Mason Vance is someone that seems to live the perfect life. He is the best quarterback in New York and it is assumed that he will make it into the NFL. The issue is that when an injury alters his ability to play, he will have to cope with the thought that the future he thought was definitely going to happen may need to change. As he works through all of these changes and his thoughts he focuses on someone else. Fractured is a story of change and how you contend with emotional and physical trauma.

With his ego bruised after fracturing his wrist, Mason thinks he may not ever play again and in an attempt to deal with this he becomes focused on a person he never would have thought about approaching before. Lace is not the typical girl he would date, she isn’t a cheerleader or focused on becoming homecoming queen, she is instead dealing with her own misery. With her own emotional work to do she doesn’t have the time to care for Mason, but she does slowly begin to let her walls down. She opens up about the sad workings in her mind and her not so perfect life. When Mason makes a decision with their relationship that surprises both of them, what they have worked to build instantly fractures.

This is a YA novel that dives deep into topics of mental health and sexual assault. If you are not prepared for a tough read this is not a book you should take on lightly. In this story, as a necessary spoiler, Mason is our narrator and also the perpetrator. Though we see him learning about mental health, specifically depression and anxiety, through Lace, he is not the hero character. He has done something terrible. It is an interesting read, but again we are tied to the person committing the act and not his victim. This is a book that shows the mind of someone in a dark place and if you are interested in reading something that will push you in an uncomfortable way this is something you should check out. You can pre-order your copy of Fractured today.