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Hush, Hush (Hush, Hush #1)

by Becca Fitzpatrick (Goodreads Author)

4.0 of 5 stars 4.00 · rating details · 167,577 ratings · 13,062 reviews

A SACRED OATH
A FALLEN ANGEL
A FORBIDDEN LOVE

Romance was not part of Nora Grey's the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how hard her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch comes along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Patch draws Nora to him against her better judgment.

But after a series...more

Paperback, 391 pages

Published (first published September 21st 2009)

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May 07, 2013 Misty rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: thanks-bill, disappointing-or-excited-for-nothin, juvenile-ya, read-in-2010, sci_fi-fantasy, series, supernatural-paranormal, cover-appeal, awful, angels-and-demons, 2010-debuts__tenners, gift, you-are-the-worst

NOW WITH SPOILERY RANT @ BOTTOM!

Hush, Hush is the story of Nora Grey, an average high school student going about her business as usual -- until her Biology teacher rearranges the class seating and places her next to the dangerous-looking new kid, Patch Cipriano. Nora gets a weird feeling from Patch, and things just keep going from bad to worse as Nora becomes convinced that she is being stalked, and may even be the target of murderous intentions. Add to the list Nora's strange feelings about the...more

522 likes · like · see review

May 25, 2013 Kira rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Rakes

Recommended to Kira by: A rake

Shelves: ya, angels-and-demons, made-no-sense, train-wreck-romance, books-to-use-as-weapons, tstl-heroine, lost-the-will-to-live, go-choke-on-your-sexism, made-me-want-to-choke-myself, no-effing-way, purity-myth-crap, so-boring-i-ate-my-own-face, your-slut-shaming-is-disgusting, lolwut, oh-god-the-whitewashing

So the other night I was trying to force myself to finish writing a chapter, but I was on the verge of headdesking at about 12:30, so I packed up then and went off to bed. I read some nice fluffy paranormal crap, sung myself into a subconscious lull, and then eventually fell into deep, drooling sleep.

You guessed it. This is a dream story.

Now, I rarely remember my dreams. But last night's was so freaking pungent that I can reel it all off right now without missing any details. Also, bear in mind...more

283 likes · like · see review

May 01, 2012 Nataliya rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Not to sane human beings

Shelves: 2012-reads, this-was-quite-bad, first-in-a-series

I read this ON A DARE (a double-dog one, if you must know). And now I want to look it in the eye and ask - REALLY, BOOK? REALLY? Because it doesn't just cross the line into the uncomfortably creepy territory - it takes a cosmic leap over it.

Hush, Hush may have the dubious distinction of being the worst book I've ever read. (I assumed it's a book since that's what you'd call a bunch of printed and bound pages, but I'm really applying the term 'book' loosely here). Yes, I know I'm not the intended...more
I read this ON A DARE (a double-dog one, if you must know). And now I want to look it in the eye and ask - REALLY, BOOK? REALLY? Because it doesn't just cross the line into the uncomfortably creepy territory - it takes a cosmic leap over it.

Hush, Hush may have the dubious distinction of being the worst book I've ever read. (I assumed it's a book since that's what you'd call a bunch of printed and bound pages, but I'm really applying the term 'book' loosely here). Yes, I know I'm not the intended audience, but should terribly written books that can only aspire to reach the same literary heights as the word-of-the-day toilet paper even HAVE a target audience??? Yes, I'm being harsh. But I'm also being honest. Let me give you a sample of my complaints (all of them would be longer than the allowed review space).

This book reads as though someone read Twilight, appreciated the obviously marketable and profitable premise, and decided to rewrite it in an "edgier" way - which boiled down to clumsily asking a question, "What did Twilight lack?" and coming up with the answer, "Sexual creepiness bordering on sexual harrassment. That's it. LLLLLLadies."

Meet Nora Grey, an 'average' high-schooler who meets a mysterious boy Patch in biology. By the way, my (future hypothetical) daughter will not be allowed to take high school biology since that's where all potential supernatural creeps appear to lurk, looking for gullible teenage-girl prey. The boy acts like a total jerk to her, and his sleazy innuendos are alarming and appalling but not charming or witty or sexy. The natural things to do would be: (a) tell him off, (b) tell the school officials, and (c) call the police if the d-bag does not stop harrassing you. Instead, Nora Grey decides to madly fall in love with the jerk. (*)

* Dear teenage girls! "He hates me - therefore it means he loves me" approach does not work in real life. While we're at it - PEOPLE WANTING TO KILL YOU IS NOT SEXY EITHER. Dear YA authors, please stop perpetuating this idiocy.

Patch is a fallen angel (no spoilers, it was stated on page one or so) with a dark past. But basically he is an entitled arrogant jerk who appears to take immense pleasure in publicly humiliating Nora, physically forcing himself on her, physically intimidating her, ignoring her wishes, and gloating in his dripping douchebaggery approach while nearly sexually assaulting her in front of the class. “I make you uneasy?” he asks. The proper answer would be to scream, "YES! NOW BACK AWAY!!!!"

