He's Come Undone by Theresa Weir

Jul 20, 2014 Aly (In Wonderland) added it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: NA fans that can overlook stupidity at its best

Recommended to Aly by: NetGalley

Shelves: netgalley, arc, new-adult

**ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

Oh, my God. So fast.
It had happened so fast.
I'd fallen for him.
Like all those other girls.

With that fascinating quote, I welcome you to the 25% mark of He's Come Undone by Theresa Weir.

Excuse me while I do the following:

Laugh uncontrollably

Stare in horror

And piss myself laughing some more

As someone who writes sporadically, I can assure you that writing something off the top of your head, without it making any sense, and coming across ...more

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Mar 08, 2014 • Lisa • rated it liked it

3.5 MESSY LOVE STARS.

"Love can mess you up and make you go crazy, but it can also fix you."

I would definitely read books by this author again ... Likeable but not five star loveable. ...more

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Mar 10, 2014 seton rated it liked it

Shelves: na-ya, revenge

Genre: NA romance novella
Sensuality: PG-13
Is this standalone? Yes

An actress is hired to break a college playa's heart but the playa actually has some serious issues.

The writing has the reassuring assurance and polish of a veteran, old-fashioned romance writer, which is a refreshing change from all the fanfic and first-time writers that proliferate the NA genre. However, this read more like a barely filled outline than a fully developed story. While I liked it, I was left unsatisfied with the way ...more

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Aug 13, 2014 Mandy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, arc

I loved this book! From the description, I thought this book sounded a lot like the movie John Tucker Must Die. Although it did have a similar premise, there was so much more to this book than I originally thought. Julian was such a complex character and I loved him. I was really interested in his back-story and why he was the way he was with women. I really enjoyed this book and I'm looking forward to reading more by this author.

**ARC provided in exchange for an honest review** ...more

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Apr 16, 2014 Crista rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 4-star, contemporary, tortured-heroes, kindle, hot, tortured-heroines, netgalley, to-review, novella, new-adult

Review posted at: Swept Away By Romance

4 stars!
He’s Come Undone, written by the incomparable Theresa Weir is a perfect example of this author’s rare talent. Ms. Weir has the ability to spin a tale that has both heart and substance, and she manages to do it in the span of a little over 200 pages.

I loved the premise of this book prior to reading it, and it did not disappoint. Julian has a reputation as a “love’em and leave’em” type of guy. He has made it a habit to engage exclusively in one-night Review posted at: Swept Away By Romance

4 stars!
He’s Come Undone, written by the incomparable Theresa Weir is a perfect example of this author’s rare talent. Ms. Weir has the ability to spin a tale that has both heart and substance, and she manages to do it in the span of a little over 200 pages.

I loved the premise of this book prior to reading it, and it did not disappoint. Julian has a reputation as a “love’em and leave’em” type of guy. He has made it a habit to engage exclusively in one-night stands. A group of women that he’s scorned get together to teach Julian a lesson. They find Ellie (who’s down on her luck), and convince her to teach Julian a lesson by getting him to fall for her…and then leave him. Ellie is paid money and given a total makeover in order to “attract” an unsuspecting Julian and then break his heart.

Knowing all this, Ellie could’ve been made into a villain, but she is a wonderfully drawn character. We see her heart, her pain, and the conflict she feels in her deceit.

Julian certainly falls for Ellie, but it’s not because of her beauty (or the fact that she is given a makeover), in fact, it’s her personality and zest for life that attracts him to her, and I love this. It made Ellie different from all the rest of the women that Julian used and discarded.

Knowing that Julian has treated women like he had could’ve made him into a villain as well, but it does not. His character is amazing and we are given an inside look at this complex and tormented man. His actions are understood as we learn what has happened to him in his past.

This is a novella-type length novel that doesn’t feel like it. Although short, this book covers a TON of ground. Written in duel point- of- views, it manages to make the reader laugh, cry, and feel a myriad of other emotions.

On a side note, I also have a love for this book as its setting is the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Ms. Weir’s knowledge of the area is remarkable. As a graduate of the University of Minnesota, I had a huge smile on my face as I read about locations and places that I myself frequented in college.
Reading this book was an absolutely delightful way to spend a few hours and I highly recommend it!

*A copy of the book was provided by Belfrey Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review* ...more

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Mar 04, 2014 Lindz. rated it liked it

Shelves: netgalley, new-author, new-adult, angst, depressing, good-but-wished-for-more

This story was another one that drove angst to a whole other level. I'm not sure I would have liked this one as much as I did if I wasn't already on a roll with the whole needing more and more New Adult drama. I swear these authors think up the worst possibly situation and think "What is the worst way these people can handle it." And they write a book.

I didn't mind so much with this one because I really honestly liked both the main characters. The story telling was strong and drove the plot for This story was another one that drove angst to a whole other level. I'm not sure I would have liked this one as much as I did if I wasn't already on a roll with the whole needing more and more New Adult drama. I swear these authors think up the worst possibly situation and think "What is the worst way these people can handle it." And they write a book.

