Noelle W. Ihli is the queen of survival thrillers! This book was incredibly fast paced and just heart aching. This will have you guessing till the very end.
Miley who's Olympic gold was put on hold because of a tragic accident takes a summer job at mountain guest lodge. The Frank church wilderness is a very remote quiet area which is Miley chose to work their so she could train and recover in peace.
While on a morning run she gets abducted by two men and held captive at an off grid cabin. That's where she makes an unlikely alliance to help her escape.
Triggers:
Hunting animals
Violence including sexual

This was an incredibly hard read, but not in a bad way! I finished late at night and had trouble sleeping afterward, was so stressed the whole time, and was left feeling distressed because Noelle W. Ihli is such an incredible writer!

I feel as if abduction plots can be tricky to get right sometimes, but this one was fantastic. From the very first encounter, the abductors were terrifying and never let up. The main characters were so resilient and realistic. Every single emotion you feel for each person in this book, anger, despair, hope, admiration, is so real because they were brought to life so well.
The chilling true story this was inspired by was blended into Ihli’s own fictional story in such an amazing and unique way.

I’ve had a couple of this author’s books on my TBR and after reading this I’m eager to get to them more quickly! This was fantastic for an introduction to this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dynamite Books, and the author for this ARC.
Publication date 3/22/24

Miley is an Olympic athlete in the biathlon event who, after a devastating car accident and disappointing Beijing Olympic results, is determined to train all summer and come back even stronger. Brent, Miley’s childhood friend and biathlon teammate, has just revealed to her his true feelings that he is in love with her and wants to pursue a romantic relationship. But the accident that left Miley with phantom pain has also left her with emotional pain that she has yet to confront. She finds the seemingly perfect job in Idaho at a resort working in the kitchens, and in her free time, she can train by running the nearby trails.

On the final day before the resort opens for the short tourist season, June through October, Miley goes for a run and swim on her favorite trail. Wes, her kitchen co-worker and fast friend, has told her about how dangerous bears are in the area and even mentioned that four years before, a fellow worker was taken by a bear and never seen again. Heeding his warning, Miley takes the bear spray out with her, but she soon discovers that bears aren’t the only dangerous animals in these woods.

This thriller had me the entire time, and I even read it in one day! To put it simply, I couldn’t put it down, and when I had to, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. It’s gross but intriguing, frustrating, and motivating. In the author's note at the end, Noelle W. Ihli notes that while some parts of this story are fictional, the story was inspired by a real Olympian who was abducted in the wilderness and survived.

The book mainly has two storylines or character perspectives: Miley, who is with her abductors, and Brent, who is searching for Miley even after officials say it’s a waste of time because she’s probably not alive. Both were very well done, and as a reader, they kept me hooked because Brent felt like he was just one step away from finding Miley, that Miley was one moment away from being saved.

This book also had some interesting survival techniques throughout. Miley didn’t want to give up, and she was so angry with her abductors, who were doomsday preppers with a messed-up view of the world. Also, I think they were technically living on public land, so that was another no-no for them, as was hunting outside of hunting season and shooting animals and allowing them to go to waster (i.e., not tracking them down).

When the kidnapping first occurs, Miley tries to outsmart these two men every step of the way. First, she uses her fitness tracker, which proves to Brent that an animal didn’t take her, and then she leaves a trail of her hair in case someone comes to track her down, as Brent and Wes did. This momentum of Miley attempting to outsmart the men, and even Mary, who was also abducted four years before and had a lot of trauma going on, even when it felt hopeless. The highs and lows throughout Miley’s time as a captive were well-written and felt human. She was frustrated with Mary but she also understood that Mary wasn’t who she needed to direct her anger towards. She learned that to survive, she had to play Hamish and Fred’s game, but she could have her own end game underway.

The physical aspect of what happened to Miley’s body, the trauma that it went through with lack of food and violence, allowed for another human element to come in as well. Often, in these types of books, that can sometimes be missed or, as a reader, isn’t entirely believable, but Gray After Dark didn’t miss the mark at all.

Mary, the other woman who had been taken, became an important character. She gave the reader an understanding of the mental and emotional trauma that occurs in these situations and provided an interesting perspective on the female side of this story. Hamish and Fred were motivated to take both women so that they could have wives and eventually children to repopulate once doomsday happened. Mary had several stillbirths and miscarriages prior to Miley's arrival. The dynamic between the two women was always shifting and developing, and that made the ending all the more sweet.

An aspect that was slightly cringeworthy was that there was a weird love triangle going on between Miley, Brent, and Wes. Both men were romantically interested in Miley, but she wasn’t super into pursuing a relationship with either. The love triangle felt unnecessary but it did help to provide motivation for both men to find her. That pursuit felt competitive at first and not like “we need to find her just because” but rather “we need to find her so she can choose.” It’s never outright said that way, but the underlying tones that imply this are present.

