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.

"Are you prepared to love a monster?"

Dear Skyla: First of all, how dare you?
You made me pine for the bug boy and sharp girl and took my heart out and planted it in the ground and now there's a book shaped hole in my chest and it needs to be fed next book immediately. I might rot while I wait, and I'll be revived as soon as there's news about a possible sequel.
This bug book, this cottagegore of gorgeous and hideous beings, flawed and broken people, some evil and some kind and all of them trying to survive and save their loved ones. I was angry and sad and understood their motives and also hated them for their choices.
The religious cult is a terrifying thing, they truly believe they are doing good and then go and kill and sacrifice innocent people and justify their bloodthirsty nature with god's name. The villains are mostly the simple people you wouldn't think capable of horrible things.
Wil and Elwood are everything! I'm a moth lured to a flame when I look at this cover! You can judge this book by the cover, it's perfect inside and out.
I expected to love the book just from the synopsis and the cover art and I didn't know I would love it even more when I was done reading.
My weakness, green eyes and dark curls, and when said green eyes are described like this:
"He looks at me and I see the whole forest."
I died and you can just write that on my gravestone, it's perfect!
I was blessed to be a chosen one to read an E-ARC and I can't thank publisher and author enough for this.
I will (im)patiently wait until I can get my hands on the physical copy of this beautiful bug book.

It’s very rare that I wish a book was longer, but I found myself being concerned with how rapidly the end was approaching in this one. The lyrical and flowery way the author writes is so engaging and I wanted to savor all of her words. I love how wonderfully weird this story is and how fiercely protective the protagonist is of the people she loves.

I do wish there had been more character development for some of the side characters and without spoilers, more description of a comeuppance for those who deserved it.

A haunting, beautiful, and delightfully weird story. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for giving me an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

First, let’s talk about the cover! It’s gorgeous and fits the story perfectly. I received this as a NetGalley ARC in exchange for my honest review. And honestly, I loved this. It was creepy and sad and shocking. This is a ya horror that couldn’t have been done any better. The characters, atmosphere, and plot were impeccable. Coming of age meets gore and mystery. The ending was everything I wanted it to be and more gave me the feel good butterflies. Nice to know some people who have been through the worst at the hands of those who are supposed to love and care for them are still able to find their “happy endings”, even if it is a fictional story. This was great! Bravo!

Thank you so much @netgalley & @vikingbooks for the eArc!

This is a story about dying for love (potentially literally!)

Together We Rot is such an interesting novel. The premise is solid, but the execution left me a bit disappointed… it’s hard to rate because the scary was so intermingled with the not. For example, the cult’s sinister rituals and the supernatural forces connected to Elwood’s transformation are intriguing, but I was wanting visceral experience. Expanding upon the horror elements with greater intensity and could have elevated the overall experience & I’ll definitely check out others by the author!

3.5 ⭐️ rounded to 4!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC.

With an atmospheric small town setting and lyrical prose, TOGETHER WE ROT by Skyla Arndt is an excellent YA debut with just the right amount of heartache and horror. Told in dual 1st Person POV, both Wil and Elwood prove to be unique narrators with their own motivations and distinct voices. Structurally, plot twists keep the reader guessing all the way to an explosive finale.

Together We Rot was my most anticipated horrormance of the year, and after reading it I've moved it to "most talked about". Whilst a little light on horror, the gothic atmosphere and descriptions of bugs certainly makes for a good ride, and as YA goes this one goes hard. This book has it all. Cults, creeps, a scooby doo gang, cryptids and a girl with a chip on her shoulder for just about everyone but her favourite person and I don't know how to sell it any harder than that. If there's any books on your preorder list, make it this one, you'll have a hell of a good time.

