Scan barcode
matheo's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, and Mass/school shootings
Minor: Addiction, Cursing, Homophobia, Sexual assault, and Lesbophobia
l_lilly_05's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Sexual assault, Blood, Kidnapping, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment
leahlovesloslibros's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I read this book because of some friends on bookstagram raving about it and honestly I didn't love it. It wasn't bad, per se, but it just really didn't do much for me. It's compared to <i> The Picture of Dorian Gray, </i> but sapphic; I haven't read <i> Dorian Gray </i> so I can't say whether or not I agree, but I can say that this book doesn't make me want to read the book by which it is inspired.
Veronica is a teenage photographer hoping to be discovered. Nico is a performance artist who strives to make his points with controversial art installations. When the two best friends meet the enigmatic Mick, whom Veronica promptly starts dating, things quickly go awry, and Mick has to figure out how she fits into the friendship without stirring up too much trouble.
Honestly, the relationship between Mick and Veronica seemed pretty toxic to me. It immediately started with Veronica constantly trying to push Mick to do things which she expressed that she was uncomfortable with, and it didn't stop. It also didn't seem very realistic how quickly everything escalated with them. Even high school "love" doesn't usually move that quickly, at least in my experiences.
Nico seemed like a weird dude from the start. He always gave off a bit of a creeper vibe. His actions in the second half of the book kind of seemed like they came out of left field, though. While I know the author probably didn't want to give away too much too soon, it seemed like he went from quirky to unhinged practically overnight, and without much explanation.
I didn't see much character growth throughout the story, either. The one major change was that Mick all of a sudden became comfortable being photographed, but that was kind of thrown in at the end, and again, seemed like it came out of nowhere. The first half of the book seemed like it was just a lot of unnecessary "filler" information leading up to the second half of the book. Once we got to the second half, it was a very quick read, but it almost seemed like everything happened way too quickly. I also figured out most of what seemed like it was supposed to be the big twist 75% of the way through, before they revealed much. Sometimes that doesn't bother me, but in this case it kind of left me feeling blah as they threw the last few things at us in the last quarter of the book.
This was a quick read, and it did make me want to keep reading, which is why I'll leave it at 3 stars. I didn't hate it but I would only recommend it in certain situations.
Rep: lesbian MC, Latina lesbian LI, AAPI SC
Veronica is a teenage photographer hoping to be discovered. Nico is a performance artist who strives to make his points with controversial art installations. When the two best friends meet the enigmatic Mick, whom Veronica promptly starts dating, things quickly go awry, and Mick has to figure out how she fits into the friendship without stirring up too much trouble.
Honestly, the relationship between Mick and Veronica seemed pretty toxic to me. It immediately started with Veronica constantly trying to push Mick to do things which she expressed that she was uncomfortable with, and it didn't stop. It also didn't seem very realistic how quickly everything escalated with them. Even high school "love" doesn't usually move that quickly, at least in my experiences.
Nico seemed like a weird dude from the start. He always gave off a bit of a creeper vibe. His actions in the second half of the book kind of seemed like they came out of left field, though. While I know the author probably didn't want to give away too much too soon, it seemed like he went from quirky to unhinged practically overnight, and without much explanation.
I didn't see much character growth throughout the story, either.
This was a quick read, and it did make me want to keep reading, which is why I'll leave it at 3 stars. I didn't hate it but I would only recommend it in certain situations.
Rep: lesbian MC, Latina lesbian LI, AAPI SC
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Car accident, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Cursing, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
Additional TW/CW: underage drinking, toxic parent, parent kicking child out of home, bombs/explosionsmezzarella's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
She's Too Pretty To Burn is advertised as a thriller retelling of The Picture of Dorian Gray with female protagonists. Readers should know that any connection this story has with Oscar Wilde is very loose and more inspired by than a true retelling. As a thriller, there are all the elements that screams YA: the small town feel, the feeling that no adult can help, and the friendships. The best part of this book is certainly its simple but beautiful writing, which helps the book maintain its swift "must read" feelings. Overall, however, there were aspects that were unsettling that kept me from enjoying the book in a not-so-thrilling way.
Towards the middle of the book, the main character is pushing another character into romantic actions that the other character is not explicitly comfortable with. This scene isn't blatant rape or assault, but does toe the line and is very ambiguous on its consent. In addition, the fact that neither main character is involved with the murders (at least how its written here) makes the plot contrived or easy to predict at certain parts in the book. Typically when reading a thriller, I want the horror to feel earned and I want the twists to be surprising. Unfortunately, She's Too Pretty to Burn's flame peters out here.
Overall, I wished this book had not been advertised and compared to something that it does not hold a match to. It's a tall order to match The Picture of Dorian Gray's message, tone, and feeling. When readers learn that the closest this book gets to a retelling is incorporating paintings into its visual aesthetic, there's a lot of room for disappointment.
Towards the middle of the book, the main character is pushing another character into romantic actions that the other character is not explicitly comfortable with. This scene isn't blatant rape or assault, but does toe the line and is very ambiguous on its consent. In addition, the fact that neither main character is involved with the murders (at least how its written here) makes the plot contrived or easy to predict at certain parts in the book. Typically when reading a thriller, I want the horror to feel earned and I want the twists to be surprising. Unfortunately, She's Too Pretty to Burn's flame peters out here.
Overall, I wished this book had not been advertised and compared to something that it does not hold a match to. It's a tall order to match The Picture of Dorian Gray's message, tone, and feeling. When readers learn that the closest this book gets to a retelling is incorporating paintings into its visual aesthetic, there's a lot of room for disappointment.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death and Sexual assault
More...