Gray After Dark is a dark suspenseful thriller inspired by the real-life abduction of an Olympic athlete back in the eighties. I hadn’t heard of this author before but saw some rave reviews so decided to give it a go. I can’t say I exactly enjoyed it because the relentless violence inflicted on the main character was hard to read about, but it’s certainly an exciting and ultimately satisfying read.

Miley Petrowski has taken a casual summer job at an upmarket lodge in the Frank Church wilderness park while she recovers from a serious injury and gets back into training for the Winter Olympics biathlon event. While out on a solo run, she is taken at gunpoint by a father and son duo living deep in the forest. Starved, chained and brutalised, how could she possibly escape?

When I read the synopsis of this prior to requesting it, I thought it would mostly focus on Miley outrunning and outwitting her evil captors, which is the kind of story I like, but this is all left to the end of the book - there’s a whole lot of suffering before she reaches that point, and mentions of animals being harmed that I really didn’t like reading about, although it’s not gratuitous. I liked the way it’s told from both Miley’s POV and that of her friend and training partner Brent - even though the denouement is fairly predictable. It’s well written and scarily believable, and the afterword explains how Kari Swenson’s story fits in, including the author’s outrage at how her abusers were portrayed in the media.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dynamite books for the ARC. I am posting this honest review voluntarily.
Gray After Dark is available now.

Wow, this book was wild! This is the third book of Ihli’s I have read and it is my favorite of hers so far. Whew this book was wild! This is the third book of Ihli’s I have read and it is my favorite of hers so far. The first part was a little bit of a slow burn but then I couldn’t put it down. So intense and stressful!

I went into it blind and was surprised to read it was loosely based on true events. Really interesting retort and I’m glad Ihli included that so I could learn more about it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is my 2nd book by Noelle Ihli..and I loved it!
So well written, likable main characters, with all the storyline neatly put ttogether. I also liked the brief epilogue.
There is some abuse, and kidnaooing that might bother people, but it was so well written that it shouldn't bother most readers.
A very solid 4 star read..if actually say it's closer to 4.4 out of 5.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC

Gripping story as it begins we follow a women Miley, who goes to a resort in the woods to work as she arrives she learns a women went missing who use to work their years before , they never found her it was said a bear must of attacked her .
So as miley goes one day for a swim in the lake she meets 2 men as they are taunting her while she swims naked in the lake she don’t want to get out , they have her clothes and guns , it’s tense and heart beating fast as the events unfold they take her and the life Miley lives is unbelievable and the women she meets , could it be the missing girl from years before ?what a wild ride inspired by true events !

I loved this book and miley.
I loved that it went off the grid and in the middle of nowhere.
That one had been missing for so long but working together this concluded to an end. I loved the ending.
I loved the additional book about rayna

“In, one, two, three, four. Out, one, two, three, four.”

Miley is an Olympic competitor who suffers a tragedy that affects her so deeply she loses her chance at a medal. Determined to do better at the next Olympics, she takes a job at a remote lodge in the mountain wilderness. There, she can train in beautiful surroundings and come to terms with circumstances in her life. One day on her run she’s abducted, taken deep in the forest and held captive. Inspired by the true story of Kari Swenson, a biathlete competitor, Gray After Dark is a stellar psychological thriller with depth, that will hold YOU captive!

Y’all this was so intense, my hands just wouldn’t let go of the book! The intense anxiety was so palpable, I need a massage now after all the tension. Noelle certainly knows how to build an overwhelming sense of dread that had me on pins and needles. I even held my breath a few times! Being in Miley’s head was both terrifying and inspirational. Some truly horrible things happen, but Noelle handles the subject matter and content expertly. Nothing is overdone, made graphic or included just for shock value. Little did I know there’d also be a beautiful love story. Not a romance, but a proper, know someone as well as you know yourself love story, that plays an integral part.

Gary After Dark hit all my targets! Atmospheric (a cabin in the woods is now solidified as one of my favorite settings), characters I care about, suspenseful, clever, poignant and inspiring! This isn’t a story of two deranged mountain men doing horrible things, although that does happen. This is a story about resilience, inner strength, fortitude and what it takes to survive!
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Thank you Noelle, for gifting me this stunning gem. I’m thoroughly enamored with your writing and must immediately read your backlist! Thank you also to Dynamite books and NetGalley.

Scroll down for potential spoiler content warnings.





























































⚠️Content Warnings: Stockholm syndrome, domestic violence, gun violence, Mention of pregnancy loss, infertility, and sexual violence

Holy smokes!!! This new release from Noelle Ihli is a heart-racing page turner if there ever was one!!! If you love a good survival trope that keeps you on the edge of your toes and turning pages to see what happens to the MC next, you'll love this one!!! It took a few chapters to set up, but once the action started, it did not stop!! Thank you NetGalley for this arc! #GrayAfterDark #NetGalley

Noelle can do NO WRONG. Every book I have read by her is automatically a winner.

Miley finds herself in a situation that is made up of the stuff of our nightmares. Will her strong will be able to get her out, or will the dark win? Find out in Noelle’s newest novel. Available on KU!

This book was incredibly gripping, captivating and more than a little creepy—the very definition of a thriller! Although I did guess at a couple of the twists along the way that did not take away from the engagement and enjoyment from reading this book.

This book was amazing, a page turner! I loved the dual povs and the fact that it was based on a true story. The only problem I had with this book is that I wanted more details one the ending, I felt there could have been a little more exploration there. Overall this was a gripping book!

First book I've read by this author. Fast paced and kept you on the edge of your seat for the entire ride. Will def read more by the author!

