For anyone hesitant about reading a book marketed as horror, you can rest easy. The best comparison I can give for this novel is the TV show Riverdale. This story revolves around supernatural small towns, cults, and having to suspend your disbelief to some crazy extents. While I did enjoy this story, especially the two main characters, I found the development of Elwood's "situation" to be so unbelievable (especially in the end) that it really takes you out of the suspense. But by toeing the line between contemporary and fantasy, the author has done herself a disservice, and I think a different genre could have allowed for more world-building and comprehension than was achieved in this short novel.

3.5/5 Stars

After her mother unexpectedly disappears, Wil Greene is determined to find out what happened to her. Wil used to be bestfriends with Elwood Clarke, but after she blames the very religious Clarke family for her mother's disappearance, their friendship ends. Then Elwood shows up on her doorstep one night, after breaking his parent's rules, they learn of their sinister plans. They team up to stop the Clarkes before its too late.

First off, in love with this cover, I just think its so pretty. Secondly, cult is one of my buzzwords, so I was so excited to pick this up! I finished this book in one sitting as it is an extremely fast paced book. That being said, at times the fast pace made me feel like I missed or lost details in the story. I felt like there wasn't much explanation on backstory on the cult or town. I do think the writing style was gorgeous though. I thought the dual POV was interesting, and I liked being able to see inside both character's heads. I'm a sucker for friends-to-enemies-to lovers, so I ate this up. I liked Wil's character, and loved how she was so determined to find her mother. She is extremely loyal when she cares about you and I loved watching her relationship with Elwood grow as the story progressed. She may also be slightly unhinged and a tad bit feral, which I LOVED. Also, big fan of Elwood, he was such a sweet cinnamon roll.

I will definitely be checking out more from this author when available!

Prickly girls, gothic horror, cults, ritualistic sacrifice, religious trauma, grief, parental abuse, and love are woven together in this darkly beautiful narrative.

Together We Rot follows two former best friends who have been torn apart by loss and familial loyalty. Wil's mom disappeared a year ago and she is convinced she was kidnapped by Elwood's dad, but no one will listen to her. Now her dad has fallen into an alcohol and grief-fueled stupor while Elwoods family plans to buy and demolish the rundown motel they own and live in.

Elwood has been raised by abusive, hyper-religious parents. His dad is the pastor of the town church and he has hardly stepped a toe out of line, even picking his family over Wil. Even though his had has made him participate in the ritualistic sacrifice of rabbits in the creepy woods next to the town. But now he's turning 18 and realizes that he is intended to be an even greater sacrifice and has to run to save his own life. But there may already be something strange growing within him...

This was intense but I couldn't put it down and ultimately it's a story that is dark and bloody, but also beautiful. Wil is a mess and all thorns- pushing people away because she's hurting and afraid of being hurt even more. But the friendships in this book (including a cast of side characters) are loyal and willing to go through hell for each other. It's a book about grief, pain, and abuse but also about healing and escape. I loved it. I would firmly call this horror with a romantic subplot. I received a copy of this book for review via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

a fun and fast paced read that i enjoyed!! i had been following this author for a while now and am glad to finally be able to read this book!

I didn't expect to love a book about a bug-obsessed cult boy and a furious junior reporter but here we are.

This novel was so atmospheric and gripping that I felt a chill reading it in the dead of a Florida summer. I could smell the snow, hear moth wings, and feel the cult's grip on the town looming like a taloned hand just over my shoulder, out of my periphery.

Set in the dead of winter in the upper peninsula of Michigan, Together We Rot set the stage for a small town cult's nefarious acts in the name of God like a high end Broadway production. The setting, the characters- all of it blended into the narrative and plot of the story like sprinkles and frosting on a cake. The balance of angry Wil and skittish Elwood. The deft description and speculative body horror. Toss in some "the trees have eyes" vibes and creepy midnight religious services and this book was a recipe for success and ripe for binging.

If you're looking for something creepy and spooky to ease into fall, this is the perfect not-quite-cozy book to get your heart rate up.

The story was okay. The characters were okay. It had some good horror scenes towards the end of the story.

One of my favorite reads so far this year. This horror romance is so atmospheric, eerie, and just beautiful. I didn’t want it to end. I preordered and then annotated the crap out of my hard copy. Not only did I find myself super invested in Wil and Elwood but also in the side characters like Lucas, Ronnie, and Kevin, and even the town itself. The setting, dialogue, description, characterization, etc. are all so well-executed. I’m officially a Skyla Arndt fan girl.

Let me say I was not prepared for the twist that this novel comes packed with! I go in blind on a lot of books and I did the same with this. I was thinking it would be a type of YA thriller romance but I was gloriously wrong. This novel has a paranormal side but also ties together cult-like situations, abuse, alcoholism and grief. It's a slow build with a cast of characters that are hard to look away from. The pacing was a bit awkward at times but not to the point it throws things off. I liked the dual POVs and absolutely loved when things get a bit crazy. Go in blind on this one, you won't be dissapointed.

Fun concept, failed execution. The story was okay, it captured my attention in the beginning and then fell a little flat. I couldn’t get into this book or really connect with the characters. Just felt boring to me, and especially in the middle seems felt drawn out. I caught myself skimming to get straight to the point.