I didn't mind so much with this one because I really honestly liked both the main characters. The story telling was strong and drove the plot forward and had me needing to read more and more and see what happened. I read this book initially because it promised Whovian Fangirl/boy moments (There was one mention of this which kinda made me sad, I was hoping for a sit down of the last Christmas Special and have both people break it down from different POV.) Alas, they just shared their fav Doctors and it wasn't really all that of a surprise. Then they make it seem like it is going to be a whole John Tucker Must Die scenario. I happen to love and own that movie so I was all in.

I have to say that a lot did disappoint me because it ended up being a really sad. Also, people acted really irrational which had me blinking at my page. This is another book about how people handle violent loss in their life. Are there really this many people that don't cope well with loss? I mean the lead male had to be stuck in a loony bin. If I am being frank, I don't think that is what needed to be done. He wasn't crazy, he was just, well, acting out. And the sister stuck him in one like he was going crazy. Ok, sleeping with a lot chicks and partying your night away is not psycho behavior. Your filling up the system with a body that didn't need to be there. Even the lead male thought this and was basically shining his sister on so she would leave him alone.

I mean I get where she was coming from, she didn't want him to self-destruct and lose him like they lost their parents. It just seemed all a bit over the top for me. The only saving grace for me was the writing and I liked Ellie, and I liked Ellie and Julian when they are happy and together. It was just so depressing until the two leads finally kinda said forget everyone else and moved on away from everyone else and decided to give one another a chance. They both were damaged in my opinion I think they needed to move past the bad that had happened to them and just look forward. Although, the author still ended it a bit up in the air and sad if you want me to be honest. Like the characters still weren't over stuff. Yet, they were happy, but the author didn't want them to be happy.

It was disappointing and yet something about it endeared me to it enough to keep going and root for the two characters.

As a whole, it could have been better and less... well... sad.

*I received a copy of this book for free from Belfry Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review* ...more

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Mar 07, 2014 V.J. Chambers rated it it was amazing

So, I’ve been meaning to pick up some Theresa Weir for a while now. I eyed her previous NA Come as You Are, but then, given my relative ehh-ness over contemporary NA in general, I kept putting it off. Anyway, when I saw this book, He’s Come Undone, on a $.99 introductory price, and I clicked over and read the blurb.

SOLD.

First off, the premise reads like a romantic comedy. Other people keep comparing it to John Tucker Must Die but I think these pretending-to-be-someone-you’re-not stories have d So, I’ve been meaning to pick up some Theresa Weir for a while now. I eyed her previous NA Come as You Are, but then, given my relative ehh-ness over contemporary NA in general, I kept putting it off. Anyway, when I saw this book, He’s Come Undone, on a $.99 introductory price, and I clicked over and read the blurb.

SOLD.

First off, the premise reads like a romantic comedy. Other people keep comparing it to John Tucker Must Die but I think these pretending-to-be-someone-you’re-not stories have deeper roots. You know, Shakespearean roots. There’s something very compelling about the idea of falling in love with someone, but not really being able to be the “real” you for whatever reason. To sum up, this is a book about a girl who gets paid by some other girls to break the heart of a guy who slept with and then ignored all of them.

I’m going to deal with that premise just a bit at first here. (Okay, saddle up, folks. This review’s going to be long. You’ve been warned.) The first thing that I want to say is that it was just oh soooo nice to start a book and really feel like I was in good hands. It’s so rare these days that I pick up a book, especially in the NA romance genre, and it’s well plotted. The story starts on page one. So, there’s no meandering around describing things and explaining about the main character’s boring relationship with her dog or “Hey, this is my gay roommate. Let me tell you how we met and what his favorite color is and why we’re besties, even though we all know his only role in the book is going to be popping in and making commentary on the relationship that’s going to develop between me and the Hero, who won’t be showing up for several more scenes so that you can get to know more boring details about my life.” NONE of that. BAM. Story starts. Can I just talk about how much I love that? Jesus, it was like a revelation from heaven.

Next, everything went smoothly after that. Which is to say that the story began to work its way through familiar romantic comedy grooves. All the right pieces were there. The meet-cute. The progression of the relationship. The realization that the main character was in over her head because she actually liked the guy.

And you know what? If the story had only been that, I would have liked that. It was deftly done, and it was nice to read such a nicely-put-together story, something that progressed and moved forward and hit all the right notes. Sometimes when I’m reading NA books, I feel like the author was sitting at her computer evilly chuckling, “Want to watch them make up and break up twenty more times? No? Too bad. Hahahahahaha!” This book had a PLOT, ladies and gentleman. A plot. I had not realized how deeply I missed them.