**

**

But for some inexplicable reason Nora is in love with the creep. For some inexplicable reason, his appalling behavior is presented as alluring and seductive. For some inexplicable reason, he is presented as a "dark and dangerous" man of every girl's dream. WHYYYYYYYYYYY????? Oh nevermind, here's the answer:

"Yes, actually, he had that effect on me. He also had the tendency to wipe all logical thought from my mind."
"My brain couldn’t process one logical thought."

This may explain why we get pages and pages of this incoherent lovestruck bumbling masquerading as a book! Mystery solved, my job here is done.
**********************************

While I'm on the soapbox, let me say this - STALKING IS NOT SEXY. STALKING IS NOT OKAY. STALKING IS NOT LOVE. VIOLATING PRIVACY IS NOT LOVE EITHER and should result in a restraining order You see, our wonderful Nora thinks it's perfectly okay to learn about the mysterious new boy by breaking into the students' records office to look at the confidential file (she does it by calling in a bomb threat - which is (a) awful, (b) promptly forgotten about and never followed up on), and spying at him at work, snooping for information from his coworkers. I hate the message this book is sending.

***********************************
I hate punctuation abuse. It's innocent, so stop torturing it. Please... leave... the... faux-dramatic-pause ... ellipses ... in ... your... fanfiction... please. Unless you're paid for each ellipsis used. End... the... ellipses... abuse...
... ... ... ...

... ... ... ...

***************************
What is up with the sloppy writing that assumes describing small insignificant and frankly boring details adds anything to the story? Why am I subjected to the endless details of what exactly the characters are ordering in a Mexican restaurant, what the specials are, and how long it takes a waitress to bring the order? Why should I care? Why do I need to know the details of the bra design that the girls are shopping for? How exactly does that enrich the story? Please stop the filler. It's awful.
*****************************

Hey, what with not having the slightest trust in the readers' ability to figure things out? What's with the dropping of anvil-sized hints every few pages? What happened to simple foreshadowing? Patch's identity, the villain's identity, Nora's identity - we can figure it out without the author SCREAMING hints into our faces. Really. Trust me.
*****************************
But in the end, despite the awfulness, I cannot be upset at Nora - mainly because I'm really worried about that girl's health. Here's why:

"My heart fumbled a beat [...]"
"My heartbeat turned erratic, and I told myself to pull it together."
"My heart did an unexpected flip, startled by his bizarrely attractive smile."

Nora, you know what you need instead of a creepy boyfriend? A cardiology consult. Your heart sounds unhealthy to me.

-----------------------------------
Terrible book with lackluster annoying characters, ridiculous plot, and bad writing, but with overabundance of creepiness. 1 star because that's the lowest rating I can give. Reading it was a miserable experience.
-----------
4.0 rating on Goodreads? Really? Sometimes I really wonder whether I'm reading the same book as everyone else.(less)

224 likes · like · see review

Apr 22, 2012 Kat Kennedy rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-that-deserve-painful-death, kat-s-book-reviews, just-plain-bad, ya-pnr-maddness

How I Would Have Ended It

*This post was inspired by the fantastic videos over at www.howitshouldhaveended.com. Italicized text is the original publicized text from the book and is entirely the work of Becca Fitzpatrick.

This rendition is entirely satire. It is not meant to offend and I mean no discourtesy. I recognize that authors put a lot of time and work into their novels and I am not trying to disrespect that. Writing a novel is hard work and is something I have never done...more

342 likes · like · see review

Jul 01, 2012 Lissa added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011

Read this. Don't argue: just do it:
"If you don’t like me, I’ll force myself on you until you do. We see this all the time and it’s even romanticized. Everything from romance novels to sitcoms we see women who aren’t interested in a man and we see those men determined to catch her. To pursue her, to convince her that she’ll like me eventually. If I try hard enough, if I harass her long enough... she’s sure to cave in eventually. She can’t say no. And if she does I’ll just assume it’s code for “tr...more

126 likes · like · see review

Mar 11, 2010 Hannah rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010-reads, ya, too-awful-for-words

About three things I was absolutely positive:

First, that Hush, Hush was, without a doubt, one of the worst Twilight rip-offs I've ever had the misfortune to read.

Second, there was a part of me -- and I didn't realize how dominant that part actually was -- that insisted on reading Hush, Hush to the bitter end in the hope it would redeem itself.

And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably wrong in that decision.

1011 likes · like · see review

Jul 25, 2010 Megan rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: not-mine-library, young-adult, urban-fantasy

Top Ten Irrational Points in hush, hush

Nora’s sex ed class begins with the teacher stating, “Human reproduction…requires mature handling. And like all science, the best approach is to learn by sleuthing. For the rest of the class, practice this technique by finding out as much as you can about your new (seating assignment) partner. Tomorrow, bring your write-up of your discoveries, and believe me, I’m going to check for authenticity…I want to see real interaction and teamwork.” This is a biolog...more

290 likes · like · see review

Oct 14, 2011 Ashleigh Paige rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: the-shameful-shelf-of-get-rid-of-it, worst-books-i-ve-ever-read, wow-what-a-douchecanoe, whoops-threw-it-across-the-room, please-no-more-slut-shaming, main-character-needs-to-shut-up, h-y-p-e-project

"I shut my eyes and envisioned banging my head against the wall (Hush, Hush, p. 99)."

