Reviews with content warning for Pregnancy - Together We Rot

The world-building could've been more thorough, but I loved the vibe and atmosphere! The two protagonists were everything – I felt so sorry for Elwood but loved his soft nature and really liked Wil's feistyness and strength. The ending was heartbreaking, but very fitting.

(It's very YA, but that's okay.)

Content Warnings

sarah_shelf's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

“He might not love me, but maybe he’ll praise my bones after he’s burned them too” Elwood

–Skyla Arndt, Together We Rot

I absolutely loved this book and I have so many thoughts to share! To start off, the audio is phenomenal. I always get excited when dual pov novels have a narrator for each pov, but these actors were next level. Wil’s narrator has a great northeastern accent and really changes up her voice for the other speaking characters. But her voice is also so emotional and varied, with a lot of attitude. She doesn’t just read the book, she truly acts like an audio drama. The first person narrative definitely helps with the acting because we get a very clear inner dialogue and connection to the characters’ thoughts and emotions. It took me longer to warm up to Elwood’s narrator, not because he was bad in any way, but Elwood is much more earnest and calm compared to Wil’s scathing insults and boiling rage. But as the story progresses, we get a lot more dynamic acting, especially as he tackles more characters and Elwood’s situation grows more horrifying.

Aside from the phenomenal acting, I was drawn to all of the characters. Finally some authentic & complex high schoolers! Ronnie seems to have been the stereotypical, pretty popular girl, but she bonded with social outcast Wil over the serious & traumatic things in their lives (Ronnie’s breakup with Lucas & her dad’s suicide; Wil’s mother’s disappearance) We also get to see different sides of their personalities. To Wil, Elwood is a traitor who chose his murderous family over her, but he is so confused and even more in the dark than she is. We also see how Lucas is an anxious mess who really cares about Ronnie but keeps messing up (I don’t fully know the girls’ perspectives on this, but it humanizes the guys). I also really enjoyed the relationship growth between Wil and Lucas. The two keep butting heads over their best friends, but are eventually able to acknowledge their shared friendships and jealousies. Once they get past the animosity, the two actually make a great team, being more similar than they realized. Kevin is the final character to round out the Scooby Gang (and I love that Wil uses that name). He doesn't have quite as much development or time among the other relationship dynamics, but he’s a steady presence with knowledge of old books and a love for conspiracies. He really rounds out the whole group.

Speaking of relationships, Arndt was able to sell me on the romance so much better in a matter of paragraphs than most writers do in a whole novel (unlike Caraval). Elwood’s descriptions of how much he loves Wil and his dreams for their day-to-day lives are so sweet! It’s obvious how much the two care for each other, even when Wil tries to deny it. It’s incredibly refreshing after too many YA romance subplots where the characters just seem to lust after each other.

Plot-wise the first half or so is fantastic. We get really great introductions to all of the characters and their dynamics as well as our main characters’ motivations: Wil’s missing mother and Elwood’s complicated relationship with his family. Everything builds fantastically as we run through Lucas’ party, Elwood’s discovery of the church’s cult aspects, running into Wil, and investigating the library with the rest of the cast. However, I felt like the pacing for the investigation was off. The town has gone ages without the younger generation discovering the sacrifices they make to the Morgue Wood. And yet, in a matter of days, the kids discover the entire backstory, dating back to the town’s founding. The supernatural aspects were also rather vague until the climax of the story when the book goes full cryptid. I think all of this could’ve been drawn out more to really sit in the tension and creepy vibes of the town.

Aside from some of the pacing issues, I loved the rest of the novel. I got very emotional at the end, especially after the forest fight and Wil’s reconciliation with her emotionally absent father. I would’ve accepted if the novel had ended differently, but I’m really glad everyone got a happy ending. Except for Elwood’s father, the chief of police, and the entire cult. There’s always a special vindication when evil organizations are publicly exposed and taken care of.

Content Warnings

nrogers_1030's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

Together We Rot has a very interesting and unique storyline. I wish there was more to the story than there is... it's hard to put into words what I'm missing. This is a quick read and I enjoyed it. Also, gorgeous cover art. Thank you NetGalley for providing an advanced reader copy of the book for an honest review.

Content Warnings

More...