Thank you Netgalley for the e-ARC!

Easily one of the best books I’ve read this year. I could barely put it down, one page effortlessly blending into the other. A dark, raw story of oppression and justice.

Compound fracture starts with a teenage boy named Miles, and his initiative to make things right. The story only escalates from there, highlighting his ability to navigate through a hell of a life. The story balances his identity, his struggles as well as a blood feud that has been going on for 100 years.

I loved that the characters were well written, with recognised flaws. You could feel the anger they radiate, the fear and the will to fight for what they believe. The book never felt boring, every chapter holding its own importance. The commentary was written beautifully and I especially enjoyed the display of emotions, the constant tension that follows the main character. At times it gets gorey and violent, so well written you could picture clearly what was happening. As for the plot, I thought I knew where it was going, until the end of each chapter proved me wrong and kept me attentively reading the other one.

Overall it’s a very good book. I have read the author’s other works so I can’t say I’m surprised. I had high expectations and they were pleasantly met. If you are looking for an engaging fast paced read, that will keep you on your toes, this is definitely the book for you!

So I cried through most of the second half of this book as it sank in what I was reading.
This is the closest I have ever come to reading a queer book character who sounded like me and felt like someone I would meet in my neighborhood.
This book centers a trans, gay autistic character just like the other books I have read and lived from this author, but he is also from West Virginia, from coal country. The ghost of a murdered union member takes a pivotal role in the plot.
In many ways, this book is Bonnie and Clyde, except very gay and more communist. I love it.
It’s very real about how it is to live in Appalachia, in an area even more neglected than where I live, and part of me wants to gatekeep this book to only people who know and love the rural south, because this book is so real about the suffering and beauty of the mountains- black lung, opioids, poverty, underfunded schools, feuds, the beauty of the landscape, the loyalty of the families, and the long tradition of leftist thought and resistance to oppression.
When I realized that this author grew up in rural West Virginia, I realized where the stark, harsh reality tempered with beauty that I’ve come to love from his books comes from.
As far as the main characters go, I love Miles. He’s deeply flawed, violently passionate, and fiercely protective. The eventual development of his identity as aromantic and the final queerplatonic relationship is deeply wholesome, and the “love interest” (for lack of a better word) is the fat, agender masculine person that Miles needs. The unhinged best friend is what this story needed. Also, there’s a black mouth cur service dog.
As with his previous books, all the warnings for graphic violence and general horror.
I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

⭐️4.5

Let me just say wow!!! Andrew Joseph White never fails in making a book interesting and unique enough to stay up into the a.m.’s just to know what happens.

Although I think I prefer the heavier supernatural elements AJW explores in his other two novels, I enjoyed the complexities and politics of the town presented here. Miles could in fact see his relative, Saint, who was apart of the beginning of this blood feud. I was elated for Miles when it was revealed that Saint was also trans. I did not see this coming, and it was good to recognize that queerness has not just now in the present become a “thing.”

On the topic of queerness, AJW always does a beautiful job exploring different queer experiences without it being the bare minimum. Sometimes authors fall into the pitfall of using the google definition of a queer label and it feels repetitive. In AJW’s writing, however, he always speaks to his own experiences in being queer while also making sure the audience knows what the topic is (without this weird definition scenario).

I also find his exploration through neurodivergence to be enlightening. AJW’s writing always has an element of speaking to his own divergence and his research. As someone who doesn’t have autism or ADHD I know I can read AJW’s books and come out learning something new.

The reason I don’t feel that this is a 5 star rating for me is because I’ve read his other books. The Spirit Bares Its Teeth was just so incredibly phenomenal to me that Compound Fracture doesn’t compare as highly. Also, having read AJW’s other novels there are clear character types he has, which can make the plot predictable. For example, Cooper quickly reminded me of Theo from Hell Followed With Us. I was suspicious because of this comparison, and I ended up being right when Cooper called Miles his deadname and left him in the middle of nowhere. This was a bummer, as I wanted to be more devastated when Cooper was mutilated on Miles’s porch. Same thing goes with Miles/Benji finding a space queer space and openly queer characters, etc.

Overall, I ate this book up. I started reading and couldn’t put it down. I cannot wait to see what AJW does with his adult novels and future YA books.

Never stop writing AJW!

Thank you NetGalley for my eARC edition of this book!