I was absolutely intrigued by the premise of this book and the gorgeous cover! Very much was drawn in by the promise of horror/fantasy but in a YA with some cult-ish elements. Unfortunately, I think the book lost its way a bit midway. I think this would have been a great short story OR ALTERNATIVELY an adult horror/thriller. I wish the cult element had been fleshed out a bit and then the fantasy portions explained a bit better. It felt like the plot line jumped kind of all over the place without any real satisfying resolving for me. The prose and writing style is poetic and gorgeous but almost felt out of place at times, giving me a bit of literary whiplash. By the latter quarter of it, I was finishing to finish. Really wish this could have been developed a bit more, maybe in a second book or novella type book!

soo so good? flew through this, and even though the cover is exquisite i had not expected this to be so wonderfully eerie and fun!

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance review copy 🤎 ⁣
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If you’re a fan of Stranger Things (especially season 1), The X Files, paranormal stories and creepy vibes, this book is for you 👍⁣
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A beautifully crafted debut novel, “Together We Rot” is an atmospheric and eerie tale of struggle and survival. We follow two POVs : Wil and Elwood. They grew up in this small isolated town in the middle of nowhere and they used to be best friends, until Wil’s mom disappeared without a trace. That disappearance will unlock secrets within the town and within themselves that they couldn’t imagine. ⁣
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I loved the writing style, especially Elwood’s POV because you could really sense the urgency in his tone, and I also liked Wil’s fierceness and headstrong attitude. What drew me in the story was the eerie and creepy atmosphere that reminded me of Stranger Things, which is one of my favorite series, and in the end it was the characters that sealed the deal for me. You will laugh, you will cry and most of all you will be spooked but it’ll be worth it. ⁣
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My rating : ★ ★ ★ ★⁣
Release date : 29/08/2023

**3.5 STARS** Review will be posted on blog closer to publication date.

Content Warning: violence, horror, parental abuse, grief, alcoholism, parent neglect

I love this book cover and I was intrigue by the title, Together We Rot. Right away you can tell there will be horror elements to it but I still wasn’t sure what to expect.

You are immediately thrown into this story where Wil, a teenage girl is angry because her mom has been missing but the town is about to close the case. She has a feeling her ex-best friend’s religious/cultish family is the reason for her going missing but she has no proof. Elwood, her ex-best friend is a boy who’s dad is the leader of the Garden of Adam, a religious cult, and he’s being abused by both his father and mother. Elwood is a timid and frightful boy but inside him is something dark.

In one night of desperation Elwood takes one night before he’s about to “leave” and parties with his friends like he never has. But things go haywire and he realizes something is wrong with him and maybe Wil’s suspicions about his family is correct. What happens next is quick and soon Elwood and Wil is on the run and hiding from his family and the sheriff and things take a turn for the worse.

The horror is when things about the church is revealed and mostly in the end when there is body horror when it comes to Elwood. I thought the ending was bittersweet though. Elwood had to accept some things about himself in order to make peace with what was happening.

It’s a quick read and I wasn’t sure how it would end but I did find it fairly entertaining! I also found the second-chance romance between Wil and Elwood kind of sweet. And I did enjoy the secondary characters, Wil and Elwood’s friends.

Tropes: best friends to enemies to lovers

Why you should read it:
*it’s a quick read
*fascinating story with two main characters with a history, a missing person mystery, a religious cult and something dark inside Elwood

Why you might not want to read it:
*there are a few heavy topics with parental abuse and neglect
*some pacing issues – slow start and then quickly picks up and rushes to the end

My Thoughts:

This one is a dark and unexpected story but with a sweet kind of second chance romance in the midst of it all. I love Wil and Elwood’s history and how they struggle through some truths to fall in love again. It’s their love that in a way saves Elwood. The horror mostly circles around the parental abuse and religious cult, and definitely around whatever darkness that lives in Elwood. So I found this book to be more of a mystery and suspense/thriller than horror (except the ending). I think if some things weren’t so rushed in the book my rating would be way higher. I look forward to reading more from this author!

This book stands out in my mind as strongly as a Luna moth against a black backdrop. I love a good friends to enemies to lovers story, but this delightful YA held so many more dark twists then that. The pain Elwood is feeling is written so richly the reader can feel it in their chest with him. I want to leap through the pages and protect this soft soul from following down the dark path his parents laid out for him. Thankfully Wil's there and the story between them is nothing short of a fiery passion. A truly amazing read!

