Teen/YAReview: Hush, Hush

I am not normally a big fan of the paranormal romance genre (admission time: I haven’t read the Twilight books!), but I enjoyed Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. Interestingly, I noticed that one reviewer at Amazon complained that it didn’t have “enough” paranormal in it, so I guess you can’t please everyone! I thought Hush, Hush was well written, with an engaging, suspenseful plot, and the audio version that I listened to was very well done.

Nora Grey lives with her mom in Maine in an old house and is a pretty normal teenager, working hard in school and hanging out with her best friend, Vee. She’s never been too hung up on romance, but her mysterious new biology partner, Patch, makes her feel both intrigued and uncomfortable:

Patch’s eyes were black orbs. Taking in everything and giving away nothing. Not that I wanted to know more about Patch. Since I hadn’t liked what I’d seen on the surface, I doubted I’d like what was lurking deep inside. Only, this wasn’t exactly true. I’d liked a lot of what I’d seen. Long, lean muscles down his arms, broad but relaxed shoulders, and a smile that was part playful, part seductive. I was in an uneasy alliance with myself, trying to ignore what had started to feel irresistible.

Then strange things begin to happen, some of them frightening and even dangerous, that make Nora suspect there may be much more to Patch’s past than he’s willing to tell her. Meanwhile, she and Vee meet two new boys who are also interesting, but one of them seems to have secrets of his own. When Vee ends up in the hospital, Nora decides to find answers, no matter where they lead her. The climax is exciting and surprising.

I was completely drawn into this suspenseful story and would recommend the audio version in particular.

400 pages, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing