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!

Thank you Xpress Book Tours, Noelle West Ihli and NetGalley for the ARC!


This book was so good!! I read it in one sitting because I couldn't put it down! The story features multiple POVs as a school bus full of elementary school kids gets taken hostage for ransom. I remember listening to a podcast about the true event this is based on, so I enjoyed reading this book as a true crime lover. We get the POV of Sage, the oldest student on the bus, who is forced to take charge in order to try and save herself and the other kids and bus driver. Ms. Jessa is the bus driver who is suffering from her own traumas that are brought back up after being taken hostage by the kidnappers. We also see the POV of Sheena Sage and Bonnie's mom who is contacted for the ransom money and trying to figure out what to do to save her kids. We also get the POV of Ted, one of the kidnappers who is hoping to get the ransom money to get a new start. All of the POVs were very interesting but I enjoyed Sage and Ted's the best. Comparing Sage who is doing everything she can to save everyone as well as Ted who is conflicted about the whole situation is interesting. This book was faced paced and a great read! I would definitely recommend to others!

Noelle doesn’t just write thrillers. She writes gut-wrenching, beautifully layered, deeply human stories that wreck you. I cried. I raged. I held my breath. I loved every single word.

Fast-paced. Unputdownable. Unforgettable. Noelle Ihli is officially an auto-buy author for me—I don’t even need the blurb anymore. Just gimme the book.

Such Quiet Girls was such a wild ride! I absolutely devoured this book in less than a day, I could not stop reading! Just like other books by Noelle West Ihli, she finds a way to keep the reader on the edge of their seat, constantly guessing what was going to happen. The multiple POVs really added a ton of depth to the storyline.

Make sure to be aware of trigger warnings as this one was pretty dark the whole way through.

A huge thank you to Noelle West Ihli, Dynamite Books, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for a honest review!

Now that my heart rate is beating at a normal speed, let's get into 'Such Quiet Girls' by Noelle W Ihli.

What would you do if the bus you drove was filled with students and was ambushed and then kidnapped? That's what happens to ten students and a bus driver in this book.

You get a glimpse at everything going on because this book follows the storylines of multiple people. You follow one of the kidnappers, the bus driver, a student and a parent. 

I never thought a thriller would bring me to tears but this book had me crying. As a mom of two girls who used to ride the bus, this changed something in me.

The students and bus driver who had this actually happen to them (because this book was based on true events) have all of my love. Learning more about the case shook me to the core. 

Bravo to Noelle for researching and creating a beautiful but insane story. Five stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book had me in the first half, not gonna lie, then the last 130 pages came in swinging! I did not want to stop reading because I had to know what would happen next!

This story has multiple POV’s and characters, which can sometimes be too much for a thriller because there is so much going on already, but I think this added to the story. The author did a good job making each POV engaging to read from and they all played a key role in everything coming together.

I can’t get over how well everything came together in the end. The pieces were moving so fast, I almost couldn’t read it fast enough. It was intense and very fast paced, I can’t get over it!

I also cried! Why does the author do this to me!? Ihli does such a good job of adding such heartwarming scenes to their books to give some light to the heavy subject material. Even though, it seems to always make me cry! The grandfather story line broke my heart but was so heartwarming!

I also think it is interesting that this is based off the real case of 1976 Chowchilla. So, I will be adding that to my list of documentaries to watch.

I would recommend this book for sure! It took a moment for the story to get moving, but once it does, you’re in it!

***Huge thank you to NetGalley, Dynamite Books, and Xpresso Books for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review***

This was SO GOOD! It's emotional, thrilling, and heartwarming in a weird way for a thriller. Noelle Ihli is easily becoming an auto-read author for me.

I really enjoyed Noelle's previous books and was so happy when I was given the chance to get ARC of her new book.

A bus of children were kidnapped and the story unfolds from a few different perspectives. I like it. Makes it interesting to see how each of them think and respond to the situation.

I like that the bus driver was not straight away portrayed as the mature and save the day kind of person. It makes it more interesting to see her character development and how not all adults can act as an adult in terrible situations.

I would definitely recommend this book. Well written, good pace and kept me wondering what's going to happen next.

Just finished reading this book by one of my favorite writers. The story is about a traumatic event and the overwhelming fight for survival. I did have to stop reading from time to time because I was experiencing so many emotions. Heart pounding and heart breaking, this is such an amazing book. I highly recommend it.

