Hell Followed With Us is a labor of love, passion, anger, hope and the lack thereof, and the need to be seen and heard. The thing is: the main concept of this book has been done before, but the author spins this subgenre of horror into a huge symbolism about being trans, queerness, queer friendships, religious trauma, abusive relationships, etc. And really, I cannot commend him more for that.

Now, the only reason why I didn't rate this any higher (3.5 stars!) is because this book has everything I want in a book and yet it did not feel like it when I was reading it. It wasn't able to hold my attention for long. The pacing is slightly messy and I had some issues with worldbuilding and its history. Because it's mostly told through Benji's perspective, I wish we could have seen more from other POVs in order to build the contrast of who Benji could be (Theo) and the mirror of what he is becoming (Nick).

There are a lot of violence and graphic depictions from the beginning to the end, but for some reason, it was more cringe-worthy than disturbing—at least to me. The ending may seem idealistic, but it's the only proper ending for this book that I could see, so hats off for that! Finally, I especially liked how friendship is shown here. The world may be ending but teenagers—even those with blood in their hands—are still teenagers. The way they bicker, argue, and annoy and then find solace in each other is beautifully done. Overall, what a ride! If you're a fan of YA horror and you like gore and horrifying descriptions alongside queer and neurodiverse representations, then this book is for you!

Thank you to Peachtree and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

(A longer, more detailed review is posted on my Goodreads and will be posted on my blog at the end of the month!)

HELL FOLLOWED WITH US is a horrifying tale about surviving all kinds of changes: bodily changes, changes in identity, and changes in the world. Benji is a 16-year-old trans boy who has escaped from the fundamentalist doomsday cult his parents help to lead. There's only one problem-- his parents managed to infect him with a horrific virus that will transform him into a monster and a killing machine. Benji finds a ragtag group of queer kids ensconced in the local LGBT center, and now must navigate new relationships, his new gender, his past, and the uncertain future. A must for fans of apocalyptic and body horror!

I absolutely loved this book!
It was an amazing queer YA horror read!
The story was extremely dark and gruesome so I definitely recommend you check trigger warnings as it was full of body horror and much more...
I can't wait to see what the author writes next as I'll definitely be reading it!
Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was written for trans and autistic people with religious trauma. For those of us full of rage. People who would rip the world apart to protect whatever safe space and family they've found or carved out for themselves. I cannot say enough about how cathartic this was to read, even if I paused halfway through to go bleach my hair and emotionally process.

HELL FOLLOWED WITH US by Andrew Joseph Smith is a 🔥hell🔥 of a queer debut about harnessing rage and hope in post-apocalyptic YA horror. CW: violence, body horror, religious cults, medical trauma in the novel and my review.

Benji witnessed the apocalypse as a pre-teen when his mother and her terrorist evangelical cult unleashed a virus on the earth that either kills the victim immediately with extra pairs of ribs and teeth growing their their lungs or brain, or mutates their bodies into nearly-deathless eldritch horrors that shamble around the ruined landscape, absorbing more bodies as they become "Graces" of the cult's God. Benji is chosen to become Seraph—a martyr injected with a version of the virus that will liquify his insides and turn him into a horrifying creature that's meant to bring about a second purge of "nonbelievers" as he leads an army of Angels. Until Benji escapes and has to decide between dying somewhere in the wilderness or using the monster to destroy every last person who brought about the end of the world.

This novel is visceral, disgusting, and kept me on my toes as I binged it. Tbh, I was expecting the plot to be very straightforward—of course we just need to kill the bad guys who started the apocalypse cult, right? Except many of the characters are entangled in the church, in each other, and are caught in what it means to be "good" in a world where one has to kill to survive and protect their loved ones. In particular, the characters Theo and Nick had me constantly reevaluating whether I trusted them or not, making me doubt myself alongside Benji as well, which was very refreshing (I am Not a fan of dramatic irony). And finally, this is a very queer book, rooted in body horror and Benji's dysphoria as a gay trans guy, the found family inside an lgbtq youth center that survived the apocalypse, and even an autistic secondary main (Nick) trying to keep it all together to atone for past sins.

