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!

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.