Release: March 5th 2019
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Flux
Source: Publisher
Find it at: Amazon, Kindle, B&N
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Victoria Parker knew her dad’s behavior toward her was a little unusual. However 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, Victoria finds herself in the midst of crowded, chaotic foster home. Now she has to tiptoe around her domineering foster mother. Also she needs to get through senior year at a new school, and somehow salvage her college dreams . . . all while hiding her past life.
But one can’t bury some secrets—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?
About the Author:
Nikki Barthelmess is an author of young adult books, including The Quiet You Carry, Quiet No More (Flux, 2020), and Everything Within and In Between (HarperChildren’s, Fall 2021). Nikki entered foster care in Nevada at twelve and spent the next six years living in six different towns. During this time, she found solace in books, her journal, and the teachers who encouraged her as a writer. A graduate of the University of Nevada, Nikki lives in Santa Barbara with her husband, daughter, and pride-and-joy Corgi pup.
Nikki is represented by Elizabeth Harding and Sarah Gerton at Curtis Brown, Ltd.
The Quiet You Carry Review:
This was a heavy, powerful, heart-wrenching story and made me emotional and made the book memorable.
The main highlight of the story is Victoria. I could relate to Victoria and my heart went out to her. At times, I wanted to go in the pages and encourage her to speak up and not feel ashamed. Moreover, the author balances her emotions so well. On one hand, you really feel Victoria’s frustration and hopelessness for the way life has treated her. But on the other hand, you also feel Victoria pick herself up and move on and hope to get into college and lead a better life. She loses everything, and has to survive on the situation at hand. Also, I love how Kale and Christina support Victoria. Even though Victoria is reluctant to make friends, these two are persistent to help her. I don’t think I would have been as strong as Victoria had I been in her shoes.
At the same time, the author has done a truly beautiful job with the story. She writes the emotions of the characters in an intricate manner that make you connect to them. She also poignantly portrays the life of kids in the foster care system and their unfortunate background. I can only imagine how real children survive in foster care. Its unfortunate to see how social workers are also burdened with the volume of cases. Furthermore, the author touches on some sensitive topics like family violence, sexual assault, mental illness and abuse.
Overall, I loved this book because you hardly read YA books that deal with the reality of the foster care system, and it was an eye-opener in so many ways.
