Nikki Barthelmess

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. But some secrets won't stay buried--especially when unwanted memories make Victoria freeze up at random moments and nightmares disrupt her sleep. Even worse, she can't stop worrying about her stepsister Sarah, left behind with her father. All she wants is to move forward, but how do you focus on the future when the past won't leave you alone?

The Quiet You Carry

Candyce Kirk

Before I start my review, you should be aware The Quiet You Carry has some trigger warnings: domestic sexual assault, domestic abuse, suicide, self harm.

I have to start off by saying that writing this review isn't easy as well. Where do I start? The Quiet You Carry isn't an easy book to read and made me quite angry. It's not one that I could read in one sitting, because it's just too much. 

Our main character Victoria ends up in foster care after an unusual night at home and being locked out of the house in the cold in the middle of the night. My heart really broke for Victoria. She's so confused about everything that occurred and just wants to go home and finish her senior year. It's clear early on that isn't going to happen. Something was going on though, because we slowly get pieces of her memories and feelings throughout the book.

Even though all foster homes can't be compared to the one she ends up in, unfortunately they're not all amazing and loving. Also, this book shows that social workers have large case loads that can be too overwhelming. I really hope that this is something that changes in the future. These children really deserve more time and care when their lives are flipped upside down. Even though the characters develop in this story, it's still a difficult situation.

Victoria isn't a character that gives up though. She starts trying to find a way to get into college and make sure she can continue with her life. There's a struggle in wanting to protect her father, herself and her stepsister. I can't imagine what that's like and I can say I'm grateful for that. It's really hard to put this into words, but if you've read the book I think you'll understand what I mean. Luckily Victoria does get a few characters in her corner and that was a good balance to see in this story.

I'm not sure how Victoria's journey will continue, but I appreciated that this author didn't make it seem that everything is sunshine and rainbows when certain events take place. This impacts a life so much and doesn't disappear. The author doesn't shy away from heavy subjects and I can say this was unlike anything I've read.

laura

*I got this book for review for my honest thoughts*

This book really kicked me in the emotions. I really liked how this book tackled both the foster care but also the aftereffects of abuse. This book has many triggers warnings including abuse, sexual and emotions, PTSD, depression/ anxiety and sucied. I really was emotionally connected to these characters and this book made me tear up many times. It was book that was able to strike a balance between self discovery, friendship and romance. This book was super emotional read but one I loved. i can't wait to read the others book in this series.

Jelke Lenaerts

I RECEIVED A GALLEY OF THIS BOOK THROUGH NETGALLEY
This book has trigger warnings for sexual assault, domestic violence, suicide and eating disorders.

Damn, this book wrecked me and I wasn't expecting it at all. I really liked the characters we followed and their friendships. The romance was a bit unnececary for me but it didn't bother me either. I also really enjoyed the plot and liked the way everything unrraveled. When in the beginning it wasn't immediatly made clear why our main character got kicked out I thought I was going to be annoyed by it, as I mostly hate when the reader is being kept in the dark about something that is important to the plot that the main character knows. However, this book unraveled piece by piece what happened and I feel like it just made the emotional impact even better. I was bout half way through this when I started just straight up sobbing. Yeah, this book broke my heart but I really liked the discussion this book gave about everything happening. I would HIGHLY recommend this.

Megan Leprich

Thank you so much to Flux North Star Edition and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. 

These kinds of books always make me want to scream and not necessarily at the author but at the characters in the book. This book shed so much light about how screwed up parents can be and how ridiculous and under budget our foster care systems are.

This book is about Victoria who has been noticing her dad staring at her more, touching her inappropriately which she chalks up to depression over her mother dying. After a night where he takes it too far Victoria finds herself locked out of her house in the cold with cop cars everywhere. She is taken to juvie and is then placed in foster care because her dad and stepmother don't want her in their house anymore. Victoria knows that everything her dad is saying is a lie but no one will believe her. When she starts to become scared for her stepsister still at home Victoria and her new friends try and get her out of the home and Victoria feels she can finally come clean about what really happened that night.

I loved all of the characters (except for the dad obviously) especially Victoria and Kale. Victoria made me sad at first because she was so withdrawn and holding everything in and not letting anyone help her. I can understand also why she didn't tell anyone what really happened because she thought no one would listen to her or believe her which is basically what ended up happening. The foster care system is so backed up and underpaid and unfortunately a lot of kids don't get the help they need and don't see their case workers as much as they should. Luckily she found two great friends at her new school that helped her open up and come to terms with what happened.

I love that the author herself spent time in foster care and could really write passionately about the foster care system as she went through it herself. I do feel this book should have came with some trigger warnings but I love how much it touched on sexual abuse and molestation within families. I feel like a lot of girls that have gone or are going through this could benefit greatly from reading this book.

Becca Futrell

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.

Joleen

***Contains sensitive content such as sexual assault/molestation, suicide, self-harm, abuse, and eating disorders.***

Kicked out in the middle of the night by her father, Victoria Parker is now placed in a strict foster home. Away from the only home, she has ever known, Victoria desperately tries to convince everyone around her that this is a simple mistake. But her father refuses to let her come home and refuses to let Victoria contact her stepsister. Ashamed and scared, Victoria tries to get through this, but first, she must come to terms with WHY her father did what he did.

The Quiet You Carry is an emotional ride that takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions. I was not at all prepared for the emotions this book would give me. Tackling such difficult topics is super important and I think Nikki Barthelmess did a great job. This kind of content needs to be read about. And while its heart wrenching to read these kinds of subjects, its one of those stories that needs to be told.


For the full review
The Quiet You Carry Review


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Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

Well, this was a real tearjerker. I've always been drawn to emotional books about things I don't have any personal knowledge of (like foster care, abuse, etc.) but I didn't expect to be quite as touched by this one as I was. So many emotions going through me... mostly anger. This was definitely an eye-opening read for me.

Belle Ellrich

*I WAS PROVIDED AN ARC BY THE PUBLISHER. THIS IN NO WAY AFFECTS MY OPINION*

Nikki Barthelmess has brought about a story about fostering, sexual assault, suicide, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder and has completely shocked me to the core.

The main character of this novel—Victoria—has been through a hell only specific people know about. After an encounter with her father, she is forced into the CPS system and forced to join a foster home in a different town. Through this struggle of changes, Victoria tries to convince herself that nothing has happened and that she doesn't belong in foster care like her social worker says she does.

The emotion in this book was raw. For people who've never been subjected to abuse or haven't been placed in the system, this book will introduce you to these topics and pull you in.

"I'm trapped again, feeling what I felt earlier. Dad pinning me down, me crying, shouting, trying to claw my way out from under him.
The space around my heart and lungs gets tighter, my bedroom walls seem like they are closing in.
This can't be happening."

Barthelmess really brought out everything in just these few sentences. This quote gripped onto me throughout the book, and it didn't let up until after the ending.

The Quiet You Carry will be a book I'll remember for a long time. It will be something I take into consideration and remember when approached about these topics again, and it has helped me understand that—no matter the situation—you have to be there for the people who need you, whether they ask for it or not.

For this, I rate this novel 4.5 stars. I highly recommend this book to y'all, and I ask you that you approach this cautiously. If any of the themes I listed above are potential triggers to you, please take into consideration the caution and proceed slowly. I hope you all enjoy this book as I did.

The Quiet You Carry

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