On another note, this thriller does have a happy ending, which makes it worth reading. Even though there are horrible aspects and actions throughout the book, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Loving this author so much. I started this book and had no idea where it was going, as I love going in blind.
By 25%, it was creepy and twisty and I couldn't wait to see what happened next.
Digging into this one was easy and it had me hooked from start to finish.
The characters really come to life and make your skin crawl.
Highly recommend. Cannot wait for this to be released so everyone can enjoy it.

Once again I am absolutely blown away! Everything about the plot, the characters, the setting, and the way it all comes together is everything I love in a book. This book and every character within it is a show of desperation, hope, tenderness, strength, determination. And it's inspired by a true story which makes it all the more sad.

*I received an early copy in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley!* 3.5 Stars!

I just really love the way Noelle W. Ihli writes her books. The pacing is great and she does a good job making you anxious to find out what happens next!

I appreciated the relationships between several of the characters in this book. Miley is an incredible strong character and as someone who also enjoys running I admire Mileys grit to keep pushing. I do feel that the ending was a bit rushed but overall this was a good read!

*Also very interesting to hear this was inspired by the experiences of Olympian Kari Swenson which took place in Montana in the summer of 1984. Definitely something I will be checking out.

Would I recommend this book: YES
Would I read more from this author: YES

I loved Run on Red back in 2022 so I was so happy to see an new story by Noelle.
Gray After Dark by Noelle W. Ihli had me on the edge of my seat the entire time.
The atmosphere and suspense that Ihli is able to build in this story is outstanding.
Noelle W. Ihli has written such a clever, intriguing, tension-filled and well-written read.
This heart bumping story inspired by the true has to be one of the best I’ve read so far this month.

Thank You NetGalley and Dynamite Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

To avoid spoilers and surprises, I'll just say that I may or may not be a reliable narrator in my review haha: the first chapters of this book felt like a very well written, although very cruel, harsh and gut-wrenching true crime, I felt physically ill sometimes and also caressed the idea of shelving it as a dnf. But I went on because Noelle Ihli is a guarantee and I wasn't wrong. If you read Ask for Andrea, you will already know that she's really good at portraying human misery while being compassionate towards her characters, and Gray After Dark is no exception. The whole first part, which might feel somewhat slow and repetitive at times, serves as a detonator to the final part, hence 5 stars: it's not easy to build a good story with such a crescendo of dread and anticipation - we all counted our breaths with Miley, I guess.

What a breathtaking read! Noelle Ihli never fails to surprise, shock, and make your heart race! “Gray After Dark” is about Miley who goes on a morning run in the wilderness and ends up kidnapped by some sickos! Will she escape or will she succumb to her brutal kidnappers way of life? I dare you to try and catch your breath while reading this book! Another winner by Ihli! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley and Dynamite Books for a chance to read this dynamite book. From start to finish, I was captivated by the intense story of resilience and bravado and determination the two main characters showed. Miley disregards a tale of a missing young woman several years ago and takes to the trails in the woods for her early morning runs. She is captured and in for the worst experience of a lifetime. She meets Mary who is the woman missing from the Hidden Springs Lodge a wilderness retreat four years prior. Mary is very docile and has been "tamed" by her captors. After being chained up and beaten into submission Miley attempts to outmaneuver her captors. At the same time Brent her biathlon teammate
is involved in the search for her. He refuses to give up the hope that he'll find her alive. This intense, sometimes brutal story reflects on the power of never giving up and being true to who you are. It's a very hard to put down story and based on a true story. I found the strength and determination a powerful combination of the human spirit. Very highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
This is my first book by Noelle W. Ihli and definitely won’t be my last. It will grab you from the beginning and not let ago!!
An incredible story inspired by the true, horrific events experienced by a strong and resilient young woman.
An absolutely heart-pounding ending!
Highly recommend to all (not just thriller readers).
*Make sure to read the little story at the end - After The Dark.*

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While I have nothing but praise for the way in which Noelle W. Ihli writes, this book unfortunately was not for me. I saw the trigger warnings going in, but thought I could get past them. However, I felt really uncomfortable reading a majority of this. While I’m sure the animal cruelty and triggering matters had to be included, I just couldn’t stomach a lot of it. Finding out the book was loosely based on a true story only makes it that much more disturbing, as it just reminds you of the evils that lurk out there.

With that being said, I’d definitely recommend this book to those who enjoy a real thriller. I’d just advise them to proceed with caution and understand the trigger warnings presented at the beginning of the book.

Whew! That was a RIDE. Noelle Ihli is one of my auto-buy authors and I have to say.. I think this one is my new favorite. My heart was POUNDING the entire time and I literally could not stop reading. It starts with an intense prologue and really keeps you hooked until the very end. Ihli knows how to make readers FEEL the absolute terror and anxiety of the characters. Knowing a book is based (even loosely) on a true story makes it even more horrific.

Gray After Dark is an intense story about a young woman named Miley. She’s working a summer job at a resort where she can train in her downtime for the Olympic biathlon. Miley is attacked and captured by two men who are ‘preppers’ and live in the wilderness. I have never hated book characters like I hated these two men. I really enjoyed the setting and the descriptions of the forest and the wilderness. I could see everything so clearly in my mind.

