Unmaking Hunter Kennedy

by Anne Eliot

After a car accident--an event he considers a prank gone bad--pop star, Hunter Kennedy is forced to hide out with his aunt in small-town Colorado. He’s supposed to rest, heal his scars and attend high school in disguise until the press dies down. But he only wants to get back to work.

Worse, the girl who’s been assigned to make him over into a geek is a major geek herself. Vere Roth is a chattering pixie, a blushing tornado and a complete social disaster. He’s never met a girl who’s never-been-kissed, believes in romance and thinks Hunter’s a 'nice' guy.

Funny thing is...Hunter is nice around Vere because she’s his first real friend. He also can’t seem to stop sharing his secrets or keep her out of his heart. Knowing he’d never deserve a girl as sweet as Vere, he resigns himself to the friend zone, and helps his new bestie with her own makeover.

She tortures him daily for ridiculous guy advice on how to snag her life-long crush. A guy Hunter thinks is totally wrong for Vere, and sadly, one who has taken note of Vere’s transformation.

When Vere asks her best friend for some kissing advice, Hunter can’t resist...

And that’s when things get out of control...

High School Romance, first love, sweet romance

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, High School, Contemporary Romance, Chick Lit, Young Adult Romance

422 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 17, 2012

About the author

Anne Eliot lives in the high mountains of Colorado and loves to shovel snow.

While growing up, Anne hid her own anxieties by hiding and reading book after book. She developed an addiction libraries, to first love, first kisses and her favorite: the happy-ever-after story. This is what she writes today. Now she's a mom of two, and happily married to her own first love.

Anne Eliot’s first YA book, Almost, became a top 100 best selling Kindle book, and was a Readers Choice, Top 12 of 2012 book for Amazon.com at #11, and her other books, Unmaking Hunter Kennedy, How I Fall/How I Fly, and now the Runaway Rockstar Series have all been teen, top 100 bestselling books. She loves to hear from readers. Please look for her on Facebook or tweet her @yaromance.

Representation: Anne Eliot’s foreign translations are represented by Jane Dystel of Dystel, Goderich & Bourret Literary management, NYC.

Reviews

[Monisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Little "Chicklit-ish" Stars

The Unmaking.
Being Dustin Inside and Out.
The Undoing.
The Owning Up.

The premise:

Teenage rock God, Hunter Kennedy, suffers somewhat of a meltdown (think Britney Spears and the infamous head shaving) and is sent packing to small town Colorado to come to grips with his mistakes.

Hunter aka Dustin:



There he meets terminally boy shy Vere Roth and her family who help him “unmake” himself from every teenage girls dream to every teenage kids nightmare.

Vere:


Vere is a cute, geeky girl. She is pretty much a reject in her school because she has what I call super-blush-attacks!
She really is adorkable!

This is seriously one cute book. The awkwardness of these characters makes you cringe. The dialogue is witty and fun.

THANK THE HEAVENS, IT WASN'T INSTA-LOVE!!!!


Favorite moment/quotes:

"Jenna. I hate your new 'geek-street' persona. You sound and look like a Hello Kitty hipster crossed with some trash-mouthed prairie-girl."

"I know. I'm ahhmazing cute, huh? And yet I still hang out with a girl who's sporting her dad's jeans cut down to shorts from nineteen-eighty seven. AGAIN. Matched with her big brother's monstrous, grubby hoodie. AGAIN. Plus the same brown, twisty bun? A look you've held on to since eigth grade. At least my whole outfit can be found in a magazine."

"Please. You know you love my look. And, as someone who truly loves you, I claim the right to veto the fake-cursing thing."

"Maybe you're right. I'll e-ffing re-think my e-ffing potty mouth. But it's so e-ffing fun to feel like a bad-girl."

"You're not even close to bad if you can't say the real word. E-ffing stop. It's going to backfire and force us into an even lower social status."

"Is there one lower than ours?"
Hahahhaa,LOL.


THE BAD NOT SO GOOD PART :

The bad parts in the book were mostly that some times - I did not understand the character's behaviors!

They would suddenly get mad or something, and for the life of me I couldn't figure out why???

Or they'd just contradict themselves, like how Hunter keeps saying he loves and enjoys his life in Colorado, but seconds later he wants to get back home and screams at people that this is putting his life on hold and they don't understand how it is for him...



WTH? It didn't add up.


ENDING:
Hmmmmm......that’s a tough one.

The lover of love in me enjoyed the end…the romantic in me was left satisfied. But, ultimately, it was fairly predictable.


However, this is, to me at least, just a light, fun, cute novel, and so I forgive it for handling the dark parts lightly, because at the end I enjoyed it despite of it.

Maybe it's just me, expecting a heart wrenching and a mind boggling love story.

I just wish it had an epilogue or something so that I'll know for sure that they got together for real.

Yes, I’m just greedy that way.


PS: The kissing advice? Holy Hell! One of the best first kiss scene I’ve read. Pretty sweet.

[Kelly Oram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, my gosh! This book found it's way to me out of the blue and it's like it was written specifically for me. How incredibly cute was this book. I'm not kidding. It was sweet and sappy and romantic and heartfelt and just cute. Those are my favorite kind. Now that I have stayed up all night, I must go. But I couldn't go to sleep without crushing a little on this book. It was just the perfect storm of things I love in a book. Total guilty pleasure. Ms. Eliot, I thank you for knowing the inner workings of my brain and writing a story that felt catered specifically to my taste. I must now go read the other one. Well, later. After I've recovered from not sleeping tonight...


:) Love randomly finding cute fun new books!

[♥Rachel♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Visit The Readers Den for a chance to win a SIGNED copy of Unmaking Hunter Kennedy.

Aww…just so FLIPPING CUTE and beyond adorable! When a gorgeous god-of-a-rock-star falls for a spazzy adorkable girl, you have all the makings for an utterly sweet romance!

