Too romancey for me. I was skipping through parts just to get to the thriller parts and it wasn’t worth it to me.

There is a niche for this kind of book and I feel like YA is starting to get cheesier the more “unique” authors are trying to get

This was a great book. I was initially pulled in by the cover but I love the story line! Such a fun and strong read for young girls!

This was fun fast and everything teenage me would have loved! I definitely understand the negative complaints with this book, because this relationship is in no way one for the books, but I think its okay to let young queer girls have fast and all encompassing love sometimes. It happens in real life, it happens in books about heterosexual couples and mlm stories, so let the sapphics be a little too much to handle too. I really did enjoy this book and did not want to put it down, so if you are looking for something a bit ridiculous and a lot of gay, I recommend.

This book started out very contemporary and moved into a “messy” thriller. The writing style was okay and flowed well however this just wasn’t it for me. I don’t think I enjoy YA thrillers. The girls in this novel had no common sense and made lots of mistakes that landed them in situations that could of been avoided. I also didn’t enjoy that the author uses California fires as a thriller plot point.

Actual star rating 3.5

If you love YA thrillers, with a bit of LGTBQ flavor intertwined, you'll enjoy this one a lot. I was super into the audiobook version of this one for a while and unfortunately lost interest with the characters and storyline. I appreciated the photography and art aspects of this book, but was ultimately looking for some more!

This was a hot mess. I really have no desire to give a long review but I will say this was poorly written and the characters were some of the most dramatic characters I have ever had the displeasure of reading about. I'm glad so many others seem to love it though so take my thoughts with a grain of salt.

To me, this came across less Dorian Gray and more Heathers, but I hadn't read Dorian Gray before reading this book so I didn't feel like I was missing out on much.
Veronica was dynamic, fun to read from, and intense. She was great, but the focus was mostly on Mick which I was disappointed by. Mick was kind of just too boring for me.
I liked the romance, but it was a very quick moving.
As far as the thrilling aspect goes, it did surprise me but the motivation behind it was a little confusing.

I am not quite sure how I feel about this book, She’s too Pretty to Burn was good but it also wasn’t. As much as I wanted to like the first half of the book, it felt like a typical YA novel. I was expecting a thriller which kind of threw me off. The second half was most definitely a thriller, and I just didn’t like how it felt like two separate books.

The characters were okay, I did like Mick, but I had a hard time liking Nico and Veronica. A lot of the relationships in this book felt very toxic, so I wasn’t a fan of any relationships. There were a bunch of red flags going off right from the start.

While the story did keep me invested, I did not like the ending at all. I would have preferred more answers, and things wrapped up better. If it had a more solid ending, I think I would have liked it more.

This realistic reimagining of The Picture of Dorian Grey is one not for the light at heart. This was graphic and had graphic predictions of animals, children, and more. So fair warning if you choose to read this one. The time line for this entire story was over the corse of 10 days which seemed a little weird. I cant say that I really enjoyed this one and I think maybe this should have been redone for the adult crowd as it was just a little to much for this reader.

This has been one of the most disappointing books I've read in a long time.

The plot's entire basis was extremely weak. I found multiple inconsistencies throughout the writing. The characters were all unlikable without any redeeming qualities in the end. Each relationship was superficial, beyond toxic, and lacked basic chemistry. And don't even get me started on the "art installation" events that were so far from rooted in any contemporary-style reality.

The villain of this story was also made painfully clear from the very beginning. It's as-if the author wanted to spell it out for you and lack any surprise. In a mystery/thriller book that's not really what I'm looking for...

Aside from the content within this story, the pacing of this book was just so odd. Each event had such high stakes that it felt like the climax of the book which made reading this exhausting. Then, just when we started to get some resolution and began wrapping-up the story there was yet again ANOTHER climactic event. Maybe this just simply isn't the writing style I prefer in my thriller's but paired with the fact that it lacked any twists/reveals it just felt like it could've used some additional editing.

Even though I strongly disliked this book and found it to be an infuriating read, I still have to give it 2 stars since I was addicted to learning how it would all wrap up.

This book is pitched a sapphic reimagining of Dorian Grey. I really liked the story in the beginning but for me as the story went on the two girls’ voices weren’t different enough for me and the plot didn’t go in the direction that I had hoped. Still enjoyable but not what I was expecting.

**3.5-stars**

Veronica and Nico are best friends. They're both artists; she's a photographer, while he is into edgy performance art. As the summer days draw on, a girl enters their orbit, who will throw them both off course and away from one another.

Her name is Mick. She's quiet, serious and shy; a swimmer, who works as a life guard. She's also Veronica's dream girl. Mick's strained relationship with her mother forces her to seek sanctuary outside of her home. She finds it with Veronica first, and then secretly with Nico.

