Young Adult MO: Jerky Guy, Good Girl

Fallen angels and stalker attacks are at the center of Becca Fitzpatricks’ book, Hush, Hush. Nora Grey is feeling a bit vulnerable these days. Her father recently passed away and everyone at school doesn’t treats her differently. Her mother is rarely at home because of her new job. Then there’s this mysterious new boy at school, Patch, who gets to her like no one else can. To top it all off, she has recently become the center of some weird attacks. Her vulnerability makes her the perfect victim, but for who?

Five Things That I Loved

1.  Angels instead of vampires. Change is always nice.

2.  The romantic tension between Nora and Patch. Hating a guy seems an excellent way to start a relationship.

3.  Nora’s mysterious attacker is really creepy. The damage the attacker reeks always repairs itself after Nora decides to tell what happens.

4.  Quick and easy entertainment. Pure candy.

5.  The cover.

Five Things that I Disliked

1.  Nora is confused about what’s going on for way too long. It isn’t until almost three-fourths of the way through that she actually “gets” what Patch is.

2.  Emotional manipulation as a super-power isn’t all that interesting or fair.

3.  Nora doubts what she “sees” way too much and I was starting to get annoyed with it.

4.  The tension between Nora and Patch goes on for way too long.

5.  The jerky guy is…well…really kind of a jerk.

Hush, Hush was a very easy and delectable read, but like many young adult books don’t expect deep thought, symbolism, or feminism to steal this book. The only real complaint that I have is that it takes way too long for Nora to figure out what’s going on. She seems smart in the beginning, but her inability to grasp what is going on around her starts to make her look kind of dumb. On the other side, I loved the romantic tension between Patch and Nora. Patch is the typical “bad boy” and Nora is the “good girl.” If you can get over the cliches and take Hush, Hush for what it is, you’ll enjoy it.

Book Source: Hennepin Country Library, Eden Prairie, MN