Inspired by actual events, The Chowchilla kidnapping in 1976, Such Quiet Girls depicts two men who hijack a school bus on the way to drop 10 children off at an after-school daycare. From there the men force the children into a bunker that is outfitted with only a few essentials while they make ransom demands. Little did they know one of the kids was not giving up and would fight to see daylight again.

I did enjoy this book, it was a very fast read and I absolutely love how Noelle can bring to life actual events I knew nothing about and have me on the edge of my seat. My favorite parts of the book were the Sage chapters. She seemed much older than her 12 years, but there were subtle reminders she was still a child. My least favorite was Sheena, while she had an important role, all the stuff with Grandpa just didn't seem to fit the story. I read the Author's note at the end of the book and I understand why he was included. Nevertheless, it's worth a read.

Huge thank you to NetGalley, Dynamite Books, and Noelle W. Ihli for the opportunity to read and enjoy this book prior to its release on April 29, 2025. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Such Quiet Girls by Noelle W. Ihli is a gripping and atmospheric thriller that pulls you in from the first page. The writing is sharp and immersive, with just the right balance of suspense and emotion. Ihli crafts complex, relatable characters and builds tension masterfully, keeping you guessing until the very end. It’s a chilling, beautifully written story about friendship, secrets, and survival that lingers long after you finish. Highly recommended for fans of psychological thrillers!

This book was a good story from Noelle Ihli. I loved the character development. The story was a little slow to get started, but the ending was excellent! I loved that all the kids were okay in the end!!

I've never been disappointed by a Noelle W. Ihli book. I adored this story and (most) of the characters. Ihli can craft a story that keeps me on my toes and keeps me thinking about the book long after I've read it.

Another amazing book by Noelle W. Ihli! I can’t wait for this book to get released so I can discuss it with my friends!

A great read! I was immediately sucked in and didn’t want to put the book down.

You go through every emotion as you follow the different points of view. The fear, sadness and shock. Rooting for all the characters to get free.

This was such an intense read, from the moment of abduction it was relentless. The story was paced really well, it kept the tension and stress levels high pretty much all the way through. You also really feel for the characters and become very familiar with them in such a short space of time, there are parts where you really question who you're feeling empathy for as well.

The parts involving their grandad I also found very moving, but I'm glad it ended as well as it could have!

I did pretty much binge this book in a day, so I definitely enjoyed it! It was stressful!

Jessa works as a bus driver for a school, transporting kids from school to daycare. Things take a terrible turn when two masked gunmen board the bus and take Jessa and the 10 young kids hostage. Jessa and the kids are brought to an unknown area and buried in a shipping container 20 feet underground. Can Jessa and the kids outsmart their captors?

Based on the ratings so far, it looks like I am a bit of an outlier with my 3-star rating. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed this book. and the storyline. However, parts dragged on and were repetitive. I found myself skimming some parts that were boring.. One of the biggest disappointments was the lack of terror as the novel progressed. I thought that the reader would feel trapped and a sense of impending doom as the story progressed, but the author failed to capture those feels. The writing did not create a sense of claustrophobia or increasing terror.

Continuing with this point, the THRILLER element was really lacking. It felt like a simple retelling of events. There was no thrill and it honestly felt like not much was happening.

I also really struggled to connect with the characters. I did not care for any of them. Again, the multiple POVs read more like a recounting a story. felt more like a drama than anything.

Thank you Dynamite Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

enjoyed this.

It’s definitely more on the tame side for a thriller. I liked that it was based on a true story.

