I read this entire book in one sitting, like every book by Andrew Joseph White so far, because I was too invested to put it down for even a moment. The writing is amazing, the characters feel like real people I can relate to, the representation is diverse in an unforced way and incredibly authentic and the story is one of the best I’ve seen in a Young Adult book ever. This is definitely one of my favourite books now and I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who is or ever was an angry trans and/or autistic kid.

WHAT A BLOODY GOOD BOOK!!!! the characters, the setting, the vibes were all
immaculate. thank you so so much for approving my request for this because it blew me AWAY!!!!! i’ll be making a video of it asap because the world needs to get excited.

Andrew Joseph White never fails to write gripping, emotional, and real stories about trans youth and survival that will tug on your heart and make you gasp. Compound Fracture turns to the destructive state of American politics, corrupt police, and late-stage capitalism through the story of one boy, his dog, and the ghost of his great-grandfather (with a railroad spike in his throat). Gripping, loving, and utterly jarring, this is a must-read story of hope, despite the gore and the challenges that come with small-town culture.

Andrew Joseph White’s third novel, although not a horror, is no less bloody.

I went into this with the highest of expectations considering my love for Hell Followed With Us and The Spirit Bares Its Teeth, both of which were my favourite books of the past two years. I’m happy to report, I’m satisfied.

This was a thrilling ride. I’ll be honest- I wasn’t too sure in the middle. It felt a little slower and like we were meandering a bit. But by the end I was completely on board again. I love that White does not shy away from anything in his novels, and that’s no less true here.

There was such a complexity to the characters, to the world they live in. Nothing is exactly black and white. Who is a villain? Is anyone? Or are people just of their circumstances?

The setting was fantastic as well. The small town vibe was immaculate.

Really, if White hadn’t cemented himself as one of my favourite authors with his last two books, he absolutely has with this. I can’t wait for my physical copy to arrive in the fall!

"Monsters don't get to be innocent. Monsters don't get to beg for mercy. They don't deserve it."

Compound Fracture
By Andrew Joseph White
5/5⭐️

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for an ARC of this book.

I began this book without even reading the blurb, so I was delighted to be thrown into a heart-racing action scene with that amazing writing style I've loved in AJW's past books.

This book is set in a county in West Virginia called Twist Creek in 2017. Its been ruled by the same horrible family of sheriffs for a century, who are willing to hurt others to keep their dirty secrets. For example, as the blurb will tell you, Miles is seriously injured by Sheriff Davies's son at the very beginning because he had photo evidence of the sheriff causing Cooper's mother's death. It's also fiercely far right-wing, hating all diversity. Every single family is white American. So yeah, definitely not the ideal place for any member of a marginalised community to live.

Our protagonist is Miles, a sixteen-year old autistic trans boy. He's a socialist, and he loves his state of West Virginia. He is honest, unafraid of his opinions unless they stand a physical threat to his family. Also sensible, brave, wary. I absolutely adored him as a protagonist, he was relatable in some ways, and had a strong personality. He also had the best dog, Lady.
Cooper, Miles's old friend, immediately stood out as an important character to me. Through his kindness in the opening chapters, I assumed he was a good guy. Well, that opinion changed. I won't say anything more because of spoilers.
Dallas, the brave enby who wasn't afraid to share their political views openly in a community that opposed them, was easy to love as a character.
Miles's father and mother were kind, caring, resilient. I love reading about supportive parents, who care for their children no matter what.
Sheriff Davies, the man who made an entire family fear for their safety due to his and his ancestors' brutality, was the antagonist of this story. He was also sexist, at one point assuming Miles's mother had been cooking when it had been his father upon barging into their house unannounced. It's safe to say I loathed him. And Noah, he was also pure evil.

This book is, overall, about a community who have for a generation been harmed by the sheriff simply due to rebelling actions a century beforehand. This is how Miles stops it.

There was a paranormal aspect, if it can be called that. Miles sees the ghost of his great-great-grandfather, Saint Abernathy, but even at the end he isn't sure if Saint was real or not (though one event proves it, which I can't mention).

The trans rep was perfect, as was the autistic rep. Thank you, Andrew Joseph White, for providing the trans autistic protagonists we need in literature.

