This was an easy 5 stars. I adore Andrew Joseph White’s books, and this one is no different. the three adjectives that come to mind when trying to describe Compound Fracture are brutal, incisive and visceral. It’s a story of hard-fought hope and what it means to truly be a family. I can’t wait to read whatever Andrew Joseph White writes next.

This was a spectacular read, I've read it in one sitting... got overwhelmed with all the stuff going on but I just couldn't stop no matter what! Authors writing style is as captivating as in any other book, though I really appreciated this one was less fantastical - everything felt just... more!

Absolutely phenomenal! Andrew always has a way of pulling me in from the very beginning. I was invested in the characters, the journey, the historical context of West Virginia, etc. I could not put the book down. We get to follow Sadie aka Miles in a corrupt small town in West Virginia with a sheriff that’s been torturing his family for a long time. Most people say to just leave but Miles refuses because this is his home.

A coming of age novel that melts horror in like butter.

Thank you so much NetGalley for an eARC in exchange or an honest review!

This book made me want to go feral in the best way possible. I loved this book! From start to finish I did not want to put this thing down. The pacing and writing were perfect. The setting and plot of this story, even fictionalized, really felt honest and truthful to how a lot of small towns are and have been for a very long time. Everyone knows everyone's business and feuds can last a century. The history and backstory of the town and the Abernathy family were intriguing to read about. I love history and historical fiction so this was a nice addition to the mystery and horror. Miles is a fantastic character who is trans and autistic. I really enjoyed his evolution throughout the book. The characters felt real and fully dimensional. I thought Miles' family dynamic was really good and the information we learn about his relatives was very interesting! The book contains hatred towards lgbtq+ characters and at times very brutal, but these things do happen and the book is honest about it. Compound Fracture combines mystery/thriller with real life horror. Andrew Joseph White hits it out of the park again with this book. The Spirit Bares Its Teeth was one of my favorite books last year and Compound Fracture has become one of my favorite books this year!

Andrew Joseph White has to be my favorite author recently. Every book I have had the pleasure of reading has been so perfect. Every character is so real and I have enjoyed getting to know them. Thank you to NetGalley and thank you to the publishers for this e-ARC. Here's to more books in the future!

Firstly, I just want to give Miles a high five and a shoulder to cry on because holy moly I would be an absolute wreck in his shoes!!

Secondly, I love how unapologetically political this was, even when it made for scenes that were incredibly difficult to read. I think one of my highlight notes was just “acab acab acab” and I really appreciate the fact that this was published because I think it’s a conversation more people need to be having.

Thirdly, along with all of that, there were so many little (and not so little) moments that made me smile. Amber throwing the water on Davies. Prince Zuko! The GROWTH we see from Miles’ family by the end of the story. Mamaw and Papaw are so strong and they made me ache for my own grandparents. I love them.

I have probably a hundred or more highlights at this point and words cannot describe how much I absolutely adored this book. 5/5 again, AJW. Thank you for this.

I'm a huge AJW fan, but the pacing and story structure of this one was.... Odd?

I felt like so much of this book was outright social commentary, rather than being seamlessly integrated into the narrative. Now, I say this very carefully, as AJW's works are well know for using story and creative narrative as a vehicle to discuss very serious and important topics. That is not the problem here - in fact, I welcome using story to make these points. Where I take issue is when these points consume the story, wherein the point being made overshadows and swallows the story that is meant to contain and convey it, thus weakening the story, and ultimately, diluting the message. This is what I call the point of no return, where it becomes immediately obvious to the reader that the storytelling is just a means to an end, and that the story was never designed to stand on its own.

Yes, there were moments that the commentary being made was raised during important narrative junctures. This was fine. And yet, at other times, this commentary was splashed across multiple pages and droned on for so long that it was essentially nothing more than monologuing that read, to me, as separate and distinct from the narrative entirely. It really took me out of the story, and I could never connect with the characters or form a deep understanding of their motives.

