Victoria just had to make it through her final year of high school, and then, she would be able to enjoy the freedom, that comes with attending college, but instead, she found herself thrust into the foster care system following an altercation with her father, which had left her watching her future slip out of reach.

I had no idea this was an own voices book, when I requested it, though, I am not surprised. There was quite a bit of insight shared and, shared in a way, I have yet to see in other books involving foster children. Barthelmess brought me into the process, rules, and frustrations surrounding foster care. She showed the upside and downside, and it always came across as honest and fair to me.

This book had a HUGE emotional impact on me. I so clearly felt Victoria's fear, shame, distress, and hopelessness surrounding her situation. I also got a good sense of her strength, determination, and hope, which she tried not to let ebb, as she attempted to rebuild her life and continue to pursue her dreams.

I won't lie and say this book was light, because it was not. The book dealt with many heavy issues, but it wasn't all grim. Seeing Victoria continue to fight for her future was probably one of the things I loved most, and it kept me very hopeful. Barthelmess also gave Victoria a small group of great and supportive friends, an extremely sweet romantic interest, and some really supportive educators to help her along the way.

But, what I loved most was the ending. This was the payoff for the pain and tears shed. There was lots of closure and hope for the future, but the author also let some characters redeem themselves. I don't know, it was important for me to know, that not everyone was the villain they appeared to be.

Overall: A story that was equal parts beautiful and heartbreaking, but also hopeful and a tribute to how much power honesty, kindness, and friendship hold.

Very heavy subject but told extremely well. Some parts were hard to read because i cared so !ugh about the character. I think that's the sign of a great book.

The quiet you carry is a deep and emotional story that will stay with you long after you read the last word. I love how the author wasn’t afraid to dig deep and cover multiple topics that happen every day to kids and teens when most writers will only cover one. This couldn’t have been an easy story to write because she wrote it in a way that made it feel so realistic. You get sucked into the world she created and it feels like you are watching everything through the characters eyes while also feeling all her emotions.
The quiet you carry is such a suitable title since that is exactly what happens in this story. Secrets and memories carried inside where no one can see them. I can’t say much more without giving away parts of the book but I will say it’s a great read and I’m excited to see what Nikki Barthelmess comes out with next.

Trigger warning: sexual abuse

This is an intense, emotional read. It gives a realistic, and heartbreaking, look into the foster care system.

The story is told from Victoria’s POV, which gives the reader more insight to the story, as well as allow them to witness the character development. The secondary characters are also well developed and well-utilized. It’s hard not to feel for the characters. The author handles some difficult topics in a sensitive manner. This is not an easy read, but it’s an important one.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy, but I wasn't required to leave a positive review.

What a touching story! The kind that stays with you. It is easy to follow, well written, full of emotions.
I liked how we get to know what really happened to Victoria through flashbacks.

As it's intented for teens maybe it should be said somewhere that it deals with sexual abuse.

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher and author for the ARC of this book.

This title was archived prior to my being able to sent to device for reading/reviewing. As such, I am unable to review this title at this time.

I really hate writing such a low review. I felt like this story just lacked so much with it's bland characters. And while it has heavy subject matter, it was barely touching the surface. I am not saying I wanted full blown content, it's just Victoria's narrative was very monotone and she had no personality. The most part of the book felt like a long boring diary entry. I wish I could better describe how I feel, but I basically kept going to see if it got better and it did not.

Victoria is a intelligent 17 year old high school student who just got a scholarship to her dream school, but one night changed all of it and now she is a orphan who has nothing left but one night that ruined her life, she doesn't want to come to terms what her father has done, she thinks, what did I do wrong, maybe I made it up.The Quiet You Carry is such a sorrowful but exceptional book that you won't be able to put it down, you feel nothing but empathy for Victoria and root for her to let everything out and let people who care in.

«The Quiet You Carry» partially inspired by Nikki Barthelmess own experience in the foster care, gives us a glimpse into the life of foster care kids.

Victoria Parker is a senior and only a few months away from turning 18. And just one moment changes her life forever. When her father locks her out of the house, Victoria is placed in the foster care system and ends up in a different town, different school and different home.

She comes from a household with many issues that began a long time ago. Her mother’s death wasn’t the trigger. I dare even say that the foundation for this unhealthy relationship was laid down by her mother.

This journey that the author took us on, the memories that Victoria had from before her mother’s death, and how it all slowly progressed, was interesting, but also chilling to read about.
I would have preferred if the story focused more on that part of the plot, instead of constantly deviating to the high-school theme.

It was nice to see Victoria as a good student and someone who cared about her future. But her relationships in high school didn’t add anything to the story. From day one, she became friends with Cristina, who basically forced this relationship by being constantly there. The same thing happened with Kale. Taylor and Lauren took on the spots of the “means girls” of the school, Alex and Zach were the “jocks”. All these characters had no depth to them and were created only to help Victoria.

In the very beginning of the story, we don’t know yet what actually happened to her. We suspect a few things, we are given a few hints here and there, but Victoria is afraid to admit, even to herself, the events of that fateful night.

This was a good tactic to intrigue the reader, to make them turn the pages faster. But when I got to the middle of the book and the pattern was still the same, it just stopped being intriguing, and started to be annoying. At that point, I had a very good idea of what happened and just wanted Victoria to tell everyone for the book to be over.

Written for a younger audience, this book has the possibility to capture its readers' attention, to show them the inner struggles of someone who’s been mentally and physically abused. It brings important topics for discussion.

However, I’m not sure if people are giving it higher ratings because of the serious topics, or because they genuinely liked the book.

It's so refreshing to see something so real and so raw that explains and portrays something not a lot of people know about. The system. Nikki Barthelmess did a great job with this story for that aspect alone. Its scary for kids who know nothing about what's coming for them in the system and they are already traumatized from losing their families and what they went through and then on top of that being thrown into the system. I admire this author for bringing it to light so perfectly and not being afraid to step out there for that. Five stars hands down.

My Review: "None of us can understand what’s going on in another person’s life from the outside looking in. No one can really see the quiet you carry unless you let them."

The above statement can't be any truer and this is what the bases of this book is. It's a look into the life of one girl who carries a quiet unlike any other. I found this book to be very heartbreaking and deep. This book starts out with us not really knowing what in the world is going on. The MC is being taken away from her home by Children Services.

Although this is a very dark title I also want to say that it is also a very inspiring story as well. Even though Victoria is in the foster care system she never gives up on school etc. She never lets it define who she is and I really enjoyed that about her. I also have to say that I was surprised to find that the author herself spent time in the foster care system. I think this gave the story a better real look about what happens in the system.

All of the kids in this story were amazing. I loved that she had a BFF with a weird name and just everyone she came into contact with.

In the end, I think this one was a big eye-opener for those who don't know about the Foster Care System as well as mental illness etc. The author did an amazing job with this one and I hope to get a finished copy soon.


Go Into This One Knowing: Foster Care, Sexual Assault, Family Violence, Physical and Mental Illness, Eating Disorders, Self Harm, Suicide Attempt

I found this to be enjoyable but unfortunately nothing phenomenal.
I like the characters within this story and the friendships the main character makes really sweet.
The foster care aspect seemed very genuine and authentic which I'm guessing is down to the author's own experience with being in the system.

Nikki Barthelmess paints a realistic and haunting portrait of what it's like to experience foster care, including the heart warming and heart breaking moments. So many of my students have had experiences like Victoria's, even if only for a month or so, and it's exciting that they will be able to see themselves in a book. Positive identification within painful narratives is so important for teen readers...everyone really. Barthelmess does an excellent job.

