She’s too Pretty to Burn

 She’s too Pretty to Burn 

Author: Wendy Heard

Publisher: Macmillan Children’s 

Year: 2020

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 too hard to stretch my imagination to believe that a big fancy gala wouldn’t have some kind of security - especially since the congressman had been previously targeted. 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. 

Even though I’m not working in a library anymore, I still think how I would pitch a book to the teens I used to work with. This book would have been a hard sell to my former students. I don’t think the kids would have connected with the art installations in this book. There wasn’t enough athletics in it for the teens who were into sports. There would be interest in the lgbtq romance, but that romance was built on a lie. I thought what Veronica did to Mick the night they met was really awful and hurtful. I thought Veronica was a real jerk about insisting on photographing Mick. And I know teens tend to be self involved, but the kids I know are observant and smart. How can Veronica claim Nico is her BFF and then not know anything about him? Such a weird relationship that didn’t feel real.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book publishes on March 30th. Thank you to NetGalley Wendy Heard, and Macmillan’s Children’s for the review copy.  My advice- read the author’s earlier book The Kill Club instead. It’s a more engaging thriller than this one. 

How’s everyone doing today? The sun is shining and it’s not freezing here today, so I’m doing good! 

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