Famous for a Living: A Fish-Out-Of-Water, Opposites-Attract Romantic Comedy

By Melissa Ferguson and Melissa Ferguson

Book Overview

From bestselling author Melissa Ferguson comes a You've Got Mail meets Confessions of a Shopaholic meets Parks and Rec rom-com where the worlds of a chronically online, out-of-touch influencer and an off-the-grid, ruggedly handsome national park ranger clash.

"Ferguson makes a convincing and heartfelt case for how opposites attract . . . For readers who like their romance on the sweet side, this will hit the spot." --Publishers Weekly

When her business partner is accused of serious financial crimes, superstar influencer Cat Cranwell--an engineered marvel of beauty, energy, and fun--falls from her penthouse perch. Desperate to get away from the online trolls and paparazzi documenting her disgrace, Cat accepts her uncle's offer to work with him in Kannery National Park, Montana. About as far as possible from life as she's known it.

Cat's world shifts from the swirling haze of likes and comments to literal blizzards of frostbite temperatures and waist-deep snow. In place of negotiating brand deals, she finds herself negotiating at the ledge of a frozen lake with her die-hard Polar Bear Plunge coworkers. Instead of padding through the marble kitchen of her Manhattan loft, she's sharing a tent-sized cabin with a roommate eager to bond like characters in sitcoms. But something curious is also happening in this overwhelming breath of fresh air as she reacquaints with the most honest parts of herself and begins to ask the hard questions. Can Cat love herself with, and without, the world watching?

Then there's that other tiny problem--she's falling for Zaiah, the ruggedly handsome park ranger--and he hates anything remotely connected to social media, quite possibly her included.

Famous for a Living features a delightful, wholesome romance filled with plenty of swoon worthy tension but none of the spice. Discussion questions are included for book clubs to gush over the ruggedly beautiful national park setting or the quirky, relatable characters.

Tropes:

Grumpy/sunshineSlow burnOpposites attractCity girl/country guyInfluencer/reality checkEnemies-to-lovers

For more from Melissa Ferguson, check out Meet Me in the Margins, How to Plot a Payback, and The Perfect Rom-Com

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0840702485
• ISBN13: 9780840702487
• Release Date: May 2023
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.61 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.4" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

fun rom-com

“There is no honor in falling. Just failing to take the risk.” Melissa Ferguson knows how to write rom-coms. I found myself crying through the book - one minute from laughing so hard and the next minute clutching my heart in sympathy. The author made the wintery landscape of Montana mountains so real with its beauty, hidden dangers, and below freezing temperatures. The camaraderie and ridiculous fun found amongst the park rangers and the townspeople of Kannery are addictive. Though narrated in first person present tense by Cat, we get to know Zaiah pretty well through their interactions. And Zaiah is definitely a worthy hero. The supporting cast of Uncle Terry, Mina, Jax, Kevin, Peggy, and Mark is awesome and I’m hoping for a sequel about Mark. And, of course, we can’t forget Serena, Cat’s best friend, who is a little scary and over-the-top but so necessary in pulling the entire story together. I really enjoyed the story but unfortunately didn’t gel with Cat. I think I’m too old to fully understand an influencer’s life. Her stream of consciousness narrative lost me more than once during the story but her innate desire to help people really came through in her actions. She does have moments of epiphany, which help her realize what’s truly important. It’s a fun clean romance (no faith threads in the story) to enjoy on a blustery Saturday morning with a steaming cup of coffee. I received the book from Thomas Nelson via NetGalley and was under no obligation to post a positive review. All opinions are my own.