I absolutely love how creepy this was. The imagery and writing was absolutely phenomenal. I felt like I couldn't read the pages fast enough, because something unexpected was always going on, and I needed to know more. I loved the characters in this, but Elwood is my favorite. He's just a soft boy trying his best. And that ending!!! One of my favorite reads this year.

3.5⭐️ - rounded up

In a town where a creepy culty church seems to be involved in everything, Wil is determined to find her missing mother, and Elwood is just trying to find his purpose in life. When Elwood discovers that his father - leader of the church - has much more sinister plans for him, he and his ex-best friend Wil find that their paths are converging in a journey more fantastical than they could have imagined.

The Good:
- I found the build up of at the start a bit slow, but once the story got going, I was invested. I was dying to see how the church/cult was going to play out, and what the eff was going on with Elwood
- the cast of characters was classic, especially the main five kids on their quest, and we didn’t end up with two characters feeling the same as each other
- the horror vibes were excellent! The imagery of the plants and the woods, the bugs and the transformations were perfectly vivid and creepy

The Not-So-Good:
- Wil’s character fell a bit flat to me - the copy and paste of many a “I have a tragic background so I’ll be snarky and rude to everyone, even though I have so many feelings” heroine. She flipped from hating Elwood to being in love with him really abruptly and it just didn’t feel developed enough.
- There was a huge reliance on metaphors in the first few chapters, everything being so over-described I guess for us to understand how bleak and aggressive things were, but it became too flowery for me to enjoy. Additionally, big portions of the dialogue felt very “after school special” and not the way anyone would actually speak to each other.

Would I recommend this book? Absolutely, but maybe with a little bit of a disclaimer attached that it would be more for the story than the writing itself.

Reviewed for NetGalley:

Wil Greene, a fierce teenager still tracking down her missing mother, a year later, once the police’s investigation runs cold.

However, as Wil’s investigation leads her to looking into her ex best friend’s, Elwood Clarke’s religious cult, Wil will need Elwood’s help in continuing her search.

I enjoyed the mystery and Wil and Elwood’s relationship. Did not love the horror/fantasy aspect and still a bit confused of the logistics of the ending. But overall, enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for providing me with an eARC of Together We Rot in return for my honest review.

Together We Rot is Skyla Arndt's debut novel, and boy has she done a spectacular job! Arndt you have set the bar high with this brilliant YA horror/fantasy/romance novel, I simply devoured it in two sittings in under 24 hours, I just could not put it down!

Arndt truly has a gift at writing the creepy, yet beautiful in it's own dark way, story's of our main characters Wil and Elwood. Wil is a headstrong/doesn't take any crap from anyone teenage girl who is trying to prove that the town's creepy church leader had something to to with her mothers disappearance over a year ago. Elwood, the son of said church leader, is a kind soul that used to be Wil's best (and only) friend. That was until Wil started made him decide between their friendship and his parents. This novel has everything a YA horror lover could want, a murderous forest reeking of death, creepy religious cults, a small town with plenty of secrets and paranormal plot twist. Fair warning that this novel includes a main character with religious trauma, it may get a little to real for those that have unfortunately had experience in this area.

While there is romance in this book, it is YA, so no spice, more of a "fade to black" scenario but this was not a negative for me at all. This story is dual POV between Elwood and Wil, which I'm a bit fan of, I feel that is adds more to their story and gives a background to their history from both of their perspectives. I wish there had been more development of Wil and Elwood's rebuilding of their friendship to romance, I do feel like everything happened all at once, but this could just be me desperately wanting more of this story and it's characters.

The ending of this novel wrecked me, it was absolutely heart wrenching , but it was also beautifully poetic. Overall I highly recommend Together We Rot for lovers of YA horror, paranormal/fantasy and romance!

It was a very disappointing. A very flat story, lacking depth in so many things, was needed better explanations of why those things were happening. The protagonists' relationship I found weak and I won't even comment on the end of everything being resolved thanks to the power of love. That was awful. It's a story that had potential, but it felt like the author was too lazy to develop the plot.

Together We Rot is an interesting book. Or maybe I should revise it- because it almost feels more fair to say that Together We Rot is an interesting short story with the ambitions of a novel.

The story itself is fascinating. Set in the isolated wilderness of the UP, the book is about two teenagers; Wil and Elwood. Wil's mother went missing unexpectedly; destroying her father and their family business in one fell swoop. It did not help that she accused her friend Elwood's family of being responsible either.

Elwood is from a hyper religious and very influential family. A year after Wil's accusation, he begins to uncover a conspiracy about his family that isn't just dark, but supernatural. If you love character with heaps and heaps of religious trauma, this is your character.

