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dogoodwithbooks's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson - Fiction for providing me with a free e-ARC.
One minute, Cat Cranwell was going to be the face of the new social media platform that will take over the world. The next, Cat is almost friendless and hiding from the paparazzi after her partner was caught stealing users’ data information and is left to face the lawsuits all alone. At the encouragement of her uncle, she agrees to work at Kannery National Park as their new social media director. When the park is threatened to be absorbed and Cat finds herself getting close to her new co-workers, including ranger Zaiah, Cat has to find herself again out of the spotlight.
While I wasn’t a huge fan of this book, I do think that Famous for a Living is the right book for somebody.
My main issue with the book was Ferguson’s writing style. I don’t know what it is, but it felt like the writing was choppy and off, especially with some of the sentence structure. I first noticed this during Cat and Zaiah’s first meet cute in the city and I felt like it didn’t really flow together. From there, you get instances throughout the book of weird sentence structure, specifically a lot of one sentence paragraphs and an overuse of hyphenated words turned sentences.
Additionally, while the cast of characters were good, there were at times that the characters felt like caricatures. For me, I don’t particularly like books that are exaggerated stereotypes of some character plot device, like the chronically online character or the character that doesn’t use any technology to the point that they might be considered a hermit.
Yet, that’s not to say that there was nothing I liked about this book.
Nevertheless, this book wasn’t for me. I think if you’re looking for a more women’s fiction type of novel that’s set in a National Park and emphasizes the need to unplug, Famous for a Living might be the book for you.
One minute, Cat Cranwell was going to be the face of the new social media platform that will take over the world. The next, Cat is almost friendless and hiding from the paparazzi after her partner was caught stealing users’ data information and is left to face the lawsuits all alone. At the encouragement of her uncle, she agrees to work at Kannery National Park as their new social media director. When the park is threatened to be absorbed and Cat finds herself getting close to her new co-workers, including ranger Zaiah, Cat has to find herself again out of the spotlight.
While I wasn’t a huge fan of this book, I do think that Famous for a Living is the right book for somebody.
My main issue with the book was Ferguson’s writing style. I don’t know what it is, but it felt like the writing was choppy and off, especially with some of the sentence structure. I first noticed this during Cat and Zaiah’s first meet cute in the city and I felt like it didn’t really flow together. From there, you get instances throughout the book of weird sentence structure, specifically a lot of one sentence paragraphs and an overuse of hyphenated words turned sentences.
Additionally, while the cast of characters were good, there were at times that the characters felt like caricatures. For me, I don’t particularly like books that are exaggerated stereotypes of some character plot device, like the chronically online character or the character that doesn’t use any technology to the point that they might be considered a hermit.
Yet, that’s not to say that there was nothing I liked about this book.
Nevertheless, this book wasn’t for me. I think if you’re looking for a more women’s fiction type of novel that’s set in a National Park and emphasizes the need to unplug, Famous for a Living might be the book for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Car accident, Child abuse, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Death
headinthepages's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, Death, Emotional abuse, and Grief
peachani's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Almost DNFed after the reveal of why Zaiah hates phones and social media. His reason isn't wrong, but it felt preachy and his reaction to mark was very "noble idiot" to the point of maybe being kinda ableist? I wish Cat's change hadn't been prompted by him. She seemed to be on the way without his input and I think the story would have been stronger if the impetus was all hers.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Child abuse, Ableism, and Stalking
savvyrosereads's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Rating: 3.5/5 stars.
Cat Cranwell is a social media influencer whose career is unexpectedly placed into free fall when she is tied to a data theft scandal. Struggling to rebuild her image, she relocates to Montana, where she begins working as a social media manager for her park ranger uncle—and finds herself drawn to Zaiah, another park ranger and her polar opposite.
Thank you again to BookSparks for my gifted copy and to Libro.fm for my gifted ALC! I read a bit of this one in my physical copy, but found I really enjoyed it on audio, so the bulk of my read was in that format. It was a fun, quick, lighthearted listen, exactly the kind of book I most enjoy as an audiobook!
This book feels exactly like a Hallmark movie in so many ways—big city girl goes to a small town, cute and sweet romance with minimal steam, and a lovable and slightly quirky cast of side characters. I’ve seen a lot of reviews saying that this one focuses more on Cat’s journey than on the romance itself, and I think that’s correct—her development and character arc is definitely the core of this story and the driving force behind the plot.
If you want something fun and cheerful and enjoy these tropes, give this one a try!
Recommended if you like: small town romance; city-girl-to-rural-life; self-discovery mixed with romance
CW: Mentions of domestic violence; discussions of addiction (to technology)
Cat Cranwell is a social media influencer whose career is unexpectedly placed into free fall when she is tied to a data theft scandal. Struggling to rebuild her image, she relocates to Montana, where she begins working as a social media manager for her park ranger uncle—and finds herself drawn to Zaiah, another park ranger and her polar opposite.
Thank you again to BookSparks for my gifted copy and to Libro.fm for my gifted ALC! I read a bit of this one in my physical copy, but found I really enjoyed it on audio, so the bulk of my read was in that format. It was a fun, quick, lighthearted listen, exactly the kind of book I most enjoy as an audiobook!
This book feels exactly like a Hallmark movie in so many ways—big city girl goes to a small town, cute and sweet romance with minimal steam, and a lovable and slightly quirky cast of side characters. I’ve seen a lot of reviews saying that this one focuses more on Cat’s journey than on the romance itself, and I think that’s correct—her development and character arc is definitely the core of this story and the driving force behind the plot.
If you want something fun and cheerful and enjoy these tropes, give this one a try!
Recommended if you like: small town romance; city-girl-to-rural-life; self-discovery mixed with romance
CW: Mentions of domestic violence; discussions of addiction (to technology)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, and Domestic abuse
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