Okay, but, believe it or not, it gets better. No, I’m not kidding. BETTER. Because, okay, you know that point in a romantic comedy, that point where it starts to stretch your disbelief? Where you’re like, “Oh, come on, just tell him that you’re only dating him because of a bet. There’s no reason to keep this a secret.” But in the romantic comedy, the characters just keep wandering around blindly following the set-out plot when it doesn’t make any sense exactly?

Yeah, okay, well this book doesn’t do that. It goes right to that place and then it veers off the path into this wonderful, lush, dark place. Suddenly, all the characters are REAL. Like real in a way that makes you ache. They transcend their cookie-cutter, romantic-comedy stereotypes and become fully flesh and blood with deep pain and real problems and… and it’s beautiful. Heck, there were moments in this book where it was almost Salinger-esque. And I’m thinking that was deliberate, because there’s a good bit of discussion of Salinger in the book. But the feeling of being young and adrift and confused and yet somehow fiercely alive comes across loud and clear in this book.

I don’t know. Maybe I had a different college experience than everyone else, but this book is much closer to the way it actually FEELS to be a college student than any other NA romance I’ve ever read.

And the sex scenes… Oh, the sex scenes. They were so great. I loved that they were retold in this gushing voice, the kind of voice you’d use to narrate it back to your girlfriends afterwards–you know what I’m talking about–only a hair more detailed than you’d actually be with your friends. I haven’t read sex scenes quite like these maybe ever in my entire life, and they were fantastic.

So, um, basically, this is the best book I’ve read all year. I wish I hadn’t waited so long to check out Theresa Weir, because this was… oh man, this was just great.

...more

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Mar 13, 2014 Sera rated it liked it

Shelves: new-adult, romance, liked-it, 2014, arc-or-netgalley

*ARC kindly provided by Belfire Press/Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

"So what's the job? An ad? Something for school?" All three girls lean forward. All three girls looked over their shoulder, back at me, then whispered: "We want you to break someone's heart."

Thats how Ellie get's roped into this and how the story really begins. She's not had an easy life and is need of serious money when she decides to take te job. It reminded me a lot of John Tucker must die for the first few c ...more

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Mar 07, 2014 Michelle Pickett rated it it was amazing

I’m really not sure what I expected when I started reading “He’s Come Undone.” I can honestly say it wasn’t what I got. I suppose I expected another take on the movie “John Tucker Must Die.” Which, I’ll admit, I watched the movie and, yes, I liked it. Okay, there. You know my dirty little secret. (ha-ha. Get it? That song was on the movie’s soundtrack. Off topic. Sorry.). Well, “He’s Come Undone” was so, so much more than another “John Tucker Must Die.”

It’s a short read. I read it in one day. Ei I’m really not sure what I expected when I started reading “He’s Come Undone.” I can honestly say it wasn’t what I got. I suppose I expected another take on the movie “John Tucker Must Die.” Which, I’ll admit, I watched the movie and, yes, I liked it. Okay, there. You know my dirty little secret. (ha-ha. Get it? That song was on the movie’s soundtrack. Off topic. Sorry.). Well, “He’s Come Undone” was so, so much more than another “John Tucker Must Die.”

It’s a short read. I read it in one day. Either that, or it was just that good, I’m not sure. Either way, I couldn’t put it down. The characters, Ellie and Julian, just jump off the page. It’s like they’re standing in the room with me. And they are so freakin’ likeable! Yes, they have faults, and yes they have secrets, but they are so different than the regular formulaic NA books we’ve seen on the market lately. UGH! I want to tell you so much about them, but I refuse. You know my mantra by now…read the book! It’s the only way to really feel the emotions captured in the words laced together by Ms Weir. And she did an amazing job. The book is meant to be savored first hand, not through a few paragraph summary.

The secrets and lies. Oh! They were good! Juicy, like they should be, but heart wrenching at the same time. Yes, sigh, I got tears in my eyes. Don’t I always? I admit it, I’m a crier. But for good reason in this book. I fell in love with both leading characters and I hated seeing them get hurt. Even Ellie, who was the ultimate Judas, was so lovable and sweet and had such a tender spirit I couldn’t help but like her—and when you read the motives behind her actions you can almost forgive her.

And Julian, you’ll just fall in love with him. Yes he’s gorgeous and muscular and has all the yummy physical traits we want to see in our leading men. And yes, until he met Ellie he was a bit (okay, a lot) of a man-whore. But there’s a vulnerability about him that melts your heart. Read the book! I tell you, Julian is, well, he’s just is a great character.

The book had excellent pacing. It started off with a bang and it kept rolling until the last page. I didn’t have a second that I felt it slow, nor did I feel it was rushed. The plot was outstanding. It’s one of those story lines that another author (me) says, “I wish I would have thought of that!” It was well thought out and executed nearly flawlessly.

