Review: The Devil you Know by Trish Doller

The Devil You Know
by Trish Doller
Published June 2nd 2015 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens 

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.

My Thoughts

I am going to keep this review short and fairly to the point since it wasn't that long of a book and I don't want to give anything away. The Devil You Know follows the story of a girl named Arcadia Wells. Arcadia lost her mother and in turn lost all of her freedom since she had to not only care for her grieving father but take her mother's place to her baby brother. She has always done the responsible thing. She has even given up things like her place on the soccer team and most recently her boyfriend, Justin. However, Arcadia is sick of always being responsible and sick of seeing Justin flaunt his new girlfriend around town. She decided to put of a dress and a kickass pair of boots and take on the town. Well, really more like a party at the near by campground but still this new Cadie is all about the adventures she always wished she could have. That is what spurs her to catcall the cute stranger camping near by and invite him along to the party. When he actually shows with his cousin, Cadie is in for an adventure she never imagined and will never forget. (Love cliche sentences like that one!).

Let me start off by saying that I DO NOT CONDONE GOING ON ROAD TRIPS WITH STRANGERS. That is just not cool. I was a fairly reckless teen and I feel like that would have been a bit much even for me. That being said I really do feel for Cadie's character. She not only misses her mother but is still a teen. Caring for a preschooler is NOT EASY! Trust me, I have one. Compile that with her father's mental absenteeism and high school and it's just a recipe for some good ol' fashioned rebellion. Cadie seems like such a smart cookie with a good head on her shoulder so it was a major shock to me that she could be so monumentally stupid when it comes to getting into cars or tents with strangers. I am pretty sure that is EXACTLY the shock factor that Mrs. Doller was trying to portray. Well played Madam, well  played.

The characters were really well written and while the story was fast paced it was also fairly short so there wasn't a ton of room for lagging. I truly think that saved the book since had it been any more wordy, I may have lost interest which is the worst thing that could possibly happen in a thriller/suspense book. Things were incredibly predictable but I still caught a mean case of the who done it's. While this wasn't the most groundbreaking epic book ever, it was still a decent enough read. It's length and quick pace will make the thrill seeker happy.

3 Snowflakes