I adored the premise, the writing, and the settings of this story so much. The bones are fantastic. Skyla Arndt really has a gift for prose and sets up a gorgeously dark town with secrets you want to crack open. Unfortunately, I felt this could have been a series or much longer book. The beginning og the book starts slow, but then pretty much everything happens at once. The plot, friendships, and romance start running at breakneck speed and its super hard to emotionally catch up with it.

If you want a fun horror mystery with solid characters, I think there is a lot to love here, but I would have slowed the pace down quite a bit and given time for the characters to really grow.

A gritty and romantic speculative horror story!

This was such a fresh contemporary story, with so many elements I adored—murderous forests, small town secrets, righteously angry girls and kind boys and coming into one’s own. I lived for the entomology bits, and for Elwood’s voice—he’s such a favorite. That ending was heart-wrenching, and perfect, and I loved how it didn’t wrap everything up in a tidy bow, but definitely gave hope.

Even though this is obviously a work of fiction, as a Christian, stories of religious trauma always hit so hard. The way man weaponizes religion in the name of God is one of the most angering things, because it is very real, and horrific, so I was more than happy to see it all burn down here. But what makes it so heartbreaking for me is that cults, legalism, asceticism, and abuse are NOT Christianity—but unfortunately, where there is faith, there are predators seeking to contort it, and people who are subject to that often write off all religion/Christianity as such. When that’s not the case. ANYWAY—I appreciated the honest look at some of that here, which added such a layer of emotion and depth to the story!

Special thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

-A

Wow, this story!

I wasn't sure what I was expecting when I started, but I was shocked and blown away by the plot twist! I shouldn't have been. It's clearly in the summary, but it's different when you're wrapped up in the story and experiencing it.

When Wil's mother goes missing, she confronts her childhood friend, Elwood, who sides with his family. Grieving the loss of her mother and best friend, Wil sets out to discover the truth, and nothing could have prepared her for the truth.

Elwood has suffered at the hand of his father for years, and his future has been chosen for him. But when he learns the truth of his father's deceit, he will do anything to separate himself from his family and town.

I give the author mad props for the non-traditional ending! I don't think any other ending would have worked with the story, but I would love to read a novella/short when everyone comes back together in the future.

I want to first thank NetGalley, Penguin House, and Viking Books for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.75 stars for me.

WOW. Just. Wow. Skyla Arndt’s writing is so beautifully composed, making this book one of the most intriguing books I have read this year. (And as an added bonus- can we talk about how gorgeous that cover is?)

A gothic horror debut with a hint of romance is the perfect description for this book. The trigger warnings of parental abuse, alcoholism, religious trauma, and grief are treated with so much care- I was filled with so many emotions through this book I don’t even know where to start.

Our main character, Wil, is a fiery, stubborn girl, but also smart and caring. Her story is crafted with so much strength, I really enjoyed her character progression.

Then we have Elwood, my sweet baby angel. I just want to wrap this boy in a blanket and give him hot chocolate. He deserves the world and I will fight to the end of my days for Elwood.

The pacing of this book was perfect, there wasn’t a point where I felt like I was bored or waiting for things to move along. The writing was so beautiful, making me want to read everything from Skyla from here on out.

The one thing this book was lacking for me was in length. I wish there was more, I wanted more development in the town’s history, in the characters history, I wanted to engulf myself with this book and for me it could have easily been another hundred pages and I would have gobbled it all up.

thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

4.5 stars, rounded up

"As above, so below," my father answers cryptically, but he isn't looking at me. He's just staring ahead. "We're the roots of this forest."


Wil's mother is missing and she believes the Garden of Adam, a local church, is responsible for her disappearance; Elwood's father is the pastor at the Garden of Adam. The two of them were best friends until Wil accused Elwood's parents of hurting her mother and Elwood, loyal to his family and desperate for his father's approval, got defensive and their friendship was torn apart. When Elwood becomes suspicious about his father's plans for his future, the two of them are forced back together to try to uncover the Garden of Adam's darkest mysteries.

I loved this book a lot. I loved the dynamic between Wil and Elwood and the way Wil's determination to find her mother and Elwood's conflicting feelings about his own family drove them apart, then brought the two of them back together and ultimately, into a relationship.

Because of the cover (gorgeous art), I expected their relationship to be a heavier focus of the plot, but it didn't really even come up until a little over halfway and then it wasn't really fully explored until toward the end of the book. It was a major plot point, but it just wasn't throughout the entire novel as I expected. It did come on quickly, but I felt like that made sense because of the relationship that the two of them had previously.

I might have cried a little at the ending.

