This book was beautiful, I read it in a couple of sittings and it really struck a cord. Beautiful, deep characters going through tough and life changing experiences. The ending was great but it was really the strength of friendships throughout the book that shone through and stuck with me.

If you're looking for an easy read, The Quiet You Carry isn't one of them. But there just might be a light on the end of the tunnel for our main character.

Victoria is doing her best to take care of her dad after her mother died, it was amongst her last wishes, and while Victoria is trying hard, it's not easy. He's remarried and has a step-daughter, Sarah. They aren't the closest, but at least they don't fight. While her new step-mother isn't mean, she also doesn't pay much attention to Victoria, leaving her feeling left out with all the attention she pays to her daughter Sarah.

But after the awful incident, Victoria finds herself in foster care. The author is careful not to tell us what has happened at first, but we know it's bad as Victoria is having nightmares. Living in a foster home is hard, her foster mother Connie is impossible, demanding what Victoria seems is too much. The girls rotate chores, need to succumb to bag inspections, and they can't have anything of a social life. Victoria feels like she's just another paycheck to Connie. All the while, Connie lavishes attention on her biological daughter.

As we start to learn Victoria's secret, we see the extent of heartbreak she has suffered. She has made two good friends in her new school, Christina and Kale, and I think because of their persistence in supporting her, she slowly starts to break down her walls. She learns that it's okay to talk about what has happened to her, and there are actually adults around her that truly care about her.

I think Barthelmess has done a good job portraying foster care in this situation, and while there are homes out there that are much worse, I think the reader finds them thankful that it was Connie that Victoria ended up with. Kids in foster care are scared and embarrassed at their situation, so they feel it's something they need to hide. Again, something else that Kale and Christina helped Victoria with. This story is filled with heartbreak, but then so much good arises from it, it's well worth the read.

This is the deeply moving story of a young woman's sudden and unexpected entry into foster care. Her father has demanded she leave; backed up by her step-mother, he orders her out of the house and before she understands why, a CPS social worker arrives to take her hours away from her home, school, friends and half-sister, without anything except the clothes on her back.. Neither the reason for the disruption in her life or the eventual denouement is unsurprising, but the protagonist is beautifully captured, and resonated in this reader's mind long after finishing the novel.

This book covers some very hard topics and does it very well. I especially liked that it portrayed Victoria's guilt, confusion, fear, and anger about what happened with her father. It also deals with older children in the foster system. The story was hard to read at times but it should be, these are not easy topics and I think they were handled well. However, there could be serious triggers for some, so be aware.

I received a copy of The Quiet You Carry by Nikki Barthelmess from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher for a free, advanced copy of The Quiet You Carry.

The story of Victoria and how she ended up in foster care at the age of 17 is not a new one but the way it was written was both heart breaking, unflinching in its portrayal. There should be trigger warnings here for sexual abuse, suicide/ self harming behaviors etc. The content is serious matter for a more mature young adult. You definitely need tissues throughout this book. There is impressive character development for several characters including Victoria, Connie and her friends she makes along the way. Victoria's memories of the past intermingle with her present, which shows the PTSD she is suffering. Once she comes to terms with what happened and tells people she learns to trust, Victoria becomes stronger.

The only criticism I can offer is that better paragraph separation between parts of the day. In one instance it was the beginning of the school day and in the next it was after school. It made for some confusion. It didn't cause me to enjoy the book any less. I will look forward to the release and any future books by this author.
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4.5 stars
Wow. I don't know what to say.
Initially I was drawn to this book by its cover and title, more importantly I found it to hold more important messages. At one point I found that it was dragging on, and was a bit slow, but I eventually got through it.
This book was so raw, and some parts made me cry, but I also loved seeing Victoria grow.
We come into the book not knowing much besides Victoria is being taken away by CPS. We have no idea what happened; just that Victoria is saying that nothing happened and it was all a misunderstanding. Victoria ends up in a foster home. The foster mother seems a bit harsh at first, but she's actually really cool and nice, which we get to see near the end of the book..
Eventually we learn the truth about what really happened, it comes in pieces, but after the first couple of chapters, you pretty much understand what happened. Victoria tries hard not to make any friends at her new school, but Christina and Kale won't let up on her, they become her best friends, and it was nice to see after all she's been through.

I don't think I've ever seen foster kids being portrayed in YA, I thought this was done really well. Definitely looking to pick this one up when it's released. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author~

Oh. This. Book...! It is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. It sucker-punched me in the gut and had me ugly crying several times. From page one we see Victoria dragged out of her home when her father accuses her of inappropriate conduct; she is then placed in foster care with Connie who appears to take in youths for "the measly stipend" the state provides. Victoria is confused: angry that her dad doesn't want her there as she had promised her mother (before she died of breast cancer) that she would care for and protect her dad. She is also sassy and often silent as admitting she is in foster care is humiliating. All aspects of The System are addressed, from the overworked social workers, to the frustrated foster parents, to the teachers who care about the welfare of their students. So if you ever were a foster parent, or a foster child, or love a child, or have ever seen a child...heck, if you ever WERE a child, this book will speak to you! It's haunting and lovely; but keep some tissues handy!

This book was an emotional journey that left me feeling hopeful for the main character even though her situation started out very bleak. Victoria is a girl navigating the foster care system and her senior year of high school all while dealing with a very serious trauma. I think this book is great for young adults. It’s pretty rare to have a main character who is in foster care and it’s great to have that representation. Victoria and her foster mother Connie were great characters and it was interesting to see things from both of their perspectives. I’m glad Connie wasn’t just another villain that Victoria had to deal with. The author did a great job of showing all sides of trauma and how nothing is ever just black and white. I would definitely recommend this book for kids in high school, maybe even middle school even though it deals with some pretty heavy subjects.