Funny thing: I want to do the same thing every time I think about this book.

It's 6 PM on a Friday night, I'm not in a reading mood and don't want to write my FSU application essay, and I think it's high time I rewrite this review. The old version/H.Y.P.E. review can be found here.

This only good Hush is this Hush Hush. And perhaps this Hush Hush, though this comes with two extra Hushes. It depends on your musical...more

54 likes · like · see review

Dec 06, 2009 Kristi (The Story Siren) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own-arc, books-i-own, signed-books

Three words; hot, mysterious, heavenly

Hush, Hush is one of those addicting reads. There is something about it, you can't quite place your finger on it, but all you know is that you need more, right now!

Most surprising for me was liking Nora. Usually I can't stand her type of character. But for some reason she reminded me of my sister! Completely book smart, but doesn't have the common sense that god gave a goose. (Yes, Lace, I'm talking about you!) Patch on the other hand, where do I even start....more

71 likes · like · see review

Aug 21, 2009 Maria M. Elmvang rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008, owned, ya, paranormal, arc, 2-stars

I'm having a hard time deciding exactly what I think about this book. On one hand I read it in under 12 hours, so it definitely caught my attention, but on the other hand it almost repulsed me, because the "hero" was so unpleasant. It's obviously aimed at teenage girls, but I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable letting a (hypothetical) daughter of mine read it until she was quite a bit older, precisely because the hero throughout the most of the book is threatening and manipulative.

The book is well...more

60 likes · like · see review

Oct 08, 2010 Tatiana rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: those who think abusive guys are attractive and enjoy TSTL/doormat heroines

Recommended to Tatiana by: Heather

Shelves: 2009, ya, why-the-hype, romancelandia, tres-annoying

This book is simply appalling.

I won't lie, my expectations going in about this book were pretty low. But even so, "Hush, Hush" managed to disappoint me.

First, there are many similarities with "Twilight" - you have a regular average girl here, absent parents, a love affair with a dangerous supernatural boyfriend, a final showdown with a villain of his own kind. The mythology, while somewhat unusual (I haven't read anything about fallen angels in YA so far), is paper thin. The characters are shal...more This book is simply appalling.

I won't lie, my expectations going in about this book were pretty low. But even so, "Hush, Hush" managed to disappoint me.

First, there are many similarities with "Twilight" - you have a regular average girl here, absent parents, a love affair with a dangerous supernatural boyfriend, a final showdown with a villain of his own kind. The mythology, while somewhat unusual (I haven't read anything about fallen angels in YA so far), is paper thin. The characters are shallow and undeveloped (BTW, Vee is the dumbest character I've read about maybe ever).

But this is not even what makes this book a barely tolerable read. This book is just plain silly, and silly not in a cute-and-funny way, but more in it's-pretty-dumb-and-dangerous-to-fall-for-this-crap way. Many things are just so contrived about the story, I got a headache rolling my eyes while reading it. For instance: a bomb threat to steal an empty personal file that nobody investigates later? a biology class which is centered on discussing one uncomfortable and almost harassed student's sexual attractiveness? why would a mother whose husband was murdered leave her 16-year old daughter alone in a remote house for weeks at a time? why would parents of another teenage girl let her go out NEXT DAY after she had surgery following a violent attack on her? dressing up like a hooker to get some dirt on a guy you are investigating? why would an angel fall for loving a human and then get his wings back while loving another human?

And finally, why exactly Patch and Nora are in love? They know nothing about each other. Even more, Nora spends most of the book calling Patch creepy, being scared of him, being roughly pinned by him to various walls in dark places or being at his knife's point, and yet she is full of desire for him? It just makes no sense. As for Patch, I don't know one thing about him or why he loves Nora. My list can go on and on...

But surely enough, teenage girls will eat this story up. You have everything for success here: a fabulous cover and font, and pages and pages of flirtatious banter filled with sexual innuendos (very often bordering on sexual harassment) fit for 30-year olds and not 10-graders.

I am rarely for any kind of censorship of books, but reading nonsense like "Hush, Hush" makes me wonder: what are these writers thinking? In my opinion, YA writers should be held to a higher standard than your usual writers of adults fiction. Why would they want to promote such outright disturbing relationships as normal to impressionable and silly teenage girls? In my book, the relationship between Patch and Nora is not simply shallow, but dangerous. I wish some of the authors exercised better judgment writing their books, otherwise they are setting up many-many girls for a lot of disappointment, because whatever is presented in this book as romantic is disturbing at best in real life.

Well, to sum this tirade up, "Hush, Hush" is pretty much a book that gives YA literature a bad name. Naturally, the sequel is in works, but surely enough, I won't be reading it. I'd rather dedicate my time to something better written and less contrived and misguided.

