Careless
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- Create Date：2021-05-08 00:51:17
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Kirsty Capes
- ISBN：1398700088
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Summary
Sometimes it's easy to fall between the cracks。。。
At 3。04pm on a hot， sticky day in June， Bess finds out she's pregnant。
She could tell her social worker Henry， but he's useless。
She should tell her foster mother， Lisa， but she won't understand。
She really ought to tell Boy， but she hasn't spoken to him in weeks。
Bess knows more than anyone that love doesn't come without conditions。
But this isn't a love story。。。
At 3。04pm on a hot， sticky day in June， Bess finds out she's pregnant。
She could tell her social worker Henry， but he's useless。
She should tell her foster mother， Lisa， but she won't understand。
She really ought to tell Boy， but she hasn't spoken to him in weeks。
Bess knows more than anyone that love doesn't come without conditions。
But this isn't a love story。。。
Reviews
Marisa Russell
，
The story of Bess and Boy is not Romeo and Juliet， it's raw and it's real （at least I think that's what it was like at 15， it's been some time！）。There's a number of subjects touched upon in this book， the care system， teenage pregnancy， racism， rape， arranged marriages。 Despite this， I didn't find it hard to read， in fact， I flew through it。 It's written in such a way that all these themes don't weigh it down like you think they might but they are written about sensitively。 I really loved Bess a The story of Bess and Boy is not Romeo and Juliet， it's raw and it's real （at least I think that's what it was like at 15， it's been some time！）。There's a number of subjects touched upon in this book， the care system， teenage pregnancy， racism， rape， arranged marriages。 Despite this， I didn't find it hard to read， in fact， I flew through it。 It's written in such a way that all these themes don't weigh it down like you think they might but they are written about sensitively。 I really loved Bess and Eshal's relationship， that one best friend you have， that no matter what always has your back。I enjoy young adult fiction， although I do feel this was aimed at much younger than what I usually read （I am 40 by the way） and I didn't enjoy it quite as much as I thought I would。 3。5 stars。Thanks to the author， publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book。 。。。more
Chrys
，
A really intense and heart breaking read。 Bess is only 15， and has a very unstable home life as a long term foster child， when she meets Boy。 Her whole world starts to fall apart as she makes some horrible decisions and it's only the strength of her friendship with Eshal that keeps her going。 There are some very distressing scenes， and I would advise caution for younger teens。 A really intense and heart breaking read。 Bess is only 15， and has a very unstable home life as a long term foster child， when she meets Boy。 Her whole world starts to fall apart as she makes some horrible decisions and it's only the strength of her friendship with Eshal that keeps her going。 There are some very distressing scenes， and I would advise caution for younger teens。 。。。more
Karen
，
A coming-of-age tale with a difference， this story about the importance of love in our lives follows 15 year old Bess through one traumatic summer when she discovers she is pregnant。 A foster child， Bess has lived with Lily and Rory since she was four - yet they have never adopted her， possibly because they subsequently had their own baby， Clarissa who is now 10。 As a product of the care system， Bess is cared for， but she never feels truly loved - will that change when she meets and falls for Bo A coming-of-age tale with a difference， this story about the importance of love in our lives follows 15 year old Bess through one traumatic summer when she discovers she is pregnant。 A foster child， Bess has lived with Lily and Rory since she was four - yet they have never adopted her， possibly because they subsequently had their own baby， Clarissa who is now 10。 As a product of the care system， Bess is cared for， but she never feels truly loved - will that change when she meets and falls for Boy， an older teenager with his own issues and challenges？ Bess envies her friend Eshal her own close-knit family， but like Bess and Boy， Eshal is trapped by her situation， too。 The two girls must learn to be true to themselves if they're to navigate their way to a settled future - but first Bess must decide if keeping the baby is the right thing for her to do。This was a very powerful and emotive read。 Told by Bess in the first person， it is a raw and honest account of one young person's experience of the care system in this country， which can fail youngsters even when it seems to work。 Bess and Eshar are very authentic 15-year-olds， so worldly， yet so naive， challenging， cheeky and yet so courageous in facing their very different family problems。 They're intensely loyal to each other - Bess may not have the love of family， but she is lucky to have the love of a friend。 But can that ever be enough？This can be a harrowing read at times， with its unflinching descriptions of Bess's life growing up on a poor estate， her encounters with Boy and her fallouts with her foster family。 But it retains a strong sense of optimism， thanks to Bess's own strong determination to fulfil her hopes and dreams， even if they change along the way。 。。。more
Kate Sawyer
，