If you like kidnapped, ransom demand stories then I think you will like this. There’s nothing too graphic or intense in this story. Pacing was decent and an overall great read.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In "Such Quiet Girls," the gripping narrative commences with the abduction of ten children and their new bus driver, Jessa, occurring brazenly in daylight. This novel draws inspiration from the actual events of the 1976 Chowchilla kidnapping. As they are transported to a shipping container buried twenty feet underground, the tension escalates significantly. The storyline is presented through a multifaceted perspective, incorporating the viewpoints of Jessa, Sage (one of the children), Sheena (Sage's mother), and one of the abductors, Ted. This narrative technique not only weaves a rich tapestry of emotional experiences but also allows readers to perceive the panic and desperation from diverse viewpoints. As the narrative unfolds, readers observe the psychological repercussions of captivity on both the hostages and their families. Sheena's emotional distress, intensified by her father's battle with Alzheimer's disease, illustrates the profound effects of fear and desperation on maternal instincts. Conversely, Jessa's character development unfolds as she confronts her past and seeks redemption. The author adeptly balances the story's intensity with moments of warmth and resilience, particularly through the relationship between Sage and her sister, Bonnie, providing a glimmer of hope amidst the surrounding darkness. This story showcases the essence of survival and the lengths to which one will go, to safeguard survival. The emotional gravity occurring in the story is heavy, and it only presents as more desperate as time passes. This novel is a fast paced novel that will keep your attention and make it difficult to put it down. The story will linger in your mind, long after you are finished reading it.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

Jessa, recently out of jail, has scored a job driving a school
bus of kids to after-school care. She's determined to hold onto
this position and tick all the boxes to finally get custody of her
daughter again. When she and the kids on her route are
abducted and imprisoned in an underground bunker, she knows
her criminal past will soon be discovered. But it may not matter
if they don't end up surviving this ordeal, and it is looking more
and more likely that they won't


Based on true life events of school children kidnapped during
their bus ride home, this book definitely has a true crime feel. It
is very plot-driven, though has an unfortunate lull midway
through

Thank you to NetGalley, Dynamite Books and Noelle W. Ihli for the advanced copy.

This was a solid 4.5⭐️. It got my attention from page one and held it to the last page. I finished this one rather quickly.

The book is divided into 4 different POVs but was very easy to follow along with. One POV was from Sage, one of the abducted kids, Ted one of the Abductors, Jessa the bus driver, and Sheena the mom of Sage and Bonnie. I feel like the author captured the essence of Sage very well. She’s a strong willed 6th grader that was grown up enough and was tired of being around younger kids. She’s determined and relentless to get them out of their situation. Sheena was stuck is an impossible scenario, do what they ask, or risk her children. Ted was the villain with a heart.

The author did an excellent job at describing the scene. The sense of impending doom lingered throughout the whole book. I loved how everything tied in at the end and it all made sense. I liked the inclusion of a family member with Alzheimer’s. It made the story feel more real. And you can really tell that Sheena has a lot on her plate as busy mom. I think that makes her character more relatable to many readers.

There was only two things in the book that made me have to re-read and left me with a few questions:
1. Sage is pretty tall for a 6th grader, while not impossible, it did have me questioning.
2. The bus described was white and blue, on the cover it’s a yellow school bus. Not a huge deal but a detail that I noticed.

Overall, this was a fantastic read and one I will recommend to others.

Gripping!!! Love this fast paced thriller! Couldn’t put it down. Loved the different POVs of all the characters and how their back stories played into the plot. Loving this author.

This one grabbed me from the first page and didn’t let go. Intense, emotional, and had my heart racing the whole time! As a mom of two girls, it hit way too close to home. I really enjoyed this one!

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this ARC! I truly enjoyed this fast-paced thriller. I was familiar with this author with her last book “gray after dark”which I loved as well. The author captivate the reader into the story, makes you fall in love with the characters and leaves you breathless until the end of the book. The story involves a bus driver and a bus full of students heading to school that gets detoured onto a desolate road where they encounter two people that have a certain plan for them. I fell in love with the bus driver, the children and the mom! I was unable to put this book down! I would definitely recommend this book if you love fast paced tension, gripping thrillers with not a lot of gory core details!

🚨 I am officially obsessed with Noelle Ihli.

Her stories are creepy in the best way and keep you completely hooked. The audio version of Such Quiet Girls was especially incredible thanks to the multiple POVs. Hearing from Sage (one of the bus riders) added such a chilling perspective—it made the whole thing feel even more real.

This one is loosely based on a true story, and wow… it had me hugging my kids a little tighter with every chapter.

