I'm sure some people will really love this, and I appreciated that it had a lot of representation. I also loved the Appalachian setting, and hope we get more Appalachian YA in the future. However, nothing about this was enjoyable for me to read. It was one violent and traumatic event after another, with no time in between to recover. It wasn't a bad book, but it isn't a book to read for entertainment because it is so bleak and gruesome.

While I liked this book, and have so many good things to say about it, This was my least favorite AJ White book so far.

I live in West Virginia, not far from black water falls which is mentioned to be neighboring Twist Creek. Why does Miles have no idea what a vape is ? We’re poor, not from another planet. I kept getting a wv map out and questioning where this was suppose to be happening because it’s felt like it should have been a lottttt more south than it was. Most of my dislikes are honestly little things like that, where I think being from here, it took me out of the story because I was like “that’s not how we are.” I was really excited to see this book set so close to me, but I actually think I might be too close/ sensitive about that and the portrayal of us to give a non bias response to that aspect of the book.

The story was well done, and interesting from start to finish. Especially the second half of the book. It honestly could have been longer and more fleshed out, I would have happily read more detail into what was going on. It took me a few days to read the first half, and then I accidentally stayed up til 3 am reading the second half because I couldn’t put it down. The characters themselves feel pretty real, at least the main ones. The villains are caricatures for sure. I enjoyed the history aspects of it. Practically everyone here is related to someone who was or still is a coal miner.

This book leans a lot more toward thriller and less supernatural than other books by this author, and honestly I’m not mad at it. It did slightly surprise me though.
I will say there was a part in the beginning where it’s mentioned that you shouldn’t look into the Appalachian woods, so I actually expected more of a cryptid/ scary Appalachian woods thing, and less of a friendly ghost helping take down the bad guys.

And this whole book, set in coal country West Virginia, and not a single pepperoni roll??

Jokes aside and overlooking small things that bugged me just because I live here, I do think this was a very good book. If this author knows how to do anything it’s writing realistic trans and autistic representation and that alone makes all of his work worth diving into for me.

This book was a very dark, very fascinating book about a blood feud in rural West Virginia. The main character Miles was great trans representation and while the book itself is very bleak and violent, the story was incredible.

As soon as I saw that Andrew Joseph White had a new novel coming out, I couldn't wait to get into this.
Compound Fracture is:
A queer Appalachian thriller that pulls no punches—following a trans autistic teen who's drawn into the generational struggle between the rural poor and those who exploit them.
Pulls no punches is so right! This story feels so real, with characters who are expertly written and in-depth.
Set in West Virginia in 2017, this book feels like it was pulled from the headlines. The twists were so hidden that more than once I gasped when something was revealed. So often I had to keep saying "One more chapter is ok, I'll just sleep in more". I cannot recommend this book enough! You need to read this!

Thank you @netgallet and @peachtreetean for this ARC

this was a dnf for me, unfortunately. i think the blame’s on me because i feel as though i’ve outgrown ya as a genre, but this felt a little too undercooked for my taste. ajw is a very talented writer and i loved his first two books, and the themes explored in this one are definitely super interesting, but . . . i don’t know. it feels rushed, in a way. i think the book would benefit from some extra editing.

e-arc providedby netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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

once again, an andrew joseph white book had me hooked from the author's note at the very beginning. i don't know how he does it.

'compound fracture' is not entirely unlike his two earlier books - it's bloody and gnarly and angry, and has some supernatural elements to boot. but it's the realest of the bunch so far, in the sense that it follows a situation that might as well be happening right now. the world is not kind to trans people, and to have a century old blood feud hanging over yourself on top of it? oh, i would've snapped.

miles is probably my favourite ajw protagonist so far. i saw so much of myself in him and his journey, his thoughts, his actions. he'll stick with me for a while, as will the rest of the cast. and the very good dog.

Compound Fracture is such a hard book to review because it shows AJW's greatest strengths and flaws. I was an early reviewer for HFWU (one of the earliest GR reviews actually) and TSBIT and I love all AJW has to offer. Compound Fracture is a book that deals heavily with socialism/communism (the book does not make the distinction between the two) in West Virginia especially as it relates to miner strikes in the 19th century. I'm mostly familiar with miner strikes in Europe especially France through Zola's Germinal, a French classic (Miles should read Germinal) but it doesn't surprise me that they were similar movements in the US. This is a topic very close to home for AJW as we understand that some of the family characters are based on his family and likely family history in the region.

