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.

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.
Comment

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.