i received this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, and, like Miles, i am going to be blunt.
Compound Fracture is incredible. it gripped me from quite literally the first page and every page after. Miles , i feel, is the epitome of morally gray. i think the whole thing might be, actually.
the discussions about class politics and generational blood feuds and community and police brutality were so raw and honestly addressed. we cannot control the environment we are brought up in, and when it’s do or die, what else is there to do but fight back?
Miles is so incredibly strong and brave and real, even if he didn’t ask for it, even he didn’t want to be. he saw the bigger picture, in that nobody chooses the life, the family they are born into, good or bad. pests don’t choose to be , but they are, they must be dealt with regardless. i just saw so much of myself in him. in his views. his thoughts and discussions with dallas about him being autistic were a sort of deja vu. i just loved every second even if i was squirming at some of the body horror. stunning novel, everyone should read it. also lady is the baddest bitch dog on the block. anyway, here some quotes i liked from the last 30 pages, bc that’s when i started writing them down lol.

“one last gasping sob as i force my body to work with me. no time to have a breakdown. no time to think too hard.”

“i think he deserved it. in the grand scheme of things, i think he didn’t.”

“there’s a funeral for noah, because he was a child, and if you want my opinion, he was a victim of this as much as i was.”

“what’s law enforcement except a group of people legally allowed to hurt you without cause? i don’t trust no one with that kind of power.”

I have thus far loved EVERYTHING Andrew Joseph White has written, and this is no exception to that rule. I loved the creepy Appalachian vibe, the slow descent into even wilder events. I started with his debut Hell Followed With Us, named The Spirit Bares Its Teeth my number 1 book of 2023, and this is for sure in my top 10 of this year!

4 stars? This is my least favorite AJW book so far, but that’s not because it’s bad by any means. I think I’ve enjoyed his more fictionalized worlds, but this one was a lot more real. I also prefer supernatural aspects and it to be horror (didn’t realize it was a thriller). I will always love AJW’s writing style though, and I still really liked the story!

This is a love letter to the working class. This author writes so lovingly and so loudly for queer autistic teens; it’s really something to behold. This is a tale as old as time - systemic oppression, generational trauma, and the abuse of power enacted upon the working class. If you’re looking for a book that’s incredibly raw, and will have you physically recoiling - pick this one up. I am HERE for the cycle breakers.

This was fab! I loved the historical context and the development of the relationships. The main character was just super fun to inhabit too. I found the random attempts to put the text in dialect odd because it wasn’t consistent and was only like two contractions, and I think his previous two books were better, but still tore through this.

Yet another book that is beautifully written and completely heartbreaking. This is such an important book to read but it is very, very heavy. Before you read this you need to check out the trigger warnings because it is not for everyone.

As always, Andrew Jospeh White has given the world something incredible. Their writing always feels so raw and real and visceral. I love the settings in which he has placed all of his novels. All of them are so unique and always feel so lived in by all the characters. I especially love how they always center around a trans teen and have some type of gory element to them. I will always pick up a book by Andrew Jospeh White.

Resiliency, classism, corruption, activism, queer representation, a ghost, and an autistic lead character... This book was an intriguing read.
I am a huge fan of Andrew Joseph White's works. His previous novels were both 5 star reads for me. This one didn't resonate with me in quite the same way, but it still packed a punch. The latter half of the book especially caught me off guard multiple times. Vivid and dark with an underlying hope and anger.

Thank you to Peachtree Teen and Netgalley for providing me with an e-arc of Compound Fracture.

4.25 ⭐️

Andrew Joseph White just doesn’t miss. I’ve now read everything he’s published, and im so excited to read all of his future books.
While Hell Followed With Us is set in a post-apocalyptic future USA and The Spirit Bares its Teeth in the past, Compound Fracture focuses on the present and how the horrors of the past shapes us.
Andrew Joseph White is able to brilliantly tackle difficult topics in nuanced ways, creating black and white characters who evolve and grow throughout the novel.
Compound Fracture is no different.

Miles' journey in this book is really incredible. This book is truly a love letter to the south. I also live in the south and there are is a lot to criticize of course, but changes are happening. And isn't it so special to be a part of that change? Don't count the south out yet!! Miles is such a great character and I am so excited for the world to read his story.

