A review by rexreads
She's Too Pretty to Burn by Wendy Heard

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

What I really liked about this book is overshadowed by the toxicity of the relationships in this book and the failure to address a lot of them. I loved the art installations, I loved the beginning of the main relationship, and at the start I really liked the two main characters. When all the twists started I found the story less and less believable, but I still did want to know what happened.
There are a lot of things that I didn't like about this book. Though it was heartbreaking, I thought the inclusion of the child dying was really interesting. I didn't particularly like how that story progressed. I didn't think it was believable that Mick suddenly started taking risks and lighting things on fire. I hated the sudden switch from Nico being a friend to stalking Mick and kidnapping her. I thought the art installations and the associated deaths were really interesting but extremely unrealistic to be happening with characters so young. This whole plot would have made a lot more sense for characters in their twenties. Veronica repeatedly violates Mick's boundaries by photographing her then using those photos for her own gain, and then they still end up together despite how toxic the relationship was. While it was a really enjoyable read because it was eventful and really unique/interesting, I didn't like the characters, didn't believe a lot of it, and didn't like that the toxic relationship wasn't addressed.
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