another amazing book by andrew joseph white! much like his previous two books, it's very dark in some (a lot of) places, so it's a good idea to check content warnings before reading. however, at the same time it tells a hopeful story, by presenting a very dark situation but having a happy ending regardless. (this is not to say the book's all sunshine and rainbows because of the happy ending; there are still lots of bad things that happen).

the story tells of a century-long feud between the sheriff's family and the main character (miles)'s family. there is a great cast of morally grey characters in this book. some of the people on miles' side of the feud are transphobic, and some people trying to murder miles & his family seem to wish they weren't caught in the feud. it's also difficult to class someone as exclusively "good" or "bad" when they've just been murdered.

i loved this book and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoyed either or both of andrew's previous books, or who is looking for a dark book with a happy ending featuring an autistic, queer trans protagonist. on one of the mornings i was reading it, i read for 4 hours without looking at a clock, which isn't very common an occurrence for me :)

thank you to peachtree teen & netgalley for providing me an arc of the book in exchange for an honest review.

a big thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing this arc!

4.25⭐

andrew joseph white has quickly become one of my favorite authors and one whose books i’ll add to my “to read” list without even thinking twice. he always manages to create such complex stories with characters that are multidimensional and convey many different emotions to the reader.
this book was beautiful – tragic, painful and unsettling, but nonetheless beautiful. it made me tear up and it made me angry. it made me hold my breath as i kept reading and it made me anxious as one thing kept happening after another.
i can’t wait to keep following the author’s journey and read everything else he comes up with!! it's incredible how he published his debut a short time ago but has already established himself as one of my favorite authors; but there's just something special about his writing and how he manages to invoke feelings by playing with the horror genre by exploring the trans/lgbtqia+ experience, in addition to his autistic characters that always manage to move me :') anyway. i can’t recommend him and this book enough. if you haven't tried any of his books yet, give him a chance! i'm sure you'll enjoy it <3

i received this arc from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

We're not grown, we're some kids that did some terrible shit. That lived through some terrible shit

Andrew Joseph White did it again- i honestly do not know how he does it or what kind of magic he puts in his books, but i desperately need him to do it again and again forever-
Compound fracture is an amazing story, about miles Abernathy, a queer trans autistic socialist who is stuck in a blood feud that has been going on for a hundred years. the problem is that the family on the other side of the blood feud is the Davies family, who have been the sheriffs of the town for as long as the feud has been going on.
this is a story of not always getting to choose where you end up, and sometimes being forced in to horrible circumstances.
this is a story of family, and of queerness and of miles great great grandfather, saint Abernathy, coming back from the death as a ghost to help miles finish this blood feud.

"If it makes you feel better, we're giving you a head start. Ain't no fun if its just slaughter"

this blood feud gets messy. it has gotten people killed, and with miles its not an exception. this story is, as per usual of AJW's books, graphic as hell. People say it a lot that his books made them gag, but honestly its not until now that this happened to me- lets just say that deer hunting methods now will give me nightmares.


But i stop. Too many memories of being told i was talking too much. I suddenly cant figure out if cooper's responses sounded bored or not

I've raved many times about how amazing the autism and trans rep is in the spirit bares its teeth and hell followed with us, but AJW did it again, but this time he managed to make the autism rep nearly better? there's some scenes in there that genuinely made me wonder if AJW had taken a look inside my brain to write this- as an autistic person i honestly just felt so damn seen-
i cried a lot during this book- not because it was sad but because every single part of it was so me in a way that i had seen no one describe before- i am a trans queer autistic punk person and seeing miles and Dallas? well it was nearly like looking in a mirror tbh- it was everything i needed

I have emotions, obviously, but sometimes its a bit of work to show them, and right now its best if i don't

okay okay okay i know this review is very long at this point and if you don't want to hear about some identities that miles doesn't figure out until the end of the book you can jump past this section

i don't think i have ever seen allosexual aromantic representation ever- and although this is not me(I'm ace though so siblings ish?) it was so amazing to see in a book- the way it was described was absolutely wonderful-
and miles ending up in a queerplatonic relationship? I'm not going to lie, i straight up started bawling- i have never seen anyone, aside from online, talk about qpr's- I'm in a qpr and seeing that representation really meant the world to me

and of course as always AJW's trans representation was on point- and god did i appreciate that we didn't get one of the two stereotypical portrayals(although those are important too)- seeing the parents not be happy but also not throwing miles out doesn't happen often but it meant the world to me- sometimes it takes time for parents to come around to, i know mine did, and seeing representation for this too was amazing-

There's no time to argue. No time to plead or beg. A deer can't negotiate with a bullet once its fired. I run

this book was filled with everything i needed and more and damn i could not put it down. the worst part about reading this book now is the fact that i have no one to scream with about this absolute masterpiece of a book- like i don't know how I'm going to recover its not even funny
this book was absolutely amazing, and its a new favourite of mine hands down- i cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy and hear the audiobook-
this was such a long review but fuck i had so much to say about this book, and i could continue to talk about it for hours-

also would this be a review of an AJW's book, by me, if i did not include a special shoutout to the author letter? which of course once again made me tear up?

