This book was nothing like I ever read. I really enjoyed the way the author tackled the subject matter. I do believe it was a little slow at times, but it still gave a me a good story.I was on the edge of my seat most of the time reading this book. The emotions, characters, and relationships all felt real and genuine. We get a few instances of "don't judge a book by its cover" which I also appreciated and found fit well in this story. If you're looking for a story that will have you hooked from the beginning than this is the book for you.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Flux/North Star Editions for presenting me with an ARC of The Quiet You Carry by Nikki Barthelmess for my honest and unbiased review.

Nikki jumped right out and grabbed me with the first page of her book. Victoria’s father throws her out of their home she shared with him, her step-mother, and her step-sister Sarah in the middle of the night in the bitter cold with no coat, no shoes, just the clothes on her back. Victoria ends up at CPS to sleeping on their couch until morning comes and they can put her into the foster system.

Nikki brings us a story with a subject that nobody likes to hear about, not alone talk about it or read about it. Nikki had quite a bit of knowledge of how well the foster system operates being a former foster child herself. She captured all the characters and Victoria’s story so vigorously that came out in a heart wrenching and heartbreaking story that you will not soon forget.

Would I recommend this book? Yes, I would highly recommend The Quiet You Carry, but know that you may get angry, cry, and maybe even have to put it down sometimes. However, when you are done you will be glad you picked it up and read Victoria’s story.

I received a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is the first book I have read by this author. The subject matter is difficult but Nikki handles it delicately. I think this is a meaningful book that is important to read to see a side of the world that ppl tend to ignore because it's not easy or pleasant.

This book is about a girl who fell through through the cracks. An abused little girl. The Quiet You Carry is a very real story that unfortunately happens to thousands around the world everyday. Luckily for Victoria, she was able to get out. Many do not.

This book hooked me in right away. Victoria’s story is both heartwarming and heartbreaking. I grew to love her and even her foster mom. This story touches on such hard subject but does so with grace.

Loved it !!

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This is one of those books where you find yourself rooting for the main character, Victoria the entire way. She was a well written, complex character and I felt so much love for her. I felt the plot was unique and interesting. This was a one click read and I could not put it down. The way this book was written was also heartbreaking at some of the very realistic things that happen through the system. The writer defn knew her stuff. Overall I give this 5 stars!

Thank you Net Galley,
Even tho this book was very predictable, I really!!y enjoyed this novel. I cried at times . I want to read more about Victoria ,

I love most books that I read. However, this one wasn't able to grab my attention. Victoria was a hard main character to like or feel sorry for because of her decisions. She made absolutely everything in her life harder for herself, for the sake of continuing the story, like not wanting to be close to her friends, smarting off to her foster mother, not sticking up for herself. I actually found myself enjoying the subplots of her new best friend's lives more than I enjoyed hers. They were more likeable characters and better rounded than Victoria was. Because I had such a hard time with Victoria, it was hard to get into the story but when I would get into it, I was drug back out of it by whole pages missing or random pages inserted, sometimes with the same scene happening differently. I tried to get through it but it just got to be too much and too often. I couldn't finish the book because of that. This wasn't ready to be given out yet. Had those extra/missing pages been fixed, I would have finished this book and probably at least given it a 4 star review because I was able to get into it at times, although most of it was slow for me, but the editing kept pulling me away and out of the story. I understand those changes will be fixed come publishing time and that editing is to be ignored when reading an ARC, but they were too abundant and rampant for me to fully be able to focus on the story at hand. It was a good plot and thought provoking, from the almost 70% I read, though. Because my main issue was with the editing so far, I will not be publishing my review anywhere but at NetGalley.

Life can be so damn cruel. Life can happen suddenly. And life can unexpectedly pull the rug right from under you. When that happens, you land flat on your ass or back and get the wind knocked right out of you. Once you have a second to catch your breath, look around and take note in the fact that you are at the lowest point possible. But more importantly pay attention to the fact that you have the option to stand up, again. And that is what stuck out to me most about The Quiet You Carry.

Imagine having a secure idea of the future. You have plans to attend college on the dime of your lawyer dad, a stepsister who isn't quite like Cinderella's and some friends that have gotten you through some of the worst. Now imagine that all disappearing in the blink of an eye. And on top of that you are forced from your home into the home of a stranger who takes in foster kids to live off of the government provided funds. This is now the life you lead. And why? Because of action that are no fault of your own. Your whole world ripped away in a flash because of something you never did, wanted or had any control over. And the only option you have is to sit back and swallow the bitter ass pill forced down your throat. Now you've met Victoria Parker...

What I loved about this story was the support Barthelmess offered to readers. There is the piece dealing with entering the foster system. While it is heartbreaking, it is the sad reality for nearly 500,000 kids in the US alone. While the statistic is staggering, you can tell Barthelmess wanted to reach those kids who might feel alone and lost. Mission was accomplished there. There is the piece about keeping a terrible secret because you are ashamed or you want to protect someone. This was a pretty major struggle for Parker. Many of us adult readers, simply might not understand why no one would not come forth. But Barthelmess provides insight into another view, she ensured that readers understood the logic behind it the struggle of staying quiet or not. Also, I think she did an amazing job letting readers know the importance of a support system. What she did best was set Victoria on a path to better herself. While Victoria struggle and suffered, she looked toward a future. She wanted to move on. And I think this was one of the strongest lessons of this story.

Overall, I rated this story with 4 stars because I found myself a bit annoyed with our narrator at times. But I think that comes with the territory of being a 17 year old girl. So if I am being fair, Barthelmess execution of a 17 year old girl is spot on!

Thank you NetGalley and North Star Editions for an advance copy of The Quiet You Carry. I think this story has great potential to touch many young adults.