Hunter Kennedy has just finished a six-week stay at a mental health facility after a night of vandalism, drinking, and pill popping. He also cut himself but according to Hunter, he was never serious about taking his own life. Things just spiraled out of control during a desperate bid to piss his mother off and get her attention. Well, he has her attention now, and it’s bought him all kinds of down time in the little Podunk town of Monument, Colorado. He’s to stay with his aunt under disguise, and attend high school with the Roth children, Charlie and Vere the only ones in on the deception. Hunter is horrified at the thought but plays along, thinking the sooner he makes his mom happy, the sooner she’ll let him get back to his real life. So he plays along, even embracing the uber dork disguise. What he doesn’t count on is the total relief of anonymity or his fascination with ultra-spaz-extraordinaire: Vere.

Hunter’s dork get-up may be a disguise, but Vere’s is the real-deal. Add to that is the fact that she goes completely mental when faced with any male, especially Curtis, her long-time crush. Surprisingly, Vere is not that intimidated by Hunter and soon they strike up a friendship. Vere makes the success of Hunter’s disguise her personal mission, schooling him in all things awkward to complete and perfect the image. In exchange, Hunter agrees to help Vere get over her extreme shyness around the opposite sex, and come up with a plan to win Curtis, once and for all.

You see where this is going, right? So beyond cute! At first I found Vere to be very naïve, and sort of over the top with her crazy reactions to Curtis, but that quickly changed as I read on and totally fell for her. This girl was Queen Spaz, but in an entirely endearing way. She was a breath of fresh air and the perfect friend for Hunter. Hunter was ultra hot and famous, but he wasn’t impressed with his persona. I liked that he was so over the mindless adoration he received from fan-girls. The idea of him falling for a normal girl was completely believable when you got to know him, because of that. Most people believe it would be amazing to be idolized and desired like that, but this story really showed how unappealing the reality would be.

I love it when opposites of the social spectrum are forced together and the sparks fly! The magnetic pull between these two was obvious throughout the story, and made for a heck of a build-up! Here’s a tempting quote:

He laughed low and ran a finger along the top of her mouth. His touch sent shivers of sparkles down the back of her neck. “You have heart shaped lips in a heart shaped face. Has anyone ever told you? This one—this top lip alone—could drive a guy out of his mind?”

Swoon!!

Such a cute love story that the “vanilla queen” in me was completely satisfied when I came to the final page! On a side note, isn’t that cover just to die for?!! Perfect for the story.

[Tessamari ♥Many Waters...♥ ~ Sweet Spot Book Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5-4.75 A++ Stars!

Cheekbones and muscles and…are boys allowed to be this beautiful?

I’m a huge fan of this author…like HUGE. After I read Almost, and fell completely in love with the story and the writing, I was going to read anything this author put out. So when I saw this was going to be her next story, I was beyond excited. How could I not? Celebrity boy band singer meets and falls for an adorable, cute and geeky girl. Oh yea, I was all over this on release day :)

Girl was cute with that pink face.
“Would you stop?” She shifted her feet.
He went for honesty again. “I’ll try but, your cheeks! Makes you look like a little gnome.”

There is no doubt that Vere is one shy girl, especially when it comes to her longtime crush, Curtis Wishford. He is her brother’s best friend and has been crushing on him forever. She has the tendency to blush beet red whenever he’s around and goes completely clams up when he tries to talk to her. Not to mention the incident that happened between that left her with quite a reputation. Poor Vere, she just can’t catch a break. Will she ever get over her shyness?

“I’m Hunter Kennedy. Some of this you know already, some you don’t. I’m a guy who was so lost and depressed that I freaked out and tried to hurt myself because I felt so down.”

Hunter Kennedy, a seventeen year old heartthrob, is part of the boy band, GuardeRobe. Even though he has everything, he feels nothing but emptiness and loneliness. The fame, the money, the girls, could not cure him of his depression. He’s got no one to turn to; not even his own mother. One day, Hunter’s depression goes to the extreme and he almost commits suicide. Not knowing what to do, his mother sends him to Colorado to live with his Aunt after he is released from a residential home for treatment. The plan is for Hunter to go incognito, rest and be away from the limelight. He is not a fan of this plan. All he wants is to go back to work with his band, but he feels like he owes his mother for his “stunt.” So off to Colorado he goes.

“I know, of course, you’re a person and all that. But to me, I’m determined to think you’re a fake guy, Dustin McHugh.” ~ Vere

When he reaches Colorado, he meets Vere and her family. They live next door to his Aunt. Vere and her brother, Charlie, are enlisted to help Hunter blend in. Considering Hunter’s high profile persona and extreme good looks, it’s going to be hard to hide him. So Vere helps him become Dustin McHugh, Hunter’s dorky alter ego. Vere does everything she can to conceal Hunter’s assets. Take Hunter and add dorky clothes, a retainer, hat and glasses that darken in the sunlight, plus a lisp, and you’ve got Dustin. He is the anti-Hunter. No one recognizes him. As Dustin, Hunter begins to feel liberated. He no longer has to worry about paparazzi or a horde of screaming girls. He can just be. To top it all off, Vere has designated him as her BGF: Best Guy Friend. For some reason, Vere doesn’t get all weird and stuttery around Hunter. This is wonderful! She can practice being normal around guys with the help of Hunter. They soon become very close friends.

The twisting pain in my chest, or the strange way I feel like I suddenly can’t breathe without you helping me? ~ Hunter (inner monologue)

Hunter has never felt this way about anyone before. Vere and her friendship have meant the world to him. For some reason, making Vere happy makes him happy. He can’t believe that she doesn’t know how wonderful she truly is. She’s sweet, kind, loyal and is truly a beautiful person, inside and out.

The girl can make pie from scratch. And she comes over to hang out with Aunt Nan so they can watch TV and knit? KNIT. She’s actually making me a hat! Who does that kind of granny stuff?
The cutest girl in the world, that’s who.

I just flat out loved Vere. I can totally see myself being friends with her and her BFF, Jenna. As for Hunter, well, he was just an amazing character. I really felt for his character and was so happy he found a friend and kindred spirit in Vere. She completely blindsided him with her sweet and caring persona. With her at his side, he felt like he could do anything. He was able to smile and laugh and just be himself because for once in his life, no one was using him for anything. However, when Vere asks him to help her with winning Curtis’ affection, Hunter begins to feel trapped.

