"Respect is earned, not given, officer."

Thank you, Netgalley and Peachtree Teen for letting me be an ARC reader for this marvellous novel.

Now, let's get to the nitty gritty.

Calling it a generational war against two families feels absolutely not right. It feels like it is a little to little. It's so much more. It's a sheriff using his power to actively make people's life a constant pain. It's a family constantly ruining others lives. In the worst way possible. It's showing your teeth against someone who wants to see you down on the ground.
And standing your ground.

And it's wonderfully done. I loved this book. I loved Miles trying to figure out what to do, trying to find a right way to handle things even though the things which happened to Miles, which has been done to him is absolutely w r o n g. And I loved Lady. And Dallas. And I just love how friends find each other again even though they have been apart for a while.
I really liked the complexity of the generational feud, the way you can find yourself somehow in Miles but also the characters around, that you're there with them.

Thanks for netgalley and the publisher for sending me this review copy because ho boi, Andrew Joseph White delivered again.

Not gonna lie, the pitch of this book got me the least interested out of his three novels, but I trusted the author that if I want some fine, gore horror, with amazngly diverse cast, I can try it without fear. The thing that got me least interested was the contemporary setting, but as turned out, ended up being one of the best parts. White can grab unease and fear by its neck and shove them to his pages, so they can lurk into our body. The rural setting, the overbearing sheriff, the bully boys, the snapping branches when the protagonist Miles goes home alone in the forest, the sudden appearance of a ghost, and many more, spoiler-filled scenes were masterfully crafted. The body horror part came in a bit late, I even thought I might have a book I can recommend to my friends with a weaker stomach, but when it arrived, it was more horrifying <i>exactly due to</i> the contemporary settings. Sure it's easy to accept gore happening in a distopia or in a hospital-like facility. Not on the doorstep.

The second, most important part for me was the on-point portrayal of the power of community. I loved, loved, LOVED the Fosters and how easily they could provide understanding and comfort to so-torn and so-so-so tired Miles, in all aspects of his life that needed help. The twist related to the ghost also filled my heart with reinforcement and screaming joy, just like it did for Miles. There was one particular scene with the Abernathy family, which was also unexpected from the leadup, but so, so heartwarming. I love to see the older generation gets the chance to improve alongside their kids.

Wow. This book felt like looking at my hometown under a microscope. I literally couldn’t put it down.

A queer Appalachian thriller with a hint of supernatural spookiness - sign me up. I can’t recommend this book highly enough!

yet another five star read for me from AJW; if he has no fans, I'm dead.

I loved this story, it grabbed my attention from the get go and refused to let go until I finished. All the characters were perfection in their own way, Lady the dog that you are though. We need more dogs surviving horror. I would have also enjoyed seeing more of Dallas and their family, stealing the spotlight in every scene that they were in.

All in all though, if Andrew Joseph White writes it, it's a yes from me.

Thank you to Peachtree and Netgalley for the e-arc!

So much to say my head is so full. I’m sorry it’s so scattered!
TW: killing of dog, addiction/drug abuse, murder (and attempted murder), hospitalization, medical trauma, pedophilia, f slur used, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, deadnaming, misgendering, physical violence and emotional abuse from an intimate partner. This book came close to making me fall in love with Appalachia again. I felt so immersed in Miles’s small town setting as someone who grew up in a similar place. At first I was thrown off by Miles’s clear Southern dialect (idk if West Virginia is considered the South? But Miles’s manner of speaking very much reminded me of the people I grew up with) but I was immersed from the first page. Miles discovering he’s autistic, comparing it to the rightness he felt discovering he was trans, really resonated with me. It was sweet seeing his parents adjust and slowly become more accepting and affirming of his trans identity!
The villains in this story are absolutely cartoonish and I love it so much. The description of Cooper’s death almost made me sick. This book was unexpectedly wacky but I’m not exactly upset about it. All in all I cannot recommend this book enough. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Compound Fracture was a thrilling read that managed to keep my on my toes and had me finish it in a few days despite being the middle of a reading slump.
The pacing was great, never feeling like it went too fast or too slow.
Miles felt authentic and I loved reading about them. I wished the book dived a little more into the morality of Miles actions (even if he had his reasons it was still murdered, even if he felt bad for what he did the book itself doesn't feel like it ever considers Miles actions debatable), but I still understand why he does the things he does and I like how he still struggles to do the actions he does. Cooper also never felt too villianized, which I liked since in the end, he was also a scared teen like Miles.
I wished we saw more of the Davies, Eddie, and Paul since they feel too villianized when the book explores Miles choices. It seems like they we don't see them much other than harassing people (besides Paul) which makes they feel less like characters and more like props for the plot.
But overall, I still found this a great read, and can definitely recommend this when it comes out!

