Hush Hush Book Review

Title: Hush, Hush

Author: Becca Fitzpatrick

Release Date:

Series: Yes

Rating: 1

Cliffhanger: Not Really


I don't think I can properly describe how much I did not like this book. There will be Spoilers below because I don't think I can do this review without them. I'll try to do a smaller one without spoilers and mark the point where they really start.

Hush Hush is about Nora Grey, an average girl with an average life until she meets Patch. Nora is drawn to Patch even though she doesn't know him well. After some scary things happen to Nora she is not sure who to trust and is frightened by how much Patch seems to know about her. When she goes looking for answers, she finds herself learning something stranger than she ever imagined. She gets caught in the middle of an ancient battle that may cost Nora her life.




Now I wasn't going to read this book at first. When I first came across this book the series wasn't finished and since I have no patience to wait years to finish reading a series, I wait for all the books to come out. I was really excited for a book with fallen angels. Paranormal, fantasy, etc. are always a lot of fun and there are not as many popular and/or well known angel books as there are vampires and werewolves. But I ended up reading some reviews that were not that good and decided that I did not want to read Hush Hush. And of course I forgot all about what I had decided when I was having a book lull and didn't know what to read. The series was finished, it was about fallen angels, and I didn't have anything else to read. So of course with no self control I got the book.


No major spoilers
This is sort of one of those insta-love stories where the main character and her love interest don't know anything about each other but by the end they would do anything for each other. Nora is also annoying and naïve. And I mean so stupid that when there are two flat tires in the car she was using her first thought is she ran over two nails. Never mind that the car hadn't been moved since it was driven to that spot and she is being followed by someone trying to kill her.

"I can't believe it!" I said. "I drove over two nails?"

Nora and Patch had a very confusing "relationship" and I put it in quotes because to me they didn't have one at all. The summary on the book implies that they fall in love and that is a big part of the book but I just did not get that. Nora and Patch didn't seem to have any kind of real conversation about anything important or informative about each other until close to the end of the book. Sure they were lab partners in a class but that didn't help the narrative move in any direction.


The book is supposedly about fallen angels but angels aren't even really mentioned until about 60% into the book. When they are mentioned it is mainly the name of a roller coaster ride and a nickname and a really bad article. Hush Hush also has too many villains. It takes away from what little story there is by having to keep track of too many stuff.




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~SPOILERS BELOW~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~








































Nora was one of the worst characters I have ever read about. She is the girl in the horror movie that you yell don't go in there run away. At every moment she was doing or thinking something stupid. Nora and Patch meet in their science class when the assigned seating is changed and they become lab partners. While Nora is drawn to Patch he is a mystery. Nora's idea is to investigate and find out more about him. When trying to find out more about Patch Nora decides to talk to people at his job. But of course she can't just simply ask she has to make it complicated. What she does is arrange with Vee to go to his work, at a restaurant, then she goes to the bathroom to change into a more revealing outfit and a WIG. Yes she put on a wig! Her plan was to change so no one recognized her (like anyone would care) and flirt with the bartender for information. And of course the bartender happens to be a 30 something guy and Patch catches her.

"I was forced to accept that maybe now want the time to rely on the logical half of my brain."

"With my heart thundering, I jumped on the first conclusion that presented itself."

And her relationship with Patch wasn't even a real relationship. She doesn't really know anything about Patch, hasn't had any conversation of substance with him, can't get any real answers from him, thinks he is stalking her, thinks he might have attacked her friend Vee, is outright scared of him, and thinks he might have beat up mean girl Marcia the night before and still she goes out on a date with him! Patch was trying to kill Nora, at first. I mean he was always mean to her and she was still drawn to him for no reason.

"You're giving me too much credit. It was all you, Nora. If your mind wasn't so weak, I couldn't have done a thing. Am I making you feel bad? Is it discouraging to know that out of all the minds I've invaded, yours tops the list as easiest? And most fun."

And Nora's best friend Vee was just as bad if not worse. At first I could see that Nora's best friend Vee was going to fill the obligatory quirky best friend role. After a while she just got annoying. And what king of best friend keeps pushing you towards a guy that scares you. And I mean that literally like Nora stated at one point that Patch out right scares her. Vee has no regard for Nora's well being. Vee doesn't even seem to care and makes excuses for someone, another person who ends up scaring Nora, manhandling Nora.

“He  dragged me out the front door and shoved me against the house.” “But he was drunk, right?” “Does it matter?” I snapped. “Well, he has a lot going on. I mean, he was wrongly accused of being messed up in some girl’s suicide, and he was forced to switch schools. If he hurt you—and I’m not justifying what he did, by the way—maybe he just needs . . . counseling, you know?” “If he hurt me?” “He was wasted. Maybe—maybe he didn’t know what he was doing. Tomorrow he’s going to feel horrible.”