I deeply believe that it is a fundamentally important book to publish in the US, especially for a Young Adult audience. This is a book where the protagonist reads the Communist Manifesto and engages with in-text labelled anarchists and fellow radical leftist movements. It is explicitly pro-strike and against the police, especially in the form of the sheriff. That being said I'm not American I've just heard about the Red Scare. For an American audience (who is of course the intended audience, I'd even say the audience is Southern Americans) this is extremely radical, especially for teen literature and I expect it to be banned in some schools. However, as I said I'm not American and where I'm from we have a Communist Party, a Worker's Party and an Anticapitalist Party (those are their names) and while they get pushback especially right now and have been bleeding members for decades but leftist infighting is so proeminent here that it's jarring to see a self-labelled socialist (here the self-named socialists are considered the soft, useless left), despite reading the Manifesto and being called a commie I don't remember Miles labelling himself as a communist, being tight with anarchists (anarcho-communists often just called anarchists in the book) without some kind of ideological fight. That being said it's probably what people should strive for. Like Dallas said (and I'm paraphrasing as to not quote an ARC) : why are we worrying about identity politics in the middle of a class war?

You know what let's talk about it. It was a small issue I had with HFWU that I did not have with TSBIT due to its being historical fiction. Compound Fracture falls into the trap of "preachy" YA. (I don't like the term preachy, I'm not sure what to use instead). You know those YA contemporary books (adult romances can be guilty of it too) that have way too many paragraphs that are just the author lecturing you about what they want you to know and that sounds like Twitter thread. Like Dallas doesn't look androgynous and this is subtly brought up when the mother (endearing character that we see try to understand trans identities and it takes her a few tries but she tries) says they don't look like a they to which Miles is like what does a they look like and end of the conversation. But no we need another conversation between Dallas and Miles where this is explicitly stated by the characters that nonbinary doesn't have a look. And again and again. So many topics are brought up and over-explained with the delicacy of an elephant in a porcelain store. And I know AJW is doing it on purpose because it's aimed at teens but I believe that teens don't always need cringy over explanations. I do think their next adult novel will have a lot less of that.

And you know I do think it's a shame because the plot is great. It's strong and so are the characters. It's threatening although not too much, there is plausible deniability for the supernatural element. It delves into family feuds and history, revenge, and violence and is a fascinating exploration of masculinity among rural southern communities (without telling it to you explicitly, like subtlety is alive and well). Very interestingly the book never really brings up toxic masculinity because it's not a concern, men are harsh in the way they need to be but can get lost in the violence. Toxic masculinity is irrelevant here in the face of class violence (although I can't help but think about the lack of exploration of misogyny in the story experienced by characters who are not Miles besides a few quips, ie Miles' mom is assumed to be the one cooking when it was actually his dad). We know what the cycle of violence can do to people. While writing this review, it has come to me that after his dad's accident Miles is acting as the de-facto father of his family and it's something I relate to a lot. He tries to be a provider, a defender, to bring justice to his family. When we are without a father figure, it is up to us to be the father figure to be better than him. Maybe I see this in Miles' forced sobriety, the desire to be better than his father in this way so he can keep fighting for his family. I do think it's paralleled with Saint's fatherhood; what he did was for his family, he was the father, and he had a family to fight for and avenge (and I guess in a wider way, miners are family in strikes).

For all its ACAB/anti-MAGA messaging, I do think it's easy to see the Sheriff and his family (His family has been harassing and killing Miles' people for decades) as the bad apples terrorising the town. AJW explicitly wants to focus on the good people in the South, the we're not like that people but besides the trio villains (one of them is somehow forced into it) + sheriff, most people we see are Miles' community and therefore good people. The comments are about faceless MAGA neighbours (yet we learn that the only Black family has been driven out of town, that Dallas who has burn scars would have been harassed to hell and back but the school has a gay association with a he/they lesbian). I do think AJW was aiming for something and missed the right balance. ACAB but the police is one man and if we root out the corruption we can elect good people and it will be better. You know.