Miles, a trans autistic teen finds evidence of injustices in his Appalachian small town perpetrated by the local sheriff. After being nearly beaten to death, he and his friend Cooper, whose family has also been affected by the crime, must reckon with a generational family feud with the Sheriff.

Cooper is a golden retriever in a human body.
A retriever with teeth, sure, but big and sweet enough you don't notice.
Not to mention there’s a dog called Lady!

The representation of autism and anxiety was handled so well. Everyone experiences things differently, but Miles was such an authentic character and the stream of conciseness we sometimes got provided such a solid and convincing realistic portrayal and character.

I'm not autistic. I'm weird and socially inept and a picky eater and had to be taught how to smile and made to stop chewing my hair and can't spend more than a few minutes around people before I want to crawl out of my skin and can't take a shower without losing my shit over it and I don't understand people at all.
I'm not autistic. I'm some unsocialized dog.

White has such an addictive way of writing. It is raw. It is brutal. It is honest.
You can feel the rage dripping from their writing that makes it thrilling, pulse-pounding, and enraging.

This has a heavy theme of communism and socialism. It is basically a huge ‘F you’ to the Trump movement and the two parties dictating American politics. In this sense, beware. This is a very timely, heavy, relevant piece that could induce stress and anxiety for the current climate and future. As I don’t live in America, I don’t think this hit me as hard as it might other readers. But I could still feel the impact.

Books that make you think about the world we live in are very powerful and needed to reflect on how we are evolving as society.

I don't got anxiety or nothing. No more than I need to stay in one piece around here, at least. I just-
I don't know. People are too much work, and I don't like most of them.

This begs the question: how do we stop the cycle? Is it okay to get revenge, to strike back, if it’s to further a cause? To hurt others as you were hurt?

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an arc in exchange for a review!

First of all, I have to say that I went into this book with the absolute highest of expectations because Andrew Joseph White’s first two books both ended up being my favorite book of the year I read them in. This book is still really good, but it just didn’t quite live up to my expectations, probably because they were so very high. So all my criticism is very much just me being nitpicky and you should definitely read this book because it’s really good.

That being said, the thing that took me out of this book the most was the fact that I simply couldn’t comprehend why the family of the main character didn’t simply move away. Half the time I was reading I was shouting at them (in my head) that they should just pack up and get the hell out of there. I get it’s their home and has been for generations, but WHY would you not move away after all of these atrocious things happened to you? There is wanting to stay in your home and being proud of where you come from, and there is being a stubborn ass and risking the lives of all your family members for it. Maybe there’s something that I’m just not getting, but even in the book, there are other families who went through similar things and just ended up moving away. I know that the whole story wouldn’t work if they did that, but it made it really hard for me to get into the story when that option, in my opinion, was there the entire time (unless I missed something?).

Apart from that I really enjoyed the book. I especially loved all the characters. They are all so messy and real in a way that got me attached to them so quickly. One thing I especially want to highlight is, that this is a book with parents of the main character who are not only alive, but good (still flawed, but overall good) parents. Which is not a thing you see very often in YA books, especially YA books that center queer narratives and characters coming out to their parents (if they are even alive). There is something about the characters and (found-) families Andrew Joseph White writes in his books that is just perfect to me, and he consistently manages to pull that off in every single one of his books.

