This is a stunningly written queer, supernatural novel with a large theme of found family and being accepted and I loved it. I absolutely love the clean writing style which was so easy to understand and follow even though it was a new world. I love love loved the characters, especially Benji! Benji was such a well thought out character and I just loved his motives and the way his relationships showed so many different things, especially how easily manipulated people can be. It was really interesting to read about angels who were basically the bad guys, it was very unique. I also loved the flood which gave this book a dystopian theme and also mildly made me think if this book as a queer maze runner. I loved the way the ALC was a found family, they were all so adorable and loveable and I loved seeing them work together for a better world. I also loved Nick and seeing how he dealt with his autism, he had such a strong character and I loved the plot twist regarding him. Andrew has such a similar writing style to Leigh Bardugo whom I love and I love how his writing is so descriptive and immersive! I just felt like I could picture the events of this book so so well.

4.5. First of all, I think this book wins for cover of the year already full stop. Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this early!

Secondly, I loved so much about this book. I didn't expect to enjoy the gore and body horror but have found that I'm into it! I think this novel does it particularly well - the descriptions are evocative, poetic, dark and lovely and painful. The transformation of anger and trauma manifesting outward, dealing with a toxic cult upbringing? MONSTERS? It was so good. I thought it was well-paced, though the ending happened very quickly - I would have been happy to let the conclusion draw out just a bit longer. The bits of lore scattered throughout - both in the pages of the novel and right at the very beginning of each chapter, with different biblical or cultish quotes - were fascinating, and given in just the right amount. I think spending a little more time in the climax could have answered any questions I had about the worldbuilding, and is the main reason I give it a 4.5 rather than a five.

I found all the characters interesting, and there's a nice diversity in the group of teens that I don't think I've seen in any other novel - not just in race/sexual orientation, but also neurodiversity! There were a few side characters that I felt had some unresolved tension in the group, and I would have liked to see more time with them together - I know they aren't the focus of the novel, and I think the focused characters are done extremely well, but some of them feel like sidenotes, and at a certain point there were so many that I had to make sure I was remembering everyone correctly.

Love the hope, the anger, the turning on those who have abused you. Will be reading more from this author.

I recommend you read the trigger warnings pinned by the author/in the beginning of the book, because it's a heavy one even if you're prepared for it.

As a horror fan, this was a delight if a YA read. I usually avoid things skewed for younger audiences; nothing wrong with a plucky young hero, I’m just past the point in my life where I can relate to them. This book has become one of the exceptions. Visceral, heart breaking, hopeful…with some absolutely delicious imagery. Can’t wait to recommend this one to customers!

I loved this book all the way through. I would say it’s witty, dirty, funny, compassionate, and unifying. I enjoyed the apocalyptic setting. The very vivid descriptions of gore really help with imagery and tone. The plot surrounds people who only know war but manage a sense of normalcy. I really expect this to be a hit.

I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm going to be honest, I was really looking forward to reading this. It sounded like everything that I would love and I'm ashamed to admit that I gave up about 3/4 of the way through. It was a good premise that just fell apart during the execution.

I feel like I would have enjoyed it much more had it not been presented as general horror and not YA, there's a really strange disconnect between the characters and the story that I've had trouble describing. Aging up the characters would have solved some of the problems and kept me from scoffing at their decisions and actions.

*Thank you to Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review*

I downloaded Hell Followed With Us because I saw the author on Twitter say it has a trans ftm lead and an autistic LI (and I'd call him a secondary side character since we get a few chapters in his POV). I'm glad I did! I really enjoyed this book.

We follow Benji, a recent escapee from the Cult that raised him. But when a group of Angels from that cult corner him, he is rescued by a group of teens from the local Acheson LGBTQ+ Centre, aka ALC. Nick, ALCs leader, knows Benji's darkest secret; the cult's bioweapon is mutating him into a monster. Still, Nick gives Benji shelter with his ragtag group of queer teens as long as he can use the monster to protect the ALC. Benji is eager, until he finds out Nick's hidden agenda, with more than a few secrets of his own.

