I'm a little conflicted about my thoughts on this one. The first half was a bit slow for me, though I was compelled by both Mick and Veronica. I'm a sucker for a good dual perspective story, and this story really benefited from that structure. The second half had me completely drawn in, but I did feel like it left me with some questions. Additionally, some aspects of the timeline were totally skimmed over and I felt like a chapter had been pulled.

Overall, I was compelled by these characters and the themes, though I felt the pacing and structure were sometimes a bit off for me.

She’s Too Pretty To Burn is one of those books that sucks you in and you keep on reading, even if you don’t actually like it. I loved the writing and the back of forth chapters of the main characters. I just had a lot of issues with it. I did enjoy it and it was honestly such a fast paced read, but it was kind of over the top unbelievable.

Mick and Veronica are the main characters and they start dating after they meet at a party. Mick doesn’t have the best life at all and her mother is horrible. Veronica has a wonderful mom and her life is pretty well put together. Veronica’s best friend is Nico and once the three of them start hanging out things start getting strange. I went into this not knowing a lot and it made it better to read.

My issues were the main characters never learned. They kept making the same mistakes and are really manipulative to each other. Not to mention they were somewhat always mad at each other and then would make up suddenly. The adults in this book all really suck and while they are present, they also let their kids do whatever? The biggest issue I had was the over the top unbelievable parts. I honestly kept getting annoyed and would lose focus because no way were the things that were happening realistic.

If I just read it like it was and don’t overthink it was a fun book with some crazy twists. If you want a fast paced book this is the one for you.

Veronica is always looking for the next great thing to photograph, but lately can't find anything that sparks her interest. One fateful day, she spies Mick, and Veronica knows that Mick is the perfect subject to photograph. Mick is reluctant, and shy, which only encourages Veronica's obsession, and before she realizes it, Mick is carried along into Veronica's world. Between Veronica photographing her, and Veronica's friend Nico increasing the stakes of their exhibitive art, Mick begins to fall in love with Veronica. It is at the height of this artistic, breezy summer that everything then goes up in flames, and what used to be expressions of art become questions of life, and death.

I thought this was an engaging, interesting story inspired by The Picture of Dorian Gray, complete with a sapphic twist. For those who have read the novel that inspired this story, you already know that it's not going anywhere pretty, but it is still different enough to be worth your while. These characters are all flawed in their own way, whether because they embrace a caustic, dangerous view of the world as if it is gospel (Nico), or their life has been exposed to brand new, exciting possibilities because of love (Mick), or they are unaware of the danger they're embracing in the pursuit of their muse (Veronica). I liked the contrast between Mick's mother, who was rather awful and self-absorbed, and Veronica's mother, who was open and accepting, as well as stern when needed. I was often able to feel the intensity of Veronica and Mick's passion for each other, which elevated the high stakes later on. I think a few things could have been trimmed, particularly in the latter half, but I liked more than I disliked. This is a sapphic tale of art, love, death, and the dangers of obsession and pushing boundaries in pursuit of those selfish obsessions. If you appreciate stories that mix art and lust, morality and perception, danger and love, then cozy up to the fire, but not too close, for She's Too Pretty to Burn.

She’s Too Pretty to Burn was, without a doubt, my most highly anticipated YA release of the year. Everything I heard about it was so exciting, so enticing, that when the publisher granted my wish for an ARC on NetGalley, I actually gasped out loud in my kitchen. To get my hands on it early was a miracle. And it was (almost, so close to being) everything I wanted and more.

This was a solid thriller. Rock solid. It hooked you quickly and easily, kept the twists and turns coming consistently but in such a controlled, conclusive manner that you just had to keep reading to see what happened next. The art installment series that pushes the book along was simply gripping, due in large part to how perfectly applied the “rebel arts” scene was here, though I could have used a bit more ~~atmosphere~~. The simultaneity of creation and destruction of both art piece and character was fascinating to watch play out. It elevated the thrills to a new, exciting height that was so obviously and deeply connected to the The Picture of Dorian Gray inspiration this book drew from.

Now, I haven’t read Dorian Gray. One of those books that I just somehow, some way have not gotten around to yet. But after some careful perusing of the Wikipedia page, and from what I knew about it previously, I saw the surface-level connection easily. The photo taken of Mick that sparks this whole adventure takes on a life of its own, warps as it is spread and consumed. But I lost the character connections pretty easily—maybe just as a result of my having not read it! I felt like I was grasping at straws. I wanted the boundaries to be just a bit more clear, but it was obviously not Heard’s intention for these books to map onto each other. She’s Too Pretty to Burn was wholly its own story.

