, and will she even stay? Their corner of Montana is pretty remote, and the internet is pretty spotty. Will her withdrawal be more than she can stand?

There are so many funny situations in this story and most stem from Cat's moving from Manhattan to the wilds of Montana. When she finally unplugs, her heart starts to shine through. I would have liked to see a little deeper dive into her past history because that is what set her on the course she has taken.

The narration was very well done, and brought each of the characters to life. Whether you read this one or listen to it, I think most readers will have fun while they follow Cat's story!

Cat is a successful social media influencer. She's so successful that she is able to fully support herself in that profession. Until she isn't. A scandal breaks causing to lose her sponsors, and livelihood. She retreats to work for her uncle in Montana at a national park as a social media manager.

There she meets Zaiah, a hater of social media. Yet she can't help being attracted to him. They do say opposites attract but is it possible for this unlikely pair to work out?

Famous for a living is a perfect light summer read with some of emotional moments that really get you thinking about what is important in life.

This is my second book by Melissa Ferguson and it won't be my last. I love her wholesome stories that make me feel good and want to be a kinder person.

Famous For A Living by Melissa Gerguson.

Reading this was such a fun take on the classic city girl meets outdoorsy man; how small town romance, opposites can attract, and that perspectives can shift. Ultimately this book isn’t all about the first two, it’s more focused on Cat’s changed outlook, and how that adjusts her perspective on what really is important in life. I don’t read many closed door romance novels but I highly recommend this one, and believe it has a valuable message about social media, and mental health.

I would like to thank netgalley and Thomas Nelson - FICTION for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This was entertaining.

Famous for a Living was adorable! Set in Montana, it was the perfect Hallmark story. Modern but sweet and lovely. This was the first book I had read by Melissa Ferguson but I am looking forward to reading more.
"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

It was…fine. I was excited to have a “national park romance” only to discover its really just about a woman finding herself, in a way. Which is also fine! But then don’t make it out to be a romance when they barely interact until 78% of the way into the book.

Also, the ending was WAY too fast. There was no room for any of it to come to fruition; you were just there. I don’t love that.

It was fine.

This is Cat's story, a woman who after a partnership goes wrong and after losing a lot of followers ends up living in Montana with her uncle at a national park, there she finds her total opposite, ranger Zaiah, who hates social media. I like this story a lot, Cat's journey is amazing, and I won't tell you why because this is a little spoiler, but I think this book has the perfect balance between a slow burn romance and focus on the main character devolpment.
But, I wanted the romance to appear a little bit sooner, and I'm not complaining about this, because I enjoyed this kinda small town romance and I love the trope of the famous one living away the city to realize what it's important in life. This book was an easy and quick read.