Overall, I think this book is something else. Something unique, brilliant.
Brutal is the word I'd use to describe it, purely brutal, both the things that happen in this novel and its affect on the reader.
It is clearly a 5-star read.

Listen, this book is very heavy. There is a lot of violence, multiple murders, the transphobia is quite harsh, and if any trigger listed below is something you can't read, please don't force yourself to.

TWs: violence, transphobia, outing of a trans person, gun violence, abelism, murder, bullying, torture, kidnapping, blood, injuries, drug use, deadnaming, hate crime, death, emotional abuse, police brutality, gore, classism, child death, medical content, alcohol

The next TWs occur before the events of this book, but are still mentioned: pedophilia, car accident, death of a parent, fire, animal cruelty, animal death

Queer rep:
Transmasc protagonist
Queer sc
Transmasc sc
Non-binary sc
Aromanic questioning protagonist.

Other rep:
Autistic protagonist
Side character with ADHD
2 side characters with PTSD
Autistic side character

Thank you so much, Holiday House / Peachtree / Pixel+Ink, Peachtree Teen and NetGalley, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

TW: gore, blood, violence

On the night Miles Abernathy comes out as trans through an email to his parents, he goes to a party carrying with him the evidence that can turn the tide of the family blood feud. Photos where the Sheriff Davies was responsible for an "accident" that injured his dad, killed others and maimed a friend. But when he's brutally attacked by the sheriff's son and his friends, everything changes. Now, in the hospital a soot-covered man hovers over his bedside, where Miles is threatened to silence by the Sheriff, the ghost of his great-great-grandfather, Saint Abernathy, a man who started the blood feud, inciting a miners' rebellion and fighting to get better living conditions and was executed by the Davies' ancestor.
When Miles accidentally kills one of the boys who hurt him, he discovers he's not the only one who wants to stop this feud once and for all and with his friends and family plan to put everything on the line, to stop this cruelty.

I loved every single book written by Andrew Joseph White and this one isn't different. A queer Appalachian thriller with a trans and autistic MC, ready to do anything to stop the violence in his city. Miles is a proud socialist, he's interested in politics and history, well versed in his own family blood feud with the Davies and willing to risk anything to stop it, to finally live his own life without fear and violence and retribution. Not only that, he's struggling with his coming out, his figuring out who he is, with new and old allies and friends and with feelings involved in murders and threats, with ghosts present too.
Miles knows about the generational struggle between rural poor and the violent upper class, how the police isn't trustworty and how being trans and autistic is difficult in his city, but Miles loves it and he wants to create a better environment for everyone, so they can live safely and happily.
I loved how the brutality is mixed in the story, how it is necessary in some contexts and how Miles is fiercely protecting his own family, willing to hide and lie to save them.
It's a political and historical story about a teen willing to do anything to get justice, to change his city and to live better. A brilliant MC, who knowing his own history, is ready to fight for a political change.

I have always been partial to Appalachia as a setting, and this latest by Andrew Joseph White did not disappoint.

I am admittedly a great audience for the book, being leftist, autistic and queer. But, even with that, Compound Fracture was an absolute delight. This novel shows the best, the worst, and everything in between of Appalachia.

On a personal note: seeing queer characters, and myself reflected in them is still a new and novel experience. Far more new an novel than it should be for a queer in my mid 30s. I am so glad to not only see more queer characters but the range of experiences and emotions. Joy to visceral messiness and everything in between.

I throughly enjoyed The Spirit Bears It's Teeth, and this is a similarly well rounded and enjoyable read.

As always Andrew Joseph White manages to write such an engaging well written story. I loved the small town west Virgina feel. The characters were all so deep and interesting (even if not fully likable).

thank you peach teen and netgalley for the chance to read this book!

I loved this! As an autistic person I love reading wonderful autism rep like this. I have never seen myself in a charactor like I did in miles, thank you. Andrew Joseph White writes some of the best charactors, that never leave my mind. This was a great book, so thrilling and interesting.
This story will never leave my mind!!

