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Make Me Over
Janay Harden, Author of #1 Best-Selling, Hey, Brown Girl brings you Make Me Over; one woman’s journey for the soft life.
What happens when you’re magic—but the world wants you to be regular?
Josephine Scott can’t keep a job to save her life.
Struggling with mundane, 9-5 work, Josephine secretly longs for something more exciting to match her fast-paced life in Philadelphia. Her boyfriend Alonso has always been supportive, but his dangerous business alliances have started to test his loyalty and their relationship. Sharing an apartment with her stern dad Cannon, his tough-love approach and old-school logic deepen the ever-growing rift between father and daughter.
Josephine dreams of becoming a makeup artist and is thrilled when she snags a position in the beauty industry. Yet as she begins to gain recognition for her talent, she quickly learns success comes with its own set of challenges and she’s pressured to make difficult judgment calls.
Chasing the life she dreams of, Josephine must make crucial decisions those she loves may not understand or support as she questions her place in the world.
Each choice will ultimately dictate the direction of her life.
But the wrong choice could leave her ruined.
Or worse—right where she started.
Make Me Over is a riveting tale of self-discovery about familial and societal expectations and the choices one must make in the pursuit of their happiness.
What happens when you’re magic—but the world wants you to be regular?
Josephine Scott can’t keep a job to save her life.
Struggling with mundane, 9-5 work, Josephine secretly longs for something more exciting to match her fast-paced life in Philadelphia. Her boyfriend Alonso has always been supportive, but his dangerous business alliances have started to test his loyalty and their relationship. Sharing an apartment with her stern dad Cannon, his tough-love approach and old-school logic deepen the ever-growing rift between father and daughter.
Josephine dreams of becoming a makeup artist and is thrilled when she snags a position in the beauty industry. Yet as she begins to gain recognition for her talent, she quickly learns success comes with its own set of challenges and she’s pressured to make difficult judgment calls.
Chasing the life she dreams of, Josephine must make crucial decisions those she loves may not understand or support as she questions her place in the world.
Each choice will ultimately dictate the direction of her life.
But the wrong choice could leave her ruined.
Or worse—right where she started.
Make Me Over is a riveting tale of self-discovery about familial and societal expectations and the choices one must make in the pursuit of their happiness.
287 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 12, 2024
2 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
About the author
Janay Harden
6 books51 followersHello There!
My name is Janay and I write contemporary YA. Please stick around as I make sense of the world through my collection of words.
My name is Janay and I write contemporary YA. Please stick around as I make sense of the world through my collection of words.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 24, 2024
A massive thank you to Story Flow Solutions and Ms Janay Harden for sharing this e-ARC with me. This review contains my honest opinions.
The artist in me was so charged when I saw the cover art for this book, and I knew I had to read it. It only took some of the first chapter to figure out why the cover art was so stunning. Make Me Over by Janay Harden features Josie Scott, a young Black woman unable to hold down a job, understandably frustrated in a gritty Philadelphia that’ll keep moving on even if she doesn’t. However, her talent with the makeup brush soon draws a lot of eyes, and before long Josie must venture into the unknown, drawing on her wits, memories, and the encouragement of her close-knit circle to navigate the world of work, a strained relationship with a parent, and a love shadowed by crime. Going in without having read the blurb I didn’t know what to expect, but I’m glad I took the dive.
Janay Harden knows how to build her characters! Every one of the main characters (and some of the minor ones) is layered. Josie, in whose point of view this story is told. Her father. Her boyfriend. Ms Marta. Each one has an arc. They’re flawed. They have secrets. They speak like real people. I saw their different points of view, as shaped by their different experiences. They say some of the wittiest things (some of Josie’s thoughts and Ms Marta’s observations are a hoot!). These people have highs and meltdowns. They learn. They grow. Even the city of Philly breathes and moves and feels like a character in its own right, alternating between a familiar, comforting blanket and a constricting cell. The book’s fluid pacing carries its main themes of family, love, and growing up, really well. It’s engaging, with effective use of flashbacks, which aren’t voluminous or thrown in so jarringly that they’d be considered info-dumps. I enjoyed the weird family dynamic. Maybe it’s because I like stories that feature dysfunctional family relationships. Hehe.
I loved the third act. I typically don’t look forward to them, but there were enough clues to see what would happen. And when it did, it came together in a glorious shower of disaster. I loved that there was no Deus Ex Machina to magically fix it all either, and slap a big red bow on it. Nah, these characters slog through the aftermath of their bad luck and try to stitch together some semblance of hope. It’s good. I felt the weight of their laboured movement, their grief, their confusion.
The book had some of the common problems: misusing “lie” when you mean “lay,” and vice versa; dangling modifiers, dialogue tags that weren’t always necessary or fitting. The overall narrative could have benefited from more use of the past perfect tense, to really differentiate the then from the now; sometimes Josie would slip into a flashback and it would take a moment for me to catch on. Plus, some of the points were made over and over, when just once would have sufficed. Ms Janay’s got to trust that her reader can make inferences. 😀 There’s also some swearing.
I liked this book. I thought it was kind of sweet. Odd, because it dealt with some weighty topics. Death. Grief. Rejection. The uncertainty of the future. Gangs. But it wasn’t just words on a page. It had heart. And hope. This is the first book of Ms Janay Harden I’ve read, and I’m definitely encouraged to read more of her work. If you like stories in urban settings, with layered characters, interesting family dynamics, a dash of crime, and a splash of romance, you’ll enjoy this one.
The artist in me was so charged when I saw the cover art for this book, and I knew I had to read it. It only took some of the first chapter to figure out why the cover art was so stunning. Make Me Over by Janay Harden features Josie Scott, a young Black woman unable to hold down a job, understandably frustrated in a gritty Philadelphia that’ll keep moving on even if she doesn’t. However, her talent with the makeup brush soon draws a lot of eyes, and before long Josie must venture into the unknown, drawing on her wits, memories, and the encouragement of her close-knit circle to navigate the world of work, a strained relationship with a parent, and a love shadowed by crime. Going in without having read the blurb I didn’t know what to expect, but I’m glad I took the dive.
Janay Harden knows how to build her characters! Every one of the main characters (and some of the minor ones) is layered. Josie, in whose point of view this story is told. Her father. Her boyfriend. Ms Marta. Each one has an arc. They’re flawed. They have secrets. They speak like real people. I saw their different points of view, as shaped by their different experiences. They say some of the wittiest things (some of Josie’s thoughts and Ms Marta’s observations are a hoot!). These people have highs and meltdowns. They learn. They grow. Even the city of Philly breathes and moves and feels like a character in its own right, alternating between a familiar, comforting blanket and a constricting cell. The book’s fluid pacing carries its main themes of family, love, and growing up, really well. It’s engaging, with effective use of flashbacks, which aren’t voluminous or thrown in so jarringly that they’d be considered info-dumps. I enjoyed the weird family dynamic. Maybe it’s because I like stories that feature dysfunctional family relationships. Hehe.
I loved the third act. I typically don’t look forward to them, but there were enough clues to see what would happen. And when it did, it came together in a glorious shower of disaster. I loved that there was no Deus Ex Machina to magically fix it all either, and slap a big red bow on it. Nah, these characters slog through the aftermath of their bad luck and try to stitch together some semblance of hope. It’s good. I felt the weight of their laboured movement, their grief, their confusion.
The book had some of the common problems: misusing “lie” when you mean “lay,” and vice versa; dangling modifiers, dialogue tags that weren’t always necessary or fitting. The overall narrative could have benefited from more use of the past perfect tense, to really differentiate the then from the now; sometimes Josie would slip into a flashback and it would take a moment for me to catch on. Plus, some of the points were made over and over, when just once would have sufficed. Ms Janay’s got to trust that her reader can make inferences. 😀 There’s also some swearing.
I liked this book. I thought it was kind of sweet. Odd, because it dealt with some weighty topics. Death. Grief. Rejection. The uncertainty of the future. Gangs. But it wasn’t just words on a page. It had heart. And hope. This is the first book of Ms Janay Harden I’ve read, and I’m definitely encouraged to read more of her work. If you like stories in urban settings, with layered characters, interesting family dynamics, a dash of crime, and a splash of romance, you’ll enjoy this one.
October 20, 2024
Yep! This book did what it needed to do. It provided inspiration and hope. I was rooting for Josephine from the first page. This book dropped a lot of gems, perfect for young adults trying to find their way. I highly recommend for a light hearted, inspirational read with with compelling characters!
Janay is spot on.
Janay is spot on.
October 21, 2024
Another 10⭐️read. Janay Harden is one of the many auto buy authors for me. Good story, character development, good plot with lots of twists and turns.
February 17, 2025
Make me Over us a beautiful coming of age story of discovery, loss, experimental independence, & love. Definitely a must read for young adults.
January 21, 2026
This started out with me being annoyed with Josephine. Probably because I’m in my 30s so a little older than her. I understand not wanting to work a dead end job or a job you hate. But for me I’d rather work at a dead end job temporarily so that I’m not homeless. I also felt like damn why didn’t she apply for Sephora or Ulta?? Especially since you like make up so much. That could have (should have been) her start at realizing her gift in my opinion. But you live and you learn. Cannon was a lot but he was doing the best he could with what he knew. Growing up you don’t really understand what your parents went through and that could stem from them not letting you in on their past because they don’t want the same for you. But he could have incorporated her maternal side more. Glad that Josie found Ms. Marta though!! She was dropping gems!! Bittersweet ending. I’m glad that Josie was clear about choosing herself over Curtis’ foolishness and that she didn’t let him skate by with his bullshit answers and logic!
The following are all the thoughts I had while reading this book so it may contains some spoilers:
Why didn’t Alonso move in with Curtis?
If Curtis owns the building why does he need money from Alonso???
As soon as Alonso made his choice to choose Curtis over you that was your clue to let him go. They’re fighting at this damn low budget fashion show not in the streets!
The following are all the thoughts I had while reading this book so it may contains some spoilers:
Why didn’t Alonso move in with Curtis?
If Curtis owns the building why does he need money from Alonso???
As soon as Alonso made his choice to choose Curtis over you that was your clue to let him go. They’re fighting at this damn low budget fashion show not in the streets!
March 24, 2025
I really enjoyed this book. Being a Philly girl myself, I was able to relate to locations and sights. Josie had quite a story and a difficult life growing up. The book takes you through phases of her life that helped in molding the woman she became. Page turner.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews