Hush, Hush - Becca Fitzpatrick

Hush, Hush is the debut novel from Becca Fitzpatrick. It was released in Hardback on 29th October 2009 by Simon & Schuster Children's and it is 400 pages long.

Plot

Nora isn't looking forward to Biology, especially when she realises that it is time for sex education. Luckily for Nora, she always sits next to her best friend Vee but today, her teacher has other ideas in mind. Everyone in the class must swap partners and Nora gets stuck with Patch, the transfer kid who never seems to get involved. Their task is to get to know as much as possible but Patch already seems to know a hell of a lot about Nora. In contrast, Nora has only just learnt Patch's name and he isn't willing to share anything else. Throughout the lesson, Patch tells Nora to call him, indicating that it is the only way that she is going to get any answers but she's freaked out by him and in her head, refuses to call him.

Later that night though, curiosity gets the better of Nora. She wants answers. Patch tells Nora that he's out playing pool so she takes it upon herself to go down there and talk to him even though she's terrified. Nora knows there is something different about Patch and she wants to know how he knows so much about her.

While all of this is going on, strange things are happening to Nora. She's hearing Patch in her head when he isn't there and Vee thinks that Patch is stalking Nora to try to scare her. Even though Patch comes across as the bad guy, Nora's instincts tell her otherwise and she begins to point the finger at another new kid in school. She's going to have to learn to trust Patch before he tells her everything.

My Thoughts
The cover of the book was what drew me to this one. It is silver with a picture of a falling angel with black wings. I instantly thought that it looked interesting and different to anything else I have read. With the paperback being released this year, I am glad that I got the hardback for once because it is a lot nicer looking.

Nora is really likable as the main female character. I don't normally like female leads because they are often whiney and get on my nerves but Nora wasn't like this at all and I loved her. Even though she is very smart and pretty from the sounds of the description, she doesn't have much self confidence. Her best friend, Vee, is stunning and Nora doesn't think that she can compare. She can be strong and confident when she wants to be though. Alarm bells immediately start to ring in Nora's head when she thinks Patch likes her and everything tells her to stay away from him but she just cant seem to help herself, showing her weaker side. I really liked when she starts admitting to herself that she likes Patch because it shows a different side to her character.

Patch is the bad boy that is arrogant, cocky and absolutely full of himself . You really don't want to like him but you just cant help yourself. There is just something about him that draws you in. That is how I felt to begin with anyway. Once the story started to reveal itself, I found myself really warming to him and thinking his cockiness was actually pretty hot. The only problem that I had with Patch was that he wasn't developed enough for my liking. I wanted to know a lot more about his past and what he had been through for him to act the way that he does. I think that this kind of information will come out in the next two books in the series so I just hope that there will be enough of it.

There is a huge amount of chemistry between Nora and Patch. I really enjoyed the banter between the two even though it was quite clear that Nora was going to give in sooner or later. The way that Nora pushes Patch away to begin with was great because it makes a change for the main female to not be so girly and soppy when it comes to a guy. Although this couple have a lot of chemistry, it felt like that's all it was at times. I never really felt completely convinced that it was going to be anywhere near love because their lust overpowered everything else at times. I would have liked their relationship to be a bit more tender and soft at times (never thought I would say that!) just to mix things up a little bit.

The story moves along at quite a quick pace all of the way through. There always seemed to be something exciting happening but each time, just when you think you know what was about to happen, it puts doubts in your mind. One of the best things about the plot for me was the amount of times that the setting changed. There are so many books where the setting stays the same most of the way through so I really liked this difference. The descriptons of these different settings were very clear and vivid, making me feel as though I was there myself. I'm not sure I would have liked to go to the sleazy pool hall but it still sounded exciting from a 'from afar' kind of view!

Hush, Hush was one of the first books that I ever read in this genre and one that made me realise just how much there was on offer. It has so much to offer; plot twists, turns, passion, and excitment. The second book in the series, Crescendo has just been released and I hope it is every bit as fabulous as Hush, Hush!