He knew, without a doubt that he wanted her, but it wasn’t his usual understandable, physical kind of want. He wanted what he couldn’t have. He wanted her to be his, as in, his girlfriend. He wanted the right to love her.

Anne Eliot is a fantastic writer. The pace of the story was a little slow in the beginning, but eventually picked up. She really does her best to develop her characters so that the readers can better understand them. The switching of POV between Hunter and Vere were flawless. You can really get into their characters. She makes them so relatable that you have no choice but to love and care for them. Just amazing writing. I will read everything that this author puts out. This is a very clean YA story that I think teens and adults will just love. I just wish there was a little epilogue at the end, but that’s just me wanting more. I’m just greedy that way. Loved it!!

[Jen ♥Star-Crossed Book Blog♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

***3.5/5 Stars***

Unmaking Hunter Kennedy was such a cute read! The story-line was adorable, while also being deep at times, and I loved Hunter right away. While I had some hiccups here and there, I'm definitely going to pickup another book by this author. There was a lot of promise for me, and I'm hoping that I'll mesh a little bit better with the next story. It's about Hunter's band mate.

This situation was his fault. He’d really messed up. Taken things between him and his mom way, too far.
And then he’d taken them further.
Done some really stupid, scary shit. Even scared himself.
He pulled his hands deep into his sleeve cuffs.

From that first chapter I spent with Hunter, my heart quickly connected to him. He'd been in a locked down therapy/rehab facility for the last six weeks because of what he did. While we were not initially given every piece to the puzzle, what I did know about his past made my heart hurt. Yes Hunter was extremely famous, yes he had some twisted people in his life, and yes he had a skewed way of viewing others. But underneath it all, I felt his pain and also his unease. After learning that he was being shipped to Colorado, to live his life out of the fame and spotlight, I got why he fought it. Yet it was obvious how much he desperately needed change. And Colorado did just that.

Vere finally seemed to regain some control and held up her own hands in front of her, all while aiming a small, ball-of-death-glower onto everyone in the room. “No. Offense. Back. But I can take care of myself. I can certainly drag this spoiled, rock-and-roll-prince shopping for ugly clothes and drive him to the lake cabin without getting mauled or pregnant!”
Mrs. Roth gasped.
Hunter bit back another huge laugh.
Double entertainment.

Upon arriving in Colorado, Hunter met his Great Aunt's neighbors, Vere and Charlie Roth. They were going to be the ones to help him out with his unmaking, so no one would recognize him. And right from the start, I was beyond entertained with how Hunter and Vere interacted. They were smile inducing. But Vere and I did have some trouble connecting in the beginning. When I got to the first chapter from her pov, I was shocked with how boy obsessed yet awkwardly shy she was. It was painful for me to read some of the scenes. But after a few chapters, I couldn't help but like this adorable girl. I found myself hoping that Vere would be braver, and that's where Hunter, who was now going by Dustin, came in.

He laughed low and ran a finger along the top of her mouth. His touch sent shivers of sparkles down the back of her neck. “You have heart shaped lips in a heart shaped face. Has anyone ever told you? This one—this top lip alone—could drive a guy out of his mind?”

You see, Vere didn't really know who Hunter was. While her brother was obsessed, Vere easily treated him like a family friend and she would even give Hunter attitude from time to time. Which seemed like a first for him lol. Over time, Vere helped Hunter see that the world didn't just want him for something and Hunter helped Vere be comfortable around the opposite sex. Their friendship was slow yet, when they made that connection, they bonded deeply. They confessed things to each other and were the best friends in every way possible. Yet Hunter started to feel things for his bff. And what's a guy to do?

One kiss. One kiss. One kiss.
If he agreed, he would be an absolute ass.
And an idiot. That much was obvious.
But he’d been an ass before, and an idiot ever since he let himself fall in love with this amazing girl.
Why stop the stupid-train now?

So yes, Unmaking Hunter Kennedy was a super cute, heartwarming story. But like I said, I had a few hiccups. The guy, Curtis, that Vere has had a crush on forever? He was a complete and total douche bag. And it bothered me that Vere's brother, Charlie, thought that Vere and Curtis would be a good thing. But you see, I wasn't the biggest fan of her brother either. Yes Charlie could be wonderfully protective of Vere, but he could also treat others so awfully. But besides my personal preferences for characters, I felt that some of their conversations or internal monologues went on much longer than I liked. Which made me want to skim from time to time. And when you couple that with some spelling errors, you can see why I had a few hiccups. But still, this book was beyond adorable and so much fun! So I'm definitely hoping that I end up loving Runaway Girl even more!

For more of my reviews, please visit:

[KAS · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

A Sweet Teen Romance!

I was introduced to Anne Eliot and her endearing teen romance novels at the RT book convention last week. I fell in love with her bubbly, captivating personality the minute we started talking and knew I would enjoy this book. The characters she created are charming, funny and down to earth. I wanted to adopt Hunter by the end of the first chapter.

Hunter, bad boy rock star, has just spent the last six weeks in a hospital for teens recovering from a suicide attempt and depression. The crazy stuns he pulled were epic due to the depressed state of mind he was in. Forced to spend time 'resting and healing' far from the prying eyes of the paparazzi, Hunter is a ball of nerves. He will be totally "unmade" so no one in the small, tucked away town of Monument, Colorado, will recognize him. His Aunt Nan lives there and pre-arranged high school friends are already in place waiting for his arrival. Hunter knows he either goes along with the plan his mother and agent devised or else his career will be sunk. He hopes it will be a very short stay and his life can finally get back to 'normal.'

Vere, a high school junior, has been in crush mode for her brother's best friend, Curtis, for as long as she can remember. Unfortunately, she is plagued with social anxiety. A few years back, an embarrassing 'incident' happened involving Vere and Curtis, in front of their friends no less, making Vere the butt of jokes. No guy, including Curtis, will even dare to ask her out. She is 'boy poison' and a total geek. The next thing she knows, her mother has involved her and her brother in a scheme where they are to behave as bff's to a new kid arriving to town. The new kid just happens to be an iconic rock star whose identity must be kept a secret. In the blink of an eye, Vere's status changes from having no boyfriend whatsoever, to hanging with the most stunningly gorgeous guy she has ever met, 24/7. Her social skills are about to be pushed to the limit.

If you enjoy cute, sweet and funny teen romances this one is for you! This is a great read for the teenagers in your life.

[Kika MacFarlane · Rating 5 out of 5]

BEST FIRST KISS EVER.
Unmaking Hunter Kennedy is no doubt an amazing story!!! I was swept off my feet by the perfect, ideal, wish-would-appear-at-your-doorstep rockstar Hunter- he was a-double dorable, sweet , and had some dark secrets. Vere was so perfectly cute with her sloppy bun and blushing cheeks, andI couldn't help but laugh every time Hunter was parading around in his dorky disguise. THE KISS- dont even get me started... it makes my heart go all fluttery!! You wait a while for it, but aw man its perfect!!! :) I loved all the characters in this book so much too. Jenna was the perfect hilarious best friend, Charlie the overprotective brother, it was all in all great. I also thought it had a really nice message behind Hunters back story, and the author did a great job of that. Fantastic read, I blew through it so fast! It left me clawing for more!! :) Read read read read read it!
Xox, Kiwi :D

[Jenny Levine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anne Eliot did it again! Been a fan of her since 'Almost' and I must say, Unmaking Hunter Kennedy did not disappoint.

This book was HIGH-LARIOUS!!! Can't stop giggling like crazyyyy!

Okay, first I'm gonna talk about what I didn't like about it:

I think it had a slow start, I kinda got bored on the first chapter (or maybe I just can't wait for their first meeting) :D

Anyway, here's what I love about it:

The alternating POVs - Who doesn't love reading both sides POVs, right?

VERE ROTH
I love everything about her. Her style, her wit, humor, and AWKWARDNESS! She's adorkable :")

JENNA (VERE'S BFF)
I love this girl so much! omg, she's the most entertaining character here. And when she's with Vere, BOOM! RIOT! :))

CHARLIE (VERE'S BROTHER)
He teases Vere and makes fun of her, but he really just loves her so much and I admire him for being protective of her. Their witty banters (with Vere and Jenna) always cracks me up! And he got together with Jenna, which is good because I think they're perfect together!

HUNTER KENNEDY/DUSTIN MCHUGH
OMGOMGOMG!!! HOTTIE ALERT! MY NEW FICTIONAL BOYFRIEND! He's swoon-worthy and behind all the angst and the rockstar persona, is a sweet and romantic guy. And someone who's real. Despite all of the shit he's been through, he changed for the better and I love the fact that she fell in love with Vere eventhough she has CRAZY written all over her. HAHA. and everytime Vere's talking about her obsession with Curtis Wishford and asking him for advice and he is secretly hurting inside, I just wanna hug him.



THE FIRST KISS

AHHHH SPAZZING!!! MY FAVORITE PART OF THE BOOK!

“I’m talking head over heels, down on my
knees, from the bottom of my heart, IN love,
with you, Vere. That kiss blew me away. I
know you felt something too—something
more for me. Don’t you?”

THE ENTIRE SCENE, I WAS LIKE:





And lastly,

THE DECLARATION OF LOVE AT THE END
PERFECT SCENE IS PERFECT. ENOUGH SAID.



OVERALL:



4 BRILLIANT STARS!

[Shannon · Rating 1 out of 5]

*audiobook* You know what? DNF at 45%. I just can't do this anymore, I feel like I'm losing brain cells. The Hunter/Dustin parts are actually pretty decent but if I have to listen to Vere anymore, I might just explode. Her dialogue and issues then narrated in an overly excited and obnoxious way might just make me snap. So au revoir, I can't do it anymore.

[Zoe Liew · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like it but I'm not crazy about this book.

I like it because of the chemistry between Hunter and Vere. They're hilarious together.

I do not like that no one bothered to do a grammar check.

Grammatical mistakes distract me.

Lines like these are distracting and irritating.

"You, minus the diguise, is distracting."

"Let's don't go there."

There's more in the book.

I do not appreciate the fact that once again, Vere is basically a mixture of Bella Swan and Anastasia Steele. And Hunter is basically Edward Cullen/Christian Grey. I think Anne Eliot's a Twilight fan. She has Vere chewing her upper lip. Vere also describes Hunter's torso as sparkling.


This book is a long, drawn-out confession of lust. The only thing going for it is the chemistry between Hunter and Vere. Everything else - the characters, the plot, the setting. They're all overplayed stereotypes.

This book also explored questions of identity. I thought that had a lot of potential and I kinda got the gist of what Eliot was trying to achieve with this storyline and this theme, but I don't think she really achieved her goals here.

[Lex · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars and rounding up!!! Woot!

UPDATE: 12.10.12: Got the book today!!! Anne Eliot sent me one! :) Up in my blog: Ramblings of a YA Reader...

I really love this one. It made me smile and a bit teary eyed. Although the music bit is less than what I wanted... It still rock. I have read Anne Eliot's first book, Almost. And I could say I really like this better than that. Almost took me 2 weeks to finished it but Unmaking Hunter Kennedy took me just what? 2 days?

I'm not really the type to read books about Depression or whatever you called it stuffs. But this is crazy. I mean, crazy in a good way. Am I making any sense? Maybe it'll be better to just enumerate the things I like about this book... Here you go...

I like Vere Roth. I know she's a bit of a naive, innocent type and a bit uh, annoying? LOL, she's an honest girl, cares for her friends and family, bit of a weirdo but a sweet girl. And also cute when she blush profusely. I even like Charlie cause he's so protective to his little sister, Vere. And he's sooooo freakin' funny when he met Hunter. He's totally reacts like a girl. *giggles*

Jenna is so funny too! Her high-squealing is really hilarious. She can't get over the fact that Hunter was actually hanging out with her. LOL. Love this girl! Cool best friend too.

