REVIEW: #48 Hush Hush @becfitzpatrick

Synopsis: (Taken from Amazon.com)

For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She’s never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch came along.

With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora’s not sure who to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can’t decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen – and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

Review:

I am going to be really honest. I wanted to hate it. Hush, Hush was so hyped up I thought it would for sure be just another Twilight disaster in terms of selfish lust-filled teenagers ditching their friends for a guy (oh what a lovely message!) Anything severely hyped, I enter it with an even more critical eye. With Hush Hush, though – I was pleasantly surprised.

Nora seems like your average girl in school. Although she wasn’t necessarily described as beautiful – she didn’t appear to be lacking. I think because of her natural girl next door appeal -  Nora seemed like a real person.  It wasn’t a typical “fall in love with the most gorgeous girl in high school” story. There was some realism to the love story, even if it was about a fallen angel. On the down side, Nora’s home life seemed a bit dramatic. Her father was recently murdered (although we never really find out why – and I thought for sure this would be solved by the end of the story) and Nora’s mother is as absent as they come. Enter the stereotypical housekeeper to be makeshift mother. But – that’s besides the point.

Vee is her best friend – and reminded me of girls I knew in high school. Typically boy crazy, flirtatious, and pretty much threw caution to the wind on most occasions. Although I’ve read that some reviewers found Vee to be unlikeable or flat, I felt that she was in fact likeable – but in moderation. Her character, I felt- was one that could be developed in future installments if Becca Fitzpatrick decides to continue on with this group of characters. Like many girls her age, she has moments where her judgement is lacking – but so did Nora, and in a big way.

There were many times in the novel I wanted to tell Nora to stop being such an idiot. Someone tells her to go from point A to point B, so she decides to go to point C. It’s like watching a horror movie and seeing the half naked girl running barefoot away from the monster who she clobbered with her stiletto heel – and she stops. You yell at the screen, “Run away! Run away!” but for some reason the stupid girl always go back. It reminded me of this. Nora seemed to make some very stupid decisions. (Shakes head).

Even so, I couldn’t stop reading the book. Seriously – I just kept on reading and reading.

Enter the fallen angel, Patch. Although he is supposed to be this big, bad, and tough character – I never truly saw him in that light. I felt he was protective and witty and the kind of person that could easily put someone in their place. He also seemed many years older than his years (obviously) and I had no doubt why Nora found herself attracted to him in the first place.

Hush Hush isn’t a mind blowing powerful read – but it’s incredibly entertaining and at times, quite romantic. It portrayed teen love in a non-cheesy way, which I appreciated. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a young adult novel about forbidden love and dark romance.

Hush Hush in Pictures: