The Business Trip: 🧳🔪🎫⁣
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Thank you @macmillan.audio and @stmartinspress for my gifted copy!⁣
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This is a short but jam packed book, l’ll tell you this much. So many wild twists and turns. Two women are off go out of town for two separate reasons. Both have their IDs found in Atlanta, presumably dead with the arrogant News Director as prime suspect. But everything really isn’t what it seems, is it? ⁣
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I liked the book. Definitely not likable characters are you want everyone to get in trouble. You have to suspend belief for this to work, but it was entertaining. The ending was satisfying, but I felt like a large part of the book was repetitive and not providing additional help to connect pieces. ⁣
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This is a full cast narration, so I’m definitely recommend the audio if you’re an audio person. Some of the POVs I felt were excessive as it was a retelling from their side. We already knew the story and it didn’t really fill in gaps.⁣
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Anywho, we’re on our last day of our anniversary trip and woke up in @mammothcavenps to the beautiful snow dropping. Honestly, a dream to wake up and have my coffee every morning. Back to the real world we go.

This is a very twisty thriller. If you like those and morally ambiguous main characters, this may be for you, but it didn't work for me. I found it to unbelievable, and the characters felt a bit one dimensional. It's a quick read though.

This is a fantastic spin on the domestic thriller genre. The character development is rich with an easy to follow plot. The alternating perspectives keeps things exciting and fast paced. Excellent read.

Jasmine and Stephanie disappear and leave friends wondering what happened to them. Stephanie disappears on a business trip and Jasmine disappears after fleeing an abusive boyfriend. Their worlds collide and mayhem erupts. This was an exciting story and I can’t wait to read more by this author
Thanks NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this eARC !

Debut from this author was a treat & I throughly enjoyed it. Definitely thought it was a solid thriller & that it was well written. Jasmine is a woman in a bad relationship with her boyfriend Glenn and comes up with a master plan to escape him & try to start a new life. Stephanie is a news director that is a single woman that’s very career driven but is ready for a bit more excitement in her life. These two women cross paths and find themselves on the news and coincidentally another news director Trent is to blame. This story had a lot of twists that made it enjoyable, some predictable but some very entertaining. There was only one huge plot hole that didn’t make sense to me but I’ll leave it to the readers to dissect so that I won’t spoil it. Other than that I would definitely recommend checking this book out. Grateful for my complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Business Trip is a fun popcorn thriller that fans of the genre will surely enjoy. The writing wasn’t the strongest and a few things had me scratching my head, but overall it was a quick and easy read that kept my attention.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy.

This was a lot better than I had anticipated. This was such an intricately layered thriller with twists I didn't see coming. It did take a little time for the story to sink it's teeth in, but by about 25% I was hooked.

You were warned — don’t talk to strangers.

And, be careful on a plane.

Wow, this took a turn that I was not expecting and I loved that it surprised me! Sometimes I feel jaded and disappointed with how easy it is to guess the big twist or reveal. Not this time.

Two women meet on a flight. One is a news director on her way to a conference and the other is escaping an abusive boyfriend. They have nothing in common. Friendly conversation ensues and the trip passes pleasantly. Nothing, however, will go as planned.

The narrative flips between points of view and the characters are interesting and unique. It was so hard to step away from reading so I found myself forgetting about all the things I really meant to do today and read it in a single session. Lots of drama and the reader is totally drawn in by the activities and behavior of the characters.

I was lucky enough to be able to listen to the audiobook while reading along in the e-book ARC, both provided by the publishers. The talented cast of narrators really brought this story to life with their voices and dramatic flair. It definitely enhanced my enjoyment of the story. Well done.

Jessie Garcia’s The Business Trip is an ambitious debut, offering a gripping premise packed with suspense and twists that will keep readers intrigued. The story of Stephanie and Jasmine—two women whose lives intersect through a series of mysterious events—explores themes of manipulation, trust, and survival, promising plenty of nail-biting moments.

The strongest aspect of the book is its fast pace and the initial setup. The dual narratives of Stephanie, a businesswoman, and Jasmine, a woman fleeing abuse, are compelling and immediately hook you. The buildup of tension, especially through the cryptic texts and the enigmatic Trent McCarthy, creates a sense of unease that carries much of the novel.

However, while the twists come in abundance, not all of them feel earned. Some reveals are overly reliant on shock value rather than a carefully laid foundation, leaving the plot occasionally teetering into implausibility. The characters, while intriguing, could have used more depth—Jasmine’s story, in particular, felt underdeveloped despite its emotional potential. At times, the book leans so heavily on the suspense that it sacrifices emotional resonance and character growth.

The ending aims for a jaw-dropping twist, but it feels rushed and slightly convoluted, leaving some threads dangling in ways that feel unsatisfying rather than intentional. It’s clear that Garcia has a knack for crafting tension, but a bit more polish and attention to nuance could have elevated this story.

Overall, The Business Trip is an entertaining, page-turning debut that’s worth a read for fans of fast-paced thrillers. While it doesn’t fully deliver on its ambitious setup, it shows promise for Jessie Garcia’s future as an author.

I had the pleasure of both reading AND listening to this book! (Thank you NetGalley!)
I thoroughly enjoyed both!
At first I thought I may not be able to keep up with the different points of view but I was wrong- they were perfect. And as I was reading I really thought I would be let down by the ending- but I wasn’t! It was great!

I really enjoyed this book!

The Business trip is a thriller with multiple points of view. You’re able to see the perspective of major characters as well as supporting characters. It took me a little to follow along with having so many points of view but I was invested. We meet Jasmine who’s had a rough life. She’s finally breaking free from her abuse boyfriend and plans to start a new life. Unfortunately plans get tangled and her original plan is scrapped as she relaxes on a flight to Denver. Her next choice changes her finally destination as well as the trajectory of her life.

