I have read several books by this author and always enjoy them. This one wasn’t my favorite, but still kept me interested enough to finish it.

Such a gripping intense sad pager turning read
But in a good way
We follow a group of kids and a school bus driver don’t on a field trip that goes terribly wrong
In the worst way ever
this book based on a true events was a breath holding gasping read
Buckle it and get ready for the journey

I love the suspense in this one though sad at times, I was hoping the girls made it but this novel handled the serious matter well. I hope to read more from this author.

I will read EVERY book that Noelle W Ihli writes, knowing that each one is going to have me on the edge of my seat.
Such Quiet Girls is inspired by true events, which is startling to say the least. This book is every parents nightmare. A bus goes missing with young children on it, along with one big sister, and the driver. Taken as part of a money making scheme, the most horrifying part is where they are kept!!

Absolutely terrifying and gripping, I am now hesitant to go down a rabbit hole of the true events!

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

Pub Date: 29 April 2025

In Such Quiet Girls, the kidnapping of multiple children unravels the secrets, motivations, and traumas of three woman and girls—and one perpetrator.

Told from four perspectives, this story drew me in with its emotional depth and layered characters. I really appreciated how the author explored each character’s backstory—what shaped them, what haunted them, and how those histories led them to this moment. Understanding their motivations added real weight to the unfolding mystery.

Sophie stood out as a brave and emotionally rich character. Her attempts to emulate her favorite book character, Harriet the Spy, gave her strength and heart in the face of terrifying circumstances. I loved how the story showed the power of books and their characters to inspire courage and resilience in readers like Sophie.

One of the things I loved most about this novel was how strong the power of the woman and girls is throughout. They are resilient, complex, and determined—fighting through trauma, fear, and guilt in their own ways. There’s also a moving thread about second chances—how healing can happen, even after mistakes and loss.

The audiobook narration was strong and helped bring the characters to life. I even choked up a few times—which is always a sign that a story has landed emotionally. And the scenes involving being buried alive were so viscerally written that I felt genuinely unsettled while listening. That level of intensity speaks volumes about the author’s skill.

While the plot may not have been filled with surprises, I found the emotional storytelling, psychological complexity, and themes of strength and redemption more than enough to keep me hooked.

This book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and to the publisher for the eARC! Wow! This grabbed your attention right away and held it (along with keeping your heart rate up) throughtout the entire story. Fast paced, terrifying a perfect thriller!
My full review was posted to my bookstagram @bookofthemeg on 7/2!

I liked this book. It had me teary eyed in the end and isn’t that why we read? To feel something. 🥺
The use of multiple POVs added real depth to story for me. Giving insight into the fear, guilt, and determination each character faced. Sage especially stood out with her quiet strength and courage; she was the heart of the story for me.
Knowing this was inspired by a real life event makes it even more chilling. 😱Whether you’re a parent or just imagining being in that situation, it really hits hard. Those poor kids!!!
While not action-packed in the traditional thriller sense, the psychological tension and emotional stakes are there. A haunting reminder of what people are capable of, both the good and the bad. 💔⏳ 🚌
This book might make you question if you want to send your kids to daycare. 🫣

Wow! What a book! This was incredibly intense, suspenseful and impossible to put down! It is similar to a real life event but different enough to keep the audience fully engaged! Highly recommend!

Such Quiet Girls by Noelle West Ihli is a gripping, unsettling thriller that throws readers into a nightmare scenario. Inspired by true events, the story follows Jessa, a bus driver haunted by her past, and Sage, a resilient young girl, as they and eight other children are abducted and buried alive in a shipping container.
Ihli masterfully creates a palpable sense of claustrophobia and desperation. The dwindling oxygen and psychological toll are viscerally conveyed, making it genuinely hard to breathe alongside the characters. Jessa's fierce determination to protect the children, despite her own trauma, anchors the emotional core.
The book's relentless pacing and escalating dread are its greatest strengths. The narrative is propulsive, mirroring the ticking clock for the captives. While the intensity is high, it occasionally leaves little room for deeper character exploration beyond their immediate predicament.
Despite minor quibbles, Such Quiet Girls is a powerful, disturbing read that delivers on its promise: a high-stakes, adrenaline-fueled fight for survival. If you're looking for a thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat, this is it.

Thank you to Dynamite Books and NetGalley for this ARC!

