This was a great read. No twists or turns but a compelling story that kept me hooked. I read it quickly and enjoyed it thoroughly. Was shocked to see it is loosely based on a true story!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Gray After Dark
By: Noelle W. Ihli

I gave this book a 5 stars. I really enjoyed it. I read this for a book club, but I had originally got a copy through NetGalley. I’ve heard great things about this author and for my first book by her, it really delivered.

The beginning was a little slow with a lot of explanation of the Olympics, which had me kind of lost. This had to do with the FMC, Miley training for the Olympics, but didn’t make it. She had also suffered an accident 5 years prior and went to this place in Idaho which was like a retreat, where she took a summer job and decided to train. The setting takes place in like a woodsy, mountain area. There’s a lot of talk of bear attacks. Her coworkers give her a mase can incase she encounters a bear. She also learns of a disappearance of a girl that also used to work at the same place she is now working, but she had been missing before Miley came to town. She was suspected to have been attacked by a bear.

One day Miley goes out for a run and gets kidnapped by a father and son who live isolated from society and there she experiences terrible things that happen to her and while she’s there she realizes the other girl they have living with them, is the girl that everyone at her job thought was attacked by a bear.

This story started off slow, but quickly changed pace. It was a fast paced read, held my attention for the rest of the book. I would definitely recommend checking trigger warning. There are a lot. Also one of the main things that interested me about reading this book was learning that the book was based on actual events.

Scary to the max

I vividly remember the terrible true-life abduction case this fiction story was inspired by: Kari Swenson in Montana in 1986 taken by a father and son.

So we come to this horrific fictional story. It is 2022. Miley Petrowski competes in the biathlon in the Olympics. She has suffered a terrible shoulder injury and is training hard so she can compete interesting 2026 Olympics in Italy. She signs up to work a short season at Hidden Springs Resort, a high end bougie remote resort, because it's near the Frank Church Wilderness area in Idaho where she can train when she's not working.

But...she doesn't let anyone know where she's gone to train. And...she's abducted by a father/son duo and taken to their off-grid wilderness compound.

This story was truly terrifying in so many ways. It is tough to read at times but also inspiring.

I received this Digital Review Copy from Dynamite Books through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review. This is that review.

I wasn't instantly drawn to the plot of this book but i saw soo many raving about it so i knew i had to read it myself haha
It's definitely to be in my top 10 books of the year! I wish i could rate it higher!

It had a little bit of a slow start, about a quarter way through it really picks up.
It's scary, tense and just straight up creepy.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dynamite Books for this ARC.

Another best seller from Noelle W. Ihli. Gray after Dark dives into the life of Miley, an Olympic hopeful training for the next Olympic biathlon while taking some time working on a retreat in the deep forest. Working through old injuries and past relationships takes a back seat when she is kidnapped and help by preppers hellbent on creating a new world. Abuse and resilience weaves through the pages in equal measures. When the real dangers of the forest may not be the bears.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc

A fast paced start kept me hooked from the beginning.

Loosely based on a true story from 1984, this novel is told in 2 POVs, Miley, an Olympic level athlete and Brent, her lifelong friend and sporting partner.
Miley goes remote to help out in a camp kitchen after a devastating failure with Brent. As she recoups and starts to trian, she is abducted by a father and son and held captive.

The pure anxiety this book gave me!
I read it within hours.
Be sure to check the trigger warnings for this book, as its packed with difficult topics.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, this one was a hard read at times! Not because of the writing, but because of the subject matter. But I persevered, and I’m glad I did.

The main premise is that Miley, an Olympic biathlete, is working at a summer resort. She goes out running in the Frank Church wilderness (over 2 million acres) every morning, and she doesn’t share her route with anyone. She is captured and taken by two “mountain men” and the rest of her captivity is just awful. These guys are cruel, filthy monsters. She’s afraid for her life, and I don’t blame her.

There are other threads to the story. Miley’s closest friend Brent comes to join the search for her. Her coworker Wes also searches, and he has a crush on Miley, something Brent is not happy about. Also, Miley has a chronic shoulder pain with no apparent physical cause, and it manifested after the death of her mother in a car crash in which Miley was the driver. The wreck was her fault, and she’s carried all of that and held Brent, and everyone else, at arm’s length.

