This is the first time I read a book by this author, I've been trying to Branch out and read new books but authors I have never heard of nor read their books. And once again I chose a good one. The twist are unbelievable you will not see them coming and you would not be able to put this book down once you start so just be prepared..

SUCH QUIET GIRLS
By Noelle W. Ihli

Thanks to NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for the ARC ebook.

3.5 stars rounded up

This is a fast paced, heart pounding, and gripping thriller of ten children along with their new bus driver, Jessa, buried underground in a shipping container. With a race against the clock, will they be able to outsmart their captors or will time run out before they lose air to breathe? This is told from different POVs and I enjoyed the chapters of Sage, the oldest child kidnapped and her mother, Sheena’s, story. The POVs gives you a glimpse of what is going on in the minds of some characters, as well as, a few backstories on some. This book is inspired by actual events.

I was hesitant to read because I don’t usually like to read about child kidnappings, however, after reading a few reviews of others and how the subject matter was handled I decided to read it. It was my first read by this author and I will check out some of her previous books. This does have possible TRIGGERS - domestic violence, kidnapping, and murder

3.5 stars! I really enjoyed the overall story of Such Quiet Girls. I really liked that you drop immediately into the kidnapping, and because it’s written in 4 different perspectives, you get to know the thoughts of all of the main characters. I love short chapters in thrillers, and while they were short enough that I kept telling myself, “okay, one more,” I felt like the writing fell a little flat in the first 2/3 of the book. The plot was interesting and eerie enough to keep me intrigued, but there were definitely moments where it felt like it was really dragging. I didn’t feel the “I have to keep going” spark until the last 75 pages or so.

Overall a good read if you’re looking for a thriller to add to your list.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

Thank you to Noelle W. Ihli, the publisher, and NetGalley for sending me an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!!

2.5⭐️

This book is told from 3 different perspectives, 2 middle aged women, and one 12 year old girl. We are following one of the women and the 12 year old girl, Sage, as they get kidnapped for ransom with a bus full of other young kids.

Okay, so, great story in theory but……Sage acted and talked like she was 45 and had seen THINGS, as the grown adult teacher curled up in the corner. And that’s where it lost me. MAKE IT MAKE SENSE. I was expecting a story so fast-paced and twisty, that I had a heart attack. Unfortunately I was left with heartache and immense boredom. I think this book will be a hit for some people. Noelle’s writing style is very addicting and normally sucks me in, so I see the appeal. I would just say that this one is much slower than her previous books and the characters were a big miss.

I absolutely devoured this. Book that you can't and wont put down until you know how it ends.

Inspired by true events Such quiet girls will take you to a dark place only to show you how there is light in everyone of us. This is a story about courage, love, strenght and hope.

Short chapters from POV of three people lets us follow the kidnapper, kidnapped children and a mother of two of kindapped girls. The same events from three different places. And the ending was perfect!

Thank you Netgalley for this advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

My first Noelle Ihli book and it did not disappoint!

I was pulled in immediately with the multiple POVS who were involved in the story in different ways, so it kept me wanting to read to find out what was going on.
I loved getting a POV from one of the abducters
The story made it even better that it was based off of a true story, I loved that aspect!
Super quick read very bingeable
The minute I thought it would be too easy of a situation to resolve, another twist came into play, so I enjoyed it a lot.

Despite a promising premise, this one fell flat for me. I didn't care for any of the characters, which made it hard for me to be invested in the story. Sure, the story moves along, but I found it hard to maintain attention.

Thank you Netgalley and Dynamite Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Title- Such Quiet Girls
Author- Noelle W. Ihli
Publication Date- April 29th, 2025
Genre- Thriller
Goodreads Rating- 4.39
My Rating- 5 ⭐️


5 Stars – WOW. Just…WOW.
Such Quiet Girls by Noelle W. Ihli left me completely breathless. From the first chilling chapter to the final, heart-pounding page, this book had me clenching my jaw, racing through the pages, and whispering “oh my god” more times than I can count.

This isn’t just a thriller—it’s a psychological onslaught in the best possible way. The premise is instantly gripping: a new school bus driver and a group of kids—including brave, unforgettable Sage—are abducted and buried alive. Yes, buried alive. The tension is suffocating, the stakes are sky-high, and the characters? So raw and real it hurts.

