She’s Too Pretty To Burn by Wendy Heard | Audiobook Review

I received this book for free from Library, Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

“An anxiety-ridden ride as two girls' lives crash together through secrets, love and danger. . . Captivating and stunningly visual.” —Aiden Thomas, New York Times-bestselling author of Cemetery Boys
An electric romance set against a rebel art scene sparks lethal danger for two girls in She's Too Pretty to Burn, an expertly plotted YA thriller by Wendy Heard.
The summer is winding down in San Diego. Veronica is bored, caustically charismatic, and uninspired in her photography. Nico is insatiable, subversive, and obsessed with chaotic performance art. They’re artists first, best friends second. But that was before Mick. Delicate, lonely, magnetic Mick: the perfect subject, and Veronica’s dream girl. The days are long and hot—full of adventure—and soon they are falling in love. Falling so hard, they never imagine what comes next. One fire. Two murders. Three drowning bodies. One suspect . . . one stalker. This is a summer they won’t survive.
Inspired by The Picture of Dorian Gray, this sexy psychological thriller explores the intersections of love, art, danger, and power.
Christy Ottaviano Books

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.

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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