4.5 stars. Thank you netgalley for providing this arc.

This was one of my most anticipated books this year, and I wasn’t let down. Am upset about the ending, though. Spoilers ahead:


That ending 😐 I’m hurt. I was expecting it to either be happy or sad not bittersweet 😭. Fr split up my babies for what. I am NOT happy. They were supposed to live happily ever after wtf😭. Not happily ever separate ☹️

I feel like a lot of ya horror follows the same plot setup, and because of that it feels like I’m just reading the same book over and over. However, this book was not like that. It had its originality, and I enjoyed that.

Elwood is my baby omg😭😭 I love his interest in bugs and how soft he is it hurts me🥲☹️🫶 I also love Wil she doesn’t take people’s shit and she does what she wants. The two mcs were great. I loved that they were both well written and likable and distinct within their personalities. Their ship was cute, but I am SO MAD I didn’t get to see more. + Cherry is an honorable mention for characters she was fun (didn’t love the friends but that’s whatever)

The two things that especially held up this story for me were the two main characters and the atmosphere. I’m a big atmosphere girlie when it comes to horror books. If the setting/vibe doesn’t feel right it ruins the entire experience. I loved the spooky small town vibes ✨ I knew from the first few chapters that the atmosphere was going to be great.

The plot was good as well. It isn’t my favorite ever or anything, but I liked it and the pacing was well done. I liked the creepy church cult/mysteries. It was fun to try to figure out what their intentions were + what was happening to/inside Elwood.

Together We Rot
by Skyla Arndt
YA Fantasy Horror
Ages: 14+
NetGalley ARC
Release Date: August 29, 2023
Penguin Group/Young Readers

Wil's (Wilhelmina (Willamena)) mom disappeared a year ago and the police, along with everyone else in town, believe she ran off because she did it once before, but, even though Elwood is her (ex)best friend, Wil thinks his father had something to do with her mom's disappearance.

As his eighteenth birthday approaches, Elwood is preparing to leave town, so to follow in his father's footsteps and one day take his father's place as pastor of the congregation. But after being caught sneaking back into the house, his father's wrath makes him pause, but upon overhearing a conversation between his father and the chief of police, Elwood starts to believe that his father isn't the man he pretends to be, and his plans for Elwood are not what he told Elwood.


This is one of those books that has a great idea for a plot, setting, and 'drama', but needs another hundred or more pages to make it come to life. There is not much about the town, let alone the other people in it.

Descriptions of the characters, settings, and even the backstory of the town and its residents are vague and very underdeveloped. A lot of details that could have been used to pull the reader deeper into the story were instead summarized. The relationship between Wil and Elwood could have added fifty pages for the reader to identify with them and feel more emotions about their separation.

The story was good, but I wish there was more to it. I wanted to learn more about this town and its people but not a lot of information was given. Yes, there was a page or two that involved the history, but it did nothing for me other than wonder if pages were left out of the advance copy.

This could have been a four-star book, but it was made into a too short of a story so it lacks personality and details.

2 Stars

Many thanks for the ARC, NetGalley and Penguin Group! This YA book had me captivated from the very beginning - the childhood crushes, the cult and the feeling of fall had me turning pages so quickly! I thought that this was an incredibly unique book, with a unique plot - I liked that there were horror elements tied with the tenderness of some of the scenes. I am so excited to recommend this to younger readers and my friends who enjoy YA.

Cults and bugs and childhood crushes oh my! TOGETHER WE ROT is a fairly interesting story about a boy and a girl and the severely messed up circumstances (re: bugs, cults, sacrifices, etc.) they’re dealing with. As a whole, I think it's a fairly good book with a decent storyline and characters. Admittedly, there are points where I wish that the story overall had more depth, or that the writing of certain portions felt more distinct. But I think that this is definitely a book that some people will love, and although I wasn’t necessarily one of them, it’s a good book to check out if you’re interested in it nonetheless.

One thing that I think this book does really well is that it feels pretty distinctly YA, from the romance to the plot points to the overall vibe. In some ways this means that it reads a little bit like it was written knowing what Wattpad is, but I do think that the overall book and writing is much more developed than any actual Wattpad writing. I do wish that the dual-POV’s had felt more distinct as there were a few times where I found myself asking whose POV I was currently reading. The writing and content seem to fit the book well though.

As far as characters go, I would say that I was fairly interested and invested in the characters, and only partially because of the cult elements coming into play, but they weren’t ever at the level of peering into my soul (though they might be for some people!) Elwood especially has some very interesting characterization that I honestly would have liked to see even more of. Wil, while feeling a bit unoriginal at first, honestly kind of grew on me, as ultimately her character shines best when she’s interacting with other people. I’m unsure how I feel about the overall relationship aspects, but I don’t think they took anything away from the book at the very least.