I loved how tangible these characters were. I loved how deeply and increasingly unreliable Mick was, not in voice but in how unstable of a person her character was, as she gets further and further from the girl we first met through these experiences. I loved her ever-shifting relationship with Veronica, how the two came back to each other time and again, for better or worse, by want or necessity. However, I was expecting their relationship to have greater importance. It was the dynamic between Mick and Nico that ended up taking very obvious precedence here, and it created an imbalance, one that reduced Mick and Veronica to this weird side romance. While it was nice to see a serious relationship between two women approached with this kind of unlabeled casuality, it was very unexpected, and I thought there would be more between them that had greater importance to the progress of the plot.

And finally, the ending. I was so prepared to give this book 4.5 stars until the last 10 pages or so, at which point She’s Too Pretty to Burn went so completely off the rails so quickly that I was practically slack-jawed. So many new elements were introduced at once, ones that needed at least another solid 30 pages to be fleshed out, in my opinion. They were heaped on at the last minute, leading to a very rushed, if not still chilling, ending. It may work for others—it didn’t for me.

Though it didn’t hit every mark for me, I still deeply enjoyed She’s Too Pretty to Burn. It is compulsively readable. If you’re in the market for a solid, whirlwind of a thriller, you should be eager to eat this up as soon as it’s published.

She’s Too Pretty to Burn by Wendy Heard is a thriller filled with teen angst, broken family, and a psychotic villain who’s violent rampage will leave you in awe and aghast at the sheer creativity of terror. Taking place over the course of one summer in San Diego, the story follows the quickly burning romance between Veronica, who is fiercely driven by her passion for photography, and Mick (Micaela) who is just as driven with her competitive swimming. Add to the mix, Veronica’s best friend Nico, mysterious, subversive, obsessive, and chaos is just ready to burst into flames. Nico and Veronica are driven by their single-minded passion for art, and a dark side that boils under the surface. One photograph ignites everything, and the three will never be the same. Two murders, one fire, and numerous lies later, who will survive the summer? The narrative moves quickly and the build up of tension is satisfying- the last third of the book will keep you turning the pages. But there were some plot points that left me...confused. They simply did not make sense and seemed squeezed in simply to make the bigger narrative work out by the end. I read this as an e-ARC, so bear that in mind- editing could clear those parts up by the publication date. And while the suspense builds, the ending is somewhat...unbelievable. Granted, it’s a psychological thriller, and so license with reality is taken, but the ending just didn’t feel achievable to me. However, the rest of the book was definitely worth the read. And I could see this becoming a series perhaps, which I would invest in. Random rating system 4/5. Publication date 3.29.21. Thank you to @Netgalley for the e-ARC.

honestly I had zero expectations going in this book, since i didn’t really know what to expect in the long run. but I definitely was very excited to come and do it because I thought it was really cool concept. and honestly it didn’t disappoint. I was kind of scared to go into it since it is a retelling and I never really read the original book and it’s based off of. but it was still so amazing. The whole characters and the romance honest to god blew me away and I was so shocked with how well they all work together and how they were so in love after just meeting. and I didn’t really expect who would like the villain of the story to actually be the villain because I actually like really like them and I didn’t put two into together. but I do feel like the start of the book was kind of slow, but I still appreciate that we got to see their romance start and grow to where I was the the end of the book, and also to develop these people as characters. I also thought their depth of character was really nice and I really like to see that out each person is very different from each other and everybody was excepting. thank you so much for the publisher and netgalley for an arc! I can’t wait to see what comes up for this author in the future.

This was an incredible, high octane kind of novel about two girls who meet and are immediately drawn to one another with not only an instant attraction, but a desire for something more that is just out of their grasp.

Mick and Veronica meet at a party and Veronica instantly wants to photograph this intensely beautiful girl. But Mick flat out refuses to be on film of any kind, so far as to flinch anytime a camera is in front of her.

The two of them enter into a whirlwind romance where they both begin to learn about each other, and more importantly, themselves. Coming from completely different households, Mick is ridiculed by her mother while Veronica is close to her own and fully accepted by her. Aside from Veronica's mother, she has her best friend, Nico, a fellow artist, whose art style is so much different to her own. When Mick gets involved in his performance art pieces, things begin to go terribly wrong. But Mick is a girl on the edge and just wants to feel alive.

This was such an interesting story! I loved the romance and the relationship between Mick and Veronica. I loved the hazy kind of California sunshine feel of this book. It is part art demonstration, part fever dream, which equals out to be an intense story with a thrilling build up.

Oh dear...I really, really did not like the end of this book or the themes/messages that the ending reinforced (unintentionally or not). I had SUCH high hopes for this book, as the description suggests it falls firmly in one of my favorite sub-genres. Unfortunately, much of its focus pulled away from the central queer relationship and instead focused on [SPOILERS] toxic masculinity (without fully calling it out as such) and women being tormented by men. I didn't really want/need another book about that, particularly a YA book. I was very disappointed.