The ratings and reviews were exceptional for this read, but it didn't do anything for me.

Victoria was bland. She made horrible decisions and if she only spoke up from the beginning then she wouldn't be in her current situation. The summary is misleading since it makes you think that Victoria is spending every waking moment in foster care fretting about her stepsister being stuck at home with her creepy dad. Instead, Victoria spends her days hating her foster mom, being a social piranha at her new school, catching the attention of the hottest guy there, befriending the prettiest girl there who only likes her because "she's different than everyone else", and lying to her peers about her life.

She doesn't even consider the impact of leaving her stepsister behind until after the 70% mark, and by then months have passed since Victoria was placed in foster care. This story was about Victoria being uprooted from everything she knew, relocating hours away to a small town, making new friends, acquiring a boyfriend, and coming to terms that she has a future even though she's in foster care.

I spent a lot of time frustrated over Victoria's decisions (and lack of decisions) because like I mentioned earlier, things would have been solved sooner if she had just spoken up. This is a me issue since I cannot stand people who mope about and suffer when they have the power to speak up and change their surroundings. I also wasn't a fan of the memories within a memory within a memory. Like inception but more confusing. Victoria would be in a present moment, something would trigger a memory and then the memory would unfold, but then half of that memory triggered another, then the present world inserted for a second, then back to memory one. It was difficult to tell past from present based on the way this was written.

As for the strength of this misleading read, I liked Connie's transformation once she and Victoria started to bond. There's really not much more I can say about this read. It wasn't mind blowing nor will it sit with me after I finish this review.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

The Quiet You Carry by Nikki Barthelmess is a heartbreaking story that will have you hooked from the first page. I flew through this novel because I had to find out what happened to Victoria. The subject matter might be for older readers but I believe it was an eye opener on the foster care system. Great Read

This is a good book, well written with a believable story. We follow Victoria from the moment she has to live her house and be placed on a foster home, due to the actions of her father.

The way her inner turmoil is portrayed is very good, her insecurities, the effort to hide her situation from her new classmates, the inability to trust someone else when her primary care giver has failed her. All of that makes perfect sense and the flow of the story is very good.

Recommend it to everyone who likes to read a good story that does not portray the usual teen angst, but still shows us a reality that is very present nowadays.

Victoria Parker knew her dad's behavior toward her was a little unusual, but she convinced herself everything was fine—until she found herself locked out of the house at 3:00 a.m., surrounded by flashing police lights.

Now, dumped into a crowded, chaotic foster home, Victoria has to tiptoe around her domineering foster mother, get through senior year at a new school, and somehow salvage her college dreams . . . all while keeping her past hidden.

This was a heavy book, I had to grab my box of tissues because it does have some difficult topics throughout. I thought it was well worth the read and the writing style was beautifully written.

Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC of The Quiet You Carry #Lovestruck
Pub Date: 05 Mar 2019

Thank you for the ARC!
This was such a beautiful story I really loved it. Thank you for writing such a real and honest account for those out there who have lived through such trauma.

I wasn't sure exactly what to think of this book as it began. The description sounded interesting enough, so I thought it was going to be an easy read. This book was heart-wrenching and just completely engaged me from the beginning. I was touched by the raw personality of the main character. What an absolutely wonderful book.

Wow...just wow. This book was full with emotions and I loved every second of it while reading it. Amazing story that will stay with me forever and that's for sure. I cried so much and my heart was broken into a milion pieces for Victoria and everything she had to go through. The life she had wasn't an easy one. I felt so much for her that while reading I wanted to hug her and hold her close to me and tell her everything will be okay.
The author introduced us to a world of the foster care system. How everything works and what it means to be a foster parent. It is dificult not only for the kids in that situation but also for the parents that took them to take care for them. I umderstand this so much better now. To provide a safe home for those kids is amazing. I loved the character of Connie hell I loved all characters Christina, Kale coz this book just so amazing. My feelings are all over the place right now and I just poor my thoughts here. It was really emotional read coz of the topic...child abuse.
I loved the writing and I could not believe is her first book. It was written so well. Amazing story. Hands down Nikki you did a great job. 5 star from me but I would give it way more. MUST READ!!

This book was received as an ARC from North Star Editions in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book was brilliantly written and fantastically put together but such a sad topic to write about. It is really disappointing how most children these days tend to fend for themselves for survival just because their parents do not care about them and like Victoria's father accuses her of a crime that she most certainly did not commit just to get her off his hands. Victoria is a perfect heroine for young girls to relate to and she is such a trooper for surviving for herself and fighting the battles that it takes for success. An inspiring novel that was brilliantly constructed.

We will definitely consider this title for our young adult collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

The Quiet You Carry by Nikki Barthelmess
Wow I absolutely feel in love with this book and author! I just couldn't get enough of this story. It was so well written and flowed so freely! I can't wait to read more books by this author!!!
5 stars!!

*Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.”

Wow. This book. So splendidly written, and just heart achingly sad.
I absolutely loved it and finished it in a day which was awesome, I couldn’t finish it fast enough even though it was so heartbreaking to read.
Violets life was perfect or so she thought until she found herself thrown out by her father and sent into the foster care system at the age of 17 and this kickstarts the novel into the trials and tribulations she goes through, from page 1.
I did feel some of the characters were one dimensional and it was a bit cliche but still an overall great book!

Thank you to North Star Editions and NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Quiet You Carry follows Victoria who is a seventeen year old girl who winds up in foster care due to an abusive home life. This is a good YA book and touches on some heavy topics. The main character development was good, but I did find few of the secondary or supporting characters lacking depth. I thought the length of the book was perfect for the story and I would certainly recommend this to YA and YA fans.