Well, I was super enthusiastic about this one based on the fact that it was, “Inspired by The Picture of Dorian Gray.” But... I kind of wonder if it was inspired by the title and not the story? Because this had absolutely nothing even remotely to do with the Oscar Wilde classic - other than some pictures. 😂

I hate to say it but I kind of disliked all the characters except Claudia. They were all pretty despicable and/or super annoying (hello, Mick, I’m calling you out).

This story is verrrrry dark in its overall themes and nature. The “art” in the novel is more like violence and murder. Not so beautiful. Interesting, though!

This is touted as a love story (or romantic) but it is not that at all, either. It’s lust - and it’s completely toxic (until very close to the end, and by that time I kind of hated everyone, so it didn’t really matter). Also, it’s really more about the psychotic mind of a completely different character than it is about Mick and Veronica’s budding relationship.

Don’t get me wrong! This was an absolute page-turner and I was enthralled from the beginning. It’s just not what it says it is and I felt I needed to right that wrong.

~ Thank you so much to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. for providing me with an early copy in exchange for an honest review! Release date: March 30 ~

'You're a living, breathing piece of art.'
'Everyone's favorite little thing.'

This book glitters, not in the light, but in the dark. When I heard there was an upcoming YA release inspired by The Picture of Dorian Gray, I knew I needed it immediately. I wanted to further explore those themes of vanity, of obsession. And boy, did this book deliver.

What happens when one's muse isn't a willing participant? At one point does reality supersede the art? This book explores these questions expertly all while maintaining a breathtaking aesthetic. Yes, the story is told through black words on a white page, but I didn't see words, I saw a blaze.

I don't want to discuss plot here because I truly think this is best experienced with the little knowledge I've already given you. I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys unlikable characters, psychological dilemma, and sparkling darkness.

This book was an absolute roller coaster. I devoured this book in 2 days. I felt the insta-love in the beginning was a bit much at first, but then I remembered how flighty I was as a teenager. After reading The Kill Club, Wendy Heard became an insta-read for me. I didn't QUITE get what I wanted out of it compared to The Kill Club, but I think that may be because it was a YA vs. an adult novel. The drama, murder, and the danger was addictive and overall this was still a solid read. Wendy Heard is a brilliant story-teller and I'm looking forward to more of her work in the future.

Haunting and riveting, this thriller fulfilled a craving I didn't know I had. As I often do, I went into this book nearly blind. I didn't remember the short blurb about the book that I read months ago when I first requested this ARC. I had no idea that this was anything other than just a contemporary YA novel. And man was I in for a ride.

Wendy Heard has crafted a seductive novel that pulled me in from the start and kept me coming back for more. I finished this book in the course of a single day, as I just had to watch the metaphorical train wreck unfold. But little did I know this train wreck wasn't simply an accident. It was the work of carefully hidden snipers followed by some fireworks and perhaps everyone jumped out of the train before the wreck even happened.

Mick is a particularly enthralling character because you can see her falling apart and giving in to peer pressure (mostly of her own internal creation, although the people she befriends do seem to be pushy), and I still found myself just hoping that she would realize her mistakes and pull herself out of it. But this is not just a contemporary YA, so there were more sinister characters at play, and by the time she realized, she was far too late.

Veronica's relationship with her mom was very sweet. They were very open, but both had their own secrets. Veronica's wanting to keep things to herself rang true to the self destructive nature of teenagers and all the misconceptions they hold on to growing up. Societal norms played a huge role in sabotaging these characters along the way. They continued to hesitate time and again in that self destructive pattern that society trains into us, to not be honest about every little thing.

The scariest part of this book is that I can relate to making these kinds of dumb decisions and could very easily have fallen in with people who would've used my insecurity and desire for external validation to convince me very easily to do some of the dumb things that teenage girls were convinced to do in the pages of this book. I always told my mom not to worry and that I had a handle on everything, but if someone weird had come along and provided me just a little of this encouragement, who's to say that I wouldn't have fallen into their trap. I mean Veronica seemed to be a pretty typical and solid girl who knew what she wanted, and she fell for it.

I really enjoyed the LGBT representation here. Mick and Veronica's relationship felt passionate and consuming, and also did a great job of distracting not only themselves but also the reader from the sinister happenings behind the scenes. Yes, I could tell that there was something big impending, but again I thought it would merely be the self destructive nature of someone who feels adrift, as in Mick's case.

She's Too Pretty to Burn had me scared by the end of it. I made my husband check under the bed and in the empty rooms for me before I felt safe enough to go to sleep. It didn't help that my lamp kept shorting out on me in the last hour of the book, right when everything was ramping up. Don't read it right before bed! Unless you like being scared, in which case, be my guest.

