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Verdict: A sharp, genuinely funny deal-with-a-demon rom-com with a great love interest, let down by a romance that spends most of the book waiting for the ex-girlfriend plot to get out of the way.
Best for: Readers who come to Bellefleur for banter and a high-concept premise, who enjoy a heroine making bad decisions on the way to better ones, and who can wait until the final third for the real romance to start.
Heat level: ★★☆☆☆ (2/5 — one on-page scene, late in the book)
Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.4/5 — a 3.62 Goodreads average across nearly 9,700 ratings, with the late-arriving romance as the near-universal complaint)
Tropes: Deal with a demon, be careful what you wish for, opposites attract, morally grey love interest, forbidden love, winning back the ex, alternate realities, forced proximity, immortal-and-mortal age gap, single POV.
The Devil She Knows by Alexandria Bellefleur is a standalone, traditionally published sapphic paranormal romance from Berkley, set in present-day New York, in which a pastry chef whose girlfriend has just turned down her proposal gets stuck in an elevator with a demon who offers her everything she wants — on the standard terms.
It holds a 3.62 average across roughly 9,700 Goodreads ratings, carries a starred Booklist review and a place on People’s fall 2025 must-read list, and has a review section in which even the five-star readers keep raising the same structural problem. Both the praise and that problem are worth understanding before you start.
What Is The Devil She Knows About?
The Devil She Knows is a paranormal rom-com in the oldest sense of the bargain story: a mortal trades her soul for wishes, and the wishes come back wrong. Bellefleur has named the film Bedazzled as a direct inspiration, and the early chapters wear that openly. It is contemporary, urban and comic first, with the magic arriving as a series of rewritten realities rather than a built world with rules.
Sam Cooper wants two things — the executive chef job she has been working towards, and a yes from Hannah, the girlfriend she is certain is the love of her life. Daphne is the demon who turns up to make the deal: charming, dressed in pink, and entirely clear-eyed about what Hannah is. The book runs in close third person through Sam alone, which keeps the comedy tight and the self-delusion up close, but leaves Daphne’s feelings to be read from the outside — a choice several reviewers wish had gone the other way.
What Makes This Sapphic Paranormal Rom-Com Work
- The banter: The most consistently praised element in the reviews by some distance. Readers call it sharp and quick, and the trade coverage agrees — People singled out the dialogue, and Publishers Weekly praised the darkly funny hijinks.
- The premise: A wish bargain in which every wish rewrites Sam’s life is the hook readers name second, and the alternate realities give Bellefleur room for some genuinely inventive set pieces.
- Daphne: The demon is the character readers fall for, and her backstory is the emotional surprise of the book. Several reviewers wanted more of her, which is a compliment with a catch.
- The final stretch: Readers who stayed say the last fifth pays off, and the closing wish is singled out as clever rather than convenient.
- A banter-led romance with something underneath it: The story is finally about self-worth — what Sam will give up to be loved by the wrong person — and the reviewers who liked it most name that theme as the reason it stayed with them.
Book Synopsis
Sam Cooper has the ring, the speech and the restaurant table. What she does not have, by the end of the night, is a fiancée. Hannah says no, and by the following day Sam has lost the relationship she built her plans around and the apartment that came with it. She is a talented pastry chef who has been waiting a long time for her career to start, and she is now very publicly starting over.
Then the elevator stops between floors, and Sam is no longer alone in it. The woman beside her introduces herself as Daphne, explains with unsettling good cheer that she is a demon, and makes an offer: a set of wishes, anything Sam wants, in exchange for her soul. Sam has seen enough films to know how this goes, so she does what any reasonable person would do — she takes the deal and plans to beat it, spending just enough wishes to get Hannah back and keeping the rest unused.
The wishes, of course, do not land the way they are phrased. Each one drops Sam into a new version of her life, each version is wrong in a different and inventive way, and the only constant through all of them is Daphne, who keeps turning up to watch the fallout and is starting to look less like a contract holder and more like someone with stakes of her own. The question is no longer whether Sam can win Hannah back. It is whether she has been wishing for the right thing at all — and what Daphne stands to lose if she figures it out.
My Review
The premise is the best thing here, and Bellefleur knows exactly how to use it. A deal with a demon where every wish rewrites the protagonist’s life is a machine for comedy, and the alternate realities are the book at its most alive — quick, strange, and built on the kind of escalating misfortune that rom-coms run on. The banter between Sam and Daphne is the other engine, and it is good: fast, dry and properly funny, which is why “witty” is the word readers reach for first.
Daphne is the second real strength. She is written as charming and transactional on the surface, and the reveal of her own history turns her from a comic device into the most interesting person in the book. The readers who loved this novel mostly loved her, and the ones who did not still tend to wish she had more space — which tells you where the book’s heart actually is.
