Hush, Hush

Hush, Hush Trilogy, Book 1

By: Becca Fitzpatrick

Narrated by: Caitlin Greer

Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's Summary

Romance was not part of Nora Grey's 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 of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and seems 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 she is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those who have fallen -- and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost Nora her life.

Shhh! Listen to more in the Hush, Hush saga.

©2009 Becca Ajoy Fitzpatrick (P)2009 Simon & Schuster

Sexual Harassment and Assault goes unchecked

I am not usually the person who is super sensitive to things like gender, sexuality, etc., but this book was awful. An example: the main character (Nora) is slammed into a wall and pinned there by a boy at her school. When Nora calls her friend about it the friend says that it isn’t the boys fault because he was drunk and under a lot of pressure. Then the story just goes on. There is a scene where the gym teacher asks students to say who they are sexually attracted to and this also somehow comes across as normal.

The best way for me to describe this book is Twilight but Edward is a sexual predator and Bella has no idea what’s happening until the very end.

boys you should flee from

IF THIS BOY EVER TRIES TO DATE YOU, RUN. RUN AWAY FAST. Ladies. this isn't romantic. this is abusive stalker territory and he should be in angel jail.

Skip and save your time

I was intrigued with the story itself, which I thought was relatively unique for YA fiction; finally no vampires or werewolves! But the characters were the major turnoff for me. Nora, the protagonist seems intelligent, with a good head on her shoulders but falls flat by making one bad decision after another! All for a boy who first appears rude, creepy, and a stalker, but she can’t “help” what she feels for him? Her dependency on him annoyed me at times and negated any development of a backbone she developed (which, frankly, wasn’t much); “no” is not in her vocabulary to the point where it’s ridiculous, as in when Elliot visits her house drunk. Vee is bubbly and fun in the beginning, but her role as “best friend” turns toxic when she’s constantly haranguing Nora to do things she doesn’t want to do (like camping with a potential crazy person). Sorry, but that’s not what a best friend would do. There were times where I wanted to stop listening (especially when the bio teacher just allows Patch to pretty much verbally sexually harass Nora in front of the class), but the mystery of the plot is really what kept me going. Unfortunately, the characters just weren’t very real to me; their flaws were too focused; Nora was a pushover, Vee was too boy crazy and blind to everything else, and Patch was too mysterious to the point you didn’t really know much about him and was boring.
The voice actor was good though and I think the plot was solid enough, but if you’re a Katniss girl, save your hair (from pulling it out in frustration) and skip.

Inklings Read Reviews: Hush, Hush

I have a love/hate relationship with this book for one big reason: Why does Patch have to be such a jerk!? I mean, yeah I get that he has his reasons, but still. I’m growing tired of seeing YA characters falling for assholes. I also hate the fact even with him being such a jerk, I still fell for him just like Nora. I don’t know what it is that makes him so damn attractive. Really, it was quite frustrating! Can you say STALKER? I think the police would have been called by chapter 4 if I was Nora.

My initial reaction to Hush, Hush, was that it was going to be just like Twilight. Initial bio scene anyone? I was pleasantly surprised to find that the plot was quite original. It really picked up toward the end leaving me wanting more! I was super intrigued by Patch and his past. He’s such a mysterious character. At first I hated the dynamic between Nora and Patch, but Fitzpatrick’s writing quickly changed that. She wrote some super sexy and cute moments between the two. In the end, I fell for the sexy jerk of a fallen angel.

I’ll be honest that there were one or two parts I found VERY predictable. Other than that, this was a great listen and I will definitely be continuing the series! On another note: Caitlin Greer is a great narrator.

Couldn’t get past the first few hours

The main love interest was such a problem for me it ruined the whole book. They way he intrudes into Nora’s life and is just overall pushy and creepy was such a turn off. Nora feels like she is the one with out any agency or power when she should be in control of her story. 2/10 not impowering and just overall bad vibes

Stalker-y, creepy, rape culture

This was one of the worst examples of YA perpetuating rape-culture crap I've seen in a while. The heroine was weak and dumb, and all of her decisions were idiotic. The surrounding characters were unsupportive, creepy and/or boundary-crossing, including the supposed best friend. The main love-interest was a wannabe rapist/murderer- but it's ok cause he's hot. How is this the message that we're sending kids in freaking 2016. It makes me want to cry.

Hush, Hush perfect young adult book

I sadly realized this book was a little young for me. The book is similiar to Fallen, which I have listened to as well. The reader is easy to listen to and keeps you in the book. Very good book.

I’ve reread this book about 4 times

The first 3 times I read this book, it was the paper back version. I couldn’t put it down and I read all of the books in this saga. Listening to it as and audio book didn’t give me the same feeling that I got from reading it myself but I enjoy being able to listen to the book while I’m getting work done. I must say when I read this book (high school) I knew things were a little creepy but for some reason,at 24, things seem way more creepy and less cute lol I guess I’m just growing up…Still love the book 🤗

Love this Narrator

I read this book when I was in High school and I love the story line, but what really made this a great experience was the narrator. She has such a good voice! Loved it

Not Quite Heavenly Sent

Would you try another book from Becca Fitzpatrick and/or Caitlin Greer?

I expect that someday I will try another book in the series. However, this book did not leave me desperately wanting more.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

The ending was rather predictable, especially if you've read "Twilight."

What aspect of Caitlin Greer’s performance would you have changed?

I think she forced the male voices a little too much. I know it's hard for a female to do male voices, but she seemed to try too hard.

Did Hush, Hush inspire you to do anything?

It did not inspire me to do anything except move on to something else.

Any additional comments?

I was curious about this book because of a little bit of hype that seems to follow it. I've seen my students (young adult, middle school) reading it and wanted to know more. In the past, this reaction has served me well. That's how I got hooked on reading "Harry Potter," and "Twilight". However, I did not have anywhere close to a similar reaction with "Hush, Hush."