I loved TSBIT, but this one was a miss for me.

Andrew Joseph White's writing gets stronger with each new novel, but also more visceral. Compound Fracture is perhaps less supernaturally oriented than his previous works, but this only made the gore and violence feel even more impactful. It is often an uncomfortable read, as is characteristic of White's work, but it is also an engaging and thought-provoking one.
The cast of characters is mostly well-developed - even the more "villainous" aspects. However, the Sheriff veers towards caricature at times, and this contrasts with the rest of the book veering more towards realism. For my tastes, it dragged me out of the story somewhat, and made the conclusion feel too neat.
Despite this, Compound Fracture is a tense, engrossing work. I perhaps lack the geographic and historical context to truly appreciate some aspects relating to the Appalachian setting, but the representation of the strike, and the town's remaining sentiment towards it years later, was very interesting to me.
The autistic representation was both varied (we are shown people on different aspects of the spectrum, both formally diagnosed and who haven't realised they are autistic yet) and insightful.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

l don’t read horror often. However, when I read AJW’s debut novel, I fell in love with their writing. I still LOVE everything AJW stands for, writing about neurodivergent trans teens, we need more protagonists like this in the literary world. I was hoping my love for their writing would continue, but AJW appears to be a one hit wonder for me. I wanted to love this book, be able to scream on top of rooftops about its amazingness, but all we got was a lackluster history lesson. This book was so disappointing and honestly felt like I was painfully tearing my eyelashes out one by one to read it. It just felt rushed and lacked the fine tuning and driving purpose that book one had.

Compound Fracture is so much more than I anticipated it to be! It follows Miles, a trans, autistic teen who lives in rural West Virginia and is part of a long-lasting family feud. Miles' family is working class, and Miles finds comfort in far left politics. This truly felt like a love letter to the author's upbringing, as Miles explains that he loves West Virginia through and through, despite its numerous issues. This book is extremely dark, and pretty graphic - more so than I was anticipating for a book marketed as young adult. But I really appreciated how it was written. I think the author was able to convey so many important messages without feeling preachy - trans and queerness were accepted and stood up for, and the importance of community was repeated throughout. I would highly recommend this book to anyone, but particularly for queer rural teens who want to feel themselves represented in a positive way.

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

A queer Appalachian thriller following a trans autistic teen thrown into the general struggle between the rural poor and those who will exploit them. Miles Abernathy is a sixteen year old socialist who has just come out as trans to his parents... and when he sneaks off to a party carrying evidence that would turn the tide in the feud in Twist Creek.... proving that the county's sheriff has been killing people and purposely injured Miles's father, things take a dark turn as the sheriff's son faces off against Miles. Miles just wanted to go unnoticed but its too late when the sheriff's son catches him with the evidence and proceeds to beat him to near death to keep him silent... and when the Sheriff threatens Miles into silence, Miles accidentally kills one of the boys who had hurt him. Everyone is under the sheriff's heel but maybe Miles will be the one to finally break this cycle... even if it means bodies will start dropping and blood is the only way to end the feud. This was a bloody brutal story about a small town feud, the toxic treatment of queer individuals, and the lengths people will go to to control others. Miles was such an interesting and compelling character who is constantly being handed terrible situations and must find a way to endure and survive them. This was a twisted fun read and one I would absolutely recommend for anyone who enjoys a good thriller and complex characters. I have been a huge fan of Andrew Joseph White's stories and writing and this one did not miss at all for me. I would absolutely recommend this book!

Release Date: September 3, 2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Holiday House / Peachtree / Pixel+Ink | Peachtree Teen for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Whew, this was a hell of a ride. And a pretty brutal one at times, too. But also, hopeful, even in the darkest of places. I appreciated that balance, frankly. We meet Miles, a trans teen who also has some undiagnosed autism. He lives in West Virginia, in a very rural community, so you can imagine that it might be extra hard for him. He's come out to his parents, and he has found some information on the (extra shitty) sheriff that implicates him in a ton of bad stuff. But as you can imagine, it isn't that easy when the "good ol' boys" run everything.

