This author is excellent! I haven’t read a book of hers that I didn’t enjoy! This book had me on edge the whole time!

Loved the book, especially since it’s based on true events that I have always been fascinated with. The story stood on its own but knowing that people went through this in real life is harrowing.

I love Noelle Ihli, and she is a must buy author for me!! This book is one of her weakest books, but it is a fast read and based on an interesting, scary true story.

I really appreciated the multiple POVs, and I found the child characters to be well written and genuine. My main issue with this book relates to the two mothers/adult FMCs. One made horrible decisions the entire time and one had a tortured past that was left underdeveloped and oddly placed. The plot was also very narrowed just because the plot is largely focused on a group of children underground, making it hard to add a lot of plot.

Overall, this book was a quick read. It kept me hooked. It was interesting to get inside the head of one of the kidnappers, and I think it was an interesting exploration of the human condition!

I recommend this to anyone looking for a thriller with no graphic details and a happy-as-can be ending!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an e-arc!! This is my second read from this author and I flew right through it!

Jessa is a bus driver for a daycare recreation program, a job she got recently as she tries to put her life back together. Jessa has had some serious hardship in her life and is now focusing on the future so she can regain custody of her daughter, Sophie. Jessa doesn’t love the bus driving job, but it’s stable enough employment that will pay the bills.

One day when Jessa is driving a bus full of 10 kids, she comes across a bright orange detour sign in the road. The road ahead looks fine, but she worries if she ignores it she could get ticketed or even lose her job. Although Jessa has a weird feeling about it, she follows the detour down a dirt road in a cherry orchard and quickly realizes it was a trap.

Two men with guns come to the bus, grabbing Jessa and the students and taking them hostage. No one knows who they are, what they want or what their plans are. Things get even more terrifying when they’re all placed in an underground bunker in the dark.

Meanwhile, the kidnappers send a ransom note to a mother of two of the kidnapped girls- who also happens to be treasurer of the city. They know that she has access to at least $2 million in city funds, so they decide to use it against her: no cops, no other parents, no one else can know about the ransom.

This book is told in a few different perspectives: Jessa the bus driver, 12-year-old kidnap victim Sage, kidnapper Ted, and Sheena, mother of Sage and Bonnie.

As Sheena works to fulfill the ransom and get the kids back, everyone in the bunker works together to try to get out. They have no idea if the kidnappers are planning on killing them or not, but they have to believe they may be fighting for their lives.

I read this so fast, I couldn’t put it down because I couldn’t wait to find out what was happening next! I thought all of the various POVs were really effective for the storytelling, and I also liked hearing all of the backstories of each of these characters. I would definitely recommend this one to anyone that likes mystery or thrillers.

This is my first book by Noelle West Ihli and I will definitely be checking out her backlist. This book was tense in fast paced. It felt suffocating and I could really feel the emotions of the kids.

Ten students and their bus driver, buried in a shipping container at an isolated quarry... A desperate mother, ransome note in hand...The two desperate kidnappers, arguing about their next step... This thriller alternates between multiple points of view. They're all necessary, but the plot moves slowly and I had a hard time picturing what was acutally happening in the buried shipping container. The dimensions I was picturing in my head didn't seem to match up with the author's intent and it was a constant distraction. Things moved slowly until the end when I finally started to worry about the characters and their fate.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

As always my reviews are spoiler free.

2/5 for me.

I really wanted to like the book. I've been following Noelle for a while and I genuinely wanted to enjoy this one too.

Maybe it was just me but I couldn't emotionally connect to the characters. It was high stakes yes and it had me on the edge of my seat but I put the book down. Nothing was tethering me to keeping reading until I knew what would happen. Because I could predict what was going to happen. And I'm not talking about the ending. You're going into the book knowing it'll all be okay. But the part when the stakes are about to be raised, that was predictable too.

To be honest, I can't recommend reading this book. Will I recommend the author's other books? Definitely yes.

This book was an absolute delight to read! It had everything I look for — engaging writing, memorable characters, and a story that stayed with me long after I turned the last page. The author’s voice is distinct and compelling, making it easy to get lost in the world they created, no matter the genre.

I'm incredibly grateful to the publisher for the early copy. It was such a joy to read this in advance, and I can’t wait for more readers to experience it. Highly recommend!

I have heard so many things about this author and so I decided to try this book by her and it did not disappoint. While it is based on a true story. It held my attention and I flew through this one. One felon bus driver and a busload of kids are kidnapped and held for ransom by two unhinged me . This is the story told from the perspective of the bus driver, a student, the mom of one of the children and one of the men. Definitely recommend. Thank you to #netgalley for the ARC. #SuchQuietGirls

Such Quiet Girls follows the story of ten children and their bus driver who are abducted in broad daylight. After the bus disappears, one mother receives a ransom note and must decide how to precede to save them all! This is a fast paced book that is roughly based on a real event- the 1976 Chowchilla kidnapping. Wild! ⁣
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⁣Words to describe this book- fast paced, claustrophobic, tension filled, and emotional. ⁣
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⁣I recommend this one to fans of thrillers! Four stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣ Thank you to @netgalley for an ARC of Such Quiet Girls. It’s out now!

