The quiet you carry by author Nikki Barthelmess is a great literary fiction with a huge plot. The characters are relatable in some ways and the story doesn’t leave you hanging. A great read!
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an arc copy of The Quiet you Carry in exchange for an honest review.

This book provides a fascinating look at the foster system in fictional form. Victoria ends up in the foster system because her father kicks her out. The foster home she's in is very strict, but she ends up making friends and growing to like the new neighborhood. However, she can't forget her home, the reason she was kicked out, and her fears for her stepsister who is still there.

I learned so much about the foster system and how hard it is to get out of it, how difficult it is to be believed when you're a child, and what happens to you when you age out of the system.

Plus, Victoria as a character was very intriguing. Her relationship with Kale and her friendship with Christina are great and her experiences in the foster home with Connie and Jamie, as well the issues she had with her father and her stepmother are so mesmerizing. I read this book in less than a day.

This book tugged at my heartstrings and not in a good way. It brings to light an abuse of power, trust and protection and you have a seventeen year old, Victoria, who is kicked out of her home by her Father and thrust into a foster care system in a blink of an eye.

In reading the book, I felt Victoria's rage, mistrust, angst and most of all, the need to simply move on, to somehow live her life without focusing on what she struggles to forget, but this trickles down to her step-sister Sarah, and suddenly the feeling of anger, wanting to break someone into pieces comes to light.

The author brought to light abuse, challenges of foster care, the burnout of social workers and more than that, in her redemptive arc, she made reading this bearable.

Aside from the very appealing cover, the title is also representative of the story within. I received a complimentary eARC of this book courtesy of Netgalley.

That was a really powerful story. Some parts definitely made me cry, but I also loved seeing Victoria grow and learn to stand up for herself and to let people in. The premise was frighteningly plausible and handed so well. Every character was multidimensional and fit well in the story.

It's not often you see foster kids portrayed in YA literature, and especially not in such a true to real life way. I really liked this book, even though parts of it were upsetting because you know there are kids who go through that, and worse, every day.

This novel has a gentleness to it that will pull at your heart. The voice of the main character, Victoria, is ever-present and strong. The author does a wonderful job in creating such a sympathetic view of Victoria that it engrosses you into the story and the reader is psychically on this uphill journey of rehabilitation of her heart and her soul. Beautiful and wonderful read!

Wow, what an absolutely powerful book Nikki Barthelmess has written. Growing up I knew a lot of kids in school who were in foster care. One particularly stands out to me, and I remember her so well to this day. We became close friends, and kept in touch for awhile even after she went home again. I always think about her, wishing I could remember her full name to look her up on social media. I can't recall that, but I remember her and her heart breaking story so well.

What Barthelmess has done here is so very honestly laid out how life is for a lot of kids "in the system". They all come from a desperate, sad, or bad situation and often times they don't want to talk about it. Can you blame them? They often feel humiliated by what has happened to them, and many blame themselves for their parents failures. Victoria's reluctance to speak up and her need to lash out at those around her just felt so true and real, and unflinchingly so.

It's not often you see foster kids portrayed in YA literature, and especially not in such a true to real life way. I really liked this book, even though parts of it were upsetting because you know there are kids who go through that, and worse, every day. Well done, Barthelmess. Well done.

What a beautiful, haunting story! I loved everything about this book. The premise was frighteningly plausible and handed so well. Every character was multidimensional and fit well in the story. I cried, I laughed, I cheered. No one will regret reading this book, and will find that the story stays with you long after the final page is read.

Thanks for the early review copy!

I recommend this book to fans of young adult contemporary fiction. I've read a lot of YA and this one was well done and dealt with hard topics.

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of THE QUIET YOU CARRY by Nikki Barthelmess in exchange for my honest review.***

4.5 STARS

Victoria lands in foster care after her father kicks her out in the middle of the night, throwing her plans to attend college next year into turmoil. Now she’s stuck with Connie, the foster mother from hell, in a new school hours away from her home, forbidden to check in on her stepsister. Despite her best intentions, Victoria’s hope to avoid attention disappear when she starts making friends. Sometimes people surprise you, if you let them.

I couldn’t help but to root for Victoria, even when she pushed people away. I understood why she was reluctant to tell what happened that last night at home but also wanted her to take the risk. At times I cringed at how she treated others, but putting myself in her shoes I can’t say I wouldn’t at time be myopic.

My only criticism is a certain character’s complete transformation. The reasons given made sense. If she hadn’t been written so one dimensionally before the growth I might have bought into her rapid positive change with less skepticism.

THE QUIET YOU CARRY keeps me glued to my kindle, completely invested in Victoria’s journey. I can’t wait to see what Nikki Barthelmess writes next.