Together We Rot is an emotionally fueled horror romance. Very atmospheric and filled with prose and metaphors. A lot of metaphors. Very mild horror themes. This was overall a quick and enjoyable read.

You might like this if you like Twilight, reading about religious trauma, or are a fan of melodramatic teenage angst.

This book is horroromance at its finest. Perfectly blending the dreamy and romantic with the twisted and unsettling, Skyla crafts a riveting tale of clinging to humanity among the monstrous. Her writing style is uniquely vivid without ever losing the voice of the two distinct narrators who dig their talons into your heart right from the offset. It’s impossible to look away from the fast-paced pages as each chapter brings a new development that leads us deeper down its dark path. Three years and countless new twists and turns later, this book continues to haunt me.

Thank you Penguin for this ARC
As breathtakingly beautiful as it is horrifyingly creepy, Together We Rotis now my favorite horror romance of all time.
Wil is fruitlessly searching for her missing Mother, much to the chagrin of the small town she lives in. She is convinced the local pastor is involved, but the local police would rather stuff their face with donuts then listen to her. Elwood is her ex-best friend and the pastor's son, forced to play a role he doesn't want. When Elwood realizes he isn't being groomed to take over for his Father, but instead is going to be sacrificed on his 18th birthday, he flees. Straight into Wil.
My favorite part of the story is the imagery, and just the way that Arndt writes. In just one sentence the mood shifts from light-hearted, to creepy. A few well placed words have you scratching at your skin, and making sure the light is on. Her ability to choose the most chilling words is just incredibly impressive. The tonal shifts she conveys within a page are some of the best I've ever seen in a book.
Horror romance as a genre is so difficult to nail down, books tend to favor one or other and it's rare that I see it done this well. The relationship between Wil and Elwood doesn't feel rushed, or fast-paced. It feels incredibly natural and in a way, aching. There are several characters in this but I never felt lost or confused. I know there are people who probably don't like the characters, but I think it's important to remember people don't act level headed when they are grieving. I personally love Wil's fiery personality, and her stubbornness.
If I truly had to nitpick and find something I didn't enjoy, I do wish it is a bit longer. I would have liked to have learned more about the town and the history. I will say I might have had a different opinion about the book had I not been warned by a mutual of mine about some of the content.
Be kind to yourself when you read this there are a lot of triggers. I read this as an arc so I hope the finished publication has content warnings because there are a lot of heavy topics. Some of them include: child abuse, body horror, INSECTS. (No really, all the insects!) I strongly encourage anyone who is wanting to read this to check out story graph for the full list. I didn't go into a book slump or found it on the level that books like Ever Since are trigger wise.
You know when you read a debut novel for the first time, and you're just like...woah. That is the feeling Together We Rot gives me. Skyla Arndt is a name to watch out for. I just know she is going to be big.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book, and I need Skyla Arndt to write another book IMMEDIATELY please! (Y'all she is one of my new favorite authors now!)
This is 100% my new favorite book cover for the year. I just where do I even start! The vines that are embedded under the skin like veins, the moths circling around, the SYMBOLISM! This is truly a work of art. Marcela Bolivar always kills it and I continue to be in awe of her talent. The cover not only captures the horror and creepiness of the book, but also the romance.

The cover and the idea of this story was so interesting to me. Unfortunately that’s about where it goes right for me. The prose itself is absolutely beautiful and you can get a clear picture of the atmosphere.
Then comes the plot. It felt very disconnected and even though it was told in a matter of days I was confused when there were flashbacks vs. real time. I felt like the main character Elwood had so much love and depth to him. While Wil felt very one sided and just flipped her emotions without a clear reason. I rooted for Elwood and actually felt little for Wil even though her backstory drives the first part of the book.
Usually I have issues with stories being too long and too much detail. For this one, I felt like there needed to be more. The story felt like a longer version of the The Lottery by Shirley Jackson. I really wanted to like this story but there was just so much confusion and rushing. The ending was bittersweet but also left a sour taste in my mouth. Like I felt like more could have been explained on why the characters decided the path they did. It felt very too direct and literally with the foreshadowing. I would have rather been left with a more vague ending than the last chapter. Overall I give it a 3.5 stars overall thought for the proses and Elwoods character development.

