This broke my heart and mended it. If you know small towns and are queer and any type of neurodivergent this an absolute must read

Thanks to NetGalley and Peachtree for the ARC.

Can't have a blood feud without spilling a little (a lot) of blood. This was gnarly, Andrew Joseph White is so good at instilling a bunch of emotion and passion into some really dark scenarios. I was so invested in the well-being of the Abernathys. Mile's family is so loving despite their flaws (except Lady the dog, she has no flaws). While I was expecting the blood feud would have to end in some way, I had no idea who would live to see the end the whole time. I've read two of White's books now, and he's definitely on my list of authors to watch for.

"Compound Fracture" is a very good, but very graphic and disturbing book, like all of Andrew Joseph White’s books are. This book has really good characters, and it’s nice to see trans, agender, aro, and autistic rep all wrapped up together. The story is intense and will hold readers' attention throughout. While it's not quite as exceptional as "The Spirit Bares Its Teeth", it is still another solidly great book from this author, and I look forward to future works.

Dare I say that this is my favorite Andrew Joseph White so far!! Absolutely brilliant, brutal, and batshit. Like with all of his books, the body horror in this was top notch. It was unsettling and very emotional but hopeful at the same time.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Have you ever read a book that you just know is meant for you? Sure, the author wasn’t thinking about you when they wrote it, but it was made for you just the same? Like they took an ice pick (or a railroad spike, in this case) to your brain and opened it up to find the story they were wanting to write?

That was this book to me. All of Andrew Joseph White’s books have been incredible so far, all of them achingly relatable, but this one? This one hit close to home.

Full of that southern charm and grit, Compound Fracture is Andrew Joseph White’s best book yet. It’s got strong political messaging and whip smart prose, with an achingly realistic portrayal of learning you’re autistic and learning how to come to terms with your own queer identity. It’s a novel about family and fighting the people in charge, and it’s both beautiful and terrifying.

While this book is certainly more of a thriller than a horror novel, that does not make it any less bloody or dark. In fact, I think this one terrified me far more than Hell Followed Through Us or The Spirit Bears its Teeth, and that’s saying something, because both of those books made my stomach turn. No, this one is somehow more terrifying. It is so much more grounded and so, so tense, Andrew Joseph White’s way of writing prose and tension making the reader cling to every word.

This one is strong. It burns, and might pick open a few scars, but it is worth it. Oh, and the dog survives and is a great dog.

Please read this book. If you’re trans, queer, autistic, from Appalachia, or just looking for a book that’ll set your teeth on edge, give this one a read. I know I’ll be reading it again as soon as it comes out, and I’m most definitely grabbing myself a physical copy.

I THOUGHT I SUBMITTED FEEDBACK SO LONG AGO. Anyways, this book was so incredibly atmospheric and voicey in the best way; I loved Miles and his voice, and while I have never been anywhere Appalachian, it felt like I was there. Omg. Might be getting back into YA thriller and horror if I find more like this.

Andrew Joseph White’s books are a must-read. His characters are unapologetically queer, angry, and real—exactly what we need right now. I loved the Appalachian setting and the depth of the characters. Though simpler than some of his other works, this book blends body horror, queerness, and radical hope into a raw exploration of queerness in the South and capitalist oppression. Every teenager and YA needs Andrew’s books.

I will always read a book if it had Andrew Joseph Whites name on it. His characters are everything we need in this world: well rounded, diverce, angry, queer and unapologetic. I love the Apalachan setting in this one and all the charcaters.

First and foremost, thank you to NetGalley and Peachtree for the eARC.

When it comes to exploring the intersection of body horror, gore, and queerness, there is no better writer than Andrew Joseph White. While I found this book less complex than some of White’s other works, it stands strong as a realistic and honest look at queerness in the South, the long and bloody history of capitalist oppression, and radical hope. It is also the kind of novel I wish I had in high school.

Compound Fracture is an unflinching blood-filled thriller/light horror standalone novel by Andrew Joseph White. Released 3rd Sept 2024, it's 384 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is marketed as YA, but fair warning, it's *very* brutal in places. It's exceptionally well written, honest, direct, and truly worthwhile, but so bloody and graphic. Having grown up in WVa, and seen firsthand the generational trauma, poverty, desperation, widespread bone-deep racism/sexism/homophobia and violence, the author does an impressive job of getting inside the almost inexplicable choices a lot of the people growing up in rural conservative communities make politically (to continue to be exploited, as long as there are *some* people who are even *more* marginalized and abused than they themselves are). Trigger warnings, homophobia, ableist abuse of neuroatypical/autistic people, transphobia, graphic violence, body horror, opioid abuse, sexual abuse, generational trauma, poverty, and certainly some I'm missing.

It's raw. It's very very well written.

