She’s Too Pretty to Burn, by Wendy Heard | Book Review

Review of She’s Too Pretty to Burn | The Children’s Book Review

She’s Too Pretty to Burn

Written by Wendy Heard

Ages 15+ | 336 Pages

Publisher: Henry Holt and Company | ISBN-13: 978-1250246752

What to expect: Thriller, Intrigue, and Teenage angst

It all starts at a party—Mick dragged there by her friend from school. Veronica, stopping by to take pictures because she can’t find anything worth taking pictures of. Two girls, one smile, and an instant connection.

That’s when the trouble starts. Mick—pretty, athletic, and with an incredibly sub-adult mother—is drawn to Veronica’s confidence, ability to take command of a situation, and supportive home. Then there’s Veronica’s best friend Nico, a performance artist who’s willing to push the boundaries of the law to make his political points. He’s exciting, a little dangerous, and a lot of fun.

But things start moving too fast, and Mick is getting too deep into Nico’s illegal performance art. And when Nico crashes Veronica’s art show, and a dead body turns up, things get hotter than a San Diego parking lot in summer. There are police, the press, and the world peering into Mick and Veronica’s lives, and it could be too late for Mick to dig herself out of the mess she’s made. The body count rises and the web of lies grows tighter. There might not be a way out for poor, pretty Mick or swaggering Veronica.

Full of pulse-pounding turns and teeth-gritting suspense, She’s Too Pretty to Burn will knock you around and drag you for a wild ride. It’s hard to put a finger on what makes the story so engaging, but perhaps in a word: vulnerability. Teens (and adults!) will see bits of themselves in Mick and Veronica. It’s so easy to slip-slide down a path you never intended. It’s so easy to lose control. And when you never had the lay of the land in the first place like you thought you did, it’s so easy to wind up dead.

Part thriller and part cautionary tale, author Wendy Heard takes this story to a whole other level with her expert character development and realistic dialog. Veronica and Mick feel authentic and do precisely what any teen might do in their (unfortunate) situation—making the story absolutely believable. Perhaps that’s what makes this most thrilling of all—life is full of surprises. Some of them deadly.

An exciting read that you’ll devour in a single sitting, She’s Too Pretty to Burn will keep your heart rate up and adrenaline pumping. Highly recommended.

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About the Author

Wendy Heard is the author of She’s Too Pretty To Burn, as well as two adult thrillers: The Kill Club and Hunting Annabelle, which Kirkus praised as “a diabolically plotted creep show from a writer to watch.” She is a member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, and Mystery Writers of America, is a contributor at Crimereads.com, and co-hosts the Unlikeable Female Characters podcast. Wendy lives in Los Angeles, California.

For more information, visit https://www.wendyheard.com/.

Read our exclusive interview: Wendy Heard Discusses She’s Too Pretty to Burn

She’s Too Pretty to Burn, written by Wendy Heard, was reviewed by Denise Mealy. Discover more books like She’s Too Pretty to Burn by following along with our reviews and articles tagged with Teenagers, Thrillers, and Young Adult Fiction.