The Devil You Know by Trish Doller | Book Review

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

From critically-acclaimed author Trish Doller comes a powerful new psychological page-turner perfect for fans of Lauren Oliver and Sara Zarr.Eighteen-year-old Arcadia wants adventure. Living in a tiny Florida town with her dad and four-year-old brother, Cadie spends most of her time working, going to school, and taking care of her family. So when she meets two handsome cousins at a campfire party, she finally has a chance for fun. They invite her and friend to join them on a road trip, and it's just the risk she's been craving-the opportunity to escape. But what starts out as a fun, sexy journey quickly becomes dangerous when she discovers that one of them is not at all who he claims to be. One of them has deadly intentions. A road trip fling turns terrifying in this contemporary story that will keep readers on the edge of their seats.

I am pretty positive that it might be impossible for me to dislike a Trish Doller book. Whether she’s writing about soldiers, or kidnapped girls returned home, or girls with wanderlust, I am absolutely a fan of Doller’s. The Devil You Know is her latest book and it is superb. I read this book over a weekend – it would have been a one day read if not for some rainy weather and my total lack of energy to do anything but lie there with netflix running in the background.

Set in a small Florida town where everyone knows everyone, The Devil You Know is an exciting young adult thriller starring Cadie. Cadie is eighteen. Her mother has died of pancreatic cancer. She works in her dad’s failing grocery store and helps to take care of her four year old brother, Danny who prefers Daniel Boone. Cadie dreams of travel and of something beyond her small town. In fact, she almost feels suffocated by the town. And so, one night she decides to cut loose from the ties that bind, so to speak. She decides she’s going to wear a polka dress, kick ass boots, and go to a party at the campgrounds.

When there, she spots a stranger, and decides to invite him to the party. The stranger is Matt and he is quite the looker. Needing a break, Cadie wanders the campgrounds again and comes across Noah, Matt’s cousin. The two immediately connect. From there, Matt invites Cadie and her friend, a girl named Lindsey Buck on a road trip with him and Noah. Cadie makes a terrible life choice and decides to go. When Lindsey ends up missing, Cadie discovers that maybe one of the guys is not quite who he says he is.

I feel like many of us have been in Cadie’s shoes, I mean isn’t that why we all read so much, as an escape? Cadie has a serious case of wanderlust and I absolutely find myself thinking girl I know that feel. Yes, she does not make the smartest decision, going off with a stranger and then not having her phone charged. However, she is just so desperate for an escape and to see the world and I understand. It’s that whole needing to do something so bad or you will burst kind of thing. I had a lot of empathy for Cadie because it cannot be easy having to take care of a younger brother and work and to forgo being a normal young adult.

If there is one thing that Doller’s books are perfect at, it is romance. The Devil You Know is on par with her other books. The male romantic lead is a dash of dangerous, much like her other male leads. He doesn’t seem to be the best for her. However, there’s this fierce chemistry there. Also? You guys! There is more than just kissing in the book and there is no shame or anything and it is essentially perfect. Noah, the romantic lead, has tattoos. He has a past. He also has a gun. There’s this sort of magnetic pull between him and Cadie and you guys I could not set it down during the interactions between the two of them.

As for the writing, I loved that there’s such a strong sense of place. There’s also a small connection to Where The Stars Still Shine and if you blink you will probably miss it. In The Devil You Know, there’s gators, there’s psychics, there’s pie and a man named Naked Ed. Doller infuses her setting with the quirks of a place and it is absolutely endearing. This thriller is beautifully written and definitely a contemporary fan’s perfect thriller.

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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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