Thank you to Noelle, @netgalley, and Dynamite Books for the ARC!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
TWs: physical assault, sexual assault, mentions of miscarriage (Noelle includes a trigger/content warning at the beginning of the book as well)

I absolutely LOVED this book! It is the story of Miley, an Olympic athlete kidnapped by two men during a run, her harrowing experience while captive, and her best friend’s desperate attempt to find her. This book kept me captivated throughout the entire time I read it. I had to speed-read the last 15% of the book with my head in my hands, so desperate to reach the ending and find out what was going to happen.

Noelle’s ability to write edge-of-your-seat thrillers that are legitimately frightening and heart-pounding is fully on display with Gray After Dark. This book is a must-read for all thriller fans out there, and I encourage everyone to read it when it comes out on the 22nd!

This is my second read by Noelle Ihli and she is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.

Biathlon athlete Miley is abducted by 2 men during a morning run. She is held captive, beaten and abused and made to endure horrible events. All with little hope that she will escape. Her only hope is her childhood best friend Brent.

Wow some parts were so hard to stomach but ultimately the book was a 5 star read.

Miley goes for a run in the remote wilderness and finds herself in the crosshairs of an off-grid father & son who intend to “tame” her at their remote cabin. The plot is based on a real headline, but is an entirely fictional story.

I can hardly say that I enjoyed this book - it was painful to read about all the abuse Miley suffers at the hands of her captors. And make no mistake, this is not a mystery - we know who the villains are, without question. It was, however, a very quick read and a definite page turner - pure suspense from the very beginning. I desperately wanted to see Miley escape and had to keep turning the pages to find out what happened next.

Fortunately, this is a tale of a quick-thinking, resilient young woman with people in her life who refuse to give up on her. Sure, they all make some pretty dumb choices as the story unfolds, but all the characters hold out hope a lot longer than I probably would have. It was well-planned and well-written, even if (hopefully) very unlikely to happen.

I would recommend this for people who like the more gruesome, suspenseful stuff like No Exit by Taylor Adams. If you’re squeamish or if any of the many trigger warnings apply to you, skip this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy, in exchange for an honest review.

This book was very well written and kept me engaged. The subject matter was difficult to read through at times and there are quite a few trigger warnings. I was on the edge of my seat rooting for Miley to make her escape. I found parts of the book to be a little hard to believe until I found out this book was inspired by a true story. I had not heard of the case this book inspired and immediately looked it up to learn more. I give kudos to the author for bringing attention to how incredible of a survivor Kari Swenson is. Thank you to Noelle Ihli, Dynamite publishing, and Netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC.

Noelle’s writing never fails to creep me out. Shes so descriptive it’s easy to visualise everything that’s happening through. It played out in my mind like a movie whilst I was reading it. I would absolutely love to see this on the big screen!!

My heart was in my mouth the whole time. I couldn’t stop reading. I needed to know if Miley escaped and couldn’t rest until I did know. Thank goodness for that ending🙌🏽.

The bonus pages of After the Dark were a fab way to finish the story! I’m so glad I read them!!

Just WOW! Noelle Ihli knocks another one out of the park! This book was totally captivating. Fabulous job of creepy character development. I was hooked from the get go and could not flip pages fast enough. Ihli has a way to get under my skin. Deliciously dark and dangerous. Hands down big 5 stars.
Thank you NetGalley, Noelle Ihli and Xpress Book Tours for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A great read! Beyond a few slower parts, I really enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down without knowing what happened next. Noelle did a great job of writing this based on a true story. It was definitely a difficult read based on subject matter and triggers, but it still was a good read that I couldn't put down!
Thank you NetGalley and Dynamite Publishing for a chance to read this novel!

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for my ARC. This was my first Ihli book, but certainly not my last. Noelle does a great job creating a very tense atmosphere. It wasn't until halfway through that I realized Gray After Dark is based on true events, which made everything even more intense. We follow an Olympic biathlete abducted on her run by an off grid father son duo, her time spent being held captive, and a harrowing attempt at survival. Set to release later this month (3/22), this book had me barreling to the end.

I really loved this book, in the beginning the book is a little boring but after a few chapters it starts getting very much interesting. Couldn't put the book down after they took Miles, had to know whether Brent and Wes would get to her in time..

Thank you NetGalley and Dynamite Publishing for a chance to read this novel before it is published. This is my third Noelle novel and I really enjoy them!

This novel focuses on Miley who is a biathlete who works at a wilderness camp in Frank Church wilderness for the summer. Miley loved to go on runs and has been warmed multiple times that she should not run alone and if she does she will need bear spray. Miley is also informed that there was once a worker at the camp that went missing several years before and that she was never found. While on a run Miley is abducted by a father and son survivalist duo that take her back to their cabin to have her marry the son. Police quickly say and conclude their investigation suggesting Miley was victim of a bear attack, but Wes a worker at the camp, and Brent, Miley’s partner do not give up so easily.