I LOVE andrew joseph white and this is, while definitely not my favorite book by him, a boldly dramatic and interesting book

Another brilliant book by Andrew Joseph White. I loved Miles as the main character and the trans and autism representation within the book. The body horror in this book was great! I don't think I'll be getting the image of Saint with the spike in his mouth out of my head anytime soon. I also loved reading about the political and social climate of the town both in the past and present, and the people fighting to make it better in both times. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has enjoyed the author's previous books as well as anyone who likes YA thriller/horror.

Compound Fracture, and Andrew Joseph White in general, really takes you to where the story takes place. I felt everything Miles felt, all the anger and frustration and the hope and fight for something better. It is unapologetically political and gives amazing value and representation to Appalachia. I 100% recommend if you like AJW’s other works and if you like political thrillers set in Appalachia.

thank you so much to netgalley for the early copy! all opinions are my own!

this author never dissapoints, apparently, even tho it wasn't my fave from him.
there is no supernatural element this time. it's about how cruel humans can be and how most people have to suck it up to survive because that's the way the world is. and it broke me in a thousand pieces 😭😭 it truly is a necessary book. it shows how horrible people can be to what some consider "different and out of place," something that i can really appreciate because something similar is happening in my country. which surprised me was how unhinged the MCs were sometimes, the author really wasn't afraid to make everyone suffer and do drastic things to survive. it was also different from his previous books since in this one we are reading about the MC having to come out to his family as trans and also figuring out why are things for him so hard in the social aspect, something i enjoyed because it talks about how hard it can be for some people to realize who they are exactly.
a very hard but brave book, another really necessary read by this author. still will keep reading everything he writes 😎

Thank you NetGalley and PeachTree for the eARC! Compound Fracture is an incredibly brutal story about a generational blood feud between the working class and the small-town elite who profit off of them. This is an extremely timely YA social horror story / thriller. Big kudos to the author for writing and creating queer neurodivergent characters that treated seriously and with respect, rather than filler/fodder/a bucket list item to check off.

[Digital copy provided by Netgalley]

Every time I pick up a new Andrew Joseph White book, I don't know how he can top his last but oh boy, he does. Compound Fracture is a messy, painful, triumphant book, a love letter to the Appalachian Mountains, to resistance, and to queerness in all its forms. While I loved the historical and fantastical of his previous works, the contemporary nature of this book just hits differently. Miles is an incredible protagonist and his narrative voice had me hanging on every word. If there's any AJW book you should read, it's this one.

I have never hit a request button on NetGalley so fast, nor audibly screamed when I got the acceptance email. The description sounded amazing -- a trans, autistic teen gets tangled in the blood feud between his family and the Sheriff's. It promised to be political, unputdownable, and vital, and it was. Like all of AJW's books, Compound Fracture attempts to do a lot, and it succeeds. Expect morally gray, nuanced characters and an unforgettable examination of class, gender, and disability set against the background of Appalachia. Do not expect much of the supernatural -- it's most grounded of all of his works thus far.

Although I will never give an Andrew Joseph White book anything less than five stars, I do think this was my least favorite of his books, The gritty post-apocalyptic world of Hell Followed With Us and visceral Victorian horror of Spirit Bares Its Teeth sucked me in more readily than the present day contemporary/thriller vibes of Compound Fracture -- but I think that's actually where this book's strength lies. Readers who may have turned away from the more horror/speculative vibes of his previous works will find plenty to love here, and I love seeing AJW dabble in all different genres. More queer Appalachian thriller, please!

I also love the autistic representation. Unlike The Spirit Bares Its Teeth, whose protagonist may not have a name for his neurodivergence but has always known he's different, Compound Fracture gives us a main character discovering his own autism. Everything about this is beautifully done -- from Miles' comments about how damn hard it is to act "normal" all that time, to discovering commonalities with an autistic family friend, to finally accepting that this may have been the missing piece of himself all along. Good, authentic autistic rep is rare. Good self-diagnosed autistic rep is even rarer still. I think it's so incredible that today's teens get to have AJW writing the stories that speak to their lives...I'm honestly a little jealous!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Peachtree Teen, and Andrew Joseph White for gifting me this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Omg This story!

