I feel like I can put my trust in Andrew Joseph White to always deliver on a promise of a great book. I was especially excited for this book because I knew it was a personal story for the author and having read it I can wholeheartedly say that all eight years of caring this story in his heart is clearly felt by the reader. This story became especially personal to me because of the political situation in my country. Reading it corelated with me trying to find my course of fight in the political environment of my country, So the strong theme of self discovery and desire to be brave and fight for the right and fruitful cause that's prevalent in this book really helped and inspired me . Also, as someone who has ADHD and is still trying to understand if I have autism, Miles, his family, Amber and Dallas were extremely relatable and I'm forever grateful to the author for the care he puts in his characters. The conversation and the relationship between Amber and Miles brought me to tears(not for the first or the last time during the reading process) I've made a home out of this characters and the book and I will be missing them forever (or till the book comes out and I embark on one of my many re-reads of it).

andrew joseph white did it again……
this is pretty fast paced and gripping! I barely put it down. Definitely the primal scream of rage the author described it as. Pretty brutal in places. I enjoyed it a lot. it’s definitely less sff than his other books - the ghostly element is almost subtle - but that worked for me.

I was especially excited for this one because I heard the MC is aromantic and I’m so happy about it I think that was done well, certainly with more nuance and depth than I’ve come to expect from a lot of books that are super vague or mention it once - though it's still not a major focus.

It’s tackling some very large complex things politically and is very unsubtle and somewhat neat about it, - and I think some aspects could have used more nuance/elaboration? but also maybe that’s just not possible to fit in one little book. Still, lots of good stuff in here regardless.

every andrew joseph white book i have read has left me wanting more. this is no different. incredibly brutal tale. not much to say just that it was pure perfection.

i went into this book expecting to love it and it fulfilled all my expectations. wow. i devoured the second half of it in less than 24h.

i am not a YA reader most days but ajw never disappoints. i have never in my life set foot in the united states, so i was worried that some of the context of this novel would be lost on me, luckily that was not the case.

miles' character really resonated with me, although he is nothing like me - the way he's written is so human and compelling. the queer and nd representation is so good, (minor spoiler ahead) i love finally getting to read an aro character who isn't ace, and who is coming to terms with all of it. i loved this book. gonna get a physical copy as soon as its out.

This was a little bit of a difficult read for me, mostly because as opposed to AJW's other two books, this one is set a bit more firmly in reality. There's a lot talked about within the book: inequality, what do you do when the people who are supposed to protect you don't, small-town community and all the good and bad that come with it, queerness (specifically as it relates to being in small-town Southern US), communism/socialism. And that's just scratching the surface. While a lot of those discussions felt like they hit, I also felt that's kind of where the book let me down. Mostly because there was so much happening that, at times, the book's pacing felt a little bloated. Coupled with some stylistic decisions (single page chapters for dramatic emphasis), it felt like not everything got a chance to breathe.

But, honestly, that's really the only thing, at least for me. This was a tense, often brutal, book that didn't pull any punches. It's not my favorite AJW book, but it's one that I think makes a huge impact.

This was very different from the other books from this author, but in a very good way. I loved the full storyline and was struggling to put the book down

I loved Hell Followed With Us, so I was very excited to read Andrew Joseph White's next book. I absolutely adored Compound Fracture! A fun and witty read filled with intrigue and suspense.

Andrew Joseph White has once again produced one of the most stunning and viscerally descriptive novels of the year. (I always know a book is going to be exceptional when I am making a playlist before I am even 100 pages in!)

I will preface my review with this information; I am an autistic transgender man myself, who would be the same age as Miles, the main character of Compound Fracture. I spent the first 12 years of my life living in a small, rural, conservative town - though my experience was more Pacific Northwestern deserts than Appalachian - and Compound Fracture touched on that half of my life so sharply and with such realness that I often had to look up from the page to take a deep breath and recenter myself in the world around me.

SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT

The first part that had me thinking “this book will be 5 out of 5 stars” was when I was reading the last few moments before Noah Davies and his gang attacked Miles. Andrew Joseph White’s descriptions of Noah, Eddie, and Paul brought to mind people from my own childhood, often the boys that we all knew to avoid and followed with whispered warnings about the truly awful things they had done and which had been explained away by the adults in our lives with either apathy, their own cruelty, or fear akin to our own. Each moment describing Miles begging (in his own way) for mercy, barely surviving, and awaking, alone and afraid, in an impersonal hospital room sent cold shocks of recognition and fear down my spine. Andrew Joseph White continues to deliver on his promise of viscerally personal stories of horror and triumph and overcoming the harshness the world around us tries to write into our skin as a blood toll for existing from the first page, and I am delighted to report that this was consistent throughout the book.

