Noelle has perfect the art of teaching about things in history while keeping the entertainment factor AND being respectful to any and all victims. This story shook me to my absolute core and I had never heard of this crime beforehand. This is every parents worst nightmare. It’s also every childcare workers worst nightmare. The women and girls in this book are the real highlight. They were absolute superheroes. The story is jam packed with action and emotion. On the surface there seems to be a lot of moving pieces but it all intertwines and flows impeccably

Inspired by the real-life tragedy of the 1976 Chowchilla kidnapping, this gripping novel delivers a chilling reimagining of ten children abducted in broad daylight and buried alive. Told through multiple perspectives, the story is as tense as it is emotional—you’ll be holding your breath, desperate to see who survives and if they’ll ever make it home.

At the heart of the novel are Sage and her sister, two young girls fighting to stay alive and reunite with their mother. Jessa, the bus driver with a haunting past, finds herself in an unthinkable situation and must summon the strength to protect the children in her care. Sheena, a terrified mother overwhelmed by fear, a father battling dementia, and a ransom demand, is forced to make an impossible decision. And then there’s Ted—driven by revenge—whose moral compass is tested when his partner’s brutal methods begin to spiral out of control.

While the plot closely echoes the real Chowchilla case, the author adds fictional layers that heighten both the suspense and emotional depth. It’s harrowing to imagine what the real victims endured, but Ihli leads readers through a powerful and ultimately redemptive journey.

I absolutely loved this book—it’s tense, heartbreaking, and unforgettable. A must-read for fans of true crime fiction.

Many thanks to Noelle W. Ihli, Dynamite Books, and NetGalley for the ARC copy.

Such Quiet Girls
Noelle Ihli knows how to keep it intense.
I really didn’t ‘like’ this book. Don’t get me wrong, it was very good! But you’re gonna read the whole book with your stomach in knots!
A daycare bus goes missing along w the driver and 8 children. (This alone is every parents nightmare) This story actually has 3 different stories within it. What the driver, Jessa and the kids go thru. How Jessas past affects her and this. And one parent, Sheena’s dilemma while dealing w her Alzheimer’s father and trying to save these kids. It’s a wild ride so buckle up for the long haul.

I'm grateful to NetGalley, Noelle West Ihli, and Dynamite Books for providing the eARC. This book resonated with me on an emotional level. What stands out in Noelle West Ihli's novels is the evident personal significance she imbues in her stories, often drawing from compelling true events that deserve greater recognition. It's been wonderful to witness the growth in her writing; this was a fantastic read.

I was so excited to receive this as an ARC! This is my second ARC from this author, and I have loved both.

Could not put this one down!! Such a quick read. Love all the POVs. Reading fictionalized accounts of true events add another level to the story. This is based on the Chowchilla school bus kidnapping.

The Alzheimer's story line tugged at my heart!

Sage was an absolutely incredible character. What a display of strength and perseverance.

This review will be posted on my booksta, toomanyfivestarreads, soon.

I read background information about the real case before I read this book. The setting in this book was so well written by Noelle W. Ihli that I felt the claustrophobia! This novel was fast paced and I read it in a weekend.

Every single book I’ve read by Noelle is fast-paced and I can’t put them down. This book was no different. From the start, these characters captured my attention and I was rooting for them. I loved the ending so much!

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the advanced reader copy. I found this book captivating, I enjoyed the development of the individual characters as much as I enjoyed the suspense. I was unaware this was based on a true story until after reading and just found this even more interesting as it inspired me to read more about the actual events. Overall an enjoyable read and would recommend to any of my thriller loving friends.

I enjoyed reading Such Quiet Girls very much. The story was interesting and the characters were well-developed. The ending was really fantastic. I hate using edge-of-your-seat but that’s the way it was. Loved it!

It's always disorienting reading a book based on real life events. I did my best just to read it as a book (then follow up with the true crime research afterward), and it was gripping. After looking into the story, Noelle West Ihli did very well.

I love the cover of this book! I was very familiar with the case this book is based on prior to reading this book, so I was really excited to see what the author would come up with. I was really impressed with the writing and this book. This is my first book from this author, so I will now be reading her backlog.

