This book kept me on the edge of my seat. Miley, an Olympic athlete that is kidnapped on a run in the wilderness of Idaho. She has to dig down deep with everything she has to survive and not lose herself. We all hope that we would have the inner strength to do whatever it takes to survive and to have friends that won't give up on you, not matter what everyone else thinks.

Gray After Dark is a thrilling story that will keep you on the edge of your seat, staying up late to finish it because you need to know what happens. I genuinely got anxiety while reading this book because I became so invested in the characters.

I really enjoyed this author’s writing, the characters were very well done, and it was interesting to learn that it was inspired by a true story.

Gray After Dark follows Miley, an Olympic athlete who is kidnapped during a run in the Frank Church wilderness in Idaho. You really feel connected to these characters and root for them and feel their pain.

The first 20% of this book felt really slow and hard to get into, but after that it was a roller coaster and I couldn’t stop. I stayed up well past when I needed to be going to sleep but it was worth it.

Gray After Dark is a gripping psychological thriller that takes readers on a harrowing journey of survival, resilience, and courage. The story follows Miley, an Olympic-level athlete recovering from a tragic accident, who finds herself in a nightmare when she's abducted while training in the remote Frank Church Wilderness. What starts as a slow burn quickly escalates into a tense, edge-of-your-seat experience that keeps you hooked until the very end.

The pacing of the book is well-done, with the initial chapters building up the suspense before plunging the reader into the terrifying ordeal Miley endures. Noelle W. Ihli's writing is vivid and immersive, effectively capturing the fear and desperation of being trapped in an unforgiving wilderness with dangerous captors. The alternating perspectives between Miley and her friend Brent add depth to the narrative, providing insights into the emotional turmoil faced by those searching for her.

One of the standout elements of this novel is how it intertwines the physical and psychological struggles of the characters. Miley's determination to survive is inspiring, and her evolving relationship with Brent adds an emotional layer to the story. The wilderness setting is both beautiful and terrifying, amplifying the tension and sense of isolation.

While the book is a solid read, there are moments where the plot feels a bit predictable, especially for a seasoned thriller reader. Additionally, the epilogue, though heartfelt, feels somewhat at odds with the intense emotional journey that precedes it. However, these are minor quibbles in an otherwise compelling story.

Overall, Gray After Dark is a chilling and well-crafted thriller that will leave you breathless. If you're a fan of survival stories with strong characters and intense suspense, this book is definitely worth your time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dynamite Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

GRAY AFTER DARK was a well written and paced thriller, with plenty of creepy and disturbing moments. It fits perfectly into the sub-genre of survival thriller, which unfortunately turns out to not be my favorite. This type of storyline typically doesn’t offer much in the way of twists, and the ending is usually not a surprise, since we know they survive.

This just isn’t my style of book, but I’m sure would appeal to many who do enjoy this type of story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dynamite Books for the opportunity to read and review GRAY AFTER DARK.

This was a very enjoyable read! It had me hooked from the very first page & was very hard to put down as I had to know how it was going to end!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advance copy!
I read this book, the entire time, with such a sense of dread. What Miley goes through as a character is unthinkable, and knowing this was based on a true case makes the hopeless/helpless feeling so much worse. In a summer where the question was “Would women pick the man or the bear?” this illustrates exactly why we’d always choose the bear, no questions asked.

Noelle Ihli does it again. As an Idaho native it is so fun to finally have books based in our area… it adds to the fun and suspense! This book was so amazing and left me excited to read her books to come! I actually read some of this while camping the the Frank Church Wilderness and let’s just say…. I was spooked 😂😂😂 don’t want to give too much away but this was such a thrill and will recommend to all of my friends!!!!

Finally got the chance to sit down and read this one and holy sh!t this was amazing. Genuinely a pulse pounding thriller and can’t believe it was based on a true story!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC!

Wow!! All I can say is wow! This book was amazing!! It definitely kept me up at night and looking over my shoulder everywhere I went. This was perfect for any thriller lover!

This book was a hard read but not because it was bad, but because of the horrible things that happened. And that it is based on a true story is just horrifying.