Overall, it wasn’t a book for me, but if you like horror with slight romance and religious cults. This might be for you.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Together, We Rot is a twisted thriller that has you hooked from page one. It's well-written and very unique to all the other YA books out there at the moment. The characters are not particularly likable, but they are realistic in their thoughts and actions.

I would not have suggested it for middle school-aged children due to content that is a little too mature for them, but everyone 15 and older who likes a good mystery should pick it up.

DNF @30%. I could not get into this one. I had no desire to pick it up and when I did, I never connected or invested in the characters.

DNF. I just couldn't get into it. The writing style felt very inauthentic and pretentious, and I couldn't connect with the characters as people or with their choices. I'm disappointed as this was one of my most-anticipated reads of the summer, but I found myself continually not wanting to pick it up.

"We have all seen trees grow in odd places. Bent out of shape, warped by their surroundings. You grow from mistakes. The two of you aren't the same people you were last year. You won't be a year from now, either. I'm barely the same person each morning when I wake up."

Wil is struggling to cope after the disappearance of her mother - she can't just accept that he mother would just abandon her and her father... she knows that there has to be more going on. She has become highly suspicious of Elwood Clarke's family. Although he had been one of her closest friends, she knows that the Clarke family is not what they seem either and she's determined to get to the bottom of this.

Poor Elwood Clarke, his father is truly a monster as he leads a strange religious cult in the woods. The way that this story unfolds for Elwood will absolutely shock the readers - as I could not have predicted where this story would go.

I loved the way this spooky little tale was written - there were so many beautiful metaphors sprinkled throughout the piece. This was certainly a quick read (that I would have read much quicker if my newborn wasn't interrupting me :P ) - but I absolutely recommend this read especially for the Halloween season. Cozy up with your warm beverage of choice and be prepared to be blown away by what's to come as the pages turn. I absolutely did not see the ending coming and I was pleasantly surprised by how unpredictable this story truly was.'

My favorite character was definitely Wil's grandmother, Cherry. I always love when tarot makes an appearance within literature.. and Cherry reminded me of my parapsychologist aunt. Although we aren't acquainted with her until the second half of the book - she definitely is a stand out character who adds comedic relief as well as foreshadowing wisdom upon her debut.

"Everyone's bound to make a million mistakes growing up, but there's always going to be that one nagging one. Something you regret deeply but can never truly fix or change."

Sincere gratitude to Penguin Group, NetGalley and Skyla Arndt for access to this ARC. I had so much fun consuming this short and sweet scary story and I look forward to reading more from the author in the future.

Magic, mystery, and religious cults - what more could you want? Great pace with a variety of characters. A little predictable but I really liked how the mystery unfolded and how each character transformed in their own way.

Deliciously spooky, Skyla Arndt’s TOGETHER WE ROT melds sizzling romance with atmospheric horror in a stunning YA debut.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

This book was so cool and strange! I liked the story, but sometimes it was a bit confusing. It mixed lots of different types of stories and talked about some serious stuff. And guess what? The ending made me emo, which I think is awesome!

I can’t begin to imagine listing all of the genres and subjects this book covers, but just to name a few - Together We Rot is a YA/paranormal/mystery/thriller/gothic tale that includes a missing woman, a religious cult, alcoholism, parental abuse, cryptids, and love.

This was an extremely quick read for me. I think I finished it in about 4-4.5 hours. I enjoyed it from start to finish. I wish that there had been more from Elwood’s perspective, especially when he was going through his change.

"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."

Perfect way to begin the fall season, this book was fun, weird and wild. I don't know how to describe this book without any spoilers, but it was a fun, crazy read.

Thanks to netgalley for this eARC.

A quick, fast paced, under-300-pages novel about the harm of toxic cycles set against the backdrop of a creepy cult in a small, small town and the courage needed to break these cycles, Sklya Arndt finds a way to weave this perfectly themed story, just in time for Autumn - or in other words, "spooky season."

I really enjoyed that the cult was "right" in the existence of the literal seed and the demon, instead of it simply being a metaphor for mental illness. I also really liked the fact that this is a horror/thriller meant for an audience being about the characters ages (aka young adult), allowing for "dumb teenager horror movie vibe mistakes" (such as a phone going off when trying to hide from the murderous cult in the church at night - looking at you Wil) without, say, an audience of adult readers groaning and grumbling about the stupid teens.

Now, not that I've read all that many horror novels nor seen all that many tv shows or movies in that same genre, I do get the feeling that many end in one of two extremes - either horribly, with the "bad guys" winning, or overly happy, specifically unrealistically so. Instead, Skyla Arndt allows for a bittersweet ending. This book is definitely more of an unsettling, creepy, atmospheric, gothic horror than any sort of terrifying slasher horror, so if you're looking for a read along the lines of the latter, this one would not be for you.

The commentary on cycles of abuse and the courage needed to break them was fascinating in the genre (and I can't help but mention that I felt really... happy? when the Clarke patriarch died - without giving too much away.) I knocked this down one star due to my struggle to emotionally connect with the characters, otherwise this was a wonderful YA gothic, atmospheric horror.

This was such a delightful and weird little book! I really enjoyed the storyline but found it fuzzy in some areas. I feel like it touched a lot of meddled genres as well as topics, some being pretty heavy/dark. The ending had me sobbing so that is always a win for me!!