I was expecting a lot of the book's depiction of an arospec protagonist and I found myself disappointed? I felt like I was expecting more than what I got. Sometimes I was reading a scene and was expecting something that never came. Maybe I found it too surface-level. Miles is uncomfortable in his blossoming relationship with a guy but that is also attributed to said guy's behaviour, then spends some time with Dallas and suddenly there's a QPR at the end because now Miles has figured himself out, off-screen? i guess it makes sense because AJW suggests in the author's notes that it wasn't initially planned but it felt out of nowhere for a book that spoon-feeds you a lot about marginalised identities.

I feel like a harsh critic for a book I enjoyed and will keep thinking about. AJW is an excellent writer who knows how to adapt to various genre conventions. Compound Fracture can be a gruesome but cathartic thriller with an exploration of violence, masculinity and community.

THIS IS MY COMMUNIST MANIFESTO!!

Do you know that feeling when you’re reading a book and you can just tell the author was meant to tell stories? That’s exactly how Andrew Joseph White makes me feel. Compound Fracture grabbed me by the throat on page one and body slammed me while doing a double backflip on the last page.

This book is heavy on the political message and I LOVED it. It’s parts queer identity, parts neurodivergency, parts self-acceptance, and parts socialistic ideology. On all these different aspects the author made really interesting points that had me reevaluating my own beliefs. Moreover, Andrew Joseph White did an EXCELLENT job at portraying realistic characters that are not reduced to being strictly good or strictly bad.

Overall I really enjoyed this book, although it had me screaming in frustration at times. Regardless of the fact that this book is rather dark, finishing it felt like a warm hug.

(Also I would like to smooch the cover designer on the mouth (if consented to) because god damn AJW’s books are always so GORGEOUS)

Big thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thanks NetGalley and Peachtree Teen for the ARC!
Somehow this book is a combination of brutal and hopeful. The storyline is heavy, with murder, small conservative town politics, a restless spirit, and generational trauma. But it has an ending that while I wouldn’t necessarily categorize it as happy, it is fitting, and leaves you with a sense that things will be ok in the end. The characters are so well written and memorable and it’s great to see well done autistic and trans representation. My favorite thing might be the sentiment the protagonist, Miles, has towards his small, conservative, rural hometown. Miles sees, acknowledges, and is often victimized by the transphobia and queerphobia rampant in this small town. But his attitude of and love of his town is stubbornly hopeful as he refuses to give up his sense of ownership for his town despite it’s problems. The family dynamics were really interesting and refreshing as well. That isn’t to say Miles and his parents don’t have a lot of relationship imperfections and baggage to work through. But I really appreciate a set of parents who are at least attempting to change and grow with their child. Overall this one was a lot more thriller and less paranormal horror. Pay attention to the content warnings but definitely give this one a try if you are in a place to do so.

I don't even know where to start with this review. I finished the book in 2 days, I got sucked into it that I read it for 3 hours straight, the characters are so real and genuine, although AJW always seems to get that across, but this one, it felt so real. It shook me to my core and altered ever part of my brain. The amount of emotions I experienced. I cried, which it doesn't take me that much to cry but, the point still stands. I cannot express how much I love this book, how much it means. I love all the ups and downs, even if the downs drag me down with them. I can't believe how much weight this book carries. Even the acknowledgementes are written so lovely. So personal without revealing too much. I love all of AJW's writing, I don't know how else to express how good this book is without giving it endless praise. I am avoiding spoiling any of it. I cannot express my love for this book enough

I loved this book which is no surprise considering Andrew Joseph White's other works! It is too mature for the age that I teach, but I will absolutely recommend it for high school and middle school students. The characters were well developed; the nuance given to the antagonists is an important message for the current generations. Everyone comes with their own circumstances and experiences, and we should try to empathize with them. That being said, people should still be held accountable for their actions. The novel did a great job of highlighting the struggle between these two ideas. My only critique is that the family lines were a tad confusing- I was not always sure what generation each person was from or how they were related. A visual family tree would have been helpful. The plot was consistent; I particularly liked the circular references to the Abernathy family history. The pacing felt slightly rushed at points, but nothing major. This is such an important book for transgender kids in today's political climate; it shows that things can and will get better by building a strong community.
4.5 stars rounded up

I dont even know what to say about this book. It’s no doubt AJW’s best work so far and thats saying a lot because all of his books have been beyond amazing.