I say nearly because I do have one small gripe and that has to do with secondary characters. I wish they had been involved more prominently in the story. Valerie, Julian’s sister, is in a few scenes, but she really doesn’t have a great impact. I think strong secondary characters could have added even more spice to the book.

Bottom line: Get it. Read it. You’ll love it. It’s such a sweet, poignant love story that will have your stomach in knots waiting to see if Julian and Ellie get their happily ever after. This is the first book by Theresa Weir I’ve read, but I can promise you it will not be the last!

~ Michelle :)
PODs
Milayna ...more

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Jul 21, 2014 Bec rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2014-books-read, new-adult, netgalley-arc, crap-tacular-crap, didn-t-couldn-t-finish

Book Summary
Published by - Belfry Press
Release date - 1st March 2014
Pages - 149
My Rating - 1 Star DNF at Page 22

Review
I struggled with this one. After reading so many great reviews and even the blurb, I was excited to read it, but when I started in...I just didn't see it.
Ellie just annoyed me. The constant repetitiveness of her being a former child star, it was her mantra, and by page six I was already over it. The meeting with 'The girls' was just painful and the style of writing was rea ...more

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Jul 27, 2014 Karina Ramirez rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: new-adult, arc

3.5 Stars

This was definitely a John Tucker Must Die book, which hey i loved the movie (minus the ending) but I loved this ending!

Ex-child star Ellie is broke. Seriously broke. After placing an add for an acting job, any acting job, she finally gets a call to play a roll. What she doesn't expect is for her role to be to seduce and break the heart of notorious womanizer Julian.

After getting a full makeover she's sent on her way $500 richer. Ready to charm her way into his pants she's disappoint ...more

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Feb 28, 2014 Maria Franco rated it really liked it

This was a super cute book! It was a short-sweet read and I would definitely recommend it to everyone.

The book was about two very flawed people coming together and becoming better together. I loved the depth that these characters had. Ellie and Julian had both withstood so much pain and grief and the author really made me sympathize with them. I also loved how smart and educated they were. They didn't just dive right into the sex but had ACTUAL conversations about books and movies, what a shock ...more

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Mar 03, 2014 Melanie rated it liked it

Shelves: netgallery

I had slight mixed feelings about He's Come Undone by Theresa Weir. I enjoyed the book but also felt it was written more like a screen play at times too. I often wondered if this was the authors intention as the book is about Ellie (Evangaline) a childhood actress who had hit rock bottom.

The story at times was completely unbelievable and yet really enjoyable. You could relate to it quite easily. I think we've all known a guy who got what he wanted from a girl and then moved on. So the story of a I had slight mixed feelings about He's Come Undone by Theresa Weir. I enjoyed the book but also felt it was written more like a screen play at times too. I often wondered if this was the authors intention as the book is about Ellie (Evangaline) a childhood actress who had hit rock bottom.

The story at times was completely unbelievable and yet really enjoyable. You could relate to it quite easily. I think we've all known a guy who got what he wanted from a girl and then moved on. So the story of a bunch of girls hiring Ellie to do a number on Julian was a great idea.

I found Ellie a really likeable character too. She was funny, down to earth and level headed. Even if she did second guess herself a lot, I think we are all like that. With losing her fame/fortune she needed to find herself and within this book you seeing her doing just that.

Julian also had his own past and demons to deal with and we learnt those within this book. We also got to hear the story not just from Ellie's point of view but also Julian's which helped I think. If it had of all been told from Ellie's POV I would have had a completely different opinion of Julian. But, he became more human to me, less of an ass.

My issues with this book was at times I felt it was a little too detailed and then others things were 'washed over'. There was a common ground with it. However, with books of this genre I find this is often the case.

Also, the book is dark in places (And rightly so with the subject matters) but rather than switching from humour to a more serious turn, the passages were almost wrote with a struggle of keeping it light hearted. When it comes to darker subjects I don't always feel there can be light heartedness. This is just an opinion though.

What really made up for the things I didn't like about this book was the final chapter. I like a book which doesn't give you the unrealistic ending. Too often we see characters that have had heartache, turmoil and are severely broken to have a perfect fairytale ending - that is not reality. However, this books ending made sense to me. It was well written and I think I respected Ellie and Julian just that little bit more.

I know Goodreads does not give half star ratings (Although I wish it did), this book is more of a 3.5 but not quite a 4, so I have given it a 3 star. Don't let my lower rating effect reading this, He's Come Undone still deserves a read as its a good book.

Review also featured on my blog - http://www.bewitchedbooks.co.uk/ ...more

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Jul 23, 2014 Lorna rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-romance, arc

I saw this book on Net Galley and as soon as I saw it was by Theresa Weir, I knew it was a must read for me. I read her under this name and under the name Anne Frasier. Her book, Cool Shade, was one of my favorite romance reads of the year, when I read it a couple of years ago. Cool Shade won the Rita award for romantic suspense, so you know this author definitely is a good romance writer!

