I received an ARC of this book from
NetGalley with no prior knowledge and I highly recommend going into the story this way. Without spoiling anything, the story revolves around an Olympic hopeful athlete who goes missing while working a summer job and the terrifying circumstances she goes through along with a nail biting account of those racing the clock to find her. I was totally exhausted on a plane reading this but couldn’t put it down until I finished. Definitely some parts hard to read but an incredibly strong female protagonist, and I was also surprised to read later that this was inspired by true events which makes it that much more powerful.

Miley is an olympic athlete, recovering from a bad injury whilst helping at a mountain guest lodge nearby the Frank Church Wilderness. She is training and running everyday in this remote place and on a certain day she gets abducted there. Who are these abducters and will she ever be found again?

I really loved this fast paced thriller. It made me sit on the edge of my seat the whole time. Unbelievable that it is based on true events. The characters are well build and I could see all of them in my minds eye because of the accurate way they’re being described by the author. My emotional state got crushed, I was devastated and my heart shattered into pieces at some events. Read the TW when you are a sensitive person. I definitely want to read all of the other books by this author. Must-read!

I really enjoyed the storyline for this book and found myself hooked from the first page.
Miley is an athlete dreaming of gold but when things don’t go her way she finds herself working in a lodge for the summer to recover and reassess her life.
I had no idea going into the book that this is loosely related to a real incident and I’ll be looking up the case as soon as I’ve finished this review. Horrifying!
Some aspects of the story were a little quick and I’d have liked to have focused on the characters a bit more in certain situations but overall I really enjoyed and I’ll be picking up Noelle’s other work in the future 😊

3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ for Gray After Dark! Overall I really enjoyed the story and I was on pins and needles at the end. I also had no idea, but was extremely intrigued when I found out at the end that it was loosely based off of the kidnapping of Olympian Kari Swenson. This was a story I had never heard of and I found myself reading about it after finishing the book.

I felt like the book had a lot of unnecessary filler, especially in the beginning. It took awhile to get to the good stuff and I felt like some chapters were not needed.

Overall, I enjoyed it and it was a quick read. I think this will end up being a popular read!

Thanks to Dynamite Books & NetGalley for the ARC!

An unforgiving forest. A crazy abduction and a very desperate escape. Miley was going to the Olympics and she was going to win gold, nothing would stop her.. until a tragic accident sidelined her training. Now she’s working at a remote cabin in the woods, ready to get back to training and get her life back on track. A former employee was killed by a bear years ago but that won’t stop Miley from training with her free time, that is until she’s abducted. To escape, she’ll form an unlikely alliance but even then.. can she escape or will it be too late?

My most recent ARC.. received a little late so this one’s already been released! For me, I found it just okay. I didn’t really feel like anything happened until about 80% through the book.. at least anything that wasn’t expected. I had a hard time picking it up and reading it most of the time but the last 80% is definitely a breeze to get through. The writing is really good and paints such vivid details (especially of the physical violence that takes place so please check TW!!) but I just found it boring and predictable. I normally love Ihli’s books and again.. her writing was phenomenal in this one.. it just wasn’t for me. If you’re a fan of her work, definitely check it out as it’s getting great reviews from everyone else! But for me.. it’s just a 3/5⭐️

Author Noelle W. Ihli never disappoints. Gray After Dark had me in a chokehold from page 1. The way she builds suspense but without drawing it out, her fluidity in writing, and her ability to capture the audience seems effortless. This book deserves ALL the stars!

Thank you NetGalley and Dynamite Books for trusting me with this ARC!

"Can she outwit her captors and survive the wilderness before it’s too late?"

