When Will's mom went missing a year ago, she didn't only lose her. She also lost her dad, who is physically there but in no other way, and she lost her best friend, Elwood - because Will is certain his family has something to do with her mother's disappearance. Elwoods parents are the leaders of a church that is very popular in town, and once Elwood finishes High School he will become his fathers sucessor. It's always been meant to be that way. But then Elwood has to realise his parents lied to him, too, and he was never meant to take his father's place.
This was a wonderful book. The athmosphere and the characters were so vivid and well done and the story was well thought through. I really liked Will and Elwood as characters, although the way they found back into their friendship went a little quick for me. The worldbuilding was interesting and I liked the resolution of the story a lot. Will definitely pick up Skyla Arndt's next book!

Wil’s mom went missing and she has been looking for the truth for some time. She has been to the police and without getting help, she takes things into her own hands to further investigate the disappearance of her mother. Wil decides to form an alliance with her former best friend, Elwood. Elwood’s family life is tragic to say the very least. He’s the son of a pastor where they have a congregation called the Garden of Adam. After having a goodbye party with his friends to fall in his father’s footsteps, Elwood quickly realizes that he is not his father’s successor - but his sacrifice. Elwood goes on the run, and has help from the only person who believes him, Wil.

There are a lot of potentially triggering subjects including: abuse by a parent, grief, alcoholism, and cultism.

I very much enjoyed this debut and I’m really looking forward to reading more from this author. There were gothic and horror vibes to this book which I’m usually not a fan of, but I think Skyla Arndt did a wonderful job with the descriptions and writing.

The ending of this book was my favorite part for sure. There’s a lot of mystery in this book, but I didn’t expect to cry at the ending. I’m an emotional girl, but dang!! It really tugged on my heart strings.

this book was a little eerie, I couldn't imagine being in this situation

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this book to review.

This was a really interesting idea, but I think it fell a little short. I don’t really buy the romance between the MCs. The FMC went from hating the MMC and being super snarky, to Big Love from one paragraph to the next, and it was pretty jarring. The romance took front stage, as far as the story goes, but I think it should have been more of a supporting arc. There was so much going on in the actual plot, I think the author would have benefited from fleshing it out more and not ending it so abruptly

Many thanks to Netgalley for providing me with the DRC and allowing me to provide my honest review

Haunting and atmospheric, “Together We Rot” intricately weaves a tale of YA romance with spellbinding horror elements.

Will is determined to find her missing mother, who she believes has succumbed to something sinister and not skipped town as everyone else says and left her behind. In her quest for the truth, she reluctantly teams up with her former friend Elwood Clark to go up against his own family, who she believes is responsible for her mother going missing.

But the Clark’s aren’t just any family, they are the most powerful and influential religious family of her town, hiding corruption and secrets that they work hard to keep hidden, as Will and Elwood uncover dark truths that will challenge everything they know, and everything Elwood had believed about his family.

I only wish the book was longer! The story development felt as though it was missing parts, the arc felt a bit rushed and so did the development of the relationship between Will and Elwood, and this left me feeling unsatisfied at times or wanting elaboration on different elements of the story. I felt there was more potential for a deeper dive into the characters themselves and for a more closure in the ending, however I still enjoyed it.

Gut wrenching and beautiful, “Together We Rot” was a unique and captivating story of young love, adversity, and truth seeking that sets it apart from most YA novels I have read.

This was a book I was super excited about and it didn't disappoint! I will definitely read anything Skyla puts out. Thank you for the early copy!

I picked up this book for the cover, yes.
Then I started for the plot and I continued for the characters but I finished in tears.
Really liked it

Thank you Penguin Books for Together We Rot. I know I am a year late reviewing this book, but I put this review off for that long. For me, Together We Rot had an interesting premise, which is why I requested the book in the first place, however, I found myself bored at times and feeling like this book dragged. However, the topics covered in the book were well done and I for the most part enjoyed the book.

Together We Rot sets to create a new sub-genre within romance, and I am eager to see more from this author. The intriguing and sinister plot makes this a gripping read.

Together We Rot is a fun and unique horror mystery with well developed and fleshed out characters. The story moved a little fast initially but didn’t seem to diminish the quality of the story itself.

This book has an interesting premise, but the execution felt weak to me. The characters and the world-building didn't resonate with me. I couldn't complete this one since the pace is too slow and the plot isn't particularly intriguing. Maybe it just wasn't for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for the e-arc.

This was a good read. Looking forward to read other books by this author. Im thankful for recieveing this arc
This is a gripping young adult novel that delves into themes of friendship, loyalty, and the struggle between individual desires and collective responsibility. The story follows a group of friends as they navigate challenges that test their relationships and beliefs.

The writing is engaging and evocative,
The characters are well-developed, adding depth to the narrative.
The plot is both suspenseful and thought-provoking.