3.5 stars*

Compound Fracture at its core is a drama/thriller about a trans teen named Miles and his dog lady, an old West Virginian mining town, and the corruption of capitalism and law enforcement. Beyond that, this story is about both personal identity and communal identity, the solidarity of the working-class, grief and revenge, and survival. Definitely look into the trigger warnings for this book, there is some dark subject matter.

The author really captured the essence of being a young, queer, neurodivergent socialist living in the rural south. This is why Own Voices stories are so important, no one cares about trans people or trans kids like other trans people do. Andrew Joseph White cares about trans kids and this is very evident in reading this book.

There’s representation for a less-commonly represented identity (I won’t give it away because it’s somewhat of a spoiler) and I really enjoyed

I think this book is ambitious for a Young Adult book in the way that it tackles certain social and political issues, it’s a reminder that we are not hopeless in the south and that community-building with like-minded people in our class is so important. Of course, this novel deals with white working-class rural folk and doesn’t delve into the people of color (specifically black southerners) that are often counted out or left behind by Democrats who write-off the south as ignorant rednecks.

I think some topics were dealt with in kind of surface-level way, an introduction to certain ideas and concepts but I understand that it’s a Young Adult novel and the reader is experiencing and learning through Miles’s eyes.

I just finished this book and I am obsessed. I don’t even have words for how much I loved it. As with his other book’s Andrew Joseph White has written another must read. The plot and the history was so intricate and felt so real and sucked me in from the very beginning. The representation was amazing, in terms of gender, sexuality and more. I finished this book feeling very seen (spoiler warning here) as I don’t often get to read books where feel represented as someone on the aromatic spectrum and this book did a good job with that. I highly recommend this book to everyone the cover is amazing and so is the story inside!

As with his other books, Andrew Joseph White has crafted a unique story that you will not be able to put down. This book highlights the power of community in the face of generational trauma. I really felt connected to this town in how each person relates to another and pulls together to solve a problem. I very much appreciated Miles’s voice and perspective in this story. Each character is so unique and I feel like I really know everyone in the story. I would love to be able to dive deeper into Saint’s story and the history of the town. I will buy any book from this author, and I greatly appreciate the opportunity to have read this early!

** I received an arc of this book off of NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ugh, another 5 stars for Andrew Joseph White. As an autistic person, I felt seen in the way autism is written so unapologetically real. There’s no beat around the bushes when it comes to how living with autism and coming to terms with it is, and I always appreciate it when I see it. I loved the shoelace Miles had. Every time I get a string in my hand I’m always doing the biting and tying knots as described in the book, lol. Maybe I should get one of my own to fidget with!

The plot itself was like one I’d never read, unique and made it so I was unable to put the book down. I liked the Cooper/Miles subplot because it lowkey gave me Heathers vibes. I liked how the entire book challenged you to think. All the characters (minus the obvious antagonists) were cool as shit.

Best part though? Lady made it out safe!! Trigger warning for my pupper lovers, there is mention of a dog being killed, but it isn’t shown explicitly and Miles’ dog is never hurt 🐶

10/10, so excited to get a physical copy when it releases!!!

received e-arc from net galley
trans teen involved in a 100 year blood feud survives attempted murder while trying to set things right and bring justice to those oppressing the rural poor.
Sometimes violence is needed in order to set things right and sometimes it gets caught between the desire to just hurt others
Miles is my child and I'd do anything for him
this book is beautifully crafted and it's surprisingly easy to read, I ate it up in just a couple days and couldn't bring myself to put it down
while I would've loved to see more of Connor's mental state and how the break happened, I understand why we're shown only part of it
you can only help others so much when you're going through hell yourself
but a whole community of people going through the same hell?
there's power in community and I think this book illustrates it really well

Thank you to NetGalley and Peachtree for providing an advanced digital copy of Compound Fracture. I was shocked and delighted when I got the email saying I was approved for an eARC.

As with Andrew Joseph White's other books, some parts were graphic and hard to read, but I enjoyed the toned-down supernatural elements in this one. Capitalism and other people were the only monsters needed. The setting and political commentary made the story feel more grounded and so, so relevant to current events.

