3.9 Stars.
Wil is a creature of claws and venom and burning, burning rage. Elwood is a sweet puppy who finally learned to bare his teeth. A match made in heaven.
This was a fun, easy read. Religious trauma, strained familial bonds, a soft romance and the true meaning of sacrifice.
I was all for the folk horror, "ancient being in the woods" vibes this book supplied and I'm really hoping there is a continuation of Wil and Elwood's story.

Enter the Morguewood at your own risk ⚠️ Lurking between the winter-oppressed trees, are cult activities, sacrifices, and two harrowed characters, casting yearning glances at each other. TOGETHER WE ROT is as beautiful as its cover at every level, from each individual word, to the characters, to the frostbitten world. Entering the Morguewood may be a risk, but you will not regret joining Wil and Elwood.

I loved every second with these childhood-friends-to-enemies-to-lovers, and every word written by Skyla Arndt. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🦋 A teen girl looking for the truth about her missing mother forms a reluctant alliance with her former best friend… in exchange for hiding him from his cult-leading family in TOGETHER WE ROT 🦋

✨ Available August 29, 2023 ✨

Thank you to Penguin Teen for sending me an arc of this in exchange for review.

This was both beautiful and tragic at the same time and with a hint of spooky. the writing was beautiful and i'm pretty sure Elwood is officially on my favorite character list. THE BOY JUST WANTS TO COLLECT BUTTERFLIES AND HAVE CATS. let him please. someone.

overall this was a solid debut.

highly recommend Together We Rot.

Honestly what a win/win of a book. I have an unusual fascination with all thing's cult related and I love love fantasy, and this was a great combination of the two. The story is paced very well and keeps you on your toes as your reading. The ending was a wonderful ending, and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. Al the characters are equally enjoyable and relatable (maybe not Elwood) lol

Highly recommend if you like murder mysteries, anything cult related and all things fantasy.

It’s always such fun to discover a book that really draws the joy of reading out of you. Together We Rot is one such book.

Set in a town surrounded by a forest of death and decay, Arndt cleverly weaves her vividly expressive prose around the story of Wil and her search for what really happened to her missing mother. A search delves into the mystery of the town and brings her back face to face with the boy she could never forget, and all the demons within him.

I’m definitely recommending this to all those YA fans who’re not adverse to a bit of horror and gore, those who love stubborn ‘unlikeable heroines’ and the soft boys who are their home, and those who like a good ole mystery with the highest of stakes and a bit of the supernatural.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review .

This was spooky and creepy but also super fun! I loved both Wil and Elwood and thought they were adorable. The friend group was definitely the highlight of this, I was surprised how many times I burst out laughing considering the darkness of the plot! Was a teeny bit let down by the ending but overall enjoyed it. Will lookout for more from this author in the future.

I am truly a sucker for stories like this- gothic and supernatural and creepy. There were so many beautiful sentences that had my little English major heart weeping. This would be a phenomenal movie with all of the gory details and I loved every supernatural second. I loved that ending, haunting and sad, but still a little hopeful! I was really ~rooting~ for Elwood to make it out, and I did not see his twist coming. I wish there had been a TOUCH more on the cult stuff, but I definitely recommend it if you loved What We Harvest or Where Darkness Blooms.

This was sharp, angry girl and soft, gentle boy love story of my dreams, not just because it was achingly romantic but because it was WEIRD AS HECK and SUPER VIOLENT right along with it. The writing was superb, the imagery was stunning, and it left me in absolute shambles.

The uber creepy, angsty lovechild of Supernatural x Stranger Things with the most freaking heartwrenching romance. This is everything YA horror should be. A beautifully haunting debut from Skyla Arnet!

all i have to say is WOW! what an absolutely stellar debut by skyla arndt. this is a gorgeous story filled with tension, friendship, romance, lush descriptions and just enough horror to give me goosebumps. can’t wait to read what skyla writes next!