Ellie is a former child star who due to circumstances out of her control, is on the edge of becoming homeles ...more

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Mar 03, 2014 RedRedtheycallmeRed rated it it was amazing

This was a quick read that I devoured in a couple of hours. I loved it! I've said it before, but I love the way Theresa Weir writes, whether it's romance or thrillers (as Anne Frasier). She has a real talent for writing New Adult, I liked Come As You Are, but this one is even better in my opinion.

Ellie is a former child actress, broke and behind on her rent. She's hired by come college "mean girls" to break the heart of Julian, a guy who slept with them and never called again. It's fortunate tha ...more

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Mar 01, 2014 Mitchii rated it liked it

Shelves: romance, 2014-reads, chick-lit, self-published, drama, realistic-fiction, contemporary, new-adult

This kind of revenge plot when they turned this nerdy girl into beautiful bombshell and break the heart of the heartbreaker sounds cliché and supposedly—funny (similar to John Tucker Must Die). Well in my case it should be like that. And that is why I’m so surprised that it took a different approach of this tried and tested plot into something more dramatic and angsty. Gonna give it props though for going into a different direction but somehow it didn’t work for me. I would have liked it if it w ...more

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Aug 22, 2014 Kristi rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This book was fantastic. There are so many good parts, I cant pick just one. I read alot of books and this is the first book I have read that has this kind of plot. It was funny, sweet, angry and just really, really good. It had so many emotions. It even touched on sensitive topics.
The characters were so good. They meshed well together. I love romance books where you can laugh and cry at the same time. Just hoping for a happy ending between 2 people.
This was a very fast paced story. I love how ...more

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Jul 05, 2014 Alice Choo rated it it was ok · review of another edition

I am a real sucker for love stories, but....
This book did not really do it for me.

When I read the synopsis, I was expecting more. It had so much potential. However, it was poorly executed.
**Pssst.. while reading the 3rd quarter of this book, I had already forgotten the 1st half of it even though I read it all in a day or two.

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Aug 20, 2014 Sarah Darlington rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: new-adult, new-adult-favorites, read-in-2014, so-good-i-almost-peed-my-pants

6 stars!!!
I absolutely adored this novel!!!! Perfection! I guess when it comes to New Adult I have a particular taste! You can check out my other 'new adult favorites' to get an idea of the specifics I like. But this fit the NA category perfectly for me.

But anyway--LOVED THIS!!! Thank you BookBub for the recommendation!!!! I don't have one complaint. ...more

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Mar 25, 2014 Amber rated it it was amazing

Blew me away. Fantastic book.

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Aug 02, 2014 Mayra M rated it really liked it · review of another edition

nice read but waaaaay too short!!

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Jul 19, 2014 Katherine rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc

thanks netgalley for arc
I did enjoy the book. More on my review tomorrow.

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Oct 09, 2019 Christina rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: series, new-adult, overly-angsty, standalone, instalove, fake-relationships, dual-pov, first-person-pov, reviewed-2019

I have not read the first book in this series, however I don’t think there is anything lost not reading them in order.

I had a very difficult time connecting with the story or any of the characters. Perhaps it is because of the author’s writing style, or perhaps they just weren’t likable, I just know that this doesn’t rate anywhere on my list of favorite books.

Some examples:

“It can be voluntary or involuntary,” he explained. “I would advise voluntary because voluntary involves more privileges a ...more

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Apr 20, 2014 NomdePlumePress rated it really liked it

I finished this book in the middle of the night and thought up parts of my review while I was trying to fall asleep and have now completely forgotten all the brilliant insights I had then. As per the usual. But in the light of day I will try to do this book justice.

Ellie is a former child star who is living in Minneapolis. As if that weren’t bad enough (*snort* -- hey, I grew up north of Minneapolis, so I know from bad enough), she’s broke and jobless. So she puts an ad on Craigslist and gets an ...more

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Jul 21, 2014 ysar rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: free-copy

Washed up former child actress Ellie Barlow needs a gig — any gig — to make ends meet. So when a group of college girls want to hire her to break a guy’s heart, she gets past her skepticism and ignores her conscience in favor of the five thousand dollars they promise her if she can get him to say he loves her. It’s not exactly the acting job she was aiming for, but it will certainly pay the bills. If only she didn’t like him so much…

The Verdict: Okay, so my initial reaction was that the stor

Washed up former child actress Ellie Barlow needs a gig — any gig — to make ends meet. So when a group of college girls want to hire her to break a guy’s heart, she gets past her skepticism and ignores her conscience in favor of the five thousand dollars they promise her if she can get him to say he loves her. It’s not exactly the acting job she was aiming for, but it will certainly pay the bills. If only she didn’t like him so much…

The Verdict: Okay, so my initial reaction was that the story was a bit far-fetched, but the more I thought about it, the more it seemed plausible. And if you’ve been around a teenage girl any time lately, you know exactly what I mean. Most of them aren’t exactly logical when their hearts are broken, and they resort to all kinds of insanity like spreading rumors, cruising past his house at 3am, and dreaming up all kinds of crazy scenarios in which they come out the victor and he’s left with regrets. So while the idea of college girls hiring a has-been actress to snare and break a guy might not seem very realistic, I would imagine that with the right financial resources, it’s exactly what some might do. But that’s not what’s so awesome about this story.