Such Quiet Girls is a gripping, fast-paced thriller that lingers long after the final page. Noelle West Ihli crafts a taut, suspenseful narrative that explores the complexities of trauma, trust, and the dark secrets we keep hidden—even from ourselves. I enjoyed the multiple points of view and that it was inspired by true events. Definitely a must read!

Great page turner! Had me routing for Sage the entire book! Loved how some relationships grew because of the incident. While it was a tragedy, it brought people together.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for gifting me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I'm going to be very honest here. I did not enjoy this book at all. I enjoyed the premise but execution was very subpar in my opinion. It didn't feel like the "adult in charge" was doing anything at all to help the children. Compared to other NWI titles (None Left to Tell, Run on Red, etc) this just fell very flat for me. I did not get any of the "heart pounding" "page turner" vibes that others have from this book. I did not feel connected to the characters at all. Props to the author for continually choosing stories that society may have overlooked in the past.

If you are easily triggered by things such as child endangerment, kidnapping, domestic abuse, or small spaces, I would highly recommend avoiding this one. However, if you are not a person that's easily triggered by any of these, this book may just be for you!

Jessa has lost her daughter Sophie, and she is hoping to win back custody after serving time in jail for 3 years. She is currently working driving a bus for day care transporting kids from school to after school programs. Everything is going great, and Jessa thinks she has beat the system, until there's a strange detour and now, she finds herself, along with all the children on her bus, kidnapped by some money hungry crazed men who think they're owed something.

Ted and Andy devised a plan for the perfect kidnapping and ransom. They have created a bunker from a shipping crate to demand money for the life of 11 children, and they're not so sure about the adult. Ted has some issues with the former day care, and he is determined he needs to receive compensation for those issues.

Bonnie and Sage are students on the bus. Bonnie is young and Sage doesn't think she belongs on the bus. But she knows is placed on the after-school program by her mother to keep an eye on Bonnie. Sage of course feels like she's too old to be babysitting her little sister in the after-school program.

Sheena is the reason Sage is on the bus for the afterschool program and she's also Bonnie and Sage's mother. She is on a mad hunt to determine who has kidnapped her daughters.

This book is dark and creepy. Lots of chilling elements. Multiple POVs. I will be the first to admit, I did enjoy this book initially, but when I learned it was based on real events... I kind of lost my drive to read it. Nothing against the book, it's well written and I think it's worth the read of this doesn't bother you, but for me, I just lose interest with a dramatized real event.

Thanks to Dynamite Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I’ll start by saying I may be biased because I’ve loved every Noelle West Ihli book I’ve read. This book was no exception. Such Quiet Girls does a great job at keeping you on the edge of your seat. From beginning to end you’re attached to the characters wanting the best ending for everyone. You’ll find yourself cheering them on unable to set the book down. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good thriller.

Such quiet girls- wow what a dark book! As a mom to young kids I am unsure this was the right one for me. Well written subject matter, but so dark!

I've always been a true crime kid since I was young. I grew up reading Stephen King and watching the nightly news. So when this book dropped, I had to get my hands on it.

This is a work of fiction adapted with some elements from a true story about the children who were kidnapped in Chowchilla in 1976. Some of the most captivating stories are based on true stories and this is no different.

If you haven't read Noelle Ihli's books before, you're missing out. I loved her novel Ask For Andrea and this was just as fantastic.

Pros:
-keeps you glued to your seat
-multiple POVs including the kidnapper

Cons:
-not for the moms that aren't able to separate literature from real life.
-TW: includes domestic violence


Thank you #NetGalley for this ARC of #SuchQuietGirls, on the shelves right now!!

4.5 stars rounded up. I never had a book make me feel so suffocated and on edge. From the moment those children were abducted in broad daylight may I say, to the moment when the mattress was used to make a means of an escape to the moment of the chase. I just…this made me so emotional. And the fact that this was based off of true story.

Stayed up late to finish this! Wild that this is based on a true story. Wasn’t quite as good as Noelle’s other books I’ve read. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Another five star from Noelle W. Ihli!
I swear, I’d happily read the back of a shampoo bottle if she wrote it.
This one had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. It tackles some heavy, real-life inspired topics but Noelle handles them with her signature sensitivity and care. Her storytelling is sharp, emotional, & impossible to put down. Can’t wait for the next one!