This was my first book by this author. I have been wanting to read her books for a while. I was really excited to get this specific one as an ARC. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher! This was such a great thriller.
Loved the writing and it was easy to follow the different POVs, they each left off seamlessly. Can’t wait to read more of her work!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of Such Quiet Girls—and wow, this one absolutely blew me away!

Once again, the author delivers a masterclass in fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat suspense. From the chilling opening to the final pages, I was completely hooked. The tension is palpable, the pacing relentless, and the emotional stakes sky-high.

The story centers around a truly terrifying premise: ten children are abducted in broad daylight and buried alive in a shipping container. Jessa, the new bus driver, blames herself—haunted by the loss of her own daughter years earlier. But she’s determined to fight for these kids, no matter the cost.

The characters are so well drawn—Jessa is raw, real, and resilient, and Sage is an absolute standout. You can’t help but root for them as they fight to survive an unthinkable situation. The sense of urgency, the claustrophobic setting, and the emotional depth kept me turning pages late into the night.

Inspired by actual events, this story is both harrowing and heart-wrenching—but also a powerful testament to courage, grit, and the will to survive.

A gripping, unforgettable read. Highly recommended for fans of high-stakes thrillers that stay with you long after the final chapter.

Such Quiet Girls is an exciting, edge of your seat thriller that will have your eyes bulging until the very end.

This story follows four very different character perspectives while we navigate a busload of children (and the bus driver) going missing.

I have to commend Noelle Ihli for her masterful way of presenting thrillers that feel so realistic and unlocking new fears. This book was no exception.

I absolutely loved the different perspectives that were presented in this book. I thought that was the most captivating part of this book. Paired with the short chapters, it's definitely a "just one more chapter" kind of read.

Though I found this to be a fairly easy, yet exciting, read, I also truly appreciated the moments of beautiful symbolism, references and imagery presented throughout this novel.

I'm bursting at the seams to recommend this to anyone that's in for a wild ride!

Thank you Dynamite Books and NetGalley for this ARC ebook by: Noelle West Ihli Publication Date: April 29, 2025

4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 - This book was a page turner. Be sure you set aside a few hours of uninterrupted time to read this book because once you start you won't want to stop until you're done.

Due to the sensitive topic of this book (a bus full of kids being kidnapped) the anxiety you will feel while reading this book is real.

The author truly conveyed stress, claustrophobia, nervousness, anger, fear and put me on an emotional roller coaster that I couldn't & didn't want to get off of.

This might be the best Noelle West Ihli book that I have read to date.

Once again, thank you to Dynamite Books and NetGalley for this ARC ebook.

#SuchQuietGirls #NetGalley #DynamiteBooks

WOW!!! That is probably the first word that comes to mind when explaining this book.
I love the story building of this book, the different characters' point of views.....AMAZING! It was very easy to follow each perspective without needing to go back to see whose viewpoint we are seeing the story from, which is huge for me because I get frustrated when I have to go back to see who is telling the story. This author makes it so easy and seamless, there is no mistaking who is telling the story.

I ate this book up....I was on the edge of my seat the entire time waiting and bracing myself for what was about to come.

Super action packed, Super suspenseful, 10/10 would recommend this to my friends and anyone looking for a read that will leave them on the edge of their seat.

My first book by this author. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
This book was non stop suspense. A great read. I'll definitely be reading more from this author .

I received a complementary ARC of this book from NetGalley on behalf of the author and the publisher.
This one pulled me in right from the first page. It was full of some really great twists and the fast pace kept me reading well in to the night. This story is told in several different view points, even one of the bad guys, which was an interesting POV. I'm a newer reader to Noelle West Ihli and I'll definitely keep reading her books!

This book is so good! It absolutely gripped me from beginning to end and I could not hardly stop reading it.

Such Quiet Girls is based loosely on a true story and the story of survival for these children is absolutely heartbreaking. The author did such a good job telling this story and also of talking about Alzheimer's. One of the characters has it in this book and she did a great job of navigating the early symptoms! One of my favorite reads this year. Noelle does it again with this one!

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review! Thank you to NetGalley and Dynamite Books for the chance to read and review this book!

I loved it!!! The thrill and excitement was infectious too! I would absolutely recommend it and would buy the book as well.