'Gray After Dark' is not your typical, everyday thriller; it is a vigilante thriller that builds up slowly but ends with a bang. Utilizing a dual narrative, readers get drawn into the past and present worlds of Miley and her best friend/teammate, Brent. Despite this book feeling more like a slow burn, the author does an excellent job of building tension and keeping the reader engaged. The descriptions of the wilderness and the cabin are vivid and add to the story's atmosphere. Additionally, the past timelines help the reader create emotional connections with Miley and Brent. You’ll find yourself invested in their journey and unable to put the book down; you want them to be alright so, emotionally, you will be too. This connection will leave you reading one chapter after another until you reach the end. I think the readers who can’t create these emotional connections won’t be able to see the book for all it’s worth.

Ihli developed Miley’s character with expertise. I loved that despite the terrifying situation Miley finds herself in, we see her use her physical and mental strength to fight for her survival. It provides us with a good reminder that we should never give up and that we should always fight like hell. Her relationship with Brent is captivating in that it depicts the strong bond between friends. It also reminds us how holding onto past trauma can put you at risk of breaking that bond, which might be the only one keeping you grounded.

Miley and Brent's characters aren't the only shining stars in this novel. Although Miley gets abducted while alone in the wilderness, she quickly learns she isn’t alone, her abductors have another captive they are keeping at their off-grid cabin. Unlike Miley, this captive seems content with remaining with her captors. This character causes Miley to face a battle between good and evil, questioning how far she will go to escape. The addition of this dynamic character added an extra layer of interest to this already intriguing story.

Having been inspired by real-life events, Ihli developed a more chilling and realistic storyline. It is an emotional and gripping thriller that will have you wanting to fight alongside Miley for her survival. You’ll feel a constant seesaw of emotions as you read through the dual perspectives; you’ll be rooting for some characters and wanting to shake some sense into others. When this happens, you know that Ihli’s writing is a success!

I have rated 'Gray After Dark' 4 out of 5 stars due to the initial slow build-up and a few parts that felt more like filler than necessary parts of the story. Do not let that discourage you from giving this book a chance. For me, it was a nice change in pace after some of the recent books I’ve read. I highly recommend this novel to anyone wanting to read an emotionally charged vigilante thriller. Oh, and once you reach the end of the book, don’t stop there! Continue reading to learn about the true story that inspired Ihli to write this novel and for a link to a bonus short story called 'After the Dark'.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dynamite Books, and Noelle W. Ihli for this ARC in return for an honest review.

I decided to read “Gray After Dark” after seeing so many rave reviews. The buzz was absolutely accurate! Noelle Ihli will be another author I’ll be seeking out. This survival thriller was a 5 star experience!

We know from the onset that Miley, an Olympic biathlete, has been slowed down athletically and mentally by an accident. Right now she’s working during the summer at a backcountry upscale Idaho guest ranch to get back into shape whenever she has free time, although her fellow employees are weirdly obsessed with bear attacks. As a native Idahoan, Miley shrugs that off even as a fellow worker, Wes, insists on giving her bear spray and the owner talks about a staffer who went missing 4 years ago. If only the danger in the woods was a bear ... .instead it’s a pair of self-styled “real men” (patriarchal idiots incapable of treating any woman as anything other than livestock to be tamed). The worst does happen and Miley is abducted and then marched for days, half-naked and barefoot, to their isolated cabin.

The book is based loosely on the Kari Swenson story which occurred back in the 1980s when the perpetrators were actually, ugh, romanticized. Ihli’s story goes beyond Swenson’s horror (who was shot and found 18 hours after being kidnapped). The author imagines the terror of not being found quickly. Ihli incorporates the unique biathlete skills into her heroine. She notes that “You needed endurance, technique, and speed. But that’s not where you won, or lost, a biathlon. The shooting portion of the sport had the potential to completely upend everything else, making it anyone’s game”. And part of the shooting relies on breathing — a skill that both Miley and Brent, her teammate, have mastered.

This novel excelled in character development — Miley, Mary, Brent and Wes were incredibly drawn. Again, 5 stars for this thrilling suspense novel!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Brent and the dream baby have green eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO Wes’s knowledge of which berries were about to ripen was essential to his and Brent’s survival.

