Together We Rot by Skyla Arndt

Thank you @netgalley and @penguinteen for giving me an eARC of this book.

I think I first heard about this book from author Lyndall Clipstone. And as soon as I saw the cover art I was ready to give it a try. Then I read the synopsis and it sounded really good, so I added it to my TBR.

And I was lucky enough to receive an early copy of it. And it did not disappoint. The story follows Wil and Elwood friendship. But everything falls away when it turns out that Elwood’s family might have something to do with the disappearance of Wil’s mom .

The atmosphere was done really well, the perfect read for autumn or even winter. Gloomy weather, snowstorms, haunting woods. I really like it when a book can really put you in the middle of the action. I especially liked Elwood, he gives soft boy vibes and I am here for it.

I totally recommend checking this book out when it is published.

Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book blends together paranormal horror, cult plots, cryptid boyfriends, body horror, and most of all, scary woods. I feel like forests, cults, and body horror are huge in YA right now, so I've been on a string of good reads with those themes. If you're someone else who enjoys those themes as well, I would definitely add Together We Rot to your TBR.

I do feel this book could've taken more time with some of its scenes. We don't get any room to breathe in this novel, which can make it hard for some of the twists to land fully since it just feels like we're being tugged through each beat at a breakneck pace. The characters suffer for this too, as the majority of our secondary characters (except, perhaps, Wil's dad) feel fairly 2D and heavy-handed in their story roles. It's a quick read, but I wish it was more fleshed out - at the end of the day though, wanting MORE of a given novel isn't the worst problem to have.

I'd rank this one 4/5 stars. I think it would be a great choice to get yourself out of a reading slump. It's not a perfect novel, but it's atmospheric, thrilling, and there's a lot to love within the pages of this short novel. Together We Rot is a strong debut, and I look forward to seeing what Arndt publishes next.

"Together We Rot" by Skyla Arndt is a thrilling young adult thriller. Wil, a dedicated adolescent seeking for her missing mother, and Elwood, her former best friend trapped in his frightening cult-leading family, are the main characters. Arndt brilliantly combines mystery, suspense, and the supernatural into a disturbing narrative about devotion, sacrifice, and the evil underneath an apparently typical village. The story is complicated by Wil and Elwood's uneasy collaboration. As they unearth shocking truths and explore the Clarke family's twisted world, the stakes mount, culminating in a dramatic and heart-pounding finale. Arndt's vivid descriptions transport the reader to the haunted woods with the protagonists. "Together We Rot" is a page-turner that will make readers hungry for Skyla Arndt's next book.

"Together We Rot" by Skyla Arndt is a thrilling young adult novel with mystery, suspense, and the supernatural. This story is captivating due to its well-developed characters, dramatic location, and thrilling narrative. Arndt's narrative skills shine as she explores devotion, sacrifice, and a town's terrible secrets. Wil and Elwood's warped world as they rush to discover the truth will captivate fans of gripping and dark young adult literature. "Together We Rot" highlights Skyla Arndt's writing skill and will have readers anxiously anticipating her next novel.

3/5 Stars from me.

***A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.***

This intensely haunting, skin-crawling creepy, nail-biting tense, page-turner of a debut novel by Skyla Arndt is unparalleled. After learning his father is planning to sacrifice him for the greater good Elwood turns to the only person who's ever truly known him, Wil. A friend turned enemy when he didn't believe his parents were involved in her mother's disappearance. The pair begrudgingly set out to save Elwood's life and uncover the truth about Wil's mother's disappearance. Where Wil is fueled with rage and grief, Elwood is trapped in confusion and his sense of duty to his family. Complicated by the fact he keeps having intense visions of the forest and the insects that inhabit it. Tension mounts deliciously between Wil and Elwood as they uncover more hidden truths.

Chosen one, found family, friends-(one-sided) enemies-to lovers, second chance romance, creepy-crawly whodunit.

I loved every part of Together We Rot. The characters, the action, the horror aspect, all of it. Wil and Elwood's relationship felt real and well-developed, and, of course, absolutely adorable. I'm a sucker for the ex-best friends-to-lovers trope, and TWR did not disappoint. The plot was gripping all the way through, and I couldn't put it down at any point. Elwood's story was heartbreaking, but I loved watching his development throughout the book. Wil was hands-down my favorite. She's not afraid to use her fists to get what she wants, and I love her for it. Overall, no complaints!

5/5 stars, a must read

This book is the best I’ve read in a long time. I loved the prose, the heart wrenching grief paired with the spooky mystery kept me up into the night turning the pages. The characters were so real, I cried when they cried and I felt my heart pounding along with theirs. I could not put this book down!