In short, I think this was a pretty good read and was short enough that I found it very easy to get through. It honestly has a really fascinating world that I kind of wish had gotten more chances to be delved into, but I appreciate what I got to see. If it sounds like the kind of book you’d be interested in, I think it’s worth the read.

A suspenseful YA horror/romance. This is such a unique book and a great crossover of the two genres.
It’s got spooky small town vibes, there’s a chill in the air and plenty of snow on the ground.
The romance is cozy and offers a contrast to the dark happenings. I was a sucker for this sweet romance.
Some trigger warnings, including parental death, cults, child abuse and bugs. Sensitive topics are covered well and are made accessible to younger readers.
The only thing I would say is with it being a YA I would have preferred if the characters were slightly younger themselves, it confused me when I read their ages as I thought they were about 16.
Overall the story is immersive and thrilling. I adored all the characters. The pacing was great. It’s a must read YA - any readers of romance should give it a try even if horror is not their thing. I would compare it to The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy and The Dead Romantics. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for an E-ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

I write this review as I have tears streaming down my face. Elwood never deserved the pain he went through at the hands of his mother and for him to be able to reconnect with Wil was absolutely amazing. I wish Wil and Elwood got the happy ever after they deserve together but I understand that not every book can have HEA the way I want them too. They both got their own form of happily ever after <3. Elwood will forever be in my heart because no matter everything he went through he deserves the world; he gave everything for his love. I will hold a special place in my heart for this two, because in their own way they were the right person wrong time 💗💗

I received an arc via Netgalley and am willingly leaving a review.

“Growing up means learning to roll with the punches.”

“Then I’ll never grow up because I don’t plan on taking this lying down. If they’re punching me, then I’m punching back hard.”


3 out of 5 stars (3 / 5) Wil has been searching for her missing mom for a year. Her suspicions lie with her previous best friend Elwood’s family, who is the son of the cult-leading Pastor.

The book took on the elements of grief, parental abuse, cults and alcoholism and blended into a gothic adventure that definitely kept me guessing. Wil was an MC you could root for and I crossed my fingers for her friendship to continue with Elwood.

“Mercy isn’t the idle moments between rage. It isn’t just the absence of pain.”

The cult and missing mom made this YA different than most I’ve read. While the blending of contemporary and paranormal aren’t particularly my jam, it was done well enough to keep my interest. The ending really encumbered those two genres and was a bit much for my brain to grasp but there were still creepy elements beforehand that made me intrigued to finish. So while parts were exciting, the end just didn’t work for me. Until that point, it was weird and interesting and kept me guessing. I recommend for the gothic paranormal lovers!

Thank you to Penguin Teen for the gifted copy!

The book releases August 29, 2023.

That cover is so gorgeous. I would purchase it just for that cover alone! I liked this, but didn't love it. It was different from what I was expecting. The writing was well done and plot was definitely interesting. I would have liked to see a bit more horror or mystery, as the mystery seems solved pretty early on and I wouldn't categorize this as horror at all.

2.5 Stars ~

This took me a lot longer than it should have given how short it is, but I just kept falling asleep and really had to push myself to finish it.

I was expecting cult vibes, and I mean I did get that but it just took a super weird turn which I was expecting and didn't totally get on board with I guess.
Just not for me.

This was a delightfully creepy and atmospheric YA horror featuring a sentient forest, body/bug horror, magical realism, human sacrifice, religious fervor, and a friends-to-enemies-to-lovers romance starring a golden retriever MMC and a black cat/pitbull FMC (honestly what's not to love?) The author mentions in the authors note that she was mentored by Allison Saft and Ava Reid and the similarities to their writing styles show–this story evokes Saft's emotionally intelligent whimsy and Reid's disturbing gothic twists. The prose is beautiful, but does feel a bit superflous and wordy at times–I don't think this is necessarily a negative thing, but it is a style that won't be for every reader. This is a quick read that would be perfectly paired with a cup of tea and a cold blustery November evening.

If a book is about a creepy cult and the people that have seen the truth and try to get out, I’m THERE!

Wil wants nothing more than to find what happened to her mother. It’s been a year and the police have decided to close the case… unsolved… but she is having NONE of that. She knows in her bones that the creepy Garden of Adam church has something to do with her disappearance, but nobody will listen to her.

