Two timelines, two Rachels, a lot of confusion. Set in 2009, when a teenage Rachel inadvertently created a cult and 2010 when another Rachel is a law enforcement officer dealing with weird events in a closed town, it's a horror story that will please Rebelein's fans. Sadly, I am not one of them and I DNF. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Over to others.

I spent a big part of reading this book not know what the hell was going on. I liked every minute of it.

Conceptually this book was really interesting, a cult forming around a high school girls drawings.

however it became very clear to me early on that Rebelein's writing style just doesn't work for me. I can objectively see how this is a compelling narrative but when the prologue failed to hook me I realized i am not the target audience for this story.

Looking through other reviews it does look like this takes place in part of an interconnected universe and I think that is really cool for the readers, and i love that Rebelein has done that and i think if you are a fan of Rebelein's writing this will be another winner - but for me it was just dragging.

unfortunately this was not a win for me.

This is one of the most creatively written books I've read in a while and I had SUCH a blast with it! It felt like Goosebumps for adults. There were monsters, magic that didn't make sense, cults, vile gore, and so much chaos.
The dual timelines were incredibly helpful. When I was first plopped into this book, I felt like I wasn't really sure what was going on. The 2009 bits really helped make sense of the 2019 setting. I also loved the 2009 timeline and all of the nostalgia that came with it.
The Rachel's of the book were both great characters. They felt like one in the same at many points and I loved reading how each of their person's changed throughout the story. I felt so much for 2009 Rachel though. Those high school years are tough.
I feel like this is one you just have to go into completely blind and ride the vibe wave. It's such am immersive, weird read, but it was so much fun. It takes a bit to get into before you realize just how insane the story is, but it is so worth it. I wouldn't necessarily call this a slow burn, but there were times I found myself racing through 2019 so I could get back to the 2009 madness and learn more about what was happening.
I loved this book so much. It felt like the perfect blend of dark fantasy and horror to kick off my favorite time of year. I highly recommend adding this to your tbr if you're looking for some Goosebumps sort of vibes with the perfect blend of nostalgia! Thank you, William Morrow, for my gifted copy!

Welcome back to Renfield County. If this is your first visit, that isn't too much of a problem as "Galloway's Gospel" is fairly stand-alone. If you enjoy dark, cursed places where something ungodly is always hiding just within every shadow, then Renfield County is your kind of place. This is a story of two Rachels, set a decade apart, as they each find their part in the horrors that befall Renfield County. The story follows teenager Rachel Galloway in 2009 as she daydreams a whole new world of horror upon the town of Burnskidde and also follows Rachel Durwood in 2019 as she investigates the reopening of the mountain tunnel into Burnskidde that collapsed in 2009.

I enjoyed "Galloway's Gospel" much more than "Poorly Made" and even "Edenville" (I will admit I read "Poorly Made" first as I was unaware of "Edenville" at the time so that factored heavily into my confusion with "Poorly Made"). However, I feel that the ending just fell off. I felt the same way with "Edenville". Unfortunately, Rebelein seems to develop phenomenal stories but either loses steam at the end or (more likely I think) is too afraid to offer a satisfactory conclusion so he can keep telling the tales of Renfield County. Unlike, say Stephen King's unfortunate Castle Rock, nothing seems resolved in Renfield County, even just temporarily, and since the books are not direct sequels, it just feels like a huge let down at the end since things just fade away (which is fine for short stories which is why I need to re-read "Poorly Made" now that I have a better understanding of Renfield County). Again, I can understand the likely reticence to offer any conclusion which could have consequences to other potential works in the series, but a little more closure I think would help this book immensely.

Still, it was a great read and I recommend it to anyone looking for a fun horror novel with some interesting twists. Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read this eARC.

Just like with Edenville, I loved the premise but the execution just fell a little flat. I loved the description of the setting and watching Rachel build this world, and I was excited to see what really happened to her. By the time we get to the reveal, it’s not much of a surprising twist anymore, and neither are any of the ending events, in my opinion. Again, this was a really cool concept but had subpar execution of plot.

This was a pretty good story. Mysterious, dark, great characters. However, I wasn't aware it was part of a series when I got it. This cannot be read as a stand alone novel. There were pieces missing for me and it made things a bit confusing.

I thought this was fairly interesting but I feel like I missed something somewhere along the way. I think this is connected to something I don't know anything about.

🐷Give yourself to the fog🐷

Ahh!!! It feels great to be back in Rendfield County! And Sam is back with another banger!

We jump into the town of Burnskidde, which falls within Rendfield County, and if you've read Edenville & The Poorly Made, then you know what that means. This land is cursed, dammed, and tainted. All of it, all at once. In this story, we follow the story of two Rachels, decades apart, but intertwined. One is an angsty teen in the early 00s who doesn't know the power she holds with a pen and paper. The other is in the late 10s, who is a Rendfield Guard, investigating a missing colleague and a possible colony that reappeared.