While the plot is in some ways predictable, it didn’t play out exactly like I expected. Sure, Ellie managed to get Julian’s attention. And yes, he liked her even more when her own personality seeped into the role she was playing. And of course, he discovered her deception and channeled a bit of hate her way. But everything in between? Not predictable at all.

There was a lost beret, a bar fight that became a YouTube hit, a traumatic event that had Julian subconsciously taking advantage of girls — not some illogical decision based on his parents’ bad marriage or some girl that previously broke his heart and trust. He wasn’t callous, even though his actions certainly were, and he honestly thought the random hook-ups were just part of what college was about. The medication and therapy and complete obliviousness to his wrongs just made him all that more believable and easy to love.

And Ellie… Well, she wasn’t at all what I expected. She was never recognized as the girl from that television show, her financial situation was what I would imagine many former child stars go through, and while she was desperate to make a living, she wasn’t necessarily desperate for a second Hollywood wind so much as she just wanted to continue her craft. In many ways, she was just a normal, down-on-her-luck girl who got roped into something by a vengeful estrogen fest.

But best of all was the way it was all worked out. As usual, I won’t give away the ending, but the resolution seemed to happen by chance in a way and was spot on for Ellie’s character. Hell, even the repercussions of her somewhat grand gesture weren’t miraculously swept away. If you’re looking for a rather classic romance novel story line with an entirely new twist, characters that avoid the usual cliches, and a great but believable happily ever after, He’s Come Undone is a definite win.

***FicCentral received this book from Belfry Press (via NetGalley) for free in exchange for an honest review. Even so, we're far too opinionated to let a freebie influence our thoughts or the contents of the reviews we post here. ...more

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Jun 14, 2014 Lesley rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2014

I received a complimentary e-copy of He's Come Undone for an honest review.

Ellie used to be a well known child actress and had everything going for her for a great future, until her mom stole her money and then died of cancer. Now she's made her way to Minnesota, where she's broke and a wanna-be college student. If only there was a way for her to find a job that pays well enough to pay for tuition. She puts an ad in the local paper offering her services as an actress-for-hire. She's well aware I received a complimentary e-copy of He's Come Undone for an honest review.

Ellie used to be a well known child actress and had everything going for her for a great future, until her mom stole her money and then died of cancer. Now she's made her way to Minnesota, where she's broke and a wanna-be college student. If only there was a way for her to find a job that pays well enough to pay for tuition. She puts an ad in the local paper offering her services as an actress-for-hire. She's well aware of some of the weird kinds of jobs she might be called about but then she gets a call and finds a job that she's willing to take on.

A group of college girls want to hire her to play the role of a life-time - get the hottie that never called them back to fall in love with her and then break HIS heart. And there's a bonus if she can get him to say that he loves her.

What could go wrong with this? It's the chance to make a substantial amount of money and he broke these girls so why not help right a few wrongs and show him that you just can't do that to people.

The problem is that the guy is Julian Dye and he is as amazing to Ellie as he was when he was with each girl. Maybe even more amazing and of course Elie starts to develop real feelings for him but she has to wonder are his feelings real or just part of the game that he plays? As she gets to know him, she realizes that there's a lot more to Julian that anyone realizes and she tells the girls that the act is up, that she's done with trying to play him. But how's he going to feel when he finds out how and why things started up for him? Would he be able to forgive her or will the whole thing blow up in all of their faces?

This book was so good! The synopsis drew me in immediately because who doesn't want the hottie that plays with people's hearts to get played himself? Ellie was a joy. She's trying to deal with a bad hand dealt to her and wants desperately to improve her situation so she does what she has to do. She never expected that she'd really fall in love with a guy she was being paid to break his heart.

Julian, oh misunderstood Julian!! So sexy and so hot and my heart broke for him and his sister when it came out about what had happened back in New Hampshire. No wonder his MO has always been use the girls for a good time but nothing more. Who would want to get close to someone after what he'd dealt with? But then Ellie changes his plans and it shakes him to the core!

He's Come Undone deals with so many issues even though it's only just over 200 pages. There's trust issues, hopelessness, grief, health issues, and anger but there's also hope and happiness and gentleness and deep down there's love.

I loved He's Come Undone and I truly loved Ellie and Julian and kept hoping that they'd come out the other side with a happy ending! This is the first book I've read by Theresa Weir (who also writes under another name) but I'll be looking to add more by her to my library!!