Wil Greene's mother has been missing for over a year, and the police in her town are ready to close the case for good, but Wil knows she didn't just up and leaver her and her dad, and Wil is even more adamant that the Clarke family have something to do with it.

Elwood Clarke has had his whole life mapped out for him by his abusive pastor father, so knowing that it's his last night of freedom before being shaped and moulded into the perfect successor, Elwood makes a decision to skip out and drink with his buddies one last time. However, he finds it hard to brush away the sins he feels he's committing throughout the night, which only become further exacerbated when he returns home after vomiting and hallucinating terrifying apparitions to his seething father. Worst of all, he overhears that he's not about to become his father's successor but rather, the congregations newest sacrifice to placate the blood thirsty forest.

Running for his life seems his only option, but isolated and terrified of this new and dangerous side to him that is slowly appearing more and more regularly, and finds himself having to turn to the one person he knows will believe him, his most cherished best friend turned enemy, Wil Greene.

Wil is a spitfire, she's hard-headed, impulsive, stubborn and steadfast in her determination. Since her mother's disappearance she's spent every waking moment fixated on getting to the bottom of this case, even if the deadbeat police have given up. Wil tries desperately not to drown in her grief for not only her mother but her father who quickly withdrew into himself and self-medicated his own grief with alcohol. Wil's grief on the other hand, manifested more into the volatile anger that's always simmering just below the surface, she has very low patience for stupidity, and is an incredibly strong and fiery personality who refuses to back down from any fight, and won't rest until the Clarke family pay for the information she's sure they're withholding about her mother's disappearance. It was really beautiful to see that icy exterior begin to crack, as she slowly let's her emotions for Elwood worm their way out and thaw her, giving her a space to be vulnerable and feel everything.

Elwood Clarke is almost the polar opposite to Wil, timid, shy, and someone who keeps out of confrontation whenever possible, he's determined to make himself as small and unnoticeable as possible. He's sweet and gentle-hearted, always just striving to find small things that make his heart sing, and before being put in a position of choosing Wil or his family, Wil used to be that for him, but now he relies solely upon his butterfly collection, bringing him some light in an otherwise dark life. Watching him hold onto his kindness, compassion and warmth even in the face of the constant abuse and torture at the hands of his father was heart-breaking, he just longs to keep the peace and ensure everyone around him is happy, and in his own heart, he longs to be close to Wil again, the one person he's ever been close to that has truly seen him for who he is and embraced him always. He truly goes through it in this story, dealing not only with his newfound fear of being sacrificed to keep this inherently evil and sickening cult going, but also now dealing with this demon that harbours inside him that is raring for bloodshed and destruction, and slowly becomes harder and harder to push back from taking full control of Elwood's body. His character growth and development was astounding, he goes from this timid, push-over to this bad-ass, confident, and brave young man who refuses to take his death lying down. He made my heart bust and hurt all at once.

'Together We Rot' is an atmospheric, gothic and disquieting story that feels so vibrant and eerie from start to finish, bursting with astounding plot twists and some beautiful, lyrical writing that immerses you deeply into this sinister world and it's machinations. The story explores some really poignant themes including; parental abuse, the all-consuming pain of grief, and addiction. Brimming with character growth, riveting and creepy prose, friends to enemies to reluctant allies, evil cults, and some beautiful friendships and some raw and moving emotions interwoven throughout. The last few chapters took my breath away, I can't quite explain it, Elwood deserves the entire world, and his conclusion was so mesmerising and heart-wrenching that it had me tearing up, so prepare yourselves.

This was such a good read! Loved following the characters and the unexpected and unique story! I couldn’t put it down!

If you want a fun horror mystery with solid characters, I think there is a lot to love here, but I would have slowed the pace down quite a bit and given time for the characters to really grow.

All of the buzz words I love were in the synopsis for this. It didn't quite deliver everything I was hoping, but is definitely going to be right up the alley of teens that are into this kind of thing.

Together We Rot is Skyla Arndt's debut novel following two young adults as they navigate the dark world around them. It is an admirable debut with lush writing and real stakes. Arndt creates an interesting dynamic and a plot filled with mystery, tension, suspense, and yearning.

Thank you to the publishers for the arc and the chance to review this novel .

So addictive and creepy! Wil and El were best friends once, and everything changed. This book is about them finding their way back to each other and fighting El's horrible curse. You'll feel so much for these kids and root for them.

I loved this book so much it was perfect and I’m glad I was able to read it! The book is a hard one to read it features topics like parental abuse, grief, and alcoholism. I freaking loved the ending and it definitely made me emotional as heck. I really enjoyed this one and can not wait for more from the author.

Gothic/paranormal horror is one of my absolute favorite genres, and this one doesn't disappoint. I adore Wil, and the spicy girl, sweet boy combo is a favorite. I really enjoyed this and will look for more from this author in the future.