Hush, Hush

Ah, gaining a stalker named Patch. How romantic. Where's Captain Hook or Peg Leg Pete to lurk around instead of Patch the not-pirate.

Nora's life is relatively normal, until one day she's made aware of Patch. Patch spends the entire book being an utter twat, and at the end of it we get this grand reveal.

I don't know why they always seem to take 75% of the book to do the grand reveal that he is a fallen angel. This is a huge problem I have with these books. If you're going to Angel route reveal it within the first book and upfront and have it be the plot point, not just a later thing that we fall into in the next book, and the next book. There's a problem with these Angel quartets and onward, and it's that they have so many books that show more they literally make their main plot line something that stars in the second, or the third book. Never the first.

My other issue is I don't know why fallen angels always have to have this horrible stalker tendency while also being obviously of God. Did God decide to make angels into creepy stalkers or what? Why is every angel either a stalker or an abusive person or a narcissist in these romances? Patch regularly taunts and torments Nora, and is a complete and utter asshole to her. I'm supposed to find this endearing but instead I find him to be a creepy stalker that needs to be stopped.

Patches sexually harassing, stalking, abusive, and utterly exploiting every drop of kindness out of nora, and I'm supposed to feel something for him other than wanting to backhand him into a wall.

He also regularly pushes off her lip gloss with a finger and tells her she looks better without it on...

I hate him.

I have no idea how the author managed to write a predatory character that's supposed to be the love interest, but patches of predator and every scene makes me think of him as a creep lurking, waiting to strike.

And suddenly, at the very end of the book, we get massive lore dump! Suddenly this book now tells us it's not one book but many books, which I already knew but I groan because the lore feels so painful to read. Basically all of the fallen angels are male, which is undone in the next books. The rest of it is so stupid I actually don't feel like putting it here, it sounds bad, I literally try to write it out and then read it and felt like I was having a stroke. Essentially the best summary I can give, is: sacrifice a female of their bloodline in order to kill their ancestors.

Oh, and Patch was sent to kill Nora. Plot twist? Not for me because he's being an utter creep, but obviously this is meant to be a twist.

0.5 stars.

This is awful. show less

"The truth is, part of me is definitely not comfortable around you," I said.
"But?"
"But at the same time I feel a scary attraction to you."

That, my friends, is the crux of why this is a bad book. It's awful.
This weird love/hate scared attraction thing...it's okay for adult books.
It's not okay for teen books.

Just ask yourself,
If Nora was YOUR child, would you want this to happen to her? Would you want someone like Patch doing this to them?? Would you be okay with it?

If your answer was no, then there is something wrong here.

These kids are new to relationship! They should NEVER want to romanticize anyone who:

1. Won't take no for an answer
Nora has given NO encouragement to Patch. As a matter of fact, she has repeatedly told him to leave show more her alone, that he makes her want to hurl and all kinds of other insults. He still stalks her, antagonizes her, corners her and forces himself on her. She said No Patch. She said no.

2. Threatens rape and/or other sexual contact
Never. Never is this okay. Never is this "hot" or "sexy" or "misunderstood"

3. Reporting unwanted sexual comments/harassment
Come on! Nora goes to her teacher to say she's uncomfortable the way Patch talked about her suggestively in front of the whole class and analyzed her suitable to mate with! She even cited the actual school rule that was being broken
AND THE TEACHER TOLD HER THAT PATCH WAS FINALLY PARTICIPATING IN CLASS SO SHE WOULD NOT BE MOVED AND, AS A MATTER OF FACT, SHE WOULD NOW SPEND MORE TIME WITH HIM TUTORING HIM (ALONE!)

Really, we want to show girls that reporting sexual harassment just means it will be ignored. Not only ignored, but our kids will be told to pretty much Buck up and take it?? Really???

This should NEVER have been released as YA. It saddens me to think of any teen/young girl who would romanticize this kind of relationship. show less

Let me start by saying that I’ve always loved me some bad boy and boy does Patch ever fit that bill! What this means is Fitzpatrick would have had to have dropped the ball in such an epic way to have not drawn me into this story. Patch would have had to have been entirely one dimensional in his characterization to make Hush, Hush a bad fit. Thankfully he’s formulated in that most appealing way where he’s so bad he’s good.

Where does this leave me as a reader? Well, it takes me to a place that even though I’m lead to think his motives and intentions are questionable throughout; even though I believe he’s being nefarious and even when there are times where it’s not one hundred percent clear which side he’s on I was still show more rooting for him. I enjoyed the fact that I was constantly going back and forth on where he truly stood in relation to Nora’s circumstances.

Patch’s characterization and behavior certainly added to the mysterious plot of the fallen angel as well. I would have liked to have had a bit more history than we got but was happy to see some of that information divulged as part of the resolution to the overall story. I imagine there will be even more when the follow-up makes it’s way into the world.

I was a mixture of love and loathing for the book’s heroine Nora. Most of the time I wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake some common sense into her. You know, kind of something along the lines of “Oh, Nora. Nora, Nora, Nora….didn’t your mother teach you not to investigate scary other-worldly mystical-type events that put you in mortal danger? You, know, because I think my mom did! I got the ‘don’t touch the stove while it’s on’, ‘always look both ways when crossing the street’, and ‘when your room is mysteriously ransacked one minute then totally maid-worthy the next run away’ lectures from the first moment I could speak. Why, oh why, didn’t you heed her advice and use your head a bit more?” I suppose in the end the story would have been far less enjoyable and certain aspects and events wouldn’t have happened they way they did if she’d been far more cautious and fearful but yea, I was just perplexed on occasion.

