Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: October 13th, 2009
Genre: YA, Paranormal Romance
When Nora meets Patch, her new biology partner, unexplainable things begin to happen. She suddenly feels like someone is following her and can’t help but wonder if Patch is somehow connected to the peculiar things that have begun to happen to her and her best friend. Patch is a mysterious bad boy that Nora knows isn’t right for her, but she can’t help being attracted to him. When Nora and her friend Vee meet Elliot and Jules, Nora feels that something is not right with them. She keeps finding herself in danger, and it becomes clear that she cannot simply ignore her feelings for Patch. While Nora thought Patch was all wrong for her from the start, what will it mean if he’s not even human?
Isn’t Hush Hush a great title? The cover is amazing as well, but the actual book didn’t live up to either. My first qualm about this book was that it felt like I’d seen it all before: angels, forbidden romance and bad boys. While some books can make popular elements feel new again, Hush Hush couldn’t quite pull it off. I think if I’d liked Patch, the main character’s love interest, I would have enjoyed this book more. Not only did Patch remind me so many characters I’ve seen before, I also thought he was a jerk. It kind of freaks me out that we’re supposed to like him. In fact, I disliked all of the characters. Vee was likely the silliest, empty-headed girl I’ve ever encountered in books and Nora was almost as bad. She was a very superficial character who felt underdeveloped. Her main characteristic was that she was spineless. Nora and Vee do a lot of irrational things, such as calling in a bomb threat so that they can snoop through Patch’s permanent record. There were a lot of times where the author did things to advance the plot that didn’t make sense. Nora’s dad was recently murdered, so why is her mom so lax about her safety, especially after her best friend is attacked? Why on earth would a tower of terror be called the archangel? Why are they talking about these things in biology class? I also felt that the pacing was all wrong: there was way too much build up. It felt like there was too much plot: there were too many villains and things got confusing. A day after finishing Hush Hush, I had already forgotten why certain things happened, mainly because there was just too much going on and too many different villains and motifs.
So far, this has been a very negative review. I don't enjoy writing reviews about books I don’t like, but no one can like every book. This book reminded me a lot of Twilight, which I suppose is both good and bad. If you love Twilight and are looking for a similar series, then you might like Hush Hush. However, this also means that the plot felt overdone and unoriginal. Since a friend recommended this book to me, I really wanted to like it. But Hush Hush just wasn’t for me. If you like paranormal novels and bad boys, then you might enjoy this book.
1.5/5
“Keep in mind that people change, but the past doesn't.”