Fans of body horror, taking down religious cults, and angsty teen relationships will love this. It reminded me of Wilder Girls by Rory Power with a twist of Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White. At once gruesome and beautiful, Together We Rot is a love story between two teens, as well as their traumatic experience learning to love themselves.

Wil and Elwood were inseparable - but a year ago her mother went missing and Wil believes that Elwood's family, leaders of a local congregation called the Garden of Adam, had something to do with it. Desperate and abused Elwood choses to stand by his family, and Wil continues her search and demands for her mother's disappearance to be investigated. As Elwood's 18th birthday approaches in the midst of a Christmas blizzard, horrible secrets are revealed about the past and the present.

Although the relationship leads present as cis straight kids, something about this feels queer and I can't quite articulate why, but I mean it in a good way. Elwood is allowed to be strange, delicate, broken, and emotional. He is loved by Wil for these traits. In return, he loves her for being forthright, even slightly violent. While they don't get a perfect ending, I'd even call it bittersweet, admitting the way they feel is huge for the two of them. By the end, Elwood accepts and embraces his complicated true nature, and Wil realizes that her fierce way of loving can be an asset when it has a target.

This is definitely dark and a little gory, although not overly descriptive. There is some sensual moments but anything further is closed door. In the end, I left this book feeling melancholy, but sometimes that's what you need to read.

Her voice is as sharp as the branches in the forest. Maybe she’ll draw blood, too.

look—firstly, this cover??? absolutely breathtaking. additionally, the blurb had me hooked! i couldn't wait to dive into this arc! the prose was beautiful, the atmosphere alive and the bug-facts a-plenty; but there was just something about together we rot that felt disjointed.

[ slight spoilers ahead ]

the writing style during most of the chapters felt quite jumpy—one second you were in the MC's thoughts, the next you were in a location without much build-up or even general scene-setting. another thing that made me feel a little distant from the story itself was wil's character; she falls a little flat outside of her trauma. i don't even feel like her and elwood particularly make sense together, bar their childhood friendship and shared trauma links. i think i would've loved them more as a pairing had the story been written solely from one perspective orrr had we been able to witness a little bit more build-up to their fall-out!

I kiss her and it’s a brutal, terrible thing.

the pace at the beginning of together we rot was slow and steady for it only to become lightning quick towards the end, so much so that i really struggled to form any connection with the major story arc. the ending was a catapult of events that happened one after the other—and whilst i could definitely say it was a happy one, it just wasn't my cup of tea. i definitely didn't see it coming though, so that's a plus for big surprises!

With a forest full of dead things, perhaps it feels entitled to our dead, too.

i don't know if i could confidently call together we rot a horror story? for the YA genre, it slips itself into the more gothic/paranormal/mystery/off-putting and even speculative aspects more than it does the horror aspects. there were some grotesque elements, definitely, but i wasn't as spooked as i wanted to be; which was disappointing, since the bones of a perfectly horrific story were definitely there (cults? yes! hungry forests? yes!)!! all in all an interesting read and definitely worth the roller-coaster ride!

thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc!

This was a slow starter for me and I didn't really feel engaged until a little past half way through. The atmosphere of the forest is well detailed, and I loved how it changed over the course of the book. The angst Elwood experiences as he begins to change, and feels the draw of the forest, is palpable. I would love to see more development of the cult: why does Wil suspect them? Why did her mother suspect them? How did this situation come about? How do the sacrifices and rituals help the town? A lot of the characters lean heavily on stereotypical archetypes, but the sudden changes from enemy to friend or betrayer to lover just don't make sense with the little development we see between characters.

With her mother missing for over a year and the police already trying to close the case, Wil Greene will do whatever she can to find out what really happened. In her opinion, everything points to the religious Clarke family. Elwood Clarke has been dreading his 18th birthday. While his friends are planning on going to college or moving away soon, Elwood knows he must stay and help at his congregation, the Garden of Adam. When he finds out that his father wants him as an actual sacrifice, the only person who will believe him is his crush Wil. However Wil has not spoken to him since her mother disappeared as she believes the Garden of Adam did the same thing to her mother as they do to rabbits. Together they try to figure out what is truly going on in the cult, how to stop it and why is Elwood starting to feel a calling from the trees?

What a fun gothic mystery/paranormal fantasy book! I was hooked right from the start. The character point of views were good and flowed well. The supporting characters were a good mix of fun into serious times. However, Wil's best friend Ronnie gets back with her cheating boyfriend, Elwood's best friend, halfway through which wasn't great in my opinion. The relationship between Elwood and Wil nicely progresses throughout the book. Overall the plot is unique and the book takes you for a spooky ride. CW: Sacrifices, Gore, and Abuse.

𝘼𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧?
𝗜 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗜 𝗮𝗺.

A soft nature-loving boy and an angry determined girl take on their town’s dark and twisty cult? Yes, please!

Firstly, this book was just so beautifully written!! The descriptions of the environment made all of strange and whimsical facets of this story come to life. Although I read this in the summer, the way the author described the snow and cold of the harsh winter weather gave me chills!

Then there’s the characters!! I can’t stop thinking about Elwood. His gentleness, his pining, his character development—absolutely incredible. If he were a playlist The Bug Collector, You’re Gonna Go Far, and Boys Will Be Bugs would definitely be at the top.
Then there’s my Wil. She’s all edges on the outside but by peeling back the layers and learning about her and seeing her from Elwood’s POV, I got such a clear picture for who she was and how far she was willing to go for the people she loved.

Together We Rot is such a unique, intriguing YA horror full of grief, healing, friendship, and romance. I ended up highlighting so many quotes that will forever have a chokehold on me.🖤

Thank you to Netgalley and PenguinTeen for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this book, the writing style draws you in and the characters keep you coming back. Elwood is so sweet and Wil is so fierce.
My only complaint is that i wish this was longer, I would’ve loved a bit more suspense and time with these characters!

I wasn’t sure what to think of this in the beginning. I got to the middle and still wasn’t quite sure. But when I got to the end, it just all made sense and I really enjoyed this story! It may have taken me awhile to realize it, but it was written really well. I loved the characters, especially Wil and Elwood. The supporting characters were great and struck the perfect balance between serious and fun. What a great story, I’d definitely read her in the future!

I just knew TOGETHER WE ROT would be the perfect book to continue the creepy, horror book binge I’ve been on lately. I’m mean, just look at that cover! And the blurb: ex-friends come together to find a missing mother and take on the other’s satanic cult family. Unfortunately, my reading tastes just did not mesh well with this author’s writing style. It was very introspective and slow and I eventually gave up reading the book all together around 36% after of week of forcing myself to read it in sprints.

I feel like this has the potential to be a very good book if I pushed myself through it, unfortunately, there are too many other books out there, and not enough time for me to force reading something I’m not enjoying.

A beautiful modern fairytale about the collision between who we are and who we are expected to be. This book checks all the boxes for YA horror as it simultaneously straddles the line between the familiar and the unknowable.

I devoured this book like the Morguewood tried to devour Pine Point. If you're looking for a creepy, atmospheric fall-read, this is it. Skyla's writing is visceral and an absolute feast for your senses–I definitely will be picking up future books by her, too.

Together We Rot is the dual-POV story of Wil and Elwood, former best friends who fell out after Wil accused Elwood's family of killing her mother (for her work investigating their creepy cult-church), and Elwood refused to believe her. The story starts a year later with Wil still fervently investigating her mother's disappearance while Elwood experiences some disturbing changes and learns the devastating truth about his family and his own future with the cult-church.

Can't say enough how much I loved Wil and Elwood. They're two very distinct characters, so it was very easy to tell them apart with the POV switches. I am so here for how Skyla flipped the typical "gender roles" and made Wil the ragey protector while Elwood was the soft-boy needing to be rescued, and the rekindling of their friendship and love was so, so sweet amidst the literal horror of everything else in their life.

I also like how Skyla didn't shy away from having both of them deal with some very real-life horrors (physical/emotional abuse from parents, abandonment, alcoholism in a parent, poverty, and death of a parent) in addition to the more supernatural horror elements of the Morguewood and sacrifices.

The supporting characters also felt pretty well developed (Cherry is the adopted Grandma you wish you had), and Wil and Elwood's misfit group of friends felt like actual high school kids with high school problems, which is something I feel like a lot of YA has been missing lately.

My only complaint is that I wanted more from this story. I would have gladly read another 100 pages of Wil and Elwood, and there were times when the pacing seemed a little too fast (like when they were trying to unravel the truth of what the cult-church was doing).

