Hush, Hush: Becca Fitzpatrick

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...until Patch comes 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 whom 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 far 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. - Good Reads

I was hesitant about starting this book, because I had previously heard very mixed opinions regarding it. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed it and I think it's one of my favourite reads of 2010. No, actually, scrap that - it WAS one of the best books I've read in the past couple of years. 

A lot of people had compared this book with Twilight, and said that there were obvious connections and comparisons leaking out of the binding. however, I beg to differ. Sure, there's a Biology class in which Patch and Nora first meet; and Patch is the mysterious hunky biology partner for our protagonist. But that is where the similarities stop. Firstly, I'm kind of annoyed, because how can anyone think that the biology scenes in Hush, Hush and Twilight are the same in any way? Patch doesn't distance himself from Nora, in fact, he seems rather stalkerish at times during the first two thirds of the book. Secondly, Patch and Edward are NOTHING alike. Nothing at all! Edward... well let's just say he and I don't particularly get along. He's pretty boring, has an old fashioned manner of speaking, very reserved.. whereas Patch.. Wow. He teases, flirts and eye-sexes with Nora. He is drop dead gorgeous and his arrogant personality is addictive. I repeat, he's nothing like Edward Cullen. 

Our main protagonist, and Patch's love interest, Nora is likable enough. She's an A grade student who has had a lot of personal problems in the past year which she seems to be dealing with pretty well. Her best friend, Vee, however, annoyed the crap out of me. She didn't act like a best friend would, she seemed very silly - almost childlike at times. But that, for me, didn't affect the story and I loved the book.

The plot is terrific, with twists and turns around every corner. The twist at the end was clever, and not very predictable unless you are very perceptive and were good at guessing. (Apparently, this is not my area of expertise!) At no point did this story feel slow, and the scenes between Patch and Nora were very... hot... and I could feel their chemistry shocking me through the pages. 

Becca Fitzpatrick's writing was - to me - great and I really loved her descriptions of various locations in the book. She didn't go into much detail on the characters' individual features, for example, I could tell you that Nora has wild red curls, and Patch has dark hair and is in 'Excellent physical shape', but that's about it. I loved that I could imagine my very own Patch, Nora, Vee, Jules etc. Some people have complained about this point, but honestly, I found it a very appealing quality.

The Cover: I think the cover for this book is beautiful. I mean, who doesn't like a half naked Patch descending from heaven? *drools*. 

Rating: 5/5

You can buy Hush, Hush from Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com or The Book Depository.