I compared this book to WILDER GIRLS with its queer adolescent rage, survival, and body horror, but if you ever felt disappointed by WG's ending, you will find HFWU much more satisfying.

Thank you to Netgalley and Peachtree Teen for providing a free digital copy of this book. The following is my honest review.

Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White is absolutely everything I've ever wanted in a YA book. It's angsty and emotional and horrifying and so, so queer and it's perfect.

The Plot
A fundamentalist Christian cult has taken it upon themselves to bring about the end of days with as much suffering as possible, and so they've created a virus that rots and mutilates the human body from the inside out until they become a sort of zombified Biblical monster of chaos. Teenage Benji was forced into the cult by his mother years ago and has been chosen to be injected with a special strain of the virus that will turn him into God's holy messenger meant to lead the believers to heaven. Except, Benji realizes, maybe that's not what he wants to be.

The Good
Everything. The characters. The chaos. The monsters. The angst. The queerness. Benji was the perfect main character for a YA novel and his arc was excellent. Nick was the best (and only non-offensive) portrayal of an autistic person I've read in fiction. Theo was the most perfect villain/love interest. Andrew Joseph White handled a ton of sensitive topics with care, but without feeling like he was preaching.

The world-building is probably my favorite part. It is immersive and impressive, to say the least. White leaned in hard to the Christian apocalypse theme and it was 1000% believable and awesome. Highly, highly recommend this book to ex-Catholics in particular because I found it cathartic in that sense. A way to release everything that's been pent-up since my time as a queer person in Catholic school.

The Bad
Nothing? Sometimes the gore was a lot to handle but I got through it and it was worth it. Otherwise? Hands down my favorite 2022 read so far.

Huge content warnings for MASSIVE amounts of gore, death, body horror, and really just carnage of all kinds. Also misgendering, deadnaming, and abusive relationships.

Thank you to Netgalley and Peachtree for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I grew up in the YA Dystopian era of The Hunger Games, Divergent, and The Fifth Wave, and this book recreated that for older me. I read this book over the span of a few days, and every time I opened it I couldn’t put it down until something else called me away, usually a class. This book is dark, incredibly gory and not for the faint of heart.

I enjoyed this book as much as is possible with how heavy it is. At its core, Hell Followed With Us is a story of survival. I normally am not a fan of first person narration in general, but I feel that it was crucial for this specific story.

I personally am a fan of being thrown into a story rather than being given a ton of exposition, and this book throws you in fast. It took me a little while to pick up on the backstory, but I think that worked to the books benefit. I definitely can see how this would turn someone off from this book though.

Content Warnings
* Violence (explicit gore, arson, murder and mass murder, warfare, terrorism)
* Frequent body horror
* Transphobia
* Religious abuse/Christian terrorism, combined with elements of eco-fascism
* Abusive parents and domestic partner violence (including returning to an abusive partner and victim self-blame)
* Self-injury (including attempted suicide of a side character)
* Emetophobia (vomiting) warning throughout

this book was really great! i haven't read a lot of post apocalyptic books and the fact that this is a YA that focuses on that but also has really great representations is enough for me to read this because I feel like that is a great way to bring this genre back. And it feels unique and fresh, which I also love. I really enjoyed the representation, and I liked the writing as well, although there was some that I feel was too gruesome for me to read.

What a journey this book was!
As my first time reading something from the author, I didn't know what to expect and I'm glad to say I was not disappointed. The setup for the story as a post-apocalyptic world as well as the religious horror, made this fictional world feel quite real, which made this book hit that much harder. I appreciated the rawness of certain topics that made the experience of reading more gut-clenching.
Benji, our main character, felt complex in his journey throughout the book and his interactions with other characters.
I enjoyed the rest of the characters even when I wish we could´ve seen more interactions between them.

Overall, I loved this book and I encourage everyone to give it a shot because you may find it is worth it.

Okay WOW. When this book starts, you’re thrown directly into action. It personally got me super invested right from the beginning.

