Stephanie, a business woman, and Jasmine, fleeing from an abusive relationship, have nothing in common. They don’t know each other but their friends start getting the same text messages about the same man, Trent McCarthy. When the messages become concerning, panic sets in.

The first half of the book was a slow read for me, I had a hard time relating with the main characters, but the second half has twists & turns I didn't see coming. Mind blown at the end.

I received this advance review copy from NetGalley & the publisher for my honest review.

The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia is a fast-paced, twisty thriller that will keep you on edge until the very last page. When two women with no connection suddenly vanish under eerily similar circumstances, secrets unravel, and nothing is as it seems. The tension builds with every chapter, making it impossible to put down. If you love Freida McFadden or Riley Sager, this one is a must-read!

Two women, Stephanie and Jasmine, are on the same plane, sitting in the same row, but have never met.

Their circumstances are very different. Stephanie is traveling to a business meeting; Jasmine is escaping from an abusive relationship.

Days later, both women begin texting friends about the same man. The texts become increasingly strange and concerning. Then Stephanie and Jasmine disappear...

"The Business Trip" is a story I was drawn into immediately and found seriously addictive until Part Three, which began to slow down and feel repetitive, often quoting the same dialogue from previous chapters. I did enjoy the author's creative storyline and the balance of likable and unlikable characters, but I wanted to know more about them. Perhaps giving the characters more depth of backstory would have been better than using so many pages to explain what happened.

I never stopped reading and remained curious about the final denouement. I understand how thrillers can feel over the top, and I am okay with that in this story. What I was looking for and didn't find were reasons why I should root for characters I didn't feel a connection to. For me, the characters are the most essential part of every story.

An immersion read, the audiobook has an entire cast of narrators recounting each character's first-person narrative. It was well done!

"The Business Trip" is a story I liked, and Jessie Garcia is a creative storyteller and author to watch!

3.25⭐

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and Jessie Garcia for a DRC and an ALC through NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

This wasn't quite what I was expecting, but there was potential, and it was definitely uniquely written and structured. Overall, I will give the author credit for the fact there were several points later in the book that made me question what had happened, what I missed, and even had me go back to reference what was said. The book is broken down into multiple parts and told from multiple POVs. At times, it was frustrating because a chapter would backtrack or even completely cover an event again, so you were reading the same material, just a different perspective - but this is what also made me question what/how I missed something. The storyline was a bit slow throughout, and there weren't any mindblowing twists, but it was an interesting concept.

Stephanie and Jasmine end up sitting next to each other on a plane trip. Jasmine is leaving an abusing relationship and Stephanie is on a business trip. When Jasmine wonders what if she could be like Stephanie and what it would be like, her mind starts an idea.

This is a twisting, suspenseful story that keeps you on the edge of your seat. A great plot and interesting characters.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest review.

I enjoyed The Business Trip. I liked the story and the characters. I liked the twists and turns the story took. Very nice book.

Wow...so so good. I could not have guessed the twists that this book produced. This is the first time I've read one of Garcia's works, but it will not be the last. Her style of writing just grips you and pulls you in. The tempo of this thriller was top notch and had my adrenaline racing the entire time. I devoured the book in a weekend. Kudos to Jessie on this great thriller.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

One woman running from an abusive relationship. The other forced into yet another business trip for her news station. Their days start out routine enough, both finding themselves at the Madison airport.

From there, told through the point of view of co-workers and friends, we get strange updates from the two women via text. Until, most stunning of all, both have decided to follow their heart to Atlanta, with the same man. Worried friends get less updates than they would care for, until the bubble of new love is shattered, and their dream man starts to turn violent. Next, news that there was a violent struggle, and proof that both women had been there at one time.

Told in starts and stops, going back and forth through the timeline, slowly a picture starts to emerge of what really happened to these two women.

I wasn't a big fan of a lot of the characters, but I was drawn in by the story telling. Written to make you ask questions and second guess yourself, this was a good mystery!