Ihli’s books are consistently excellent. Her main characters are always well-developed and has the reader rooting for them. I highly recommend this book if you are a fan of fast-paced thrillers. Thank you so much Netgalley and Dynamite Books for the ARC copy.

This will be published on March 22! It’s up for preorder now!

Gray After Dark is ridiculously tense. It’s one of those books you have to read in one or two sittings.

Miley is an Olympic athlete competing in the biathlon. While working at a wilderness resort, she’s kidnapped by two men who consider themselves to be the last true mountain men.

While Miley tries to escape, her best friend Brent also sets out into the forest looking for her.

I love thrillers with intelligent, tough lead female characters, and Miley embodies this type. She is also compassionate and I really appreciated the growing female friendship in this one.

There were some silly decisions made by the male protagonist, Brent, that irked me a bit. But Miley’s badass moments and compelling backstory made it worth it.

Gray After Dark is a dark thriller focused on trauma and survival. Check out the trigger warnings and get ready to be stressed.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dynamite Books for my review copy.

This book is a book of unspeakable horrors.

This book is the epitome of what all the horrors are.

This. Is. The. Most. Horrible. Horror. Story. I. Have. Read. In. A. Long. Time.

This book will take you places you never wanted to go. Places you didn’t even know existed, and still, the book takes you there.

Noelle Ihli has a way with words, but she also has a way with stories. Noelle, please, never write normal. Never ever. I can see how this book might be “too dark” for most, but, nope. We, the ones who don’t want to read fairytales with unicorns – we want more books like this one.

This book is a Hansel and Gretel vibes meets Steph Nelson’s Final Scene meets the most horrible men ever written meets crazy resilience meets true crime show. Why the true crime, tho? Because, because, well, here comes the worst part – it was inspired by very real events. No, I’m not letting my mind go there. I did look up the persons behind the original events and… yeah, don’t. Let me just tell you that the real-life bad men got out of prison alive. Quite some time ago already.

The ending, I have so much to say about the ending. Noelle Ihli also has a way with endings. She can make the most horrible horror story fold up all neatly, make it an ugly-cry ending, and not ruin the horrors even a tiny bit. How? How does she do it? Yeah, I have no clue. But she’s good.

Also, this book… so, for the last two weeks I have been researching running shoes (do you have any good running shoe suggestions maybe?), I have been thinking about wanting to get back to running later this spring. And then, this book. Now I want to run even more. Run, rabbit, run.

Also, do you know what the book made me think of? That there are people out there who would happily move to live off the grid and never see another human ever again, willingly. Just find someone who is in the same thing – and go! Live with your chickens happily ever after, no need to be horrible, right?

Wow. Just wow.
A masterpiece in suspense thriller writing.
I have been reading some fabulous suspense thrillers recently, and my poor heart rate is beginning to suffer... But I can't stop reading them! And it's because of the fun of reading books like this one, that put your heart in your mouth with every page.
This is my first Noelle W. Ihli book, and I am now desperate to read her other novels.
This is going straight into my books of the year for 2024. Every chapter is crazy, intense, and so wonderfully stressful.
The character writing and the scene descriptions are some of the best I've read. Characters you hate, and ones you root for. The thrill of the drama is absolutely sensational.
You will not be able to put this down, I guarantee it.
Just make sure you have a heart monitor nearby!

Noelle has EASILY been one of my instant reads since the first book I read of hers (Ask for Andrea). She has a way of pulling you in from the beginning & leaving you wanting more throughout the book until the very last page. I stayed up way too late after my toddler went to bed to finish this book & just like her other ones this one did not disappoint. Even though I don’t live anywhere near huge forests or anything of the sort that was depicted in this book, after finishing this book it has unlocked a near fear of mine. No camping or hiking for me, ever, especially alone. If you’ve ever seen the movie The Hills Have Eyes, this book has those type of vibes.

As always thank you NetGalley, Dynamite Books & Noelle W Ihli for an eARC of this title in exchange for an honest review!

Truthfully, I almost DNFd this book due to the first about half of the book being so slow moving, but I am SOOOO glad I didn't! It was action-packed and had me on the edge of my seat. And to find out this was based around a true story makes it ten times crazier!

Thank you to NetGalley, Noelle W. Ihli and Dynamite Books for a copy in exchange of an honest review.

I really liked this book a lot.
I was fortunate enough to receive an advanced digital copy from Net Galley.
I was super excited because I am a fan of Noelle’s writing.
This story was good and intense. There were some slower parts that featured flashbacks and some romance aspects. Romance isn’t my cup of tea, but it was necessary to the story so I dealt.
I would highly recommend this book. Miley is a strong character and easy to root for throughout the entire journey.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
What an intense book. This one will make you think twice about going into large areas of wilderness alone. Just wow.
Great job by the author who took a true life story and used it to base this intense book off of.