Together We Rot by Skylar Arndt
⭐⭐⭐⭐/4
🌶️/4

**Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!!**

This is Skylar Arndt's debut novel and it has arrived in perfect time for spooky season! Together We Rot is a mix of mystery, fantasy, horror, and romance all in one. It's the perfect read to get in the mood for fall. Cults, bugs, curses, missing people, evil parents, friends-to-enemies-to-lovers, small town mystery, and more. I loved the group of people that get together and try to figure out what is happening. I really enjoyed this book, but the ending was bittersweet. It seems like this is a standalone book, but I would love to see a sequel or even a novella to see things develop even more. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for some spooky, fall vibes! I'll be keeping an eye on Skyla Arndt and hope to see more great books from her!

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"Together We Rot" by Skyla Arndt offers a unique take on horror romance. The premise is intriguing and the writing style was overall engaging, there are some aspects of the book that left me wanting more.

One of the strengths of the novel is its character development. Arndt creates a diverse cast of characters, each with their own flaws and complexities. The dynamics and interactions among the cult members in this bleak world are well-crafted, adding depth to the narrative. But the pacing of the story can be uneven at times. Some sections of the book felt slow, while others rushed through important plot points. Furthermore, the world-building, while imaginative, could have been more fully realized. I found myself wanting a deeper exploration of the reasons behind the world's downfall.

ARC review

Even though I'm posting late I cannot imagine starting this review by saying that if you haven't had the chance to buy the book you need to get your hands on this masterpiece NOW!

I will try to keep my fangirling to the minimum- warning it might be hard.

This book was a fresh take on the Mothman lore and a paranormal romance.

The plot was just so fascinating and thrilling! I barely put down the book as I read it, it kept me on my fucking toes! The plot is just so well put together! The care that went into the characters is undeniable, i felt like this was almost a movie in my mind there is only a handful of books that have done that for me and I'm so happy this book was just that for me

The first time I saw the cover of this book, I was immediately dying to read it.
This is the perfect halloween/spooky read.
I am so happy that I was granted an arc through netgalley and I can't wait to read it.
The story has a cult.
It's has crime.
It has scenes where it keeps you on your toes.
It's beautifully written.
I was really surprised because it's YA. I've sworn to myself that I will stop reading any ya stories because I always end up dnf'ing them but this story is amazing.

There's just so much to unpack in this book. It was such a good, though slow read. '

It is about a small town, that is run by a church cult. They have something very dark happening, that most of the town's kids don't know about. But Wil is set on making it public, because she is sure that the cult killed her mother. Now, her ex best friend Elwood, is the son of the church's leader. Their friendship broke over Wil's accusations. But Elwood isn't a straight follower and believer of what his father preaches. And when it becomes obvious that his father has a different and a very dark future in mind for Elwood, he runs. Straight to Wil.

I loved the biggest theme of parental abuse in this story. It was very heavy and painful to watch the relationship completely be destroyed as the story progressed. My heart broke for Elwood. But also grief over loosing a parent, how to deal with it when you're alone. Grief over loosing a friend. But also forgiveness.

It was a slow read, and there some issues for me personally with the editing, like switching from "I did" to he/she is doing.. There are plot holes, and I feel like the book could have been expanded on some parts. When you get down and dirty there are some questions that were never answered, and left "out there."

Overall I loved this Folk Horror YA book. It reminded me of Where Darkness Blooms by Andrea Hannah and Bloodline by Jess Lourey.

Thank you Netgalley, Penguin Teen, and the Author for letting me read an advanced copy in exchange for my honest thoughts on this one.

I thought the premise of this book sounded great from the beginning. I was not prepared at all for how quickly I would be wrapped up in the story of Will and Elwood. The writing was well paced, the twists and turns unexpected, and let's be honest a cult in the town always makes the book more interesting.

Wil and Elwoods lives are more intertwined than I expected them to be but honestly, I was here for it. We were given the chance to see who they were a part but then together a lot and that made the story telling very intriguing and made it worthwhile to get to the end. However, going beyond that with their involvement is hard to share without giving anything away.

I found the supporting cast to be very good in who they were, how they were brought into things by Will and Elwood and how fiercely they cared for their friends. Normally, the side characters in tales like these are just there to advance the plot but here it gave you a glance at the characters as a whole as well as moving the plot along.