If i promise you that this book has a happy ending, does that make it better? Does that make it any easier to swallow?

Andrew Joseph White became an insta-buy author for me after his first book. Compound Fracture is his third, and he continues to knock it out of the park.

This book brought so many emotions out of me. I've read both of AJW's books and own copies so when I got early access to this one I read it all today (during Trans visibility day. Ironic isn't it?). I have thoroughly enjoyed his two previous books beforehand but this one hits incredibly close. I've never had my heart race so much while reading a book before. I cried, I laughed a few times, I made noises at my boyfriend to express my emotions, and I even told my mom about how I felt about the whole book! On top of everything, it was strangely comforting to read this book. I still can't process why but it warms my heart. It's a truly beautiful book and I will be getting my hands on the physical copy as soon as it comes out. I look forward to any future books written by AJ!!

Being from Maryland, I wouldn't say I have a history with West Virginia outside of the fact that my grandma, like a lot of western MDers, was born there. But I *can* say that I held a lot of deep seated distaste for WV between the ages of 12 and 24, also known as My Liberal Years- when I thought that any backwoods hick town was unfixable and everyone in them was unlovable. Then... I grew up to be queerer and more socialist than I ever thought I would be at age 12 and came to terms with not having to make excuses for having WV roots to people, or not making jokes about "haha you never know, my grandma WAS born in WV!"

All that to say, this book made me even more radical than I was about it. The incredible strength Miles and his family showed in not leaving when things got hard because THAT'S HOME was awe inspiring. I'm not trans, but my younger brother is, and god this made me remember how often he came to me with queer and mental health revelations when he was a kid and I was a Slightly Older Kid. We're also both autistic, and the shoelace was so very relatable.

This book was so autistically funny (if that's a word ?) and I'm so happy it exists. I will forever devour everything AJW writes and I cannot wait for the day that I am graced with reading another deeply unsettling (and a little gross) autistic queer horror story about being queer and socialist in a world that doesn't want you but will be forced to reckon with you.

With Andrew Joseph Whites third published book he proves he can not seem to miss. Compound Fracture is a blunt and bloody novel surrounding a trans man coming into his inheritance of a century old blood feud with his county sheriff and the family behind it and boy was it such an experience. Andrews books are the kind I wished I’d have had as young teen discovering themselves. Compound Fracture manages to organically weave so many ideas and experiences and handles all of them with time, grace and a consideration, so that truly nothing can be said in the way of faults. The most striking feature of this book though is in the familial dynamics and the care Miles and his family have for one another despite maybe not understanding each other 100% of the time. The love these parents have for their child regardless of sexuality and gender is genuinely such a touching and heartwarming addition and the love Miles has for his county and home regardless of the wrong that’s been done to him and his family can be felt so viscerally. Compound Fracture overall was a delight to read and although many tears were shed over it at times it once agains stand to prove what a fantastic storyteller the author is.

Big thanks to Peachtree Teen and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

A century ago, Saint Abernathy incited a miner’s rebellion after the local mine collapsed that ended in a brutal public execution. Since then, the Abernathys have been at odds with the Davies family, the local lawn enforcement dynasty.

Now, on the same day he’s come out to his parents, Miles Abernathy sneaks out to a party with important evidence that ties Sheriff Davies to the accident that injured Miles’ dad and killed his friend’s mom. Miles is caught by the sheriff’s son and his friends and is beaten nearly to death. In the hospital, the sheriff visits Miles to ensure his silence, and Miles begins seeing the specter of a coal miner. After an accident kills one of the boys who hurt him, Miles finds support in his community and becomes embroiled in a series of events that will either save Twist Creek or damn the Abernathys.

First and foremost, if you’re a fan of White’s other works (Hell Followed With Us, The Spirit Bares Its Teeth) you’ll find that this book is more thriller than straightforward horror. He’s added a list of content warnings on the Goodreads entry for the book, which is really thoughtful considering this book is bloody and full of trauma. Compound Fracture is, at its heart, a love letter to Appalachia, the working class, family, and making the world a better place. The plot is fast paced, everything rushing toward conclusion or calamity. The people of Twist Creek have been through so much and have been ground down by corrupt leaders like the Davies family, and White does a great job painting that. It’s an excellent portrayal of a family that’s been through hell and back and how they continue to persevere.