At around 60% the book finally starts to talk about fallen angels. Nora had seen Patch's back with his scars and then later that night while talking to Vee. Vee asks "was he an angel" as in did he try anything on their "date" so all of a sudden its like OMG angel, Patch has angel scars, I'll look up angel scars and find a really stupid article that will put me on the path to learning the truth.

"I crammed everything I’d read into a mental folder and filed it away. And stamped SCARY on the outside of the folder."

And on top of all the other crazy and stupid stuff that happens in the book there are not one but four bad guys. Yes at one point or another there are four people that want Nora dead. It's bad enough that a book about fallen angels barely has any fallen angels in it but trying to keep track of who is stalking, attacking, and or trying to kill Nora at any given point is exhausting. Since Nora is always jumping to conclusions and there are so many villains the story drags from all the things that Nora has to investigate.

Yes Please

Title: Yes Please

Author: Amy Poehler
Release Date: October 28, 2014
Rating: 4


When I first saw that Amy Poehler had written a book I thought it would be amazing and funny, kind of a mix between SNL and Parks and Recreation that would be filled with laughs. Then remembering it was a memoir of sorts and reading the overview and a review that started with "This is not a comedy book" made me think differently. And that review was right, this is not a comedy book. That doesn't mean that there are not a lot of funny parts in the book but it was not written with the purpose of being all laughs all the time. 

“Saying “yes” doesn’t mean I don’t know how to say no, and saying “please” doesn’t mean I am waiting for permission.”

 Yes please is a combination of stories from Amy's life, life lessons that she has learned, advice, and some additions from people in her life. It is very hard to classify this as a specific genre because it has many different aspects. Once I let go of the expectation that this would be that all laughs book I enjoyed it. To me it almost read like a collection of short stories that were along the timeline of one person.

“However, if you do start crying in an argument and someone asks why, you can always say, "I'm just crying because of how wrong you are.”

Amy doesn't hold back on anything in this book, except her divorce. She is extremely frank on everything from sex to drugs. The reason that she does not talk about her divorce is because she says that it is too painful and that is ok we don't really need to know about it. She also does not go into too much detail into Parks and Rec because she was still filming at the time. Those were the two things that were not really discussed much but there were good reasons and the book did not suffer for it.

"A lot of people don’t know I am always thisfuckingclose to doing some crazy shit.”

One of the few issues I had with this book is that it seemed a little disjointed. Although the book covered a large range of Amy's life it was out of order. Maybe if there was a timeline somewhere to connect all the points of her life that are hit in the book it would make more sense for me. I haven't read a non-fiction biography type book in a while so I might just be not used to that style of book. However, the jumping around in time made me a little confused on the order. So I would be reading about SNL and then about something in Chicago and back to New York the Upright Citizens Brigade.

“Telling me to relax or smile when I’m angry is like bringing a birthday cake into an ape sanctuary. You’re just asking to get your nose and genitals bitten off.”

The only other issue I can think of is that the parts with SNL, Awards hosting, Parks and Rec, and other memorable parts of Amy's career were too short. That's not to say that what was in the book was bad, I just wanted more. Although there was a really good story that involves Amy sitting on George Clooney's lap. Her entire run on SNL was reduced to on chapter. The Parks and Rec stories were also reduced to one chapter with just a paragraph for each character.

Overall I think it was a really good book and if you like non-fiction/biography/advice/whatever else then this one is worth a read.

“People are their most beautiful when they are laughing, crying, dancing, playing, telling the truth, and being chased in a fun way.”

All quotes are from Amy's book, Yes Please, obviously :)

The Joy of Books

I started this blog because my friend was telling me about a blog she has and it sounded like so much fun. I started this blog mainly because I liked decorating it. The my friend and I decided to make a blog about books with another friend of ours. Our blog is about books because we all love reading and go to some sort of book store at least once a week. We have long lists of books we have read, books we want to read, and books ot suggest for others.

Some times we come across other book lovers but often times people look at us like we are crazy for stayin up until 3:00 in the morning reading. They don't understand how that we get so caught up in the book we still think it is only 8:30 or that the book is so good and we are so close to finishing that we just have to finish it tonight. Books are awesome and everyone should take some time to read a book, any book!

This is a video that I saw and has become really popular and is a lot of fun! It is called The Joy of Books:

Anyone who says they have only one life to live must not know how to read a book. ~Author Unknown

The Healer's Apprentice

I love books set in a different time period. I think my favorites are probably ones with princes or princesses. That is what drew me to The Healer's Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson.

Overview:

Two Hearts. One Hope.

Rose has been appointed as a healer's apprentice at Hagenheim Castle, a rare opportunity for a woodcutter's daughter like her. While she often feels uneasy at the sight of blood, Rose is determined to prove herself capable. Failure will mean returning home to marry the aging bachelor her mother has chosen for her—a bloated, disgusting merchant who makes Rose feel ill.