If you want a story that packs a punch, both emotionally and politically, then Andrew Joseph White’s Compound Fracture is the book you’ve been waiting for.

Set in the rugged Appalachian landscape, this queer thriller is not just a tale of survival but a call to arms for those who see the world’s failures and are ready to push for radical change.

The protagonist, Miles Abernathy, is a trans autistic teen living in Twist Creek, West Virginia, where a century-old blood feud between his family and the corrupt sheriff’s department still festers. The story starts on the night Miles comes out as trans to his parents and decides to attend a party with a purpose, he’s carrying evidence that could expose Sheriff Davies for the killer he is.

But what starts as a mission for justice turns into a fight for survival! After a brutal attack that leaves Miles on the brink of death, he’s visited by the ghost of his great-great-grandfather, a symbol of the miners’ rebellion that began this whole mess. And as if dealing with a corrupt sheriff, his cronies, and his own recovery isn’t enough, Miles accidentally kills one of his attackers, setting off a chain reaction that forces him to decide how far he’s willing to go to end the cycle of violence.

Compound Fracture is not for the faint of heart. White doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities of systemic oppression, making this book as much a thriller as it is a commentary on the rural poor and the exploitation they endure.
However beneath the grit and the grime is a story of resilience, community, and the fierce desire to create a better world, even when the odds seem impossible.

This story is raw, it’s real, and it’s utterly unforgettable. Highly recommend!

I got access to this ARC in March. I only finished today after starting it about 2 weeks ago.
This isn’t the first time I’ve felt a connection to a character written by Andrew Joseph White, but when he writes transgender and autistic characters, I can hardly be surprised by it.
One of the quotes I found very relatable was: "In the stories I've read online, parents seem obsessed with performing their grief about a child's transition. Don't you know how hard this is for us?” This is a sentiment that comes up in many a story you’ll find online about any queer person coming out to their family, but particularly when it comes to people who identify somewhere on transgender spectrum.I get the impression that this section could be a long one just based on the amount of quotes I pulled as I was reading.
I loved Miles. I loved Amber, what little you see of her. And I loved Dallas.. I loved the connection Miles formed with their family and with them. I really liked the fact that Miles had someone who he could talk to about gender stuff, and not be looked at weirdly. I liked that each of them could be themselves around the other without feeling a need to censor themselves or change aspects of their identity or personality. They could talk candidly and not feel weird for it.
Ultimately I just loved the characters, plot and atmosphere that Andrew Joseph White created with this book. And I liked that I could relate to many aspects without needing to necessarily completely understand the context of American politics.

I’m sort of left speechless at how much I loved this book. From the narrator’s tone and language to the gritty environment depicted, the whole novel felt very atmospheric. It was like I was there, watching everything play out, and I loved that because it didn’t feel like I was merely reading something - I was there.

I first read Hell Followed With Us by the same author a couple of years ago when it first came out and I liked it for how weird and unflinching it was. It also took place in this sort of apocalyptic society. Compound Fracture has all the same elements (maybe a little less body horror), but the setting of the story is rooted in our reality and it really helped solidify the characters and reality of it in my mind. The family and generational aspect to it all - ugh, that’s my bread and butter. The family is tight-knit, eventually understanding, and the generational rivalry and all its tension was set up so perfectly. I was in suspense when I needed to be, I gasped when things happened, and that’s all I really need from a book. You also never really know where White is going to go in his novels or who’s going to be hurt or healed next, and I love it. (But don’t worry…the dog on the cover isn’t harmed :)).

I’ve seen a lot of reviews saying this book feels like a love letter to Appalachia, the trans community, the working class, everyone who has questioned how things are run. Reading it really does feel that way. I also finished this novel and became more motivated to continue writing my own WIP, so that’s always nice. I can’t wait to check out his other book, The Spirit Bares Its Teeth, and anything he writes in the future.

Everybody - keep writing weird stuff, and keep being you!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. This review reflects my honest opinions.