There are some really hard part to read, tough things to get through, but none of it feels gratuitous or unnecessary. Miles is a socialist like his great-great-grandfather before him and this book delves into politics and labor rights. Miles is also an autistic trans man, and his journey of self realization is beautiful. As a trans person myself, I felt the pain and frustration every time Miles was misgendered or deadnamed, and the joy he felt when things clicked and people treated him with respect. White writes what he knows and writing with his heart, and that is abundantly clear in Compound Fracture, which may well be his best work to date.

Holy... I have no words. Andrew Joseph White has done it again. This was a fucking banger. My midwest-loving heart was so ready for this and I got exactly what I wanted. This is about a boy named Miles who family loves and supports him through family feuds and identity explorations. As an autistic, transmasc reader, I felt a lot of myself in this character. Being able to watch Miles go through a similar experience as I did concerning his autism diagnosis was heartbreaking and amazing. Being able to suddenly explain why you are the way you are is a crucial moment for a lot of autistic teens and it was a joy to watch it unfold on-page. Another thing I love about AJW's books is the amount of violence and gore he is able to cram onto his pages. He knows his teen readers well enough to know that they should not be underestimated. Teens are fully capable of learning of and hearing about gruesome, horrific acts, and as an 18 year old, I should know. One thing I hate about a lot of YA novels this days is their want to skirt around the worst stuff. Like the authors think we couldn't handle it. But there are children who have been through a lot more than most adults in America. The worst thing we could do to them is underestimate their intelligence and strength and resilience.
This book reminded me a lot of his first, Hell Followed With Us, an all-time favorite of mine, even if they aren't similar in a lot of ways. But angry trans men and boys sick of the world they've been forced to live through is a concept I'll never turn down. I'm hella excited for this authors next. I urge you to pick up this authors works, as they are some of the best I have ever read.

Let's burn it down.

It's always hard to attempt to find words to describe a book that is so perfectly executed. Because how am I supposed to describe the brilliance behind the discussion of a capitalist system held in place by cruelly that gets to prey on those it pleases told paired with a vibrant story of coming into your own amongst the gore and pain. Not to mention that I can't seem to come out of Andrew Joseph White book without feeling so goddamn seen, both as an autistic person and a trans person.

There is no holding back, because yes we're killing fascists that have inflicted so much horror onto others, but we're also examining the systems that have molded them to be those types of people - because they don't become like that in a vacuum. It's not about scrapping off the mold, it's about digging out the rot, about going back as far as possible, and realizing that the system is what molds these traumas. Violence follows violence, yet who provided the knives in both our hands? This book is a masterpiece, plain and simple, and I know it's obvious but I'll still say it: I adored it to pieces.

AJW has done it again, unsurprisingly his third book is just as heart-wrenchingly beautiful as his other two. White brings us into the world of Miles, a teenage trans boy living in the heart of Appalachia, and born into the middle of a blood feud between his family and the sheriff. White always amazes me with his strong and ever-present voice within his novels. The characters grabbed my heart and never gave it back. The queer and autistic experiences and representation in this book are things I never realized I had never read before and desperately needed. A breath of fresh air amid our political world right now. Once again, this book feels like the relief that comes after a hard cry. No notes. Five stars!

Holy shit, where do I start? This book is amazing, disgusting, and absolutely beautiful. Andrew Joseph White is masterful with gore, welding body parts like weapons, smearing blood across the pages. COMPOUND FRACTURE is politically complicated, wonderfully gross, and a truly excellent read.

I am not sure if I will bring this into my classroom as a part of the curriculum, but I do plan to have it in my classroom library and to recommend it to students. This book is truly excellent. White is a class of his own with this genre. I am consistently blown away by his writing style. It hits like a punch. Many of my students will benefit from reading COMPOUND FRACTURE, and I'm incredibly thankful for the opportunity to have read this early.

AJW does it again, three for three 5 star books. Compound Fracture was a thrilling and raw story of a trans boy’s fight to survive. Highly recommend that everyone pick this up when it releases.

Andrew Joseph White truly never lets me down. Never. I ripped through this book in 2 hours and loved every bit of it. It was indeed not for the faint of heart, and there was so much to love, loathe, and mourn about this. I truly felt the heart and soul of Miles, who coincidentally shares my name, so I already felt a sort of kinship with him. Dallas was the sweet, accepting, loving little anarchist we all needed but didn't know we needed, and I truly hurt for them knowing what they survived. Cooper was complicated and made my heart ache, and to see his fate was.. shattering. How he developed throughout the course of the story, it was clear he was hurting, and he was under so much pressure, such a burden, still grieving. He can hardly be blamed for his anger, but he would never be justified in hurting Miles like he did. I appreciated the sort of due diligence that Noah received at the hands of Miles, the way he was able to take back years and years of feuding and put an end to it in an eerily similar fashion to which his great great grandfather met his demise. It was bittersweet, really. I loved the subtle tribute to his great great grandfather, who was likely trans, and gay, and finally got to rest after all those years. Not a single bad thing to say about this book, really.

