"Hushed" by Kelley York

From Goodreads: "He’s saved her. He’s loved her. He’s killed for her.

Eighteen-year-old Archer couldn’t protect his best friend, Vivian, from what happened when they were kids, so he’s never stopped trying to protect her from everything else. It doesn’t matter that Vivian only uses him when hopping from one toxic relationship to another—Archer is always there, waiting to be noticed.

Then along comes Evan, the only person who’s ever cared about Archer without a single string attached. The harder he falls for Evan, the more Archer sees Vivian for the manipulative hot-mess she really is.

But Viv has her hooks in deep, and when she finds out about the murders Archer’s committed and his relationship with Evan, she threatens to turn him in if she doesn’t get what she wants… And what she wants is Evan’s death, and for Archer to forfeit his last chance at redemption."

After finishing the book the first thing I think of how cute it was, which may seem quite contradictory with it being a thriller. I think that why I am left feeling this way is because of how much Archer sacrificed for Vivien, his relationship with Evan, and his relationship with Marissa. 

I cannot stress to you how dynamic each and everyone of these characters was- from quiet and brooding Archer with somewhat of a hero complex, to Vivian, probably one of the best villains I have read of in quite some time, being so manipulative and everything (she was very much one of those characters you tried so hard to hate, but couldn't), to Evan, by far one of the sweetest characters I have ever read before, who possessed a heart like no other (and who just radiated goodness, making everyone around him a better person).

I find that a lot of the times in YA books LGBT characters are really overdone- that they aren't representative of LGBT individuals in the slightest (they almost seem to follow LGBT stereotypes or become a parody of the LGBT community) but I didn't feel that way whatsoever with Evan and Archer- they were both so real and their relationship flowed so naturally- you couldn't help but fall for them and want everything, when all was said and done, to work in their favour. 

All in all, this was such a satisfying read- once I started it I literally could not put it down (I read this into the wee hours of the morning, something I have never done before). I highly recommend it for those looking for a deeper YA read. 

Rating: 9/10 

I received this book from the author to read and review. I was not compensated in any way for said review.