Reading challenge: #1 - F(less)

173 likes · like · see review

Mar 20, 2012 Demonic Circus Princess rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Everyone has an aura. Everyone. Even if you're the spawn of Satan, you still have this mist of invisible energy floating around your head. See, I usually don't believe in spiritual things. Meditation, chakras, rituals... I just find it cheesy or whatever.

After reading this ~~piece of shit~~ book, I believe in auras.

If I ever met Nora Grey in person (God help me if I do, I may beat her bloody), and if I could sense auras, her's would be a dark murky brown. According to the Internetz, a brown aura mea...more

74 likes · like · see review

Jan 15, 2010 Lola rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

When sophomore Nora Grey gets paired up with the mysterious Patch in Biology, she gets the feeling not everything is right with him. Patch seems to know a lot of Nora but keeps his silence when it's about himself; he's a straight up bad-boy, sexy, almost anti-hero. Nora is out to discover his secret when her friends encourage her to and finds herself in a ancient battle between two races. She has to be careful with the encounters that begins to happen when she looks for answers and questions on...more When sophomore Nora Grey gets paired up with the mysterious Patch in Biology, she gets the feeling not everything is right with him. Patch seems to know a lot of Nora but keeps his silence when it's about himself; he's a straight up bad-boy, sexy, almost anti-hero. Nora is out to discover his secret when her friends encourage her to and finds herself in a ancient battle between two races. She has to be careful with the encounters that begins to happen when she looks for answers and questions on who to trust. But she can't help but to be attracted to Patch.

I've heard a lot of good things about this book, from the fallen angels theme to Patch's teasing charm and finally to the story itself. So help me, I really wanted to love this book. This is a book I'd want on my shelf and re-read over before I actually read it because the story sounds amazing and the cover is awesome. But like another reviewer said, I couldn't. For a debut novel, the writing was smooth till the end. The transition and detail of the story was wonderfully written and makes you want to also slap/smile/roll your eyes at the scene; I know I have. The author carefully leaves hints and the character herself gives thought and questions the details of what's happening to her life and the attraction to Patch. He's a fresh kind of hero that you just either love or hate. No gentle hero cooing sweet nothings (God, would some YA authors just stop spending more time on that already) or proclaiming his love every chapter. None from Patch and made me think it was nice reading a hero like this every once in a while as long as it was done nicely. She knows just enough detail to leave at and make so it wouldn't clatter the entire book. Now what got me hooked - aside from the title and cover - was NOT the love story, but the fallen angels. The author hints at an epic battle, the history, how it came to be. Now that's what I couldn't wait to read and how Nora would react. Nora is independent and sometimes has a personality to match Patch when he makes a move. She had just enough to make her think rationally in certain situations.

Unfortunately, Patch's backstory fell short. That was it, really? Um okay, that took away a little of his charm. His attitude isn't always like the beginning, Patch became major creepy when he appears everywhere she's at in a stalkerish behavior (links with story) but his jerky attitude sometimes made me think what the hell is Nora thinking falling for this kind of guy? And HOW?! Oh Nora, I thought you might have more self-respect for yourself than let Patch *beep* *beep* and you still fall in love with him. I'll never understand that in your circumstance - I'd probably bitch slap him once or twice. I guess this is the way Ms. Fitzpatrick intentionally wrote him, but damn, at least give them the next book to get together. I sometimes hated their interaction with each other, seriously, is there a trend going with girls falling for guys who are total assholes to them? Stalking you, interferring with your friends, acting mysteriously/arrogant and annoyed as she gets, she finds that damn attractive?! With Patch, it's a toss up, 50/50, of either liking or hating him. Sneaky, jerky, manipulative Patch. The characters are the problems for me, and if I don't like them, it's a struggle to finish the book. Reading from Nora's narrative, sometimes I wanted to skim because she became less likeable to me. She didn't have any drive to other characters at times and it got annoying. Why does every girl who falls in love with their first have to act like that?! 'Losing control, haven't felt this way, couldn't stop heart from pounding, stare at him, don't now why excited in his presence," Oh screw it, shoot me already. I liked Nora's "keep distance" attitude while finding him attractive and now they practically mold their mouths and body together. Develop a freaking personality, chica, its fine to get into fights with your boyfriend and make up instead of "one word/touch and I forgive you."

Other side characters are stereotypical and I kept waiting for somebody that equals Patch's bad boy persona excluding his jerky attitude. I didn't buy Nora and Patch's attraction to each other and just wanted to skim. Argh, it wasn't handled properly that I didn't invest too much in the characters anymore. Hell, I'm just a few years older than Nora and I went WTF several times in the book because that wouldn't be the way I would act. The pacing was slowed down a few chapters, but not that bad. ETA: Re-read again and damn it, I'm starting to hate Nora. Not good. The ending was so cliched that normally, I wouldn't mind, but Nora's sudden change made me gag and shut the book and toss it across my dorm. Forget what I said about "proclaiming their love every chapter", it's now "lip-locking" Oh gads, please not to much about that. Nora and Patch always doing that or getting lost with each other's damn body heat is so not the reason of the entire book. I kinda like their partnership together, sure, hope to see more of that in the next book maybe. Write enough of affection to each other, not the over-the-top physical touches. Realized all this thoughts when reading again.