Hunter Kennedy aka Dustin McHugh... I dunno, I like him but can't think of words that would describe him better than the physical one. My brain turns mushy. Although I have to say, I wanted to hear him talk too cause of the voice, Vere often complained about. I want to look him in the eyes too. Dammit. I like guys with blue eyes, well okay, colorful eyes. Yes I know, this one is perfect for me since I'm weird too.

And heck yes! I drooled about him too! That first kiss got me squealing!!! God! Even though Anne Eliot, herself somehow warned me about it. Dammit. I totally grin, squeal with joy or whatever happy hormones I have.

Kristen Stewart could even smile about it. :P


This is one of the moments I don't really know what to say about the book I've read besides it's really great. I don't know what to say. I like the story of the rock star who found himself again.

Just...
[image error]

[Melissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Likes:

-Jenna:(the best friend) Sad to say she was the only thing a tad bit redeeming and only on occasion. She was the only one that made my face go from glaring- a look I had quite often- to mildly amused. Sadly everyone else just failed miserably, forming the overused -and highly aggravating- picture perfect stereotypes.


Dislikes:

EVERYTHING ELSE! lol just kidding...well, not really.

-Vere: There were times where I was just OMG STFU!

She's the overplayed female lead character that is soooo beautiful but doesn't know it. Who has her own out of this world fashion sense where she's like really happy looking like a bum off the streets but everyone can see that underneath it all is a princess in hiding.

Who the heck is this perfect!?! She's sensitive, warm, funny, caring, endearing. It just got to a point where I just couldn't take her anymore and I would just skim through her point of view.

-Hunter/Dustin: He is a bad boy.

Or at least that's what the author wants you to believe. She tries to make him this dark, brooding, misunderstood, lonely guy and ultimately-might I add epically?- failed.

-Charlie: If I had a brother who had the audacity to set me up with a guy who's with a different girl every day of the week and two on Sunday, I would literally push him in front of a bus


-Curtis: His sole purpose in life was to make Hunter/Dustin look good. That was the ONLY reason he was written...no other.


This book was unnecessarily long. So many scenes could have just been deleted for serving no purpose at all. The inner-dialogue rambling was just dragged out and tedious. I mean it! There would just be pages and pages of continuous babble BS. The plot was just over-the-top ridiculously ludicrous and let me not forget: The premise says it all. It's just compacted and to be quite frank, I liked it a lot better then the overall story.

My rating actually started as a two but as I kept writing the review I just got mad and had to bump it down to 1.

All I wanted was some toe curling, tummy flipping, implosive love story.
That is all I ask!

[Jessica Monotan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm sorry, but i honestly don't understand why this book got such great reviews, it relly was quite awful!!

Before you begin, I think its safe to say that my whole review has spoilers...........I think :L

Basics: Boyband star Hunter Kennedy goes on a drunken rampage (around his f***ing drive, WTF!?) and drives into his house, then tries to kill himself. Then he ends up in rehab where soon afterwards, his mum and agent send him to live with his aunt in Colorado for a year. He disguises as a geek with the help of his neighbours, falls in love with the girl neighbour (Vere) and tries to win her round even though she fancies someone else.....BLAH BLAH BLAH, and in the end he gets her and they supposedly live happily ever after.

Things I hated about this book:
EVERYTHING!! Ha, just joking BUT, it was generally most of the book but there were somethings that just 100% irritated me

1)Vere's brother Charlie seriously baffles me!! He's 18 years old but talks and acts like he's 10 "Girl's are so disturbing, its like their from another plant...." Honestly WTF!?

2)Vere's friend Jenna is just kinda plain and pathetic, not as pathetic as Vere herself, but whatever :/

3)Vere is just sooooooooooooooo fucking stupid it just angered me throughout the book. It was just little stupid things she would say which made me think 'you seriously can't be 17!?' The whole idea that teenagers wouldn't drink at a party because there underage and smoking cigarettes are just 'uncool' made me laugh with embarresment and frustration!!

I can't even be bothered to review this lame ass book anymore because I'm so pissed that I wasted my time reading this, that i just qucikly want to warn others to NOT READ THIS BOOK, no matter how interesting and exciting the summary makes it sound!!

Thanks for reading, peaceout :D

[Bookphenomena (Micky)]

DNF @35% unrated
This was sweet but it just couldn’t keep my attention, I tried to come back to it but it didn’t work.

[Kenny Danewitz raveh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a lot to say about this book. First, I don’t usually go for a book rating less than 4.0. The reason is that you need to have some filters and high grade seams to be a good one ( even though I have read some terrible high grades books and some really nice lower grades books so you can never really know)
The thing is I am really into light reading at this point and the idea of Ya celebrity-normal girl romance looked exactly right so I took a chance.
I must say I loved Hunter and I think he was a well written character. Unfortunately I had big issues with Vere. I think her behavior was unreal and mostly I couldn’t relate to her at all.
The story seemed a bit juvenile ( I think it could be highly recommend to younger readers) and I kind of lost interest at 70% but kept going.
I must say I loved the ending.

[Eva • All Books Considered · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved every second and every word of this book. Anne Eliot does it again!

Not only is this book captivating in its rotating POVs with every chapter (male and female) but it is also successful at character development. One of the many things I love about Anne Eliot's first novel, Almost, is the character development and honesty in the struggle. This book also has that in spades.

Both Hunter and Vere are struggling, in different ways and, yet, when they are together, there is perfection in their struggle. There are first and foremost, friends, which I think a lot of YA novels miss. Their relationship is that much more compelling because of their friendship and interactions as friends.

I really liked the build-up of the relationship. It didn't happen overnight and it was so much more realistic that way. And I also loved the fact that neither Vere nor Hunter took the easy way out although they both had every opportunity to do so. There is something so genuine in both of the characters that makes this novel compelling and so, so sweet.

Definitely recommend to anyone that's not perfect and anyone that's ever wanted to be in love.