Another part that had me tearing up and sucked further into the story in equal measure was the reactions of Miles’ parents to his coming out. I know that, thus far, Hell Followed With Us and The Spirit Bares Its Teeth have had very different coming out stories than Compound Fracture, but the stuttering, half-started, half-resisting awkward avoidance and denial present in Compound Fracture spoke very deeply to my own experience with coming out as a transgender man. I had fairly ‘liberal’ parents, and I was a teenager living in Arizona following the brutal 2016 election cycle who now had to contend with the ramping up genocide of transgender people in America. I was one of the luckier ones. Miles’ mother outright ignoring Miles’ words and shutting down conversations again and again harked back to the days of my senior year in college arguing back and forth with my own father about my experiences, and his father’s quiet, semi-confused but still mostly-supportive acceptance mirrored my mother’s steps into attempting to understand a world she was not a part of for her eldest son’s sake. The offers of therapy, the insistence that other things were more important, and the demands to keep one’s head down for the sake of safety - ignoring the half-life that would force you to live - were all a stark reflection of my teenage years. I, in many respects, understood what it was like to be Miles because I had been Miles for so long and I am so relieved to see those experiences put to the page by another trans author now that I am in a much healthier and more secure part of my life and transition. It was very cathartic to see the growth and learning that Mile’s parents take part in throughout the novel and how his family opens their arms to him and sets their minds to understanding his world.

The last 100 pages or so were so gripping that I forgot to take notes and update my view as I went. I was sneaking bits and pieces of it during work, reading when I would walk from room to room, when I would set out to use the restroom, and devouring what I could during my lunch hour. Miles’ struggle to come to terms with the idea that there are not good people nor evil people, just people who do good or evil things while stuck in the situations they are born into is absolutely fascinating to watch. I was a philosophy and politics major in college; I want to study law and public policy for graduate school Andrew Joseph White has laid out an absolutely beautiful examination of how sociopolitical circumstances can shape who we are, how we view right and wrong, and he even creates a frame in which he can express the idea that violence is often used for protection of the vulnerable in counter to the violence of the oppressive powers in our lives. The Red Holler, Davies, and Cooper are some of the best vessels of these ideas, and as before, Andrew Joseph White delivers his story and ideas with brutal and gruesomely efficient set of shocking images and events that have left me reeling.

In summary, this was easily one of the most enjoyable reads I have had this year, and I cannot wait until I can own th physical copy of this book. I look forward to seeing what will come from Andrew next!

ARC Review
I couldn’t read it fast enough. Every page left me dying to know what happened next.
It was an emotional journey. The characters are realistic in all their flaws and virtues, and you get to follow them step by step as they figure out what they want, their identities, and the world around them.
This book does not avoid the uncomfortable topics. It plows straight into them and gets dirty about politics, gender, and disability. The setting of rural West Virginia in 2017 was such a fascinating viewpoint into that time that created such a vivid and immersive world.

Andrew Joseph White has knocked it out of the park (again) with Compound Fracture. Miles is written so authentically as an autistic trans teenager, and seeing events from his perspective brings the reader right into the story. After he comes out to his parents, their relationship gets messy and complicated in a way that's almost painfully real. The town of Twist Creek and the people in it seem genuine, with all the dimension and nuance that are often lacking in depictions of Appalachia. This extends to the sheriff and others on his side, which adds to the gravity of the long-running feud dividing the town. Miles' inner turmoil feels realistic as he suddenly finds himself in the middle of the conflict and has some hard choices to make, on top of grappling with his identity and typical teenage struggles.

This joins the list of "books I wish existed when I was a teen" along with White's other work, and I'm sure there are plenty of teens now who need this story. I hope they find it.

Not my favorite of Andrew Joseph White's books, but I liked it, especially the family and community aspects.

I have been a fan of white's work ever since his first book and I'm not disappointed by this title. We can see the evolution of his writing through his multiple publications and I'm confident in saying this is his best work yet when regarding his writing.

The story/narrative, however, felt weaker than his previous works. The main tool used to captivate the player was rage. Rage because there is nothing Miles can do about his aggressors, rage because people just outed him to the entire town, and rage because of what happened to O'Brian, although this can be a good writing tactic, I feel that it does not work in this specific book.