The story has several components: one, of course, being the corrupt local government and Miles's determination to hold them accountable. The other is Miles's relationships with his family, his friends, and his path of self discovery. He learns a lot about who he is and what he can do over the course of the story, and it is great to read about. He meets some people along the way who he really needed to meet, and I loved that for him. I don't want to say too much about any of these folks/entities for fear of spoilers, but I felt like every character introduced had a big impact on the story, which I love.

It did start off a little slower for me- I kind of thought parts of the first third could have been pared down a tad, but when it got going, I was absolutely hooked. Of course at that point, I was also super invested in Miles as a character, which helped! Anyway, things got really intense at certain points, and maybe it required just a touch of suspension of disbelief, but I didn't struggle to do so.

I found the commentary here really thought provoking. As much as Miles has gone through it in his community, he still loves living there. I have always wondered how people who live in such red areas (especially those who face hate because of who they are in such places) can stand it, and I loved that this book shed a light on that.

Bottom Line: Another hit from Andrew Joseph White, who continues to write incredible commentary with the most wonderfully messed up plots like no other.

The pacing was off which distracted from the entire story. There was so much build up for a main event that fell flat and was unfulfilling. The characters were well written but unfortunately the concept was just not as engaging as previous works I’ve read by this author.

At this point, I honestly don't believe that Andrew Joseph White could write a book I don't love. Compound Fracture was another incredible feat!

Plot Overview:
● Miles Abernathy, an autistic trans teen, & his family are embroiled in a brutal decades-long feud with the Davies family. Sheriff Davies tried to kill his dad, who was trying to make positive changes to their small Appalachian town.
● Miles recently came out as trans to his family and community.
● Davies's son & friends savagely attack Miles.
● Miles and his friend, Cooper, decide to get revenge.

What I loved:
● White's (@ajwhiteauthor) autistic protagonists validate my thoughts, feelings, & experiences as an autistic person.
● The complexity of the characters. For example, Miles knows he's definitely trans, but he's still figuring how he defines himself in other ways, who he feels safe with, how to protect his family, & how to break the generational cycle of violence in his family.
● The realness of Googling to find out more about oneself
● Miles's whole family, even if they're confused about Miles's gender identity & thought processes, will defend each other NO MATTER WHAT.
● Validation of self-diagnosis as being autistic

What didn’t work for me:
● Absolutely nothing. I loved every part of this book.

Who I’d recommend this to:
● Fans of social thrillers & horror
● Readers looking for diversity in gender identities & sexual orientations in characters
● Readers who like descriptive writing & fast-paced plots

Thanks to @NetGalley & @peachtreepublishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White is brutal, thrilling, and downright horrifying (/pos!) Miles, a trans autistic kid from West Virginia, is an Abernathy. One part of a generations long blood feud that has ripped apart his family and others in Twist Creek County. Miles might just be able to free Twist Creek of corrupt Sheriff Davies’ control, with proof of Davies’s involvement in the “accident” that killed an innocent person and injured his dad.
But there is more to this feud than meets the eye and Miles is drowning in it. Before he knows it, he’s accidentally killed one kid and covered it up. Now he has to survive the fallout.

5 Star read, no hesitation. I love all of AJW’s work. The way that Compound Fracture ties in elements of social issues, societal perception, and the unfortunate realities of poverty really solidified this book as a favorite of mine. For Miles to so clearly articulate and understand the harm his community has faced really stuck with me. His thinking was never black-and-white, which is sometimes easy for characters to fall victim too. Yes, his family had a difficult time understanding his transness, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to exclude them from
his life. I’m so proud of his family for growing with him. And gosh, all Miles wanted to do was protect his family, community, and himself. The result of that is what it is, no taking it back or saying sorry- and thats absolutely what this book is about.