It’s a multi-layered tale and it’s definitely worth the read. It’s my first book by this author, and I’ll look for others.

My thanks to NetGalley and Dynamite. Books for the digital ARC. My review is voluntary.

I received an ARC copy and I’m so glad I did! I had just found this author recently and this is the second one I’ve read. I love the style or writing and while I found parts difficult to get through, it had me on the edge of my seat!

What if bears aren’t the only thing in the forest you should be afraid of?

Miley, an Olympic-level athlete, has just suffered a devastating personal loss & takes a temporary job at a remote lodge in the mountains of Idaho to earn a little money in the off-season & continue training in her free time. She’s barely gotten through orientation when she’s kidnapped & taken even deeper into the Frank Church Wilderness - as the situation with her abductors escalates, Miley starts to wonder if she’ll ever escape, if anyone from search & rescue will find her… & if she can hold on that long.

This was a terrifying read, but just like the other novel I’ve read from this author (Run on Red) I’m glad I braved it because it was quite a story. I loved all the information I learned about biathlon (cross-country skiing & rifle shooting) athletes & the wilderness setting was described beautifully. I appreciated all of the content warnings at the beginning of the book, & it was interesting that this story was loosely based on the abduction of Olympian Kari Swenson. I also enjoyed the accompanying short story (After the Dark).

Thank you to NetGalley & Xpresso Book Tours for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Should you read this?
Yes, if… you want a DARK thriller that will make you clench your teeth and stay up late rooting for the characters
No, if… you don’t want to read a book that feels terrifyingly realistic
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

I struggled to finish this book as I found the violence - domestic, sexual, etc. very difficult to read. I liked this author 's book Red on Red which also contained violence. For some reason it seemed different in this book and I did not enjoy this read.

The protagonist is kidnapped and held captive.

Too raw for me at this time.

NetGalley review Kindle ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.


Let me start off by saying that I never expected to enjoy a thriller with backwoods, survivalist kidnappers as the main antagonists.

I was wrong.

One of the things I loved most about Gray After Dark was the main character. Miley is a biathlete recovering from a physical injury and personal loss. Through dual timelines and POVs we are able to get a better sense of who Miley is through her relationships with a teammate and her mother. I loved reading about Miley's training for the Olympic biathlon and her determination to succeed in her sport.

When I realized exactly who the kidnappers are going to be, I lost a little of the enjoyment I'd been having with this book. However, Miley's physical and emotional suffering of the hands of her tormenters kept me turning the pages. I was invested in Miley and a new character named Mary.

With our giving away spoilers, I'll say we also got a peek inside the mind of Brent, Miley's teammate and potential love. For the most of the book, Brent's POV chapters felt slow, and I skimmed many pages. By the end, the pace picked up and were a crucial part of the finale.

My main complaint for this book is that while there were many cringe-worthy moments, this book did not have the creepy and atmospheric elements found in the more recent books by this author.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys survival stories, especially ones with equal amounts gore and romance.

Gray After Dark is standalone part-thriller, part-survivalist story of overcoming odds against horrifying trauma. Based loosely on the true-life abduction of Olympian Kari Swenson in 1984. I’ve read Noelle W Ihli before and this one was my favorite so far. The story is dual POV and is quite dark in subject matter. The story follows Miley who is abducted on a run and follows her experience and fight for survival while her loved one’s search for a clue as to her whereabouts. The story has some tense moments, some fierce characters and will have you feeling all the emotions. Be sure to check out Noelle W Ihli’s other works if you enjoy this one as each book is unique and offers up something special.

Miley’s plans are far from what she imagined they would look like as this Olympic trainee finds herself held captive in an off grid cabin. Are her athletic skills and her sharp mind enough to save her?

This book is another favorite of mine by author Noelle West Ihli. Packed full of suspense and detail that will suck you right into the woods with her characters. I could not put this one down, let alone see what was coming next.

