🚌 🚌 ARC REVIEW 🚌🚌

PUB Date : April 28th 2025

This is my 5th book by Noelle W Ihli , I guess you could call me a fan !🖤

Such Quiet Girls Is fiction inspired by true events that happened in 1976 and 26 children were kidnapped on a bus ages from 5 to 14 and buried underground, where as this story takes place in modern times where children have cell homes at the age of 7.

I remember listening to this story via a podcast and thinking wow what an insane story and how horrifying for those children and parents .

Such Quiet Girls is definitely different from Noelle’s other novels , where I found this one to be more of a light thriller compared to the others I’ve read .

Told through multiple POV’S that are easy to follow , the book gave me locked room thriller vibes with its story primary focus is underground and on the bus.

Although the story was very “ familiar “ to me the book showed me how in life or death situations that even the most vulnerable and youngest victims can be so resilient and become hero’s 🖤

If you’re a fan of kidnapping stories , Multiple POV, locked room thriller vibes , newer to thrillers and like true crime and more serious written novels that will have you feeling anxious to the very end , then you will gobble this one up in a heartbeat!!

HUGE Thank you NetGalley , Dynamite Books and Noelle W Ihli for this gripping ARC 🙌🏼💛🫶🏼

Oh my goodness Noelle has done it again! Such Quiet Girls grips you from page one and holds you in a chokehold until the very last page. The novel follows Jessa, a new school bus driver, and her passengers, as their routine daily drive turns into a nightmare as their bus is hijacked. They are imprisoned by masked kidnappers and eventually buried in a shipping container. As oxygen supplies dwindle, Jessa and the children must find a way to survive.   

Ihli masterfully builds tension, immersing readers in the claustrophobic confines of the container.

The book is narrated in alternate perspectives, giving you a glimpses into each characters mind and their psyches. Jessa’s internal struggle, stemming from a past tragedy, adds depth to her character, while Sage’s incredible strength and resilience shines through her determination to protect and comfort her sister. 

I love that this book was based on real events adding a layer of unease as it marinates in the back of your mind that something similar to this has happened in the past.

An amazing and fast read that will keep you at edge of your seat.

Thank you NetGalery and Mrs Ihli for the opportunity to read this advanced copy

I am so glad I was able to get to read this book before the release date, because WOW!!! I was in need of a good fast paced thriller book that had me in so many emotions!

This book read like a short story. Handful of characters and just a few settings to keep track of. The premise of the school bus getting hijacked and how the children are dealt with is unique and keeps your attention. Things wrap up nicely at the end. It’s not over the top or drawn out. It’s a “lite” thriller with some profanity. I can not say this book will stick with me but it was a quick read with its short chapters. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this early. 3.5 stars

I had listened to a podcast about the Chowchilla kidnapping before reading this novel, so I was already familiar with the story it was based on. To think that something like this actually happened in real life is unfathomable, but the children who were involved are now adults living with it everyday.

I think Ihli treated this story with as much humanity as she could have, while keeping up the pacing and a good amount of tension. It was a quick read for me, and I appreciate that she jumped right into the story. I like Jessa's character development and how her story turned out with her daughter at the end.

I will definitely be reading more Noelle Ihli!

Such Quiet Girls is a heart pounding, emotional, tense, gripping, and was really hard to put it down. I was invested since page one and turning the pages fast.

Inspired by true events, a school bus with the kids and driver was abducted and buried in an underground bunker.

The emotional rollercoaster, the horrifying and frightening moments, delivered this incredible story of perseverance and love.

I love Noelle’s writing style and loved some of her other books, but this one might be her best work yet.

Thank you so much Xpresso Book Tours for this eARC.

Highly recommend!

3.5🌟

Such an anticipated read and one that I was lucky enough to receive as my first ever NetGalley eArc - thank you NetGalley 🫶

I enjoyed the storyline and the characters in it. I felt it was a quick and easy read and I loved the ending.

Nothing really blew me away in the book and I wasn't really on the edge of my seat throughout, but I was very eager to pick up this book so I could see how it ended.

One point in the book I noticed the Noelle had described the bus in the orchard as being white, but on the cover it's yellow. Did I read this wrong or misinterpret the description? 🚌

I loved the feel good moments throughout with the storyline of Sheena's father which added a nice element to the book. ❤️

To compare this to other books by Noelle - Ask for Andrea (I mean does anything compare to this?!) and Run on Red, I feel like this was a solid read, just didn't quite hit the mark for me, but would still recommend to any reader out there that love an easy read thriller and is a Noelle fan!

Happy reading 🫶📙

The story centers on Jessa, a newly appointed school bus driver, and twelve-year-old Sage. Their routine day turns harrowing when their bus is hijacked in broad daylight, leading to the abduction of ten children. The captives find themselves trapped in a shipping container buried twenty feet underground, with their kidnappers promising release upon ransom payment. As time and air dwindle, Jessa and Sage must confront their fears and strategize an escape before it's too late.

This book was inspired by actual events: The Chowchilla kidnapping in 1976.

This book was action packed and suspenseful from the very beginning and had me nervous reading it till the very end. I enjoyed the multiple POVs of the different characters and I like this authors writing style.

Holy Moses! Noelle Ihli knocks another one out of the park! The story opens with a bang and just never lets up. Deliciously dark and creepy, characters had me on the edge of my seat. Brilliant storytelling! Don’t let this gem pass you by. Huge 5 stars from me!
Thank you NetGalley, Noelle Ihli and Dynamite Books for the opportunity to read and review this book

Amazing book! Noelle does it again! Highly suspenseful and hooked from page 1! I devoured this book.

Once again, Ihli killed it. Such a clausterphobic real-life thriller situation. The character development was on point and you really were rooting for the charaters throughout the whole story. The fact that this is based off a true story is WILD. Watch out - time to binge all of the documentaries!

Such Quiet Girls - Noelle West Ihli

Holy moly! What a ride! This book was everything I love and hate about reading. It was intense, stressful and emotional. As a mother of 3 kids, should I be reading a book about school kids being kidnapped, absolutely not. Did I sit down and not move until I was done reading in one sitting, Yep. I did stop breifly to text a friend that this book was stressing me out, that I hated everything about it and that I was definitely giving it 5 stars. If you enjoy edge of your seater thrillers, this is for you.

4.5 stars rounded to 5

Noelle W. Ihli has quickly become one of my favorite authors and the second I saw Such Quiet Girls available early, I had to request it.

Such Quiet Girls is based on a true crime story from the 1970s - the Chowchilla kidnapping. In this version, 10 kids plus a bus driver are taken from their bus after school, and buried in a makeshift bunker underground near a rock quarry.

The POVs switch between one of the kidnappers, one of the kids, one of the mothers, and the bus driver. That ends up giving a really well-rounded view of the story and how each individual ends up in the situation that they're in. The last quarter or so is pretty tense and I had to finish it late at night to see what would happen. Normally books about a group of kids are not my jam, but this was written really well!

Recommended for those who love fast-paced thrillers.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Dynamite books for the ARC and allowing me to review this book.

Another amazing book by Noelle Ihli. Definite 5 star read. Please see my Goodreads review posted below.

This was incredible!!

Now, not for the faint of heart - it does involve a group of young children being abducted and held against their will. But god it had me hooked off every word.

The characters Noelle chose to explore were incredible - writing from both adult and children perspective.

Would definitely recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.
I am going to give a review of this book without giving anything away. This was such a good book! My heart was pounding, I was on the edge of my seat, and I was out of breath from the book's fast pace!
This book was so good! I think Noelle W. Ihli is becoming an auto-buy author for me. This is the second book I have read and I loved both books!
Child kidnapping has to be so difficult to write mildly and somehow the author managed to do that well in this book.
Characters were well-developed. The plot was so well structured. There isn't a part that I didn't enjoy. This is what I want from a thriller! Do yourself a favor and check this book out immediately!

I enjoy reading Noelle W. Ihli’s thrillers they are quick enjoyable reads that are based on a true stories. As a true crime fan I immediately knew it was based on the Chowchilla kidnappings. At the beginning the multiple POV’s irritated me but as the book progressed I understood why they were essential to push the plot forward. It did take me a bit to get invested and I spent the majority of the time frustrated with the viewpoint characters but my favorite character by far was Sage! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Such Quiet Girls!

This book was intense. Incredibly stressful which I personally love in a book. The story flowed so well and there wasn’t any lull in the story. I really bonded with the characters and even had some empathy for some that don’t deserve it. Fair warning, if you are a parent…this will stress you the eff out. So many what ifs and moments where you didn’t know where it was gonna go. The kids were written so well and Ms.Jessa…uh i feel you. I can’t even imagine the fear through her head. Highly recommend.

Thank you Net Galley for the Arc! Oh my gosh you guys!!!
This was a banger of a book...and when I found out it was heavily influenced by a 1976 kidnapping of a school bus I was blown away. The author did an amazing job telling it as the actual events happened and making it her own. This story is about a school bus that gets stopped and two men with guns kidnapped all the children and literally buried them all alive.
Honestly one of the most wild stories l've heard and it was so well done!

Noelle West Ihli did an outstanding job with this book one of my favorites EVER! I have not read a book by her that I did not like! This book made me stay up until 3 am because I couldn’t put it down! Follow along as Jess and the kids are trapped! Hands down one of the best books I have read no doubt!