Second Opinion: Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

It's no secret here at I'd So Rather Be Reading that I was not a fan of Hush, Hush.  Click here to read a summary and to see my original review.  

Bearing that in mind, I decided to give Hush, Hush another try.  Everyone else seems to love it, plus I'm on an ARC tour for Crescendo, so I wanted to have the story fresh in my mind.  So, here's my second opinion (I know that this is a  really long post, but I have some strong feelings about this one and have a lot to say):


Things I like about Hush, Hush:

1. I love the cover.
2. I like the fallen angels premise.
3. The book is compulsively readable, despite my manifold issues with it (both times, I read it in less than four hours).
4. I like the twist at the end.

Things I don't like about Hush, Hush:

1. I don't like Nora...she behaves with no common sense or sense of self-preservation.  She makes these crazy statements/thoughts, such as when Patch admits he's been trying to KILL her and Nora thinks, "I know Patch would never hurt me."
2. I am not a fan of love based on fear, hatred, or revulsion, or attraction despite those barriers.  Not at all---it does absolutely nothing for me.
3. I feel like this book sends a bad message to teens, perpetuating the "No means Yes" thinking.  For example, Nora keeps telling Patch to stay away from her and he laughs it off.  Then, she repeatedly asks Coach to switch her seats so she isn't partnered with Patch because she feels uncomfortable and Coach denies her.  This type of thing goes on and on throughout the book (see #1).
4. There are too many villains, making the story seem jumpy. 
5. There is an uncanny similarity to Twilight and even Evermore.  With regards to Evermore, Dabria is a reproduction of Drina (Damon's old flame).  Similarities to Twilight:
1. Bookish girl and hot, mysterious guy being science class partners.
2. One of the pair being new in town.
3. Girl trying to figure out what the sexy, mysterious guy is.
4. Girl's computer being really old and not connecting to the Internet well.
5. The Portland trip---where she gets into trouble and is saved by the guy.
6. The car wreck where the damage to the car is seen by the girl alone.
7. The bubbly best friend.
8. The injuries caused by the scary stalker guy and subsequent rescue by sexy, mysterious paranormal guy.
9. Hot guy starting out wanting to kill the girl.
10. Hot guy then falling in love and making sacrifices for the girl.
11. The sappy ending with one partner undergoing a transformation.
12. I might be able to overlook these similarities, which border on overt plagiarism, if the writing, romance, and overall feel of the book equaled Stephanie Meyer's.  Even if the characters were consistent and the writing didn't feel so jumpy, I may be able to overlook a lot.  But I just can't.
6. There are parts of the book that don't make any sense at all or are completely invalid:
1. Stopping at a yellow light, looking both ways, then going through the intersection.
2. The police talking to Nora when legally, a parent would have to be present  or at least informed of the visit since she is a minor.
3. Nora reading in the newspaper about Elliott being held and questioned for murder, when that record would be closed due to Elliott being a minor.
4. The "Archangel" roller coaster.  A LAME stretch.  That's all I'm saying about that.
5. The biology "reproduction" assignment.  Like that would ever happen.  And the teacher's statements?  I was laughing out loud at the ludicrousness.  
6. Nora going undercover to investigate Patch.  Seriously?
7. Nora going to investigate Elliott when she is aware of his possibly violent past.  Again, seriously?
8. I could really go on and on, but the last thing I'll list is that I just don't understand how wings spanning from your kidneys to your shoulder blades form an upside-down "V".  Last time I checked, my shoulder blades were directly above my kidneys. Is that a physical abnormality that only I possess?

I'm sure you can tell by now that I could just keep going and going with this.  I'm going to stop my rant, knowing I've probably alienated legions of devoted Hush, Hush fans, and say that while I will read Crescendo, mostly just out of a morbid curiosity to  see if the fallacies persist, I won't be buying it.  

There are just too many problems with Hush, Hush for me to go up on stars.  The ending  and pacing left me close to going up to two stars, but reading over my list of "don't likes" I just can't, especially considering the message that this book sends to teens.

Original Score/Second Opinion Score:

Finished But Did Not Like It.  

Am I on target?  Am I way off base?  What do you think about Hush, Hush?  Let me know!  Natalie hasn't read this one (since she's heard me grouse about it for months) so we don't have a minority report to share.