All in all, I loved this book and I'm looking forward to my audiobook preorder of this becoming available so I can experience it again in a different format. Thanks to Netgalley and PenguinTeen for the early copy of this!

This was a creepy, haunting, and entertaining read. Wil and Elwood are friends turned enemies. Wil wants answers about her mother’s disappearance. Elwood is the son of the town pastor and their church is not what it seems. This was different than other YA books and was gripping from beginning to end.

This was one of my most anticipated for this August. I can get down back for good horror, and Arndt certainly delivers on that. Whenever the creepy cult vibes and spooky, horror forest take-over were on center, the writing was really good. The imagery and descriptions got me sucked in; I was just loving it.

Despite Arndt getting the horror done, the story still feels underdeveloped and rush. The story took a while to kick in before the actual plot hit all at once. It's even stranger when you consider this book is barely 300 pages. When the ending hit, I felt underwhelmed and wished there was more. Maybe there's potential for a sequel, but the ending could also be done-and-closed, too.

As for the characters, I liked them enough. I feel like Wil held on to her perceived hate Elwood for a bit long, but they were a cute couple, otherwise. But the side characters, particularly their friends, rubbed me the wrong way a bit? Elwood's friend Lucas used to date Wil's friend Ronnie but she broke up with him after he made-out with a lab partner. Cheating, basically. Then they get back together half-way through? It's implied Ronnie forgave Lucas, but nothing in his character felt that warranted until the end. I dunno, this side plot felt weird and it could have either been cut or worked through the kinks.

Overall, this was a good read. I bet people will thoroughly enjoy this one much more than me, but I think I will keep an eye on Arndt to see what she does in the future.

i loved this book. i loved the characters and the deep backstories and all of the tragedy/trauma they went through and got out from the other side. a beautiful gothic romance and adventure that had me so so hooked. thank you net galley for the ARC. one of my favorite reads of 2023.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was one of my most anticipated 2023 reads - and I'll be honest, it did not disappoint. Together We Rot was full of poignant, beautiful lines that kept me captivated. In terms of being a horror, I would not say this was particularly terrifying (the author does have TWs listed on their website, though! I recommend checking those out). There was really only one moment (the church scene, you'll probably know what I mean) that had me on the edge of my seat, but the real horror of this book is the people. Evil lives in all of us, and it was horrifying to see how far people would go to protect what was theirs.

If I were to offer any explanation for the 4 stars versus 5, I would say that I wish some of the Bad Guys were a bit more fleshed out. I understand evil, and I understood its purpose in the story, but there were some questions I felt were unanswered regarding some of the Bad Guys, and I would've loved to see a bit more nuance.

All in all, Together We Rot was a beautiful story that was just as beautiful as its cover (seriously, give that cover designer a raise). I loved every second of it, and devoured it in a single afternoon.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. I absolutely LOVED this book. LOVED. I can not wait till I can add it permanently to my bookshelves. It was so well written, and I loved the MC's. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads.

Thoughts

This book had just the right amount of creepy elements, and yet I didn't love it. It was good. Don't get me wrong. But it didn't quite strike me as memorable. I won't be lingering on this story.

Pros
Creepy Forest: Anyone who's read my reviews before will know that I'm a sucker for a creepy forest, and this book did not disappoint. There's a perpetual stench of rot hanging over this small town. The forest is particularly ravenous for wildlife, it seems. This sets everything off-kilter from the start. Creepy crawlies writhe at every corner -- in other worlds, the atmosphere here is skin-crawlingly great.

Concrete Cult: So many of the YA "cults" I have read left the actual atrocity of the cult up to the imagination. Sure, you can fill in the blanks, but sometimes the leaps have to be pretty far since there's no evidence other than bad vibes. Here, that is certainly not the case. This cultish behavior isn't vague speculation or rumors, what-ifs. Right off the bat, we've got actual animal sacrifice happening in the woods, and I appreciate that. There's no beating around the bush, no slow reveal of the true nature of the cult. I appreciate that, especially because it makes the fact that no one believes Wil all the more sinister in nature. No one is willing to help, even when the evidence is overwhelmingly clear.