This is Bess' story。 A distinctive voice and perspective little explored takes us on a journey from positive pregnancy test back to the meet cute/car crashing into a church that kicked off an eventful year in Bess' life。 It is a visceral， emotional and nostalgic ride through a hot summer。I found the detail and perspective of Bess' life in care moving but never mawkish。 But what I liked best about the book were the relationships- crystal clear depictions of female friendship。The subject matter is This is Bess' story。 A distinctive voice and perspective little explored takes us on a journey from positive pregnancy test back to the meet cute/car crashing into a church that kicked off an eventful year in Bess' life。 It is a visceral， emotional and nostalgic ride through a hot summer。I found the detail and perspective of Bess' life in care moving but never mawkish。 But what I liked best about the book were the relationships- crystal clear depictions of female friendship。The subject matter is adult， the writing sophisticated and the nostalgic references will particularly resonate with those who were coming of age in the late nineties but I hope this finds the way into the hands of many young women who are at Bess' stage of life now- it is an unflinching depiction of falling pregnant when you are on the cusp of adulthood that is entertaining but informative and I think stories like this have the power to help people。Thanks to Orion for the pre-publication proof of this lovely book。 。。。more
Joanne Mcleod
，
For me， this was a book of two half’s。 I loved the second half， couldn’t put it down and absolutely fell in love with the characters and relationships， totally with them on their journeys。 The first half felt a little ‘young’， although it did poignantly show the kind of all encompassing teenage love Bess was experiencing。 A wonderful representation of and real， unhindered critique of the ‘care’ system and left me thinking for days about the commodification of care， and the people who can’t live For me， this was a book of two half’s。 I loved the second half， couldn’t put it down and absolutely fell in love with the characters and relationships， totally with them on their journeys。 The first half felt a little ‘young’， although it did poignantly show the kind of all encompassing teenage love Bess was experiencing。 A wonderful representation of and real， unhindered critique of the ‘care’ system and left me thinking for days about the commodification of care， and the people who can’t live with their families through no fault of their own。 。。。more
Denyce
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Bess， a fostered teenager with a troubled past， discovers that she's pregnant。 She has a complicated relationship with her foster mother， Lisa， and her best friend Eshal is her lifeline。 Bess struggles with the idea of love， and what it means， and how unreliable it can be。Although this book is marketed as young adult， I found the themes that it covers （and there are a few of them） are relevant to adults too。 It is easy to read and written in the first person， which makes it easy to relate to Bes Bess， a fostered teenager with a troubled past， discovers that she's pregnant。 She has a complicated relationship with her foster mother， Lisa， and her best friend Eshal is her lifeline。 Bess struggles with the idea of love， and what it means， and how unreliable it can be。Although this book is marketed as young adult， I found the themes that it covers （and there are a few of them） are relevant to adults too。 It is easy to read and written in the first person， which makes it easy to relate to Bess and how she feels and copes with her circumstances。 She refers to her boyfriend as Boy， as though giving him a name might make him reliable。 Eshal and Bess have to deal with a range of issues， from foster care， abortion and an arranged marriage， but although the issues are difficult and contentious， they are dealt with sympathetically and with empathy。It's easy to be drawn to Bess。 She emerges as a heroine who finds her power and her light at the end of a tunnel。 even when having to face difficult situations。 A touching and emotional read。WIth thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advance copy in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Dash fan
，
4☆ A Raw， Thought Provoking， Gritty & Enthralling YA Read。 A Page Turner！ Wow I finished reading this book 2 days ago and after processing the book I feel ready to write my thoughts on this wonderful and heart-rending story。 First of all I want to start by saying this book is very much a story of two halves。 The first being a young teenager who falls in love and her story on meeting "The Boy" then the Second half is where I became completely Enthralled and this book for me became a page turner！ 4☆ A Raw， Thought Provoking， Gritty & Enthralling YA Read。 A Page Turner！ Wow I finished reading this book 2 days ago and after processing the book I feel ready to write my thoughts on this wonderful and heart-rending story。 First of all I want to start by saying this book is very much a story of two halves。 The first being a young teenager who falls in love and her story on meeting "The Boy" then the Second half is where I became completely Enthralled and this book for me became a page turner！ The second half is the story of Bess， and how she deals with the aftermath of finding out she's pregnant， to the fraught relationship she has with her Foster Mum and how she grows up and takes charge of her life。 Lucky for Bess she has best friend Eshal by her side， who has her back the whole time。 As does Bess when Eshal's parents try and persuade her to have an arranged married。 This book has many trigger warnings， mild drug use， Foster care， abortion， attempted home abortion， rape， racism， arranged marriage and cultural difference。 The first half of the book felt very much like I was reading a teen YA read， the language and characters all very fitting to the theme。 Bess being just 15 when she met "The Boy" who was a good few years older， it wasn't exactly a love story， but at 15 you fall in love quick and your whole world revolves around the boy you love。The story is told by Bess and how she meets him and how she ends up pregnant。 Careless really isn't your typical YA read it's Raw and Poignant and deals with difficult subjects。 To be honest it took me by surprise just how much this book effected me。My heart went out to Bess so much。 Those who were supposed to love and protect her （her Foster Mum）， turned on her and that really got my blood boiling。 I was elated when she finally got a social care worker who respected and cares for her。 As I said before the second half of the book was thought provoking， raw， emotional， yet somehow triumphant。 If you like reading very gritty， hard hitting， raw， emotional YA Books， with well written complex characters and important issues addressed then I highly recommend you pick up a copy now！ As they say。。。 don't judge a book by it's cover。。。but for me it was more the case of。。。。 don't judge a book by it's first half！ Thank you to Orion Publishing and Netgalley for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily。You can Find this Review and all my Other Reviews on My Blog :-https://dashfan81。blogspot。com/2021/0。。。 。。。more