The story goes back and forth between the two timelines and pieces together like a puzzle. We have friendships, young love, the power of suggestions, monsters, and so much fun & gore! Also, nostalgia, oh so much nostalgia within these pages! Being a teen in the late 2000s, this hit right in the heart!

(Also, I would like to think I'm good flesh, js)

I loved this book so much! I literally can't wait to see what Sam comes up with next! I need more Rendfield! I highly recommend this novel, but I would suggest you start off with Edenville first!

Huge thank you to Sam Rebelein & NetGalley for allowing me to go back into Rendfield County and read and review this awesome ARC!

Welcome to Pancake Planet, here’s your Chicken Caesar Salad Belgian Waffle! 🍗🥗🧇

When I was reading Galloway’s Gospel, and saw this menu item, I knew what needed to be done. For what it’s worth, @rebelsam94 agreed that SOMEONE should try these, uh, recipes. And I didn’t give @tonyshorrorcorner a choice 😂 Surprising everyone this was… actually delicious?

But back to the book that birthed this culinary experience—GALLOWAY’S GOSPEL. I’ve been sitting with this one in my brain for a while now and it’s finally almost time for it to be released so, to quote my dear friend @unstable.books, let’s talk about it.

Galloway is my favorite Rebelverse/Renfield County story to date. And if you pay attention to anything around here, you KNOW what high praise that is. It’s whacky, it’s culty, it’s bloody, it’s touching, it’s nostalgic as hell. I’m hard pressed to think of what boxes this didn’t check for me.

It’s also really dark but really hopeful and THAT LAST PAGE 🖤😭🤘🏻 I’ll never get over it, probably.

If you haven’t read Edenville, if you haven’t read Poorly Made, you still have time… or just have a little faith in the fog and dive in with Galloway’s Gospel.

I had faith in the fog to put chicken caesar salad on a Belgian waffle and it went great, so you can trust it. Totally.

September 16. Pre-order. Obtain. Devour.

I love you, Rachel(s) 🖤

3.25 stars.


There is a WHOLE lot going on in this book. It’s a lot to break down. Ultimately I enjoyed the 2009 timeline most. Overall this is a wild ride, but it wasn’t my favorite from this author.

One thing remains true… I will absolutely continue to read this author and anything he writes within this little world.

Galloway's Gospel is a book that's rather difficult to put into words. To be honest, after finishing it, I feel like I'm in a bit of a daze, like I'm still trapped in Renfield waiting for the next horror to step out of the forest.

Even the plot summary listed doesn't begin to cover what this book contains. It's gory, unsettling, fun, and an interesting little bit of mystery to solve. I found myself comparing it to Stranger Things, and Welcome to Night Vale (in the sense that the residents of the town seem a little blase in their dealings with absolute eldritch horrors).

Dual timelines typically lose me at some point. I find myself drawn more to one than another and become a little annoyed when switching to the timeline I prefer less, but I was equally as drawn to and enamored by both Rachels' stories.

Rachel Galloway was so relatable to me, as a former awkward emo kid trying to find my place in the world. Every time there was a music reference in the book I found myself smiling because in 2009, I was a freshman in high school. And there's a line at the end of the book that is straight out of a My Chemical Romance song and it was during a very cool and badass moment that I really appreciated. Pop culture references are hit or miss for me, but I feel like it wasn't too overdone, or else I just enjoyed the particular pop culture referenced so I didn't mind! Galloway's chapters revolve around the creation of a religion, something she did as a sort of joke that spirals so far out of control. There were a couple things Galloway did or allowed that I would find myself annoyed by, but if I put myself back in the shoes of a teenage girl for a moment, they'd make sense to me. But of course they're not necessarily rational to a 30 year old woman.

Rachel Durwood was a force of nature. She was a fearless badass with the whole world on her shoulders. I was always excited to get back to her chapters. This timeline, 2009, is where the best parts of the book were for me. The cult, the creepy town, the grotesque descriptions of what people had bartered in exhange for so little. It was fascinating and I really had a good time unraveling everything alongside Durwood.

I am interested to read more from the author, and I hope subsequent books take place in Renfield, too!

This is a book of two Rachels. One from 2009 and one from 2019.
In 2009 Rachel the high-schooler is bored in class and is doodling cute little pigs and other characters. Somehow her simple-minded friends and even some adults start to believe these creatures could be real. Then due to some supernatural powers, they actually start to appear. They're no longer cute though, they are hideous monsters who take human sacrifices as part of this newly formed cult. Then in 2019, a new Rachel shows up to investigate her friend who has gone missing while visiting this cult.