I really enjoyed this book. The pacing was great and the intensity of the prose fit extremely well, The writing style alone was probably my favorite aspect, and although I was wishing for more character study and motivation, the characters were intriguing enough to follow. The plot was addictive but didn't make sense at times, and the ending was particularly jarring. Still, a very solid debut with a fiery atmosphere to it.

While my recollection of Dorian Gray is limited, this book stands all on its own as an exploration of art, love and friendship.
While Veronica and Mick meet by chance, it is photography that is the basis of their relationship, Veronica’s photographs and Mick as reluctant subject. This relationship constantly feels unbalanced and precarious, but also overly dependent. While Veronica finds success, her friend Nico pushes for more and more with his art installations. His machinations and manipulations drive so much of the plot. He draws Mick into his orbit and installations and when bad things start happening at the installations, it makes Veronica question everything.
The tense final quarter of the novel is excellent and the additional POV from Nico really draws out the beauty of the tension. I wish there were more Nico chapters throughout the book.
I really enjoy what this book says about art, and public consumption of art, but the relationships feel very lopsided and manipulative. While it’s obvious that readers should want Veronica and Mick to be together, I feel that the relationship started in a bad/manipulative way and I can’t bring myself to support them as a couple, no matter the growth and positive effect they have on each other.

This story took me on a roller coaster of craziness, but one that for the most part wasn’t particularly scary or thrilling the danger really starts. I was hooked immediately from the first chapter (which was one page!), and then after that it did one of those “a few weeks before” time jumps to take you back to where it all began. It was a little slow to start but I liked what it was building and was getting excited to find out more.

The characters and their stories were interesting but I feel like we didn’t go as in depth as they could’ve been. I was really excited to see how Veronica and Mick’s relationship was going to grow but was disappointed to find it kind of lacking. There weren’t really any time jumps, the timeline seemingly going just day to day, so it felt like their relationship was advancing quicker than felt natural for such a short amount of time. They talked about how they were “falling in love” but we never had any intimate moments — not sexually, just tender moments of growing connection in general — where we can see them falling in love. It felt like we only had the moments of after, like they’ve already had conversations, etc. It felt more like they were developing a friendship rather than a romantic connection.

As for the thriller side of it... I predicted the bad guy really early but I think it was meant to be easy to figure it out because as the reader, it left me wondering when he’d do something next or when the MC’s would find out it was him, etc. There was still doubt thrown in until the moment we see him do something on page, and then things start to get continuously worse from there. I had a hard time putting the book down once the danger really started happening! I was totally hooked! BUT I am not happy about the open ending. There was even one point a few chapters from the end where it could’ve concluded really successfully, and I would’ve been so happy with that for the story! Open endings for thrillers is my least favorite thing! I’m praying for a sequel, but it doesn’t feel like a cliffhanger, just feels wide open.

Overall I really enjoyed the writing and the story. The synopsis gave it so much potential and even though I would’ve like to have seen some things done a little differently, I will definitely be recommending it to others!

She’s Too Pretty To Burn by Wendy Heard is a YA psychological thriller that is inspired by The Picture of Dorian Gray.
I have never read it so I can’t really say how this book was as a retelling.

For the first half of this book it felt like I was reading a YA contemporary romance. But I’m not really mad at it, I think it helped set the mood.

In this story we meet Veronica, Niko and Mick. Veronica and Niko are best friends, both are artists super passionate about their art. But is it possible to take your art too far?

I really enjoyed this book. I pretty much burned through it in a day. It’s fast paced and the mystery just kept me captivated.
I will say though I was not a fan of the ending. It felt rushed and unfinished. I wish we could have had more.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC of this book.

Veronica and Mick, two high school girls, get caught up with helping their artist friend Nico with his disruptive public art installations. They are actually helping him commit illegal acts which eventually end in murder.

I didn’t like any of the characters. I thought Mick, Veronica, and Nico were all flat one dimensional, self absorbed characters and horrible people. I like flawed characters but none of these characters felt real. Mick has this huge fear of being photographed and having people look at her. I kept waiting for some kind of explanation of where her fear came from. Veronica tricks Mick into allowing Veronica to photograph her. When the photo goes viral, all Veronica can think of is how this will help her career. So selfish. Their whole relationship is built on a lie.

Nico is supposed to be some kind of artist. He’s targeting a congressman with public pranks that get more elaborate and dangerous. Where’s the congressman’s security if this kid can blow part of a roof off a building? How are there no witnesses or some kind of security camera footage? It was just so unbelievable. I really can’t stand when a book’s villain seems to be all knowing and all powerful- like leaving taunting clues in a locked car or a bedroom when everyone is home.