Aside from the characters who you may or may not like, it's still an okay enough read. Here's hoping to some characters getting a backbone and a change in mental maturity and break out of their shells. It's a good story that she weaves and I might read CRESCENDO in the library instead when it comes out. I just hope the characters will pull me back into the book with them too, not just the story.

P.S - The romance is slightly dark in a good way. The titles (HUSH HUSH - CRESCENDO) are way too cool to ignore. The cover is FTW. Fallen angels, war, angels, sacrifice, mortal human. Enough said. Just don't have high expectations.(less)

42 likes · like · see review

Jun 07, 2013 Christina Wilder rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, had-so-much-potential, disturbing-as-hell, i-was-offended

You know, I've been thinking about it, and I think I need to spell out why this book upset me so much.

I read this mostly because of the gorgeous cover, and because the premise seemed intriguing. What happened was that it ended up being the worst book I've ever read. I could expound on the rambling prose (I myself am guilty of that time to time). I could rant about how annoying the detailed descriptions of tedious things (authors, please do not describe in minute detail what your characters are w...more

26 likes · like · see review

Oct 18, 2012 Nessa rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, review, not-my-cup-of-earl-grey-tea

Let it be said that I, Vanessa Hendersen, am a huge glutton for punishment. Why else would I put myself through so many terrible books? This year alone I've read Evermore, Halo and Hades, even Marked.

So why do I keep coming back? I don't know. I suppose there's some entertainment to be had, and if you want to write a book of your own some day, it shows you all the hallmarks of bad writing and clichés to avoid. This is going to be the last book I read this year that has a bad reputation, because...more

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May 31, 2012 Ghirardelli rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Masochists

Recommended to Ghirardelli by: My curiosity

Shelves: i-become-a-snark-shark-for-this, this-is-rape-culture, ya, why-is-this-a-series, why, um-what, the-hell-was-this, sigh, read-em-once-then-it-s-done, brain-cell-killers, plot-was-on-vacation, structure-whats-that, smells-like-teen-angst, who-let-you-be-heroine

1.5 Stars

The half is there for the sole reason that Hush, Hush did not irk me as much as Halo did. I’m a little confused by that but whatevs.

Wow.
Just wow.
No, this is not a good wow.
This is a “Holy shit, you really did that didn’t you? I can’t fucking believe that” kind of wow.
A wow that just destroys my very soul and forces me to wonder WHY someone could possibly like a book such as this. But don’t worry, I have an explanation as to why someone could enjoy these honey bunches of pages because I...more

52 likes · like · see review

May 17, 2011 Ren rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: angel, annoying-chara, high-school-theme, had-translated, young-adult, expect-better-for-the-sequel, best-cover-at-series, borrowed, reviewed, 2-stars

Read the translated version and write review in my own languange

Note : No offense yah buat penggemar seri ini ;)

Tadinya mau nulis ripiunya tapi agak males.Sekarang udah oke lah bikinnya. BTW, kenapa sih GR ga ada sistem setengah bintang? :P

Aku terus terang terombang ambing untuk kasih ripiu buku ini. Pertamanya 4 bintang deh, oke Nora cukup menarik di awal2, dy cerewet, ga lemah seperti Bella (sorry for Bella's fans), Patch cukup misterius dan dy bad boy ( I love bad boy than nice guy ;) )

Ta...more

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Oct 18, 2012 Dd rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My step by step review-It started out as interesting,then it became confusing,then halfway through it was irritating,after that I was almost desperate for it to end and by the time it ended I was literally banging my head on the wall.
Nora Grey is a (sane!!) 16 year old.Normally in her biology class, she sits with her best friend.Nora is a good student.No boyfriend.Attractive.Attends session with the school psycologist Dr. Hendrickson because her father had passed away a year before.One day, her...more

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Aug 07, 2010 Phoebe added it · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I've been mulling over my review for Becca Fitzpatrick's debut, the paranormal thrillermance Hush, Hush for about a week now. It's difficult to talk about a book as controversial as this one without at least touching on the politics. But there's little I can say about the politics that hasn't already been said before, and probably better.

Yes, Nora, our heroine, is little more than the traditional victim/cheerleader in a slasher movie. She's both bubble-headed and paranoid, and she alternately co...more I've been mulling over my review for Becca Fitzpatrick's debut, the paranormal thrillermance Hush, Hush for about a week now. It's difficult to talk about a book as controversial as this one without at least touching on the politics. But there's little I can say about the politics that hasn't already been said before, and probably better.

Yes, Nora, our heroine, is little more than the traditional victim/cheerleader in a slasher movie. She's both bubble-headed and paranoid, and she alternately cowers and stumbles through our ramshackle plot--a story about how, after she gets a new lab partner in bio (yes, this is a new YA cliche that's already becoming old hat), her life is repeatedly threatened by not only her hot, but creepy, partner Patch but also a bevy of other parties in her small Maine town. And though, yes, Nora has plenty of justification for resisting Patch--he's condescending and smarmy, he threatens her repeatedly, he doesn't even seem to like her most of the time--it does indeed seem like Nora resists Patch only so that she can later relent to him, illustrating once again (ick) how when a teenage girl says no, she really means yes.