An element of the plot I found particularly interesting was Fitzpatrick’s take on light versus dark (which may or may not have been intentional). Patch is dark haired and eyed while his competitor for Nora’s attention and affection Elliott is the direct physical opposite. Often times I found myself wondering if those visual cues were intended to throw me off the scent of story twists and turns. In general, I was already constantly wondering which of the two was good or bad and Fitzpatrick did a good job of giving us just enough clues so that it could go either way. Inevitably, though, I kept going back to that dark and brooding versus bright and sunny opposition. In the end it did contribute some small punch to the outcome where I finally found out once and for all where each of the characters actually stood.

Speaking of the ending, I’ve now had the opportunity to read both endings and have to admit that I preferred the ARC to the published version. Not wanting to give away what the ending actually is I’ll just say that I liked that the ARC ending, it seemed to me, is a better lead in for the sequel. I feel this way mainly because of my personal preference for having a bit more anticipation. The ending in the published version leaves the reader with a bit more of a tidy bow allowing it to be just a touch closer to a stand alone.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book it was quite entertaining. If you are at all interested in a bit of a darker toned story with mystery and some intriguing characters definitely give it a try. show less

I was hooked from page one.

I’m a big fan of the Twilight books and have read many wannabes in the last 12 months but this is the first time one has made me sit up and take notice. Finally some serious competition for Stephenie Meyer!

Edward Cullen has got NOTHING on Patch! And I think Nora has got a lot more backbone than Bella. Where the Twilight books simply simmer, this one was on rapid boil the whole way! Also, the writing is intelligent for a young adult novel and not dumbed-down which is a common pet hate of mine when reading YA novels.

Patch is dark and intense, almost creepy. Is he a stalker or protector, good guy or bad guy? I wasn’t sure until the very end. The chemistry between the two is electric, just one of the many show more elements of the story that will motivate you to race through the pages to see what happens.

It is full of twists and surprising revelations that will have you debating who is to be trusted and what Patch's real motives are. This is a dangerous, tension-filled novel that is fast-paced and quick-witted, full of strong, solid, and complex characters - a sexy thrill ride that will keep you guessing until the last minute! show less

There's only one book I've read this year that I hated more than this book: Melissa De La Cruz's Blue Bloods. Both were audio books for my commute, which is the only reason either got finished.
Our hero, Patch, must have been picked up on clearance from Bad Boys R Us; our heroine, Nora, was likely plucked out of Stephenie Meyers' waste paper basket of discarded Bella Swan prototypes, tossed out for being too weak and unlikable. And really, there is nothing to like about either of these characters, except for their appearances. They're very attractive; guess they belong together.
Nora lets Patch control her from the beginning, verbally refusing his advances, only to do whatever he says anyway. She lies to everyone in her life. But it's show more OK, because the author always gives us her justification for lying right before she does it. The only time she doesn't end up going along with Patch's plans is when an emergency prevents her from doing so.
Why fallen angel Patch, who has several hundreds of years on Nora, has fallen in love with her, is a mystery. Maybe it's her ability to constantly state the obvious, or the fact that she's afraid of him (yet strangely drawn to him) throughout the book. Hey, he lost his wings over someone he didn't even know, so he might not be the brightest bulb anyway.
People can read what they want, but I know if kids at the library ask me about this book, I will steer them toward worthier young adult books. Kimberly Derting's The Body Finder comes to mind, along with any number of paranormal romance/adventures with much stronger protagonists: The Vampire Academy series (even though the last book was a disappointment), Morganville Vampires, Wicked Lovely (see previous note about Vampire Academy), Paranormalcy, Anna Dressed in Blood, Mortal Instruments..well, you get the
picture. show less

Hush, Hush (Hush, Hush #1) by Becca Fitzpatrick is a fantasy book I picked up from the library and made the mistake of starting right before going to bed, and being so good, I had to stay up to finish it! The awesome cover caught my eye but the brilliant writing kept me reading. The Fallen angel, the mysteries, the attempt on Nora's life, and why was the Fallen there? The plot was extremely well played and the characters well developed. Book was great enough for me to lose sleep over, lol. It had everything I needed to keep turning the pages. Great job!

HUSH HUSH was a very entertaining read. Above all, I loved it for its characters and for the humor, but it certainly did not end there! In my opinion, Becca Fitzpatrick has made the perfect bad boy. I loved Patch! I realize that he may seem unappealing to some because of his errr... disregard of chivalry and his occasional mistreatment of Nora, but that is why he is a bad boy! And not a lovey dovey nice guy. Plus, there is an explanation for his behavior. I liked how Patch had a history, that he wasn't just some perfect Mr. Right for Nora, and how he wasn't always a bad boy...

And ooooh, I really really loved the humor in this book. There are scenes in which I was reduced to giggling and snickering, or full out show more laughing-so-hard-I'm-tearing-up. I think the funny in the book was what really sold me. Fitzpatrick knows how to use comedy in her story, and that was part of what made the plot appealing. Nora, especially, was endearing because of her actions, which were often hilarious...particularly in scenes involving Patch!

It exasperates me to no end how people compare this to TWILIGHT nonstop. I read somewhere that Fitzpatrick first got the idea for this novel in 2003, whereas TWILIGHT was published in 2005. So I'd think that most the similarities are just coincidental, especially since the majority are not important factors in the overall plot. I thought HUSH HUSH was much better than TWILIGHT, but that's just my opinion. Nora had more spunk and was far funnier and more likable than Bella.

The plot was great as well. There was more than one mystery going on at the same time, which kept me sorta guessing at who the baddy was. There were some scary scenes, but the creepy factor wasn't too high. It was definitely enjoyable to read though, because they tie in with the mystery and made the overall plot even more enticing. The end was great because it was both satisfying and not, because it's making me crave the sequel a lot... So overall, an awesome paranormal read! show less