This book jumps straight in on the action. By halfway through I had pretty much determined that Sage and her whole twelve years of age, was the smartest person in the book. Jessa had to be the most completely useless adult I’ve ever seen when it came to trying to help these poor trapped and terrified children. I honestly just wanted to shake her. The fact that she is a mother and took so long to help Sage and comfort the other kids blew my mind. Poor Sheena having the ransom given to her and the lives of all ten kids and Jessa dependent on her decisions, while also dealing with her father…You definitely see where Sage got her smarts though. All in all this was a fantastic story with a wonderful ending, as all Noelle’s work I’ve read has been.

Based on a true story with a lot of suspense. I enjoy Noelle Ihli’s writing style and how fast paced her books are. 3 1/2 stars rounded up

I first became a fan of Noelles books with Ask for Andrea and this book changed nothing. I like when she takes stories based on truth and puts her own spin on them, it makes the book even more hard hitting and intense that way. This book was a kind of a tough subject matter to read for me just being a mother myself and it involves the kidnaping and basically kids being buried alive underground in a makeshift bunker. But it still kept me hooked and wanting to know what was going to happen and needing to make sure that the kids were going to be ok. At times the multiple different POV's and different storylines got a bit hard to keep track of but it wasn't too overwhelming.

A school bus full of kids is kidnapped on their way home from school. What ensues had me on the edge of my seat and instantly invested. There were chapters told from the children, bus driver, kidnappers, and parents point of view so was able to get everyone's perspective. I was annoyed at some characters and rooting for others. This fast paced thriller was worth the read. Thanks Netgalley for the ARC.

I absolutely love Noelle W Ihli and her writing! This one however wasn’t my highest rating but only for a few reasons!

This was SUSPENSE from beginning to end & had my brain spiraling trying to figure out where it was going the entire time!
A bus of kids are kidnapped from school & held for ransom, it’s an elaborate scheme that takes a few turns! I absolutely loved it until the story comes to a head & the ending is near. This is based off a true story but of course she adds in her story & after reading the acknowledgements at the end, her personal experience she added into the story felt forced to me, as it felt out of place in the story to me from the beginning.
I still enjoyed the book & the story but the ending just wasn’t what i felt it could be.

What a rollercoaster. When a bus is hijacked on its way to an afterschool we are gripped by the next 24+ hours through the eyes of sisters on the bus, the bus driver with a rocky past, the girls mom who is also carer for her ex cop dad suffering from dementia and one of the hijackers. I was glued to this book from the first page. Really great thriller.
Highly recommend and can’t wait to get stuck into more of this authors books

This book perfectly blended my love for true crime, thrillers, and my favorite author, Noelle West Ihli. So, when I found out that Noelle was releasing a novel based on the 1976 mass kidnapping, I couldn't wait to dive in. A huge thank you to Netgalley @netgalley and Noelle @noelleihliauthor for providing me with an ARC - I finished it in just a couple of hours!

The story is told through multiple POVs. I enjoyed seeing the events unfold from different perspectives, whether it was through a child's eyes or from the point of view of the antagonists. It kept me on the edge of my seat, constantly shifting my emotions and sympathies as we progressed through this book. And I have to add, Grandpa became one of my favorite characters - his presence added a sense of warmth and stability to the otherwise tense narrative.

I highly recommend picking up a copy of this book when it is released on April 29th. While you're waiting, you can check out any of her other books. I recommend them all!

I had high hopes for Such Quiet Girls, but unfortunately, I was disappointed. The premise seemed promising, and I was eager to dive into this thriller, but it fell short for me. I found myself bored throughout the book, which is unusual for me with this genre. The characters felt flat, some POVs seemed unnecessary, and I never got to know the characters well enough to become truly engaged. I also felt that the story developed too slowly, and without any notable cliffhangers, the reading experience was quite dull. This book actually put me in a reading slump, so unfortunately, it wasn't for me.

Rounded down to 3.5 ⭐️

Noelle Ihli is starting to become one of my auto-read authors for thrillers. This one is exceptional and based on a true story, which makes it all the more frightening. The story is told by multiple POVs, and as we move along the narrative, we also get to know each POV’s pasts and secrets. However, I find that the pacing is not as consistent as her other books, but that doesn’t take away the impact of the story. I also find it hard to connect with the characters and plot wholly, but I still enjoyed it nonetheless. The ending was a bit predictable for me, though, I didn’t think it was meant to have an explosive plot twist to deliver. This might be best on audio to get a more gripping experience.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

Very sold thriller and sad story, but so well written. I was captivated from the very first page and all the way until the end!

Wow what an amazing thriller! This was jam packed full of suspense right the way through! The multiple POV from the kidnappers, the children, the teacher and the mother worked really well!

I loved that we also saw the guilt from one of the kidnappers and how he was constantly questioning his morality, it made the book more suspenseful because i really didn't know if he was going to kill the girls or set them free. Overall a fantastic read and i'd definitely recommend to any thriller lovers i know.

Thank you to Netgalley, Dynamite Books, and of course Noelle W. Ihli for an Arc.