Such Quiet Girls drops April 29th and, just like all of Noelle’s books, I can’t recommend it enough! 🎧📚

Oh gosh, I had in mind that this book was based on real events the whole time reading it so it definitely shaped my view of the book and made everything a whole lot more intense. It had me on the edge of my seat and I truly wanted to find out what would happen and how it would end. I liked that the author included different POVs and made it seem so realistic. Even Sage's POV made her seem like an immature child, so the author managed to capture the character's voices really well. I struggled with the chapters being so short that it was a little jarring to jump from one POV to another without having much time to adjust, but all in all it was a well executed book that is worth the read.

🚌𝗦𝗨𝗖𝗛 𝗤𝗨𝗜𝗘𝗧 𝗚𝗜𝗥𝗟𝗦
𝔱𝔥𝔯𝔦𝔩𝔩𝔢𝔯
🗓️𝙿𝚞𝚋: 𝙰𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚕 𝟸𝟿, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟻
𝕄𝕪 𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘: 𝟜.𝟝 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕤 ★★★★✬ʳᵒᵘⁿᵈⁱⁿᵍ 🆙

🤏𝚃𝚎𝚎𝚗𝚢 𝚝𝚒𝚍𝚋𝚒𝚝...Ten children, abducted in broad daylight—and buried alive. (was inspired by actual events)

🚌𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚊𝚢... WOW! 🤩 What I loved the most was all the different POVs. You get a perspective from the oldest kid kidnapped, her mother, the bus driver as well as one of the kidnappers. This book was based off the Chowchilla kidnapping from 1976(I attached actual photos from this event & luckily knew nothing of this time before reading). As a mom, my anxiety & pulse was very heightened at many moments. 😳The pacing was off for just a little bit, but overall I had to keep picking it up to stress my body out some more! 😆I will read anything @noelleihliauthor spits out so yall save the date for this one 🤩

Thank you to NetGalley and @DynamiteBooks for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, this book had me completely hooked. Such Quiet Girls is one of those stories that grabs you from page one and doesn’t let go. It centers around a group of school kids and their bus driver as they go missing and end up trapped in a hidden underground bunker. It’s tense, emotional, and honestly kind of chilling, especially knowing it’s inspired by real events.

The story jumps between a few different characters, and each perspective adds something important. There’s Jessa, the bus driver, who’s dealing with some heavy personal trauma but somehow finds the strength to protect the kids. Sheena, a mom of two of the missing kids, is thrown into an impossible situation and has to make some brutal choices. Then there’s Ted, one of the people behind the kidnapping, and Sage, Sheena’s older daughter, who’s seriously impressive for a kid—smart, brave, and kind of a natural leader.

What I loved most is how the book balances high-stakes suspense with deep emotional moments. You really feel for everyone involved. The fear, the desperation, the determination—it’s all there. The scenes in the bunker are especially intense; the atmosphere is so claustrophobic you feel like you’re down there with them.

Ihli does a great job keeping the pace fast and the tension high. It’s not just a thriller; it’s also a story about resilience, survival, and the fierce love people have for their family. Definitely not a light read, but one that sticks with you.

Highly recommend if you're into emotionally-driven thrillers that dig a little deeper.
4.5 Stars!!!

#NetGalley, #DynamiteBooks, #SuchQuietGirls, #NoelleWIhli, #Suspense, #Thriller, #RealStory

4.75⭐️

Ten children are abducted from their school bus, buried in the ground and held for ransom.
This is inspired by an actual event. The story is told from sage the eldest of the children, the bus driver Jessa, Ted one of the abductors plus Sheena mom to sage and Bonnie

I found it a slow start as it sets the scene and the characters with their relevance to the storyline. Then suddenly the action kicks in and I was riveted.
Sage being the eldest felt a level of responsibility, you can understand Jemma’s actions as her backstory fills in what has shaped her. I even felt a bit sorry for Ted. Sheena is a fierce lioness protecting her babies, her feeling of panic was palpable.

It built and built to an action packed thrilling ending. I highly recommend this book.

This book was ADDICTING!! I have read all of Noelle West Ihli's books in one sitting (with the exception of None Left to Tell), so I had high hopes for this one. And it did not disappoint!! I sat down and couldn't get up until I knew what happened to Sage, Bonnie, and Ms. Jessa. Recommending this one to literally everyone.