The truth is, though, that after about a hundred pages of this sort of thing, I fear I started to become immune to it. Because, while my jaw literally dropped during an early scene where Nora is sexually harassed during her biology class by both her classmates and teacher, and while a few flies probably swarmed in after Nora goes to her teacher and protests, but is rebuffed, by the novel's middle I just didn't care any more what happened to Nora, good or bad. I was really just that bored.

Hush, Hush's biggest problem, I would say, isn't in its quaintly outdated abhorrent sexual politics but rather in its pacing. There's a vague cloud of "suspense" that hangs over the novel's first two thirds, and Nora is, apparently, endangered by almost every one she encounters. But nothing happens--really, nothing. For two hundred and fifty pages--and though the reader is clued in to Patch's supernatural origins through the cover and the prologue and the blurb, there's really no logical connection between the nebulous dangers she faces and Patch's identity as an angel. This means that the revelations about the book's angelic mythology fall into place with as much grace as a sack of wet laundry. Nora sees scars on Patch's back, thinks "angel!", investigates fallen angels on teh Google (and if you've read my reviews, you know how much I hate internet research scenes; writers, knowing that kids google shit does not equal being hip to the technology of young people), and decides that Patch must be an angel. This requires some logical leaps that would never work this neatly in real life.

And then we get about fifty pages of really muddled angel mythology. It's incredibly convoluted and all wedged into such a small space that there's no time for the reader to digest the "rules" of angeldom. I'll put it this way: I have a terminal graduate degree, and I won't pretend for a second that I understood what was happening at the end of this book.

The worst bit of this, for me, was the revelation that our anti-hero Patch couldn't feel anything, in a tactile sense. Because I'll say this for Hush, Hush: for all that I thought Patch and Nora's relationship was fucked up, I believed their sexual chemistry. Now I know that quite a few objections to this book have centered upon the adage that sex does not equal love, and that young adult writers shouldn't imply that it does. And I sort of agree with this, but I think it's an attitude that's not entirely tied to reality. Because sex--for teens and adults--very much makes up the foundation of most romantic relationships. And it can certainly draw people together who would--or should--otherwise despise one another. So I bought that Patch lusted after Nora, and vice versa, even if it wasn't necessarily a good match. But when Patch tells us that his feelings for Nora are chaste and entirely pure and all about love, my belief in the relationship flew right out the window. What do they have, if not sex? Not even biology class--because their sexual attraction to one another was all that was ever discussed there.

Anyway, I really consider all of this a shame because, despite the above, Becca Fitzpatrick's stylistics are fairly solid. Her writing is readable, even if occasionally silly, even if the content is sometimes squicky. And she does setting extremely well. This foggy little Maine town is the perfect place for a thriller like this . . . if only it was a bit more, well, thrilling.(less)

18 likes · like · see review

Jan 21, 2011 Jillian -always aspiring- rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Nobody, honestly

Shelves: dropped-series, disappointing-books, 2010-reads, reviewed

(Update in 2011: My rating has fluctuated from three stars (probably 2.5) to 2 stars and finally to 1 star. Just thinking about this book and its characters leave me with sour thoughts.)

Hush, Hush -- I finally finished the book after months of waffling, and I’m still as conflicted about it as I was from day one. My feelings, at this point, are very iffy.

My first thought, though, when I started reading was: “This book reads like a schizophrenic version of Twilight.”

There are all the points of the...more

30 likes · like · see review

Jan 31, 2013 Marie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, angels, 5-stars, favourite-series, magic, immortals, must-haves, worth-a-look

I fell in love with Patch instantly I mean what's not to love?
I also love Nora- She is such a refreshing and intriguing heroin. Her and Patch suit each other perfectly. They bounce off each other and really made me laugh with their witty and sarcy sense of humour! They bicker like hell and it's so much fun to read.
I loved the twist in the end, it turned everything I thought was going to happen into something entirely different. I never knew what was going to happen next.
I thoroughly enjoyed an...more

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Jan 24, 2012 Heather rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009, ya

Time has a way of changing things. Sadly for Hush Hush, time has not been kind to my view of it. A three star review once resided here, but it was too shamed to remain posted. Having said that, I think nothing less of those who enjoy such stories, as I once was one. But I've read too many good, even great books, to suggest that someone spend their time with this never ending plot that is essentially a whole lot of non-sense.