Compound Fracture is set in Twist Creak, West Virginia during 2017. The story follows Miles Abernathy , who is a trans autistic teen, learning to live with/fight the hundred year feud between his family and the sheriffs family. In which Miles quickly finds himself in trouble when he is trying to bring about change to his Appalachian town.

For starters I loved the autism and adhd rep in this book, as well as the trans and aromantic rep! I thought that they were well planned and written out. I loved his relationship with his family and how real it felt. And how when there was a struggle, his family eventually came through and supported him. I also thought his friendship with his friend from middle school was amazing! I don’t want to say much more because I’m afraid I’ll spoil something! Make sure y’all go get the book when it comes out in September!

The book was something I couldn’t begin to describe. Miles was a character I could relate and same with his parents. At times I worried for Miles and even was on the edge of my seat mad at his decisions. When Cooper came up the idea to kill the three horrid bullies I yelled and said no. I was deep into this book and people could tell. I loved the story of Saint. The gore was my favorite part, it was well written and detailed and I hope it never gets toned down. I’m trying to find the one spelling error yet struggling.. The grammar was great and the spelling too.

I want to thank you for the chance to read this and I hope you can continue on

Positives:
- I simply adore Andrew Joseph White’s Brain
- the Autism rep in this is SO fucking good & real. It also felt so personal to my experience and denial throughout the years in my eventual acceptance of my own autism.
- the evil racist, transphobic corrupt small-town story hit so astronomically hard & the commentary in this was on a whole other level and is so visceral to the current state of the world right now
- the Appalachian backdrop wasn’t as folkloric as I thought it was going to be, but it more so read as southern… gothic, dare I say? & I read this whole book in a deep Southern Appalachian drawl & there’s so much potential for the audiobook to hit so hard in that regard.
- and, of course, the trans rep & commentary was A+

Negatives:
- I can’t lie; I did feel quite bored throughout & found myself skimming through pretty large portions.

However, in general, the commentary and representation are so fucking good it’s hard for me to seriously hold onto major critiques of this book. I liked it a lot & I think books like this are so important, especially right now.

On the night Miles Abernathy comes out to his parents as trans, he sneaks off to a party. In his pocket, he carries evidence that could finally turn the tide of the blood feud that has plagued Twist Creek County since the miners rebellion a hundred years ago. However, when this evidence is discovered by the Sheriff’s son, Miles is followed through the woods and beaten nearly to death. In the hospital afterwards, the ghost of a soot-covered man hovers by Miles’ bedside while Sheriff Davies threatens him into silence. But, when Miles accidentally kills one of the boys who hurt him, he learns he isn’t the only one who wants things to change in Twist Creek. But is he willing to do what he takes to change things for good?

I’ve been anticipating this book ever since I found out it existed, so I was thrilled to receive an ARC on NetGalley. To start with: I absolutely devoured this book. I read two-thirds of it in one day, and it wasn’t long before I went back to read the rest. I was hooked from the very beginning, and the page-turning feeling stuck with me until the very end of the book. There were several points where I intended to put the book down at the end of the chapter, but then simply… wouldn’t.

Of AJW’s books, this one has the most toned-down supernatural element, and I think that ultimately worked in its favour. I did enjoy the ghost and the story it told, but I equally loved being able to follow Miles’ life without the strong supernatural elements that are present in AJW’s other books. I think toning this down in the more modern setting really aided this book, as it allowed for a focus on Miles’ journey of being trans, discovering he’s autistic, and navigating the blood feud and how it impacts his life. The ghost was present enough to aid where it needed to, but not so overwhelming that it detracted from anything.

To avoid major spoilers, I’m going to leave this here. But I will say that, if this book sounds even slightly interesting to you, I definitely recommend giving it a read when it comes out in September. Even with the supernatural elements, it has a very real feeling to it, which makes you unable to tear your eyes away from the page as you read desperately to find out what happens next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Peachtree for giving me an ARC of this book.

Big thanks to NetGalley for supplying me with this ARC in exchange for a review, and even bigger thanks to AJW and whoever got it to NG in the first place!

Andrew Joseph White, I’ll have you know that I hate reading on my phone, and you’re the only person whose books are so good that reading them there is worth reading them early.

This book is insane, in the best of ways. Utterly different than Hell Followed With Us and Spirit, but just as gripping. I hesitate to agree with this book’s horror tag because it’s really more thriller, but that doesn’t change the AJW magic that makes reading one more chapter nearly as important as taking your next breath.