** spoiler alert ** ⊰ 3,75 stars

First of all, I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Together We Rot tells the story of Wil and Elwood. Wil Greene and Elwood Clarke have been friends for as long as they can remember, but that all changed when Wil’s mom goes missing and she suspect Elwood’s family has something to do with it. Elwood’s father is the pastor of the Garden of Adam and Elwood will be next in line to dedicate his life to their congregation once he turns eighteen. After going to a party to say a final goodbye to his friends, Elwood overhears a conversation that makes him realize that he is not his father’s successor, but his sacrifice to the Morguewood. Wil and Elwood form a partnership; Wil helps Elwood hide, if Elwood helps her prove that his family killed her mother. Can Wil and Elwood stop the Garden of Adam?

I had already added this book to my TBR before receiving the e-arc, so I was very excited to get to read it! The synopsis gives small town with dark secrets and a touch of sinister fantasy, which made me so excited.
The plot of the story is quite obvious from the beginning, because Wil is obsessed with stalking the Clarke family from page one and is quite relentless in her search for her mother. However, the dark turns that are about to come really left me in shock. I really loved the whole “chosen one” vibe the book gave.
The writing style is really good, especially for a debut novel. We read in the POV of both Wil and Elwood, and that really adds to the story because a lot of different things are happening. Usually with more POV’s in one storyline I find myself rushing through some of the chapters because I want to go to a specific POV, but that wasn’t the case in this book. Every chapter adds something to the story and the plot that’s about to unfold.
The intro of the book was really good, you jump right into the action and take of running. Around chapter 10 is where I kind of got lost for a bit though, there’s a lot of speculation between the characters and they seem to jump to all sorts of conclusions without there being actual proof. There’s a lot of content in this book for the pages it has. Personally, I would’ve loved to get a few more pages in the book and get some more pauses between the action and information.

Wil is a very headstrong character and her search for her mother is heartbreaking, especially after we find out what actually happened to her mom. Wil doesn’t want to depend on others, but she grows throughout the book and learns that she can’t find every battle on her own.
Elwood has some major character growth and was my favorite character in this book. He went from following everything his father says to an actual adult, thinking for himself and making his own decisions. His family backstory is a very sad one and his father saying he never loved him, that he is a means to an end, really broke my heart because no one should ever feel that way.
The other characters in this book get a nice backstory as well, which I liked. The book gave of Scooby Doo gang vibes ( think it is even mentioned in the book itself), if she Scooby Doo gang hated each other and forgave each other for years of tormenting within a week. This kind of have me a bit of whiplash, as some of the characters in the gang lowkey bullied each other. If it were me and my bully had to be in my gang to save my town, my town would be very much screwed.

I really enjoyed this book and given the fact that this book is Skyla Arndt’s debut makes it all the better! I’m very excited to see what else she will be writing, because her writing style is very nice to read.
If you like sinister small town with dark secrets mixed with a bit of fantasy, this is the book for you! Mark August 29th in your calendar, because you will need it to get this book.

I would comp title this something like Midsommar meets Annihilation meets a John Green romance, and that's a big ol' compliment from me. It was entertaining and dramatic in all the best ways! Highly recommend this title for lovers of dark romances. If you enjoyed Adalyn Grace's Belladonna, you'll likely enjoy this.

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

Let's be honest, once I saw that cover I was sold. I don't think I even read what this book was about before requesting it. So I really went in blind and had zero clue what I was getting myself into, but wow was I impressed.

This is a very dark, paranormal, mysterious, and moody book. That was the perfect amount of horror from humanity and fantasy, creating this twisted and creepy story.

I'm a big fan of creepy cults and paranormal plotlines, and this book combined these two things in a satisfying way. It really had me intrigued all through the whole book, and the ending really caught me off guard since most books like this tend to only have a particular way of ending. Not a think book though, and I loved how it switched things up.

The only thing I was left wanting more was a more detailed explanation of how the paranormal cult worked, but that was just because it was such an interesting and unique concept. I was really left wanting as much information on it as possible.

Overall perfectly moody, mysterious, and dark paranormal mystery with one of my favorite covers ever. I can't wait to see what else Skyla Arndt may write because after reading this book I was highly impressed by this debut.

This book has a good premise and plot but I found the world building to be a little lacking and the two different POV had me confused for a second as it was introduced quickly in my opinion. Definitely a unique story and I loved the cult vibes I got from this.

Very atmospheric YA fantasy about forests, cults, and transformation. Those topics have been very prominent in teen fiction lately, or at least I feel like I've read a number of those in the last 2 years and this is yet another pleasant addition to those who enjoy such things.
A solid first novel from an author with a lot of promise. The forest and nature don't have as hunting a presence as in "A Dark and Starless Forest" or "The Nature of Witches" and I do think it could have gone deeper into the characters, giving them something more than quirky hobbies and angst, but I'm sure the 16-18 years old audience won't mind. In any case, if you liked the books cited above do have a look at this novel!

This was such an amazing debut novel. The cover art is what initially attracted me to the story (it’s unbelievably gorgeous and haunting and just perfect) and the art went with the theme of the book so well. This is a YA book but it’s definitely dark and twisted. I struggle with YA romances like most of us do, but this never once made me roll my eyes. The characters are so unique, and I loved that the “bad boy” trope was flipped on its head. The girl is the tough character and the boy is soft and sweet, and together they are perfect. I’ve never read a story quite like this before, and I will definitely keep Skyla Arndt on my list for the future!