I am most certain that the enigmatic, assholish character that is Patch...more

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Nov 15, 2011 Marg K. marked it as did-not-finish · review of another edition

Did Not Finish

The only reason I picked this book up at my local library was out of pure curiosity. I heard & read so much debate about it that when I saw it sitting on the shelf, my fingertips were practically itching with the need to see what all the hoopla was about. As it turns out, I should have slapped myself...repeatedly and with much force. Admittedly, I only managed to get through the first 100 pages (plus some skimming), but from what I've read I can say that the negative reviews ab...more

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Apr 23, 2010 LethalLovely~I'll Be Your River rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, paranormal-ya, reviews, makes-me-want-to-cut-a-bitch

My thoughts:

This book turned out to be a big disappointment for me. For one thing, Nora was a complete idiot. She was indecisive, confused, cried about every little thing & for someone who supposedly is bad a lying, she lied about almost everything. Over half of the book was dedicated to her lusting after Patch & her determination to find out who & what he was. The big reveal was that he was an angel. Not hard to realize when your constantly getting hit over the head with it, with th...more

15 likes · like · see review

Mar 23, 2011 Anila rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: blech-ugh-blech, reviewed, incoherent-anger, save-me-from-the-tropes

I have forty eight sticky notes.
Well, forty nine, I suppose, since I use the little white backing thing too. They're quite nice sticky notes, designed not to be written on but as bookmarks; at some year in the past they magically appeared in my Christmas stocking, and I haven't really used them since. I suspect there were originally fifty, so I've used two elsewhere.
Anyhow. Forty nine sticky notes was what I started with when I commenced reading Hush, Hush a little after 9 AM on August 25.
Less t...more

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Mar 31, 2012 Synesthesia rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: angst-oh-the-drama, ew, hell-to-the-no

Having read this book again, I changed my mind. The relationship between Patch and Nora is totally healthy. Women should go for a man who stalks her and they in turn should stalk him and chase after him even if he chases them with a knife.
Vee was totally right to try to push Nora into the arms of Patch as a man who is trying to kill you is the sort of man you need to have! A manly man!

14 likes · like · see review

Aug 24, 2011 Roxy rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: what-a-creep

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. NEGATIVE TEN STARS

I am harsh in this review and I totally feel justified in being harsh. If you dislike that, read at your own risk.

So... there were many, many things wrong with Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. For one, it took me a while to finish because I found most of it to be boring. Even during the "thrilling" ending, I kept finding myself putting it down. I can honestly say there was one moment in the book where I was compelled to keep reading, but that fizzled out very fast.

But to star...more

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Sep 09, 2012 Merary rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Ignorant people

Recommended to Merary by: The price! It was $4.99, baby!!

Shelves: abusive-relationships, strangle-them-with-a-chain-please, sexual-abuse, stalkers-creep-me-out, the-worst-i-d-ever-read, that-s-why-i-hate-boys, activate-insta-love, angels, backstabbing-fun, fucked-up-situations, insults-my-feminist-self, mean-girls, mediocre-writing, rape, why-the-hell-is-this-book-popular, you-are-an-idiot, where-s-the-fucking-conflict, ya, reading-it-for-the-wrong-reasons, didn-t-see-that-one-coming, inside-sick-minds, where-s-your-backbone, why-are-you-a-love-interest, left-me-with-a-passionate-fury

Actual rating: 1.5/5 stars

There was once a girl who was always judged by her body. First, it was the comments about her breasts and butt in second and third grade by her own mom and aunts. She didn't mind that, because, you know, her aunts were just being constructive. There's no harm on being constructive. Their comments were easy to brush away with a smile and with a "Yes, I know I'm developing". Her mom was extremely skinny so it was very easy to see the "difference". Then, some middle school...more

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Dec 29, 2009 Thomas rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own-physical, five-stars

*Important update, 8/13/2011: I read this book a year and a half ago and gave it five stars. Like Evermore, I don't feel like rereading the book to assign it a rating more akin to my current tastes. If I did I would probably give it three or four stars. You can read my review from a long time ago below, though I would recommend reading other more cultivated reviews...

Nora Gray is the typical over-achieving high school girl in the sense that she aims to go Yale, has a best friend, and has a somew...more *Important update, 8/13/2011: I read this book a year and a half ago and gave it five stars. Like Evermore, I don't feel like rereading the book to assign it a rating more akin to my current tastes. If I did I would probably give it three or four stars. You can read my review from a long time ago below, though I would recommend reading other more cultivated reviews...

Nora Gray is the typical over-achieving high school girl in the sense that she aims to go Yale, has a best friend, and has a somewhat dysfunctional family. Even her name seems synonymous with plain and simple. However, the reasons that Nora isn't the typical high school girl are many: she is independent, even at her age, because her mom travels a lot after her dad passed away. Her best friend Vee is obsessed with all the things Nora chooses to ignore - boys, shopping, and drama. And Nora is about to experience her first taste of real danger in the delectable Patch Cipriano, the sexy, mysterious boy she finds herself sitting next to in biology class one morning. Patch radiates tall, dark, and handsome, and the following day Nora realizes that she seems to be seeing him... everywhere.

Hush, Hush deserved a much better synopsis than that. However, it's difficult to entail all the things in the plot that make the book magnificent without spoilers appearing. So that will have to do. Even though the multiple summaries of the book and maybe even the book jacket allude to this book being the typical "girl meets dangerous boy" type or ordeal, it isn't. It really isn't.

I have to gush about Patch. Once again I don't want to give anything a way so my description might be vague but he's the type that would make any teenage girl or maybe even questioning boy swoon and blush along with Nora. He was the epitome of sexy and mysterious without overdoing it, he never became too much like other guys in other YA fiction, he was always dark and throughout the book questionable in a mysteriously appealing way. Patch Cipriano is just... wow. Definitely in my top 10 male characters of all time.