Noelle W. Ihli doesn’t just tell a story—she drags you in, locks the door, and dares you to look away. Spoiler: you won’t. You can’t.

This book is a flawless blend of horror, heart, and human resilience. It’s the kind of story you finish and immediately need to talk about. The kind that lingers. That haunts.
Do yourself a favor—read Such Quiet Girls. Just be warned: once you start, there’s no turning back.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced E-copy for an honest review

This was such a captivating book I could not put it down. It made me feel for the children made me feel for the mother. Made you wanna hate the kidnappers.
Do you want to feel like what would happen if I was in this scenario? I flew through this book so fast the pacing was fast never a dull moment.

I will definitely be picking up more books from this author

I enjoyed this book thoroughly!!
could not put the book down!

We got the viewpoint of the children, the kidnapper, and the bus driver and the mother of 2 of the children on the bus.

Each had their own story and unique viewpoint.

A story of survival and hope! this book made me tear up a few times and actually remember the names of the characters and care for them. I'm not able to often get the movie in my head but this book gave me just enough details to get that movie going! I say stop what your reading and pick this book up the moment it comes out!

Fast paced thriller based on true events. Noelle gets you sucked in from the first sentence and then you never want to put the book down.
Great character development, and that shock factor with a slight HEA for the FMC’s!

When a school bus carrying 10 children seemingly disappears into thin air along with the bus driver, it’s an all hands on deck situation above ground. Police and FBI are working tirelessly to find the missing children. While below ground, those children who were abducted are fighting to stay alive. Told from the points of view of one of the children, the bus driver, one of the kidnappers, and one of the mothers of the missing children, this was a super well-told and well-rounded story.

While currently trying to work through this authors backlist, I couldn’t help but jump at the opportunity to read her newest thriller. Her writing style is easy to follow and I absolutely tore through the pages of this book. The pacing of this book was perfect, I never felt bored or that any part of it was dragged out. I thought that all of the different POVs were smartly written and fitting to each characters situation. I really liked the mystery behind Ms. Jessa’s past and couldn’t wait to find out more of her backstory.

I really also liked how Sage kept referencing Harriet The Spy while she was tapped underground, asking herself what Harriet would do in this situation. Sage was absolutely my favorite character in this book and I can’t remember ever liking chapters from a child’s POV in past books I’ve read- I’ve read a lot of books where the child’s POV doesn’t have the best language and writing, like the author had to dumb down the chapter to show the reader that it was a child’s POV. Ihli gave us just enough of a child-like vibe without making Sage sound like a baby.

I enjoy how Ihli’s books are based on true events- this book was inspired by the Chowchilla kidnapping of 26 children from their school bus in 1976. I have never heard of this event before but I’m already jumping into researching it!

I really enjoyed this book, even though it was terrifying to read as a mother. I recommend this and any of Ihli’s books to my fellow thriller lovers.

DNF'd at 29%

I tried really hard to get into this book. It was way too slow for my liking. I am sure it's up to speed for some so don't let this review discourage you from reading this book.

Thanks NetGalley & Dynamite books for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was excellent! I was super excited seeing my approval for this arc. I love anything Noelle writes. Like always, I could visualize what was going on as I was reading the book. It was dark and creepy and like always, the twists and turns had me at the edge of my seat. I can’t wait to purchase a physical copy of this book.

Such Quiet Girls is a masterpiece of writing. It was amazing page to page. I ended up devouring it within a day as I was on the edge of my seat whilst reading it. I cannot stress this enough. Read this book

Ihli has done it again!

In her newest novel, Ihli dives into another overlooked event and subject matter that I had never heard of...the 1976 Chowchilla kidnapping. Similar to both of her previous novels of Grey After Dark and None Left to Tell, Ihli stays true to the storyline. Just like after Gray After Dark, I hurried up and googled as much as I could after reading Ihli's newest novel to find everything I could about Chowchilla.

Due to the subject matter I was a little concerned about any potential trigger warnings (hint: children). I did not feel triggered by this but appreciated Ihli's "content advisory" at the beginning of the book.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone. I will continue to gobble up Ihli's books as fast as she can write them.