Let me tell you, I SCREAMED when I got approved to read this. Then I ran, just RAN, to download the book and start reading.

First of all: YEAH. OKAY. Andrew Joseph White has DONE IT AGAIN. My brain is a microwave and Compound Fracture is rotating inside it, while I’ve got my nose pressed to the glass. It’s visceral, it’s vivid, it’s fast-paced. I loved it. If I’d read when I was sixteen — the same age as Miles, the protagonist — I would have annoyed all my friends by constantly badgering them to read it, too.

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth is one of my favourite books. Compound Fracture is definitely joining it on the shelf of faves.

Some assorted notes:

-The end of Chapter Fifteen made me shout ‘Ooooh!’ in shock. I almost NEVER have external reactions to books. Then, the end of Chapter Twenty-One… yeah. I smiled at that.

-The setting and characters feel so real.

-The ghost!!!! The ghost!!! I can’t say too much about him because, you know, spoilers, but yeah!!!!

This was a fascinating read that I could not put down.
If you’re someone who feels angry at the state of the world than this read will feed your soul a bit.
Andrew Joseph White has a way of writing characters with a wide range of diversity that feels real. The conversations around autism, queerness, identity, and generational trauma are truly unmatched.
I also didn’t expect to get so emotional over the ghost of an ancestor.
The way that the book tackled trauma responses from the various characters was brilliant too.

I will be thinking about this book for a long time.

Andrew Joseph White does it again. Another book of his that I have completely devoured. I will read everything written by this man.

We start with Miles uncovering proof of just how far the sheriff will go to keep his position of power over the small town. Miles is almost beaten to death for the evidence, which sets in motion so many events of the book. In the process, Miles reconnects with old friends, learns more about his ancestors and himself, commits a couple (necessary) murders, and realizes just how tight his family is bonded.

This book is gory, but I mean it's AJW, and he has a list of CWs in his own review so I don't have to list them, but it also has a cozy feeling towards the end.

I love AJWs writing style, not one of his books drag at any moment, especially this one, it's fast-paced from start to finish.

Thank you, NetGalley and PeachTree for the eARC!

with all of white's ya novels so far, my one issue has been i just want his ideas to be explored in more depth. here, with miles' anarchism and socialism and how systems like the police and capitalism is a strong determinator of the poor's life outcomes, there could've been more nuance in terms of how free will plays into his characterization of those extreme cases. however, despite that, visibility is important. i loved reading about miles coming to terms with his autism (without an official diagnosis might i add, pointing out the inequity in mental health access) and his aromantic identity as well as his experience being trans. there is an underlying optimism here despite how gory the contents can get that people are capable of change that will surely make a lot of teens feel welcome in. i wish i had this when i was growing up and can't wait to read whatever white writes next.

this is so incredibly different to AJW’s last 2 books, a lot more thriller-y than horror but still disgusting and gruesome all the same. miles is a bit of a trainwreck of a character but so easy to love especially for autistic queer ppl who can see themselves in him… but he is a total badass. watching him develop a relationship with his ancestors & feeling so seen when he finds out just how similar they are is so comforting, & watching miles follow in his footsteps is !!! i don’t want to spoil too much but the rep in this book is just perfect & the vengeance is executed perfectly <3

*minor spoilers*

Thank you ever so much to Netgalley and the publishers of Compound Fracture for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I completely and utterly devoured this book as I do with every single one of Andrew Joseph White’s books and this one was no exception. Before I continue I will preface this review with the major trigger warnings, which include graphic violence, queer and transphobia, opioid dependency, emotional manipulation, animal harm, discussions of ableism, and emetophobia warning. this book like all of white’s books, really engages with me on a personal, emotional and psychological level. the found family, the trans and autistic rep, the justified vengeance at a system that is fucked against you all really hits in today’s society. miles is a little rough around the edges, not the most reliable narrator at times, a bit morally grey at times, and just a clusterfuck of a character in general. but you really learn to love him, scars and all. the storyline of his trans ancestor really fucking hit me right in heart. generational queerness is so beautiful and we really love to see it. I was sad to see cooper lose his way and turn on miles a bit, but also knew that the system in Twist Creek had fucked him and his family over for a very long time. the socialism and anarchism against the unjust system was really beautiful as well and is definitely needed given what the current future in america for any minority group is looking right now. the generational feud finally coming to an end was very symbolic and gave me a lot of hope that maybe, just maybe there’s a chance for change in the future. also the queer platonic relationship representation was *chefs kiss* so fucking cute and beautiful as well. i have no more to share other than read this goddamn book, and let it give you hope for the future too.