Absolutely fantastic. A story of rage and making things right, set on the backdrop of a post apocalyptic world. Benji must learn to take the power that he has been given, one that could destroy the world for good, and turn it to his advantage to save himself and his newfound friends. Apologetically queer and angry and wonderful .

I anticipated this would be intense, and my, was I right. A gut-punching dystopian horror tale about trans identity, evangelical Christian fanatics, and abusive relationships, Hell Followed With Us.

Teenage trans boy named Benji is on the run from a cult that wants to use him as a weapon and marry him off. Climate change and an evangelical eco-fascist organisation that released a virus that transforms people into monsters have turned the planet into a dystopian hellscape. Because God has commanded it, the organization has turned to medical experiments with Benji as the successful subject in an effort to control those creatures.

I won't go into more detail about the storyline, but this book is unflinching, intelligent, and real. There is a LOT of body horror and gore, but it uses Benji's transformation to both explore the experience of body dysmorphia and literalize the idea that trans people are monsters. Even though I'm not trans myself, the religious aspect of this really hit home for me because I was forced to go to church with my family for a really long time.

The acceptance of violence, and the blindness to how you are damaging or dehumanizing those you claim to love really hit home in this one.

All in all, this was a fascinating debut, I'm so glad I got to read it and I'm looking forward to reading anything new from this author!

CW/TW : gore, misgendering, transphobia, abusive relationships (romantic and familial), religious drama, violence, torture, death.

Holey. Moley. This book. This freaking book.
Give me all the gore.

"Hell followed with us" is a hauntingly and powerful novel about Benji, a transboy, trying to escape the clutches of New Nazareth and its Angels, a group of soldiers in charge of taking him back. The world is no more, wiped out by the Flood, a plague created by Christian fundamentalists to re-start a new Eden on Earth and to recreate the world in the Glory of God as He Himself imagined it.
While his dad is gruesomely killed in front of him while escaping with his son, Benji is lucky enough to be saved by the Watch, a group of queer teenagers/young adults who survived the Flood, and is taken to the ALC, a safe space for queer people. There he is finally free to be himself. But how can he live as a boy when a monstrous weapon is growing inside of him and will take over not only his body but his whole essence?

This book stuck itself to me as if it was the Flood itself - no joking. I hold my breath from the very first page, reading every single chapter with that kind of horror and expectation that you just cannot be without. The story made me shiver and twisted my guts, making me feel everything all at once. Everything felt so, so real.

A beautiful representation of queer and neurodivergent characters, of the struggle of surviving, of the scars that people and situations leave on us. Wonderful main characters, amazing gray characters and villains (of that sort that you really hate with all your essence), anyone was multifaceted and complex and no one felt flat.
Thank you for this masterpiece.

This was a smart, compelling, and timely YA horror that I think everyone should read. It provides some really thoughtful critique about religious fanaticism and how it dehumanizes others and provides important transgender rep that's need in the YA space. And the horror elements are creepy and unsettling and cool--everything you want in a good horror.

Thank you for the ARC!

I can't put into words how much I love this book, I didn't think something so gorey and violent could be such a comfort read but! it is!!! it instantly became one of my favourites and I cannot wait for more from Andrew Jospeh White

This book was absolutely brilliant and I cannot recommend it enough. From the plot and the writing to the characters and overall themes, I could not put it down.

I feel like a lot of times I request books, and by the time I get to them, I wonder what made me request them in the first place because they are so outside the realm of things I typically enjoy. This book was one of those. I feel like the concept is actually kind of cool, but this book definitely has an audience, and unfortunately that audience wasn't me.

I think the story itself isn't the problem here. It was actually pretty decent concept wise. It was more violent and graphic than I think I was expecting, but I kind of enjoy that type of thing. It was the writing itself that wasn't working for me here. It just felt so detached and a bit young. Again, this is probably a me problem, because years ago this probably would have been my jam, but as it stands now, I definitely prefer more adult type fantasy.

I think it was too heavy on all of the biblical references with no world building or details where more explanation could have definitely benefitted the story. I think the trans rep in the book is super important and I am glad that there are more and more books that feel inclusive. I think that unfortunately many of the characters felt a bit flat and all sort of blended together, but if the author was just here to check a box on diversity, I think that goal was achieved.

To be completely honest, I feel like that was my biggest problem with this book... It just felt like checking boxes and adding things for the sake of having a million different elements and conflicts, but nothing is explained well. It's all just here for the sake of being here, and it feels kind of convoluted and messy at times.

The setting and characters are what really shone in this book. While some of the inclusivity in the book could felt clunky at times, the overall effect of the diverse representation in the book was excellent. The writing stood out to me as descriptive and lyrical, it captured the aesthetic of the religious cult and the doomsday it had brought about in a way that was both creepy as all hell, but still appropriate for older teens. We ran this book for our LGBT+ book club and everyone adored it!

I really enjoyed this book. A few parts felt a little slow to me but I still liked it. I found the characters neat, and fun to root for and the plot kept me wanting to read. The writing style has something different about it but I was done so well, and I will be reading more by the author. It's a powerful queer story of being yourself, fighting for people you care about with a dystopian background.

To say I was horrified reading this book is an understatement. The gore and body horror is just next level and I highly recommend against reading this book if that’s something that bothers you.

It did not bother me and I eagerly read every page! I love this post apocalyptic novel, featuring a trans main character who has just escaped the cult he grew up in. One of the things I love most is that Benji is unquestionably trans but is not on hormones (see: post-apocalyptic). There’s so much obsession with people not being trans, or not being trans enough, because they’re not on hormones or altering their body with surgery. Alongside Benji, there is other queer rep, as well as neurodivergent rep.