Thank you to MacMillan and Netgalley for an ARC of Too Pretty to Burn by Wendy Heard in exchange for an honest review.

This story is about two girls Mick and Veronica who meet at a party and start dating. One girl is a swimmer and the other one is a Photographer. One has her life that is upside down while the other one has everything together. It isn't until both girls are both mixed in with the wrong guy that things start going really wrong.

I love the twist and turns of the book. I felt very invested and even though it took me a bit too really get into it. I really really liked it. A+

She's Too Pretty to Burn was an emotional roller coaster. I had completely forgotten that it's a The Picture of Dorian Gray retelling until I re-read the summary. And then I was even more sold than ever before. Talk aboout a book I want more and more retellings of in my life. This sapphic thriller is infused with subtle tension from the beginning that just crescendos to the end. She's Too Pretty to Burn is about love, friendship, and art. About obsession and what we are willing to sacrifice for an image.

For an image of ourselves, of someone else, or of the world. It's a story of manipulation, of toxic relationships, and nightmares. At the same time, it's a story about love and strength and realizing who we want to be. There are all sorts of emotional lows and highs throughout She's Too Pretty to Burn. It was easy to fall in love with the high stakes and action. But what I ended up also loving are the characters.

This book just simply didn't work out for me. I feel like we just didn't get to know the characters at all. I had no grasp on who they are besides some minor things that were important to the plot. If it wasn't needed in the plot we didn't get to know it about them, which kept me at a bit of a distance. The plot also seemed a bit random. I mean, in the first half everything seemed normal, if not a bit slow. However in the second half, when everything started happening, it went from 0 to 100 a little bit too quick and I had a hard time following what was going on. I just felt like every twist came completely out of nowhere and was absolutely not grounded at all in anything. So yeah, this book wasn't for me. It's a shame though because the idea of this book is really cool and the romance could have been so good if we only got to know our characters better. So yeah, this book was a dissapointement for me.

SHE'S TOO PRETTY TO BURN is as intoxicating as the first sip of champagne after a job promotion, as the flickering of fire as the smoke drifts into your eyes. It is fearful, hungry, maddeningly coy. It is the book you want to keep rereading and rereading until it is carved into your bones.

The first half of the book was kind of meh, but I blazed through the second half. These characters were just so messy, and I honestly didn’t really like Mick or Veronica, but they still resonated in so many ways. This was such a brilliant, clever take on Dorian Gray and pulled together beautifully as a commentary on art, coming of age, and self-image.

SPOILERS BELOW:
I will say though, that I was kind of surprised that Mick and Veronica ended up together, given how toxic their relationship was for basically the entire book. It just feels a little weird to me, but at the same time they weren't really likable characters so I guess their relationship does work on some slightly dysfunctional level.

She’s Too Pretty to Burn is an unexpectedly wild ride full of atmospheric summer-y vibes and twisty turns that I couldn’t have seen coming. I love how intense the story is from the beginning and the ways in which Heard puts a modern spin on The Picture of Dorian Gray. I would love to see this novel adapted into a film, and can’t wait to read Heard’s next release!

This didn't jive with me, though thrillers rarely do, I'm super picky about them. I liked the concept for this, but didn't get hooked by the writing or the characters. I strongly suspect this is a "me" thing though. I'm not saying this was poorly written, just that I probably should have known that this wouldn't work for me.
I mean. it could have. I just didn't find that I was engaged in this story and ultimately I didn't finish. As with all dnf's, maybe this got better after I quit, but I don't know.

She's Too Pretty To Burn is a reimaging of The Picture of Dorian Gray, it was a thrilling beauty to read. It left me breathless at times with its art and passion. I love when an author takes on a retelling and does it well, in this case Wendy Heard went above and beyond with this retelling making a masterpiece that swirled around me till the very end.

I am going to stay out of spoiler territory and try not to give anything away since this book has not come out yet. The writing is superb and flowed well , it never missed a beat. It carried from the adventure to the romance. It will leave you speechless and aching for more. The was a fast pace dysfunctional love affair to the very end that will leave any reader overwhelmed in the best way possible.

I absolutely LOVED this book! It was so fast paced, fun, and intriguing. I loved the representation, the art, the betrayal, everything! One of the best YA novels I've read in a long time.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

For starters the "plot" didn't even start until we were 47% through the book, now for a YA Contemporary, that's a hot minute... And while we were waiting for the "plot" to start the "entertainment" we had to deal with was just toxic characters, toxic relationships, and honestly just unbelievable stuff in general. No matter how hard I tried to dispend my belief, I just could not do it. The biggest reason why is because the stuff we had to dispend our belief for, was just absolutely stupid. The reasoning in this book? Art..... Yeah. No. So Terrorizing a Certain Person is all for the sake of art? Disgusting.

I wouldn't say this is an absolutely terrible book, it's just not my favorite. It was a little challenging to connect with the characters, but the story still weaves a pretty good storyline. I appreciate the aspect of the book being told from two perspectives, despite the difficulty of connecting with the characters.

I wasn’t sure what I was really getting into when I started reading this book but I’m glad I did! I devoured this book in less than a day, I was hooked and wanting to know more with each page. This story is told from two different perspectives Veronica and Mick, at times their relationship seemed a bit fast and not as believable but then I remembered when I was a teenager and realized how quickly many fall in love. The ending for me was great, it left me wanting more and hoping there would be a next book. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars- thank you netgalley and publisher for this advanced read.

I was not a fan of this book. I thought most of the characters were shallow and not that likeable. I also had to suspend my disbelief a little too much while reading it. The quick love of the relationship between the girls, the elaborate nature of the art installations. It was all just pretty far fetched. Veronica also never truly stops pushing Mick's boundaries with the photos and there are issues and their relationship is just toxic the whole time but it's supposed to be sweet? I don't know. I liked the switching points of view and that created interesting tension and suspense. The book just wasn't for me.

What a wild ride! For me personally, the thriller aspects of this book were the most successful (moreso than the contemporary romance). I felt pretty icky about the honesty (or lack thereof) between Mick and Veronica, though I did find myself rooting for them in the end. I love that the inspiration of Dorian Grey was present without being too literal. And the ending... still has me shook. So jarring and dark. I would definitely recommend this to those looking for a quick read that will keep you on the edge of your seat, especially the last quarter!

This book surprised me. I haven't read or watched The Picture of Dorian Gray, which this book was inspired by, so I have nothing to compare it to, but I liked the story and the way the characters lived up to how they were portrayed. Whether you like the characters or not, this book had a little bit of everything. From art, to first love, to suspense, this book kept me turning the pages until the very end.

Veronica and her friend Nico are artists. Nico is a little older, living on his own, but still relying on Veronica for some part of his day to day life. He is all about the installation/performance art. He is sending a message. Veronica, meanwhile is still in high school, but she loves a good analog photo. She is a photographer that still works with film and in a darkroom. She has the love and support of parents (mostly her mother), so she will never go without, unlike Nico. Then Mick walks in to their close duo friendship. She is quiet and a watcher. She has a beauty that she does not see, but she doesn't ever want to be the center of attention. When Veronica and Mick meet at a party that Mick never wanted to be at, they have an instant connection/friendship. But when Veronica steals a picture of Mick that Mick never agreed to, that's when the story gets flipped upside down for all parties involved.

"It never occurred to me that fear could be fun."

I really liked this story and found myself totally enthralled with it. You get to see kids from different social/class backgrounds and you also get to experience a gay high school couple. We need more books like this that shows representation and doesn't make a big deal about it. It just IS. But we also get art and where we find beauty in that art and the subjects being uncomfortable with that. Add in some mystery and suspense and you have a page turning YA thriller that will keep you captivated throughout. This book is fast paced and quick witted. Not everything seemed believable, but it is well written and I totally enjoyed it from beginning to end. Parts of it left me with my heart beating and waiting to see what would happen to the characters. Other parts left me wanting to really hurt one of the characters. There is definitely some manipulation going on with more than one character, but definitely one in particular. So you may not like everyone, but there is a method to all the madness. Enjoy it and flip those pages to the very end to see what happens. It is definitely an exciting ride!

I missed that this was a thriller somehow when I requested it. I saw LGBTQ, artists, California, Picture of Dorian Gray.... and I requested it because it sounded amazing.

I can definitely say it's good - it's very well-written, it's definitely compelling - but I'm stopping at 40% because I can say for absolute certainty that this book will mess me up if I keep reading. It's already done so a bit - I think I'll have to read an old favorite before bed as a palate cleanser.

I feel for Mick; no one seems to understand her. There's a darkness to her that makes her seem dangerous but also draws you in. Veronica has no idea what she's gotten herself into. And Nico - Nico gives me the creeps. I would definitely not want to be alone with him."

This whole book reads like razor blades and matches and destruction. I have a feeling people will love it.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing for providing an e-arc to review.