Overall, the book, just as all of white's titles, is good, the representation of trans, nb, autistic kids etc... is something very refreshing and inspiring to see and the approach on ya horror is fitting for this kind of genre.

Thank you to Andrew Joseph White, Holiday House, Peachtree, Pixel+Ink, and NetGalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review-- all opinions are my own.

Once again Andrew Joseph White has written a great book. Another 5 star book that I devoured in less than 48 hours. I was SO excited when I found out that I received an ARC for this book because just from reading the blurb and seeing the cover- I knew it would reach up and drag me to the edge of my seat. Compound Fracture is an in-depth, terrifying in a good way, and brutally honest look into small towns and the histories and politics that continue to haunt and affect the residents who live there. There are so many good aspects to this story it's hard to find a place to start. I really enjoyed reading how the feud between the main character's family and another family has had long-lasting and continuous effects on their town and its residents. I think it's a good comparison to how people in power for a long time due to family ties and/or corruption(sometimes both) abuse those powers and how people fight back against them. The plot is constantly watered and fed with different facts and realizations that never let the suspense and mystery die down. The author does not shy away from the horror and grittiness at hand. I appreciate that none of it was sugar-coated for the story. It adds to the seriousness and harsh reality of the story and how sometimes we have to face the ugliness of something even if we don't like it or feel uncomfortable. The characters are interesting as well. These are kids dealing with terrible things and are tired of people with too much power taking too much and exploiting people. I really enjoyed the comeuppance that certain characters received. It always feels good when the exploiter gets what they deserve and people receive some justice and peace. As a final note, one thing I consistently enjoy in every book by this author is a point where you are in such high tension of what the hell is going to happen next. You can't look away from what's happening, nor can you even see what might happen next. What an incredible read.

Miles is a trans, autistic teen who is part of a decades old family feud, and now it's his turn. The Davies and the Abernathys have been at it ever since a mining revolution. When Mile's ancestor was killed by a railroad spike through the mouth, it set off a chain of violent events through the years. One night, Miles is beaten and left for dead. Though he pulls through, he realizes it's his turn to try and make a difference and put an end to all this feuding.

This book is very politically motivated, and that's not typically something I'm interested in. As a matter of fact, although it takes up a huge portion of the book, it was my least favorite part. My favorite aspect of this novel had to be Mile's coming out as trans, his family learning to accept it, and also Miles coming to the realization that maybe he's also autistic. Those part to me were the best part. I've never read a book about a trans character and I was worried I wouldn't connect to the story, yet it was extremely well done and engaging. I really enjoyed the premise of family and friends being worth fighting for, but the political aspect made me rate this book a star down.

There are A LOT of trigger warnings for this book, and a lot of things were graphically describes, so please please check those out before you dive into this book.

Another absolutely amazing and unique book from this author.

I'm not an American citizen but I was totally transported to the town in the book and the politics were easy to follow.

A brilliant representation of the LGBTQ and Neurodiverse communities. The story had me gripped from the start and I honestly couldn't have guessed where it was going. I love books like this, that they keep you not only turning the pages but thinking about the story even when you aren't reading the book.

The author has a way of really making you root for the main characters in what is a good Vs evil story...even if the good have done a few 'naughty' things.

I would really recommend, it was a great gory story!

Following our main protagonist, Miles– a trans, autistic, aromantic teenager –who gets plunged right into the crossroads of a hundred-year generational feud after almost dying from a beating.

This book was so RAW. Watching Miles, and the other characters being so trapped through all of their violent circumstances was truly difficult to read about at times. I could SEE the violence when it was described on the page, and at times it made me feel queasy. I was so inside and consumed by this story, the writing, characters, plots, and discussions, at every single stage of the book.

I have no critique of this book that bears ground. Personally, I am not a huge fan of young adult (just my taste) and in many ways, I like this book despite that it's YA and not because of it. But then I think about all the potential that this book has to educate, radicalize, and stand with teenagers, and I want to commend it for that. If I read this as a teen, it would have changed my life. Not only making me feel so seen as trans, but also making me think about suffering, politics, and injustice in a whole new way.

As a well-read adult, nothing in this book particularly surprised me. Who the ghost was, Miles' multiple identity realizations, character developments, it was all quite predictable. And yet! I was up until 2 a.m. every night because I couldn't put the book down.