The story is about a teenager who is taken away from her family by Children Protective Services because of her father’s behavior toward her. and because he has kicked her out of the house. She is taken into a foster home. It was a sad story but one that enlightened the reader about foster care and the emotional turmoil these children go through when they are taken away from their homes. Interesting story but not one I could give five stars to

Wow. The Quiet You Carry left me with a whole new perspective of the foster care system.

This story is based upon a teenage girl (Victoria) and her experience with the abuse she suffered at the hands of her father--- and then being accused of being the initiator of these abuses.

The author did an amazing job walking readers through the realities of the foster care system as well as the stigma that is attached to being under its care. I felt so much compassion and sorrow for the main character as well as an incredible desire to see her come through on the other side and achive her goals and dreams.

I will be eagerly awaiting more works from this wonderful author.

Thank you to Net Galley for providing me with an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

In terms of plot and story set, there was nothing unique.
But the topic author is trying ut is coming forward with the book.
The fear and loneliness in the life of Foster ids that need to be acknowledged...
It's a book that people should read, not for the story, but for the discovery.

This was a tough one for me to get through. It’s a very emotional read, and it pulls at your heartstrings as it tackles the very difficult topic of parental sexual abuse. The author also brought to light the challenges of foster care, the burnout of social workers and the struggles of children in the foster care system. Some parts of this book had me near tears. I liked this book, even though parts of it were upsetting. Well done. My thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a superb book. It’s a bit difficult to read, given the content, but I m really glad I read it. The characters are well developed and likable. I was thoroughly engaged in the story the whole time. You should be too. Give yourself time when you start reading this book because once you pick it up and start reading you won’t willingly put it down until you’ve finished the book.

This book is emotionally riveting and like how the event occurred in pieces. This really seemed to be a realistic view of life in the foster care system in some ways. I found the characters in the book to be well written and dynamic, I really felt for the main character that went through many things in a short period of time.

Wow, this book was intense - but in a good way. This was an important story to tell, something that I don’t feel is talked about enough especially in mainstream fiction. I resinated with the story in a way that I’m finding difficult to put into words.

I connected with Victoria almost immediately. There was just something about her that was so intense, believable and intriguing and I couldn’t help falling in love with her. I loved her determination and drive - even after everything she’d been through. I connected with her on a level I’m not sure I ever have with another character. I felt the same pain and mistrustfulness over telling someone as if I was in her body.

The writing was beautiful and it flowed well. I couldn’t stop reading because the writing was so good.

Lastly, I never normally pay much attention to the title of a book - but I thought ‘the quiet you carry’ was perfect for this book. Carrying around such a secret is like a quiet, silent burden that you have to carry around, weighing you down with every step. I’m excited to see what the author writes next!

Really great story of a girl sent from her home by her dad to be forced to move in to Foster care.

A heart breaking reveal of her view that it was just a misunderstanding and she wanted to go home.

Hearing how restricted she was in Foster care and how hard she t tried to look to her new future all whilst still going through the drama of being a new girl in a new school.

A great young adult read

I was lucky enough to receive an advanced eARC copy of The Quiet You Carry by @nikkibarthelmess from NetGalley yesterday and could not put it down for 24 hours until I'd completed it! Absolutely devoured this novel.

What an absolutely wonderfully heart wrenching novel. The themes presented here are difficult ones but are uncomfortable topics that need to be written and voiced. Our youth needs to know that they are not alone if they are experiencing something like this. We see themes of sexual abuse and suicide as well as a closer look at the foster care system and its many unruly and perhaps "inhumane" ways children are treated.

Our protagonist Victoria carries the quiet with her- one that threatens to ruin her entire life if she does not come to terms with her situation. Her notorious foster mother Connie is a seemingly cold hearted woman who cares about no one but herself. Ultimately we see how Victoria is driven to finally come to terms with her reality and face her truth with the world. What, you ask, made her finally decide this?

Love.


Furthermore, Nikki's writing style might be a little different than one is used to- she often jumps from being in Victoria's memory to her present location and then back again to another memory.
Despite this, I did not in anyway find it difficult to follow- in fact I really enjoyed this.

I cannot recommend this book enough! This should be a standard read in high school. At times I was disgusted thinking how can people like this truly exist in the world? And yet I found myself also seeing how incredibly wonderful other people in the novel are towards Victoria and her situation and in this I saw so much hope; that despite all the ugliness of the world, good people do exist.

This book will be available March 2019.

#thequietyoucarry #nikkibarthelmess #NetGalley #advancedcopy #eARC #YA #YAnovel #books #bibliophile #bookreviews #bookstagram #book #lovestruck

The Quiet You Carry was a hard book for me to read emotionally. The topics addressed are painful. I thought the plot and characters were interesting, but did have a hard time getting in to the book initially. I would recommend this book as it’s eye opening to many issues and think that many people would enjoy this.

Note: I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This compelling story about the foster system drew me in immediately. I stayed up way too late finishing the book just to see how the situation would pan out, and if the harsh truths of the topics covered would be dealt with head on or just glossed over. I cannot applaud Nikki Barthelmess enough for her honest portrayal of the cruel reality thousands of children deal with every day in the foster system. This is a topic not covered much in the YA world, but is definitely one that many readers need. I really liked this book, even though it was often tough to read.

I will definitely recommend this book.

This visceral portrayal of life in the foster care system is both heartwrenching and hopeful. Barthelmess' powerful debut is highly recommended for YA collections where realistic fiction is popular.