[Selina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Epic - if ever someone really nailed the "celebrity falling for normal girl" theme, it would be Anne Eliot. And for all its 400 and then some pages, I couldn't put it away once I started with it, meaning I just pulled an all-nighter and have to get through the day with no sleep at all. But it was so worth it (and actually, I'm kinda glad because otherwise I surely would have sat in the subway today, going from randomly bursting out laughing to smiling like a dork to being close to tears and back again - I guess I would have madly blushed ;-)). Way to go, Anne Eliot!

PS: I really loved that small detail how the author played with referring to Hunter either only as Hunter or only as Dustin in her narrative, depending on ... well, don't want to spoil anything and it's hard to explain anyway, so you'll surely see for yourself when you pick up that book right away now ;-)

[Johana Urqz · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ESTRELLAS Y MEDIA!!!
OMG AMÉ ESTE LIBRO!

Podemos hablar de lo mucho que el chico de la portada se parece a Jess Mariano de Gilmore girls??? - mi más grande amor ficticio de la adolescencia- y eso me motivó a leerlo aún más, por supuesto me imaginé todo el tiempo a Hunter como él y I'm not even sorry porque me hizo disfrutar del libro el triple.



Sólo puedo describirlo como: tierno, dulce, encantador. Sobretodo encantador.
La historia puede no ser lo más original del mundo -el típico rock star enamorado de la chica buena - pero es la manera en que se la cuenta lo que la hace especial, y si hay algo que disfruté mucho es el humor, les juro que me la pasé riendo desde que comencé a leerlo.
Hunter Kennedy es nuestra joven estrella de rock que está transitando por unos momentos difíciles en su vida y es debido a eso que su manager y su madre deciden enviarlo a pasar una temporada lejos de la fama en Colorado, pero no todo es simple porque Hunter debe ocultar su identidad y para ello debe cambiar de su muy atractivo look a convertirse en un "perdedor", por decirlo de alguna manera, para no ser reconocido en este pueblo. Es allí donde entra la tímida Vere Roth y su familia, quienes lo ayudan a mimetizarse y pasar desapercibido convirtiéndolo en "Dustin McHugh" un don nadie. En medio de esta transición Hunter tiene que pasar mucho tiempo con Vere y es allí donde comienzan a suceder cosas entre ellos.
Al principio creí que Hunter iba a ser un engreído insoportable pero el chico resultó ser un amor, y Vere es demasiado adorable con sus ataques de timidez, es inevitable enamorarte de los personajes, incluso de los secundarios como Jenna y Charlie, quienes agregan momentos muy divertidos a la historia.
Si hay algo que aprecio en los libros es que no tengan insta-love, y este me encantó por esa misma razón, al conocerse Hunter y Vere dejaron más que claro que ninguno era el tipo del otro y que ellos serían simplemente mejores amigos (si, claro), fue muy lindo verlos enamorarse poco a poco. Finalmente un romance inocente acorde a la edad de los personajes (17 y 18), debo decir que la autora supo captar la esencia del amor adolescente, en serio todo el tiempo que leía pensaba "Ah lo que es tener 17 y estar enamorado..."
Tengo que decir: BEST FIRST KISS EVER!
Igualmente no se trata simplemente del primer amor, también el libro toca temas como la depresión, el intento de suicidio, los ataques de pánico, etc, pero están narrados de cierta forma que no abruman al lector.
Si buscan un romance juvenil fresco, tierno e inocente este es el libro chicos.

[Esther · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was digging the whole Hanna Montana's Best of World thing and the girl-chasing-after-a-different-guy crap if it weren't only for Vere's blood rush and skin disease. For example:

"Vere felt the cheeks tingle full force."
"Vere felt her whole face flame up."
"..unable to hold her thoughts in order as a huge random blush attack set in." BLUSH ATTACK????? REALLY?!
"He smiled back and kindly didn't address her still flaming face."
"Her still fire engine red, all over body blush was doing a fine job at screaming her shame." Wow, this is classic. FIRE ENGINE RED TO DESCRIBE A BLUSH. HILARIOUS.
"She felt her cheeks flame to purple." Um what? WHO THE HELL BLUSHES PURPLE?!??!!?

Those earned some screaming and eye-rolling for me. There's a lot of blushing in every page so if you can't endure it, please look for another book.
Also, it was quite poorly-written in my opinion. Even the who-am-i-really antics are borderline dramatic. It's annoying.
But I gotta hand it to the author for being so helpful because my copy has a suicide advertisement for counselling and hotlines etc.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sugary sweet with a blushy cherry on top ! Just what I needed :)
This book was YA perfection so cute ! Plus yes- best first kiss ever !

[Allison Landers · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ummm. I don't know. It was ok. It was a lot different than I was expecting. I mean I guess I should be glad that there was more depth to it than a lot of YA romance, but I felt like it was trying too hard maybe. I definitely thought it was longer than it needed to be. There was a lot of inner dialogue happening that got really rambling and repetitive. And yeah, I guess that's how one's inner dialogue tends to be, but we can't just write out every little thing we're thinking if we are trying to tell people a story. I kinda rushed through the second half of it.

***SPOILER ALERT***
And OK the whole ending with the paparazzi and with him giving that whole speech was just too much. It was so cheesy and way too much information to give out to the whole world. If Vere really had social anxiety she would have murdered him for doing that to her. And no way would she make out in front of all those people with cameras. And I also feel like he didn't have real depression; he did the whole attempted suicide thing for attention. Which was only reinforced in this whole scene where he spills his whole story to the entire world.

It was a decent story and I like the basic premise, but I guess it just didn't click with me.

