From the moment I read the description of this book it stayed in the back of my mind. I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. Luckily, I was given an ARC!

A peek into every parents worst nightmare. The story was gripping, keeping you on the edge and wanting for more.

I have loved reading Noelle W Ihli’s books since my first read of this authorl! This book had me on the edge with each turning page not wanting to stop reading. I yelled, cheered and shook my head a lot. I always read the acknowledgements and she gives back stories and part of her research into writing – this makes me love her books even more seeing its based on a true story and she wants to give the awareness of it. Thank you for the ARC Net Galley #SuchQuietGirls #NoelleWIhli #NetGalley

Wow! Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my review. I’ll start by saying Noelle Ihli has a way of retelling awful events in such detail that I can’t put down her books! The intertwined narratives in this book were absolutely amazing!! So many heavy themes! Make sure you read the trigger warning!

This was an emotional story. My heart was thumping in my chest the entire time. The poor frightened children. It was heartbreaking. The children’s fear and uncertainty were portrayed in a way that made their experiences feel very real.

As a mother this novel terrified me but as someone who also enjoys reading thrillers, this story was captivating from the beginning until the end.

Twelve-year-old Sage was the true hero of this story. She had a defiant streak—she wasn’t willing to simply accept the situation she was in. That defiance became her strength, pushing her to stand her ground and fight for her freedom.

I was surprised to learn that this novel was inspired by real events. After looking into the actual story, I noticed many similarities between the novel and what really happened. The author did a great job staying true to the core details. Overall, this was a very interesting story, made even more so by the fact that it was inspired by a true story.

This one was just an okay read for me overall. The beginning started off strong and tense, pulling me in right away. However, the middle started to drag a bit, and by the time I reached the ending, it felt too predictable. I'm not a big fan of stories where everything wraps up too neatly, it tends to feel a little unrealistic and takes away from the tension built earlier.

That said, the writing itself was solid, and I especially appreciated the character work, Sage was a definite standout. I loved how her resilience was portrayed with such depth and strength. The short chapters made it a quick and easy read, but in the end, it felt like a fairly standard thriller without many surprises.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I've never read any of Noelle West Ihli's books, but this definitely will not be the last! This book had me hooked from page one and I couldn't put it down, finished it in a day! I also didn't realize it was based off a true story which made it even more heart pounding. Will definitely recommend to others as well!

Thank you NetGalley and Dynamite Books for the opportunity to review this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

The squeal that came out of me when I saw I had been approved for this one! This was an emotional roller coaster from page one. Based on true events, a bus driver and the kids in her charge are kidnapped and held hostage in an underground bunker. I really liked all the POVs from the mom of two of the children who were taken, one of her children, the bus driver, and with the added twist of one of the kidnappers. That added another star to my rating. This one was hard to put down and worth all 5 stars.

Everything Noelle touches, turns to gold. I have read everything she's written, and she still surprises me with how well done her work is. Even with multiple characters, she pulled me in and made me care for them all. Even the bad guy. This story tugged at the heart strings, made me angry, and left me feeling elated. I enjoyed every minute of the 3 hours it took me to read it. I can not recommend her work enough. If you haven't read something by her, GO! Do it now. There is no wrong place to start.

I was lucky enough to be able to read this book ahead of its release date and in true Noelle fashion, it did not disappoint!

The fast paced, edge of your seat thriller, combines several storylines that all intersect when a school bus of 10 children and a bus driver is intercepted. They are held captive by two men who have asked for ransom. This book not only gives you the perspective of those who are kidnapped but also the kidnappers themselves and one of the parents who is given the ransom note. There are deeper themes throughout the book including domestic abuse, Alzheimer’s, murder and family dynamics.

Absolutely loved everything about this book and highly recommend it!

Such Quiet Girls by Noelle West Ihli is a thriller inspired by true events where ten children and their bus driver are abducted in broad daylight and buried alive. I may be an outlier here but unfortunately everything was too generic and nothing was surprising in the novel. No plot twists or anything that I felt that a true thriller should have, very rudimentary and basic. Sorry Noelle West Ihli this one didn't do it for me.

Flew through this book. It did seem to get a bit busy in parts and did drag a bit in the middle. Apart from that I really enjoyed it!