So, yeah, overall, not my favorite book by Andrew Joseph White, but still a very, very good book. The strong point of this book specifically is definitely the characters more so than the plot (in my opinion), but if you’re at all interested in a book that features a cast of mostly queer and/or neurodiverse characters going through absolute hell but sticking together through it, I would recommend you check this book out.

Another absolute hit for AJW, with the added bonus of being set in Appalachia! Absolute 5 out of 5. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

If you've read any of AJW's books, you know there is lots of queer angst and discover mixed with a healthy dose of gore/violence/grey morals. I love the contemporary setting of the story, an abandoned, traumatized coal town in West Virginia, but there is still a really strong tie to events of the past.

While Miles is the protagonist, the core of this story is family, both blood and found. Many queer folks understandably fear their family's reaction to coming out, and this story doesn't shy away from this harsh reality. Watching Miles be kicked in the gut, both literally and metaphorically, by those in power was heartbreaking to read. All I wanted to do was wrap him in a blanket. But at the end of the day, all of the people who care about Miles come together to help support him and kick it to the man!

Absolute banger of a book and a difficult but must-read!

I am so thrilled that I got an ARC of this book because it’s going to be one of my all-time favorites of this year! A BANGER.

But also there’s definitely some trigger warnings in here because it’s AJW and that means BLOOD AND GUTS BABY!

Admittedly I feel like I’ve been outgrowing YA books for the past few years, so I have been a little hesitant to pick up AJW because I know he writes (older) YA…but oh my god, this guy is good. Spirit is fantastic (and I uhh haven’t read Hell yet, oops) but I think this one is even better. I love that even though this is YA, it’s grittier and gorier than what I got when I was growing up, but more than that, I love that this book does not shy away from anything figuratively. It’s a book about politics and unions and communism and queerness and transness and disability and autism and the working class, and I think the best part about it is how human it feels. The characters are so strong, and Miles our MC is just the coolest guy you’ll ever meet…because he’s just doing his best. (Which is to say, he’s suffering ashfkjfd)

Personally, as someone who is starting to understand their own autism, it was so moving to see Miles discover that he’s probably (definitely) autistic. It’s clear the author knows what he’s talking about, and it’s part of why I loved Spirit so much too. I can feel AJW in this book even though it’s a different setting, a different set of characters than his other works. But I think this one is even more successful because it has less of a supernatural element (it’s still there, don’t worry) and more of a contemporary setting. It’s the perfect balance between actively mentioning Trump and two friends texting and a family not being able to afford hospital bills vs the looming mysteries of Saint Abernathy and his past. And even though this is an excellent exploration of Appalachia, how we write off areas that are overwhelming red states with people who can’t or won’t progress with what liberals claim to be fighting for, I love that it humanizes everyone. That age old idea that the rich people are pitting poor people against each other when we usually have more in common than in difference. It calls out a bunch of shit and advocates for change and highlights that sometimes people just get caught in the middle of a war they never asked to be apart of, whether that was because their forefathers started it or because they were dragged into it.

There is so much to chew on here and I think it’s really a fantastic contemporary book marketed as a gory supernatural story. AJW is such a talent and I will pick up anything he writes because I want to see how he sees the world. He makes me feel seen in the most unexpected ways (hello aro-Miles) and I feel so special being connected to someone as cool as him. I wish this book and his other work had been available to me as a teenager. He’s changing so many lives!!!

This book was by no means an easy read but it was an important — and phenomenal — one. This story was rife with tension and genuinely kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. It was a brilliant book that thoughtfully handled a lot of heavy and very real topics. I’m glad that teens will have a book like this to read, and I’m already planning to read the rest of White’s books.