Benji, 16-year-old trans boy, has been living the past 5 years amongst a religious, fascist sect who’s taken over the world and is decided to wipe out humanity for good. After being forcefully injected with a virus meant to turn Benji into the cult’s very own bioweapon, Seraph, he flees the sect. He is then rescued and taken in by a bunch of LGBTQ+ teens, led by Nick and Erin. Together, they’ll have to figure out how to survive, remain out of the Angels’ radar but most importantly, how to keep Benji’s inner developing monster from taking over.

First and foremost: I was aware of the CWs going in, and the author does a great job mentioning them at the beginning of the book, so I knew what to expect. I usually don’t mind gore that much in writing— the descriptions in Hell Followed With Us are indeed bloody, gruesome and often detailed, but if you’re into that kind of things or, like me, aren’t too phased by it, then you can proceed safely!

The representation in this book was great. Benji was a great character, torn between his education, his identity and his fate. I really appreciated getting Benji’s take on his transexuality and dysmorphia.
The side characters were nice as well— my only complaint would be that there was a lot of them mentioned, a few even just in passing, so I happened to have some trouble remembering who was who sometimes.

Because of the dystopian and apocalyptic world the book is set in, the whole story unfolds in some sort of morally grey haze— whether it’s Benji, Nick or Theo and their education and own dilemmas, or the other teens at the ALC who have to do all it takes to survive: the characters were layered and the notions of right and wrong, good and evil, or even duty, are presented through everyone’s different perspectives.

The worldbuilding was immediately gripping. I really loved the survival mode, the concepts, the ALC and its teens. The premises were intriguing and the execution measured up.
The depiction of the cult aspect was interesting as well.

My only remarks would be about the pace around the half mark/two third of the book, where things are moving more slowly. I was also confused at some point regarding Benji’s state of “transformation”. It seemed like his body and face were already really affected, yet Nick brought him back to the others anyway and it didn’t really make sense to me.

Otherwise, this is a solid and quite original debut, really refreshing and unique compared to my usual reads! I’m definitely intrigued to see what this author will come up with in the future. 4 stars!

Huge thanks to Peachtree Teen and NetGalley for this opportunity!
[All thoughts and opinions are my own.]

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Hear me out: I really, really wanted to love this book. Everything about it sounded appealing and intrigued but this book didn’t make the cut for me.

By the way: please be aware that this book has really graphic body horror and gore, I was shocked by the details (not in a bad way, it was really well done), but if you’re easily triggered by it, you shouldn’t read this book.

Anyways, why didn’t I like this book? There are many reasons, the main one being the pace. It was so slow. There were a few major events that forwarded the plot but everything in between was so eh. It was packed with both real Bible quotes and quotes from the cults writings, Benji was either marvelling about his future (which he didn’t think would happen) or Theo. I liked Benji so much and he had so much potential for being the morally grey badass character but the development of his personality was really sloppy and didn’t live up to my expectations. I also really hated the situation between him and Theo. It destroyed so much between him and Nick … I don’t know.

The second thing was the plot itself, it has so many holes and sometimes things suddenly happened and I was like “wait what???”. And honestly that was quite annoying for me.

The world building and cult was absolutely amazing und unique! The angst and horror was so so well done, I just wish I would’ve liked the plot more.

The representation this book has is one of a kind, we have so many queer teenagers, neopronouns and religions and ethnicities, an autistic side character and everything was so positive, I really loved that. The ALC was so supportive and lovely with each other it really warmed my heart.
Nonetheless the transphobia Benji had to face with his mother was absolutely disturbing to me, I have no idea how a trans reader would feel about it but I feel like it could be very triggering, especially for trans youth. I get why the author did it and all but it wasn’t “only” deadnaming, Benji was forced to wear dresses and he also was exposed in front of adults. As said, I found that to be extremely disturbing.

The whole take on the Christian gone terrorist cult slash genocide thing was absolutely crazy. I’m not Christian but I grew up in a very evangelical community and I can say that on the one hand I really loved this (especially because I had bad experiences with the religion and it reflects many of my feelings) but I also felt like it butchered some beliefs at some points, it’s hard to explain. Basically I had mixed feelings about it.

All in all I can say that this book is well done but it most definitely isn’t for everyone. Please check out the TWs before reading, they’re very important.

