Better the Devil by Erik J. Brown

Better the Devil

Erik J. Brown

HarperCollins · Print & ebook · January 20, 2026

A Thriller pick for readers exploring Better the Devil.

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Who it’s for
A fast, emotionally charged read with romance threaded through danger.
Genres
YA Psychological Thrillers, YA LGBTQ+, Runaway Stories
Published
HarperCollins, January 20, 2026

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For older readers: The House of Now and Then, The In-between Bookstore, Slow River

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About this book

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.

Continue reading

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 escape, 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.

Why It Grabs

A fast, emotionally charged read with romance threaded through danger.

Come here for

  • YA romance with a thriller edge
  • runaway tension, kept brisk

Expect

  • bullying and flight shaping the stakes
  • a sustained, immersive YA pace

Where it sits

YA Psychological Thrillers72%
YA LGBTQ+47%
Runaway Stories41%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • YA Mysteries
  • YA Romance - LGBTQ+
  • YA Psychological Thrillers
Authors
Erik J. Brown
Publisher
HarperCollins
Published
January 20, 2026
Format
Print & ebook
Reading lane
YA Mysteries