I think this book would be a hard sell to most of the students I work with just because the characters are so lacking in depth and the plot is all over the place.

I enjoyed the writing style but I had trouble really connecting with the story or the characters. I also found a lot of aspects of the story to be predictable.

This book kept me gripped at the edge of my seat, just begging me to read more to see what happens. This is shown through the fact I finished it in two (2!!) sittings. This is almost unheard of lately while in graduate school. I also loved the portrayal of the LGBTQ+ relationship on the page. It wasn't unusual to any of the characters (besides one shortly mentioned side character) that two girls were dating. It was accepted by everyone in their lives, which definitely enhanced my enjoyment of this book.

One thing I will take note of that I wasn't fond was the fact that the book didn't seem to allow for elaboration of different character personalities or events that happened during the story. It seemed like events just happened and we were to accept it without acknowledging the fact that this event or personality trait hasn't actually developed. The entire book seemed to take place entirely too quickly at points, which made it hard to suspend my disbelief. I know this is something to be expected with a thriller, but it seemed especially prominent in this book.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a fast-paced thriller!

I really wanted to like this book as the storyline seemed like something I would love, but I just couldn't get into the story. It felt choppy and I wasn't able to connect with the characters.

She’s Too Pretty To Burn was a bit all over the place for me. I felt like it really wasn’t even a thriller until the last 50 pages of so. Both main characters to me just felt like completely assholes who were just too self-absorbed to really love the other person, which made the romance a bit annoying. Personally, I felt like the author shoved too much at the end and dragged the middle. The ending was the only reason I could give it that extra star, it was an enjoyable read but not one I would really recommend, it felt a bit anticlimactic to me. However the last POV that we got was perfect! And I wish we had more from that person (not spoiling).

This book was a very interesting read for me. At first it was hard to get to connect with the character, but the story flows and gives you reasons to keep reading. I really did enjoy the fact that during the middle it didn't slog. I did have to take off points for some things toward the end that didn't make sense to me, but overall, good read.

After prematurely reading the Goodreads reviews for this book, I had low expectations going into this novel. I am *so* super pleased to say that this book defied my expectations and beyond. Perhaps this is because I had low expectations going in, but I won't hesitate to give this book 5 stars.

She's Too Pretty To Burn is a Picture of Dorian Gray inspired gender-swap. I have to admit that I haven't read Picture of Dorian Gray yet, so I have nothing to compare this book's quality to, which may be why some reviewers rated it lower than I am. This book follows two teen girls as they meet and fall in love, then become wrapped up in a scheme of illegalities disguised as "art instillations" by their friend Nico. As teens often do, the girls both make terrible decisions, treat each other disrespectfully at times, and have an overall strained relationship which is soothed by their undeniable, raw chemistry.

This book heavily relies on aesthetics, which I don't mind in a book. The beautiful writing style evokes strong imagery through the various art instillations and the general stereotypes each character falls into. For fear of spoilers, I won't discuss the aesthetics of each character... but believe me when I say they are prominent, vivid, and incredibly enjoyable for those who love thriller and unrealistic reality tropes.

This plot had me gripping on the edge of my seat from start to finish. The villain of this book is so unique in their form because they are so adaptive to the modern socio-political commentary on what villains are. Again... I can't give too much away about the villain due to the many plot twists this book has, but trust me when I say that you'll love to hate them.

Overall, this is a stunning thriller that will drive you absolutely crazy in the bets way. I would highly recommend this book for anybody looking for a sexy thriller, plus bonus points for being sapphic.

On Goodreads, a lot of other early reviewers mention the aesthetics of this book. I concur that that is one of the things that stands out most to me in my memories of reading it. The art written about in the book and the sinister atmosphere combines into a dark creative mood that permeates the whole thing.

When I first started reading the book, I was a little surprised because it read more like a dark contemporary and wasn't as fast paced as I normally expect thrillers to be. Looking back on it now, those sections did set up a lot of what became excellent plot twists and edge-of-your-seat suspense, so I'm glad those scenes were included. The last third of the book had me on the edge of my seat. I distinctly remember lying on the couch for at least an hour desperately tapping my Kindle while racing to the end.

Without giving the actual end away, I will say that it's definitely worth reading for. I liked the combination of some happier events and some more sinister.

I would recommend this book to people looking for a young adult book that deals with art, twisted relationships, and thrilling events. I recommend looking up content/trigger warnings for the book if you're interested but unsure. Off the top of my head, an incomplete list includes an unstable home life, child neglect, drowning, and arson.