“My skin is only a temporary thing”

The queer urge to turn into a monster.

A post-apocalyptic horror novel about a trans boy trying to escape the religious cult that unleashed hell on earth, and infected him with a bioweapon in order to turn him into a monster that’ll help wipe all of humanity from earth.

It was very hard for me to sum up this book in a sentence because so much happens. Not just plotwise, but also what it all means. Because this is not just an apocalyptic book. This book is very real and deals with heavy topics people go through every day. So before I go any further, I want to provide a list of the content warnings in this book.

Content warnings:
Violence (explicit gore, arson, murder and mass murder, warfare, terrorism)
Body horror
Transphobia (misgendering, dead-naming with name written out repeatedly, threats of transphobic violence, forced detransition)
Religious abuse/Christian terrorism, combined with elements of eco-fascism
Abusive parents and domestic partner violence (including returning to an abusive partner and victim self-blame)
Self-injury (including attempted suicide of a side character)
Emetophobia (vomiting) warning throughout
This list is from the authors website

At its core, this book is about rage – more specifically, queer and trans rage. It got messy, and as a queer person who loves (body) horror, I flew through the pages. I could see so much of myself in Benji and I LOVED how he was allowed to be angry and embrace the monstrousness. I desperately need more stories like this, and I hope more will be released in the future. Just stories about queer people being messy and angry and pretty much straight up monsters? Finally, some good representation.

Anyway, as we all know, queer people love found family, and this book literally has a bunch of people from an LGBTQ+ center form their own little family. Good soup.

Side note: You guys don’t understand how much I’m in love with this cover. I read an e-arc of this book, but I 100% want a copy of the physical book, because it is a work of art, inside and out.

I am very conflicted on my rating of this book, because I have so few books where I feel myself accurately portrayed, and this is one of them, so it deserves all of the stars. But at the same time it lacked something. The plot wasn’t always clear to me, and toward the end I wasn’t 100% convinced. It was too rushed and convenient. Still, this book was very enjoyable. Can’t believe I’m asking for more body horror, but pretty please?

A very cool plot, with some interesting characters. i think I'm going to read this book again in a couple of months and I'm sure I'll get more from it.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

2.5-3 stars. Overly gory with no real depth or payoff.

SUMMARY (spoiler-free): Benji is a trans guy trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world that is ruled by a dangerous cult. He meets a group of survivors hiding out in an LGBTQ+ center, but he's also struggling with being infected with a virus that is mutating him to the point of no return.

THOUGHTS (spoiler-free): Honestly? This was so boring. I'm honestly tired of recycled and reused apocalyptic worlds. This was pretty graphic and gory and just plain gross at times (please read the trigger warnings), but with literally NO payoff. The apocalyptic world was only half fleshed out and didn't make a lot of sense. The characters were super boring with no real personalities. The villains were also two-dimensional with no depth to them. I saw the plot-twists coming a mile away.

TLDR; Nah.

This YA horror novel tells the story of what happens when a religious cult takes over the world and unleashes a deadly disease in the name of ‘God’. Benji, a transgender boy who once lived underneath ‘The Angels’ rule, escapes and manages to team up with The Watch, a group of LGBTQ+ misfits who make it their mission to destroy the Angels. Benji tries to live a ‘normal’ life inside the Watch, but he has a secret that may put everyone around him at risk. Benji will have to decide what to do because this secret is trying to tear him from the inside out, and fast.

I loved this book. I think the representation the author put into the book was so well executed and every LGBTQ+ character was very unique and just so real. The topic of gender identity that this book brings up is so important, especially for those who are still figuring it out. I loved every character and I want to be friends with MOST of them. They go through a lot and you tend to forget that they are just young people trying to figure themselves out in the midst of the end of the world.

The dystopian future that this book portrays is actually very scary because it seems so near to us. While this book is completely fiction, the idea of a cult overthrowing the world and exterminating people is something we can all easily imagine for our futures. The slights at today’s society were funny and I think it added something relatable, we are all so done with BS living in pandemic times and it was nice to see without going overboard and creeping into cringey.