This was a very average thriller to me. I didn’t know what to expect going into this and though i found the story interesting and loved that there were different POV’s i found i was mainly only loving one of the four. I think the book was a little too long and dragged quite a bit from the 50-70% mark for me. However i am excited to see what Noelle comes up with next! 👀

Thank you to NetGalley for the e arc!

Noelle Ihili takes this thriller to a new level of edge-of-your-seat reading.

Such Quiet Girls is loosely based on the true story of the Chowchilla, California, school bus kidnapping in 1976. The author tells her story from several points of view - the bus driver, one of the children, the mother of two of the children, and most amazingly, the POV of one of the kidnappers.

The plotting is fast-paced, and the characters are well developed. The book is an emotional page-turner. When the kidnappers bury the bus, with the driver and kids on board, I knew I wouldn’t be getting to sleep any time soon. It’s that gripping. Truly a rollercoaster ride of nail-biting high tension. I loved it.

Thank you to Noelle West Ihli, Dynamite Books, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a big Noelle Ihli fan and this one did not disappoint! A quick & exciting read like always! I was engaged from the very beginning and enjoyed the chapter character change to see the story from different view points! Thank you to the publisher & Netgalley for this ARC!

This reminded me of the true case where a group of students on a school bus really were kidnapped.

The premise was there and I was excited to dive it but a few things just didn’t seem right. Once they were buried in the bunker, I just couldn’t picture it, it’s deep but sage could reach? She must be a very tall 12 year old. They were also left with torches but didn’t use them??

The swapping from characters happened so quickly that there wasn’t enough time to build a story and the kidnapped storey and Sheena’s were boring. I felt there was no neat wrap up in the end.

I do feel that this is a book that I will be thinking about for a while to come but felt far fetched and so busy.

I think Sage must be genius levels of smart and also a giant? Because at 10 years old I had neither the brain capacity she does, nor knew a single girl or boy at 5’9”.

The story was okay. I felt the character jumping didn’t do enough to build depth. And Sheena was one note dull.

I always look forward to Noelle’s books and for good reason! Inspired by true events, Such Quiet Girls is loosely based off The Chowchilla kidnapping in 1976, where three men hijacked a school bus, abducted the 26 children onboard and their bus driver and then buried them alive in a truck trailer.

Man, this entire book is a mother’s worst nightmare (I currently don’t have children but this still completely gutted me at times) and whilst it was more of a slow burn, it definitely kept my attention throughout. Told through multiple POV - the bus driver, one of the children, that same child’s mother and even one of the kidnappers - I found this to be a gripping, tension filled read that I devoured in just one day.

Such Quiet Girls completely pulled me in from the first page. Noelle Ihli’s writing is tense and atmospheric, with a creeping sense of dread that builds with every chapter. The characters felt so real—complicated, vulnerable, and strong in ways they don’t even realize. The friendship at the heart of the story was raw and powerful, and the mystery kept me guessing until the very end. This book is dark, emotional, and beautifully written. Highly recommend to anyone who loves psychological thrillers that actually stick with you after you finish

I was so excited when Noelle sent me a copy of this book in the mail last week! I love how she was able to make a smooth transition when she was going between the main characters 4 different POV’s: the bus driver, a 12 year old bus rider, her mother, and the kidnapper himself. The way she was able to really make each character their own and make them sound different based on their age/social class was so smart. She really made the thoughts of the bus rider, Sage sound like an actual child. I love how Noelle seems to put little personal touches in all of her books. When you read hers, make sure to read the authors note! She usually points out what they are. I also want to commend Noelle for really doing her diligent research when she writes stories based off of true stories. She treats these stories with such respect, yet really makes them her own. And I’ve loved all of the ones she’s done. I love how much suspense she was able to add into this book. And I really love that she was able to keep me on the edge of my seat the whole time waiting for an answer to all the questions I had stirring in my head. She made you wait for some of the answers and I was 100% here for it. If you love fast paced, suspenseful books that involve kidnapping — you’ll have to check this one out! It comes out on 4/29/25 and I can’t wait for all of you to read it!

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you to @netgalley and @noelleihliauthor for the advanced reader copy of this intense novel. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes true crime fiction and thrillers.
Loosely based on the Chowchilla incident in the 1970s that involved the kidnapping of children and their bus driver. The author took a modern direction on the events. I enjoyed the multiple points of view, each with their own sense of desperation.