A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Penguin Young Readers Group/Viking Books for Young Readers for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

There’s so many different aspects of this book that I’m just a sucker for - spooky forests, town cults, romance with a monster - all combined in a horror/romance novel? Sign me up. This book has been on my radar for a while, and I jumped at the chance to read this ARC of it when I got it.

If you liked Hannah Whitten’s The Wilderwood duology, I believe you’ll like this story. The romance while becoming a monster connected to a (potentially) sinister woods between Wil and Elwood reminded me (if only in vibes) of Red and Eammon. (Also the cult reminded me of J.-F. Dubeau’s “A God in the Shed” but I feel like there’s a bigger overlap between people who will read this novel and Hannah Whitten, and less in the strictly horror genre.) This book is a good meshing of these two concepts while still being its own unique (and great!) experience.

This book starts off strong, with Wil’s character fighting the local police about not working to find her mom. She’s rude and abrasive - but you sympathize with her. This book is great at getting you to also feel her anger and the injustice of her situation. The other POV character is Elwood, who is controlled and abused by his religious family and does everything in his power to appease them. Neither of these concepts are too difficult to understand, and I really appreciate the book just starting off with these actions and allowing the reader to infer and draw our own conclusions, instead of doing a lot of flashbacks and story exposition.

Wil and Elwood have recently had a falling out, as Wil believes Elwood’s family has had something to do with her mother’s disappearance. However, once Elwood realizes that his “training” to become a pastor when he turns 18 is really a death-knell to sacrifice him, he runs away and straight into Wil’s reluctant waiting arms. And it is at this point that the story REALLY kicks off in such a delicious way, that I finished this book in one sitting - and at no point did I feel like I was reading, or did I think “How much longer do I have to go to finish this story?” I was hooked from the get-go.

This story is told by dual POVs, and I think it’s done really well. Both POVs work off of each other, and at no point are we simply repeating what we already learned, just from the other character’s point of view. The switches make sense, move the story forward, and provide both needed context and where each character is at emotionally. It’s told in a very dynamic way, and at no point was I bored.

The combination of the horror of the town and the monster that Elwood is transforming into, combined with the romance growing between Wil and Elwood was fantastic. I LOVE horror/romance and I will eat up “person is becoming more and more of a monster, and can you love them when they’re more monster than person” EVERY TIME. That is my jam.

The tension building is great, and you can really feel the slowly tightening of the noose on all the characters as the danger rises and their ability to escape dries up. They’re trapped in this town, and surrounded by a forest that may or may not be sinister (and filled with people who absolutely are), and you can absolutely feel it.

I will say, however, that unless you NEVER read novels like this with these premises, I don’t think too many of the plot twists or surprises will get you. That’s not a bad thing, in my honest opinion, but I wouldn’t expect anything earth-shattering unless A) you didn’t read the synopsis and B) this is so far outside your typical genre that everything is new. However this type of book is SO my jam, and I love how it was put together and told so much that I personally didn’t need to be shocked or surprised by twists that I saw coming. I still loved them.

Also the bittersweet ending made me cry. I don’t know how the author would be able to create a full second book to this, as it ends almost perfectly - but I would NOT be against a bonus chapter or novella of Wil and Elwood.

Overall, I really loved this book and it provided everything I was hoping for when I read the synopsis, and I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy.

For the publisher: I will be also posting a review on my Instagram and Tumblr within the week.

This book was interesting from the first page. The characters were well written and intrigued you immediately. The book kept getting more and more unhinged with every turn of the page.
There are many sensitive topics that this book deals, such as alcoholism, grief, religious trauma, cultism and the author handles them all quite well. As I mentioned earlier, the characters were well written and I loved them both. I loved their dynamic too, but I feel as if their relationship being mended and even the romance part was a bit rushed. Don’t get me wrong, it was quite cute, but the book in itself was very short and fast paced and personally I would’ve loved it if it were a bit longer and more developed. That was my only issue with the book. Every thing else from the characters, to the plot, to the setting, I loved.

As someone who enjoys horror films, but hasn’t read that many horror books; I truly enjoyed this read and I think every fan of YA and horror would too.

Not my cup of tea writing-wise, but could be great for someone in search of a gothic YA. Did not start out very strong.

The story, characters, world and overall vibe developed strongly. It was spectacularly atmospheric, which was what I was wanting more than anything when I started it. My only complaint is that I wish this was a longer more developed story.

That being said, it 100% did it’s job as a YA book.

Plot - 4
Writing and Editing - 4
Character Development - 4
Personal Bias - 4
Final Score - 4

Wil (short for Wilhelmina) and Elwood have been best friends since they were young but when Wil's mother disappears, she suspects Elwood's family has something to do with her disappearance and their friendship is over. As Elwood nears his 18th birthday, he knows he will drop out of school and prepare to take over his father's church but his family has something more sinister planned. As Elwood escapes into the forest, he runs into Wil. Still upset with him, she reluctantly hides him from the church. She and their friends work together to discover their town's history and why Elwood is having strange visions. The visons that Elwood has are creepy.

3.5 stars - This was a really engaging and interesting debut novel. The setting was the main appeal for me when picking up this ARC and the gothic/creepiness did not disappoint. There is just something about religious cults resorting to satanic rituals that just really pull a girl in. I also really enjoyed our two main characters - both of them had interesting backgrounds and motivations that affected the direction of the plot. Additionally, there weren't any characters in this book that felt surface level (to me) and I felt as though I understood the motivations of the differing side characters as well. My main gripe with the novel is primarily its length, as I feel like the the story deserved more pages to really flesh out needed elements. The most fascinating element of the plot by far was the cultish aspects and Elwood's relationship with his parents as they are crucial to the overall narrative. I would have loved to have seen that developed more within the book working in parallel with the town's mythos and why the cult needed to/has to exist for the community to function. I think it would have added so much depth to the book and make it a far more powerful read.