This really drew me in and then made me go WTF and HH and all the other things that I'm not going to post in my review. At the end I was just kind of like wow that was sooo good. I wish I could read that for the first time again. 4.5/5 stars rounded up to 5.

I really enjoyed Ava Reid's A Study In Drowning earlier this year. I was most interested in Together We Rot because it fell in the same YA horror genre. I did not get the same vibe though, but I did find this to be a quick, fast paced adventure on grief and cults. It was a touch too gory in detail for me to really LOVE this, but I did appreciate the end and how Wil is able to move on.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc.

This was, to me at least, a one of a kind book. The horror and romance elements mixed so well and I was deeply invested in the characters. The only reason I wouldn’t consider this a 5 star read for me is because I wanted a little bit more of everything amazing that was being given. Friends to lovers and cult elements combine to make a scary and swoony ya read.

Thank you to PenguinTeen Canada for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

What’s it about?

Wilhelmina “Wil” Greene knows that her mother didn’t run off and abandon her and her father. She has always believed something more sinister was afoot, but the local police continue to brush off her suspicions. And she has evidence she’s collected of strange animal sacrifices by the local preacher.

And on top of it all, she lost her best friend, Elwood, when she accused his preacher father of having something to do with it.

But strange things are beginning to happen with Elwood. He vomits a moth up in the sink, and the members of his father’s church are far more sinister than they appear.

Part creepy cult, part love story, part plant horror, Together We Rot has all the autumnal, spooky vibes.

My thoughts?

Ok, let’s just get it out there. This book is weird… and I loved it. I get hooked when nature turns sinister and wildlife gets supernaturally creepy. And Together We Rot embodies all of those things.

Wil is a fantastic FMC. Her obsession with her mother’s disappearance, her force of will to be able to live on after her father crumbles into depression, living in an old motel, sneaking around to collect evidence. Amazing.

And Elwood is such a victim of terrible circumstance. Gaslit and brainwashed by a church cult, waking up to the horror of who they really are and what they are willing to sacrifice is terrifying. Poor, sweet Elwood.

There is also great friend support in this one. Loved how they stepped up when least expected.

I do admit to being somewhat confused by what was happening at multiple points in this book. It’s part of the lure, of course, but connecting the dots from point A to point B was somewhat confusing, especially near the end of the story.

Overall though, this one is well written and the perfect addition to your creepy fall TBR!

This is certainly one of the more unique books I've read this year, and while I didn't love it quite as much as I would have expected to I certainly have nothing much to complain about. On it's surface the book is a fun paranormal horror romance about an angry girl and a cinnamon-roll boy who come together after a falling out to save said boy from his crazy cult family, but underneath all of that it's also a story about grief, anger, and trauma and learning who you can become when you're out from under the thumb of those things. It had some beautiful writing and a great cast of characters, the only thing that really stood out as a downfall is that everything happened so quickly once things got started. There was a rather slow start when it came to getting to the meat of the story, but then things were coming at you one after another that there wasn't really much time to breathe or process. The ending was absolutely wild too, and I don't think I ever would have seen it coming no matter how many books I had read. As it stands I wish things would have been fleshed out some more, but I will certainly have no problem recommending this to anyone who shows an interest in similar reads, and I'll certainly be on the lookout for whatever Arndt puts out next, because I have a hard time believing she's going anywhere but up in her career.

⭐️4.5

Thank you to penguin teen Canada and netgalley for providing me this e-arc for an honest review.

I don't even know where to start with this review. I went into this book with pretty high expectations, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint .

I absolutely loved that we got to read from both Wil and Elwoods point of views and I found both characters to be written really well, they were 3 dimensional.

I also think the world building was done really well, and in fact I would have loved to know more about it. The writing flowed really well and some of the descriptions were genuinely written so well that they were kinda creepy to think about.

Overall, I think this book had a lot of potential, and the author did not disappoint. Perfect Autumn read, just in time for spooky season.

ALSO, can we talk about that cover, because it is absolutely STUNNING!

I need y’all to meet Wil & Elwood IMMEDIATELY. Good thing this beauty releases TOMORROW!

Have y’all ever looked at a painting and wanted to use all the perfect words to describe it. That’s what reading this book was like. I was pulled in and immersed.

Skyla Arndt has painted a book full of all the creepy details that provide the most horrific backdrop, with eloquent imagery to pull you into the dark and whimsical world of the Morguewood.