This book has some of the most resonating quotes about autism that I’ve ever read, as an autistic person myself; I didn’t even know there were words to describe these specific aversions, but there they were, right on the page. The characters were compelling, and likable despite doing terrible things. I don’t even live in Appalachia but this book reminded me of my flawed but good-hearted community.

AJW can somehow pull off horror and thriller in a way that doesn’t stress me out in a bad way like most of them do, and I hope that I can experience his next breathtaking adventure soon.

A gritty, politically charged, unapologetically queer survival story that takes us into a poor and rural town, hidden amidst the Appalachians in West Virginia, where we follow Miles Abernathy as he is coming to terms with his trans and autistic identities. On top of that, Miles has finally found evidence that has the power to finally put an end to the generational struggle that continues to plague and ostracize the Abernathy family, photos proving Sheriff Davies responsibility for the "accident" that targeted those threatening his position and power. Inspired by his great-great grandfather, Saint Abernathy, Miles becomes determined to break the cycle and incite change in his town and choose fight instead of fear.

Andrew Joseph White has such a way of writing queer horror that is so visceral, raw and full of rage that it's hard not to devour his books as fast as you can. This one in particular offers such a refreshing take on being queer in the south and having Miles be genuinely proud for where he lives. Miles as a character has so much complexity and depth that can only come from a writer who truly cares about and understands their character. I loved the fierce loyalty to his family as well as the thread that tied him to Saint both in identity and political beliefs. White does a really great job weaving themes into a story with relationships and challenges that are never simple but realistically complex and messy.

Lastly, always a huge fan of Evangeline Gallagher's work for the cover! So much story and life in their design choices, color and linework.

Compound Fracture really drew me in with a sense of community. Generational trauma does not fade when society stagnates, it simmers until it boils over. In rural Twist Creek, the people are being crushed under the same boot... And these underdogs bite back!

This is a page-turner. I was up reading until early this morning because I just had to know what happens next. If you enjoy queer horror and thrillers but usually avoid YA novels...you're missing out! Based on my recent reads, YA horror is undergoing one hell of a renaissance at the moment. I highly recommend this book to both YA and adult genre fans.

That being said...Definitely look into content warnings for this one. A few big ones are anti-LGBTQ+ bigotry, outing, police brutality, animal cruelty, and child death. I personally like to reference StoryGraph - readers may add content warnings when leaving a review.

As someone who has a very complicated relationship with West Virginia (not trans, but lots of trauma over the state and people in it), this book was a lot for me, it was incredibly jarring in many parts reading these characters go through so much and it would make sense for anyone to go down these different paths when they didn't otherwise have the prospects to make something of themselves. I appreciated all the characters being pretty morally grey but I would have liked Miles' to have reached that point earlier in the book.

Thank you Netgalley and publishers for the amazing Arc of Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White, a queer horror-thriller and political page turner.

30/05/2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Gore and graphic violence, transphobia, abuse from an intimate partner, drug dependency and withdrawel, animal harm, political abuse of power, vomitting. Check the author's website for more in depth descriptions of the trigger warnings.

This was insane...



I am not normally into horror or thrillers, I didn't think it was my genre at all... Until reading this book.
From the very start, the tone of the book was creepy, painting a picture of something being wrong. This book is not an escape from reality, but rather a book to read to face reality, look reality in the eye and accept the ugliness of it.

The story follows the protagonist, Miles, a transgender and autistic boy, after an accident that sucks him into a blood feud that his family has been a part of for centuries.

The main way I'd describe Miles is, simply put, angry. He is angry at the unfair life that he has been dealt, at the political situation of his home, which despite all he expresses a deep love for, and angry at the cruel cycle that he is forced into, that he has watched his grandparents and parents live through. 


The author weaved in all these different characters, with flaws, and in depth personalities. This book was a testimony to the fact that the villains are often times villains due to the consequences of their live.


I have to seriously applaud White for the way he wrote Cooper. Even before my favourite line of the entire book, ("What's a few more?") (Seriously... My jaw DROPPED) there was something slightly off about him... It almost felt like foreshadowing.

Miles's parents were also wonderful to read. They were not perfect, but at the end of the day they tried, and it was real and authentic to read about.