This book was absolutely fantastic. I've already added it to our list for order next year and will recommend it to students once we have it.

I have a single problem with this book, otherwise I believe it is 5 stars. The description of the book gives too much away. It practically confirms the death of Wil's mother, which I believe should be more of a mystery until it's discovered while reading; I'm also not entirely sure that it should outright say that Elwood's family is part of a cult. It feels like I had the whole book spoiled for me without even opening it, which is unfortunate because if the plot twists were more mysterious, I would've loved it even more! It's so atmospheric, gothic, and lowkey creepy. The Morguewood is fantastically described, and I loved the bits of romance that were sprinkled in. There were some lines that should not have hit as hard as they did, but it's like everything was designed to pull me in and keep me reading through the fantastical and completely wild plot.
Wil and Elwood are both extremely complex and complicated characters with such great personal growth throughout the book as they're pulled back together after a year of not talking (and I might be in the minority that agrees with Wil's anger for a good portion of the book). This was just an insanely beautiful book that I fully recommend.

I wanted to love this book.

Gothic horror usually isn't my thing, but i was intrigued by the description.

I loved the atmospheric feel of the book and the relationship between Elwood and Wil. I also feel like the pacing was steady up until like 50% but then it flew. And I still feel like we were missing a part of the story because it went from zero to 100 in like a page.

That being said, I was intrigued and wanted to know what would happen so i stuck with it.

But the ending...irked me. I know it's a gothic horror but...my realistic heart just couldn't lol.

Thank you to net galley for the Arc. All opinions are my own.

The title captured me. I enjoyed this so much. The author captures the inner thoughts of a teenager well. This is like if a horror film and studio Ghibli film had a baby.

4/5 ⭐️
Wow. This gothic horror story with dark woods and cults and secrets and deep friendships was engrossing. I couldn’t put it down. It made me feel things. Like I reacted strongly to the scenes when it came to Elwood’s parents. That being said, definitely trigger warning to parental abuse and manipulation. But those moments are out numbered by the heartwarming scenes between the friends. And most importantly, the scenes between Elwood and Wil. I love their relationship. You can sense they used to be close but now there’s this awkward rift, but the way they talk now shows the depth of their relationship. And it’s awkward and funny and feels genuinely like teenagers.
My only critique is that around the 60% mark, it felt like stuff happened fast, like we were missing a scene or two. Also I didn’t love the ending. It was good. But I think I would’ve maybe gone a different route.
But all that being said, I absolutely enjoyed this story and will be telling everyone I know to read it as we enter the spooky season.
Thank you to NetGalley & Penguin Group for providing an advance reader copy of this book for my honest review.

I was ecstatic to receive an e-ARC from NetGalley/Viking Books after having seen the cover reveal on Instagram. Thank you!

This book is special. Somehow, all the words, imagery, and characters worm their way into that intentionally unlit corner of my mind and rattle me. Ah, all the angst and repressed emotions—bubbling underneath the surface just like Elwood’s monster. There’s some strange magic in this little book for sure. I kept getting these shivering sensations reading through some of those moments.

I love the entire cast of characters, not one person was unnecessary. Their roles in the plot and their relationship to Wil are clear and grounded. The banters are witty and sarcastic, but not immature or vulgar. I like that a lot.

I have spent some time in the UP so I have a decent visual of what the world looks like, especially the winter. But I think it could have been explored a bit more. It seems that the spotlight shines so bright on the characters. There should be moments for floodlighting their environment and their history as well. For example, the school they go to, the library, Wil and Elwood’s relationship from second grade, Wil’s mom—what makes her so great and the curiosity that led to her discoveries etc. I want to know so much more. The main storyline is wonderful and can definitely be enriched by weaving in these details.

This is such a strong debut and I look forward to reading more from Skyla Arndt.

I loved the feeling I got from the first page of this book and the way it wrapped up a dark and twisted story. The characters were intriguing and both had storylines that worked well together.

I loved this deep, sumptuous read about small town secrets and broken friendships.

This book definitely has some content warnings: abuse, alcoholism, murder being a few.

Wil is a strong and sometimes frustrating fmc. Her mother disappeared a year ago, and when she approached her best friend about his father's possible role in this, he took his families side, and their friendship has since been broken.

When they begin to work together again with some mutual friends, much comes to the surface about the secrets being hidden in this little town.

I really enjoyed this. I thought the author's writing style was very beautiful and that the many difficult topics were handled well.

Out August 29, 2023!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

I think the book blends horror and romance really well, it is eerie and romantic. The characters are well thought out and developed. A great eerie romance with a great mystery element.

Super invested throughout! I love the story flow and how unpredictable it was. Wil & Elwood are stinking cute 🥹

3.5/5
I enjoyed the vibes and the characters! The romance did not blow my mind but it was a fun journey.

This was an interesting concept for a book and really fast paced - I read it in two sittings. I didn't get the chemistry between the two main characters and some of the plot holes were a bit too large but I enjoyed the gothic vibes and creepy mystery.

What a spooky, atmospheric, creepy-crawly takedown of unquestioned religious tradition, developed through a chilling and page-turning plot and a perfect friends to enemies to lovers arc!

I don't know why but I was not expecting the thriller aspect. While I did enjoy it, it did get a bit predictable but it was still a good read. There was so much going on. I did love how some of the more sensitive topics were treated and how they intertwined with the paranormal aspect of the story.