Andrew Joseph White has done it yet again. This book brought everything I expected as well as way more and I love that so much. Once again, another must buy from this author!!! <33

Compound Fracture follows Miles, an autistic trans kid, whose family is part of a generations long feud with the Sheriff’s family started by a family member that led a workers strike after a mine collapse.

This book was fast-paced and never left me bored. The relationship between Miles and his parents and Miles and Dallas as well as Dallas’s family was definitely the standout for me and definitely didn’t make me cry at any point (lies). Miles is probably the most memorable protagonist to me of AJW’s books. I liked his attitude and his way of interacting with the world it was just so real!!! And the aromantic/ asexual rep was also very lovely to see!

*slight spoilers ahead*

There’s not much I disliked in the book, but I wish there was more information on why Dallas’s and Cooper’s families were brought into the feud. It makes sense in the context of the book why the Sheriff targets anyone in proximity with the Abernathys and anyone who crosses him but then why did it take him so long to learn about Dallas’s family returning and their socialist establishment? I feel there were some minor inconsistencies or topics that could’ve been elaborated upon but they didn’t affect my enjoyment of the story, it was still super fun and engaging!! that I also would have loved more of Cooper as he was a very interesting character and it would have been nice to understand more of his life (even though he was pissing me off towards the end I feel like he had a very drastic character shift which makes sense in context but also?? more please)

Overall suchhhh a fun book as always everyone say thank you AJW and I can’t wait to read it again!!!

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

This book made me the most uncomfortable with a book since a long while. In a good way

The only other book that has made me more uncomfortable was House of Leaves and that book what a whole different kind of experience. It were so many layers that made this book uncomfortable for me that I struggle to sum it all up. But don't get me wrong, this wasn't a bad quality of the book. It's meant to be uncomfortable that's clear, and the book did so masterfully.

This book is very detailed in it's gore. Things I absolutely love in White his books. This book delivers with gruesome details just like the previous ones did. There is a difference though. This book isn't as much a story with many fantasy elements, it's deeply rooted in the nowadays time. It has gore made by humans like your average neighbor. It gives this book a feeling that makes it come way closer to home than White's previous books did. I felt like I was reading a story my friends could've told me happening in their neighborhood. It made this book incredibly intense.

I also felt like this book felt so human in it relationships with the main character. Although... it probably felt so human to me because of the Autism of the main character.
What I liked about the relationships however is that they weren't wholly good or wholly bad. There were parents who were kind of supportive, but at the same time difficult about it. I have not seen this done in fiction often. Most times parents are wholeheartedly supportive or deeply transphobic. Seeing this way of a coming out reaction be put in the book was very refreshing to read and made me think back a lot on my own coming out.
Often young adult novels also have the main character have this one best friend or a group of close friends that are their steadfast companions. This book the main character really didn't have friends to start with. That changes during the book that I won't talk about, but at the start the main character is clearly quite alone. This take I also found really interesting to read. I don't relate to it much, but I know gaming friends of mine who had quite the same experience. So to have this be so clearly put in a book was neat.

Then the plot itself of the book felt tense from start to finish. I wasn't able to stop thinking about it and it had fully gripped me. There was always the feeling of danger being there leading the story on, forcing the main character to take big actions that felt overwhelming sometimes. But it felt overwhelming in the right way and made it so much fun to read and keep on going to see where it would lead him next.

I think that there was another layer to it being so uncomfortable that's a bit more unique to non USA readers though. I often feel awkward reading deeply American high school stories. It always seems to be so close to being relatable, but it just isn't. And that has made me feel off with a significant number of books in the past. This book that felt so American was no different. I'm not saying that that's good or bad, it just is and that's okay. It did make me rant about this with friends though and it felt worth it to mention in the review.

Concluding I want to say that this book feels very unique and executes that perfectly, while at the same time telling a great story.2

As a fan of Andrew Joseph White, I have been waiting for this book since it was announced. I love the autism rep in this book so much! It was very accurate, in my opinion, and it’s clear that many aspects of the main character were pulled from experience. This is another great book from a great author.