This book is about how this cult is magically formed. It actually made me a little angry to see how stupid the townsfolk were. They fell for everything, and it just wasn't believable for me. The book is also supposed to be horror, but it wasn't scary. There is a little gore, though. I found the pacing to be slow at times and I struggled to keep reading at points. I think this could be a popular young adult book, but it wasn't really for me.

To be honest, I am not sure how to describe this book. The book's summary itself doesn't even do it justice.

At the heart of it, it is about two girls named Rachel, and how their stories end. The journey there is strange and unusual, but there is meaning behind it.

Rachel Galloway gets caught up in a religion she created in 2009, and Rachel Durwood (searching for a missing coworker) arrives to see the aftermath ten years later. It's a story of families, cults, grief, and adversity. It includes a heaping dash of horror, gore, and weird creatures.

Maybe a plant or two.

3.5 (rounded to 4) out of 5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Galloway's Gospel is a horrific, bloody masterpiece.

Bouncing between 2009 and 2019, we are immersed in the lives of high school student Rachel Galloway and Renfield County Guard Rachel Durwood. When a Renfield County Guard agent goes missing, Durwood is determined to find out what happened. She's not prepared for how this disappearance will lead her to Galloway and all that Burnskidde has hidden since 2009.

Galloway is a 16 year old aspiring artist who *accidentally* starts a cult; chaos ensues. Sam Rebelein brings us back to Renfield County, and all its oddities, through rich world building, allowing the reader to lose themselves in the atmosphere.

And what an atmosphere! Creeping dread, fast paced monster action, plant people, and the terror that is being a high schooler.... Rebelein creates dynamic, loveable (and despicable) characters that will have you yelling at the pages, "No, don't, you fool!".

Galloway's Gospel presents some surprising twists you definitely won't see coming, and the cult's belief system is unique and delightfully bizarre. Full of nostalgia and music references that warmed my little black elder emo heart, this book was an absolute joy to read.

Go pick this one up on September 16th!

Trigger warnings: Blood, graphic gore, vomit, cult behavior, drunk driving (past), dismemberment.

I ended up giving this strange book a chance and loved it. I got past the first few chapters, and it was just crazy chaos. If you like weird, folkloric tales give this book a read. You'll love it.

As with most books on NetGalley this is a new to me author. I really had to make myself finish this book. It took me 3 months to finish this book, however, judge it for yourself. 2009 was much better than 2019 and I don't totally understand how it's a horror book OR how both Rachel's are connected. At this point, I don't even care.

Rachel Galloway enjoys doodling and making up little tales to go with her drawings to help pass the time. When Francis, an odd boy from her school, notices her drawings and starts praising her, it makes her feel proud of what she’s creating. But when the creatures from her drawings come to life and start playing the part, she realizes all too late how the power of belief and faith can become dangerous. Flash to the future and Rachel Durwood, a guard for the nearby town, discovers the following Rachel created 10 years ago is still present and thriving. She must discover what sinister event the town says is set to unfold and try and stop it before it’s too late. This was definitely an interesting read! I loved the story of Galloway and her classmates and the spiral into madness that her “cult” following created. I was a little less invested into the current storyline of Rachel Durwood. It felt a little disconnected to the last storyline and was more sci-fi while the past storyline felt more fantasy like, which kind of threw me off. Never the less it was still a great story and a lot of fun! Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rebelein’s third book is his biggest in scope, scare-factor, gore, and zaniness. It’s rich with Renfield town mythology, entertaining characters, and skillfully crafted set pieces.

This book is completely engaging and utterly entertaining. It reads like X-Files meets Freaks and Geeks by way of The Twilight Zone.

Highly recommend, and I can’t wait to see what Rebelein does next.

Nothing is right in Renfield County. And Galloway's Gospel is no different. In this trip back to this cursed land, we follow the tale of two Rachel's. One who inadvertently starts a whole ass cult in 2009 and one who is trying to dismantle it, 10 years later. Rachel Galloway is bored in class and creates a world where strange creatures abound and the horror that is the town of Burnskidde feels far away. But what she does not expect is for this fantasy of hers to morph into a religion that quickly takes hold among her classmates and eventually, the whole town. In turn, Rachel Durwood, member of the Renfield County Guard, receives a message from a colleague that leads her to the border of Burnskidde, which was sealed off from the rest of the county a decade ago. She soon discovers a whole mess of disturbing facts, among them that the community that still exists in this isolated town is preparing for rapture. What ensues is the stuff only Sam's brain can bring us. This book is crazy, outlandish, brutal, bloody … I could go on and on. I had a great time reading this novel. Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC. You definitely should pick this up when it publishes September 16th, 2025 wherever you buy your books! Have faith in the fog! #foggirlsummer