Fast paced, character driven, addictive, fully recommend! As an added note I was surprised to see that this book was inspired by actual real life events, that just makes it even more disturbing and eye opening.

Thank you to NetGalley, Noelle w. Ihli and dynamite books for an ARC!

This book was such a wild ride. Once it started, I couldn’t stop until I finished. Do you know when you pick up a book and you need more and want more yeah this is what happened with this one I need more

I have been a huge fan of Noelle W. Ihli's books since i read Run on Red! ONce again, she did not disappoint. I stayed up way too late reading this. My exhusation at work the next day was completely worth it!

Holy WOW!!!! What a ride! I did a combo of reading and listening due to time constraints. I really enjoyed the audio version, it kept me in such good suspense. The story had the hairs on my arms standing up. Can you imagine being tamed? I sure can't. It was a great tale of kidnapping, survival and forging friendships in rough times. I'm already recommending this book to every Facebook post asking for a book to get them out of a reading rut. Thank you Netgalley and Dynamite Books for the opportunity to read this book, it was well worth my time. I'll be checking out this author's other books for sure.

This was as pulse pounding and fast paced as Noelle's other books but it is still a good one. I would still recommend it to other thrillers readers.

My first book by this author & I’m sure it won’t be my last. A standalone psychological thriller which really made me catch my breath in places & to find out it is ‘inspired’ by real events made it even more shocking.

I can’t say too much without revealing spoilers but the plot involves Miley who is a biathlete pro. She is on her summer break & takes a job at The Frank Church Wilderness lodge; although working she knows that she can continue her stamina training whilst there. She goes on a run & decides to end it with a cold water swim in a nearby lake. She hears a noise. She hears a shot. There are two men standing on the shore who make it abundantly clear that she should join them. From then on, it is all about her survival.

Of course, there are other characters besides Miley, Brent in particular stands out but this is her story. Fast paced & with some truly chilling sections, this was a tense read but something always felt a little off in its style (hence losing one star), perhaps that’s because I mainly read British crime fiction. I would recommend this though, thought provoking at the very least.

Book Review for Gray After Dark by Noelle W. Ihli

Book Summary:
A merciless wilderness. A harrowing attack. A desperate escape.

When a tragic accident sidelines Miley’s dreams of Olympic gold, she takes a summer job at a mountain guest lodge. The Frank Church Wilderness is remote, but it’s the perfect place to train and recover. Local lore about a staffer who died years ago doesn’t scare her.

But it should.

Miley’s plans take a terrifying detour when she’s abducted during a morning run. Held captive in a desolate off-grid cabin, she’ll have to use her athletic prowess, cunning mind, and courage to survive. But as the nightmare at the cabin escalates, Miley is forced to form an unlikely alliance and attempt a risky escape.

Can she outwit her captors and survive the wilderness before it’s too late?

Inspired by true events, Gray After Dark is a pulse-pounding psychological thriller with a finale that will leave you breathless.

Book Review: This is another nail-biting book that will leave you on the edge of your seat. Please check the trigger warnings before reading this book. There is a lot of suffering and hard topics in this book. I really liked the alternating perspectives in the book between Miley and her Olympic partner Brent as they search for her. I could not put this book down. I gasped a lot reading and was rooting for her to be found. I was holding my breath on how it would turn out.

Thanks to Netgalley, Xpresso Book Tours, and Noelle W. Ihli for the ARC!

Oh wow. I couldnt put this one down. It got me right from the start. I think you should go in blind like I did. Fantastic book. Will be looking for more from this author to read.

I've recently discovered Noelle W Ihli and I am obsessed with her work so when I saw this one on netgalley I just HAD to request and luckily I received a copy, once again she has amazed me with her story telling and the fact it gripped me from page one!

This is the second book I have read by the author and I found it just as thrilling as the other. I loved how this story was loosely based off of an actual true crime and how all characters had enough development to make them feel like real people. I would definitely recommend thriller readers and folks who enjoy true crime podcasts (like myself) to read Gray After Dark.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.