I of course have to mention Dallas, my favourite character from the moment I met them.

The writing in general was beautiful, easy to read, impactful, and delightfully horrifying when it wanted to be. When I wasn't reading the book, all I could think about was what would they do next? The short chapters created a sense of suspense, and added to the terrifying undertones of the story.

If you're looking for a queer YA thriller that has a dark, creepy tone and nuanced characters this is a great book to add to your tbr.

Received as a free e-book from Net Galley.

I'm not usually drawn to the horror or even thriller genres--too much attention is often paid to the ways people can be hurt (abuse, violence, graphic depictions of suffering). This book, however, caught me with the badass trans masc autistic narrator and Appalachian justice/revenge storyline. There were definitely moments of brutality, but they always served a narrative purpose and a lot was left to the imagination.

I'd love to hear the author speak sometime and might check out another of his books.

I don't want to give too much away but I would recommend it for folks interested in horror, trans fiction, and neurodivergent narrators.

Review also posted on goodreads.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher's and the author for the opportunity to review this book!

This is my second delve into Andrew Joseph White's work, and again I was incredibly impressed.

The queer representation is awesome, the gore is graphic and the horror is intense, but in the best way. Please look up trigger warnings if you are squeamish.

I highly recommend Andrew's work. This was easy to read, even from an outsider perspective (I'm Australian, and have no real knowledge of American politics) and delved into transitioning, coming out to family and realising that you are autistic, and the steps to come to terms with that.

There is also an element of revenge, which always gets me interested.

I will be reading everything Andrew has and will write in the future.

4.5 stars!

4.75/5 stars

Compound Fracture is a queer Appalachian thriller that follows the story of a brutal blood feud between two families and the trans socialist teenager who finds himself involved after an attempted murder.

Well, folks, Andrew Joseph White has done it again! This book is a little different from the author’s first two, as it's more "thriller" than "horror", but it's just as dark and just as good. It's scarier, even, because unlike the first two, it’s set in the real world, and all that dark stuff is grounded in reality. And the contemporary setting didn’t discourage the author from his usual gore and body horror, either: if you’re easily bothered by blood and guts, this is NOT the book for you. It was incredibly gross but also so fucking cool.

And Compound Fracture is not just a thriller! At its core, this book is a coming-of-age story about a teen finding words to describe himself, learning he’s autistic, and coming out as queer. People are also not wrong when they call this book a “political page-turner.” I was initially surprised by the number of political references and stances within this book, but it only added to the powerful characters and conflicts.

And it WAS powerful. The story was brutal, the characters wild, and the writing utterly fantastic. Though White’s biggest strength, once again, is his character’s emotions. Reading this book, I was blown away by the visceral fear and fury and the raw exhaustion leaking through these pages. I loved it.

Compound Fracture is definitely not for those looking to escape reality or for the faint of heart, but for anyone who loves bloody thrillers, queer and neurodivergent characters, and stories packed with vicious emotion.

Big thanks to the publisher for allowing me a chance at an early copy!

I'm pretty torn about this because there are definitely things that I absolutely loved about this. But, on the flip side, there are absolutely things that I *hated* about it. First off, I have to commend AJW for sticking to his guns when it comes to making his protagonists radically angry trans guys who dent fuck around when it comes to themselves or their friends. I think out of AJW's three protagonists so far, Miles is definitely the best of the trio. Getting to see his world and get to know his family was an absolute treat. I'm always a sucker for centuries old turmoil and fighting between families, and so reading about the the blood-soaked feud between The Abernathy's and The Davies' was something that I absolutely loved. I also deeply loved Saint Abernathy, mostly in the vagueness of his character. You never really got a clear answer about whether or not he was actually a real ghost, which really added to the intrigue about whether or not Miles actually got a sign from Saint or whether it was just Miles' unhinged nature coming out in full force. I also really loved getting to know the history of Appalachia and the history of the coal miners. I'm from the deep south of Georgia, so I really related to the small-town feeling of Twist Creek and it's way of life.

However that's not to say that Compound Fracture has some problems, because it does. For one thing, Miles would not shut the fuck up about his stance as a socialist. I'm not opposed to characters being vocal about their beliefs, far from it. But for this book, it felt so much like every other page, Miles would go on such a tangent about being a socialist and it would just grind the story to a hault .I also felt that the villains of the story, The Davies, were probably the most underdeveloped villains I've read about this year. They felt very cartoony and not at all like real people, which was weird as hell because the entire book revolved around a blood feud between two families that've murdered and maimed each other for over several decades, so it would have been cool to see other shades of the Davies, like maybe some cousins or other sons of the Sherriff, or I don't know, another narrative in which the Davies believed that they had been right about murdering Saint Abernathy? Just a hunch.