"I didn't do anything" says Victoria the narrator of this Teen/YA novel even when she finds herself locked outside in the cold by her father and both the police and a social worker arrive to dramatically change the course of her life.
The author explains at the end that she had also been in foster care and would have wanted such a book as this to understand the trauma she was experiencing and for such a young person (Victoria is approaching her 18th birthday) she has already witnessed much.
Even though we get flashbacks as to what the truth was surrounding the situation at home with her father, stepmother and step sister Sarah, Victoria takes the blame and will not reveal what has really happened to her.
Sent to a foster home and having to start a new school Victoria has a lot of growing up to do especially to try and salvage her dreams of going to college, while still keeping her past hidden and in many ways not opening up herself to friendship or love again.
Victoria's birth mother had died of cancer when she was only 12 and the dramatic effect this had upon both her and particularly her father in his grief opens up to a frightening set of accusations against her when infact she needs to be the victim. "You can trust us Victoria, " say many she comes across but as is often the case in such dysfunctional settings the main person feels they can trust no one. However, Victoria is surrounded by some great new friends including a boyfriend Kale, the school Principal Mr Nelson and finally the foster mother she fought against for so long.
The plot twists and turns and is dramatic. I am sure many young people will be familiar with the subject matter from what they have seen in the media or perhaps more telling if they have experienced such a scenario in their own lives.
There is hope, even from the darkest tragedy and scenes which are distressing are written well. A good read and extremely useful for discussion I would have thought amongst young people.

* I received this book from Netgalley and Flux in exchange for an honest review*

4.5/5

Content warnings: Sexual abuse, sexual domestic abuse, domestic abuse, self harm, suicide, eating disorder


Going into this book you know that it’s not going to be an easy read, and it absolutely wasn’t. The things that the main character Victoria went through were absolutely heartbreaking.

The author really did such a great job of bringing to life every single character. There was more to each character then met the eye, and it all unfolded seamlessly throughout the novel.

I was sucked into this story right from the beginning. It starts out with Victoria being placed in foster care and taken from her father but at first you don’t really know why, Throughout the book we get told more and more as Victoria comes to realise just how bad the things happening really were.

Though I have no personal experience with any of the things in the above content warnings, I felt that to me it did feel like reasonable reactions were made to things happening.

I was tense through a lot of this book. And though I didn’t plan on it, I read the entirety of the book in one day, and 90% of it in one sitting, because I had to know how the story was going to unfold.


This book also deals with the realities of the foster system. The author mentioned in the authors note that she did spend some time in the system, so I feel it was probably pretty accurately described.

The friendships and family relationships (both old and new) that grow in this book were really great. I really came to care for each of the characters.

This is absolutely a book I’ll continue to think about. I highly recommend giving it a try if you are able to read that content.

I received an e-ARC of The Quiet You Carry from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

Content Warnings: Abuse, Sexual Assault/Molestation, Alcohol, Suicide Attempt, Self Harm, Eating Disorders

As shown in the content warnings, The Quiet You Carry is not an easy read, whatsoever. Right off the bat, we meet Victoria Parker, who’s getting taken from her home by CPS. According to her father, Victoria tried coming onto him & he tossed her outside in the freezing cold. She’s now forced into the foster care system & living with a foster mom who enforces a list of rules, and only seems to be in it for the government’s money.

She tries to keep the past hidden, but the thought of her father sneaking into her room often sneaks up in nightmares & causes her to freeze up in the middle of conversations. Victoria’s also worried that her step-sister, who still lives at home, might be her father’s new target.

The Quiet You Carry is such an emotionally-packed ride. This isn’t the first book I’ve read with this subject matter, but that doesn’t make it any less special (& painful, honestly). By the time I made it to the final page, my flesh broke into goosebumps. It was definitely a powerful read.

One of my favorite aspects of The Quiet You Carry is the character development of Victoria. We get to witness her grow in strength, and watch as she ends up being the hero in her own story. The Victoria in the beginning is definitely not the same Victoria in the end, and I’m so extremely proud of her.

Victoria’s relationships throughout The Quiet You Carry also has such an amazing impact on the story (including a relationship very unexpecting). I absolutely loved Christina and Kale, who regardless of what they learned about Victoria, stuck by her side. We love good friends in this house.