I can't express how much I loved every aspect of this book. Not only does White create a unique, bone-chilling, and incredibly engaging story - full of representation - but the diversity fits naturally into the narrative, in a meaningful way, without feeling like a checklist of identities. Though, maybe I'm biased because of how much I related to Miles (and Dallas): trans/non-binary, autistic, a-spec, disabled, and a hard-core leftist in a deeply red part of the country... it's like AJW was in my head!

I honestly didn't want to put it down. I was anxious the entire time but needed to know what would happen. I was also dreading it because I was convinced something bad would happen to Lady, and having recently lost my dog, I wasn't sure I could've handled that. (I should have read the author's GR review saying she would be fine). Not that the characters (or readers) were spared heartbreak, but much like The Spirit Bares Its Teeth, the ending was generally happy and satisfying.

Compound Fracture has become my favorite AJW book and is one of my top reads of the year. White is also now on my instant-buy authors list! The only downside to reading this five months in advance is waiting until September to talk about it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Peachtree for approving my request for a review copy!!

Like the rest of AJW's work, this was amazing. Significantly more realistic and grounded in reality, but still so amazing to read. Everything from plot to characters was astounding, especially with the realism regarding the characters. Miles' parents do struggle to understand what Miles being trans means and involves, Cooper is not a 'perfect victim' as I like to put it, he is traumatized and angry and this fact shows through his actions and how he reacts to the things happening around him. This is something I've repeatedly seen in White's novels, the victims aren't perfect or 100% justified because they were harmed, no, they CAN be awful and angry and do more harm than anticipated. And Saint Abernathy's entire character is amazing. He's a great testament to the fact that queer people have always been here.
Also the way Lady is written!! It's such a small part of the book, but as someone with a dog loving family, she's amazing. The relationship Miles and Lady have is so adorable.

My only criticism would be the lack of answers and closure for some aspects of the book, which while realistic, did leave me a bit upset after the ending.

Either way, I'm very excited for when this releases in September and whatever AJW releases after.

want to start off by saying thank you to NetGalley and Peachtree Teen for giving me an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book has immediately shot itself up into my list of favourites. It was gruesome and grimy and yet still had so much heart and character. Between Miles, Saint, Cooper, Dallas and more.. the characters in this book are so well developed. The storyline has a lot of history and lore and it does such a good job of teaching you it without feeling like an info dump, and actually making the information stick. Great representation of identities including a transgender male aromantic/allosexual main character, and a realistic experience of the mixed reactions to coming out. I can’t say much else without plot spoilers, but this is a must read. It does handle some triggering topics so please check the list of warnings, but be assured that these topics are handled WELL. I can’t wait for the official release, so this can sit proudly on my shelf.

Andrew Joseph White has a way of inspiring you to take on the world with bared teeth.
His next book, Compound Fracture, gleams with all the blood and gristle you'd expect from him.
It's a story about doing wrong to make right, and about generational trauma; it's a story that drips in the blood-soaked history (and present-day) of this country.
With the growing tension of a real-life class war, this novel might just make you snap and do something about it. It's the perfect book to inspire radical change—especially during an election year.
So punch back. Show your teeth. And don't go down without a fight.

I think this may be my new favourite Andrew Joseph White book because DAMN, this was phenomenal. I barely know where to begin with how much I loved Compound Fracture. It was just such a visceral, angry book.

I loved Miles in all his trans, autistic, aromantic glory. I loved his voice and just, I don't have the right words to describe how much this angry, blood-feud, class war, deadly book just worked so fucking well. It was this raw, visceral, gritty, nasty story that I loved to bits. The characters were so real, the relationships were so well-crafted. Characters could be awful, understandable and pitiable all at once. Just so fucking good!!!!

First thing i want to thank Peachtree Teen and NetGalley for providing me this ARC!

Oh wow this book... I really cannot predict how the plot is going and it got me seated to the point i don't want to put it down. This book is one of my anticipated releases of this year!

The story is about a trans boy, Miles Abernathy who just came out to his family and not long after that he became a victim of the town sheriff's son. And there's a long feud between his family with the sheriff's.

After his near death, he starts seeing a ghost. This story covers police cruelty, brutality, unfair & flawed justice system. And it also covers Miles exprience as a teen trans boy.

Oh few last chapters and the ending i quite like it!