Queer punk trans autistic man main character who lives in the Appalachians? And references the literal battles fought between miners and coal companies? And is fiercely opposed to fascism while fighting for anarchism? I am swooning. I would love to read way more books with this protagonist, set in this universe. Any teens who are currently radicalized, just started being radicalized, or have been mostly on the fences, would enjoy this book.

As with all of Andrew Joseph White’s books, Compound Fracture is a heavy read but one that is well worth your time. Andrew excels at making his setting and characters come to life. Whether you see pieces of yourself in Miles, the trans autistic protagonist, or not, Miles feels so incredibly real. This book was a rollercoaster that left me with a broken heart and I would read it again in a heartbeat.

Thank you Netgalley and Peachtree Teen for the arc.

At this point Andrew Joseph White is becoming an instant purchase for me. I've read two of his books and absolutely loved them. Compound Fracture is so dark and anxiety inducing that I had to keep reminding myself to unclench my jaw while I was reading. The supernatural horror elements in this book were more comforting than human horror element which goes to show you how upsetting some of the humans are. Compound Fracture deals with themes of generational and community trauma through the voice of a trans and autistic teen boy who is so relatable in his anger and love for his community.
I would recommend you check content warnings before reading because there are themes that may be upsetting to some readers, but this is a must have for teen libraries (and adults will love it too).

Generations ago, Saint Abernathy was killed by having a railroad spike nailed through his throat and head by the Sheriff of Twisted Creek, West Virginia. His great great grandson, Miles Abernathy, is still fighting the bloodline feud left behind. Miles and his family have always lived in fear of the Davies family. Miles has been raised to always look over his shoulder, especially now being a transgender youth in the wake of the 2016 election.
After sending a coming out email to his parents, he attends a party with photographic evidence of how cruel the Davies really are. Photos that depict his friend's dead mom being pulled out of a burning car while. He just needs permission from his friend to show them to the town. To expose the Davies once and for all.
Walking home in the dark, he hears a noise. The Davis son and a group of friends ambush him, he ends the night in a hospital bed. After a few months of recovery and an accidental murder, his friend is ready to fight back, but not in the way Miles had planned.
Yet again, I have fallen in love with an Andrew Joseph White book. Compound fracture is an amazing novel. The main character is complex and I loved listening to the ways he processed the world and his opinions. He gave me perspectives on belonging in your hometown that I had never thought of before. He feels a connection and obligation to where he came from, even if living there means that he lives in fear.
The book tells a powerful story about family history. Saint appears to Miles through the book and shows him that his past is not full of strangers, but family and people like him. People he should continue to fight for. Miles' opinions on the politics of the town and the power dynamics are nuanced and deep. Additionally, the diction in this book is incredible. It really sets the scene.
I loved how connected all of the elements are. Every analogy and reference is connected to the overall “vibe” of the novel. The representation of the queer community, autism, disability, and a whole host of other things is incredible. I would highly recommend checking out Compound Fracture when it comes out on September 3rd.

It is difficult to hold back my repeated praise for this book by saying, "This book is one of the most incredible things I've ever read; you must read it as soon as possible." After finishing the book, it took me nearly two weeks to process everything that occurred and formulate a coherent review.

As someone who resides near Appalachia, the themes in this book were ones I am intimately familiar with. I do not believe I have read anything else that so fundamentally captures the beauty and ugliness of Appalachian culture so comprehensively. The events of the book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. It is rare that I am unable to predict twists in a thriller or mystery, but once again, AJW kept me guessing and did the opposite of what I thought might happen.

Do yourself a favor - go ahead and pre-order this book now. I am excited for everyone else to read this book after it's published. I sincerely hope AJW continues to write books for many years to come!