Right from the start, this book was action-packed. I read this book within 24 hours of starting it. Page 2 and already, shit got real. There was no point where I felt like the book dragged. And this is a futuristic post-apocalyptic story, which was so fun.

I'm giving this book 4 stars, and it's only because this is a book that is very heavily based on religion and religious trauma. I'm an Atheist; I've only ever stepped into a Church because of a childhood friend bringing me to their youth group. I've never read the Bible, and they're very many Bible verses in this book. I know it's not a really good reason to take off a star, but I felt like I was missing some vital part of the story if I didn't grasp the Bible quotes. I still had a lot of fun reading this book, don't get me wrong, but the passages from the Bible are something that would make more sense from someone who has read it/is religious.

I was not expecting all the representation. I knew going in we had a trans ftm lead and an autistic character. I didn't read the description in depth before starting, so having the ENTIRE cast be LGBTQ was an amazing surprise. Not only do we have trans and gay rep, but we also have nonbinary rep (with neopronoun use; xe/xem and another one that I forgot to mark), aromantic rep, lesbian rep, and more. There is also BIPOC side characters. It's always refreshing to read books where the entire cast is diverse.

Overall, if you want a diverse upper YA fantasy set in the future, pick this up on June 7th!

*Side note: if you have religious trauma, look at more reviews than mine. This is a very heavy and gorey book, so take my review with a grain of salt.*

First of all, please check out content warnings. I knew what I was getting into before picking this one up, but there were still some parts that were hard to read, so please take those warnings seriously. The author has a list of content warnings on Goodreads and his website, and there's an author's note at the beginning of the book.

Fantasy novels about trans teens are quickly becoming included in the list of my favorite genres (if you haven't read Cemetery Boys or The Witch King yet, I highly recommend). This book is a bit more dark and gritty than what I normally go for, but in this case the grittiness really worked for me and it was honestly cathartic to read. This is the kind of book that throws you into the story with no information so it did take a couple chapters to figure out what was going on, but once you're in you won't want to put it down.

If you know me, you know I love a good ensemble cast, and this book delivers. Most of the characters are queer as well, so it gets bonus points for that. The characters are not perfect, which is a good thing. The main characters, Benji and Nick, did some things that I didn't really like or approve of, but their flaws made them so real to me and it was so fun to see them grow.

This book felt like some of the other dystopian books that I loved in middle school, and for some reason it reminded me a lot of The Fifth Wave (although I think this one's quite a bit darker, and I liked this one better). I wasn't too sure about the monsters at first just because there's a lot of body horror to it, but I was completely sold on it by the end (<spoiler> because in classic Scooby-Doo fashion, the humans were the real monsters </spoiler>). I was really impressed with the quality of writing as well, and the use of imagery is really strong.

This book has a lot going on in it, it's pretty much non-stop action, and I was really impressed with how the author brought everything together. I'm really interested to see what White writes next!

Thank you, NetGalley, for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A horror story about a gruesome disease that consumes you from the inside out may not have been the best isolation read, but even so, I absolutely adored this book.

Hell Followed With Us was full of gore, religious trauma, and angry queer characters, which are three of the things that I love most in a book. Toss in a healthy dose of body horror, an evangelical cult, and one of my favourite covers of all time and you have me sold, 100%.

I have been incredibly excited about this book since it was announced, and thankfully, it lived up to all of my expectations. It was a bit slow at the beginning for me, but as the stakes ramped up I couldn't stop reading. The writing was very pleasant to read and really brought the terror to life in my mind. There were no punches pulled when it came to the skin-crawling descriptions of some of the best body horror I've come across, which, considering this is classified as YA, surprised me in the best way.

I would highly recommend this to any other horror fans! This book is certainly going to stay with me for a long time.

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for the advanced review copy.

Andrew Joseph White has created a truly horrifying apocalyptic adventure with Hell Followed with Us. This novel follows Benji, our trans hero as he escapes a villainous cult, In my opinion, it was like an LGBTQIA+ Resident Evil adventure and I absolutely loved it.