Thank you to Dynamite Publishing and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Miley and Brent are biathlon partners destined for the Olympics, but after Miley experiences a tragedy she needs space from Brent. He doesn’t really understand why, but he respects her wishes to go work at a fancy lodge and continue training there alone. When she disappears while running in the woods, he refuses to believe she is dead and with the help of Miley’s new work friend, Wes, heads out to search for her. Miley is caught up in a nightmare. Found in the woods by “preppers” she is forced to go to their hidden cabin with them to be “tamed.”

This is a fantastic book, based on actual events. It is a story of love, loss, and survival. I loved it all!

This book was so good! It’s fast paced and definitely kept my attention. I kept wanting to know what was going to happen next. This is based on true events as well which made it even better. This is my first book by Noelle W. Ihli and now I can’t wait to read more of her books! I couldn’t put this book down. I highly recommend reading this!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dynamite Books for providing me with an ARC of this book to read and review.

Suspenseful survival story of Miley who is training for the Olympics Biathlon with her best friend since high school, Brent In the off season she takes a job at a resort so that she can work on her cross country training in her spare time but also to clear her head because Brent bared his soul and told her how he feels about her. She is scared to death it will ruin what they had and she has been closing off her heart. As she is training by herself in the mountains she is abducted and held while the police think she was attacked by a bear. Brent doesn’t believe it and searches for her. Super twisty with a crazy cult like feel that keeps you on edge!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dynamite Books for the ARC! #NetGalley #GrayAfterDark

I personally don't think she could write a bad book or simply just a book I wont like, I've loved and devoured each and everyone of hers so far. The plot made me so queezy, the thought of how impossible her situation and the danger she was constantly in as she fights for her survival. This was unputdownable. One of our characters having “Stockholm syndrome” was VERY believable and was portrayed by Ihli so well. This book had me biting my nails from start to finish in the best kind of way. If you’re going to read any new releases in 2024, please make sure this one is on the list!

WHEW! This was such a nail biter! I was on edge the entire time and could not wait to see how the story would unfold. This book gets dark and some of these characters had me angry! A fast paced, intense read that I will definitely be recommending!

could have done without some flat moments but otherwise a great plot well executed with a very interesting main character! I liked how realistic her reactions were, not overly rebelling just for the sake of being an independent free spirit etc etc she wanted to survive and Mary was my favorite character for that reason. it's rare to find "accurate" survival portrayal in books, authors tend to go straight to stereotypical all or nothing mentality. recommend for anyone looking for a good "abduction" story 🥸


[review posted on goodreads and amazon, and maybe later on tiktok and instagram]

An off-season Olympian, Miley, is working a summer job when she's suddenly faced with a fight for her life. She is abducted to a homestead deep in off-grid woods. Can she strategically plan an escape before its too late?
An absolutely gripping thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat! Could not put this one down.

📚 BOOK REVIEW 📚

Gray After Dark
By Noelle W. Ihli
Available to Purchase Now!!

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨

📚THE SYNOPSIS:

When a tragic accident sidelines Miley's dreams of Olympic gold, she takes a summer job at a mountain guest lodge. The Frank Church Wilderness is remote, but it’s the perfect place to train and recover. Local lore about a staffer who died years ago doesn’t scare her.

But it should.

Miley’s plans take a terrifying detour when she’s abducted during a morning run. Held captive in a desolate off-grid cabin, she’ll have to use her athletic prowess, cunning mind, and courage to survive. But as the nightmare at the cabin escalates, Miley is forced to form an unlikely alliance and attempt a risky escape. Can she outwit her captors and survive the wilderness before it’s too late?

📚MY REVIEW:

This was my first 'Buddy Read' with one of my fellow Bookstagrammers, @kellysbooknook , and it was so much fun!! Big thanks to @netgalley and Dynamite Books for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

This book was fantastic in so many ways! The story was so well-written, with heart-pounding suspense that ensured I turned the pages as quickly as possible. This was a fast read, primarily because it was such a gripping story! The main characters in the story were multi-faceted and their narratives kept me captivated. I really enjoyed the multiple POVs from chapter to chapter, some of which included flashbacks for deeper context. And I was grateful for the trigger warnings in the opening pages!