At some point during my read, I ended up being absolutely absorbed. My heart shattered multiple times, and I wanted to scream at others. The Quiet You Carry isn’t an easy read, but it’s definitely a meaningful one. Due to the subject matter and the content warnings, I wouldn’t recommend this book to everyone, but if it’s something you are okay with — please read this book.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger/sensitivity warning: domestic sexual assault, domestic abuse, suicide, self harm

When I picked this book up, I had no idea what I was getting into. Barthelmess tackles some incredibly heavy topics. Nevertheless, I was immediately drawn into the story. I can’t say I enjoyed the book, but I’m glad I was given the chance to read it. This book is an important one, and it is unlike any I’ve read before.

First, Barthelmess handles the heavy themes of domestic sexual assault with sensitivity and delicacy, though she doesn’t shy away from it either. I never felt like I needed to put the book down because it was too much to deal with. I appreciated this because I really wanted to finish this book and keep cheering Victoria on.

Barthelmess’ strength in this book is definitely her characters. I instantly felt for Victoria, but all of the characters felt incredibly well-rounded. There’s a romance that plays a small part in the story, but I felt it was really necessary to Victoria’s development. Speaking of Victoria, her growth in this story is so incredibly written. The way her hurt and confusion is portrayed, along with her later realization...it felt so realistic, and made me love her even more. Even though I didn’t always agree with her decisions, I always understood why she did them.

This story is also written and structured in a very interesting, yet compelling way. Victoria’s story is told through present time first person, and the she’d have flashbacks constantly. I felt it was done really well.

This is an incredible story. I’m so grateful I was able to read it.

This was a really powerful debut YA novel about not only sexual abuse, but the foster system and a lot about the feelings of guilt and inadequacy that we (I feel especially women) carry around after we experience trauma in our lives. This story delves into some of the deeper rooted issues that can arise that we may not even recognize as being symptoms of or resulting conditions of the trauma we experience—such as cutting, eating disorders, unstable moods, depression, suicide, and so much more. This book also explores the ways that we can come together to help assuage these overwhelming emotions by being more aware of where and how they originate and most importantly making certain their are resources made available for people to be able to find a way to break the cycle, believe in themselves, find value in their life despite anything they may have suffered or even to be freed from the pain of the actions of others who have done wrong that has made them feel shame. This book exposes the ugly truths about an overwrought system that is being overlooked and overworked st the cost of children who need help desperately. I received an ARC from NetGalley of this book, so I’m not judging anything for editorial mistakes that will be more than likely fixed by publishing. I did think this story created a sense of tension within me as the reader because I was so connected to Victoria’s story through the writer’s style and impactful storytelling, however there is some parts that need smoothing out and refined and maybe a bit more escalation in the most climactic scene of the novel just to have the story be smoother and even a bit more intense at the climax because it does sort of build up and then plateau instead of peak. Other than that, I think this is a necessary novel that is very relevant, full of good writing, great characters and very important messages that not many books, especially YA books have ventured into, so this was very fresh.

This book is an absolutely important and necessary story that (in my opinion) adequately illustrates what foster care can be like. (My perspective, my way of learning the foster care system in the US, is from that of a foster mom.)I will work on more fully-formed thoughts later, but suffice it to say this is a book that needed to be written, and that everyone should read.

i had no idea what this was about when i started it and soon found myself feeling absolutely repulsed. this is a hard topic to read about, it broke my heart for the victims in the book as well as real life. the fear, the inability to open up and speak the truth, the blaming of oneself, thinking no true life or happiness can exist after those experiences happen.
this allows you to see people one way but soon discover there's much deeper truths behind what you may believe, whether it be positive or negative, whether you discover someone is more than they seem. or less.
i found myself tearing up and having a heavy heart a few times. maybe more than a few.

"His problems may be different from mine, but none of us can understand what's going on in another person's life from the outside looking in. No one can really see the quiet you carry, unless you let them."