If you’re into:
🕵🏻‍♀️Mystery & suspense
🦌Eldritch horrors
Cults getting their dues 🩸😈
Grief and Trauma followed by
Growth & Redemption
🦋A soft boy
👿A feral FMC ready to burn this town down
❤️‍🩹Forgiveness and acceptance
👹Horrormance
😱Spooky season reads
♥️ YA style love, but oh the journey.
🚲Permissive adults….seriously how are these kids this sneaky?! Where are the adults!
🪲A whole lot of creepy bugs and rotting things

Then you’ll probably get sucked into this paranormal YA just like I did. Seriously, I want to give these kids a hug.

TW for parental abuse, death of a love one, BUGS, gore, cult/religious trauma

Thanks to Skyla Arndt & Netgalley for the e-ARC to review!

As fall begins to come closer, I find myself being drawn towards stories that feel like Hozier songs. Books that feel like sinking into the forest and feeling the vines grow through rib bones.
Books that are dark and dangerous because the forest is alive and it is so much bigger than something so small as one human.

Together We Rot scratched that itch but also made me want to find more books like it.
Wil Greene's mom has been missing for almost a year and it doesn't matter what her former best friend Elwood says, she knows his parents have something to do with it.
Elwood is counting his days till he turns 18, and then he'll finally matter as a member of the Church of Adam.
But when he overhears something that he wasn't supposed to find out yet, everything gets turned upside down.
Both the Church of Adam and the forest are a lot more dangerous then they knew, and Wil and Elwood may not be able to stop the sacrifices.
The forest is hungry for blood.

4/5 Stars
CW: Mentions of physical/verbal abuse, body horror, loss of a parent, light gore, emesis, religious trama

3.5/5

Please check trigger warnings before reading, especially when you have triggers surrounding religious trauma, child abuse, animal death/sacrifice and/or have a fear of bugs. The trigger warnings listed on the site of the author are not a complete list.

This was one of my most anticipated reads and it did not entirely live up to the expectations I had. I had a difficult time really getting into the book, neither of the characters really stood out as loveable. Elwood a bit more than Wil. Wil mostly came across as irrationally angry and spiteful towards her former best friend who chose his family over her. But as she "jokes" somewhere in the beginning she is very well aware that he is being abused by his parents so it shouldn't really have come as a surprise that he would remain loyal to his family.

While I wasn't a fan of the start, near the end things started to pick up, unravel and come together and that's when I started enjoying the book. I know lot of people were unhappy about the ending, but I actually really liked.

All in all I think this book has a lot of potential, but there are definitely some improvements to be made. And I would definitely love to see a more extensive list of trigger warnings for this book.

📚 Together We Rot
✍️ Skyla Arndt
📖 YA Romance Fantasy
⭐⭐⭐.5/5

Will’s mom has been missing for over a year. The police have stopped looking into the investigation and Will is furious. She accused her best friend, Elwood, of knowing something about what happened. Will is convinced that Elwood’s parents had something to do with the disappearance.

Elwood’s parents are super religious and are planning on sending him away on his 18th birthday to learn how to be a bigger, more important part of the church. But one day Elwood overhears his father talking about how Elwood must die in order for the church to live, Elwood makes a run for it.

He runs into Will, and together they put aside their differences to discover what is truly going on with Elwood and what happened to Will’s mom.

This book was pretty wild. The ending felt slightly rushed, all of the sudden Elwood was having all of these changes and the quickness of it made it harder to picture in my mind. But it was a very cool premise and story.

Read if you love
-Creepy Cults
-Small Town
-Teen Angst
-Face Paced
-He Falls First

Cults. True Crime. MOTHS. Together We Rot was the dark mystery infused with magic novel of my dreams. Wil’s mother is missing—and she knows that Elwood’s family has something to do with it. I could not get enough of this scary little town in the Upper Peninsula.

Each of the POVs were so authentic and well developed, the characters felt very real to me. Wil in particular was captivating; her anger was very raw and palpable. Her fury was righteous, but she was made so much more real in that she was mean and lashed out at others, even if they didn’t deserve her ire. Elwood, despite his naivety, is a compelling character as well with his good heart and the care he has for his friends. The body horror he experiences is gut-wrenching and yet fascinating. The forest continues to call to me and I will read anything Skyla Arndt writes.

I received a free digital copy from Edelweiss and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.