MR: 13-16 yrs.
To be perfectly honest, I would never have opened this book if it hadn't been given to me this Christmas as a gift. Why? Because everything about it screams trashy teen romance. If a few key words were changed, the plot synopsis on the back could have been talking about almost any teen novel written in the last decade. Change the name Patch to Edward and you have Twilight. Change 'fallen angel' to 'werewolf' and you have Blood and Chocolate. On sight, I morally objected to the seemingly formulaic structure of this novel, and loathed the idea of wasting precious hours reading it. Still, it was given to me as a gift, jokingly entitled 'blog fodder.' I considered myself obligated, and resigned to the worst, settled in to read, my expectations exceedingly low.
The premise of Hush, Hush is simple, and it's one that you've heard over and over again. Boy meets girl. Boy is attractive, but dangerous. Boy could hurt girl, but falls for her instead. Girl, idiot that she is, falls for him too. Trumpets sound and boy and girl trot off to their happy ending. In Hush, Hush, the boy is a fallen angel, Patch Cipriani, who shows up in high school biology one day and finds the love of his life. Well, not exactly life. Her name is Nora, and from the moment she meets Patch, strange things begin to occur. Convinced he's stalking her, she pops a few iron pills (she's anemic), takes out her cell phone, and calls the police. Now if that's not a recipe for romance, I don't know what is.
This book may be based on a contrived plot, underdeveloped, and poorly written, but it does have a few redeeming qualities. Length, for one. If you want a fun, quick read for a Saturday evening, this is it. Also, trite as it is, the storyline is one that will always appeal to a certain echelon of reader, not for it's quality, but for the thrill of a dangerous romance. Once or twice, I found myself caught up in the intensity of it all and forgot my many misgivings. This could be the perfect book for someone looking for a little fun, as long as they don't focus too much on quality of writing. That, to me, makes it a 4 on the 1 to 10 scale. In the right circumstances, it could be entertaining, but it is in no way great literature.
If the bad-boy romance of Hush, Hush is your cup of tea, don't hesitate to order it from Amazon, where it is available in ebook, paperback, and hardcover editions. Of course, check your local independent bookstore first. You can find a list of independent bookstores in your area here. If, upon reading Hush, Hush, you dub it a work of genius, please disregard the above commentary and comment your own below. Nothing I write should have any bearing upon your final verdict. If, however, you agree with my analysis, know that you are not alone. Someone off in the blogosphere invested the same amount of time in this novel and reached the same conclusion. I can commiserate.
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