No notes because this was perfect.

thank you to netgalley & peachtreeteen for the arc !!

i’ve followed andrew joseph white for years now, and i have to say, this is definitely some of his best work. the world i grew up is miles (haha) away from the one miles did, and yet, i could put myself in his shoes all the same. i felt his fear, his rage, his pain, and his relief. it was a magical book, truly. and i love lady—such a good girl!! the autistic rep in this was amazing too, i love the idea that miles’ parents are autistic as well but simply unaware. it makes so much sense, and as an autistic person myself, sounds pretty on par. i love the little subtle ways that AJW hints towards aspects of a character/plot point, only to see them later confirmed !! it’s a super surreal feeling, especially with how accurate and heartfelt everything felt. you can really tell a lot of work went into this, and i loved every second of it. i would recommend this book to anyone & everyone (okay, maybe with some caution to the trigger warnings) tbh; it was riveting and beautiful and effectively horrifying at the same time. definitely one of my top reads of this year thus far!!

I read this entire book in one sitting, like every book by Andrew Joseph White so far, because I was too invested to put it down for even a moment. The writing is amazing, the characters feel like real people I can relate to, the representation is diverse in an unforced way and incredibly authentic and the story is one of the best I’ve seen in a Young Adult book ever. This is definitely one of my favourite books now and I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who is or ever was an angry trans and/or autistic kid.

WHAT A BLOODY GOOD BOOK!!!! the characters, the setting, the vibes were all
immaculate. thank you so so much for approving my request for this because it blew me AWAY!!!!! i’ll be making a video of it asap because the world needs to get excited.

Andrew Joseph White never fails to write gripping, emotional, and real stories about trans youth and survival that will tug on your heart and make you gasp. Compound Fracture turns to the destructive state of American politics, corrupt police, and late-stage capitalism through the story of one boy, his dog, and the ghost of his great-grandfather (with a railroad spike in his throat). Gripping, loving, and utterly jarring, this is a must-read story of hope, despite the gore and the challenges that come with small-town culture.

Andrew Joseph White’s third novel, although not a horror, is no less bloody.

I went into this with the highest of expectations considering my love for Hell Followed With Us and The Spirit Bares Its Teeth, both of which were my favourite books of the past two years. I’m happy to report, I’m satisfied.

This was a thrilling ride. I’ll be honest- I wasn’t too sure in the middle. It felt a little slower and like we were meandering a bit. But by the end I was completely on board again. I love that White does not shy away from anything in his novels, and that’s no less true here.

There was such a complexity to the characters, to the world they live in. Nothing is exactly black and white. Who is a villain? Is anyone? Or are people just of their circumstances?

The setting was fantastic as well. The small town vibe was immaculate.

Really, if White hadn’t cemented himself as one of my favourite authors with his last two books, he absolutely has with this. I can’t wait for my physical copy to arrive in the fall!

"Monsters don't get to be innocent. Monsters don't get to beg for mercy. They don't deserve it."

Compound Fracture
By Andrew Joseph White
5/5⭐️

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for an ARC of this book.

I began this book without even reading the blurb, so I was delighted to be thrown into a heart-racing action scene with that amazing writing style I've loved in AJW's past books.

This book is set in a county in West Virginia called Twist Creek in 2017. Its been ruled by the same horrible family of sheriffs for a century, who are willing to hurt others to keep their dirty secrets. For example, as the blurb will tell you, Miles is seriously injured by Sheriff Davies's son at the very beginning because he had photo evidence of the sheriff causing Cooper's mother's death. It's also fiercely far right-wing, hating all diversity. Every single family is white American. So yeah, definitely not the ideal place for any member of a marginalised community to live.

Our protagonist is Miles, a sixteen-year old autistic trans boy. He's a socialist, and he loves his state of West Virginia. He is honest, unafraid of his opinions unless they stand a physical threat to his family. Also sensible, brave, wary. I absolutely adored him as a protagonist, he was relatable in some ways, and had a strong personality. He also had the best dog, Lady.
Cooper, Miles's old friend, immediately stood out as an important character to me. Through his kindness in the opening chapters, I assumed he was a good guy. Well, that opinion changed. I won't say anything more because of spoilers.
Dallas, the brave enby who wasn't afraid to share their political views openly in a community that opposed them, was easy to love as a character.
Miles's father and mother were kind, caring, resilient. I love reading about supportive parents, who care for their children no matter what.
Sheriff Davies, the man who made an entire family fear for their safety due to his and his ancestors' brutality, was the antagonist of this story. He was also sexist, at one point assuming Miles's mother had been cooking when it had been his father upon barging into their house unannounced. It's safe to say I loathed him. And Noah, he was also pure evil.