Where it struggles is structure, and this is not a minority gripe. The single most repeated criticism in the reviews is that the book spends most of its length on Sam trying to win Hannah back, and that the romance with Daphne only properly begins in the final quarter or third. Kirkus said as much, Publishers Weekly gently noted the slow build, and roughly a dozen independent reviewers I read named it — including several who rated the book four or five stars. Stacked on top: Hannah is thin enough that it is hard to understand Sam’s devotion, Sam is hard to root for while she is chasing her, and because so much of the plot unfolds across roughly a day, the turn towards Daphne reads as fast. StoryGraph readers still rate the character development highly — 79% say yes — so this is a pacing problem more than a characterisation one.
One expectation to reset: the marketing says hilarious, steamy, sexy as hell. The first is true. The heat is not — there is a single on-page scene and it arrives late, and several reviewers describe the book as sweet rather than spicy. If you came for a Bellefleur rom-com, calibrate for a book that is more Faustian fable than romance for its first two-thirds; if you came for the comedy, you will get it from page one.
My honest note: A five-star premise and very good banter in service of a romance that starts too late. If you need the love story on the page from the first act, this will frustrate you. If you enjoy watching a heroine get things wrong in increasingly creative ways, the payoff is real.
| Element | In The Devil She Knows |
|---|---|
| Central relationship | Sam Cooper & Daphne — a jilted pastry chef and the demon holding her contract, opposites attract |
| Core tropes | Deal with a demon, be careful what you wish for, alternate realities, winning back the ex, morally grey love interest, forbidden love |
| Setting | Present-day New York City, plus the rewritten versions of Sam’s life each wish creates |
| Heat level | 2/5 — one on-page scene, late in the book |
| Series | Standalone — complete arc, HEA with an epilogue |
| Content notes | Toxic relationship with an ex, infidelity, suicide and a suicide attempt, blood and injury detail, animal death, minor homophobia, torture and self-harm (crowd-reported on StoryGraph) |
How Spicy Is The Devil She Knows?
A 2/5. I could not get a romance.io reading for this title, so the number comes from what readers report is on the page: there is one sex scene, it is on the page rather than behind a closed door, and it comes late, once the romance with Daphne has finally started. All About Romance rated the sensuality “warm”, the Lesbrary reviewer counted a single scene, and other reviewers describe the book as sweet rather than steamy. StoryGraph users who tagged sexual content split between graphic and moderate, which fits one explicit-ish scene in an otherwise low-heat book.
That matters because the packaging leans the other way — author blurbs call it steamy, and Booklist’s star review called it “sweetly sexy”. No reviewer I found flags kink content or anything darker than the bargain itself. If you want a witchy rom-com at a similar temperature, This Spells Disaster sits in the same low band; Payback’s a Witch runs a notch warmer.
Who Should Read This Book?
You’ll likely love it if: you read Bellefleur for the dialogue, you enjoy high-concept premises that keep resetting the board, you like a morally grey love interest with a sad history, and you are happy for the romance to be the destination rather than the journey.
You may want to skip it if: you want the central couple on the page from the first act, a heroine pining after an obviously wrong ex makes you want to throw the book, you were promised steam and expect it, or you need a slow, earned build rather than a fast final-act turn.
In short: a clever, funny bargain story that becomes a romance late — worth it if you enjoy the ride, frustrating if you only came for the couple.
What Readers Are Actually Saying (October 2026)
This is a traditionally published book with a traditional publisher’s launch behind it, and that is what is driving it — not a viral moment. It arrived in October 2025 with a starred Booklist review, positive notices from Publishers Weekly and Library Journal, a mixed Kirkus review, a People must-read listing and USA Today bestseller, LibraryReads and Indie Next placements, plus a Goodreads giveaway. I found no Reddit discussion threads and no organic BookTok trend for it. What it has instead is reach: close to 9,700 Goodreads ratings in its first year, 4,800 on StoryGraph at a matching 3.63, and 734 on Amazon averaging 4.0. The audiobook, from Penguin Random House Audio, is narrated by Ellie Gossage and runs 9 hours 37 minutes; the listener reviews I found praise her character voices, and one recommends audio as the best way in.
Prefer audio? Listen to The Devil She Knows on Libro.fm — the audiobook shop that supports independent bookstores.
Why readers love it (according to the discourse): The banter, first and most consistently — “witty” and “sharp” are the recurring words, and roughly ten reviewers lead with it. Then the premise, which readers call inventive and bingeable, with the alternate-reality wishes doing a lot of the work. Daphne and her backstory draw real affection, and readers who finished say the final stretch, particularly the last wish, lands. A smaller group names the theme — what Sam is willing to trade away to be loved — as the reason the book stuck. StoryGraph’s mood data agrees with the tone: 74% of readers tag it funny and 61% lighthearted.