Gray After Dark follows the story of Miley, an Olympic athlete who has taken a job at a resort for the summer. While not her ideal job, Miley tries to make the most of her time there and goes for very early morning runs to improve her times and breathing for the upcoming Olympics. One day after a run she decides to take dip in the cold water but she isn't alone. When 2 men appear and demand she get out of the water or they will kill her, she does as they ask. The worst part is that no one knows where she went for a run that morning and no one will know to look for her any time soon. Will she escape? Will someone find her?

This is probably my absolute favourite read so far this year. The writing style is amazing and had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. While some parts were hard to read, I don't think the story would have had the same impact had these parts been taken out. This book definitely had my jaw on the floor numerous times and I really routed for Miley. I really liked the depiction of each character; I could really visualise each person, especially the 2 men who took Miley and the place where they took her (and the smell...urgh). This book had moments that made me uneasy, moments that made me angry, moments that shocked me and moments that made me smile. This is a fantastic read and I encourage everyone to pick it up. I read it in one sitting, it was that good.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this for free. This was my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC. This book, like so many of Noelle Ihli’s kept me on the edge of my seat right up to the end.

I liked the plot and mst of the characters but I think maybe I’m looking for more original content. That’s just me. This is based on a real story. Some readers will love it. It horrifies me with daughters.

Noelle W. Ihli. You will never fail to write a book that has me SAT.

When I tell you I let out an actual scream when I saw that I had been accepted for an ARC of this book… I mean it.

Gray After Dark follows Miley, who was once an Olympic champion but her dreams were cut short after a tragic accident. She decides that taking a job at a remote mountain guest lodge is the best place to recover and continue to train. When Miley goes for her morning run, everything changes. She’s kidnapped by two men and taken back to an isolated off-grid cabin where she is held captive. The danger continues to escalate and Miley has to decide whether to succumb to her captors’ demands of her or attempt a risky escape.

This was such a fantastic, nail biting and fast paced read. I expected nothing less from Noelle but this has definitely become one of my favourites of her works.

I think what got me the most about this book is that, this could happen to you. You could very well become Miley and that is enough to make you question that morning run or that walk to your car alone at night.

Noelle is definitely one of my favourite writers and I will happily consume anything that she writes.

I finished The Final Scene not too long ago and when I noticed that both mention one another, I knew that Gray After Dark was going to be fantastic.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dynamite Books for providing me with this ARC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to Xpresso book tours and NetGalley for this EARC.

There aren’t enough stars in the world to rate this book. I sobbed. Like a baby. To a thriller book. What? Why? I won’t tell you, silly. Read and find out.

This book is pure gold. It’s phenomenal, amazing, wonderful and any other positive words you can think of. It’s so well written. It’s gripping from the beginning. Like literally from the first page. Since there’s a prologue.

The prologue gives you kind of a small idea of what’s to come. After it goes in to something else I kind of forgot what the book was going to be about. But don’t worry. Shortly after I settled into what my mind tricked me into believing was a wholesome story about a woman who wanted to win gold at the Olympics, I was terrifyingly reminded of what the book was actually about.

The way this book had an icy hand gripped around my midsection is speaking to how good of a writer Noelle Ihli is. I felt genuine terror. The kind you feel as a woman walking down a dark road at night, hearing footsteps behind you. Genuine, pure terror. The writing is so good. What makes it worse? That’s it’s loosely based on a true event.

I can’t say enough: read this book.

Thank you Noelle Ihli for writing this.

Gray After Dark was a riveting read from start to finish. I had heard a lot of great things about the author, Noelle W. Ihli, in the past, but this book was my first opportunity to experience just how excellent she is at writing suspense.

The story follows Miley, an aspiring Olympic athlete who is violently taken while out on run, and held hostage by two psychopaths. It also follows her sort-of boyfriend, Brent, who is on a mission to find and rescue her. He is aided by Miley's coworker, Wes. Throughout the novel we watch Miley's attempts to survive and escape as well as her allies' attempts to find her. The book is based on the real life story of Kari Swenson, who was an athlete kidnapped in Montana in 1984. Readers should check trigger warnings because this book is quite intense and I can see how certain parts of the story might be upsetting for some to read.

This book is gripping from the very first chapter, which is a wonderful thing if you have a short attention span like me. It could be a great cure if you're in a reading slump. It also doesn't take long at all for the main part of the story to start rolling. At no point in this book was I ever bored or skimming through the pages. However, reading about Miley's harrowing experience gave me such a sense of despair that while I recognize this book is well written, it isn't really something I'm itching to read again soon. Overall, I would recommend this book to readers looking for a very dark yet thrilling tale of survival and fighting to save those your love.

This was my first book by this author. I went into the book not knowing anything about it. It starts out pretty slow and talks a lot about running and Biathlon training. I think I personally felt it was slow due to having just read another book about running marathons.

The story is told from dual points of view from Miley and Brett. He is Miley's best friend and training partner.

I loved the determination of both Miley and Brett as well as other characters. Some of the characters are despicable human beings and others are true friends.

This book comes with trigger warnings. If you can get past violence, it's a good book. There are a few parts that are cringe worthy.

If you like a survive against all odds type of story, then this is the book for you. The bonds of friendship and love make the hard parts easier to take.

Thanks to netgalley and Dynamite Books for the arc.

I received this eARC in exchange for an honest review. thank you to netgalley and the publishers!

I am so sad to say that I was a bit disappointed with this book. the plot was interesting but it was slow for about 90% of the book and when we finally got to the good stuff I felt it was extremely rushed. I also think this book could have been shorter and it wouldn’t have changed the story at all. finally, miley was just such an unlikeable character. i’m sorry but this whole thing could have been avoided if she just did the bare minimum of letting someone know where she was going.

Wow what a read!! It was captivating from beginning to end. Definitely had my heart racing a lot while reading it. I absolutely loved the characters and the ending! Sooo goood