Review: Make Me Hot by Marissa Monteilh

Review: Make Me Hot

To say I slightly dissapointed in this book would be an understatment. After reading this lacklester romance story I found myself asking why did I bother buying this book in the first place. Clearly this purchase was made at a different point and time in my life where lack of plot and character development wasn't important. Or better yet it could have been the fact that I had just previously read a book written by Ms. Monteilh called Dr. Feelgood and since I enjoyed reading that stroy I assumed I would enjoy the rest of her books...I was wrong. On a side not I am going to assume that Dr. Feelgood was better because it was written later on. Taking that into consideration I give some leadway, though I doubt it would do much good. A general concept of the book is that of an ugly duckling turing into a deautiful swan, though this swan never truly shows itself. So here we go:

The Characters:

I must say that these were some of the most uninteresting and dull characters that I have ever seen. Granted the book is written in first person and is through the eyes of that character. Even so the main character her self was dull and flat. Morgan who is the main character and whose point of view the book is written starts off as a somewhat flat character and continues to stay that way through the book, seemingly only able to display two emotons Desperate (borderline needy) and self pity. Her constant woe is me feelings from the beging to the ending of the book grew tiresome by the third or forth chapter. Before I truly start into her character I should give some background, what little there is. First of Morgan has been teased (like anyone who experienced jrhs kids and hs kids) about the size of the nose. She never developed a sense of self confidence, thought her mother told her that she was beautiful. She blames this on her father who she felt made her feel as if she was never good enough for him (late on you come to find out that his anger comes from the fact that she is not his biological daughter...which in my opinion served no purpose in the story). Second she is "seduced" by some random boy walking her home and becomes pregnate with her daughter. After this she suffers the loose of her mother (where within the book there is no true feeling of lose or pain, just words that say it is there). She has a controllign and obessive boyfriend who is with her because of her unattriveness but soon comes to supossedly love her though there is no true feeling of that within the book. She has a sister, best friends, and her daughter who are constantly trying to get her to see the boyfriend for what he truly is but she refuses to leave him. In an effort to elevate herself esteam her besfriend enters her into a beauty make over and she had a platic surgury transformation. One would think the book would pick up by then since more than half the book is over with by then but no it didn't. It continued to drag until the very last letter. Though this make over did make Morgan beautiful on the outside she was still lacking on the inside. Though in my opinion she was lacking on the inside longer before the surgery started.

Morgan is a weak female character that never truly discovers herself (within the length of the book) and what beauty really is. She is portrayed through most of the book as a whinny and desperate woman who will over look her mistreatment just to stay within her comfort zone. Had her family not interfear she would have never left that life (though either way she truly didnt) and stayed with her boyfriend. Before her surgury Morgan's characteristics were hard to handle, her constant I am not pretty, or no one loves me stroy grew old but it was after the surgury, when she was "beautiful" that she became even more horrid. Not only did she hold on to her old ways but gained a "bitchy' attitue and cockeyness that didn't fit into her character or the story. Like it was some what forced. Also the problem with her new attitude was that her negativity nd own self hate was directed on those who supported her instead of the true source of the problem, whether it was her bofirend, baby's father, or father. Not only that but Morgan was 40 years old acting like a 13yr girl that got a new toy and didnt know what to do with it. True in a sense her new body was a new toy to play with but her lack of control over herslef as a grown woman was unexcuseable. Yelling out at those who love her and out casting her best friend (the woman who helped her become beautiful) with no true provketion. It seems to em that Morgan is the truly vein one withing the story while the other characters are mirrors of her own vanity. Since all the other characters seem to be attrtive and beautiful.

Not only does the book offer no true emotional conncetion between Morgan and the characters (other than it being written that way). There was no connection (for me anyway) between Morgan and the Reader. As not only a romace story but also a story of slef dicovery the reader should be engrosed by the character and their emotions. Here the connection was fleeting and barely noticable. While you read the story you know who Morgan is but by the time you put it down you are like "what was this book about again".

As for the other character's I wont spend much time on them since their is really no insight into them to truly know them.

Jabril who is Morgan's (ex)boyfriend could be seen as adding more drama to the story and spicing it up but in all he is just a flat and dull as Morgan is. Obsessive and controlling, it is only his antics that add a little interigue to the story. I must say that my most hated scene in the book was after Morgan gets surgury she run over to Jabril's house in the hopes that her looks would win him back, like the pathetic and weak character she was she let herself be used and thrown out after sex and still managed to pine over the man.

Corliss who is Morgan's adult daughter is one of my more favorable characters. She young and shows more growth and maturity throughout the whole book than her mother. In a sense she matures into the mother figure within the story and a more stable presence than Morgan. She unlike her mother is able to carry on a healthy relationship with an older man without losing herself in him like Morgan did with Jabril.

Tayra whom is Morgan's best friend is a more distant character to me. All that is known is that she loves Morgan dearly and would do anything for her. Her job i as a personal trainer and she is beautiful. other than that she is a blank page that never gets filled.

Dad who is Morgan's father (thought not biologically is able to add a sense of authority to the story yet nothing profound enough to make him stand out as a father figure.

As for Jamie and Cameo (Corliss father and half sister) there is not much to say about them. They are just as forgetable as the other characters. And it feels as if they were thrown in to add something to the story (though whatever it is that they were supposed to add they failed)

The Plot:

What was the point of this story? Was it to teach what self love is? What the true meaning of beauty is, is it on the inside or the outside? What is love? Was it about a woman's journey to learn how to love herself?

These are the questions I asked myself once done with this book and I found no answers. Of course this was written for entertainment purposes however as the reader I feel cheated that none of these questions were answered. Morgan never learned to love herself but only what people thought of her. Set the example that plastic surgery is fine if you do not like the way you look. Nothing was gained by reading this story and it was hardly entertaining. I finished it so fast just so I could be done with it and move on to the next book. Untimely this book said that beauty is no found by ones self but we should find beauty in what other portray as beauty.

Would I recommend this to a friend? No

Rating: 2/5