Fantastic!! If I could rate this book higher, I would!
This story is about Miley, a young Olympic athlete, who had taken a summer job at a very secluded resort in the middle of a very vast forest in Idaho. Miley is hoping to get in some training during her off times at the resort and is running alone on a deserted trail when she crosses paths with some hunters.
This story was so fast paced, I couldn’t put it down! Every chapter was interesting, and I was on the edge of my seat till the very end!
I read almost entirely thriller novels, so it
can be hard sometimes to find a truly unique story. I can say without of doubt, I have never read a storyline line this! 5⭐️!

Thank you to Xpresso Book Tours and NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

First and foremost, I went into this book completely blind - which makes this author's books that much more shocking to me - but I didn't realize until after I finished, that it was based on actual events. That always makes a story so much more intriguing to me.

The story is told mainly from Miley's POV with some flashbacks and Brent's POV. It was a bit slow to start to me, but I think that is just because I'm not familiar with the Olympics or the event referenced and couldn't relate. But it didn't take long at all for that to change and it quickly left me hanging on every word with my heart in my throat. There were some parts that were difficult to read through, so if you have triggers, you may want to be cautious. I would have liked to have had the ending drawn out a bit more, it left me with some questions and wanting more but overall a good and intense read.

5/5

A little bit thriller, a little bit suspense, maybe a dash of horror....Noelle Ihli did it again!!!

When Olympic athlete Miley goes for a remote run in the woods - and someone is waiting for her.

Inspired by true events, Gray After Dark is a fabulous read that I couldn't put down.

The characters are incredibly realistic (including the "bad guys"; they feel really REAL *shudder*), and Miley is a strong, likable protagonist that you can't help but root for.

This is an INTENSE read and I literally caught myself holding my breath at one point! The writing really is that good. *clapping*

If you are a fan of edge-of-your -seat thrillers (another reviewer compared this to a particularly good Lifetime story) then give this a try!

PS: Similar to her other books, Noelle W Ihli does a particularly good job treading on sensitive subjects with respect (subjects that other authors might take as an opportunity to throw in the ICK). With that said, as always, check your TW (subjects include kidnapping, murder, pregnancy loss, domestic abuse, infertility, SA/violence, Stockholm syndrome, gun violence).

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All views expressed are my own.

Gray After Dark is a dark suspenseful thriller inspired by the real-life abduction of an Olympic athlete back in the eighties. I hadn’t heard of this author before but saw some rave reviews so decided to give it a go. I can’t say I exactly enjoyed it because the relentless violence inflicted on the main character was hard to read about, but it’s certainly an exciting and ultimately satisfying read.

Miley Petrowski has taken a casual summer job at an upmarket lodge in the Frank Church wilderness park while she recovers from a serious injury and gets back into training for the Winter Olympics biathlon event. While out on a solo run, she is taken at gunpoint by a father and son duo living deep in the forest. Starved, chained and brutalised, how could she possibly escape?

When I read the synopsis of this prior to requesting it, I thought it would mostly focus on Miley outrunning and outwitting her evil captors, which is the kind of story I like, but this is all left to the end of the book - there’s a whole lot of suffering before she reaches that point, and mentions of animals being harmed that I really didn’t like reading about, although it’s not gratuitous. I liked the way it’s told from both Miley’s POV and that of her friend and training partner Brent - even though the denouement is fairly predictable. It’s well written and scarily believable, and the afterword explains how Kari Swenson’s story fits in, including the author’s outrage at how her abusers were portrayed in the media.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dynamite books for the ARC. I am posting this honest review voluntarily.
Gray After Dark is available now.

Wow, this book was wild! This is the third book of Ihli’s I have read and it is my favorite of hers so far. Whew this book was wild! This is the third book of Ihli’s I have read and it is my favorite of hers so far. The first part was a little bit of a slow burn but then I couldn’t put it down. So intense and stressful!

I went into it blind and was surprised to read it was loosely based on true events. Really interesting retort and I’m glad Ihli included that so I could learn more about it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is my 2nd book by Noelle Ihli..and I loved it!
So well written, likable main characters, with all the storyline neatly put ttogether. I also liked the brief epilogue.
There is some abuse, and kidnaooing that might bother people, but it was so well written that it shouldn't bother most readers.
A very solid 4 star read..if actually say it's closer to 4.4 out of 5.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC