Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

I don't know why I thought I'd like this book. I haven't watched any modeling type reality shows as reality TV doesn't interest me at all. This was an easy read that required absolutely zero effort or energy. It's catty and what I can only assume is a vindictive portrayal of the authors own experiences.

A thinly veiled account of life at the mercy of a celebrity. It was humorous and fun and a quick read. I loved the insight into the everyday occurrences of a stars life. Very cheeky.

I loved Jay Manuel from his time on ANTM. Unfortunately, this book just didn't do it.

this book is a work of "fiction', now did Jay possibly take parts of what happened on the show and turned it into fiction? Probably and I don't fault him for that; however, do it better.

There was so much happening a lot of it wasn't fleshed out correctly. I honestly think if 1/2 of the things that happened in this book didn't happen but instead the ones that did were fleshed out I would give this book a solid 4 stars. As of now there it's a 2.5 so I'll round up to 3.

Hoo boy. This was definitely just a big 'ol ego boost fest, and doing it by putting everyone, like every single person, you know down is definitely one way to do that. And I don't believe for a second this isn't based exactly on his life with names changed, because come on. You're fooling no one.

"The Wig, the Bitch, & the Meltdown" is Jay Manuel's semi-autobiographical story based on working with Tyra Banks on the set of "America's Next Top Model." What it is: A story of a simple friendship, in which our man Pablo is swept up in the intoxicating friendship of supermodel Keisha Kash. Through her, he becomes involved in a reality show to select a model, and he increasingly becomes important to the production as the ultimate coordinator/fixer. Pablo dreams of using this to move on to a talk show, but will he ever be able to leave the clearly toxic and self-absorbed Keisha?

What's good:
The book is shamelessly dishy and ridiculous. There are blatant self-references--the author has no hesitation about making it clear just how much he identifies with his main character.

The book is funny.

What's iffier:
The book is a beach read--it moves fast and it isn't especially deep. If you're fine with that, no problem. If that isn't your style, you'll be disappointed.

The book is ludicrous. There are over-the-top sequences that are slapstick to the extreme. This may grate on some.

The characters (hilariously) abuse modern slang and Internetspeak. It's a cringefest but clearly deliberate on the part of the author. This, however, might drive you "hashtag bonkers." (And yes, that's how it would be written in the text.)

Overall, I found the book amusing and a quick read. This unbiased review was based on a copy provided to me by Netgalley.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. Celebrities need to stick with what they do best and in Jay Manuel's case, it is not writing books. Awful read, awful writing.....what was he thinking????

Y'all.

Y'all, this was SO bad.

I was genuinely excited to read this. Not just as a love/hate watcher of ANTM, but also because Jay Manuel is clearly full of behind the scenes gossip and secrets that he can "based on a true story" into this piece of fiction.

Except Jay Manuel is DESPERATELY in need of a ghost writer. Or, he needs to hire a better one.

This is labeled as satire, but quite frankly, I don't know how familiar Manuel is with satire. This feels like poorly written fanfiction, and somehow, Jay manages to both Mary Sue himself, as well as have the real version of himself appear as a mentor to his Mary Sue. Which was, frankly, so cringey, I set my phone down and stopped reading for about a week.

I forced myself to finish this, after which I started watching "Jays Chat" on Youtube, where Jay Manuel, and a selection of guests such as Jay Alexander, Sutan Amrull, and former contestants talk about the seasons of ANTM and reveal the behind the scenes dish.

After watching these videos, I'm even more frustrated how terrible this book is. I live for a good guilty pleasure read, but this is really, really, really not worth the effort.

I remember Jay Manuel from America's Next Top Model in high school and college. Obviously this book is loosely based on his experiences on and off the show with a specifically unnamed Supermodel. Although I loved Jay on the show I don't love his writing for this book. It just didn't work for me.

I just could not get into the book and struggled to finish it. It wasn't as interesting as I had thought it was going to be.

OMG I loved this book! It's all the insanity of reality TV combined with the life lessons of an eyewitness tell-all. I read the whole thing in one sitting because I found I just couldn't put it down! I didn't expect it to be so funny, and I was constantly surprised by the plot twists. Please tell me there's a sequel coming!

If you're looking for drama this book is jam packed with it. Reality TV drama, friendship drama, celebrity drama and so much more! What starts off with an unlikely friendship between model and backstage worker, which quickly turns into a thriller. While Pablo's star rises, Keshia tries everything in her power to now let him surpass her. She is borderline psychopathic

I know this is fiction, but I couldn't help but feel like this is the authors way of saying all the shit that went down in his life. Or maybe an over dramatized version of ANTM in todays world. It was a little too much for me. A storyline or two could have been taken out, but overall it was an enjoyable and quick read!

3.5 stars overall. Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the copy in return for a review!

This feels more auto biographical than fiction. However, if your fans of the show that the author was on then you will absolutely love it. The introduction to the book gives you an insight. Jay was let down by many people and this is his way off setting his record straight.
The book is very entertaining. You’ll spot the the characters easily and you’ll take Pablo/Jay to your heart.
This was obviously something that Jay need to do and I certainly hope if won’t be his only foray into writing. I like his style and he’s a very easy read. Totally recommend this book.
Many thanks to the publisher , author and Netgalley for the arc in return for an honest review
#jaymanuel #thewigthebitch&themeltdown #netgalley

Just a quick read with little substance. I do not recommend this title. The plot is predicable, with shallow characters and dialog.

3.5 stars (rounded up)

(Goodreads Review, below)

This book is about a creative director (Jay/Pablo), who meets a supermodel (Tyra Banks/Keisha Kash) and together they create a sensational TV series about helping models break it into the industry (America's Next Top Model/Muse Models).

This book takes a fast-track through Jay's (excuse me, Pablo's) life as the assistant/creative director/emotional punching bag of Tyra.

If you are a fan of the show - there's a TON of overlap - so much that you really wonder where Jay's book ends and the real world begins (probably by design?).

For example: the judges were thinly veiled replicas of the usual ones - Miss Thing - a gay man who loves to strut his stuff on the runway (Miss Jay), Sasha - the most famous supermodel/plastic surgery addict (Janice Dickinson), and Mason - famous photographer/eye candy (Nigel?).

But there were extra details woven in - Keisha constantly stole lines from Miss Thing and cut out his funny bits so Keisha would look better. Sasha was popping pills and slurping down booze as much as possible much to Keisha's amusement. Mason was homophobic.

In addition, there were other elements that seemed to confirm what most of the longtime fans of ANTM have been saying for years.

Keisha having a heavy-hand in the winners - and when she didn't get what she wanted - MELTDOWN.

Keisha manipulated and back-stabbed - often putting her contestants into increasing difficult or disastrous situations. But then gas-lighting them (and the rest of the crew) in order to always come out in top.

And, of course, how Keisha had a complete meltdown over one of the contestants standing up to her (WE WERE ROOTING FOR YOU thing). (which, by the way, the book seems to confirm the more wild claims about what actually happened behind the scenes).

So, those parts were hugely interesting to me.

However, the writing varied wildly for me and is what ultimately influenced my rating the most.

There were moments where my eyes could not read fast enough - it was addictive, it was insane, it had just enough overlap with what I saw on-show to really make me wonder if it was all true. (I'm talking about...THE WIG!!)

But there were also moments (lots of moments) that felt underdeveloped - where the actions were blocked and the dialogue was there but it just didn't feel "real" (like when Jay met Keisha and immediately was swept into her world).

The up-down-up of the writing ended up affecting how much I enjoyed the book overall. I feel like if only the drama-less moments were stronger, then the whole book would've hit 5 stars for me.

Ultimately, I feel like this book would hit the best for fans - who have been wondering for years what the "truth" is behind the scenes. But it also fits fairly well for those who like a peek at behind-the-scenes of reality TV.

One thing's for certain though - his writing was leagues better than Tyra's!

A huge thank you to Netgalley, Mr. Jay Manuel and the publisher for sending me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I expected the "loosely based" on Top Model to be a fun read, but towards the end, it just dragged for me. I wish they would focused more on the first two seasons instead of speeding through them.

As a fan of “Americ’a’s Next Top Model,” and of Jay Manuel specifically, I was excited for this book. I hoped to get a gossipy look behind the scenes, and this book certainly delivers that. Part of the fun is guessing who the characters are based on (a few are fairly obvious!) as well as which of the events in the book actually happened. This book should appeal to ANTM fans, as well as those looking for a fun, light read. My only note is that the book appears to need further editing, as I noticed several spelling and grammatical errors.

This book is perfect for its target audience: ANTM fans who want to sift through it for gossip and behind-the-scenes drama. For everyone else? Probably not a good pick.

The Wig, The Bitch & The Meltdown is so engrossing, you don’t want to put it down! Pablo Michaels’ experiences and dilemmas are really felt by the reader, who is rooting for him (we are all rooting for him!). Fans of the show, “America’s Next Top Model” will devour the book in one sitting, as it features numerous references to the show (including infamous quotes and certain scandalous situations). They will also have many questions for Jay Manuel regarding how much of the story is actually true and how much is fiction.