This story is a heart pounding race against time and you will feel like you can’t read the pages fast enough. I’ve had the pleasure of reading many of Noelle West Ihli’s books and everyone is perfect. I loved the pacing of this story and how you really get to know the characters. Another five star book from one of the best thriller authors.

I went from holding my pillow in a death grip to sobbing into it within minutes as I turned the last page...

What a brilliant story Noelle has woven together with multiple POVs to give you every angle, feeling, motive, and emotion. I found myself wondering what type of bravery I would possess in this situation? What character did I see myself in if I was in their shoes? As a mom, my heart was deeply invested in Sheena and Jessa. I could feel their sorrow, despair, and hope interlaced in the pages of this book and I was rooting for both of them until the entire time. Standing ovation, Noelle, for another novel I couldn't sleep until I finished!

Thank you NetGalley and the incredible author, Noelle Ihli, for my very first ARC read. I enjoyed every minute of it!

Holy smokes I could NOT put this down- such a well done suspenseful thriller; bonus that this is based on a real situation that happened once upon a time and knowing that made it all the more real!

This is an alternating POV story, between a parent, the bus driver, and a sixth grade girl.

The bus driver, Jessa, followed a detour sign on her route only to quickly discover it wasn’t a real detour. They are blocked in by two vans, on a rural abandoned road, when two gunman approach the school bus and take the ten young kids she’s transporting and Jessa - to a buried storage container way underground at a quarry to hide them- and they ask for an enormous ransom from one of the Moms who has two kids on the bus, and happens to be city treasurer (who’s POV we get to explore!). One of their captives seems to be sociopathic and violent and the other has regrets and realizes they’re in way over their heads, even with the intent and planing to let all the kids go safely once they have their money. Do we think it works out that way?! I literally couldn’t go to bed last night until I knew. My heart was pounding!

So so good. Thank you to Netgalley and Xpresso books for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review; all thoughts are entirely mine!

Wow!! This was certainly thrilling! I was pulled in from the first page and couldn’t put it down! There was an intense sense of urgency and the claustrophobic setting adds a whole new level of intensity. Loved the Multi-POV’s.

This isn’t your typical twisty turny thriller. Instead it reaches for the raw and emotional reality of survival and psychological toll of captivity. It is fast-paced and unique. Loved this one!

Thank you NetGalley and Dynamite Books for an ARC of this book!

3.5 stars rounded up. This is a new to me author and, after reading this book, one that I would be happy to return to. Inspired by (not to be confused with “based on”) actual events, this twisted story of 2 young men who decide to work together to kidnap a bus of elementary school children and their bus driver is full of suspense. It’s told from multiple points of view to get a full picture of the situation. The author, Noelle Ihli, did a great job with this to allow you to put yourself in the shoes of a kidnapper, Ted, the bus driver, Jessa, a student, Sage, as well as Sage’s mom. Jesse’s background story itself is twisted, and Noelle could (and if she does, I’d be very interested!) write an entire book on that whole situation! It was certainly uncomfortable being in the mind of one of the kidnappers, but I’m glad she chose to put us in his mind rather than the other one who seemed to have no conscience whatsoever. Sage’s mom had to make choices that were not easy and it made you wonder what you would choose to do if you were in her shoes. The fact that Noelle included a character with Alzheimer’s brought it a bit close to heart.
As a parent and Pre-K teacher, it was easy to imagine how terrifying this ordeal was for the children, their parents, and their bus driver in the story. Although I would have preferred to feel a little more uncertain about how things were going to play out to make this more tense and thrilling (hence the lower rating), I did enjoy the story and found it to be a quick read. I look forward to checking out more of Noelle’s books and keep an eye out for her future work.
Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

"Such Quiet Girls" by Noelle W. Ihli is an engaging and suspenseful read that keeps you hooked from start to finish. The story is well-paced, with intriguing characters and a plot full of suspense. Ihli's writing style is clear and compelling, making it easy to immerse yourself in the world she creates. Highly recommended!

My fears came to life in this book. Dark, twisted, emotional, heart pounding, anxiety, dread, you name it this book had it. As a mother you always do what is safest for your child. You weigh the pros and cons. No matter what you do there is always a slim chance that something could happen. You just never see it coming until it runs over you at top speed. Taking your breath away, wanting to scream until you pass out, you just want to hold your child in your arms again. What would you do to get them back?

Such Quiet Girls starts off with a bang and does not let up until you read the last word. The tension is thick, you can smell the fear, confusion and fear taking over. Ms. Jessa has just started driving the bus, you know there is a backstory that is dying to be let out. The kids listen, put their phones in their cubbies, and are ready to roll. When Jessa comes to a detour sign and hangs a left all bets are off. The children are taken and hidden away. Waiting for their parents or the police to find them. Sage, a tall sixth grader, is the only one who can reach the only way in and the only way out of their prison. Will she be able to escape?

I loved that Noelle W. Ihli story is based on actual events. The characters are amazing and moved me to tears repeatedly. The minutes constantly ticking, moving slow as molasses. As the walls begin to shrink in on the kids and Ms. Jessa. Who and why would have taken them? Thank you to Noelle W. Ihli and Dynamite Books for this intense read.

Noelle has a true gift of taking inspiration from real events and weaving them into fictional stories with multiple POVs. This one WRECKED me. Being a mom to young daughter, this is literally my worst fear. Of my baby being kidnapped. Thank Noelle for continuing to write. I love every single one of your books.

This is the kind of book I would pick up in a doctor’s waiting room, speed through before my appointment, then forget about later. It was meh.

This book definitely kept me interested and wanting more . It was a quick read with multiple POV . I didn’t feel like there was a twist I didn’t see coming , but it was still thrilling.
Thank you Dynamite Books and NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

When Noelle W. Ihli releases a book, I will be requesting it. Her books are so easy to binge.

📖: After school, Ms. Jessa drives ten students to after school care at Bright Beginnings. After following a strange detour sign, the bus is stopped by two sketchy vans and men disguising their faces. Everything goes downhill from there. Told from multiple perspectives, the tension is high through this thriller.

🤝: This may be a good fit if you enjoy:
- kidnapping + ransom plots
- fiction based on true events
- victim + villain perspectives

💭: Like usual, Ihli's writing is easy to binge. I think folks who like that claustrophobic kidnapping thrillers, this could be a great fit. I've found it wasn't for me, but I recognize that's a me problem not a book problem. There are some emotional moments with the grandfather and nostalgic moments with references to Harriet the Spy that I enjoyed. Thrillers that can stir the pot of emotions are so great.

Thank you to Dynamite Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ebook early in exchange for an honest review.

thank you Net Galley for an advanced reader's copy of this book. This book made me sit at the edge of my seat and bite my nails. This was terrifying and gave me shivers. I LOVED IT AND I think I'm in love with the author now. The fact that this was based of a true story made me even more scared. This is one of the best thrillers I've read!!!

WOW! I've been in a reading slump lately and this was the book I needed. This was definitely my favorite read so far this year. I had anxiety the whole time wanting to know what happened next. A huge thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this arc copy. This will be released on 4/29/25, so don't sleep on it!

o.m.g... this book had my heart pounding from the first chapter. I honestly felt like if I quit reading that the kids wouldn't make it. I seriously couldn't stop. It amazes me that with each new book she writes they all become my new favorites.

First off, thank you Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book. Noelle Ihli is my new favorite author and this book is a good example why. It was a very fast read, engaging, heart pounding thriller. Based on true events I whipped through this novel in two days. I love the little Easter eggs throughout that only readers of her other books will understand. All in all a very satisfying read! 4 stars!

This book definitely had me on edge of my seat, holding my breath multiple times!

I was immediately interested from chapter one and it was a good, fast paced read that was kept interesting by the POVs that were chosen.

The author did a good job of giving each character a different voice so it really felt like you were in their head and seeing things from their perspective.

this story is every parent’s nightmare. in my opinion, it took a while to get interesting, and for most of the book, i just felt depressed because come on… it’s about trapped children. that said, i loved all the harriet the spy references! overall, i was surprised by how everything unfolded, especially knowing it’s based on a true story. i always love reading books inspired by real events. if you’re into horrifying true stories like me, i definitely recommend this one!

This was a super fast paced, action packed thriller. It follows a group of students and their bus driver as they are kidnapped and buried in an underground bunker. It's told from multiple POV's: the kidnappers, bus driver, students, and students parents.

I liked some aspects of this more than others. I was immediately intrigued, as the action begins right away. It was super easy to get into and was a quick read. Unfortunately, the action fizzles out a little, there was nothing unique or particularly interesting about it, and by the end I was ready for the book to be over.

Based on the premise and other books I've read by this author, I thought there would be an impactful scene that tied everything together and left you thinking, but there wasn't. Because this was based on a true story and discussed a lot of intense topics, I was expecting there to be a message I could take away from the story. Instead, everything felt surface level. There was nothing to connect me to the characters, each conflict was very swiftly wrapped up, and all of the circumstances felt very convenient. The characters are one dimensional and their motivations are very clear and predictable.

I probably went into this expecting more than I should've, but I did have a good reading experience and would recommend it if the premise is intriguing.

Such Quiet Girls

First, I give this a solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved this story. Told from several perspectives, a mom, a young victim of kidnappers, bus driver, and one of the kidnappers.

Imagine a busload load of children in route to be dropped off at daycare facility and they never make it???

A Mom, of two of the children on the bus, receives a ransom note taped to a pizza box.

The bus driver Jessa has a sketchy past. She his her real identity from Bright Beginnings Day Care to be able to drive for them.

The story unfolds one afternoon with the children boarding the bus and dropping their phones in the cubbies. Adhering to Bright Beginnings no cellphone policy on the buses. A detour sign leading them into danger.

Nobody could tell this story better than Noelle Wn Ihli.

This book was based loosely on the Chowchilla bus kidnapping in 1976. I watched the movie years ago so my interest was peaked when I saw this ARC on NetGalley. Jessa Landon has had a hard time over the last few years and is a worn down bus driver, clinging to hopes of reuniting with her young daughter. Sheena is a tired single mom of two girl, 12 and 6, Sage and Bonnie. She is trying to juggle a career, kids and a father with Alzheimer’s. Ted and Andy are two early twenties men hoping to get rich off of kidnapping the children heading to Bright Beginnings aftercare. What follows is a page turner that makes you wonder how you would react if it were your children who were kidnapped and their fate lay in your hands. Time and air are running out for the children and Jessa buried underground in a shipping container and the police seem to have no leads on their location. Don’t miss this one!