This novel is told in dual POV between Miley and Brent. This novel is hard to read, and very traumatic. This novel is based off of a true event that occurred in the 1980s. Noelle did a great job writing this novel, making the reader feel the suspense and trauma that Miley endured! Definitely recommend to thriller readers!

Another great book by Noelle, I did not realize this was based on a true story until the end. Gray After Dark was a harrowing story that moved quickly and kept me interested until the end. I read this while on vacation and probably neglected my friends and family just so I could see how it ended. I enjoyed the dual POVs and quick chapters. At the beginning of the book it jumps timelines so pay attention to that. I would recommend this to anyone that likes reading about perseverance and the strength of the will to live.

4-4.25 stars. Probably my fave Ihli books I’ve read so far! Had me tearing up. Definitely recommend

It was high stakes, fast-paced, and the romance sub plot REALLY worked for me. Had me tearing up a few times and just overall really enjoyed this book. Read it in 2hrs, couldn't put it down

I write this review with less fingernails and sweaty hands!!! Wow, did this read fill my stomach with knots and anxiety. I also had to force myself to close the book and go to bed because I just wanted to get to the end and read the great escape! This was a fast paced thriller, inspired by actual events. Readers should be aware that it has a substantial amount of violent triggers before going in. If your a suspense , psychological thriller or even horror reader this is a great read to add to your list.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #DynamiteBooks for the book #GrayAfterDark by #NoelleWIhli. Wow, this book is incredible. The lengths that people will go to survive is just astonishing. A girl goes missing by a couple of preppers and is beaten and has to succumb to her by. This book had me on the edge of my seat, biting my nails and sometime yelling at the characters. Make sure you read this book!

This book had me in a chokehold finishing it in a day and a half. Noelle did a beautiful job of gifting us a thriller but also a beautiful story of love, strength, friendship and overcoming obstacles. I loved having the Dual POV with Miley and Brent, I felt each up and down of the characters emotions between the hopelessness they fell into to the strength that took over in the moments they truly needed it to find their way back to each other. It was a bingeable quick read that had me turning the pages late into the night to find out how their story ended. Thank you for the gift of being able to read this early, I'm so excited to add a physical copy to my shelves on the 22nd.

What a great thriller! Full of action and so well written. Definitely my favorite book by this author. It was a great story-loved the setting it takes place in and the characters were awesome. I actually felt like I was there which is very rare for me in a book. Ending definitely was not predictable! The 2 bad guys Fred and Hamish were very scary. I cannot imagine how the women survived. Alternating with the storyline of the people trying to find Miley made for a great read. I could not put this book down. This story will stay with me for a long time. Thank you to NetGalley, Noelle Ihli and Dynamite Books for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. Cant wait for her next book! Definitely recommend this book! Solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley, Noelle W. Ihli, Dynamite Publishing for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I LOVED this book!!! Action packed, emotional read. I couldn't put the book down! The main character Miley, is such a strong woman and her determination and strong will to keep moving ahead in the toughest of times is so amazing. Also, knowing this story is based on true events made this an even more powerful and emotional read. I can't wait to tell my friends about this book! Has to be one of my top 10 books for 2024..and we're only 3 months into the new year!

Gray After Dark is such a wild ride! It did take a bit for the action to begin, but once it did, it never stopped! I loved the short chapters and found myself continually saying I will just read one more chapter!

Told by the alternating points of view of Miley and Brent, both viewpoints drew me in and kept me wanting more. There were a couple times while reading that I had to put the book down because it became too difficult to read. (Make sure to pay attention to the trigger warnings for this one.)

I enjoyed reading the author’s note at the conclusion and learning that the book is loosely based on a true story. I also enjoyed reading the bonus story of Rayna.

Thank you, NetGalley and Dynamite Books, for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed above are my own.

Wow! This book is amazing. I haven’t been disappointed in one of Noelle’s books yet. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat. The chapters are short and will keep you wanting more.

The book follows Miley, who is an Olympic biathlon athlete. She had a traumatic car accident a few years back and still trying to recover from that, so she has decided to take a summer job working at a camp and going to train to make it back to the Olympics. On one of her runs she is abducted and tells her story of survival.

I don’t think you will be disappointed in this book! The story is inspired by true events. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC for an honest opinion.

This was my second Noelle Ihli read & it did not disappoint! I loved this book! It grabbed my attention just a few chapters in and kept me turning the pages to find out what would happen next! Looking forward to reading more from this author! Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy!!