I think the main plot is fine. It's not awesome but it's not bad. The story flow is nice and smooth. I like the characters the most! Jessa, Sage, and Sheena will be in my mind for a while. I like the message it delivered and can I say Sage is the best big sister ever?!

Wow. What a fantastic book, I absolutely LOVED it.

Such Quiet Girls was a fast-paced edge of your seat thriller. It had me hooked right from the start, I honestly couldn't put it down.
As with Noelle's previous novels, it was very well written. It was also terrifying, especially as I'm a mother myself, and how easily something like this could happen and did, in fact, happen.

I loved the different points of view, getting the story from every angle. Jessa: The bus driver, Sheena: Mother of two of the kidnapped children, Sage: One of the children, and Ted: one of the kidnappers. I found each point of view essential to the storyline.
I especially loved Jessa's story, past and present.

Noelle is very diverse in her writing. All her books are very different from each other, which is why she is fast becoming a favourite author of mine.

I highly recommend it, and I look forward to seeing what Noelle comes up with next.

5 well deserved stars from me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Netgalley, Dynamite Books, and Noelle W. Ihli, for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Such Quiet Girls is a claustrophobic thriller by Noelle W. Ihli. It tells the harrowing story of the kidnapping of a bus driver and her students. The kidnappers bury them in an underground hideaway. Things get more intense as the story unfolds through multiple POVs including the bus driver, one of the students, one of the kidnappers, and one of the parents.

The book has a strong opening but it did not hold my attention right away. It took me a little while to get into it. However, once it grabbed my attention, I was gripped. The last half was very fast paced and wild.

My favorite POV came from Sage. She was by far the most interesting character. I found some of Jessa’s chapters, especially the earlier ones, to be a tad tedious. However, they became more engaging as the plot progressed.

I would definitely recommend this read to anyone looking for a fast paced thriller, particularly those who like true crime type reads as this was inspired by a true story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dynamite Books who provided me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

4.5 stars!

This book destroyed me in the best way. I loved that I was action-packed from the start and had me sitting on the edge of my seat until the very end. Sage was SO brave and so smart. She was our little hero and even I was so proud of all she accomplished. Her relationship with Bonnie throughout their experience had me tearing up and I couldn't even imagine being in a situation like that so young and continuing to hold out hope.

The ending was so sweet and even in a thriller suspense book, I am glad we got to see everyone get their happy ending.

Well written storyline with multiple narrators point of view. It was interesting but was a very slow burn.

Another excellent book by Noelle Ihli. I’ve read a lot of her books and like many of the others this one had me on edge guessing what was going to happen next.

Such Quiet Girls by Noelle Ihli

Having recently discovered Noelle Ihli’s books, this was a super exciting arc to receive. Her books are suspenseful and quick paced. They tend to be more realistic than other thrillers which I really enjoy! This one was no different and I can’t wait to read her other books.

Loosely based on the true story of the Chowchilla kidnapping of 1976, Such Quiet Girls is about a school bus carrying children to an after-school facility, Bright Beginnings.

The story follows the point of view of Sage an 12-year-old, her mom Sheena, Jessa, the bus driver, and Ted, one of the kidnappers. Held for ransom in a bunker buried underground, the 10 children and their bus driver are frightened and held in darkness with no idea when they’ll be free.

As a mother, I felt so emotional while reading this book and it was a nice change to hear a child’s point of view on the situation.

Thanks to @netgalley and @xpressotours for the advanced copy. I also dabbled in the audiobook which was fantastic with 4 different narrators.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. I could not put this book down!! Noelle W. Ihli does it again. From beginning to end this book really hooked me in. This was a crazy story based on true events. Also emotional- rarely do I cry during a thriller book! Highly recommend this book.

10 kids were abducted in broad daylight then buried alive. The most frightening part? The story was inspired by actual events! A bus full of kids disappear but only 1 mom gets a ransom note. One young girl on the bus of kidnapped kids sort of takes matters into her own hands because the bus driver can’t. One of the kidnappers has a heart and is having 2nd thoughts about what’s going down.

An emotional story that reads like a roller coaster up until the climactic ending!