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Jul 24, 2014 Barb rated it liked it · review of another edition

Thank you for the giving me a copy of He's Come Undo by Theresa Weir to read and review.

I would have to say that this is a 3*** story for me. While this was a short and sweet read, I found it to be totally unrealistic. The premise of the initial story was very similar to the movie "John Tucker Must Die" as mentioned by others, but leads into something much different and unique.

Ellie is a young ex-actress that has fallen on hard times as a result of her mother squandering all her money and then Thank you for the giving me a copy of He's Come Undo by Theresa Weir to read and review.

I would have to say that this is a 3*** story for me. While this was a short and sweet read, I found it to be totally unrealistic. The premise of the initial story was very similar to the movie "John Tucker Must Die" as mentioned by others, but leads into something much different and unique.

Ellie is a young ex-actress that has fallen on hard times as a result of her mother squandering all her money and then passing away. This leaves Ellie own her own alone to support herself. She answers an ad placed by several college girls that want to hire her to essentially seduce and get a guy to fall in love with her then break his heart. The ultimate revenge.

Julian is the object of the revenge. Unbeknownst to him, he doesn't realize that he has treated anyone inappropriately. He believes that he is doing what other college age guys do all the time. He is also hiding emotions of getting close to anyone for the fear of losing them. So he goes for the easy one night stands.

When Ellie and Julian first meet he sees her as someone else, not what the girls make her and tries to seek out the mystery girl. That is until he meets "Ellie" the actress. When they meet she tries her hardest to be what the girls want her to be but Julian is not interested in that type, essentially ignoring her. It isn't until she does something that catches his attention that he begins to acknowledge her and try to get to know her better. Ellie realizes that by being herself (personality wise) is how she will get to Julian.

I like Ellie's character and actually feel bad for her several times throughout the story. She is truly a sincere heroin. Unfortunately, she is being manipulated by the girls who hired her and feels like she has no way out. What I don't like about her story is that we aren't given any insight as to why she is no longer an actress. Okay so her mom stole all her money, but how does that effect her ability to get any acting jobs. I know she took care of her mom when she was sick, but then what?

I also loved Julian, he is nothing like what the other girls make him out to be. He has deep emotional scares that break your heart, at one point I actually cried for him. What I don't like about his story is how his sister has taken over his life and jumps to conclusions. Also, how she has handled his issues and the decisions she has made for him are extreme.

Overall, there is so much more that could have been written into this story. I feel like at the end there was a huge gap of time that could have been written in his POV that leads him to his decision in the end. The ending was very rushed and somewhat disappointing. I would have loved a little more to this story and it could have been a 5***** story for me. ...more

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Mar 07, 2014 Christy LoveOfBooks rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-galley, e-book, read-in-2014

3.5

When I read what He’s Come Undone was about, the movie John Tucker Must Die immediately came to mind. Not going to lie, I’ll stop and watch the movie if I come across it on TV. So yes, I like the premise and thought I’d get something simple and a little corny (I like corny sometimes). He’s Come Undone turned out to be different than I expected, which I ended up really liking. It was fun, but it was also more serious.

Ellie is a former child star who is down on her luck and needs to 3.5

When I read what He’s Come Undone was about, the movie John Tucker Must Die immediately came to mind. Not going to lie, I’ll stop and watch the movie if I come across it on TV. So yes, I like the premise and thought I’d get something simple and a little corny (I like corny sometimes). He’s Come Undone turned out to be different than I expected, which I ended up really liking. It was fun, but it was also more serious.

Ellie is a former child star who is down on her luck and needs to make some money quick so she can get back into college, so she answers an ad in Craigslist. No, not that kind of ad, pervs. It’s an acting job with a twist. A group of girls want to hire her to get revenge on Julian, a guy who slept with them and left them. What a jerk, right? Well, hold your horses, because there is more to it than just their take on it. Anyway, they want Ellie to become Julian’s ideal woman and then break his heart. Nothing can go wrong with that plan, right? Right?

What made this book even better was the fact that it was told form both Ellie and Julian’s point of view, but mostly Ellie. When we first get into the story, it’s easy to assume things when we only know one side. Once we get to see situations from Julian’s side, it puts things more in perspective and gives a lot more understanding to what was going on. I don’t want to say specifically what was going on when it came to his side of things, but I think the author handled it really well. Julian isn’t some mysterious bad boy that has angst coming out his pores. No, he actually has a great personality. I mean, c’mon, the guy runs cross country, loves Doctor Who and J.D. Salinger.

Ellie and Julian are cute together. Even though she is set-up in situations that may not fully be the real her to catch his interest, her true personality eventually comes out with him. That is when things get really complicated, because the feelings that develop are very much real. This leads them into dicey territory that could have a bigger impact than Ellie could ever imagine.

