woah!! this story totally got me hooked from the first page. i put all the things I had to do aside to finish reading, i simply could not help myself.
i was incredibly excited when i got approved for this one!

noelle w. ihli mentioned that the story, like many of her other books, was inspired by actual events that happened in 1976 - the chowchilla kidnapping, where three men hijacked a school bus and abducted the bus driver along with twenty six kids. (i got my hands on the real story as soon as i finished the book)
the plot of 'such quiet girls' focuses on the abduction of ten young children and their school bus driver, jessa, while they're on their way home. trapped in an underground bunker, the group faces terryfying moments in a tense and claustrophobic setting.
noelle w. ihli presents a gripping and emotionally intense story that touches on the deepest fears of parents. and school bus drivers.

this fast-paced story kept me on the edge of my seat, and the fact that something like this actually happened in real life definitely added to the experience. from the very first pages, we're thrown straight into the action - no need to wait 150 pages for something to happen.

the story is told through multiple pov's: the kidnaper's, an abducted student and her mom, and the bus driver. usually, i get overwhelmed by it, i end up confused or losing interest, but in this book, i really liked it.

now, onto the characters:
jessa is trying to get her life back on track after being abused, killing her husband and spending time in prison. she lied in order to get a job, and regain custody of her daughter.

then there's sheena - she's dealing with the kidnapping and also cares for her father who has alzheimer's. she knows she should to go to the police, but the kidnappers have threatened the children, and she's too scared to go against their demands.

both mothers are put in terrible situations, constantly living in fear. both characters are very relatable tho, doing everything in their power to keep the kids safe.

i think sage was my fav character. she's such a smart kid, i loved her and bonnie's sisterhood.
i admired her determination and resilience.
she kinda carried the weight of everyone’s survival because she was the tallest one of them all. even when she was tired, she never stopped digging - despite her shaking legs and exhaustion, she pushed her limits and kept going.

it must've been mentally exhausting, knowing that there are other people who are not physically able to help you because they're little dwarfs.

as for the abductors - ted and andy - ted wasnt actually so heartless, and I liked him better than andy. andy was an absolutely disgusting human  being with no conscience whatsoever. dude lacked empathy SO hard.

to sum up, 'such quiet girls' is one of my favorite thrillers of 2025 so far, and i'd definitely reccomend it! it's a quick and engaging read you can devour in one sitting.
i already can't wait for 'forget you saw her'!



*thanks to NetGalley, Dynamite Books, and the author - Noelle W. Ihli for the opportunity to review this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!*

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. This one had my anxiety off the charts and add to that that it was based on a true story! Wow.

This book was a quick and emotional read. The multi pov was hard to get into for me, but the story is great. Knowing that this is based on true events is heart breaking.

Thanks Netgalley for the eARC!

Title: Such Quiet Girls
Author: Noelle West Ihli
Publisher: Dynamite Books
Genre: Creepy Mystery/Thriller
Pub Date: April 29, 2025
My Rating: 4.3 Emotional Stars

New bus driver Jessa was taking the children home from the ‘Bright Beginnings Childcare Center, and is traveling the typical back roads when there is a big orange DETOUR sign with an arrow pointing down a dirt road. As Jess drives the bus down the rough road she notices a white van parked on the side ‘Speedy Shuttle’ which seemed strange to her! She was sooo correct.
Next thing there is a man standing in front of the bus with a gun. Since the school as a ‘no phone policy, Jesse as well as the children store their phones is a cubby. Jesse knew she made a terrible mistake -

Now trapped in a shipping container buried twenty feet underground, Jessa and the children do their best to stay calm. The kidnappers insist that if everyone behaves, they’ll be freed when the ransom is paid. However, it is dark and cramped, with little air.

Story it told from POV's of Sheena, Ms. Jessa, Sage (Sheena's daughter), and one of the kidnappers.

Sheena is the mother who is being asked for the ransom, she follows the kidnapper’s instructions and does not contact the police as she fears for her two daughter’s lives,
who had been taken. While trying to care for her father with Alzheimer's.

I knew I wanted to read whatever Noelle W. Ihli writes and was excited when I got this.
However I am claustrophobic and thought yikes am I going to be able to read this?
However, she didn’t let me down!
Loved how Ms. Jessa keeps the children from panic by telling them – “A really smart counselor told me to imagine what I wanted – Instead of thinking about what I didn’t want. She had the children thinking of When we escaped not ‘if’.

There is no doubt this is a dark thriller but thankfully a fast read

Story is based on the real events that took place in Chowchilla, California in 1976. Ms. Ihli provides some info in Author’s Note’ so before sure to read it. The following is info I found via Google.
On July 15, 1976, a busload of children aged 5 to 14 and their school bus driver, Ed Ray (then 55), were abducted on a country road in Madera County at about 4 p.m. on their way back from a swim outing on the fairgrounds. The bus was later found empty, covered with bamboo and brush in a drainage ditch nine miles west of town. The victims, 19 girls and seven boys, along with Ray, were driven around for 11 hours in two vans before being entombed in a moving van and buried in a Livermore rock quarry.
After 16 hours underground in an 8-foot by 16-foot space, two of the older children and Ray were able to escape after digging themselves out with only their hands, cutting themselves along the way. The 27 were found in a remote area near the Shadow Cliffs East Bay Regional Park and were then taken to the nearby Santa Rita Rehabilitation Center, where they were pronounced in good condition. The children and their bus driver returned safely to Chowchilla by a police-escorted bus shortly before dawn on July 17, 1976.https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/02/health/chowchilla-childhood-trauma/index.html
About the Author ~ Noelle W. Ihli - pronounced noh-EL EYE-lee.)
Noelle’s two great passions are murder and horses (separately, never together).
She lives in Idaho with her husband, two sons, and two cats. When she's not plotting her next thriller, she's scaring herself with true-crime
documentaries or going for a trail ride in the foothills (with her trusty pepper spray). </i>

Want to thank NetGalley and Dynamite Books this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for April 29, 2025.

