A Cosmo LGBTQ+ Books in 2021 to Add to Your Reading List Selection
"A smoldering, hypnotic thrill-ride. Heard’s YA debut crackles and pops with electric psychological suspense." —Kit Frick, author of See All the Stars, All Eyes on Us, and I Killed Zoe Spanos
"An expertly plotted deep dive into a complex web of friendship, desire, and murder."—Mindy McGinnis, author of Female of the Species
"A gritty, compulsively readable thriller that shimmers with California heat. She's Too Pretty to Burn will pull you into the dark twists of the underground art scene—and the jagged embrace of first love." —Hannah Capin, author of Foul Is Fair
"A romantic, fast-paced thriller inspired by a classic. The story unravels in colorful, electric prose...leading to exhilarating and twisty final third. This dark, winding novel expertly interweaves suspense and romance. A wild and satisfying romp." —Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
"This thriller is expertly paced, with Heard starting out slow to introduce her flawed, complex teen protagonists and later escalating events into a page-turning crescendo. With the already intriguing premise of a lesbian thriller that takes inspiration from Portrait of Dorian Gray in its focus on a single picture’s effect (if not the theme of aging), Heard follows through on the promises this concept offers while deftly integrating social media and a thriller plot with creepy, well-executed twists." —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Starred Review
"Heard paints a mesmerizing portrait of love and betrayal amidst a slow-burn thriller… and once the murders begin, it’s impossible to look away."—Diana Urban, author of All Your Twisted Secrets
“An anxiety-ridden ride as two girls' lives crash together through secrets, love and danger. There is masterful tension throughout the story as Mick and Veronica's lives pull and tangle together and they find themselves in over their heads and fighting for their lives. I burned through the final 50 pages, desperate to see how it ended and was left with literal goosebumps at the final lines. Captivating and stunningly visual, fans of Lauren Oliver's Panic will love this book and be hungry for more by Wendy Heard.” —Aiden Thomas, author of Cemetery Boys
“A powder keg of psychological suspense that recognizes the dark side lurking within all of us, this thriller had me riveted right from the very first page.”—Caleb Roehrig, author of Last Seen Leaving and White Rabbit
“She’s Too Pretty to Burn holds you by the throat until the very last page. Heard has written a perfect, ultra-modern teenage noir of early queer love and the battle to resist our most destructive impulses. Ambition is truly a killer.”—Adam Sass, author of Surrender Your Sons
“Veronica and Mick's complex, compelling relationship grounds this intense and unrelenting thriller, full of impossible choices, betrayals, mistakes, and danger.” —Kate Alice Marshall, author of I Am Still Alive and Rules for Vanishing
"Gorgeously written and expertly paced, Wendy Heard’s She's Too Pretty to Burn is an intense, wild ride that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat until its stunning conclusion." —Liz Lawson, author of The Lucky Ones
"This psychological thriller is sure to be popular with teens. A sapphic romance with elements of art, danger, and obsession, it is recommended for YA library collections." —School Library Journal
02/01/2021
Gr 9 Up—In this thriller, Mick, a blonde junior on the high school swim team and on the outs with her mother, begrudgingly attends a party with a friend and meets Veronica, a Chicana photographer with an edge. The two girls quickly hit it off, with Veronica taking a photograph of Mick immediately after their first kiss that becomes a sensation on Instagram, allowing her to break into the art world. Veronica introduces Mick to her best friend Nico, a 20-year-old brunette who creates subversive art in their San Diego region, and the two teens become willing participants in his illegal art installations. However, soon they are in over their heads as several murders and a raging fire occur and they become pawns in a larger scheme. Heard capably explores the tipping point in which a group can move from righteous anger to destruction when they let the adrenaline of the moment overtake reason. At what level do you go from political activist to eco-terrorist? Heard also captures the extreme highs and lows of teen romance. The imbalance in Veronica and Mick's relationship could push teens to explore where they would draw the line on romantic boundaries and consent. VERDICT This psychological thriller is sure to be popular with teens. A sapphic romance with elements of art, danger, and obsession, it is recommended for YA library collections.—Nancy McKay, Byron P.L., IL
★ 2020-12-10
A romantic, fast-paced thriller inspired by a classic.
Things start off sweet in San Diego, where swimmer Micaela and aspiring photographer Veronica meet by chance at a party and romance instantly sparks between them. After Veronica snaps a perfect photo of camera-shy Mick, their relationship complicates and escalates as hesitant Mick suddenly becomes the subject of Veronica’s budding photography career. Meanwhile, the two girls engage with the local activist scene along with Veronica’s longtime artist friend Nico, but the stakes rise with every rebellious art installation—even leading to death for some of those involved. Mick and Veronica pursue their increasingly unstable relationship while parental neglect, illegal activity, and the threat of violence set them on an escalating, dangerous path. The story unravels in colorful, electric prose through Mick’s and Veronica’s first-person points of view, alternating between past and present. The tension builds well, leading to an exhilarating and twisty final third. Believable and clever banter bounces back and forth between sympathetic characters, and allusions to The Picture of Dorian Gray provide a scaffold without requiring readers’ prior knowledge of the original to appreciate the story. This dark, winding novel expertly interweaves suspense and romance. Mick is cued as White and Veronica is Latinx; both are queer.
A wild and satisfying romp. (Thriller. 14-adult)