Eh, I got through this one quickly but felt that there were several shortcomings with the book. First the use of first person between each character made it difficult to remember who said what and when. Also the voice of the characters didn’t seem very polished and the characters were very one dimensional. I definitly didn’t see the ending coming but how would I? There was absolutly nothing to indicate that it was coming so it felt a bit thrown in at the last minute.

Excellent thriller! It caught me from the first page and was a really quick read. It had good twists and turns. I thought I had it figured out but I was wrong!

Plenty of suspense and drama as lives intersect. Entertaining story with a satisfying conclusion that highlights the fiction we create in our minds about others who we don't really know.

Without giving anything away, I enjoyed the modern inclusions with AI, doorbell cameras, cell phones and having a doppleganger.

Cleverly written.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers copy of The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia!

Rounding up to 4 on this one. It is based in Wisconsin, how could I not?!

This debut was such a fun twisty tale, with the added excitement of a full cast of characters in the audiobook. Highly recommend listening to it.

Story starts out with two women, from very different backgrounds, both disappearing, having both been tied to the same man. Suspicious texts and calls lead the friends of both, questioning who is behind their disappearances and why were they the targets for these heinous acts.

Well in true twisty tale fashion, things are far from what they seem and at the flip of a switch you will be questioning every previous chapter. A little far fetched with a couple aspects, but an overall great time and a quick read. Loved the Midwestern vibes, Wisconsinite approved!

A gripping debut!

Jasmine is a woman on the run. As a waitress without good family support and in an abusive relationship, her only way to gain freedom is to leave her boyfriend while he sleeps.

Stephanie is a news director. She is divorced and doesn't see her son as much as she would like. She is always working, and thankfully, her neighbor, Robert, can take care of her cat while she flies for work. Stephanie wishes for a change in her life. Yet, she is packing for another work trip. This time, it's a conference in San Diego.

Two things these women have in common: first, they both take a flight to Denver and sit in the same row; second, they both meet a man named Trent McCarthy and then disappear after a few days.

What happened to the women?

"The Business Trip" was full of suspense with an intricate plot. It was full of surprises that made the story shine. The only part I didn't like was the last scene. I think it was unnecessary. I also would have liked to see more of Robert. Nonetheless, this novel was a winner.

Cliffhanger: No

45 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by St. Martin's Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What a great thriller that kept me guessing until the end. This book had so many twists and turns and is told from multiple perspectives.

This book was really interesting and loved it till the ridiculous "twist" at the very end. The beginning was really good and it got progressively boring and it was too long. Could be a 100 pages shorter.

Awesome popcorn thriller! Multiple POVs and full of TWISTS! You will be very surprised! Who is Trent McCarthy? UNPUTDOWNABLE!

I thought this book was really good and twisty. Although, I did guess the twist. Still such an enjoyable read and would recommend to read it. I would definitely check your trigger warnings as well before picking this book up as I ran into one of my triggers at the beginning of the book and didn't look at the list :)

Two strangers, Jasmine and Stephanie, board the same plane, one on a business trip and the other escaping an abusive relationship. A few days have passed when they each text their friends the same messages about the same new man, Trent McCarthy. The texts get increasingly stranger and out of character until they stop altogether. Both women are declared missing, and no one knows who Trent is. Can their loved ones unravel the clues in time?

This started off so strong for me. Once I got all the characters down, I was hooked and couldn’t wait to see where it went. I thought the reveal was a bit too on the nose, but I did enjoy following along with the person’s inner thoughts. The last twist at the end, however, was so ridiculously implausible that it definitely took away from the story overall for me. 3.5/5 because I really did enjoy the first part of this story.

Thank you to Jessie Garcia, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

This one was sooooooo good!! At least for the first 90% of the book. I absolutely loved twist after twist, and just thinking to myself, holy crap I can't believe this! BUT THEN, the ending happened.. and it wasn't a good ending. I felt like it was so far fetched and honestly should have ended so much differently. It was as if the author was trying to give one last final hoorah, but it fell way flat, and I truly hated it. But besides that, it was really good.