Wilhelmina’s mother has been missing for a year, and while everyone in town believes she took off for various reasons, Wil is convinced a strange local church may be to blame.

Wil’s childhood friend Elwood is the son of the pastor of said church, and these two teenagers soon put aside their differences and become closer than they ever would’ve imagined as they unite to take on a weird small town evil.

This debut YA horror novel gives a fresh spin on body horror and possession tales, features what could be called an eco-cult, and while familiar at times, it develops into something some may not see coming. The author also manages to make this an unusual romance in the face of some creepy goings-on.

A solid first effort from Arndt.

3 and a 1/2 stars

I feel like so many of my reviews lately have started with “I usually don’t read ___” but in this case, it’s super true. I very very rarely read anything that even borders on horror and this book was definitely horror. Now, that being said, I do love a mystery and I have an odd fascination with cults.

I liked this book. I really did. But I didn’t love it. I think the biggest problem I had with it was the timeline. The entire story takes place over 2 days which didn’t feel plausible.

One thing I did like was the almost Stranger Things vibe I got from the mystery, the crew of characters, and the banter.

This book tackles some really dark themes so definitely read the content warnings on the author’s website before diving in but this is one to put on your radar for spooky season.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

First off, the cover of this book is absolutely stunning, I can't wait to see it in person. It really showcases the bones of the story.

Wil and Elwood, my heart goes out to both of them. The daughter of a missing woman and the boy whose family was at the root of all of it. I would've loved to have both characters a bit more flushed out, considering we do get insight into both of their point of views through out the story. While I loved the gothic horror genre that this book was capable of, it felt a bit rushed. The beginning grabbed my attention as a result of the ongoing search to figure out just what happened to Wil's mom. As the book went on though, it felt more and more sped-up. Having the story written out through two books, rather than just one, might have resolved this. All in all, it was still an enjoyable read and I'm excited to see what the author comes up with next.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin for the e-arc!

Thank you to Netgalley for the eARC!

I think this would have been my cup of tea in high school. It’s a quick read with some mystery and romance, but it lacked the depth I was hoping for.

The plot sounded so interesting with the cult and the myster of Wil’s mother’s disappearance, but the beginning of the book made what was very exciting kind of slow.

I love ensemble casts, ragtag group, found families and I would have loved for some of the POVs to have focused on them. Even a POV with Ronnie, maybe her being able to be an insider since her mother is in the church?

The romance was very rushed to me. We were told they were best friends and it was hinted that the romance was there back in the day, and then it was brought back suddenly and it just didn’t feel believable.

I think with some more character work and maybe more POVs I would have enjoyed this much more. It’s clear this author has a way with words. I love lyrical writing. Definitely will give future works a shot!

This book was alright. I wish it would have been a little more. It wasn’t what I expected. Don’t like my opinion steer you away from this book. It just wasn’t a book for me.

I was immediately drawn to this book by the cover. There’s just something about plant horror vibes that hit so good (I blame Wilder Girls for breaking the seal). Plus there’s something about exploring the monster inside and the repercussions of letting it loose, and the consequences of keeping it caged. I did enjoy the imagery and the characters and the interpersonal dynamics. Oof, the grief was super intense and visceral too. I think in the end this is a book I enjoyed and the ending worked really well for the story and the characters. But I also feel like it’s missing an ephemeral something that would’ve made this even better. I don’t have a clue what I’m thinking would make it better, because this is a really solid book and story, but I’m still kinda left hemming and hawing over the ending. Do recommend if you like creepy nature books and some themes around the monster inside.

Compulsive and gripping! Suspenseful, addictive and complex! A very well-written book with wonderfully-interesting characters. The suspense builds at just the right pace as the story unfolds. Will keep you swiping the pages furiously. Worthy of your TBR list.

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book from in order to read and provide a voluntary and honest review, should I choose to do so.