This is so unapologetically gay and from the start, I was hooked. The writing style is captivating and effortless. Every detail flowing smoothly into the next. And while the much awaited thriller-ness of the plot took a while to build, once it hit – this story takes off like a rocket.

With much to love, this read kept me up into the early morning burning through the pages to finish because I couldn't put it down.

Initially, I was turned off by Veronica's lying and apparent gaslighting of Mick. However, I can attest that they do grow as characters and better their communication. But still, it remains that one of my favorite aspects of this read was just how well Wendy Heard was able to portray this sapphic romance.

Our duo here growing openly and more in love with each other as the tension between them and the dangers build. It was never cheapened or just tossed for kicks. Each intimate scene was earned, and wanted, and beautiful on page with just enough detail to paint the picture but not crossing further. Often making me feel like an interloper to Veronica and Mick's private moments.

On top of that, Wendy nails the writing for a complex anti-hero. You'll love them, you'll hate them, but mainly you want to know everything about them as they quickly ascend to favorite character status. This fantastic open ending making it so a hope for a second book, preferably in said anti-hero's pov, can flourish wildly within me. Especially since their true colors really started to shine right at the end as well as their revealed psychotic nature.

Truly, this book is worth the stars. And I'm now racing to backtrack on this author's other books while also keeping my eye out for more.

Full confession, I've never read "The Picture of Dorian Gray" which this book is apparently based on. I don't think that made my connection with the book any different though. It started off slow, and was hard to get into, but once it got going I couldn't put it down. It's not a book that I would read over and over (but honestly I very seldom do re reads of books) but this was definitely a page turner!

First, I am not going to be a liar. I wished for this book partially on the beauty of the cover and I am not ashamed. The cover is truly stunning. It is loooooovely.

That is all I loved though. This book.....I am glad I finished it but also...not? The relationship between Veronica and Mick is SUPER toxic, and Veronica takes advantage of Mick and exploits her the entire book. The. Entire. Book. Mick is kicked out of her home (where her mother is admittedly super abusive and toxic) because Veronica takes her photo (after saying she had no film) and then publishes it without MIck's consent, and that's the BEGINNING of their relationship. That pattern never stops. It repeats over and over again. The terrorist demonstrations put together by Nico are truly scary and it felt like it never stopped but while the actions are scary, the pacing and suspense is lacking.

This book just didn't do it for me.

Thank you to Heard, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

She's Too Pretty to Burn astounded me, I had some ideas of what I might be getting but I did not expect Dorian Gray with sapphic teenage girls. The plot, writing, and overall execution of the story made it impossible to put down.

What a book! While I think this book is super tense and often left me feeling wholly unsettled, it was a really really solid read and I'll be recommending it to a lot of people. The narrators also did a great job of capturing the emotion and the essence of these sometimes morally grey teenagers and I thoroughly enjoyed my listen.

I must admit that before reading She's Too Pretty to Burn, I hadn't read A Picture of Dorian Gray. While it is not necessary to have read it to enjoy the work, I have since read it and I like She's Too Pretty to Burn even more.
Nico and Veronica are bestfriends that share an interest in art. Veronica loves photography while Nico is focused on political performance art. When they meet Mick, the daughter of a former model that hates being photographed, they immediately have her join their group. While Mick and Veronica are falling in love, their worlds are falling apart as stalkers, fires and murders surround them.

Thank you Netgalley and publishers for a Digital Advanced Copy. All opinions are my own.

This was an interesting read. I love young adult books, and I enjoyed the characters. It was a great story with an ending that gave me goosebumps.

I enjoyed the contrast of types of characters and the inclusion of social media's toxicity.

I will definitely be reading more Wendy Heard books in the future

I was interested in this book based on the synopsis, so I was excited to read it!

Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me. I found that I wasn’t connecting to the characters or the storyline.

I am sure others will enjoy it.

Pros
Subversive Underground Art Scene: Buckets of blood and environmental vandalism: what isn't thrilling about that? The art and artists in this book are radically political. They plan to make a statement, to rebel against the Man. These pages are full of chaotic artistic energy--in a good way. The art is fun and weird and gross and avant garde--all up to the point that it takes a turn for the worst.

Fast Pace: Even when there were problems in this book that made it difficult for me to enjoy, the fast and chaotic pace made it easy for me to keep going. The momentum never drops. This book may not be to everyone's taste. In fact, it will not be to everyone's taste, but it is quick and easy to make it to the end regardless.

Killer Psychology: This book is told in two perspectives right up until the end. The end adds a third perspective, a perspective that employs the second person: a serial killer talking to the next victim. Second person is a difficult narrative choice to write because it is a difficult perspective for the readers to fully appreciate. But this use is one of the few where it works very well--where it adds a creepy element otherwise difficult to achieve.

