𝗤𝗨𝗜𝗖𝗞 𝗣𝗟𝗢𝗧 𝗣𝗘𝗘𝗞
Ten children are abducted when their school bus is hijacked. Bus driver, Jessa, who is haunted by her own past, finds herself and the children trapped in a shipping container buried underground. As their captors demand a ransom, Jessa and the children must confront dwindling air supply and rising panic, striving to outwit their kidnappers before time runs out.

𝗛𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗢𝗣𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗢𝗡
Based on the real-life Chowchilla kidnappings from 1976, I was really looking forward to this one. The action kicks off right away and the multiple POVs kept things tense and interesting.

We get chapters from Sage (the oldest kid), her mom, the bus driver, and one of the kidnappers. Sage was the standout for me - her emotional and physical journey felt the most real, and I was fully on her side the whole time.

Even though we get some backstory from her mom, her race against time didn’t pull me in. It mostly played out in her car while she was stuck in her own head. I wish she’d had a partner to talk to so it wasn’t just her thoughts going in circles.

The middle section slowed down a bit. I stayed with it, but it didn’t grab me quite as much as the start.

The ending made up for it - things picked up again, and my heart was definitely in it. I just wish I’d felt that same level of connection all the way through.

𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗛 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗?
Overall, this is a compelling and exciting thriller. It’s definitely worth the read if you’re into tense, multi-POV thrillers with a strong finish.

Thanks to @Netgalley and
Dynamite Books for access to this advanced readers

5 ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and Dynamite Books for the ARC!

I am speechless and mind blown. Noelle is the queen of thrillers. This book had me hooked for the first page and if I didn’t have to be a responsible adult I would have read this in less then 24 hours. Such Quiet Girls is a beautifully heartbreaking book based on a true story. Never once has a thriller made me sob the way that this did. I loved every word and I loved the Harriet the Spy references made me smile with memories of watching that movie with my sister. Highly recommend. Once again Noelle’s writing had me speechless.

I will read anything that Noelle W. Ihli write. She is the reason I fell in love with thrillers. This one in particular is my new favorite book that’s she’s written along with Ask for Andrea.

Although this book is fiction it was inspired by true events. It’s emotional, heartbreaking, suspenseful , and inspiring. Every parent’s worst nightmare has come true for Sheena. Both of her children have gone missing along with a group other kids and a bus driver. She’s forced to race against time to pay the ransom before it’s too late. That last 20% was so intense! I cried so much during this book.

I typically tend to not like books with such young characters who are one of the main narrators but Sage is a wonderful character whose personality and perspective brought this story to life. She was an unlikely hero that was so brave and mature at such a young age. She was truly inspiring.

I went from not really liking Jessa due to how dry she was with the kids to understanding the reason as to why she was this way and finally liking her due to her beautiful character growth. She went from not putting up a fight to finding the strength and hope to survive due to Sage’s courage.

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

This book was so good! It was emotional, heartbreaking, and tense. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time and I just couldn’t stop reading it. I loved the strong characters and of course Sage who was not only so young but so fierce and stronger than anyone in the group. The male kidnappers were cringey in just the right way and every character felt fully fleshed out and had the perfect background where your heart hurt along with theirs. The storyline was incredible and I loved every second of this book!

I enjoyed this book and read it in 2 days. I loved the kids in the book and the bus driver! It had a great ending!

I really enjoyed this book, I read it in a day!
The story is told from several characters’ POV, and the author did a great job expressing the typical emotions/thoughts for each character based on age and situation. I found myself invested in all the characters and felt many emotions for them and what they were going through. The ending felt a little abrupt and left me wanting more.
This was such a tense and gripping book. I definitely recommend it!

Thank you NetGalley and Noelle Ihli for the early read of Such Quiet Girls. I’ve read every Noelle book and will continue to read every book of hers. I love the true crime inspiration for this one while still maintaining its own story line. This one is a must read!

Noelle never ever misses. Once again, she had me
In the edge of my seat and turning the pages as fast as I could. This book had me thinking about it when I wasn’t reading it and I found myself telling everyone to read it when it comes out.

Noelle Ihli definitely goes straight for the heartwrenching topics. As good as the book was, it hit a little too close to one of my biggest fears, so I had to take a couple of breaks. But one thing this author does well is get you to root for people in seemingly impossible situations. In this book, I couldn't help but continuously ask what I would do in the position of 2 of the women in this story.

Full of suspense, an emotional roller coaster, heart pounding, intense from beginning to end!!!!