[Nele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wat. Was. Dát. Het zou een 5 sterren gekregen hebben moesten er niet zoveel fouten in staan, niet zoveel gescholden zou worden (shit, hell,...) en als ze geen 1000 pagina's deden over een moment dat in werkelijkheid maar 2 minuten duurt om het zo te zeggen. Ik heb 490 pagina's gelezen over iets wat makkelijk 200 pagina's had kunnen zijn. Wordt in de derde persoon geschreven, maar tussen die zinnen door ook ik-vorm terwijl de personages niets 'zeiden'. Ik heb om eerlijk te zijn héél veel pagina's gewoon niet gelezen en ik heb niets gemist. Maar ach, omdag ik het idee achter het verhaal wel heel lief en schattig vindt krijgt ie nog 3 sterren.

[Anupama CN · Rating 5 out of 5]

HOLY MOTHER OF GOD !!!
if that wasnt just the cutest book EVVER!!
like EVVEEERRRRR!!
for once a high school romance was as innocent as it should've been
n o so cute! SO CUTE
n incredibly funny! i spent half the tym ROFLMAO
n its DID NOT DRAG! thank God for that!!
n for a change, the girl was perfect.. she was silly n adorable n u cnt help but like her
n i LOVE HUNTER 'DUSTIN' KENNEDY!!!!
not ur average tattoo sporting skull cap wearin rockstar
from the heart shaped rocks to the vintage guitar, this book was PERFECT!

[Linda (un)Conventional Bookworms · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unmaking Hunter Kennedy is a very deep story, where, on the surface, things are light-hearted and easy. Underneath the exterior, though, Hunter is suffering. He's lonely. And he's depressed. Eliot wrote a beautiful story, with multi-faceted characters I would like to be friends with.

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Source: I borrowed a copy of this book using the kindle prime lending library.)
Hunter Kennedy is in rehab. Even though he’s only 17, he’s been in the public spotlight for years, and is the lead singer of his band ‘Guardrobe’. Hunter has been depressed through, and after a suicide attempt has ended up in a fancy hospital for treatment.

Now he’s being discharged, but he’s not going home. His mother has come up with a random plan to try and aid his recovery – she’s going to disguise him and send him to live with his great aunt in the middle of nowhere.

Strangely enough Hunter goes along with the plan, and even gets into the role – making himself Dustin McHugh. What he wasn’t expecting though was to develop feelings for little Vere Roth - a girl who blushes at everything, and gets so tongue tied around boys that she can’t speak, act, or think.

Can ‘Dustin’ and Vere have any kind of a future though? Especially when Vere has a crush on someone else? Can Hunter recover from his depression? And can he ever forgive his mother for what she’s done to him?


I wanted to like this book, I did like this book, but there were just so many little niggles, and things that made me cringe that I just couldn’t give it more than 3 stars. Here it goes:
1 – Who describes a hair bun as ‘incredible’ or ‘magnificent’? I mean it’s a pretty old-fashioned way to put your hair up, and a lot of people might also make fun of it even. Tidy – yes, neat – yes, practical – yes, incredible – no. I just don’t see it.

2 – You’re a rock star, someone has been hired to impersonate you for a year, and they are an idiot. Do you just nod and go along with it? Not sure about this either. I expected Hunter to put up a bit more of a fuss, especially with him being the lead singer and song writer for the band.

3 – I’m really not sure what Hunter saw in Vere. She was a bit of a geek. She always dressed in ridiculous clothes. She thought that water and peaches were the best things in the world. She was just so immature, and while Hunter was going on about how sweet he thought she was, and how much he liked her, I was just thinking ‘what?’ I really didn’t see the attraction at all.

4 – Who has had a high school crush on the football quarterback, who was raised like your brother, and had him suddenly return the feelings? This was just a joke. Little Vere who dresses in her father’s cast-off clothes, couldn’t speak to a boy without blushing, babbling, or injuring him, suddenly has the quarterback and a rock star having crushes on her? I was waiting for her to wake up and for this to have all been a dream. As nice of an idea as this was, I just felt that it was unrealistic, and as I was reading it I was just shaking my head – no.

This book was saved by the first kiss scene between Hunter and Vere. I’m not going to say too much about the circumstances ‘cause I don’t want to spoil it, but the first kiss was pretty amazing, even if the following conversation wasn’t! Boy was it worth reading through all those slightly cringe-worthy moments for! I have got to give it to Anne Eliot here – fantastic first kiss!

The other love interest in this book (the high school quarterback) – Curtis is just a bit of a pig if you ask me. He was just a bit weird, and I really didn’t like him.

Overall; an okay YA romance, saved by a fantastic first kiss.
6.5 out of 10.

[Michele Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you read as many YA Contemporary Romance novels as many of us book bloggers do you tend to occasionally grow what I call the “Grinch’s heart”.

After a while sweet love stories filled with the hot bad boy and the goody two shoes girl or the teens with the angsty pasts, or perhaps it’s the overprotected sheltered girl who learns to open up finally, can become just another story.

Don’t get me wrong I love them all, I do! I love contemporary romance novels and I really love the YA/NA genre. But, I have to admit that sometimes they are just another story I’m reading and I don’t feel the impact because I read so many.

That is not the case with Unmaking Hunter Kennedy! This story was so dang sweet that my little Grinch’s heart couldn’t help but grow THREE sizes bigger as I read this book.

The premise:

Teenage rock God, Hunter Kennedy, suffers somewhat of a meltdown (think Britney Spears and the infamous head shaving) and is sent packing to small town Colorado to come to grips with his mistakes.

There he meets terminally boy shy Vere Roth and her family who help him “unmake” himself from every teenage girls dream to every teenage kids nightmare.

The end result:

Oh my goodness this is the most clueless and “adorkable” couple of kids I think I may have ever read about.

Vere, with her amazingly awful clothing and horrible social skills is the exact opposite of somewhat stuck up and very stand-offish rock star Hunter. They are such a great pair as they remake Hunter into a major teenage dork. Hunter teaches Vere how to open up and start relaxing around boys and Vere teaches Hunter that perhaps not everyone around him is out for what he can give them, maybe?!

This is seriously one cute book. The awkwardness of these characters makes you cringe. They are so real and true to life. The dialogue is witty and fun. The premise is a change from many YA romances.