Huge thanks to Dynamite books and Xpresso Book Tours for the advanced copy!

Thank you NetGalley and Dynamite books for the eARC!
Noelle never disappoints with her books. I absolutely loved this one. It was action packed, with a good plot, and a few moments where it tugged at your heart strings.
It was such a page turner, and the plot was fantastic. It was well written, and executed perfectly.
These things are a parents worse nightmare, and as a mom, my heart was pounding as I was swiping through this book.
It was very fast paced, quick and easy read, much like her other books. It was straight to the point, no slowness to it.
Overall, this was fantastic, and I loved every second of it.

Noelle Ihli did it again with another 5 star read from me! I’ve said it before, and I’ll probably say it every time, but I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy of this book. You just know whatever she writes is going to be amazing, and this book did not disappoint! Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Such Quiet Girls before it officially hit the shelves.

First and foremost, I love that this story takes place in my hometown of Emmett, Idaho. It really brought the characters and the story to life for me. Knowing the streets that the bus was driving on and the picturing the area in mind made this read even more intense for me, because I know just how secluded and remote this bus full of kids really was. It really brought the story to life for me and made it just that much more frightening! You can’t help but hope for a good outcome for these characters but you definitely are fearing the worst!

Noelle has a beautiful way of writing that really makes the characters in her stories relatable and real. I love that these are just your average people, going about their daily lives with their own personal crap that their dealing with, until they’re placed in a situation that makes them have to rise above themselves. The fact that it was a CHILD who did so first, made this nightmare situation all the more terrifying. Will they make it? Or do they suffer the worst fate imaginable, leaving behind families and no answers . . . Or bodies?

If you read the synopsis of the story, you know already going in that a bus full of kids is kidnapped and buried underground. But knowing that and then being completely immersed in the pages of this story are two completely different things! It was heart pounding, infuriating, hopeless, sad, exhilarating, and amazing. Everything you want a good book to be! Noelle definitely knows how to deliver to her readers.

I loved that this was based on a true story and she uses her incredible writing to shed light on stories, and incredible people that have beat the odds, in the most brilliant of ways. She always makes sure to provide the context behind the true story and I appreciate that so much.

I will say, I started out hating the bus driver Jess’s. I found her weak and whiny and I just screaming at my kindle for her to just freaking do something already!. However, as the story goes on you just can’t help but root for her. You KNOW she’s stronger than her fears and you just hope she can get there. That really is what makes this story so completely relatable. Because Noelle provides both weaknesses and strengths. You FEEL the characters and get the fear and paralysis. I bet we all think, if we were ever faced with a situation like this, that we’d fight back or do something different. But in reality, how many of us actually would? Or would the fear take over. That’s why I really love the way that Noelle writes her characters, because she makes you question your OWN thought process as if you were right there in the middle of it.

While you didn’t get much from all 10 kiddos in this story, I loved how even in the face of the most terrifying of situations, they really came together to support one another. While you get different points of view from several characters in this book, it all flowed beautifully together and provided much needed context. I personally didn’t feel as if the story was bouncing all over the place. Noelle is amazing at blending in the multiple view points and makes sure it doesn’t feel choppy!

Overall, I loved this story. There were some spots of slower paced filler, that I felt was necessary to the big picture, but really nothing that would make me not recommend this book. I think ANY book Noelle writes is definitely worth the investment to read it!

I really, really enjoyed this book. It is suspenseful and leaves you on the edge of your seat. I like how every chapter it tells you how long they’ve been buried. I also enjoyed how it was told from different pov. It’s sad but happy at the same time. This story keeps you think what happens when a bus driver and 11 kids are kidnapped.

just finished this book, its my first book by this author. Id heard people mention a few of this authors backlist and how they had enjoyed them, so I thought I would give it a read.

I found this book was fast paced and it did keep me reading and engrossed. But I felt there was no major mystery or thrill to it. Everything was very obvious. I was expecting some kind of connection between the kidnappers and the bus driver, parent or grandparent and there was nothing. Which I think led to it feeling a bit lack lustre.