Definitely pick this book up if you're a fan of beautiful writing, ancient evils, cults, and murder mysteries.

Thank you so much for the chance to read Together We Rot as an ARC! I am so glad to have gotten the opportunity to dive into this story early- I'm giving this one a 3.5 (but a 4 for Goodreads purposes) and really enjoyed the story that Skyla Arndt has created. It was an incredible mixture of creepy and beautiful and I absolutely loved the characterization of both Wil and Elwood. I would definitely recommend this to fans of Ava Reid and Allison Saft! This book will be released on the 29th of August, so be sure to check it out then:)

I really enjoyed this creepy-cult, mystery horror! loved the main characters and the gorgeous writing style - beautifully descriptive but told at pace.

This story is cute. A YA romance with a little thriller twist in there. The writing style is beautiful. I did find myself a little confused at times trying to determine what was actually happening in the story and what was just a metaphor. I did find myself hoping for a little more of the horror type aspect to his transformation and the lead up to the ending. There was a lot of potential to drag out that portion of the story and built it up more to make the height of the plot that much more dramatic.
Overall I thought it was a nice read.

The author did a wonderful job of describing the world and the details of the story. The flow and pacing was wonderful and I was captivated from the first chapter. I also loved the plot and characters, they were well fleshed out and relatable.

Together We Rot - eARC Review

I about fell out of my seat when the approval email came through for an ARC of Together We Rot, one of my most anticipated reads of the year 🖤 and let me tell you, all of the excitement I had towards this release was SO well deserved. I ate this book up in one sitting and immediately wanted to start over just to stay with these characters a little longer.

Skyla Arndt writes with such imaginative prose and describes scenes and settings in a way that truly brings the words to life on paper. The flow is magnificent and all of the beautiful metaphors had me completely enamored with every detail. Having grown up in the Midwest and experiencing plenty of "frozen tundra" winters, the chilling atmosphere of a snowy small town in Michigan in the midst of December snowstorms really felt like home, with the added bonus of a creepy haunted forest and a looming feeling that something just isn't quite right.

I can't forget to mention the characters! Wilhelmina Greene had me hooked from the very start with her sass and stubbornness, born from the trauma and grief of her mother going missing a year prior. Her no-nonsense attitude is a joy to experience, and wonderfully contrasted by her counterpart Elwood Clarke, the actual equivalent to a golden retriever, who is haunted by a deep-rooted family secret. Elwood is truly my new comfort character.

I could go on forever about how much I love this book. But instead of me rambling on about how great it is, I implore you to pre-order Together We Rot, releasing on August 29th, 2023.

A huge thank you to Netgalley and Skyla Arndt for an eARC of Together We Rot 🖤

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Penguin Young readers Group for the opportunity to read rate and review this arc which is available Aug 29,2023.

I found this book haunting. It’s about a cult and eerily similar to many cults in our country today. Especially with how teenaged boys are treated. Wil Greene(a girl) is searching for clues about her missing mom and thinks the family of her ex best friend is behind her mom’s disappearance. Elwood Clarke is about to turn 18 but instead of being his father’s successor he is to be their sacrifice.

It’s dark atmospheric and at times I hurt for the two main characters. So so good. Already preordered it.

This was a really quick read and the cover art is amazing. I didn't particularly care for Wil (and I'm sure I'm in the minority) but I can see teenagers thinking she's cool and tough. My middle-school aged niece would probably enjoy this.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I genuinely lost my mind while reading this book, because the narration and the prose and the wholesome, wholesome romance were just >>>>>
I've highlighted so many cute scenes between the MCs - it's a childhood best friends to angsty sad enemies to lovers trope (sobb), with a healthy dose of memory recollections and past/present parallels 😭

Here's more stuff to convince you to read this book -
💫 When one's a monster, only the other can wake them up (😭)
💫 "Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal" (iykyk) (and many other super cool pop references)
💫 Grand declaration of "it's you, it was always you" (😭)

Also the found family >>>>>

TWs - body horror, insects, violent deaths, cult, domestic abuse of children, sacrifices of humans (children), death of parent, mass graves

--- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

TOGETHER WE ROT was lush, dark, soft, and frightening in so many ways. I fell in love with the characters by the end of the book and now find myself wishing for more. The end was both heart-warming and gut-punching. Arndt's writing is expertly engaging and moody, telling the story in a way that feels at once fast-paced and like a snapshot of a real, breathing world. I can't wait to read more from her. Thank you Viking/PRH for an ARC of this book, I'm honored!

Together We Rot was such an amazing original story. I enjoyed the dynamic between the two characters. I loved the plot and the ending was beyond anything I would've imagined.