“Famous for a Living” by Melissa Ferguson

Title: Famous for a Living
Author: Melissa Ferguson
Publisher:  Thomas Nelson    
Year: 2023    
Genre(s): romance
Part of a Series: No.

Rating: 

Why I read it: Once Upon a Book Club pick

Summary: Cat Cranwell has built her life around social media as an influencer. But when scandal ruins her reputation, she finds her life in shambles. Her best option is to move out to Montana and accept a position from her uncle, who is a park ranger. Out there, she learns more about herself and who she wants to be as well as how to use social media responsibility. Most importantly, she meets Zaiah Smith – a man who seems to hate everything about her life. But will that change as she changes?

Review: This was a pretty good read. Something more on the light side, which was needed.

My main complaint is that it does take a little long for the romance to really happen. It’s there for most of the book so I can classify it as a romance but it’s a slow burn that probably should’ve happened sooner. It felt a little rushed at the end.

There were also a lot of misconceptions about New Yorkers but I haven’t determined if they are because the author didn’t really understand New York or because Cat as a character was trying to fit her own stereotype of a New Yorker.

(New York City winters may not be as rough as Montana winters but it still gets pretty cold and can be snowy here. I find it hard to believe that Cat wouldn’t own proper winter gear that was still fashionable).

Cat is an interesting and likeable character. It didn’t seem like she would be based on the description of her as an influencer whose whole life revolves around her internet persona. But she was established as a three-dimensional character from the beginning, especially through her relationships with her friend Serena and her uncle Terrence.

I wish we had gotten a little more of Zaiah but what we got was very good. He was a strong character who showed how he cared even if his words didn’t convey it. And I did like how he and Cat clashed early on. It really showed how different they were but also how similar.

Some of the supporting characters could’ve been more fleshed out – we could’ve seen more of Cat with her uncle, more of Peggy – but otherwise, they were pretty good. Serena proved to be a loyal friend who really cared about Cat and Mina was a good foil for Cat, earnest and full of hope. They had a good connection and I liked that Mina even befriend Serena.

Ferguson did a great job creating the setting of Montana and the small town near the national park. I could picture everything – the cabin, the natural beauty and the small coffee shop. So I give her kudos for that.

Overall, I think it had some good messages and they felt natural to the story, which was another plus for this book. And the messages didn’t feel too preachy either nor did it take away from how much fun the book was.

Bottom line: A nice light read.

Sex: None.

Moonlight Musing

Are you addicted to social media?