{Book Review} The Quiet You Carry by Nikki Barthelmess

Title: The Quiet You Carry

Author: Nikki Barthelmess

Series: n/a

Publisher: FLUX

Date: *March 5th 2019*

Pages: 272

ISBN: 9781635830286

Source: Netgalley

Purchase: Pre-order 

From Goodreads:

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 her 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?

My Thoughts:

*This book should come with a trigger warning for sexual abuse.

The blurb drew me in as usual. 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 with two other girls, a preteen and a younger girl. The foster mother seems a bit harsh, but never having been in foster care I can't judge. 

We slowly over time learn the truth about what happened on the night Victoria was removed from her home. 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 and eventually, they become her biggest allies in the book.
I have to say that this was a tough one to get through, I understood where the main character was coming from, and how the stepmother could be blind to it all. But in the end everything worked out; and that I am glad for.