The emotional range that this book will make you feel is amazing. From trusting people that you know you probably shouldn't, first love, anger at evil leaders, and many more, the emotional impact of this book speaks for itself. IThe anger in particular that Benji feels at his situation and the eventual ability to express that anger felt so cathartic. This was a fast-paced adventure that you do not want to miss.


**Note - This book may be triggering in some scenes. Please investigate the appropriate warnings.

STRONG content warnings for body horror, gore, religious abuse, domestic abuse, and transphobia.
According to Jean-Paul Sartre, hell is other people. I’ve questioned this line of thought before, but it certainly proves true in Andrew Joseph White’s Hell Followed with Us.
We follow Benji, a trans boy running away from the doomsday cult he was raised in . Problem is, doomsday has already happened. A virus called “The Flood” was unleashed upon the world a few years ago by this very group, and the consequences were mind-boggling. Nine billion people died, and the ones that didn’t…aren’t really people anymore. (Another CW for body horror here). The Flood isn’t a run-of-the-mill illness. No, it rots your organs, makes you vomit them out, and kills you. If it doesn’t, you may become a Grace, a horrific amalgamation of body parts from multiple people, barely alive but conscious enough to have emotions. They roam the streets, or, in some cases, are used by the cult as attack dogs.
White is a very evocative writer, because I felt ill reading certain descriptions. A particular passage at the beginning really struck me: “A banner flutters high above me: GOD LOVES YOU. Corpses dangle from the wires, yellow-pink organs hanging from their stomachs to obscure their nakedness, like Adam and Eve ashamed of their bodies,”(White, loc 54). This isn’t a criticism, as it is a horror novel, but it’s something to keep in mind. It’s essentially two stories rolled into one: A post-apocalyptic hell, and a trans kid trying to survive an unaccepting world that surrounds him.
The book opens with a terror-inducing scene of Benji frantically escaping, mere moments after his father was shot in the face. He manages to escape the Angels, the death squads of the cult, and eventually gets taken in by a sympathetic group of young people. So who exactly is resisting this world of religious zealotry? Members of the local LGBTQ+ center, of course.
Benji’s new friends were in the center when the Flood hit, and they stayed. People of various religions, genders, and sexualities, all taking care of one another at the end of the world. It makes me tear up, honestly.
One of the best characters at the center, in my opinion, is Nick, a gay autistic boy. I was initially trepidatious, as there isn’t much good representation of autistic people, but my worries were quickly assuaged. Nick isn’t a supercomputer masquerading as a human, or someone to be infantilized. He’s just a kid, doing his best to be an adult. He makes and carries beaded lizards to stim, and occasionally has trouble speaking after a meltdown, something that I myself also experience. Even with people he trusts, it’s stated that “he finds himself trying not to be too autistic,”(White, loc 944). And…Nick is the love interest of the story. I cannot emphasize enough how rare that is in literature.
Of course, all isn’t sunshine and rainbows at the center. At its heart, it’s a bunch of scared kids and young adults forced to do horrific things to survive. And yet, there are moments of brightness, as we see Benji immediately accepted for the boy he is, making friends, and finally being allowed to wear what he wants.
This happiness can’t last long, though, because Benji is what the cult calls “Seraph”. As in, an angel who will cleanse the world with fire. In the book’s world, this means he’s been injected with a special strain of the virus, which will eventually cause him to…change. The virus is eating away at him, which only increases his feeling of being “other”.
I believe part of the reason bodies and monsters are so focused on in the story, besides the horror factor, is to demonstrate the trans experience. People trying to tell you how your body should be, what’s ok, what’s not, the feeling that there’s something wrong with you. It’s all painfully relatable.
Throughout the story, Benji occasionally mentions his fiancé, Theo, whom he adores. Part of this love seems to be due to the fact that Theo sees him as a boy. Benji’s devotion to Theo causes massive blind spots, though, which range from illogical to deadly. Theo is an abuser, and tried to strangle Benji before he left, but Benji can’t help but blame himself. It’s heartbreaking.
There’s so much to cover in this book, and I’ve barely scratched the surface. Ritual mutilation, group dynamics, Benji’s obsession with being good, death squads, monsters, and more. If you’re looking for a queer story by a queer author with gut-wrenching emotional twists and horrifying descriptions, Hell Followed with Us is for you.