Very grateful this book exists. It's going to change lives. Can't wait to read whatever Andrew Joseph White writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Peachtree Teen for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

thank you to netgalley and peachtree teen for providing me an ARC

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

AJW, you've gone and fucking done it again--raising the bar and setting a standard, imo. Compound Fracture is everything and more; and it is something I needed desperately as a trans, autistic kid growing up in the South (who wasn't half as brave as Miles for coming out so young, but I'll give myself grace because I didn't have the access to the words that truly explained what made me "special"). Miles is the teen I wish I could have been growing up; unapologetic, honest, and despite how scared he sometimes is (and for good fucking reason), so so brave. Andrew crafts a brilliant homage to Appalachia, while twisting a beautiful family blood feud narrative into the intricacies of horror and love. The utter visceral nature of Miles' relationships is stunning, and I've never cried more than when reading the chapters that delve into him and his family: Mom, Dad, Mamaw, Papaw, and the bestest girl, Lady--hell, even sad, sad Cooper O'Brien. And oh my god, the dedication to understanding that the lone wolf isn't as strong as he thinks he is until he's surrounded by a pack...revenge does seem good in practice, but no progress will be made until it's the community that comes and settles shit together. Revenge will just turn to ash on your tongue, and twist you into a bitter and cynical shell of yourself. But progress? Communism? Revolution? No one does that alone; and not to be lame and quote ASOIAF here, but truly, the lone wolf dies while the pack survives. And it is a beautiful (and horrifying; I love you body horror and hunting metaphors, my beloveds) journey for Miles to learn that.

I'll be posting a full, spoiler-filled review on release day!! Until then, pre-order, request an ARC, get your hands on yet another certified AJW win. A beautiful, beautiful book!

Ever since reading Andrew Joseph White’s incredible debut novel, Hell Followed With Us, I have excitedly waited for and devoured every book he has since put out.

Compound Fracture was certainly no different.

I had high expectations for this novel from the get go and White checked off everything on the list of what I’ve come to love and anticipate from him:

Queer Stories
Compelling Characters
Horror/Thriller Elements
Supernatural Happenings

In addition to this, White adds a personal touch to his story by placing it in his own home state of West Virginia and giving us his insight on the area and its people through the eyes of his protagonist, trans teenager Miles Abernathy.

While White’s previous novels have been more focused on worlds brimming with supernatural elements, Compound Fracture alternatively takes place in the very real world of 2016 West Virginia. With this, all the issues of the time are not only laid out clearly, but are also integral to the story. White has never been afraid to pull his punches when it comes to his commentary on social issues and his protagonist certainly reflects that, budding socialist that he is.

The world White builds is definitely a violent one and, true to form, is described as such. Please keep in mind of his content warnings when reading and prepare yourself as they are quite detailed.

That being said, these visceral descriptions aptly describe the chaotic and bloody world that Miles Abernathy has to go through due to his family history with the Davies family, specifically Sheriff Davies. While difficult to read at times, the violence described never feels gratuitous or unearned.

Miles is a great character and I loved going on his journey of trying to reconcile the harsh past he inherited with the violent present built upon that where he has to live and survive.

I have a profound respect for Andrew Joseph White and the stories that he crafts. Compound Fracture was an amazing read and I’m am so happy I was allowed to read this before the official release date.

It takes a special type of passion and skill to make your reader fall in love with the setting. I'm sure many people called it a love letter to Appalachia before, and I can only confirm that it worked for me as well. The Sorbian people have a saying, God created Lusatia but it was the devil who put the coal under it- I see they are not the only ones.
It's a brutal book, and it is a tough read. Even if the reader thinks they know what to expect, this novel is terrifying for much more realistic reasons than AJ White's previous novels. I found it rather compelling and relatable on a surprising level, but it left me feeling profoundly sad, even if it was with a hint of satisfaction.

Thank you NetGalley and Peachtree Teen for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Compound Fracture is another dark and gruesome but, in the end, hopeful story from Andrew Joseph White. This one feels so personal that it's like peering into someone's diary, weaving the experience of a family in a small West Virginia county into themes and ideas about the place of national politics as a whole. It's definitely not for the faint of heart, filled with intense depictions of violence and trauma, but in true AJW fashion it justifies all the suffering in the end.

Some cons: I didn't like how passive the main character felt for a big chunk of the book. I also felt as if the inciting incident that occurs before the novel takes place needed more elaboration. Ultimately, this makes it not my favorite of AJW's books.

Pros: As always, the prose is beautiful and brutal. Incredible depictions and explorations of transness and autism. Real, palpable characters and a satisfying climax.

Would definitely recommend this one!