I enjoyed this novel and the loops it threw at me. At some parts it was hard to follow which character I was reading from. I feel the value of the book would remain the same if we had one or two less characters for the POV. I enjoyed the final twist but part of me felt it was hard to believe. If you’re wanting a book with twists turns and unpredictable plot this is it.

This debut thriller was so binge-worthy! If you’re a fan of Freida McFadden, this one will definitely appeal to you.

I can’t remember the last time I read a book with so many highly unlikeable characters—they were all pretty awful (well, maybe not Robert).

The story kicks off with Jasmine, who’s fleeing an abusive relationship, and Stephanie, who’s heading to a work conference, meeting on a plane. What follows is a wild, twisty ride that kept me on my toes. The twists came so fast and frequently, it was hard to keep up! While some outlandish moments do require you to suspend disbelief, the fast-paced plot made it impossible to stop reading. Fans of twisty thrillers will enjoy this one!

I wanted to like this book, and it kept me engaged for the first half. After that I knew where the plot was going. I had hoped that I was wrong, but I wasn't. I'm glad I read it, but it wasn't for me.

The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia is a gripping and twisty thriller that kept me hooked from start to finish. The story follows two women, Stephanie and Jasmine, who seem like they couldn’t be more different but end up connected in shocking ways. Stephanie is on a business trip, while Jasmine is fleeing an abusive relationship. At first, they don’t know each other, but their lives take a dark turn when they both send their friends eerily similar, increasingly strange text messages about a man named Trent McCarthy.

And then, they both disappear.

From there, the mystery takes off. As their loved ones try to figure out what happened, the story gets even more suspenseful. Who is Trent McCarthy, really? What happened to Stephanie and Jasmine? Are they victims, or is there more to their story? The twists and turns made it impossible to guess what was coming next.

One of the things I loved most about this book was how it was laid out. Different chapters are told from different points of view, which gives you a deeper understanding of the characters and keeps you wondering who to trust. I had a feeling something wasn’t right, but I was completely blindsided by the big twist. It was so well done!

However, the reason I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 is that parts of the story felt a bit outlandish and far-fetched. While the twists were exciting, some of them stretched believability a little too much for me. That said, it didn’t ruin the book—it just made it a bit less realistic than I’d hoped.

If you love thrillers with shocking twists and stories that keep you on the edge of your seat, I still highly recommend The Business Trip. It’s fast-paced, unpredictable, and the kind of book you’ll want to talk about as soon as you finish it!

What a great thriller read! I found this book easy to read and it was definitely a page turner. I do think the first half was kind of a slower burn and I was almost bored at times, but the second half had me hooked. I love when I can’t predict a plot twist and the author did exactly that!

FIVE STAR READ.

I read a lot of thrillers but this is the one

it was fun, fast-paced, and suspenseful. all the characters were relatable, and the chemistry was chef kiss.

I loved how the book kept me guessing, and I couldn’t put it down. If you're looking for an entertaining read with a bit of excitement, this one’s worth picking up!

The Business Trip is such a solid debut thriller! I was immediately sucked into the plot. Two women meet on a plane, Jasmine is escaping her mediocre life and abusive partner and Stephanie is a high-powered news director headed on a business trip. Both women go missing shortly after reaching their destination. There were a lot of characters and most of them worked for me, but some felt a little too one dimensional. The ending was pretty unhinged, but the easy to read pacing and binge-ability makes this a top tier vacation read!

3.5 stars rounded up.

Wowwwww this was FANTASTIC! I did not want this story to end and I was hooked from the very beginning! I was able to receive an arc of the audiobook of this book and I loved every single second of this story! I’m pretty sure this is the authors debut novel and I need more books from this author IMMEDIATELY! There were sooo many POVs, but honestly, I think the audiobook made it so much fun to hear each narrators voices & POVs! I normally don’t like more than 3 POVs because it can become confusing, but this author did it the best way possible!

If you have the opportunity to listen to the audiobook, I would highly recommend it! Not that the story is not good on its own, but I loved the audiobook sooo much! This story will be stuck in my head for a longgggg time! This is definitely going to be one of my top 10 favorite books ever now! I cannot wait to see what else this author comes up with because I will be first in line!

If you want a super twisty story, drama, suspense, and an ending you will NEVER see coming, then this is the story for you! READ THIS IMMEDIATELY! You will not be disappointed!

Wow! I really liked this one. It’s a quick, easy, twisty read that I couldn’t put down. Jasmine is stuck in an abusive relationship and is willing to do almost anything to get out. She has been saving her waitressing money for over a year and is ready to make a move. Stephanie is the news director for a local tv station and is on her way to a business conference. The two women end up on the same plane, and even though they don’t know each other, their stories begin to overlap. Oh boy! I found myself saying “What???” quite a bit when things didn’t seem to be making sense. But that’s the point! The story is told from multiple points of view, but which one is closest to the truth? A true page turner! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the digital ARC.

Whoa! I did not expect the ending of this one; though as soon as it happened, my mind jumped to a clue that was left early in the book. I felt bad for Jasmine; her life sucked and she was jumping from one abusive situation to the next, but she did take things too far. Also Trent is the definition of icky guys, and the author did a really good job of portraying that. Like I honestly hated how he thought about everything, that even though he was supposed to be attractive, I just pictured him as this slime ball of a man.

I enjoyed that the first half of the book, aside from the first few chapters), were told from all of the friends’ POV and we use that to try to piece together what is happening. We are just as lost as the characters. But then when we finally jump to Jasmine’s POV in the latter half of the book, we get the background of what really was going on.

Thank you NetGalley for the ebook! Listened in tandem on LibroFM!