Surprisingly good and refreshingly different.
Andrew Joseph White is a new-to-me author, but I've already added his other books to my tbr! This is a gripping and unapologetic thriller perfect for readers who crave a visceral and emotionally charged story that explores themes of social justice, radical change, and the struggles of the rural poor, particularly those in the LGBTQIA+ community, and are ready to be drawn into a dark and intense narrative that will challenge and inspire them. Highly recommend!

andrew joseph white has done it again!!
i really enjoyed this book and i couldn't put it down. i can't wait for his next one!

thank you netgalley for the e-arc!

happy pride month! this book contains the following LGBTQIA+ rep:
trans / aromantic / nonbinary (side character) / gay / various other sexualities/gender identifications from side characters

this book also has autism rep!

TW: gore, transphobia, emetophobia, animal violence, opioid addiction and the extreme portrayal of the cycle of violence/blood feuds. (I probably missed some TWs, check out the official TW list from the author!)

"You can't reminisce over a scar if it's still an open wound."

This is truly a different work from AJW, wholly unique in premise (as always), but fundamentally different from his other books. While HFWU and TSBIT were always in a close, but different world than ours, this book is about as real as it gets.

It's raw, it's visceral- and while those are words often used to describe AJW's writing, it is especially true in Compound Fracture. It is a scathing, if not healing, look at small town Appalachia and the daily injustices the inhabitants have suffered for generations. This book takes all expectations, mashes them down, and remolds them into something that can only be described as eye-opening.

Compound Fracture is also a look at generational violence, specifically through blood feuds. You can feel the suffering that each member of the family has gone through, feel Saint Abernathy watch you as he watched Miles. The violence here is haunting, gory, bloody, and not one bit unnecessary.

It's also political at heart. This book screeches with opinions, and they all tie back to the oppressions that small town Appalachians face from the local, state, and federal government. It tears down "acceptable" barriers to address difficult topics, and it does it unashamedly.

There's probably a million other deep, profound hidden meanings, topics, and subtle symbolism I missed in this review, but know, that CF is chock-full of them, so look in every little nook and cranny, you'll never know what you find.

God I love AJW books.

"Why the 4 star?"

For multiple factors, the main one being I didn't see the final relationship AT ALL. (no spoilers here, but it came out of left field) The second being there were some weirdly obvious plot holes, like how Cooper's number was magically unblocked on Miles's phone? I don't remember seeing that Miles unblocked him.

Other than that, this was a fierce, blazing continuation of what AJW has always done so perfectly in the past: write books about queer, autistic rage.

(4/5 stars)
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living my best life (I got approved for AJW arc!!!)

Thank you Netgalley for letting me get an early copy of this beautiful, necessary novel in exchange for my honest review! ✨

This book challenges the reader to consider whether or not revenge is justifiable when it's the only way to combat oppressors. Historical oppressors; those who have been around for generations and are integrated into almost every facet of a community and that community's way of living. Or trying to live. What does one do when the only ways to escape a foot on your back is to chew through the bone or wait until that foot reaches your throat and letting it choke you? It's not much of a choice at all. Add to that your own personal challenges; discovering who you are, coming to terms with your identity and waiting for those closest to you to understand who you are -- how is anyone supposed to survive that?

Andrew Joseph White poses these questions to his readers via one of the most tangible characters I've had the pleasure of reading about in recent years. Miles isn't a fighter: he just wants to survive. What he does to earn it (despite the fact that survival shouldn't have to be earned in the first place) is only what he believes is necessary. Among his actions, we get to know him intimately, slowly peeling back every facet of his psyche until it feels like we can finally understand him. And man, did my heart break over and over again for him.

Bursting with real-world political ideologies, familial bonds, trans / queer / neurodivergent / disability pride, ghostly(?!) apparitions, and a little dog that could - Compound Fracture might be the next best thing since the invention of the wheel. And I don't say that lightly; this book truly ticked every single box for me and it's now up up up there with my all-time favourites.

Since this doesn't come out until September, I don't want to give away too much of the actual plot, as I truly believe this is one of those books that is best read when the reader knows little to nothing about it beforehand. Just read it. Go add it to your wishlists and when it comes in, give yourself some alone time, and devour this the way I did and intend to do again once I get my hands on a physical copy.