What readers argue about and complain about: The ex, above everything. About a dozen independent reviewers, plus Kirkus, say most of the book is spent on Sam’s campaign to win back Hannah and that the romance with Daphne is squeezed into the last 20–30% — and this comes from four-star readers as often as two-star ones. The second theme follows from it: because so much happens in roughly a day, the relationship with Daphne feels rushed rather than built. Third, the leads — around five readers find Sam hard to root for while she chases Hannah, and several call Hannah one-dimensional, a note Publishers Weekly makes too. Smaller recurring notes: the wish structure gets repetitive in the middle, the ending resolves on something close to a technicality, and the opening leans hard on Bedazzled. Opinions divide on Sam herself: some readers find her self-sabotage funny and human, others find it exhausting. The 3.62 average hides a distinctive shape — only 1% of Goodreads ratings are one-star, but 32% are three-star. People are not hating this book; they are hesitating over it.
The standalone question worth asking first: it is complete. There is no series, no cliffhanger, and the book closes on an epilogue that confirms the happy ending. If you liked the voice and wanted more romance on the page, Bellefleur’s Written in the Stars puts the couple front and centre from chapter one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Devil She Knows a standalone?
Yes. It is a complete standalone with no series attached, and it ends on a happily-ever-after confirmed by an epilogue. You do not need to have read any of Bellefleur’s other books.
How spicy is The Devil She Knows?
Low — around a 2/5. There is one on-page sex scene and it arrives late in the book. Readers describe it as sweet rather than steamy, despite blurbs that suggest otherwise.
When does the romance between Sam and Daphne start?
Late. Most of the book follows Sam trying to win back her ex, Hannah, and readers consistently say the romance with Daphne takes over only in the final quarter or third. It is the most common complaint in the reviews.
Is it like Bedazzled?
In its setup, yes. Bellefleur has named the film as an inspiration, and the opening follows a similar wish-bargain shape. Readers say it becomes its own story once the wishes start rewriting Sam’s life.
Is there an audiobook?
Yes — narrated by Ellie Gossage for Penguin Random House Audio, running 9 hours 37 minutes. Listener reviews praise the character voices.
If You Loved The Devil She Knows, Read These Next
The closest match on structure is Payback’s a Witch, another paranormal rom-com in which the sapphic romance keeps losing the page to an ex — though there it is revenge rather than reconciliation driving the plot. If it was Bellefleur’s banter you came for, Written in the Stars delivers the same voice with the couple on the page from the start and noticeably more heat. And The Fiancée Farce gives you her comedy without the magic, built on a fake engagement instead of a soul contract.
For more in this register, browse our guide to the best sapphic paranormal romance books or the full Book Reviews collection.
The Bottom Line
The Devil She Knows is a book whose premise outruns its romance. The wish bargain is a genuinely great comic engine, the banter is some of Bellefleur’s sharpest, and Daphne is a love interest worth the wait. It is also slow to reach its own love story, built around an ex nobody can quite understand the appeal of, and much less steamy than its marketing suggests. Whether that trade works depends on what you read rom-coms for — if it is the comedy and the voice, the payoff is real and the ending is complete. Check The Devil She Knows on Amazon →
The Eikna Overall Ranking
On the Eikna scale, The Devil She Knows ranks as a high-concept traditionally published sapphic paranormal rom-com — funny, inventive and carried by its demon, held back by a romance that starts too late, and best approached for the banter and the bargain rather than the love story.
The Evidence Scorecard
Overall ★★★☆☆ 3.4/5
- ✓ 3.62 average across 9,683 Goodreads ratings
- ✓ 3.63 on StoryGraph from 4,801 reviews
- ✓ Starred Booklist review, mixed Kirkus
- ✓ Romance arrives in the final third
Romance ★★★☆☆ 3.1/5
- ✓ Sam and Daphne spark in their banter
- ✓ Daphne a love interest worth the wait
- ✓ Final wish lands for most readers
- ✓ Ex plot eats most of the page time
Characters ★★★★☆ 3.6/5
- ✓ Daphne and her backstory widely loved
- ✓ 79% on StoryGraph call development strong
- ✓ Sam flawed in a deliberate, human way
- ✓ Hannah thin, Sam hard to root for
Writing ★★★★☆ 3.9/5
- ✓ Banter the most-praised element
- ✓ 74% of StoryGraph readers tag it funny
- ✓ Alternate realities inventive and quick
- ✓ Middle wishes turn repetitive
Emotional Impact ★★★☆☆ 3.4/5
- ✓ Self-worth theme gives it weight
- ✓ Daphne’s history the emotional surprise
- ✓ Final stretch earns its feeling
- ✓ Rushed turn blunts the payoff
Heat Level ★★☆☆☆ 2/5
- ✓ One on-page scene
- ✓ Arrives late in the book
- ✓ Readers call it sweet, not steamy
- ✓ Blurbs oversell the heat
Ending ★★★★☆ 3.7/5
- ✓ Complete standalone, no cliffhanger
- ✓ HEA confirmed by an epilogue
- ✓ Closing wish called clever
- ✓ Some say it resolves on a technicality
Re-read Value ★★★☆☆ 3.2/5
- ✓ Banter rewards a second pass
- ✓ Gossage audiobook a strong option
- ✓ Knowing the ending reframes Daphne
- ✓ Long ex-focused middle discourages it
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