X-Book

Careless

Click Buy to Log in and see personalised pricing.

Send as a gift Get in the xigxag app
How does xigxag pricing work?

Listen to a sample

What to expect

**Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2022!**

A COSMOPOLITAN, BBC, STYLIST, DAILY MAIL, GOOD HOUSEKEEPING and GUARDIAN BEST BOOK PICK!

'Astounding. Heart-breaking but hopeful, and a fresh new voice' PANDORA SYKES
'Moving and beautifully written' LIBBY PAGE
'A rare new talent' THE GUARDIAN
'A book that deserves to be a huge hit' STYLIST
'The literary equivalent of gold dust' BENJAMIN ZEPHANIAH

***

Sometimes it's easy to fall between the cracks...



At 3.04 p.m. 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...

Critics Review

The literary equivalent of gold dust
BENJAMIN ZEPHANIAH
I am so proud of my super-talented former student, Kirsty Capes. I'm so impressed with how her writing has flourished with the cracking characters and energetic prose of her fantastic debut novel
BERNARDINE EVARISTO
Moving and beautifully-written
LIBBY PAGE
Vivid, bold and beautifully observed
ABBIE GREAVES
A story of every day, that is never told
ANSTEY HARRIS
Real, raw, heart-wrenching and so wonderfully written
JESSICA RYN
Heroic and powerful, but also tender; this is such an important novel
CHARLOTTE MENDELSON
So good I'm lying in a tepid bath because my 15 minutes reading turned into 45. What a voice!
AMY BEASHEL
Elegant and empathic [...] a portrait of how it feels to be young, brazen and terrified
JESSICA MOOR
I felt this book in my gut! It's funny, it's emotional, and at times definitely heartbreaking, but Bess is a hero you can believe in
JENDELLA BENSON
It's not often that life in care is talked about, which is just one of the reasons we love this book
COSMOPOLITAN
Careless stands out, a coming-of-age novel that draw's on the author's own experience of growing up in care
DAILY MAIL
With a funny and flawed heroine, this is a book that deserves to be a huge hit
STYLIST
Bess's narration is neither bitter nor self-pitying. Rather, her pragmatism, and humour, make her a compelling protagonist
BBC

User Reviews

Book 5.0
Narration 4.0
Author Kirsty Capes
Narrator Amber Gadd
Duration 9 hours and 7 minutes
Release Date
ISBN 9781398702530
Format x-book®
Publisher Orion
Genre Modern and contemporary fiction
Availability AU, GB, IE, US
Rating
5.0 (1 review)
Narration
4.0 (1 review)

More from the same

Author

Narrator

About xigxag and the x-book®

xigxag is an independent, UK-based audiobook platform and the UK’s only B Corp certified audiobook company. We offer nearly 150,000 audiobooks, all with professional human narration. No AI-generated voices. xigxag is rated an Ethical Consumer Best Buy for audiobooks and a top-rated ethical bookshop.

Our x-book® format is the only fully integrated listen-and-read experience available. See the text on screen as you listen, look up words, take notes, search within the book, and share quotes. It is especially useful for accessibility, language learning, and getting more from non-fiction. Look for the purple x-book® ribbon on the cover, or filter your search by “x-book” to find them.

There is no subscription. You buy the audiobooks you want, you own them permanently, and prices start at £8.99. The more you listen over the year, the less you pay per book, and there is always a selection in Listen for Less from £3.99. You can also send audiobooks as gifts using our audiobook gift cards or in-app gifting.

Every audiobook on xigxag has honest reviews covering both the book and the narration, and our community features make it easy to share what you are listening to, discover what others recommend, and find your next listen.

Download or stream on iOS, Android, or in your browser. Browse the full catalogue at xigxag.co.uk.