I was excited and honored to receive an ARC of *Such Quiet Girls* by Noelle Ihli. From the very first page, I couldn't put it down. The book presents a chilling scenario: ten children are abducted in broad daylight while on their afterschool daycare bus and are buried alive. The bus seemingly disappears without a trace. The vivid descriptions of the buried shipping container evoke a strong sense of claustrophobia.

Inspired by real events—the 1976 Chowchilla kidnapping—this fast-paced story features short chapters narrated from multiple perspectives: Sage, one of the children; the bus driver, Jessa; Ted, one of the kidnappers; and Sheena, the mother of two of the missing girls. The characters are well-developed, primarily set in the present, but there is enough background information on each character to add depth to their struggles as they trust their instincts and strive to make the right decisions.

As time passes, the tension escalates as the children run out of oxygen in the hole where they are trapped. It delivers a gripping sense of urgency, creating a race against time to rescue the children.
This book is perfect for true crime enthusiasts and fans of psychological thrillers. I would rate it 5 stars, and I believe it would make a fantastic movie.

I sincerely thank the author @noelleihliauthor, publisher and @netgalley for the privilege of reading an advance copy.

It’s a race against time when a school bus filled with children and their driver are kidnapped and held for ransom in a buried shipping container. Bus driver, Jessa, wants to protect these children and young Sage is the only one who has a chance of escaping. Will the air run out before they are rescued?

Another slam dunk by Noelle W. Ihli! This book kept my heart racing and palms sweating. I remember reading the story this book is based on and it is just as frightening. The female characters were brave and strong in their own way and Sage is just the hero we all needed. Such a great face paced and suspenseful book!

Oh my gosh! This was a heartbreaking, rapid, page-turner of a read. It’s an outstanding book!

𝗧𝗲𝗻 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻, 𝗮𝗯𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁-𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲. With a tagline like that, you can't pass it up.

An unexpected detour takes the children and Ms Jessa to an unknown location, somewhere the police will never find them. I was raging at the men and begging for someone to save them, anything to bring a swift end to their suffering. The book evokes a multitude of emotions and senses, - for instance, you could smell the inside of that bus and feel Ms Jessa's terror. The characters were larger than life: Greasy Hair, Sage, the list is endless. But the little voice crying out, “Are we going to die?” is what cause me to come undone. Any mention of Bright Beginnings, my son’s daycare, is a trigger for me. But I wasn't distracted by a what-if scenario, more by the fact that this really happened to a bus load of children many years ago. I just can't imagine what the parents went through. The frustration and terror were palpable.

Like all Ihli’s books, with her love of true- crime documentaries, this was well written and researched. Her writing is fluid, easy to read and binge-worthy. It was a tearjerker, at least for me, and inspired by actual events.

My sincere thanks to the author @noelleihliauthor, publisher and @netgalley for the privilege of reading an advance copy.

dnf @ 50%. story is starting to drag. this is a shame because I generally enjoy Noelle's books, but I can't see myself giving this any more than 3 stars, so I'm not going to waste my time. we get 4 different POVs, yet I can't connect with any of them. there's not much going on, and the story seems rather predictable. I would recommend Ask for Andrea or Gray After Dark by this author over this one. I'm looking forward to what Noelle comes up with next!

thank you to Netgalley, Dynamite Books, and Noelle W. Ihli for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book! Wow. Such a great read and keeps you interested and wondering the entire time. I loved it. I was happy with the ending as well!

Sage was absolutely the definition of a hero in this gripping thriller! She worked every chance she could even disobeying the only adult in the room with her just to make sure everyone got out safely. The entire time you’re wondering what did Jessa do? Why is her daughter like this towards her? Etc. it kept me wondering the entire time!

I am a huge Noelle West Ihli fan, so I was thrilled to get approved for an ARC of her newest thriller, “Such Quiet Girls”. The book kept my heart racing as it followed a bus with 10 children and their driver as it gets abducted after leaving school. They then are forced to be buried alive in an underground bunker. The story is told from multiple perspectives- Sage, the oldest girl on the bus with incredible bravery, Jessa, the bus driver filled with regret, Sheena, a mother of two of the students who is placed in a terrifying position, and Ted, one of the kidnappers.This book, which is based on a true event, is another great example of what an incredible suspense author Noelle W. Ihli is. Her ability to keep my heart racing while taking my emotions on a roller coaster in her books is unmatched. I encourage all my suspense-loving book besties to add this book to their TBRs and read it when it comes out on April 29th.

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.