This book is, overall, about a community who have for a generation been harmed by the sheriff simply due to rebelling actions a century beforehand. This is how Miles stops it.

There was a paranormal aspect, if it can be called that. Miles sees the ghost of his great-great-grandfather, Saint Abernathy, but even at the end he isn't sure if Saint was real or not (though one event proves it, which I can't mention).

The trans rep was perfect, as was the autistic rep. Thank you, Andrew Joseph White, for providing the trans autistic protagonists we need in literature.

Overall, I think this book is something else. Something unique, brilliant.
Brutal is the word I'd use to describe it, purely brutal, both the things that happen in this novel and its affect on the reader.
It is clearly a 5-star read.

Listen, this book is very heavy. There is a lot of violence, multiple murders, the transphobia is quite harsh, and if any trigger listed below is something you can't read, please don't force yourself to.

TWs: violence, transphobia, outing of a trans person, gun violence, abelism, murder, bullying, torture, kidnapping, blood, injuries, drug use, deadnaming, hate crime, death, emotional abuse, police brutality, gore, classism, child death, medical content, alcohol

The next TWs occur before the events of this book, but are still mentioned: pedophilia, car accident, death of a parent, fire, animal cruelty, animal death

Queer rep:
Transmasc protagonist
Queer sc
Transmasc sc
Non-binary sc
Aromanic questioning protagonist.

Other rep:
Autistic protagonist
Side character with ADHD
2 side characters with PTSD
Autistic side character

Thank you so much, Holiday House / Peachtree / Pixel+Ink, Peachtree Teen and NetGalley, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

TW: gore, blood, violence

On the night Miles Abernathy comes out as trans through an email to his parents, he goes to a party carrying with him the evidence that can turn the tide of the family blood feud. Photos where the Sheriff Davies was responsible for an "accident" that injured his dad, killed others and maimed a friend. But when he's brutally attacked by the sheriff's son and his friends, everything changes. Now, in the hospital a soot-covered man hovers over his bedside, where Miles is threatened to silence by the Sheriff, the ghost of his great-great-grandfather, Saint Abernathy, a man who started the blood feud, inciting a miners' rebellion and fighting to get better living conditions and was executed by the Davies' ancestor.
When Miles accidentally kills one of the boys who hurt him, he discovers he's not the only one who wants to stop this feud once and for all and with his friends and family plan to put everything on the line, to stop this cruelty.

I loved every single book written by Andrew Joseph White and this one isn't different. A queer Appalachian thriller with a trans and autistic MC, ready to do anything to stop the violence in his city. Miles is a proud socialist, he's interested in politics and history, well versed in his own family blood feud with the Davies and willing to risk anything to stop it, to finally live his own life without fear and violence and retribution. Not only that, he's struggling with his coming out, his figuring out who he is, with new and old allies and friends and with feelings involved in murders and threats, with ghosts present too.
Miles knows about the generational struggle between rural poor and the violent upper class, how the police isn't trustworty and how being trans and autistic is difficult in his city, but Miles loves it and he wants to create a better environment for everyone, so they can live safely and happily.
I loved how the brutality is mixed in the story, how it is necessary in some contexts and how Miles is fiercely protecting his own family, willing to hide and lie to save them.
It's a political and historical story about a teen willing to do anything to get justice, to change his city and to live better. A brilliant MC, who knowing his own history, is ready to fight for a political change.

I have always been partial to Appalachia as a setting, and this latest by Andrew Joseph White did not disappoint.

I am admittedly a great audience for the book, being leftist, autistic and queer. But, even with that, Compound Fracture was an absolute delight. This novel shows the best, the worst, and everything in between of Appalachia.

On a personal note: seeing queer characters, and myself reflected in them is still a new and novel experience. Far more new an novel than it should be for a queer in my mid 30s. I am so glad to not only see more queer characters but the range of experiences and emotions. Joy to visceral messiness and everything in between.

I throughly enjoyed The Spirit Bears It's Teeth, and this is a similarly well rounded and enjoyable read.