Cons
Melodrama: Right from the beginning, the characters are full of angst. I don't mind a little angst, but everything in this book was just so... dramatic. It was hyperbolic, almost. There are some who will like this. That is to say, the melodrama was tastefully done if you like melodrama. I, however, do not. It was not to my taste at all.

Tense Jumping: At first, I couldn't pinpoint the problem. One of the perspectives was working for me more than the other, and I couldn't say why. Flipping between perspectives was jarring. It was difficult to sink into the story, and I figured it had something to do with the tense. Except, I told myself, first person past tense is pretty standard. So what was the problem? The problem was that one of the perspectives was past tense. One was present tense. Maybe this was meant to help readers distinguish between the perspectives, but honestly, it was not good. Distinguishing between different first person narrators should be done with voice and not with tense switching nonsense. Sorry, not sorry about this critique.

Hyper Body Focus: The focus on body was partially intentional. This is a book steeped in art, after all. But the intention here was overshadowed bye the reality. The reality was that the focus on body and body parts was uncomfortable, especially when there was questionable consent involved. It was hard to read. There is a chaotic toxicity in the pages of this book that is also, partly, intentional, but it wasn't fully dissected--and this body focus wasn't fully dissected either. Intentionality needs to be clear, and this just didn't feel intentional enough to push away the problems I had with it.

Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
5/10

Fans of the high-stakes high school drama of Diana Urban's All Your Twisted Secrets will enjoy this angsty new read. Those who like a laissez-faire world with unexpectedly deadly consequences like the bourgeoise world of E. Lockhart's We Were Liars will appreciate this underground scene of art and artists.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for the ARC of this novel. She’s Too Pretty to Burn is a wild ride with unexpected twists & turns to engage & surprise the reader. Veronica is a young photographer & her best friend, Nico, created political performance art. Their lives are complicated when a girl named Mick enters the picture. Veronica immediately falls hard for Mick, but Nico has more sinister plans in mind. The trio become entangled quickly & soon the entanglement becomes not just dangerous, but deadly. With well-drawn characters & a compelling plot, Wendy Heard has created a novel that will keep readers eagerly turning the pages of She’s Too Pretty to Burn.

I thought this was a really interesting YA Thriller. It did feel like it took a while to get into the thriller part but when it did come together it was very intense. I liked that there was more than one mystery going on. I thought things came together really well but should have ended in a different way. I think the ending was a unrealistic and over the top. .

I liked the dynamic between Veronica and her mom. I'm glad that Mick had the opportunity to see what a healthy mother daughter relationship can look like. I do wish we had a bit more back story on why Mick's mom was so unstable.

Thanks to Macmillan Children's for the arc of this title.

She's Too Pretty To Burn is an edgy, sapphist YA thriller. If you like stories with edgy, passionate characters and a lot of action - I think this would be a great choice.

For me it wasn't particularly my cup of tea as the questionable decision making was a bit frustrating for this mom of a teen.

What the heck did I just read?! This book is a wild ride and one you won’t want to miss out on! Pitched as a sapphic, young adult thriller, this story will take you through the full range of emotions and leave you with an audible *gasp*.

Plot:

The best way to describe this book is twisty, turny, unpredictable fun! Veronica meets Mick at a party one night and the sparks fly. Mick is quickly absorbed into Veronica’s circle of friends, including the charismatic Nico – an artist with an agenda. The story follows these three as they navigate their relationships, their difficult lives, their art, and the things they are willing to do to protect each other.

While Veronica and Mick are busy falling in love, Nico is hard at work on his art installations that are meant to send a message to a local politician. The idea behind the installations was really cool, but things start to escalate pretty quickly and then everything spins wildly out of control. There’s so much more to this story, but it’s difficult to get into it without giving anything away.

I can honestly say that there wasn’t a moment in this story that I could have known what was going to happen next, yet none of it was entirely unbelievable. Often times I find that you have to suspend belief a bit to make a thriller work, but this was not the case for She’s Too Pretty to Burn.

Characters:

Veronica was probably my least favorite of the three main characters. She is pushy, single-minded, and a bit on the selfish side. There were so many times I wanted to shake some sense into her. Veronica is a photographer and her work is finally getting noticed after snapping an epic picture of Mick. Though she knows Mick doesn’t like being photographed, she takes the picture anyway and then continues to use it to her advantage throughout the story with complete disregard for how it makes Mick feel. I was so fed up with Veronica and skimmed most of her chapters (until it became impossible to skim because I might have missed something important).

Mick is lonely and lost. Her mother is a model and is trying to pressure Mick into following in her footsteps. Mick has seen the effects of modeling on her mother and wants to avoid that path at all cost. Unfortunately, this puts quite a bit of distance between her and her mother, literally and figuratively. Throughout the book, we watch Mick struggle to deal with her complicated past and try to find her place in the world. While on her path to discovery, she lets herself get drawn into some pretty hairy situations.

