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.

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.

When I first heard that SHE'S TOO PRETTY TO BURN by Wendy Heard was a modern, re-imagining of THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY, I knew I had to read it! Dark, and deliciously twisty, I loved this exploration re: the subjectivity behind beauty, art, and aesthetic. SHE'S TOO PRETTY TO BURN is sexy and psychological!

With She’s Too Pretty to Burn, Wendy Heard takes readers on a propulsive, dark ride. It’s a YA thriller that borrows thematically from The Picture of Dorian Gray, though lacking a background in that story is not required.

We have a passionate love triangle and thrilling twists. It’s not a book with incredibly likeable characters, so it won’t be for everyone. Instead, it’s a book about passion - for art, for lust, for adventure.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley. 3.5 stars
It's the end of Summer in California. San Diego to be exact. Veronica is feeling uninspired with her photography and life in general.
Her best friend Nico is the complete opposite. She's a performance artist. I pictured her as manic pixie dream girlish.
Then Nick comes along. Veronica is smitten. Their relationship burns red hot and soon burns out of control.
The characters were interesting and this was almost a mix of genre's. Part coming of age, part thriller, part YA love story.
The fact that LGTBQ characters are becoming more prominent in YA fiction is heartening.
I could see all of the characters being real. Maybe not all the situations. But the characters for sure. Maybe they weren't likable. But, they came to life on the pages.
The cover art is gorgeous.

This book blew my mind. Wendy Heard has written not only a complex exploration of intense teenage romance, not only is it a well plotted thriller with a lot of surprises, it is also all done within the context of reinterpreting Oscar Wilde's THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY, a tale that is twisted and filled with queer themes. SHE'S TOO PRETTY TO BURN has two perspectives. The first is that of Mick, a shy and anxiety prone teenager who hates having attention on herself and has few friends. The other is Veronica, a budding photographer who has dreams of art school after high school, who is in constant competition with her best friend Nico, a self proclaimed activist performance artist. When Mick and Veronica meet, they're immediately drawn to each other, and when Veronica snaps Mick's picture without her permission, it starts them on a dangerous path of love, longing, obsession, and perhaps even murder. Heard gives both girls complexity and depth, and made it so that I loved both of them and also wanted them both to get it together when they would do really stupid things. Their relationship is intense, messy, easy to root for but also maybe destructive, and the component of Nico makes it all the more complicated as his own art and obsessions start to get between the two of them. The story builds up the tension and dread, and once it takes off you are all in and will be breathlessly wanting to see what happens next. I was taken for a serious ride. I haven't read DORIAN GRAY so I can't really tell you how closely it followed/reimagined the original themes, but it definitely took me in. I WILL say that it went on a little long and laid some groundwork really late that didn't really get explored well.... but that said, if there were to be a sequel, I'd absolutely read it to see where it all would go.

SHE'S TOO PRETTY TO BURN is a must read thriller for young adults and adults alike. I couldn't put it down and it's unnerved me so that I'm going to be thinking about it for awhile.

Ok.. this was such a fun YA mystery!!!

I am becoming such a big fan of Wendy's!! She definitely has dark, edgy, addicting, and chilling novels. She's Too Pretty to Burn is nothing short of her talent.

If you've read previous novels from Heard you know that she has plenty of dark addicting surprises up her sleeve! This was the perfect thrilling and addicting YA read.

I highly recommend checking this one. I have been getting more and more into YA reads and love it!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Macmillian Children's Publishing Group for the ac in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date: 3/30/21
Published to GR: 2/2/21

This dark, twisty tale was a wild ride. Teenage artists exploring art and themselves ,a little murder mystery and a romance. This has it all

A thrilling take on the picture of Dorian grey with a sapphic romance that is heart stuttering. A picture is worth a thousand words in this ya thriller.

There really is a lot to like in 'She's Too Pretty to Burn'. Great scenes, great lines, great characters. While this book ultimately frustrated me in some ways, I do want to highlight what's good about it and the audience that would probably like it more than I did!

As a thriller, I think this book succeeded in a lot of ways. The twists were solid and at the right level of predictable that I saw some coming, but not all, and felt engaged (and smart) while reading. Importantly, all of the set pieces are very cool, and the book escalates evenly but still surprisingly. I read this book through to the end because it was a good thriller, and nothing else I write in this review changes that. For thriller fans who need fresh material, this very well might be the book for you.

This book also seems to be great for fans of 'The Portrait of Dorian Gray', I gather from other reviews. I have never read it, and my review should be read as such. I don't think I'm the only reader without that particular background, though, so consider my review targeted at those who also haven't read it. It seems like many of those who have, though, find it to be a cool adaptation, and I think that's neat! I love a good adaptation.
Here's why I was ultimately frustrated by the book.

One, the relationships. With one exception, all of the characters in this book kind of suck as people. Shout out to Claudia, you're a real one. I don't *necessarily* mind books about people who suck-- but even people who suck make good decisions sometimes. Veronica and Mick, the main characters who allegedly fall in love, suffer from a really bad case of "always make the wrong choice"-itis.

Bad things happening can power a plot forward, but it's too often the characters' fault in this one. I found myself screaming at the page, bad horror movie style, multiple times (and more and more over the course of the book). In particular, Veronica repeatedly makes incredibly selfish decisions on behalf of the girl she's allegedly falling in love with, and despite admitting fault, not once does she learn from it.

On that note, the romance didn't read true to me, as a result of how awful the main characters generally are to each other. They say things to each other like "I could fall in love with you," but beyond the beginning they mostly aren't actually good for each other. Yes, this happens in real life, certainly-- but in YA, that I'm going to hand to teens, relationships like this need to be couched more complicatedly, not as heroines falling in love. Mick and Veronica's relationship made me really uncomfortable,

Finally, and this is more structural, the book either needed to be fifty pages shorter, a hundred fifty pages longer, or two books. There's a major structural change in the last fifty pages that runs out of track pretty quickly- while I didn't necessarily hate the direction it took the plot, I didn't like how rushed it felt. This was one of those where I was sure that the reader app had a wrong page count, because as I came to the end I was increasingly unsure how it would wrap up in time.

I honestly didn't like this book very much, but I'm giving it three stars because if a student came to me scratching their neck from thriller withdrawal, I would be somewhat likely to recommend this to them. As thrillers go, it has some really fresh takes and some great scenes-- but I would make them promise to come talk to me about it afterwards, because on some other fronts this book doesn't hold up.