Sharon Berrie
，
If you want to try to understand how young people “in care” feel， you should start here。 I much preferred the second half of the book， the first half felt like it was aimed at a younger reader with too many popular culture references。 The second half was heartfelt， well written and honest。 It left me angry about out “care system” but that’s nothing new。 Good luck Bess！
Angie
，
An interesting story about troubled teenage years。 The main character， a foster child， finds that's she pregnant by a feckless boyfriend。 She has little family support or social support。The main topics are dealt with in a careful manner， and as someone who left their teenage years a long time ago， bought back memories of the strength of the feelings that are experienced in the hormone-driven and oft turbulent years for young girls especially。I think this would be a good read for teenagers and yo An interesting story about troubled teenage years。 The main character， a foster child， finds that's she pregnant by a feckless boyfriend。 She has little family support or social support。The main topics are dealt with in a careful manner， and as someone who left their teenage years a long time ago， bought back memories of the strength of the feelings that are experienced in the hormone-driven and oft turbulent years for young girls especially。I think this would be a good read for teenagers and young adults。 I found that about half way through I had had enough of reliving my teenage years。 That's a personal criticism though。 I just don't think that in my late 50's I am the ideal audience for this novel。Although it was good I didn't feel that it lived up to the expectations created by the publishers blurb。 。。。more
Janet
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Date reviewed/posted: February 26， 2021Publication date: May 13， 2021When life for the entire galaxy and planet has turned on its end， you are continuing to #maskup and #lockdown to be in #COVID19 #socialisolation as the #secondwave is upon us， AND it is a loverly minus 26 degrees， snowy and icy where I am currently stuck living， so superspeed readers like me can read 300+ pages/hour， so yes， I have read the book … and many more today。I requested and received a temporary digital Advance Reader C Date reviewed/posted: February 26， 2021Publication date: May 13， 2021When life for the entire galaxy and planet has turned on its end， you are continuing to #maskup and #lockdown to be in #COVID19 #socialisolation as the #secondwave is upon us， AND it is a loverly minus 26 degrees， snowy and icy where I am currently stuck living， so superspeed readers like me can read 300+ pages/hour， so yes， I have read the book … and many more today。I requested and received a temporary digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley， the publisher and the author in exchange for an honest review。 From the publisher， as I do not repeat the contents or story of books in reviews， I let them do it as they do it better than I do 😸。Sometimes it's easy to fall between the cracks。。。At 3。04pm on a hot， sticky day in June， Bess finds out she's pregnant。She could tell her social worker Henry， but he's useless。She should tell her foster mother， Lisa， but she won't understand。She really ought to tell Boy， but she hasn't spoken to him in weeks。Bess knows more than anyone that love doesn't come without conditions。But this isn't a love story。。。This is a great story involving a pregnant teenager and how the social assistance system does not work。。。at all。 It was well written and I enjoyed it to a certain degree。 The cover promised literary gold dust but to my it was pyrite 。。。 shiny but not the bomb-diddly I expected from the description。 Maybe teens on up will appreciate it more， to me， it was just the middle of the road。 。。。more
Kat O'Connor
，
A truly remarkable story that I couldn’t put down。 It was refreshing to meet a protagonist who was at that crossroads in life when you feel like a grown up but you’re not treated or respected like one。 I loved how Kirsty Capes wrote about Bess in such a tender but honest way。 It reminded me of how John Hughes shared teen stories and issues in such a truthful way on screen。 Careless is full of heavy topics that are dealt with in such a sensitive but eye-opening way。 A book that takes those compli A truly remarkable story that I couldn’t put down。 It was refreshing to meet a protagonist who was at that crossroads in life when you feel like a grown up but you’re not treated or respected like one。 I loved how Kirsty Capes wrote about Bess in such a tender but honest way。 It reminded me of how John Hughes shared teen stories and issues in such a truthful way on screen。 Careless is full of heavy topics that are dealt with in such a sensitive but eye-opening way。 A book that takes those complicated and intense teenage years seriously and makes the reader see just how privileged they are。 Trickled with nostalgia， the most beautiful friendship and a sense that no matter what happens in life you will always find the right people to raise you up when you’ve fallen down。 。。。more
Jendella
，
I felt this book in my gut！ Kirsty vividly captures what it feels like to be a teenager on the brink of adulthood and all the complicated contradictions of desire， fear， freedom and confusion。 It’s funny， it’s emotional， and at times definitely heartbreaking， but Bess is a hero you can believe in。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Careless
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Careless&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Careless&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0