Make Me Hot [Paperback]

Marissa Monteilh (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: TURNAROUND PUBLISHER (June 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 075821121X
• ISBN-13: 978-0758211217
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Voted amongst the 2010 Women of Influence in Publishing by Written Magazine, and a 2010 Pink Diamond Award Honoree at the African-American Literary Festival hosted by SistahFriend Bookclub, Marissa Monteilh (Mon-tay), a former model, television news reporter, and commercial actress, originally self-published her first book, May December Souls, in November 2000. The following year she signed a two-book deal with HarperCollins for the re-release of May December Souls, and a second novel, The Chocolate Ship.

Marissa again signed with HarperCollins for her third title, Hot Boyz, and the next year wrote two books for Kensington/Dafina. The first Dafina book, Make Me Hot, was a 2006 African-American Literary Award nominee. The second title, Dr. Feelgood, was released in 2007, and re-released in March 2011.

Life Changing Books published Something He Can Feel in 2008. The self-published e-book version was pubbed on March 1, 2011. An inspirational e-book novella called The Six-Letter Word debuts on January 31, 2012, and the long-awaited sequel in the Hot Boyz trilogy, called Hot Girlz, hits the shelves on October 29, 2011. A title regarding the ultimate best-friend betrayal, Turnabout is Fair Play, debuted on June 1, 2011, through A Chapter A Month.com. And coming October 2012 - the highly requested sequel to Dr. Feelgood, called You've Got It Bad.

Marissa is a regular contributor to the literary blog, Novel Spaces, and a member of the all female group of touring writers, Atlanta's GA Peach Authors.

Originally from Los Angeles, Marissa now resides in Atlanta, Georgia with her family.

Visit Marissa's website at www.marissamonteilh.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Informative and inspiring, December 27, 2005

By 

BookRemarks (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Make Me Hot (Paperback)

Make Me Hot is the journey of Morgan Bayley, a woman whose physical features affects how she feels about herself. As a child she was teased for having an unshapely nose. And now that she's an adult, she yearns to be beautiful. Will plastic surgery be her only way out?

This is a pretty unique and topical storyline that deals with important self-esteem issues. Marissa did a great job with her descriptions. I actually felt like I was in the operating room lying on a table going under the knife.

Another important and noticeable aspect -- although the character was phyiscally described as unattractive, Morgan's inner spirit radiated in this book and you really do get the impression that beauty is only skin deep.

Make Me Hot should be enjoyed by those that want to read about female empowerment and learning how to love oneself.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Does Beauty Make You Happy?, September 20, 2006

By 

Joan B. Stanford "Jazzy Pen" (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Make Me Hot (Paperback)

Let's face it; our society is obsessed with looks. With the popularity of reality shows such as Extreme Makeover, How Do I Look and Swan, it is evident that plastic surgery is all the rage. Author Marissa Monteilh has taken this ever-popular makeover trend and used it as the basis for her latest novel, Make Me Hot, an enlightening look at what happens after the transformation.

Morgan Bayley has been teased about her extra large and crooked nose since she was a kid. Even her father makes unflattering comments about it and instead favors Morgan's younger and more attractive sister Olympia.

At the tender of age of fourteen, when a geeky boy finds Morgan attractive and hormones rage, she becomes pregnant and never hears from the boy again. Fast forward several years and despite her unusual looks, Morgan is excelling in her career. She has successfully raised her daughter Corliss, who is a promising esthetician, and she owns a beautiful home. She also has a very handsome boyfriend, Jabril, whom she's been dating for five years. While she appears to have it all, her looks continue to haunt her. The hurtful teasing she endured as a youth has turned to uncomfortable and awkward stares. Even Jabril, who claims to love her just as she is, berates her and does not miss an opportunity to take jabs at her looks.

So when her best friend Tyra secretly enters Morgan into a makeover contest and she wins, she seriously considers cashing in on her prize-- plastic surgery on anything free of charge. All she has to do is unveil her final look on a special show on television. Although initially she has reservations about the whole thing, she eventually decides to take the chance to finally be beautiful. But will being gorgeous finally make her happy? What about her family and friends? Will they love the new Morgan?

At a time when plastic surgery, liposuction, gastric bypass and breast implants are ever so pervasive, Marissa Monteilh delivers a powerful novel that is not only timely but thought provoking. The author does an excellent job of walking readers through one woman's intense journey of self discovery, when her self-esteem falters and she believes changing her outer appearance will make all the difference. It was interesting to see the character experience this emotional roller coaster. The step-by-step makeover process was engaging as well.

This reviewer enjoyed the premise of the plot, and the nice twists within the story, however, the ending left something to be desired. It seemed as though the author wanted to drive home the moralistic message, which resulted in contrived dialogue and an almost scripted conclusion. Nonetheless, Make Me Hot was an enjoyable read and is recommended for anyone who has even remotely considered surgically altering their appearance.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Make Me Hot by Marissa Monteilh: An PeoplewholoveGoodBooks Review, January 4, 2006

By 

Shay C (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Make Me Hot (Paperback)

Morgan Bailey has never felt beautiful due to her long nose that made her the subject of many jokes and much teasing. She has learned to accept her distinctive features and now at the age of 39, Morgan has a successful career, beautiful home, and a long-term relationship with Jabril. But underneath it all, Morgan is still carrying the emotional scars from being a teen mother, losing her mother at an young age, and dealing with a father who always seemed to favor her younger sister. Despite everything, she is shocked to find out that she is the winner of an makeover contest that her best friend Tyra has entered her in. At first, she is hesitant to go through with it until she catches Jabril chatting online with another woman, and after he demands that she not go through it, she decides to for once do something for herself.

But what she doesn't count on is after the makeover and unveiling on national television, secret after secret begins to come to light, an attraction to an man she's been chatting with online leads to an unexpected reunion and her relationship with Jabril begins to fall apart. Now that Morgan is HOT, she is getting all the attention she always wanted or least, thought she wanted. She learns that true beauty comes from within and she learns to embrace the beauty she had all along. Make Me Hot is something that all women with body issues should read, it is touching yet powerful look at self-acceptance. Kudos to Ms Monteilh for tackling the issue of body image. I give this book 4 stars. Reviewed by Shay C of PeoplewholoveGoodBooks