Pros-
Very entertaining
I did not want to put the book down
The storyline/plot was there
The pacing was great, gives you something, then takes it away
Point of views from all main characters
Never a dull moment

Cons-
The ending kind of disappointed me (this is a me thing) I am not sure why. It felt a little rushed.

i read “run on red” by this author a couple of years ago and i absolutely flew through it. this book was no different. ihli has a way of coming up with concepts that are TERRIFYING and make it possible to really capture the essence of a true thriller— something that makes you stay up at night, makes your skin crawl, keeps you on the edge of your seat, disturbs you, and creates the desperate need to know how this story will end.

such quiet girls follows a group of kids and their bus driver that get abducted during what should be a routine pick up/drop off. from there, they are placed in a shipping container underground in the middle of nowhere while chaos ensues above ground— with both the abductors and the mother of two of the children as she tries her best to fulfill their ransom demand. ( all of this is in the synopsis and is NOT a spoiler )

i loved being able to see every aspect of this event from different perspectives. we get to see it through the eyes of the bus driver that is abducted with the children, one of the children themselves, the mother of that child, and one of the abductors. this really made the story feel fleshed out and left room for us to grow to like, care for, and understand the characters— more so than i typically see in other thrillers.

another huge bonus for me— i would classify the ending as satisfying. i won’t give too much away, but i feel like all the loose ends were tied up efficiently.. sometimes thrillers will hit their climax and end too abruptly, leaving you with unanswered questions. other times the main issue is effectively resolved, and then we are forced to sit through another 50 pages of wrapping up. ihli tied a nice little bow on this book in under 20 pages!

I loved this book from start to finish. Never a dull moment.

The story was told from the POV of three people: Jessa the bus driver, Sage who was the eldest child on the bus, Sheena her mother and Ted, one of the kidnappers. As the story progresses we get to know more and more about each character and seeing the effect the kidnapping has on each character. I think this is part of what made the story so good and hard to put down.

Since I went into it without first reading the blurb I had no idea even what the story was about, let alone it was based on true events. Just the authors name had me wanting to read it. This book is definitely unique and hard to forget.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

Such Quiet Girls is a fast-paced and tense read about a bus full of kids that gets kidnapped. The story is told from different points of view which is easy to follow .Some parts felt a little unrealistic, and the characters weren’t very developed, but it was still a quick and exciting read. Great for fans of true crime-inspired stories.

I would like to thank Dynamite Books & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review

This is the first book I have read by Noelle West Ihli.
I really enjoyed the short chapters and different point of views. It really kept me on my toes wondering what was going to happen in the end.
This is definitely a scary book for anyone that has kids.
I'll update this when the post is live. I have it scheduled for release day, April 29th.

Such Quiet Girls by Noelle Ihli unfolds over 24 tense hours after a school bus full of children is kidnapped. Told from multiple perspectives—a 12 year girl on the bus, her mother, one of the kidnappers, and the bus driver—the story explores fear, survival, and resilience from every angle.

While clearly inspired by real-life cases like the Chowchilla kidnapping, Ihli adds a fresh, modern spin with elements like GPS tracking and cell phones that connect the story in the present day.

The multi-POV format works well, giving readers a fuller picture of the crisis. However, while the emotional stakes are high, the character development sometimes takes a backseat to the plot’s pace.

Still, this is a gripping, straightforward read with enough tension and heart to keep you hooked. A solid pick for fans of true crime-inspired fiction though I wouldn’t quite call it a thriller

I would like to thank Dynamite Books & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC for Such Quiet Girls and I am SO THANKFUL!! this book was incredible. multiple POV’s without being confusing. this book had me feeling all the feels…. edge of your seat, lump in your throat, and at times gut wrenching. As a mom of 2 myself, I found myself constantly wondering what I would do in the situation our main mama was placed in. I will definitely be reading all of the books that Noelle West Ihli has to offer- past, present, and future!

This book was so good. A school bus full of children and the bus driver, don’t show up to their usual stopping place. This triggers immense fear in the community because what possibly could have happened to these children? Told from the prospective of one of the children, the bus driver, a mother and a kidnapper. This book kept me on the edge of my seat and I devoured it in one sitting.

First of all, just want to say HUGE thank you to Dynamite Books for giving me the opportunity to ARC read this via Netgalley!

I truly do not feel there was a moment of peace throughout this whole book, and I say that as the highest form of compliment. From about 10 pages in, I sitting on the edge of my seat, needing to know what came next. The way the author built intrigue with little bits of information spread throughout the book hooked me and kept me stuck right from the start. And the way everything tied together so perfectly in the end left me completely satisfied (and completely mind blown). It was both heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. It made me yell, it made me smile, it made me cry. It was a true roller coaster.

This may very well be a personal thing, but this is the 2nd book I've read by this author and the way she writes just makes everything feel so real. I could feel the panic, the worry, everything these characters felt. There were several times I almost DNF'd this book because I wasn't sure I could handle the anxiety the suspense was drawing out of me (just kidding, I was 100% going to finish this but it was a wild ride). By far the best thriller I have read in a long time.