Witchy: There's something I like so much about a perfectly mundane character turning out to be a witch. Whether it's a gas station attendant or, in this case, the front desk worker at a run-down motel, I just love the idea of mingling a crappy customer service job with a more spiritual, ethereal existence. Sure, she works a terrible 9-to-5, but that doesn't mean her home isn't full of votive candles, just waiting to read the cards of those who need her.


Cons
Investment: I had a really hard time getting invested in this book. The atmosphere is great, but the plot, the characters... It takes a really long time to get into the good stuff. I hit the halfway point before anything really started to move, to develop, and a lot of readers won't stick it out that long. This book isn't bad in the long run, but it doesn't have much of a hook, much of a reason to stay on the line, to get invested.

All Aboard: It takes so long for things to develop because, despite an animal sacrifice happening right off the bat, nobody in town really believes there is, you know, a cult in town. But somehow, when Wil and Elwood uncover some more "proof," their friends immediately jump on the bandwagon. I don't know. I guess I just didn't buy that the new proof was stronger than the old proof. I mean, if animal sacrifice doesn't do it... wouldn't it be hard to swallow the fact that a sacrificial cult lives in your town? Elwood would have his reasons, and of course, Wil has hers. But all of their friends, convinced by old records and documents all at once? C'mon. I don't believe it.

Not a Revelation: Building on that, the "revelation" that happens with this new uncovering of evidence... isn't actually a revelation? It felt like readers were meant to be shocked at the true nature of this town's "church." But we started out swinging, and there's no reason to doubt Wil's evidence from page one. So the revelation isn't really a revelation. All that build-up for nothing.


Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
6/10

Fans of Andrew Joseph White's Hell Followed With Us will enjoy this... transformative new cult. Those who enjoyed Elizabeth Kilcoyne's Wake the Bones will like the creeping, crawling rot in these pages.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for providing me with an eARC of Together We Rot in exchange for my honest review!

First off, I've got lots of love for the gorgeous cover, which is what drew me to this book in the first place. It does a great job at conveying the Gothic atmosphere that this is going for. As for the book itself, I got wrapped up in it, particularly due to its dark mood, the nature-based horror imagery, and the sensitive ways in which it handles heavy material like abusive parents, cults, and alcoholism. The push-and-pull dynamic between Wil and Elwood is compelling, too. That being said, I'm not wild about how this is paced so that it kicks off slowly, then speeds up everything and leaves me feeling like the story and the characters need much more time to flesh out their layers. I also think some of the side characters were flatly written, and maybe the book would have benefitted from cutting them out in favor of focusing more deeply on Wil and Elwood.

Overall, I'm officially rating Together We Rot 3.5 stars, which I'm rounding down to 3 stars. It's not perfect, but I'm glad I checked it out, and I'll be keeping an eye out for more of Skyla Arndt's work.

If You grew up as a church kid and adult you spread your wings and dusted your hands of the church this might be for you.

The two main characters are childhood friends who have grown distant over a very serious matter, Wil's moms disappearance. Will doesn't think her mom simply disappeared she thinks her ex-childhood friend elwood's cult family murdered her. The two, as unlikely as it is, end up working together to investigate Elwoods family and end up uncovering more than they bargained for.

I wanted to see Elwoods family burn and this book did not disappoint.

I had some mixed feelings about this book. It started off really, really slow, but it has a great, slightly creepy and very unique plot, I personally don't think I've seen something similar in any other book I have read so far. The second half of this book is where everything actually happens, and it's very interesting!

trigger warnings: death of parent (before story), cult, child abuse, murder

wil and elwood used to be best friends, up until wil accused elwood’s family of murdering her mother. now, the police are closing wil’s mother’s case, and she decides the best person to help with the investigation is elwood. after realizing he’s not meant to follow in his father’s footsteps as pastor of their cult, but as a sacrifice, elwood realizes that maybe wil’s accusations weren’t as far-fetched as he originally thought.

it’s been days since finishing this book and i’m still thinking of it. while there were some things i predicted, there were other, bigger things i did not, and they still have me shocked.

one thing i wish had been different is the page length. i could’ve read a hundred more pages following these characters and this story. however, this was still great as-is, so this isn’t too big of a deal.

overall,. i really enjoyed this book. i would recommend to anyone wanting a short YA horror book and i will definitely read more of the author’s books in the future.