Four and a half stars. Not an easy read. It would be a good choice for public library acquisition. Likely far too violent/triggering for school library. It's politically relevant to a degree that would make it a very good choice for gender studies/Appalachian studies, (American southern rural politics/culture/literature), and allied subjects.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Andrew Joseph White is a jaw-dropping phenomenal author. Every one of his books has taken my breath away, stopped me in my tracks, ripped my heart out, and made me immediately tell my friends and grandmother about what I just read. Compound Fracture was no different. From the very first page, I knew it was going to grip me, and it never let me down.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Andrew Joseph White for the advanced reader copy!!
Compound Fracture is genuinely one of the best, emotionally captivating books I have had the chance to read. It was an honor to follow Miles on his journey and see the world through his eyes as he fought to right the wrongs that have befallen his family.
Absolutely can't wait for the next novel this author releases, so I can fall in love with his characters and worldbuilding all over again.

This book made me feel things I've never felt when reading before. It was heartbreaking and frustrating and so weirdly beautiful and sweet despite how horrible it was. Miles was an easy character to root for. The setting was exquisitely described, and it made me yearn for my own hometown. The characters were all so painfully real. It might be petty, but the reason this book is 4 and not 5 stars is because I found the way Cooper's character was resolved to be so insanely frustrating. For me personally, I didn't feel like it fit the narrative, and it felt like it was just done for the sake of doing i rather than any true intention to enrich the plot. Otherwise, this book was a work of art.

Loved the protagonist here! White's books are phenomenal at capturing the voices of trans teens who live in rural areas, especially rural Appalachia.

I loved the story and the main character. I liked how generational trauma was used to enhance the story and the family dynamics especially with the other characters in the story. There is a little bit of a supernatural element which I liked seeing the grandfather of the main character be beside him and without saying a word, there was an understanding immediately between them. I love the ending, I though it was very good and I would recommend this to anyone

Automatic 5/5, AJW kills it (and me) once again!

Everything about "Compound Fracture" was incredible, the story, the characters, the relatability. I was hooked from the moment I started reading,

"Compound Fracture" hits close to home for me in a lot of ways, which got me even more invested in what was going on, what was happening to Miles and what Miles was doing.

The unique writing style replicating what it's like to live in Appalachia and interact with people just like the people Miles interacts with made it all the more relatable as someone from Appalachia, and AJW really nails the feeling of being queer in a place like this - not wanting to leave because it's your town, but fighting for acceptance because you're different from everyone else.

Overall, this was an incredible read. AJW never lets me down, and I'm super excited for what he releases next!

Absolutely loved this book. It was gritty and tender, hopeless and hopeful all at the same time. I honestly don’t even have the words to describe the way that this book pulled me in and made me feel so familiar with a region I have never been to (Appalachia). Everyone should read this book. I don’t do star ratings any more but this one deserves all the stars!

I was a little afraid of this book because of all the political themes. There are concepts that I have a lot of problems with, and those who know me know exactly why. Still, I admire Andrew Joseph White too much to say no to a story from his hand, and I don't regret it at all. It's a heavy novel, yes, and at the beginning it feels a little slow, but it becomes addictive after the first half.

Although the author's previous book left me a little unhappy, this one is much better in that aspect. The representation is much more balanced, much more realistic, and, surprise of surprises, the parents have a fundamental role in the development of everything. We already know that parents are almost always filler in young adult stories, if they are there to begin with, but here they are fundamental for Miles.

At the end of the day, it is a journey of discovery of independence, because many things make up a person, and here we witness what happens for someone like Miles to exist in the society where he exists. There are some characters we don't get to know in such depth, but that doesn't mean you don't come to sympathize with them; Amber, if you ask me, is worthy of her own book.

Andrew Joseph White is already synonymous with heavy stories, stories that don't fall short when it comes to showing what can happen to people, but this is without a doubt his most human novel. Compound Fracture shows how visceral some people's experience can be, and how community itself, or lack thereof, can create change, one way or another.

4.5 Stars

I love how Andrew has a very clear voice and brand. His project is to validate and protect trans rage—which is so sacred and precious—and I love his versatility in being able to come back to that same idea through a horror lens, but never quite doing it the same way twice.

This book is so different from his previous two. It does have some slight paranormal elements to it, but for the most part, it’s grounded in the real world and explores real world issues and consequences. It’s also a chaotic, accidental slasher in some ways, which I think is really cool to bring to the YA space. That’s not to say that YA slashers or thrillers don’t already exist, but Andrew’s take on it is unfiltered and so far from palatable in the best possible way. His writing is gruesome, disgusting, in your face, pulls no punches. And as weird as it might be say, I think we could use more of that.

Ultimately, I think this is an incredibly striking story about a young trans character literally fighting tooth and nail just for the chance to live—which is the reality of so many queer and trans kids in the Appalachian region and in conservative states. Yes, Miles makes egregious mistakes. He hurts people. He enacts violence. He commits crimes. But ultimately, he does all those things because there is a part of himself buried deep inside that desperately wants to live no matter what. And for him, fighting to protect that spark from going out is worth paying any cost.

This is, once again, a story that makes use of darkness, hopelessness, and violence to excavate justice and catharsis in a very profound way. It also has a lot to say about finding your community and finding people who will take up your fight in your stead when you can’t. I recommend this alongside all of Andrew Joseph White’s books.

I loved this so much I pre-ordered a copy for my personal collection. Living in Appalachia, this book was everything. The characters were real to life and the suspense was handed beautifully. A nice touch on the hardcover is using real, archival photos from the region as the end pages. AJW delivered another emotional, heart-pounding, searing novel.