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The Devil You Know by Trish Doller

published on June 2nd 2015 by Bloomsbury
young adult | contemporary | thriller | mystery | romance

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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.

*I received a digital review copy for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*
Thank you to Bloomsbury Childrens for providing me with an advanced copy for review.

Review

Adventure? A fun, sexy journey? Murder? Hell yes this book has it all! Unfortunately, I wouldn’t go as far as to call it a favorite of mine. It was a quick, easy to read thriller, but it wasn’t as intense as I wouldn’ve hoped. Hold on, let me explain.

This book was fun. We have a heroine who set out to do fun teenage things. She might not be the brightest crayon in the box in terms of wise decision-making, but she felt like a genuine character most of the time, so I’m gong to forgive her for being an idiot and potentially getting herself murdered.

While this book owned the fun parts, I can’t really say the same for the actual mystery and thriller aspect. We only have three main characters, so you’re going to suspect them all at one point. That being said, I was’t shocked at all when the twist finally came around. It’s the kind of twist that’ll make you go, Ha! I knew it!

But I wouldn’t let that get in the way of your decision to read this book. Trish Doller’s writing was so incredibly easy to read, and I just found myself flipping page after page.

The characters were definitely NOT perfect (like I said, Cadie’s not really a genius), but I enjoyed reading about them. Everyone has a great backstory that you’ll sympathize with, even the “villain” (if you can call him/her–no spoilers–that).

This book was also pretty sex-positive, which I’ll always appreciate in a book. I won’t really say that I was sold on the romance (hint: I wasn’t–neither love interest caught my attention, to my eternal dismay), but at least there was that.

The ending was really satisfying as well. Not amazing or mind-blowing, but satisfying. It’s the kind of ending that’ll make you sigh contentedly.

Overall, I would recommend this to anyone looking for a quick thriller read. I wouldn’t put Trish Doller in the ranks of thriller writers Abigail Haas just yet, but she definitely has the potential to get there someday.

Skulls 3

PURCHASE THE DEVIL YOU KNOW

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About Aimee
Aimee loves being a little bookworm (okay–she doesn’t like being little). She also loves chocolates and sweets but is freaked out by the thought of possibly getting diabetes.

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I'm a 24-year-old bookworm from the Philippines. I talk about fantasy, sci-fi, and romance novels.

61 thoughts on “Review: The Devil You Know by Trish Doller”

  1. Okay so at first when I read the synopsis I just KNEW there was going to be some kind of love triangle. Gag. But then you have just informed me that there is in fact not a whole lot of romance going on and the suspene factor wasn’t all that satisfying. At first I was like HECKS YES I’m going to read this but now…. I just don’t know. :(

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    1. There *was* a lot of romance in the book, but it wasn’t the great kind, so… :( I felt like the mystery was so obvious since the beginning. D: If you’re a regular thriller reader I wouldn’t recommend this, but if you’re not, then definitely give it a shot!

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      1. Okay as you can see I’m kind of a romance reader sooooo thrillers typically aren’t my cup of tea. BUT I’ll give it a try since I’m tecnically not a thriller reader. Fine Aimee. Gosh. I’ll just go and add it to my pile then. (You smart little convincer you) ;)

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  2. You know, considering my blog title, I couldn’t resist checking out your review. This sounds like a pretty solid books, but the fact is my TBR is far too long for merely solid books — still, I’ll keep an eye on other reviews to let them change my mind. I read too much Agatha Christie to not guess what’s happening. But characters that do things for fun? Far too rare these days in YA.

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    1. Ha. ;) Most reviews for this have been really positive, though. Definitely go ahead and check out some GR reviews. :) YES. (Although fun in this book = skinny dipping and bonfires.)

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  3. Ack, a love triangle?! I was trying to deceive myself into not dwelling on the “two handsome cousins” part but alas. Really disappointed that it was predictable but was it dark in any way or nah? Nice review, Amy :”)

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    2. The girl only really likes one of them though, if that helps. ;) It wasn’t too dark at first, but it definitely got darker by the end. :)

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  5. WHAT. A thriller where you can see the twist coming? Aw. It’s for that reason alone that i don’t think I;ll be giving this a try, but its nice to know you had fun with it, Aimee :)

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  7. I’ve been curious about this one but so far everyone has said the same thing as you: it was good but not as amazing as they’d originally hoped it would be. It’s a bummer because Trish Doller wrote this one…one of the many Queens of YA contemporary…so I kinda wanted this one to be intense and mind blowing you know?

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    1. I actually haven’t read any of Trish’s contemporaries, but I’m definitely going to start one soon. :) But yes, not really epic or anything, this one.

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  10. It sounds interesting in a whole but it’s sad that it’s not more and that it’s finally just ok. I didn’t know about this one I confess but well I would want a bit more for my reads.

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  11. Nice review! I was a little wary about this one, but I think I’ll officially TBR it now. You’ve convinced me. I like a good, fun read once in a while. Except, the whole cousins thing reminds me of Aruba, so I’m going to have to get past the unlikelihood of that.

    C.J.
    Sarcasm & Lemons

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  12. Hmmm, I think I will check this one out! I’m always looking for reads that I can get easily immersed in and although it’s a little light on the thrill, it does sound fun and I’m a huge fan of flawed characters. Nice review :)

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  14. Oooooo this one is a novel I’ve been eyeing recently. I mean “Adventure? A fun, sexy journey? Murder?” like boom. You just sold me on the novel’s premise right there lmao [; But oooooo, I would hope this one would be more intense??? Like it involves murder so. I’m not against there being some fun but it would feel a bit out of place.

