3 Star Mini Book Review: Famous for a Living by Melissa Ferguson, A Women's Fiction Romance Novel
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary e-copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts are my own and I was not required to post a positive review. Also, this blog post includes affiliate links. You can view my affiliate disclaimer here.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
She’s Insta-famous. He uses a flip phone.
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.
Written with bestselling author Melissa Ferguson’s signature wit and charm, this laugh-out-loud romantic comedy of opposites attract is full of hilarious romp and a romance that will melt readers’ hearts.
MY REVIEW: ★★★ 3/5 Stars
A Cute Romance With Forced Proximity and Rural, National Park Setting!
At the beginning of this story, I was not sure how well I liked Cat, the female main character, however I was immediately drawn to brooding personality of Zaiah. As Ferguson transports her readers from the streets of NYC to the mountains of Montana, my heart warmed to the story.
The setting totally won me over for this book! I adored the National Park setting, park ranger life and the small town vibes. Ferguson brought the gorgeous scenery to life with her vivid descriptions and I definitely enjoy her writing style. There's a bit of snark and sarcasm to her voice which is fun and entertaining. Her secondary characters are fantastic too and I couldn't help imagining Cat's uncle as Burt Reynolds in a park ranger uniform.
The romance in this story was a definite slow burn, and I wanted so much more, so much faster. Once the heat kicked up, I enjoyed the story much more. There were plenty of smile-inducing moments though that kept me turning the pages and of course, I had to know how things came together.
The balance of life in person and life online was so-so, offering a little bit of personal angst and character growth. I also struggled with Zaiah's name. It really didn't seem to fit his description or personality, but that didn't detract from the story, it was merely a personal preference.
Overall, I miss the heavy romcom feel of Ferguson's first two books with the flirty banter and tension-filled dialogue, something I thought she did really well. This book was good, especially more towards the end when the chemistry picks up, but not a favorite.
Content Note: Clean, PG
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
Delightfully clever - wholesome romance, amusing predicaments and a bit of mystery!
Meet Me In the Margins offers book lovers of all kinds an insightful, often humorous, taste of the publishing world and what happens behind the scenes at a publishing house. My book-loving heart found the setting of a small publisher and the unique exchange of secret notes in the margins of a manuscript to build a love story both brilliant and clever.