I enjoyed Benji’s slow growing relationship with Nick. They both have their secrets but there is an undeniable attraction between the two of them. They can read each other in ways no one else can and I think that’s neat, especially when they haven’t known each other for long.

There’s a growing sense of doom over everything, as Benji succumbs more and more to the virus he was injected with. He’s on a limited timeline to do anything and he’s trying to live as his true self for the first time in his life, while working to take down the cult he ran away from. It gives the pacing a nice sense of urgency that is felt throughout.

This book brings to mind the Penryn and the End of Days series, with a lot more gore. I think fans of that series will like this book, so long as they are aware of the gore and body horror aspects. I don’t know if I can specifically recommend this book, because of the gore, but I think there is definitely a group of people who will enjoy it! Anyone who loves post-apocalyptic fiction should give this book a chance.

5/5 (If I could rate it higher I could)

No joke, if I had had this book as a highschooler, I think my entire life might have been changed. I won't get into it but this is exactly what I would have needed as a queer kid and Benji would have helped me figure out so many things about myself a helluva lot earlier. I would advise anyone to check out content warnings, as well as read the authors note (which contains some content warnings in itself as well) before reading the novel, because it tackles topics which might be potentially upsetting or triggering for some folks.

What can I even say? This books has everything I could have ever wanted and more. Excellent queer rep (especially when it came to trans folk), body horror galore (even a flesh church, are you kidding me? I'm being spoiled here), gorgeous prose and a really satisfying ending. Monstrosity as something that frees is a theme that I've been really interested in and something I want to use in my own work and this book does it near to perfection.

I normally don't like apocalypse stories, zombie stories (even though it isn't technically a zombie apocalypse, it shares enough with the idea of one--peoples bodies changing, viral spread, etc--that it clearly has elements of one), or YA, but it all really worked for me here. I think it all comes down to how well the narrative handles the themes: religious trauma, mental illness, neurodivergency, queerness, gender, extremism, and white supremacy, just off the top of my head.

My only criticisms aren't really even criticisms. I really wish that this novel gave us more time at the ALC and more development between Benji and some of the side characters, like Salvador and Faith. The conversations and scenes we do get between them were great, and I just really wish we'd gotten more of Benji's time with the ALC and the healing power (and pitfalls) of having a queer community. In that vein, I almost wish this book was a duology, so that we could spend more time in the world and relationships.

I really, really hope the author writes more in this world, even if it isn't Benji's story.

(Postscript--this cover is beautiful and is what first grabbed my attention.)

I loved this book. It was a cathartic experience to read, reminiscent of the queer healing I felt from Lil Nas X’s music video “Call Me By Your Name”. I have always loved dystopian stories, and to have one where most of the characters are queer was so new and exciting for me.
I do feel that Nick and Theo’s chapters didn’t add much to the story, and I think if it only focused on Benji, it would be just as good, if not better.
Book is heavy on Christian religious trauma themes, which made it hard to get through at times, but I’m so glad I did. The author also gives a content warning at the beginning which is awesome and helped mentally prepare me.
Would definitely recommend this book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me free access to the digital advanced copy of this book.

Wow, what an interesting story! It has such a nice idea and the characters are so complex, I mean sometimes I thought they were real people *in a fantasy world* of course. I'm glad more queer reads are becoming popular.

THIS BOOK IS FUCKING GROSS !!!
And I loved it. I love how queer and feral this book is. Smashing the patriarchy and cishet normative roles. And displaying how American conservatism has corrupted faith and how the loving idea of Jewish and God themselves has been tarnished. I hope progressive Christianity can course correct

Long overdue review but this was superb, horrific, and cathartic in equal measure. I will never stop recommending this to people!!! Andrew is a fantastic writer and I cannot wait to devour his next book.

This is a really unique book with a trans MC trying to escape the evangelical cult he was raised in. The use of biblical passages is an interesting choice that may have been a bit overdone, but the passages added did correlate with the story. Hell Followed With Us will definitely resonate with a lot of folks who have not historically seen themselves represented in fiction very often.

Thank you to the publisher for my copy!
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I have thoroughly enjoyed this book and I wanted more of it. My sister also got intrigued by this book. Highly recommend to everyone!

This book was genuinly amazing. The portrayal of queer rage was something that I didn’t even realize I was missing in the books I was reading. I’m eagerly looking forward to the upcoming publications Andrew Joseph White is working on!

4.5 stars

TW: Transphobia, a religious cult, apocalypse, murder, gore, torture, disease, mutilation, assault, pain, suffering, hallucination & genocide.

Did a book with gore, horror, lgbtq+, and religious post-apologetic cult just become a comfort read of mine? I think so.
Okay, listen, I grew up catholic in a VERY Catholic country. However, even with the views and negative experiences around me, I grew up knowing I was LGBTQ+, and there was nothing wrong with me or those like me, that it was people twisting a view meant to be good into their OWN agendas that were the problem. I like the idea that something good is after death, but I don't have any more touch with religion after what I went through when I was younger. And seeing that take in this view felt...good.

Reading this brutal yet honest take on a world that is in doomsday and seeing the evil done by religious groups felt real. It's a truth I know happens right now and would happen in a world that falls apart like that one; the validation is relieving.
The layers in this book gave me chills; because while it is a horror and you get freaked out by the disease affecting Benji and changing them (plus the Glory we see from other victims), we know another horror, the effects of a religious cult is terrifying to see as it lingers with them. They question their thoughts and which thoughts are forced on them.

Overall this book puts trust in you as a reader to go through many traumatic experiences with Benji, and while you may or may not relate, the feelings and emotions are real, and they have left me feeling safe in a horror book.