Elwood is the son of the church leader and is starting to see the dangerousness of their beliefs. When his own life is hanging in the balance, he can no longer ignore the terror that is GoA.

Wil and Elwood have no one to turn to but each other, best friends, turned enemies. What they uncover is more than either of them expected and, along with a small group of friends, they search for ways to get to the truth.

This was so good! I enjoyed every single minute of this book, good and bad. I have a morbid fascination with cults that is almost equal to my absolute fear of them. The past that Elwood and Wil share was so deep and riddled with betrayal, but seeing them fight so hard for one another, still…? Perfection!

This was just okay, which is a big disappointment. The cover is gorgeous and the premise is great, but the execution just isn't there. The characters fell flat for me, as did the romance. I really liked the horror elements, and the forest/bug horror, and I think it would have been better to keep it as a straight horror.

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking Books for a Kindle ARC of this YA debut Horror/Romance book in exchange for an honest review.

I love strong female characters and that is exactly how I see Wil (Wilhelmina) who has been searching for her missing mother for a year. She believes the Clarke family and the Garden of Adam (church) have something to do with her mother's disappearance. Sadly this belief has resulted in her best friend, Elwood Clarke (son of the minister) to not be friends with her anymore. Wil's father has become an alcoholic since the disappearance of his wife, so in Wil's eyes he has left her also. She feels like she has been alone for a year.

Ronnie (Veronica) has befriended Wil because she is suspicious of the church the her mother also attends. She is not sure why, but she senses something is not quite right there.

In the meantime, Elwood has had a couple of strange occurrences of his body doing things that seem out of his control and therefore he knows he is not a normal human being.

Without going through all the friendship relationships, eventually Wil and Elwood have no choice but to pair up and work together after Elwood hears a conversation between his father, the sheriff, and a few others. Suddenly Elwood realizes his life is in danger.

This is a case of good vs evil - read to learn what happens to the characters and which one wins over the other.

My biggest qualm with the book is I felt at parts it glorified true crime lovers in a way that isn’t consistent with how crime victims feel. As someone who lost someone this way I’ve felt the community can be horribly harmful to victims and families. But the story itself is very engaging. Pacing is good. Sometimes can be clunky but a good story

I'm sorry to say this was a huge disappointment to me. Going in, the description and the cover had everything I wanted. My biggest problem with this story is that I didn't connect to any of the characters. I simply didn't care what would happen to them and I kept reading, hoping that would change. I think the author's writing style is good and this is a solid debut. It just didn't work for me the way I had hoped. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/5 This started off as a 5⭐️ for me but unfortunately trickled further and further down as I kept reading

Positives:
- this has some beautiful prose and lines at times that truly were take a bite out of it delicious
- pretty much anytime a book has biblical trauma, body horror, cult, woods (etc) themes, I devour it & this really did deliver on that front

Negatives:
- the plot just felt very one note to me, & I found I pretty much completely stopped caring about the story and the characters halfway through
- somehow, the relationship felt flat and almost insta-lovey.


I really thought I was gonna love this one :(( I still enjoyed it, but I have some critiques that took me out of it, unfortunately.

A fantastic, spooky debut! Skyla Arndt did a wonderful job with the romance between our main characters and I especially loved her atmospheric writing style. I can't wait for my preordered copy to arrive!

I think I would give this 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4. It’s an incredibly quick YA horror read, with an interesting plot. Wil’s mother has gone missing and she suspects her bestfriend Elwood’s family is responsible. After a year of being estranged, they team back up and learn about his family’s secrets and town’s involvement with a horrifying cult, while also developing a relationship with each other.

I honestly wish this book was a bit longer and more fleshed out. The beginning took a little bit to really grab my interest but it definitely got there. Most of the main characters’ relationships took place before the book started so things are briefly mentioned and we don’t actually get to see them. The conflicts between Wil and Lucas, and Wil and her father seem to get resolved over just a few sentences, which felt too quick and unrealistic (which seems silly to even mention given this is a supernatural cult book but still)

The length and fleshing out are my only true complaints. They story itself was good, and the ending was really cute. There’s mild spice.

The book is YA and I think the writing style reflects that.

One of my most anticipated books of 2023 and I absolutely DEVOURED IT. There is no angel MMC as soft as the butterfly boy in this book and I just want to protect him at all costs. Together We Rot was strange and lush and creepy and culty and I was all over it.

Do I recommend? Absolutely. Eat it.

Nice fast paced thriller. What's not to love. A missing mother, an unloved son, a broken friendship, an isolated town, a creepy forest, a religious cult, and an unexpected ending! All the ingredients that will keep you turning the pages.