Overall, I think this is a solid book from AJW. It has all of his signature gore and mean characters, as well as tons of conversations about transness.

thanks to NetGalley for the eARC

⭐️=4.5 | 😘=2.5 | 🤬=5 | ⚔️=5 | 🍺/🚬=4 | 16/17+

summary: after a trans autistic boy living in rural West Virginia survives a murder attempt by an ancestral rival, he starts seeing the ghost of his great-great-great(?) grandfather. potential revenge plot, potentially more murder, inevitable identity exploration et cetera et cetera I would like to personally apologize to Andrew Joseph White for this summary

thoughts: Andrew Joseph White the author that you are!! this is incredible. White just gets queer horror—he gets it, and he executes it near-flawlessly. I love this book. I love its anger and its compassion. I love its characters and voice. I love its themes about family and ancestry. I love its specificity. its time period is so necessary (like yes, this book had to take place in 2017 and no other time) and I love when authors know their stories so well they can pinpoint the exact year in which it must exist. so good. there were occasionally some didactic moments, but tbh I believe that was more a function of the YA genre than any serious flaw on White’s part.

4/5 ⭐️

I really enjoyed White's, "Hell Followed With Us" and found that there were quite a few similarities between the two books. "Compound Fracture" leans more as a thriller rather than horror and there is less gore in this book. The protagonists and several of the friend characters in both HFWU and CF were written pretty similarly and had analogous arcs. I feel that while I enjoyed the plot of HFWU a bit better, there was more of a complexity and nuance to many of the characters and their arcs in CF. White in both books does a nice job writing about life as a young trans man and in CF there is some great autism representation.

It's clear that Miles has a love for his home in Appalachia but has to struggle and fight against oppressors and bigots while simultaneously carving out a space of community to feel safe and survive. A great read for anyone, but especially for YA readers.

Thank you to NetGalley, Andrew Joseph White, and Peachtree Teen for my early access to this.

Andrew Joseph White you have done it again! I bought a signed copy of The Spirit Bares Its Teeth at Underground Books in Carrollton, Ga on the recommendation of Megan. I have torn through a number of books in my day, redusing to set them down until I've seen the plot through to the end, but that book was everything I was looking for at the time, I felt represented, expectant, and appropriately disgusted throughout.

When I heard that White was releasing yet another book, I had to request a copy, and I can finally say, he has done it again.

As someone from the Southeast, White painted such a, for lack of a better word, correct atmosphere. The setting was so clearly described and oh so familiar. I think White, more than most, is able to create a sense of time and place that feel so real that even when the plots themselves are more fantastical, I feel as though I am there.

This book was equal parts brilliant and horrific, as I have come to expect from White's writing. You can't help but worry for Miles's safety throughout, both as it relates to his part in the hundred-year feud his family is embroiled in, as as it relates to being trans in the South. It is this desired safety, alongside a cliché and potentially naive level of excitement about hopefully seeing the underdog succeed that propelled me so quickly through the story.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Andrew Joseph White has become and auto-buy author for me, and he should be for you as well. BUY THIS BOOK!

Andrew Joseph White has been an auto-buy reader for me since reading Hell Followed With Us, and this book absolutely reinforced that view. Compound Fracture is a book about community coming together and finding good people even in a place that others (mostly liberals) find "backwards" such as a tiny town in West Virginia.

Compound Fracture begins with a discussion on the Twist Creek mining massacre, a fight that began a centuries long blood feud between the current sheriff of the town and Miles' family, that culminated recently in an accident that severely injured Miles' friend and father and killed his friend's mother. When Miles tries to bring proof to the town that the sheriff caused the accident, he is beat near to death by the sheriff's kid, saved only by an old friend who he hasn't spoken to in years.

Compound Fracture is gory, poignant, and absolutely incredible. The action and suspense kept me hooked and also kept a pit of dread in my stomach the entire time. However it also gave me hope, seeing how the community comes together eventually. I cannot recommend this book enough, I think everyone should read it.