When Lord Hamlin, the future duke, is injured, it is Rose who must tend to him. As she works to heal his wound, she begins to understand emotions she's never felt before and wonders if he feels the same. But falling in love is forbidden, as Lord Hamlin is betrothed to a mysterious young woman in hiding. As Rose's life spins toward confusion, she must take the first steps on a journey to discover her own destiny.

Pasted from <http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/healers-apprentice-melanie-dickerson/1100162136?ean=9780310721437&itm=1&product.urlkeywords=healers-apprentice%2fmelanie-dickerson&usri=the%2bhealer%2bs%2bapprentice>

When I first started reading this book it was a little confusing and hard to keep the names straight. For the future Duke character Dickerson switched between calling him Lord Hamlin and Wilhelm without explaining in the beginning of the book that it is the same person. At first while reading it seemed that they were two different characters rather than the same one with a formal and informal name. Once I made it farther into the book it picked up with Wilhelm pushing Rose toward his brother thinking he would be better for her. Of course that could not work out. My only real problem with this book is the incorporation of religion for the characters. Now don’t get me wrong I am not against religion and I believe that everyone has the right to believe what they want. My problem with the religion in the book is that the characters relied on religion to much. When someone was sick they would be stitched up and then a prayer would be said. What is strange about that is the characters expected God to fix the wound like the stitches were just a precaution. When Rose was in danger Wilhelm prayed more than he did anything. I wanted more action and less sitting around praying about stuff hoping God would just fix it for them.  This is a good book if you like time period pieces and you can deal with all the praying. If you don’t like those things then this isn't the book for you.

Amy and Roger's Epic Detour

I have read a lot of books in my life and I have loved a lot of books in my life. One of my all time favorite books of all time is Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson.

Overview:

Amy Curry is having a terrible year. Her mother has decided to move across the country and needs Amy to get their car from California to Connecticut. There’s just one small problem: Since her dad died this past spring, Amy hasn’t been able to get behind the wheel. Enter Roger, the nineteen-year-old son of an old family friend, who turns out to be unexpectedly cute . . . and dealing with some baggage of his own.

Meeting new people and coming to terms with her father’s death were not what Amy had planned on this trip. And traveling the Loneliest Road in America, seeing the Colorado mountains, crossing the Kansas plains, and visiting diners, dingy motels, and Graceland were definitely not on the itinerary. But as they drive, Amy finds that the people you least expected are the ones you may need the most — and that sometimes you have to get lost in order to find your way home.

“One of the most touching, irresistible, and feel-good road trips I’ve been on in a long, long while.” —Deb Caletti, National Book Award Finalist

Pasted from <http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/amy-and-rogers-epic-detour-morgan-matson/1100365091>

This book is a must read! I can't even express how much I loved this book. Matson did a wonderful job of incorporating a journey for the main character Amy in her life as well on the road with Roger. I have to say that I liked that the romance came gradually and did not overpower the rest of the story. It seems that in so many of the popular books today a guy and girl meet they talk for two minutes and then they are in love and can't function without each other. This book has the added bonus of playlists through out the book to check out for your own road trip.  Amy is strong even in her grief and repairs her self in a believable way. I have read this book at least three times. This is a book that everyone needs to read at least once and maybe more if you love it enough as me. I don't know about anyone else but this book makes me want to have a cross country road trip and also read the book again.

It's Not The Destination, It's The Journey- Unknown

The Book of Awesome

If you are ever having a bad day then The Book of Awesome by Neil Pasricha is for you. This book is just like it says on the cover AWESOME.

Overview

The author behind 1000awesomethings.com celebrates the good things in life- by the sheer power of their awesomeness. Based on the award-winning blog 1000awesomethings.com, The Book of Awesome is a high five for humanity and a big celebration of life's little moments and the underappreciated, simple things that make us happy, from popping bubble wrap to hitting a bunch of green lights in a row, to waking up thinking it's Monday and realizing it's Saturday. With wise, witty observations from writer Neil Pasricha, this treasure trove is filled with smile-inducing musings that make readers feel like kids looking at the world for the first time: AWESOME!                                                                                             Pasted from <http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/book-of-awesome-neil-pasricha/1100043510?ean=9780425238905&itm=1&usri=the%2bbook%2bof%2bawesome>  

This book is perfect for when you are having a bad day. Why? Because it is a good reminder of some of the awesome things in life. If you don’t have time to be reading an entire book you can just flip through the pages randomly and remind yourself about some of the awesome things out there. It is a sure way to make you smile and feel better when you are having a bad day.

 A Few of my favorites in the book include:

When you push the button for the elevator and it's already there

Licking better off the beaters of a cake mixer

Blowing out the candles on your first try

A long hug when you really need it

Laughing so hard you make no sound at all

Absolute perfect silence

The smell of books