Nico has been Veronica’s best friend since forever. He is a wildly talented artist, exceedingly charming, and on a mission to make political change. Some of his methods may be a bit out there, but he truly believes he is doing what is best. Nico was my favorite character to read about and I loved the portions written from his perspective.

Writing:

Wonderfully done and utterly gripping. There was never a dull moment. I wish I had more to say, but there wasn’t anything that stood out to me for critique. There were no times where the writing pulled me out of the story or I found it to be difficult to read. This whole story was excellent and the writing was spot on.

Overall:

I loved this book. I had no idea what this book was about when I started it and I think that worked out for the best. I had the pleasure of being completely surprised by the story.

Trigger Warning + Content Warning: murders, multiple deaths, death of a child, anxiety, panic attacks, arson (wildfires), children kicked out of their homes, animal cruelty and death, neglectful parent, attempted murders, car accidents, emotional abuse, kidnapping, mass shootings and bombings, drowning, stalking, violence, grief, confinement, environmental terrorism

Thank you to Fierce Reads and NetGalley for this e-arc to review. All thoughts are my own and weren't influenced by receiving this arc.

A explosive fast-paced psychological thriller that keeps you hooked from the beginning.


⚠️⚠️MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD!!!⚠️⚠️

I'm still in shock and lost on what exactly I just read. It went from 0 to 100 at about 40% and kept on going until the ending! Speaking of the ending, WHAT JUST HAPPENED?! I am in absolute awe about what Wendy has accomplished with this book. I went from being annoyed with the 3 main characters' actions to being captivated and unable to put the book down. I came for the sapphic romance during their most wild and dangerous, possibly deadly, summer. This was that but x100. If this were to become a movie, I want front row seats. I couldn't stop picturing everything that was happening in the book and how it would look on a screen. I can see this being something that many would enjoy and talk about for a days afterwards.

⚠️⚠️MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!!!⚠️⚠️

As much as I enjoyed the last 60% and couldn't put it down, there were still parts that I didn't enjoy as much. For starters, Veronica's lack of boundaries and respect for Mick's wishes. I was very frustrated with the fact that she kept taking photos of Mick and posting/using them knowing that Mick wasn't comfortable with it. Mick's mom is an absolute ass and it was very interesting seeing the opposite in Veronica's mom. I felt that multiple of the relationships in this book were toxic but Wendy Heard did a great job of showing characters with intentions to make it work.

I was suspicious of everyone at first and feeling quite proud of myself for almost guessing everyone's roles correctly. Thinking about it now. It was obvious about Nico from his introduction. His body language, his explanations, and his actions were very obvious red flags but I brushed it off until later when it became more obvious, more suspicious. It was interesting seeing the progression of his actions and also finally seeing how everything played out in the end. I also enjoyed Wendy's use of art as his "excuse" and how it played into being a very important aspect in almost every character's life.

Overall, I give this 5 stars for the concept, my enjoyment and how intrigued I was in the story, and the writing.

This novel was so engaging! The relationship between mother and daughter was relatable and that connection made it compelling. And then the focus turned to the friendships and we learn why those relationships become so important to our main protagonist. Such a great story!

Thank you so much, NetGalley, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and Henry Holt & Co. (BYR), for the chance to read and review this book!

Veronica and Nico are artists and best friends, the first uninspired in her photography, while Nico is subversive and insatiable in his art. But everything changes when Mick comes. Mick, lonely, delicate and Veronica's dream girl. The perfect subject and in the long and hot days in San Diego Veronica and Mick slowly fall in love, even though neither would expect what would happen next, between murders, fires, drowning bodies and stalkers.

She's too pretty to burn is an intense psychological thriller, with compelling and complex characters, their relationships intricate, in a set lush and evocative. The author did a magnificent job, almost painting this story, full of secrets, dangers, mixed with art, love and romance. As soon as I saw it was inspired by The Picture of Dorian Gray I knew I had to read this book and it definitely didn't disappointed me!
It's thrilling, captivating and brilliant. Not only the writing style is amazing, but also the characterization, the plot twists, the setting...basically everything is perfect in this book!

I tried to read this, but gave up about 1/4 of the way through. It was definitely a DNF for me. I would still read more by the author. However, I just didn't connect with this story.

2/5 Stars

One book you truly must read. It’s one book I want to see become a movie. It’s one wild crazy ride.

An unconventional mystery that took me by surprise at first. Once I adjusted, I really enjoyed this story about a pair of young women and their relationship with each other and with a volatile street/performance artist and activist. It's a romance, it's a mystery, it's an interesting and memorable story.

If you like mysteries that have more unusual storytelling, definitely try this one!

I’m not sure how I feel about this book. I gave it 4 stars because I just sat here and read the entire thing in one go, buuut...

wlw relationship: thumbs up
plot: eh, weird, but good

*sigh* I may be too old to properly love YA books anymore—particularly wlw YA. would definitely recommend though.