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Gripped and Grounded: My Review of 'Such Quiet Girls' by Noelle W. Ihli

 

Such Quiet GirlsSuch Quiet Girls by Noelle W. Ihli
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Gripped and Grounded: My Review of 'Such Quiet Girls' by Noelle W. Ihli
I always thoroughly enjoy reading Noelle’s books. This is the third one of hers I’ve tackled, and after talking to the author previously about Ask for Andrea and Forget You Saw Her, I knew that this one was going to be something completely different.

Unlike her previous works, Such Quiet Girls has no supernatural elements—there are no ghosts hidden in these pages. It is a psychological thriller inspired by the harrowing, real-life 1976 Chowchilla school bus kidnapping. I chose to go in completely blind, deciding not to read up on the true story first because I wanted to absorb and feel every ounce of the tension firsthand, rather than knowing the outcome. Don't worry, I am a strict "no spoilers" reviewer, so I won't be revealing the ending here!

What I will say is this: it is relentlessly tense. It's a story of child abduction and pure determination. In lesser hands, a plot like this could have easily devolved into a predictable case of Stockholm Syndrome, but it doesn't. Instead, it is a masterclass in grit and raw fear. It is the kind of book where you physically cannot put the darn thing down because you know lives are actively depending on it.

There is also a subplot running through the book that hit a little too close to home for me. One of the characters is caring for her grandfather who has Alzheimer’s. Sadly, my own life—and all too many people's lives—has been touched by the striking weight and pain of dementia. Because Noelle has experienced this caregiver journey personally, I can relate to certain elements, though every single family touched by this devastating condition has a completely unique experience. For instance, the specific repetitiveness shown in the book wasn't something I personally remember from my own life. I appreciate that Noelle stayed true to her own reality of the condition, and it brings a lot of heart to the narrative.

What really surprised me was how deeply you feel for the characters on both sides of the page. Noelle writes the antagonists with such layers that you find yourself favoring one over the other; it actually reminded me a bit of George and Lennie in Of Mice and Men. On the flip side, you completely ache for the protagonists, cheering on their sheer grit and survival instincts.

I’ll end on this piece of reader-to-reader advice: if your personal triggers include severe claustrophobia, darkness, or experiences with domestic violence, this book may not be for you—or at the very least, you should tread carefully.

But if you love a fast-paced, heart-in-your-mouth thriller that relies on human resilience rather than the paranormal, Noelle has delivered another absolute triumph.

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