ARC Review: Better the Devil by Erik J. Brown

Some books pull you in because they are fun. Others pull you in because they feel dangerous to read, like you know things are going to go wrong and you keep turning pages anyway. Better the Devil is very much the second kind. It is tense from the start, uncomfortable in a way that feels intentional, and built around choices that make sense in the moment and haunt you later. I went into this one expecting a solid YA thriller and came out of it thinking about identity, survival, and how far someone will go to stay safe when the truth feels like the most dangerous option. Check out my thoughts below and pick up Better the Devil, out January 20th!

TY Harper for the ARC, which in no way influenced this review.

Better the Devil

by Erik J. Brown
Published by: HarperCollins
on January 20, 2026
Genres: Thriller, Young Adult
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A harrowing, edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller about a queer homeless teen who, in a bid for safety, assumes the identity of a boy who went missing ten years ago...only to find that his new home is anything but a safe haven—from All That's Left in the World author Erik J. Brown!

Perfect for fans of Karen McManus, Holly Jackson, and Ryan La Sala.

When a runaway teen is arrested for shoplifting, he's desperate not to be sent back to the hyper-religious parents he knows will never accept him. While at the police station, he notices a resemblance to the aged-up photos of Nate Beaumont, a child who went missing ten years ago—and, in a moment of desperation, he takes Nate’s identity in hopes that it will help him make a quick getaway.

Before he can run again, Nate’s family arrives and welcomes him home to a life he never had. As "Nate" watches and waits for his chance to run, he finds that the Beaumonts are nurturing and loving, very different from his own parents.

But soon unsettling things start to happen—vandalism, alarms going off in the middle of the night—and it becomes clear that someone knows "Nate" isn't who he says he is...and that the real Nate wasn't kidnapped, but murdered.

As he starts to unravel the mystery, he gets ever closer to the devil he may know—and learns he might be their next victim.

Review

Better the Devil grabbed me almost immediately and did not let go. The premise alone is enough to pull you in, but what really makes this book work is how quickly it turns desperation into something dangerous. A queer teen on the run from conversion therapy. A missing boy who looks just like him. A split-second decision that changes everything. From the start, the story feels tight, tense, and deeply uncomfortable in a way that makes you want to keep reading even when you are nervous about what comes next.

What stood out most for me was how constant the pressure feels. Nate is always one wrong word away from being exposed, and that fear never really eases. Even when things seem calm, there is a sense that something is off. I loved the dynamic between Nate and Miles, especially how their connection grows out of curiosity and shared unease rather than instant trust. There were moments where I felt genuinely anxious for Nate, not in a dramatic way, but in that quiet, creeping way where you realize how fragile his situation really is.

And then there is the twist. If you know, you know. I had theories. I felt confident in those theories. I was wrong. When the truth starts coming into focus, the book takes a sharp turn and fully commits. It is unsettling and smart and made me want to immediately flip back and see what clues I missed. The tension escalates fast in the final stretch, and the payoff feels earned rather than shocking just for the sake of it.

Beyond the thriller elements, this book is doing a lot of meaningful work around identity, survival, and the cost of pretending to be someone else. Nate’s history, especially with his parents, is hard to read but important, and the story never minimizes the harm of conversion therapy or the damage it causes. At its core, Better the Devil is about what happens when a lie feels safer than the truth, and how heavy that kind of hiding can become. I like how Erik still manages to make me feel good at the end of all the dread.

At this point, Erik J. Brown is an automatic read for me. This book is dark, fast-paced, and emotionally sharp, and it confirms once again that he knows how to write YA thrillers that trust their readers and take real risks.