There were some scenes that were a little unclear, especially near the end. I found myself re-reading a lot of the ending because I thought I had missed something, but it was just confusing writing. This book also seems a little too dark for YA readers despite the characters being YA, they experience some gruesome stuff.


Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for the eArc in exchange for an honest review!
This was a deeply disturbing, chilling YA apocalyptic horror, so obviously I loved it. The body horror was on point, and the idea that evangelical christians might start the rapture themselves in the time of climate change and overpopulation is just a little too real to be comfortable. I sympathized with all of the characters in the ALC, who each had their own personalities and struggles, which is difficult to pull off with this many characters. My problems with the book were generally with the beginning and ending. I found the logistics of the flood (who turns into a Grace, who dies, how it spreads, etc) to be poorly explained early on, which made it difficult to get into the story. I found myself texting my friend who had already read it to explain it to me. I was also dissatisfied with aspects of the ending, such as Theo turning himself into a failed Seraph. I didn’t feel like it matched the tone of the rest of the book, and felt a little more like the end of a superhero movie than an apocalypse book. However, I still enjoyed the book and feel like I took a lot away from it, and would recommend it to any customer looking for an out of the box queer horror novel!

First I have to say, this is an odd story. There are these horrible, grotesque creatures with multiple limbs and several eyes, people coughing up their sludgy organs, and religious fanatics willing to murder children for their cause. It was also interesting, engaging, and unique. This is definitely one that will grab you from the beginning and leave you contemplating how much of this might actually be possible one day.

Benji is a transgender boy trying to escape the cult that infected him with a dangerous virus that's currently mutating his body. He happens upon a group of survivors living in an LGBTQ+ center and the teens immediately give him shelter. Benji has finally found people who accept him for who he is, but his body is quickly changing and the cult won't stop looking for the weapon they're making him into.

I liked that there are two sides to this. One is Benji trying to live his truth as a boy and also crushing on Nick, one of his rescuers. Then there's Benji changing into a monster and knowing that he might not have much longer before he's unrecognizable and out of control. The two sides war with each other and I'm glad there are some people who care for Benji and try to be there for him as he struggles.

The ending wasn't what I thought it would be and I don't really understand where the characters go from there. There's also a part where I couldn't tell if things were really happening or if it was just in Benji's head. I did like the story overall and am interested to see what everyone thinks once this comes out.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book and all opinions are my own. Thank you to Peachtree Tenn and NetGalley for the copy

As a former monstrous queer teen, I loved this book and would have cheerfully burned down a religious cult to read it ten or fifteen years ago. The author kicks off with adrenaline and hard-hitting, gory trauma from page one, dragging us into Benji’s ruthless and turbulent world. At a craft level, the manifestation of internal, emotional turmoil and trauma from relations as body horror was excellent, and Benji’s descriptions of dysphoria and external perception really resonated. I don't usually say books are “doing a lot” as a compliment but this time it is, and it felt natural and honest — especially the trauma and codependence of early teen relationships. Thrilled I got the chance to enjoy this book early and can't wait to buy my copy, as well as whatever’s next from the author!

For transparency's sake, I am friends with the author. That being said, I feel confident that even if I'd never met Andrew in my life, I would have devoured this book just as ferociously.

Hell Followed With Us does not hold back; in its depictions of gore, religious trauma, and what it means to live as queer when it feels like all the world would rather you otherwise. This book makes me remember why I love horror, and what YA horror has always had the potential to be. It's all here, and unafraid to be messy about it - transness and feeling like a monster in your own body, the intersection of eco-fascism and doomsday ideology, even issues like gatekeeping within queer spaces. 'Relevant' seems too straightforward a label to assign this book, but within the world it's emerging into, I would not hesitate to place it in the hands of a trans teenager who's just beginning to discover all the fury within them, who's tired of being told even by people who claim to support them to keep their head bowed and not be one of *those* angry queers.

Be the monster you wish to be, not the one they see you as. You only have to be as good as the world deserves.

the amount of diversity in the book was amazing. it was really well written and it had a fun plot. The characters were love able and it is definitely one of my favorite books