Overall rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with this e-arc!
(content warnings for the book; transphobia, horror, gore, religious abuse/trauma, body horror, abusive partner, abusive parents, victim self-blaming, violence as in; mass murder, murder, arson)

Hell Followed with Us follows Benji, a gay trans boy who is fleeing from the angels at the beginning of the story. It shows us his journey as he tries to become free from his past. Personally I think this book was pretty good, the story was interesting and there was a lot of diversity. But the book felt incredibly rushed to me, some ideas or people were introduced rather quickly, which made the book feel anti-climatic for me. I feel like if the book had been longer, or maybe a series, there could've been better development with the relationships between characters, or generally development for characters and plot.

While I adored this book, and it def had me hooked, I was slightly disappointed by how fast everything was going, it barely left any room for growth.

I did love the writing for this book, and I will consider rereading it in the future. Benji most certainly has my heart (:

rating; 3.75

This. Phew this book was heavy. Extremely heavy. Ease do yourself a favor and if you need tws and content warnings please look them up. This has ALOT! with that being said, I couldn't help but turn the page. This had my attention from the first couple chapters and didn't let up til the end. Worth the heavy stuff in my opinion.

Hell Followed With Us
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (6/5)
TW: violence, transphobia, domestic and religious abuse, self-injury, and attempted suicide
This book is a lot, it is very heavy, and you really need to pay attention to the TW. It is also incredibly good. It has some really well written body horror and the horror is fantastic overall. The plot is wonderful and incredibly well-written. The characters are fantastic. The “bad guys” are horrifically banal and truly terrifying. It is a fantastic commentary on the state of the world, a horrifyingly possible premonition, and a fantastic story of queer rage. It releases on June 7, 2022, and everyone should read it.

*Thank you to NetGallery and Peachtree Teen for the eARC of this book*

TW: Trasphobia, deadnaming, misgendering, violence and gore, body horror and blood, vomiting (graphic), religion and religious trauma, cults, brainwashing, physical and emotional abuse, suicide attempt and self harm

Please note: This review comes from a white, trans, non-binary, queer autistic person who was raised in an evangelical religion (since left) and suffers from religious trauma.

Ok, first THE COVER, the COVER baby. This is one of the most beautiful book covers I've seen in my lifetime and I need this framed -in my home- and tattooed on my face. Evangeline Gallagher has created a masterpiece that truely captures this book in every way. The mood, the religious style that captures the pure rebellion that Benji personifies. It's so good.

Reading the summery hooked me from the start. Trans rage? Yus. Religious rebellion? BIG yes. Autistic rep that's not only done well, but is the gay love interest? ALL MY WANT. But this summery promised a lot. Would it deliver on my very raised hopes?

Reader, it did (and I would marry if I could).

Andrew Joseph White did everything right by this book, and everything promised was given. It was raw, complicated, gory, traumatic, healing, affirming, queer, hostile, open, yet firm on its feet. This world is a wild dystopia, and yet felt so completely like an accurate biography from these strange 2020's. The characters were well done, well developed, and full of flaws, but also hopes, dreams and staunch morals and goals. They were real people. People I've known, people I've been or strive to be. Benji is me leaving the religion I was raised in, Nick is the me now, knowing who I am, but still learning to accomodate my autistic needs and reactions, and also trying to do whats right but flailing wildly while doing so.

I could honestly write a whole novel on how good this book is... but better for you to read the book yourself. It is worth it. Its existence is a beautiful love letter to all us queer, trans, traumatised and healing folks, and a bloody hellfire to those who seek to bring us down.

Thank you Netgalley for the e-ARC!

I loved the characters and the diversity in this book! Also the plot was really well written and real. This book talked about a lot of important topics which I enjoyed.

*I received an advanced copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

TW: Graphic violence, body horror, transphobia, religious abuse, domestic abuse...please check the authors website for a full TW list.