I just could not put this down and read the entire book within 24 hours! I’ve read all of her books and Noelle W. Ihli never disappoints!

Such Quiet Girls by Noelle West Ihli is inspired by the 1976 Chowchilla kidnapping and told through multiple POVs—including one of the kidnappers, the bus driver, a mother, and a kidnapped child—which gives the story a layered, all consuming intensity. From the first chapter, the stakes are high, the fear is real, and the suspense does not let up.

The chapters are short and punchy, the pacing is relentless, and there’s even thoughtful Alzheimer’s rep woven into the chaos. It’s gritty, tense, and full of raw resilience. And the last hour? Absolute heart racing, edge of your seat chaos. I didn’t breathe the entire time.

If you’re into high stakes thrillers that deliver on suspense and emotion, this one’s a must read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dynamite Books for a copy of Such Quiet Girls in exchange for my honest review.

My first ever ARC read and I was so excited it was a Noelle book! She is an auto read author for me. I love all of her books. Thank you NetGalley 🫶

When I found out this book is loosely based around true events it captivated me even more so. I loved the realness of it, the different POVs, including the captors side too. I love how it touched on pressing topics such as domestic abuse and alzheimers.

And honestly the bravery of the children was just inspiring. It was a great read. I loved the ending and how it all came together. It didn’t feel like anything was missed or brushed over. Great suspenseful edge of your seat read. Noelle never misses 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

This novel is another well-plotted, nail-biting thriller from suspense author Noelle W. Ihli. Told from four points of view - Jessa (a bus driver who is trying to overcome her past to reunite with her own child), Sage (the oldest child on the bus and in the sixth grade, sister to young Bonnie), Ted (one of the kidnappers), and Sheena (mother of Sage and Bonnie, and also caretaker of her father who has Alzheimer's). These four viewpoints give us unique access to every side of the story. The thrills start almost from the beginning of the book and Nicole leaves us in dangling in gut-clenching suspense almost to the very last page. This novel is fast-paced and I read it entirely in a day. I found myself rooting for the majority of the characters in the book, especially Jessa and Sage.

Like all of Noelle W. Ihli's novels, 'Such Quiet Girls' needs to be immediately added to the top of your TBR pile. Readers who enjoy thriller novels based loosely on true events will love this novel. 'Such Quiet Girls' just reiterated to me why Noelle W. Ihli is one of my favorite suspense authors.

Thank You to NetGalley and Dynamite Books for providing me with an eARC of this novel to read and review. All opinions are my own.

When I started this, I thought it was going to be her best book. I've read a couple of her other ones and they were average reads for me.

This one drug on for what seemed like forever. The story wasn't fast paced IMO and had a hard time keeping my attention.

One of my fears is being buried alive so I had a hard time with this book at first but it was face paced and kept you engaged so I was able to over look the buried part. I really like this Author and look forward to reading her other stuff.

Sheena is living her worst nightmare. She arrives to pick her daughters up from after school care only to find out that they have disappeared, along with 8 other kids, the bus driver and the entire bus.

This is a nail biter that I truly enjoyed from beginning to end.

Thank you for the ARC for Such Quiet Girls. I have enjoyed many other books by Noelle W. Ihli and this one did not disappoint. This kept me interested, and I didn’t want to stop reading! Another amazing Job Noelle!

The fact that this was inspired by true events is wild. I enjoyed all the different POVs that we got in this book, giving us better inside view to how everyone was feeling even the kidnappers POV.. I didn’t like the ending and how it felt like we only got to read half the letter to the bus driver, it felt a little rushed and that left me unsatisfied. I wanted to see more of the rescue happening. But overall I thought it was a good fast paced read. Thank you Netgallery for this ARC.

Ten children, a school bus, and a bus driver vanish. After a terrifying ride in a van with its seats ripped out, their two kidnappers bury them alive. Knowing that water, food, and air will soon run out, 12-year-old Sage and Jessa, the driver, must find a way to escape this true tomb.

I really liked the concept behind this novel. The story was well thought out, and the characters were interesting and well developed. However, I felt that several events deserved to be more detailed, as did the characters' reactions to them. I appreciated the multiple points of view throughout the book, shifting from the child and the driver trapped underground to the victims' mother and the kidnapper. I still recommend this novel to thriller enthusiasts.

This propulsive story hooked me from page one! At times heartbreaking and others heartstopping. Told from multiple pov’s this story ricocheted from one view to the next seamlessly and I could not put it down! The conclusion was very emotional and highly satisfying. Well done Noelle. Many thanks to @netgalley and @noelleihliauthor for the ARC.