Book Review: She's Too Pretty to Burn by Wendy Heard

Hey friends!

I'm back! I didn't mean to be gone for that long, but it's been a wild couple of weeks for me. I read a new ARC back in February that I've been holding off reviewing until closer to the release of the book. I'm glad to let you know it's coming out this month, on March 30, in fact. The book is called She's Too Pretty to Burn by Wendy Heard and is a modern retelling of The Picture of Dorian Gray. Thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Goodreads

Summary

In Southern California, a girl named Mick meets a girl named Veronica at a party. Mick is an elite level swimmer with family troubles who isn't particularly social, but when Veronica talks to her, she knows there's something special there. The two of them end up becoming romantically involved and Veronica introduces her to her best friend Nico. Veronica is a photographer with dreams of going pro and Nico is into big, sweeping performance art with an activist bent. The art becomes entangled with the relationships of the three as they get swept into a series of thrilling encounters.

Review

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.

I rated this book 4 stars!

As stated above, the hiatus I took from the blog was unintentional and I do intend to continue posting more book reviews. I am also signed up for a book tour later this month, so do be on the lookout for that!

Kyra