This book was absolutely unputdownable, I stayed up until 2am finishing it. Very fast paced and great characters. Had me feeling all the feels.
Highly recommend picking this one up.

5 stars!

A bus filled with school children gets hijacked by a couple of thugs; the children, along with the bus driver are held captive underground while the kidnappers wait for their ransom.
This was pretty good, but I wish I would have known at the beginning of the book, instead of the end, that this was based on a true story. I probably would have just read about that instead.
Thanks to #netgalley and #dynamitebooks for this #arc of #suchquietgirls in exchange for an honest review.

Wow- way to take a real life mystery and turn it into a book. I was on the edge of my seat reading the whole thing. I enjoyed the authors writing style- anything she writes is a must read for me- I will continue to buy and read her books without reading the descriptions because they are so good

Great story! Loved the multiple point of views, you could really emerge yourself in story. It was interesting, I wanted to keep reading and find out what would happen.

If you're looking for a book that'll get your heart pumping, Such Quiet Girls by Noelle West Ihli could be a good pick. It's an engaging thriller that definitely keeps you turning pages.
What sets this one apart is how Noelle West Ihli dives into the heads of multiple main characters. You get to see the story unfold from different perspectives, which keeps things interesting and adds layers to the mystery. Just when you think you've got a handle on things, there's often another twist thrown in.
Ihli does a solid job of making the characters feel distinct, and you'll likely find yourself invested in their individual journeys. The tension builds pretty consistently, and the crisscrossing paths of the characters lead to some compelling moments. It's the kind of book you'll want to keep reading to see how everything connects.
So, if you're in the mood for a thriller that delivers a solid dose of suspense and uses multiple viewpoints effectively, Such Quiet Girls is worth checking out. It's a gripping read that will hold your attention.

WOW! This book was really good! Knowing that the story had some “inspiration" from real-life events was heart-breaking. It made the story more “real" as I was flipping the pages. The strength it took Bonnie & Sage to stay positive is something I can not put into words. I was holding my breath, just hoping they would all make it out safely.

I loved the different POVs while reading this book. I've said it a hundred times and I'll say it a hundred more but multi-POV always makes a thriller book even better. I enjoyed the POV from the kidnappers even though they were total scum. And, I loved it. It sounds strange, but I know that my thriller loving friends will understand. I’m excited to purchase this one to add to my Noelle Ihli collection!

Didn’t love. Jess’s annoyed me, she didn’t act like she was the responsible adult, or an adult in general and Sage acted more mature than her. The 12 year old did more to escape than the adult. Also randomly throwing in a grandpa with Alzheimer’s as a storyline seemed unnecessary

I immediately connected this story to the real life story that happened in California but it did not affect my reading experience! It made it more exciting to put myself in the shoes of the characters in the real life story. It was harrowing and hard to imagine being in the position of each character. I especially enjoyed reading about the POV of the young girl Sage. Her bravery and intelligence was a great addition.

There were times where my interest did wane. I wonder if it is because I knew in real life that the captured group get away from the captors and escape the underground, but I was more interested at the end when all of the plot lines converged. I wanted to shake the mom at some points, but I know that was probably expected.

Overall enjoyed! I will recommend to anyone I know who likes true crime and would be excited about this being based on a real story.

Noelle Ihli is the queen of thrillers that break your heart, bringing a real case to fictional life.

Her writing? Top tier. Her pacing? Unmatched.

Noelle Ihli is an auto buy author for me and should be for everyone that loves thrillers and fictional retellings of real life cases.

Its so funny that I got this book and None Left to Tell by Noelle Ihli because I had heard how great her thrillers were: Ask for Andrea, Gray After Dark, Run on Red, etc. Then it turns out both the books by her that I got are not standard thrillers, but are based on real life events. Such Quiet Girls is a modern day take on the 1970's Chowchilla kidnapping. Like that same event, a school bus full of kids plus the driver are all kidnapped and placed in an underground container while the kidnappers negotiated ransoms. I had just watched a documentary about the Chowchilla incident a few months ago so it was fun to revisit it in a fictionalized way with this book. The book was fast-paced and I enjoyed the story. The characters were drawn a little thinly so I never felt I understood each's motivations, but the story was good and I would recommend it.

Such Quiet Girls was a solid 3.75 read for me. The story held my interest and I liked the way the characters developed over time. It had a steady pace and a moody atmosphere that worked well. I wouldn’t call it a favorite, but I’m glad I picked it up.