When Nico's artistic pursuits get riskier, both girls find themselves in over their heads. Events begin to spiral out of control. No one knows who they can trust. It's full on friendship chaos!

Described as being inspired by The Picture of Dorian Gray, I definitely enjoyed the art scene aspects of this novel. Particularly, Nico's brand of subversive street art. While the themes made this feel like a subtle, modern interpretation of Dorian Gray, I feel like Readers anticipating more of a retelling, may be disappointed.

I definitely recognized opposing philosophies for Veronica and Nico; art for art's sake, versus art for a purpose. I also enjoyed how Heard framed the societal reaction to art in this narrative; capturing the idea that beauty and youth, through the viral photo of Mick, are of the utmost importance.

Regardless of any immoral actions taken by Mick, her beauty was what mattered. These were interesting characters. While the beginning took a while to take off, by the end, this narrative was wild as heck! It certainly went places I didn't expect.

Overall, I think this is a good story. I feel like if you can connect in anyway to the art scene portion of this book, you'll enjoy it, as I did. Thank you so much to the publisher, Henry Holt and Company, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I appreciate it!

WHY DID I LISTEN TO SHE’S TOO PRETTY TO BURN BY WENDY HEARD?
She’s Too Pretty To Burn by Wendy Heard initially was not on my radar. However, it was included in a digital reviewer box so I was all, what the hey, and picked it up. Upon closer examination, the premise really appealed to me. I also didn’t really know what to expect. So, I went into this book unaware which enhanced my experience listening to this audiobook. FYI, this audiobook is on Hoopla if your library participates in Hoopla.

WHAT’S THE STORY HERE?
Wendy Heard’s She’s Too Pretty To Burn is loosely inspired by The Picture Of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. I haven’t read that classic but would like to someday. Mick is a lifeguard and on swim team, she’s got big dreams. She also is extremely pretty but kind of lonely. Her mom wants her to do a mother-daughter modeling shoot with her. Mick refuses because she hates having her picture taken and feels so exposed and as though she’s giving parts of her self up with photographs. That pisses her mom off.

So, anyways, skipping around a bit, Mick goes to a party and meets Veronica who is a photographer. Veronica is attracted to Mick and it turns out there’s chemistry there. So, the two begin to date and Veronica takes Mick’s picture. Meanwhile, Veronica is best friends with Nico, who is an artist first and friends second. Nico has some controversial installations. Ultimately though, this book has a body count and some real drama is about to go down.

HOW DID I LIKE SHE’S TOO PRETTY TO BURN?
I didn’t expect to like She’s Too Pretty To Burn as much as I did! I was really invested in Mick as a character. You see, I got really mad when her mom was a terrible parent to her. When Mick was traumatized by a certain event, I felt that. Additionally, I thought the relationship between Mick and Veronica was pretty legit — although there’s parts where Veronica isn’t respectful of Mick’s boundaries with regards to photography. Alas. As for Nico, I felt one way about him but then my mind changed.

Overall, I liked that this book really was thrilling. I felt invested and on edge during certain parts. It was to the point where I was flipping ahead in my eARC for some reassurance because I can be kind of a nervous Nelly hahaha. The pacing is fast as well.

HOW’S THE NARRATION?
The audiobook of She’s Too Pretty To Burn by Wendy Heard is really well produced and well narrated. There are three different narrators for the Mick, Veronica and Nico chapters. The narrators are Bailey Carr, Frankie Corzo, and Stephen Dexter. Each does a superb job and you can definitely tell the difference between the characters. At 8 hours and 25 minutes, this audiobook is a quick read. I, of course, listened to this audiobook sped up because I have a lot of books to get through. I will say that this was actually easy to still understand and process sped up.

The first 30% or so I wasn't feeling it. The main character is treated like this fragile little baby, and to be honest she acts like one. Then it finally started getting interesting. Now I'm hoping there's a second book.

I was so!!!!!! excited to read this one because a retelling of The Picture of Dorian Gray with a queer female main character set in California sounds like EVERYTHING to me, but unfortunately this was not for me. The entire plot was completely bizarre (which, fair considering it is a Dorian Gray retelling tbh), but I really struggled to believe the things that were happening or to care about the characters at all. This clearly didn't work for me, but if you're looking for a YA book with a dark tone/plot, this might be something you would enjoy!

CW: toxic mother/daughter relationship, abusive parent, animal cruelty, drowning, arson, mass shootings

Wow! 😳
So the book was a bit of a slow burn for me at first (see what I did there 🙃) and then all of a sudden, you are on a rollercoaster of twists and turns! This book is insane in the best way and I am so glad I read it! If you love thrillers, pick this one up soon! ⭐⭐⭐⭐


https://www.instagram.com/p/COMfqQzLRVn/

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.