Also, I really enjoyed Nora and Vee's friendship. Everything they did together, whether is was arguing about boys or skipping out on their diets together was just so real, and never forced. As a teenager I could easily distinguish between an author trying to hard to create a friendship, and an author who really hits the nail on the head. Fitzpatrick did just that - I always looked forward to and enjoyed their shared dialogue. Actually, all the characters in this book were great and more than just one-dimensional archetypes. Even the antagonist, who is sure to surprise readers by the end of the novel.

The plot... wow, it was amazing. The story hooked me in and never let me go. I've said this about other novels but Hush, Hush was absolutely terrific. Even the most simple scenes were described with an underlying sense of terror and intrigue, the whole book flowed together smoothly and there were never dull moments or overstated moments.

So taking all things into consideration I would recommend this book to... everyone. I think it's important to get the point across that this book isn't a typical girl meets boy love story with a dark edge, it's much more than that. It has all the elements that make reading a book worthwhile - fascinating descriptions of scenery, terrific writing, intriguing characters, and an addicting plot that includes a modern civilization intertwined with a supernatural world. (less)

52 likes · like · see review

Jul 17, 2011 Jahlia ((thing 10 Evil 1)) rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Masochists

Recommended to Jahlia ((thing 10 Evil 1)) by: Masochism

Shelves: made-me-feel-violent, a-whole-new-level-to-bad, filled-with-fucking-morons

OH.HOT.DAMN.
I won't lie to you, it was minorly enjoyable when I read this book, but the more I read, the more the problems seemed to laugh in my face.
I've read the reviews so I wasn't expecting much from this book. but still, I was surprised. There were so many things wrong with it. One of my main problems is Nora. I can't understand why she lets patch(and everyone else that walks the earth) walk all over her, despite the reviews, I held onto hope. I was waiting throughout the book for the groin...more OH.HOT.DAMN.
I won't lie to you, it was minorly enjoyable when I read this book, but the more I read, the more the problems seemed to laugh in my face.
I've read the reviews so I wasn't expecting much from this book. but still, I was surprised. There were so many things wrong with it. One of my main problems is Nora. I can't understand why she lets patch(and everyone else that walks the earth) walk all over her, despite the reviews, I held onto hope. I was waiting throughout the book for the groin kicking, the karate kicking, the "Get the fuck away from me you sick freak!" Alas, it NEVER happened. She still allowed that bastard to walk all over her. It ws annoying because if someone kept cornering me, sexually harrassing me, and treating me like I was dirt, I would NOT be turned on. I would be learning karate and be ready to open a can of whopass. I would be packing mace, guardogs, and a switchblade. Because Patch is singlehandedly the worst loveinterest I have read about. However, Nora simply gets more turned on because of how hot and "bad" Patch is. but mostly how hot he is because that makes up for everything.

Isn't that the truth. Because of how hot Patch is, Nora continues to take his shit.

My next problem the grammar. Now don't think for one second that grammar flaws are my pet peeve. They're not. I don't give a shit about grammar because in my manuscript i have a lot of errors. Get that fitzpatrick? IN MY MANUSCRIPT. The uncorrected version of my book. However, in fitzpatrick's darling piece of shit where sexual abuse flies as long as the abuser is hot, grammar is completly ignored. I've said it before and I'll say it again. I don't give a shit about grammar but this was so bad that I spent more time mentally correcting sentences than consciously reading. Yeah, it was that bad. Bad enough it has you thinking "how did this get past a fucking editor?" I am so not shitting you. I was rereading sentences just to understand what was going on. Now I could go on and on about what a complete and utter fail this book is but I'd just be wasting valuble time. And I've wasted enough of it reading this poorly edited novel. (less)

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HUSH HUSH WORD GAME	10885	1396	1 hour, 16 min ago
YA Writers and Re...: Hush, Hush Elimination	24	20	Jun 17, 2013 06:54pm
who thinks that the plot of this is similar to twilight but with angels?	138	370	Jun 17, 2013 06:08pm
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About Becca Fitzpatrick

Becca Fitzpatrick grew up reading Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden with a flashlight under the covers. She graduated college with a degree in health, which she promptly abandoned for storytelling. When not writing, she's most likely prowling sale racks for reject shoes, running, or watching crime dramas on TV. She is the author of the bestselling HUSH, HUSH Saga. HUSH, HUSH and CRESCENDO are in stores...more

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Hush, Hush (Hush, Hush: The Graphic Novel, #1)

The Complete Hush, Hush Saga: Hush, Hush; Crescendo; Silence; Finale

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Quotes from Hush, Hush

“You smell good, too,” said Patch

It’s called a shower.” I was staring straight ahead. When he didn’t answer, I turned sideways. “Soap. Shampoo. Hot water.”

Naked. I know the drill.” — 3,495 people liked it

“Say 'provoking' again. Your mouth looks provocative when you do.” — 2,646 people liked it

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