Ok first off, thank you so much for allowing me to read this book ahead of publishing.

This was a literal nightmare - in every good way. I read it start to finish in one day & devoured every single word. It was so intense and gripping, that I just needed to keep going so I could know what happened next.

This is a must read if you’re into thrillers!

Arc Review

Such Quiet Girls by Noelle Ihli

5 stars ♾️

Ten children, abducted in broad daylight—and buried alive.

This book that was inspired by actual events was riveting, enthralling, captivating and heart-pounding. I easily devoured Such Quiet Girls in 24 hours. From the multiple points of view, the emotional tale, the heroism, and the hold-your-breath moments that seemed to end each chapter, I literally could not put this book down!

Being a mom of children who ride the school bus to and from school, this book had me in a constant chokehold. Being a kid who used to ride the bus to and from school way back in the day, this book had me in a constant chokehold. The writing itself had me in a constant chokehold.

I am a huge Noelle fan and have loved and devoured every single one of her books, however, this is my first 5 star ♾️ book of hers! Such Quiet Girls has climbed to the top of one of my favorite thriller reads of the year! And I don’t say that lightly.

You need to get your hands on Such Quiet Girls by Noelle Ihli releasing on April 29th!

I am a huge Noelle W. Ihli fan. I have read many of her books, but this one wasn’t one of my favourites. This book is loosely written around the true story of the Chowchilla Kidnapping that happened in 1976, in California.
As a Mother of 4 students that have always travelled on a school bus to get to school, the idea that this really happened is horrifying. A parents worst nightmare.

Ihli doesn’t waste any time to start the book off with the bus going missing, so I was quickly interested to see what happened next. There are multiple POV’s through this book, my favourite being the bus driver Jessa. You get a real glimpse of the trauma she has gone through, before this frightening life or death kidnapping occurs.
As I finished this one, I just felt it was underwhelming. I’m sure lots will love it, but this one just won’t stay with me. It was good, not great.

Thank you to NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for the advanced copy. This book publishes on April 29th 2025.

Such Quiet Girls by Noelle W. Ihli ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Noelle W. Ihli deserves all the stars for writing such brilliant thrillers.

What an emotional rollercoaster! Such Quiet Girls is based on true events making it all the more gut wrenching. It was told in multiple points of view which I found kept me engaged and connected to each character.

Thank you NetGalley,, Noelle West Ihli, and Dynamite Books for the ARC ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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.