I recommend this story to lovers of YA romances and gave it 5 feathers! This is a clean romance story made for teens but enjoyable for all.
As a youth mentor I LOVE to find books I can recommend to my teens and this is certainly one you can suggest to the teens in your life. There are even parents (gasp!) involved in the story. Good loving ones at that! :)

I actually love that I had a conversation with the author about how younger teens need love too! This is such a great book about the discovery of love and yourself in the tumultuous teen years! It would make a totally fun series on the CW too...maybe someone should make a call?!?

Swoonworthiness? Yes! Hunter is sweet rockstar once he gets over his initial issues. He is fun and cute and by the end of the book he is so loveable the I didn’t want it to end.

I hope you take a chance on this book and let me know what you think!!

[Mandy Reads Indie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hunter Kennedy needs an unmaking. He has just about ruined himself and his band one night and now has to pay for it by spending a whole school year with his aunt in Colorado. Hopefully he can get his agent to work a little magic and get him out of his self-made hell. But the moment he sees the carefree girl being spun around on her brother’s back...he starts rethinking his time here. Maybe, just maybe, this unmaking will turn out to be a good thing.

Vere is anything but carefree. In fact, when it comes to guys she is an absolute freak. But when she is around Hunter, Vere actually can be herself and not act like a flailing idiot. With a little help from Hunter, she learns to come out of her shell and actually act like a teen girl. She can have conversations with guys without knocking anyone out.

I was super excited to read Unmaking Hunter Kennedy for the blog tour. I had just finished Almost by Eliot not long before starting this one and I just knew it was going to be as awesome as Almost. And boy was it. Eliot takes tough topics and turns them into wonderful reads with happy endings. Don’t get her wrong…by no means does she glamorize the situations. In fact, I think her books could actually be a beacon of hope for teens out there suffering. This book happened to be on teen suicide and she did a fantastic job getting the message out that there is hope for everyone while adding a dollop of romance. Ok, I lied…more like buckets of romance.

There was no way I could hate Hunter/Dustin, no way what so ever. Even when he was going on and on about Vere not being his type I still liked him, especially in all his Dustin glory. Dude has no shame. *snickers* Now Vere on the other hand…I am still trying to figure out how she caught 2 guy attention dressed the way she was. LOL it was ridiculous. But God love her, I adored her. She is quirky and she knows it.

Anne Eliot...have I told you that I just adore your books? And what is it about me ending your books at 2am? Yes, that inability to put your book down until I finish is what’s up. Your male characters are out right adorable and pleasing to the eye...yes, even with choppy hair and green retainers. What I would have given to be in Vere’s shoes when I was younger. I mean she is getting to tote around a huge rock star and be his bestie.

Do you love romances that make your heart flutter and your knees weak? The kind of romances that gradually start from nothing and builds up to heart exploding greatness. Then let me tell you, Eliot makes that happen and so much more. I am desperate for more of her work.

[(ツ) Hache · Rating 3 out of 5]

I still cant get over how much the cover image looks like Jess from Gilmore girls



So of course I pictured him as Hunter.
as for the story? cute read.

[Abbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The characters in this weren't bad, But I didn't love them.

This was an okay read, but the pacing was a bit too slow for me. The book dragged in areas because of it, and I felt quite bored at times.

Overall, Slow, but an okay read.

[Unholy Unicorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wholesome story, colorful characters, and sweet romantic elements, UNMAKING HUNTER KENNEDY is one fantastic read.
Seriously, this book is one big giant...


THE PREMISE
Remember that hilarious line between Captain America and Ironman in the movie, The Avengers? Well, if not, it goes something like this:
Not really exact but you get the idea, right? Right?

Imagine that line being used to a jaded rockstar.

You, big man with a guitar and a whole lot of complaining, chop that perfectly styled hair off and dye it a different color, cover that toothpaste commercial-esque smile, hide that amazingly blue eyes, geekify that wardrobe to shield the award-winning abs
...and what are you? What are you, Hunter Kennedy?

Simple.


He's Dustin McHugh.

THE CHARACTERS

After an accident, Hunter Kennedy (the lead singer of GuardRobe) is forced to live with his aunt in Colorado. Against his will, he’s supposed to rest, heal his scars and attend high school all while keeping a low profile to not alert the press.

Of course, he is not in this alone. The Roth family, his Aunt Nan's neighbors, are here to help. Especially Vere Roth, a girl who eats rainbows and flowers for breakfast.

Hunter Kennedy

My Hunter Kennedy is none other than Max Irons. I'm not sure if he can sing, but Hunter didn't sing in the book so that's okay. I think Max can totally handle the whole teenage angst thing. Plus, he can be really sweet just like Hunter.

Hunter said GuardRobe doesn't do love songs but after a few days of hanging out with Vere, he finds himself writing love songs. For. Her. Major aaaawwww! Max is totally sweet too. One time, he gave me flowers. Of course that only happened in my dreams but that doesn't mean it goes unappreciated. So Max, thank you so so much! :* Hahahaha!

Vere Roth

As for Vere, Elle Fanning is my first choice. I know she's blonde but so what? I remember Jenna's (Vere best friend) line after the makeover, she called Vere a barbie. And Elle is freakin' barbie! She has that whole positive vibe going-on too. She's also bubbly and cover model type at the same time. Like seriously, even though she's gorgeous, she has this certain awkwardness about her:

Moving on, my second choice is none other than this puppy:

So who do you think should be my Vere?
Yup, I agree with you guys, it's a tough battle. I'm torn.

Jenna
Oooohhh Jenna. Jenna. Jenna,

and


THE BAD
Is Hunter a ROCK STAR or a POP STAR. I'm confused.

Why Vere have to act like that at the "conflict" part. Tsk.

The ending. I badly need an epilogue!

THE COVER
The cover is sooo cute and I don't know, it kinda remind me of this photo:


THE VERDICT

UNMAKING HUNTER KENNEDY won't shake up the world, but it is a book that's easy enough to like while overlooking the fact it sprouts corn and cliches. Truth be told, some may find the humor a bit cheesy, being a romance at a high school level, but this light, nice book is undeniably likeable all the same.