This was a great creepy upper YA story. Finding yourself growing from kid to adult is already difficult, so let’s throw in a creepy religious cult, a towns dark history, some unaliving, and a quirky group of friends-what could go wrong. The family bonds, finding yourself and accepting others were wonderful themes in this book. It was a quick read I’d highly recommend if you’re looking for a bit of a mystery with some dark elements and a HEA.

"Even in December, the Morguewood forest reeks to high heaven. The stench of decay wafts from the forest's soil, tickling my nose. The nasty, lingering odor lasts all year."

YA Horror has buried itself beneath my skin and I'm obsessed. The atmosphere. Wil & Elwood--MY HEART. I love that Wil was supposed to be an unlikeable character - angry and reckless. I lived for it. And the way that sweet cinnamon roll Elwood was the perfect foil *chefs kiss*

If you are looking for something creepy, gothic but also a bit of romance, you should definitely pick up Together We Rot this fall! This is a wonderful debut by Skyla Arndt and I cannot wait to see what other stories she unleashes on the world.

Thank you to NetGalley & Penguin Group for giving me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Together We Rot was an atmospheric, creepy story with an eerie forest, a small town and a sinister cult. While I enjoyed the writing style and the worldbuilding, I found the characters not completely fleshed out. Some questions I had weren't sufficiently explained. I also didn't expect that ending, it was strange and a bit rushed.
All in all, it had the potential to be a great book but the author didn't fully exploit its potential.

Wil’s life turned upside down the day her mom went missing. People in town say her mom just got up and abandoned their family, but she knows something bad happened. Whatever occurred, she knows it has something to do with the Clarke family. Unfortunately, Wil’s accusations ultimately end her friendship with her long time best friend, Elwood Clarke. Obsessed with stalking the Clarke family while hoping something leads to her mom, Wil gets much more than she bargained for when Elwood runs away. It turns out the Clarke family are members of an old cult and her former best friend is their next human sacrifice.

This book was an absolutely wild read. We follow Wil and Elwood as their lives continue to take a turn for the unexpected, only now it has a supernatural twist neither of them could’ve ever predicted. Wil is a stubborn and ill-tempered teenager whose grief has only fed into her anger. Her dad has disappeared into the bottle while hardly anyone in town listens to her shouting that the Clarke family had something to do with her mother’s disappearance. Meanwhile, Elwood is a long-time victim of verbal and physical abuse just trying to keep his head above the water. His entire life has been mapped out for him, only he never realized that included his parents and their cult sacrificing him in the woods.

I wasn’t sure what to expect once I started the book because it was dragging along for a bit, and Wil seemed like she was trying too hard to be “hard.” However, once the story gets rolling, it really gets rolling. I gathered early on that Elwood was our deepest connection to the supernatural even before things started happening given how strange his family was. I don’t want to say too much on this front because I don’t want to spoil anything, but phew. This was an excellent read and while it does have classic tropes one finds in the young adult genre, it also has a lot of heavy themes that make sense to the story rather than appearing for the shock value.

Plus, there is an interesting cast of core characters. While we don’t follow Wil and Elwood’s small group of friends, they strap in for the wild ride and I really liked all of them. They are excellent and supportive side characters that really help bring things together. I was really surprised that I liked one of the characters, Lucas, as the book continued. He is definitely a character that snuck up on me. I also like that we get to see a little more below the surface of some of the important players everyone fights against.

The supernatural plot is excellent and different from anything I’ve read before. Who and what is Elwood, and why must he be sacrificed? What is this cult about anyway? I had several questions and about half of the answers were truly explosive. Once the ball gets rolling, this is an excellent story with a lot of world building and backstory that doesn’t feel like it’s going overboard. Everything unfolds in due time, and none of it seems off the wall or out of place. I also really enjoyed the character growth we see despite these characters going to hell and back. This is a very strong debut novel and I’m looking forward to what the author publishes next.

First of all thankyou Skyla for getting me out of my reading slump. I read this in one day, I just couldn't put this book down. I really enjoyed this story as it was something new to what I have read before. The storyline was beautifully written. I just couldn't wait to see how it would end (Perfect ending). The characters were perfectly written and easily liked. I loved wills character she kept me entertained all the way through. Hopefully we see a sequel.

And that cover is so beautiful 😍

This book didn't quite live up to my (admittedly overly high) expectations, but I think it will definitely work well enough for fans of the comp titles people have been bringing up. It felt like, at times, the characters weren't as richly drawn as they could have been, but the plot was engaging enough that it didn't matter too much. Definite content warning for animal sacrifice (which shouldn't be surprising from the plot description).

Y.A. gothic horror with a dash of romance and cults: this was basically written for me as a teenager. Loved it!