In Hell Followed With Us we follow Benji, a 16 year old trans boy who has been raised by a religious extremist group. This group caused the Rapture, as they saw fit to, and decimated the world's population. Benji has been infected with a special bioweapon the group created.

Benji is rescued by a group of queer teens from the local Acheson LGBTQ+ center and quickly becomes friends with most of the group. His body is changing from the virus and he has vowed to control the monster and protect his friends at all costs.

This book was incredible! This book is angry, fed up with the world, and shows us the damage hate causes. We are shown how toxic it can be to just blindly believe without question. It shows how toxic relationships can be between people who do not accept you and want you to mold yourself to their standards.

Hell Followed With Us is definitely graphic in its depiction of violence and body horror. Some of the images conjured based on the descriptions made me think of creatures Guillermo Del Toro would dream up and I loved it. The novel is completely immersive whether you like to read as if you are the main character or as if you are watching a movie.

If you love queer representation like me or are a fan of Harrow the Ninth or if you are a fan of Chuck Palahniuk then give this book a try.

4.5 stars rounded up.

An angry primal scream of a book with beautiful, vivid writing.

In a post-apocalyptic world, a disease released by an evangelical Christian death cult has wiped out most of the world's population, and a trans boy named Benji is trying to escape the cult and his fate of being turned into a monster to be used as a further biological weapon. He joins a group of queer and trans teens living out of a former local LGBTQ+ centre and just trying to survive, lead by a autistic boy named Nick.

White does a great job of portraying the MCs, as a reader you really feel their pain and anger and confusion, and also their tiny moments of joy. (Though this is mostly a dark book, there is a few cute found family moments sprinkled throughout.)

Though I can't personally speak for the accuracy of the portrayal, as a reader I truly felt the experiences of the characters. For example, *mild spoilers* there's a scene where Benji is dead named and I - a cis woman who likes and uses my birth name - felt the punch to the chest whilst reading it. Similarly, White does a great job of showing how Benji's evangelical upbringing affects his thought process. There was also lots of little details throughout the book in regards to Nick's autism.

There is a wide array of queer and trans characters amongst the kids of the ALC (the former LGBTQ+ center where they are sheltering) and this means that various different identities and experiences are shown and explored, and also how people who share the same identity can have different experiences, and a brief touching-upon gate keeping in the LGBT+ community.

It was slightly difficult to keep track of everyone at the ALC at times. Partly because Benji - and therefore the reader - are introduced to a lot of people at once, and, just as when this happens in RL, it's hard to keep the names straight (ironic turn of phrase, I'm aware.) This did make it hard at times to connect/ care about some of the SCs, purely because I couldn't remember which one they were.

It's important to note there is a lot of body horror and gore in this book. Depending how squeamish you are, the strength of White's descriptions might make this a hard read for some. I will admit it actually made me gip a couple of times in places. It was on the edge of what I can cope with when reading on-page; I would most likely struggle to watch a screen adaption. However, I will admit to being a little bit squeamish and very much reading outside my comfort zone, so YMMV.

On a related note, this is definetely a book where I recommend checking the Content Warnings before reading/ purchasing. The author himself notes this in a beautifully written AN at the start of the book.

Overall though, this was an amazing emotive read that really let's you feel the anger and horror of its protagonists at the world and people who have hurt them.

I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for goving me a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

CW: body horror, gore, death, transphobia (deadnaming and misgendering), violence, mentions of abuse, self injury,.. check authors website for more in depth trigger warnnings.

While the book is a post - acpocalyptic book it doesnt focus on it but instead on the people and how their lives change and just about them, Yes, there are multiple scenes that are violent and triggering and that can gross out people but the most important part of the book is the people.
The author shows a reality that its not that far from ours and that actually, i can totally see happening in a few years or even at any moment now. A cult of catholics deciding to use a bioweapon to control the world. Sounds dramatic but is it really??
Here we have children who are forced to be soldiers and test subjects and while this sounds like fiction we cant deny the fact that this happens in a lot of places in the world. It is a reality too.