This book is for you if you like stories about kidnappings, cabins in the middle of nowhere, and truly diabolical abductors. This book is definitely NOT for you if you don't like stories with extreme violence, physical abuse, and sexual assault themes.

What I loved most about this book was that the author's note at the end revealed it was based on a true story about an Olympic athlete named Keri Swenson, abducted in the 1980s. A fictionalized story, but its basis was real. WHAT?! That gave me pause and made me think about everything I'd just read in a completely different way. A thriller highlighting the triumph of the human spirit - brilliant.

Miley and Brent are part of the American Biathlon Olympic team training to compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics. When involved in an accident that kills her mother, Miley withdraws into her training and pushes personal relationships aside. She takes a job in a secluded high end summer resort up in the Idaho mountains where she can train on the trails in her off time. While running on a secluded trail, Miley is kidnapped by two men living isolated in the woods and her worst nightmares begin to unfold.

Right from page one, this book takes off and keeps you hooked. Its a super fast read that I was able to finish in two days. The POV toggles between Miley and Brent. While I felt Brent was a bit overbearing in his feelings toward Miley, I enjoyed reading his story as he searches for her because it was a break from the horrors of Miley's point of view. There is some off-page rape and sexual assualt, so if you are sensitive to that subject you might want to skip this book. I will say though, the author handled the events well. It was glossed over and did not go into any details. Overall I really enjoyed this book and it was made even more horrifying in that the author took inspiration from real life events.

The second book by @noelleihliauthor I've read and it won't be the last! I received a copy from Xpresso Book Tours via Netgalley and it came out yesterday!

Miley's has a summer job at a mountain guest lodge after having had a terrible accident. It is the perfect place to train for the Olympics and to recover. While on a morning run she was abducted and held captive in an off-grid cabin. As this nightmare continues she needs to rely on her own to get through this. Can she survive the wilderness before it’s too late?

As I've read another book by this author I couldn't wait to start with this one. It started out slowly, but then it was a rollercoaster of events leading up to a perfect climax. Loved the storyline and the characters. The characters are worked out quite well and you get to know them more and more while reading this amazing thriller. The reasoning behind the different decisions was explained and logical although you were hoping for something else. The storyline is a scary one, one you'll hopefully never experience - I just wondered, wasn't it easier quicker to use dogs? All in all, a great thriller which I've read in only a day and a half as I just couldn't put it down.

5/5 ⭐

I wasn’t able to put this book down! So much action and all the feels. I can’t believe that some aspects of the story are true. Noelle is such a great author and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

Miley’s dreams of competing in the Olympics are drawn to a halt when she is in a tragic accident. So she takes a summer job in a mountain lodge, to earn some extra money while she gets back into her training. The Frank Church Wilderness is remote, and as long as she completes her duties with work, she is free to train in the expansive woods that surround the property. One day, when out for her usual run, Miley is abducted. Held captive in an off-the-grid cabin miles from civilization, Miley will have to be stronger than she has ever been to not only escape but to survive.

Noelle Ilhi is a master at writing dark, atmospheric, abnxiety-inducing stories! And I mean that in the best way possible as a triller lover. As with all her books, I knew this book was going to be a wild ride. The rich wilderness the camp was set in was so vividly described, I felt like I could see the miles upon miles of forest. Something about the woods - not being able to see your way out - is so frightening to me. Add in the element of two crazy “survivalist” men and I was definitely up way too late reading, then double checking the locks on my doors! Miley was strong; her determination to live leapt off the pages as much as the creepiness did. I was shocked to see Miley’s story was based on a real-life events!

Thank you to Noelle Ilhi, Netgalley and Dynamite Books for the ARC! “Gray After Dark” released March 22, 2024. This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)