    LOL oh my god your description of the MC has me totally laughing. Like I feel the stereotypical thriller MC is akin to that of that typical horror movie girl who gets herself killed within the first 20 seconds of the movie. The MC in this one sounds like that to me given your lovely description [;

    The twist sounds predictable af. Sighhhhhh. I feel like I’m getting harder and harder to suprise when it comes to plot twists.

    Yeah, I think I’ll have to go into this one with the proper mindset- which I can now do given your review. Previously I would have been expecting Haas type of thriller, but now I gotta adjust myself to more run of the mill murder fun (lmfao love the juxtaposition there).

    GREAT REVIEW AIMEE AND I’M STILL PRETTY HYPER SO YA.

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    1. The “fun” wasn’t really out of place since there were dark times in those as well… *cue eerie music*
      I FELT LIKE SHE SHOULD’VE DIED EARLY WITH THE DECISIONS SHE WAS MAKING. XD
      I’ve still yet to find a thriller that blew my mind as much as Haas did. It hasn’t come yet. Hopefully soon.
      HYPER IS GOOD.

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  15. Thanks for hyping this book, Aimee! I keep seeing this pop up on my Goodreads timeline but I just couldn’t bother clicking on it and checking it out. And I’m in the mood for a thriller after all the fluffy contemporaries I’ve read haha.

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  16. It seems like this is a running theme for the book – great concept, but not as thrilling as everyone was hoping. I don’t do thrillers all that much, so if I DO read one, I want it to be FANTASTIC. But I’ve never read Trish Doller, so this may just have to be one I eventually get my hands on!

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    1. Fantastic thrillers = Abigail Haas. That’s all I can say. But if you’ve already read from this author I feel like you’ll like it a lot more! :D

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  17. This was so hyped, so it’s disappointing to see that you didn’t love it. I don’t like predictable twists. :/ And I’ll be staying away from this for now, because as much as I love that cover, it doesn’t sound like my type of book.

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  18. Yup. I remember reading a review of this at Jen’s blog and how while it was a fun, easy read, the mystery, suspense, and actualy thriller part left much to be desired, which makes me sad… I mean, when I open a thriller book, I expect thrills, you know? This would probably leave me disappointed a lot… but hey, at least there were fun moments! Not sure if I would appreciate them if the more important factors are lacking, though ^^;;

    Faye at The Social Potato

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  19. I was looking forward to this book, but I like my thrillers to be unpredictable and full of suspence. :( Great review, Aimee!

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  21. I was really eager to read this one before, I love the thrill and mystery factor. The book sound quite similar to Black Ice which was a sorta annoying book. This still sounds like a fun, quick read for the summer though :) Wonderful review overall Aimee <3

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  22. I didn’t realise Trish Doller wrote thrillers, I thought was was only a romance writer. This book sounds interesting, but I understand where you’re coming from in terms of it being just an easy to read thriller. I would say it’s a tough transition from writing on romance to writing something like a thriller. Glad to hear it’s great overall though – I think I’ll have to check this one out!

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    1. This is her first thriller, I believe. It’s definitely been a hard transition for her since she’s wrote two (apparently amazing) contemporaries before this one!

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  23. Sometimes you just need the milder kind of thrillers that you don’t need to think much about. This definitely sounds like it’s a breezy read with a bit of everything. The romance sounds a tad on the naff side, but I love a real protagonist that isn’t perfect. Awesome review Aimz, going to add this one to purchase soon <3

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  24. Pingback: Weekly Recap #6: Much Sad News | Deadly Darlings

  25. This sounds like an easy read, if not all that…suspenseful? A love triangle though, bleh. I need my thrillers to be intense and weird (I love thrillers that freak me out!) and this doesn’t sound like it’s it :(

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    1. That’s definitely the way to describe it, Wattle. I love thrillers that freak me out too! This definitely had an… odd twist, if that’s what you’re looking for.

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  26. Oh, this is a me book. Shame it didn’t feel as intense as it should though (I mean 1) thriller, and 2) that synopsis, so it should have.) Ha! Yeah, definitely not the brightest crayon in the box, and definitely one of those she got herself there by being stupid, kind of situations. Considering I usually get it right, yeah, the mystery and thriller side is a disappointment. :( But hey, it’s a quick read, and I do love thrillers, even if most of them are predictable!

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    1. I’m actually not that disappointed with predictable books as long as the reason behind things is NOT predictable, like Abigail Haas’ books. :) Most of the time it’s just blamed on being sociopaths, etc…

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  27. I am super duper keen on this book because:

    a) TRISH DOLLER. I have adored both her previous books, and she is one of my favourite contemporary writers.

    b) Thriller! I love thrillers, and guessing, and everything else that comes with thrillers.

    It’s a shame you didn’t LOVE this, though, Aimee! It sounds like it was on the way to winning you over, though. If you haven’t read her other books, I highly recommend them! They’re just general contemporaries, but they’re amazing. Her writing style is super lovely, and the characters are awesome.

    Great review, dear <3

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    1. Based on this book, I have to agree that Trish’s writing is fantastic! Both of her other books are on my TBR. I’ll definitely find time to read them both before the year ends. <3

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  28. I have this and solely because of the cover. I hate myself for requesting books just because of the cover :( The romance looks like not something I’ll enjoy so I don’t know. I’m glad there were some aspects that you enjoyed though. I wish I enjoy this book more than you did Aimee Mwaahahaha <3 Great review my dear :*

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  29. Ack, it’s a shame that the plot when it came to the thriller part of things was a bit predictable and didn’t hold much suspense. But I do like the sound of a road trip that the synopsis promises and some characters not being who you think they initially are. And it still sounds like a good laugh and fun in places!

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