Querness. The book showcased so many identities and queerness and the different dynamics that exist in the community. We have Trans folk, aromantic characters, f/f, m/m.. Groups of queer people exist. And every single person can be queer. It is not impossible or a lie as people say. The author decided to share the complicated and beautiful sides of queerness and i appreciated it so much.

Overall, i really enjoyed this novel. Remember to check the trigger warnings, the novel has dozens of it and it could really trigger someone.

Queer trans monster boy + religious trauma + body horror? Sign me up!

I devoured this book in less than 48 hours. There is so much to love here, from the worldbuilding to the vibrant and ragged group of queer teenagers who make up the supporting cast.

I had issues with the pacing and some of the POV changes. I also wanted there to be a larger time frame to the story, but that comes more from wanting to dive deeper into this story.

Personal quibbles aside, Andrew Joseph White carves language into new and glorious forms here and I'm tremendously excited to see what he writes next.

(3.5 stars, rounding up. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!)

This book follows MC Benjamin, who is a trans young adult trying to find a way to survive in the dystopian world “the Angels” have created, long enough to grow up.

“In what world was my God ever a benevolent one?”

Can I just start with saying how beautifully gorgeous that cover is, and just how much I adored the authors note at the beginning of the book! He is brutally honest and open about the depictions in this book and includes the trigger warnings that come with this book (which I definitely recommend readers checking beforehand)

Plot
HFWU is a post-apocalyptic story, in which our MC Benjamin is trying to thwart “the Angels” plan of human extinction. Following on from “Judgement Day” the “Angels” believe it is “God’s Plan” for the human race to be reborn, and thus this sets them on a journey of destruction, killing all sinners and non-believers. The story does come across as an end of the world dystopian kind of novel, just with more character development included.
I will say that the book is very heavy on the religious side of the story and there is a large mention of “God”, and “Him” and “His plan” which I understand is part of the main storyline, but in all honestly I did struggle a little towards the end with how heavily this is included, however that does not take away from this novel just how truly fantastic it is. Plus, it was interesting to read just how much the bible (and other religious works) can be read and manipulated to fit a person’s ideology.

Characters
The character development in this book is fantastic and representation throughout the book its absolutely amazing, there is representation for everyone here! The book is predominately from Benjamin’s point of view but there are occasional chapters from Nicholas and Theodore which also adds to the plot and character development.

The MC is Benji who is absolutely adorable, and I love just how much support he has for his new friends that he finds at the ALC (Acheson LGBTQ+ Centre) which is a collection of kids all within the LGBTQ+ community, who all have their own battles and demons, but who all ultimately look out for one another and provide support and friendship. There is huge representation in this book, including but not limited to; trans individuals, non-binary individuals, CIS individuals as well as one of the MCs opening up about being autistic.

I loved how the author was able to still remind the readers that these characters are still just kids/young adults, they have been forced to grow up in this dystopian world and become soldiers trying to fight for their survival and their lives, and it especially angered me when you had the likes of the Vanguard refusing to help unless certain conditions were met. I did also like the fact that the characters were still able to find happiness and have the ability to play games and joke and laugh whilst facing such despair.

World Building
There is a large portion of depicted gore and violence throughout the book, which is written very well (and disturbingly graphically in places, I can actually imagine how grotesque some of the “Grace” actually are) and it did often feel like I was reading parts of the “Walking Dead”. These are the parts of the book that fall into the horror/apocalyptic genre of the book, and in all honesty I am not a massive fan of horror in general, so I was a bit squeamish in places. However, I was completely attracted to the books synopsis in the first place, so I handled the horror/gore sequences purely for the amazing collection of characters and their journey.

All in all, it was a great read, that I am really happy to have picked up, and I know for a fact a few of the characters in this book will live rent free in my head. I desperately would love a sequel just to be within the world of “the Watch” again and see where these characters are heading!

Trigger Warnings!
Graphic violence (including but not limited to gore, domestic violence, child abuse, violence and death) transphobia, homophobia, deadnaming, body dysmorphia, Emetophobia, religious abuse/terrorism, self-harm and attempted suicide