I did have an issue with one aspect. I didn’t understand why he needed to run the marathon so badly when he was in the midst of cross country season. I understand how running made him feel, but he didn’t give a reason exactly why the marathon was so important, and I think what happened at the race was a bit overdone.

Overall, though, I enjoyed He’s Come Undone . It’s a quick read that left me with a smile. ...more

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Jun 16, 2014 Jena rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I was given this book for an honest review.

i really enjoyed this book. It was a fast paced book that really kept me involved in the story. That was probably my favorite part; that I was never bored or wanting to skim through certain parts. I just really enjoyed the book. I liked the characters and I really felt their emotions. I feel like the author did a good job of making me connect to the characters.

It was an interesting start to the book when you get to hear about Julian from the college g I was given this book for an honest review.

i really enjoyed this book. It was a fast paced book that really kept me involved in the story. That was probably my favorite part; that I was never bored or wanting to skim through certain parts. I just really enjoyed the book. I liked the characters and I really felt their emotions. I feel like the author did a good job of making me connect to the characters.

It was an interesting start to the book when you get to hear about Julian from the college girls' point of view about him. I felt like I was starting off a typical NA book with the bad boy in college who we get this vague explanation about why he is a womanizer. Then we meet Julian and get his POV and it really changes the dynamics of this book. I love that we are with him through his discovery and thought process of why he treated the girls the way he did. It was different than other books and shines a different kind of understanding. You really start to feel for both injured parties. Even though I kind of disliked Paige throughout it all. I really liked Julian and I enjoyed reading from his POV. Throughout the last half the author really sucks you into his downward spiral and you just are hoping that he pulls through.

His sister, Valerie, is an interesting character. You don't get too much about her, but there were times when I really liked her and then there are others where I just hated her. But throughout it all I kind of understood why she made the decisions she did and you realize that everyone grieves in their own way. No matter how frustrating.

Finally, Ellie. I really liked her. She wasn't a dumb character and she felt guilt for what she did. And I constantly wanted her to make the right decisions as much as she wanted to make the right decisions. But I think we can all relate to putting something off and hoping it works out for the best. She was a fun character and I appreciated the way that the author wrote her. She didn't make these dramatic decisions that were obviously ludacris when a much easier decision was right in front of her face. The story was realistic and dramatic in a good way. Not an over-the-top annoying way.

Overall, I just really appreciated this book for the way it sucked me in and was enjoyable. It was a book I finished quickly and didn't have to struggle through or regret starting. The characters were great and I was able to connect to them and their story. ...more

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Aug 31, 2014 Amy rated it liked it · review of another edition

3.5 stars

This is one of those books for which you can predict certain plot points and be entirely correct.

Former child star turned penniless college student Ellie needs money, so when a cabal of scorned college girls hires her to exact revenge on rock the headboard and leave 'em Julian, she agrees. Sure, she has a moment of conscience, especially once she sees - and meets - Julian. They connect in one of those "I need to know you" moments, conducted when Ellie looks like Ellie.

When she becomes E 3.5 stars

This is one of those books for which you can predict certain plot points and be entirely correct.

Former child star turned penniless college student Ellie needs money, so when a cabal of scorned college girls hires her to exact revenge on rock the headboard and leave 'em Julian, she agrees. Sure, she has a moment of conscience, especially once she sees - and meets - Julian. They connect in one of those "I need to know you" moments, conducted when Ellie looks like Ellie.

When she becomes Ellie the Hired Heartbreaker, her hair is dyed, colored contacts are put in, and her wardrobe is glammed up. And Julian doesn't initially respond to her, unlike his immediate interest when she's herself.

Perhaps what draws these two to each other is a mutual sense of brokenness. Julian suffered a horrific tragedy in his teen years, and Ellie is the product of a shady stage mother. Both have a sort of inherent sense of unworthiness, Julian because he feels that he failed at a vitally important act and Ellie because she doesn't know who she is if she isn't Ellie Barlow, child actress.

As Julian begins to fall for Ellie's alter ego, her pangs of guilt strengthen into full blown attacks. She has to decide if she will tell Julian the truth, which means foregoing the payment she desperately needs and putting herself at risk for a law suit, or if she will keep going along with the plan.

For all of its predictability, this book does hold some surprises. Julian's reasons for his emotion-free hookups are believable and valid, as are Ellie's fears regarding her life's choices. Theresa Weir writes the two of them with loving, dramatic strokes, making you like them and root for them.

And there is some delicious hot headboard rockin'. Let's just say that you easily can figure out why those girls want to get back at him, because if you had a taste of Julian's action, you'd wouldn't want to give it up, either.

There are some gaps and holes in the story, specifically where Ellie is concerned. Given that the audience for this book is college kids and those new to adulthood, I doubt most readers ponder what really went down with Ellie's mother and Ellie's career quite like I do.

It's a fun, quick read, with spice and romance. What it lacks in substance it makes up for in its undeniable appeal.

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