What a ride! I highly recommend this book. Don't this figured out, because you don't! The whole story is intriguing, well rounded characters, and the story....just wow. Even before I got to the wow part, I was so invested in the story it was already a 5 * book.

Thanks to netgalley, the author and publisher for the chance to read this advanced copy for an honest review.

Rarely does someone’s writing make me this mad—not because of the content or characters, but because of the sheer lack of quality and the completely unrealistic execution. Many reviewers seem to agree: this book had potential in theory but fell flat due to poor execution.

Let’s start with the writing. The sentences lacked emotional depth, and the overabundance of first-person narrators was overwhelming. Many of these characters had no significance to the plot and disappeared after a single chapter. Entire character perspectives could have been cut without affecting the story. Instead of these unnecessary voices, it would have been far more effective if the police had been one of the rotating perspectives—it could have added intrigue and a realistic layer to the investigation. And the ending? A Scooby-Doo-style wrap-up. Not logical, not satisfying, just lazy.

It’s painfully clear that the author’s background is in journalism, not fiction writing. Journalism and fiction are two completely different skill sets, and this author does not possess the latter. There were so many moments when I found myself highlighting sentences and thinking, this should be deleted. Not because of grammar or mechanics, but because the writing was just bad. You don’t need to rely on borderline slurs to convey that a character is bad. In fact, leaving such offensive directness out could have added nuance and depth to the writing. Instead, it came across as cheap and lazy.

The writing style felt like it came from a fourth grader—fast-paced, reliant on the reader’s blind trust that the plot somehow makes sense, and riddled with juvenile phrases like “nooo,” “whaaat,” and multiple question marks. There are better ways to communicate devastation or confusion than resorting to these sloppy shortcuts. Another one that made me cringe: writing out the English translation to a simple Spanish phrase. Nuance, author, nuance! Honestly, it makes me wonder what the copy editor was doing.

The lack of research was another glaring issue. For example, the main character has an Uber account but pays for everything in cash. How does that make sense? Also, not all airlines accept cash for same-day tickets, and even if they do, such purchases can trigger heightened security measures.These are rich details that could have elevated the anxiety in the story, but instead, the author cherry-picked what was convenient to move the plot forward rather than finessing the details to align consistently. One of my least favorite tropes dominated much of the book: “Something is wrong with our friend! Let’s not contact the police. Let’s tell her boss instead!” When the police finally show up (way too late in the story), their operations are completely unbelievable. The author clearly Googled basic information about crimes but missed the mark on even the simplest investigative realities. No mention of cellular triangulation? Postmortem excretion? Come on. Thriller readers are seasoned; we notice these glaring discrepancies. It’s as if the author underestimated their audience, assuming we wouldn’t notice the glaring plot holes or lack of research.

TLDR: Don’t read this book. Your time is worth more than what this author offers. There are too many great books out there to spend time on ones that don’t respect the craft… or their readers.
I’m genuinely baffled that this book was published. Even if the author worked to improve their fiction-writing skills, I’d be hesitant to give them another chance.

What a solid debut! 100% an easy, quick read that’ll keep you hooked from start to finish. The plot centers around two women who disappear after boarding a plane with a mysterious guy, Trent. What makes it even more interesting is that both women sent the same text to a friend before vanishing, even though they didn’t know each other. What starts as a straightforward case turns into a complex web of manipulation and deception.

The women are complete opposites—one has it all, while the other is escaping an abusive relationship. Their connection to Trent leads to a twisty and unpredictable story. While I loved the mystery, there were times it got a bit hard to follow with all the different perspectives—like from the boyfriend, neighbor, and co-workers. It added layers but also made it a little confusing. I also felt the explanation of the con job went into too much detail and slowed down the pace, especially after the intense buildup in the first half.

Still, the book kept me curious throughout. I listened to the audiobook, and the dual narration really helped bring the characters to life. Overall, The Vanishing is a strong debut with plenty of suspense, and I’d definitely read more from Jesse Garcia in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley the ARC in exchange for an honest review! Release date: 1/14/25!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and author Jessie Garcia for the e-arc!

Guys. What a great debut thriller!! It was twisty and clever and had me sitting in a pile of question marks the entire way through! There are A LOT of characters and POV’s in this little gem, but the author did a nice job of giving everyone their voice without losing me in the process! I never got confused or had to stop and take notes about who was who! And not only did this author do a great job flying this story … she brought it in for the smoothest landing! The ending was absolute “chef’s kiss” and perfectly executed! I definitely will be watching for more from this author!

The Business Trip is a psychological thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seat from the very first page. Stephanie, on a business trip, and Jasmine, fleeing an abusive relationship, have no idea they are both being drawn into the dangerous web of the same man, Trent McCarthy. After they start sending identical, increasingly erratic texts about him to their friends, both women vanish without a trace. The mystery unravels layer by layer, with twists that make it nearly impossible to predict what will happen next. The alternating perspectives between Jasmine and Stephanie, combined with their friends’ viewpoints, provide a rich, dynamic narrative, making it clear that nothing in this story is as it seems.

The full-cast audiobook narration elevated the experience, immersing me deeper into the suspenseful atmosphere. The pacing was perfect, with each chapter leaving me wanting to know the truth behind Trent’s manipulation and the women's fates. The story read like a true-crime episode, filled with intrigue, suspense, and twists. If you enjoy thrillers that explore manipulation, deception, and the complexity of human relationships, The Business Trip is one worth checking out.

Special thanks to macmillan audio, st. martins press and netgalley for the ARC/ALC.

Two women who are seated next to each other on a plane. After a couple of days they both message friends and family about the new man they met. And then they both disappear.

This debut psychological thriller had so many twists and turns it kept me wanting to find out what happened. This story is told in multiple POV’s which I really enjoyed and the way they were written made it easy to keep track of them all.

The author does a great job of making everyone suspicious and you want to try and solve the mystery along with the friends and family of the two missing women.

I will say that some of the twists were a bit far fetched but it still made for an enjoyable read. The final twist really had me surprised.

This debut thriller just didn't work for me. I don't expect thrillers to be realistic or plausible, but this one was just too unrealistic and implausible. I liked the premise but it got too over the top really fast. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance cooy.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc copy of this book. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Let's just start by saying... wow. What did I just read?

This book focuses on Jasmine and Stephanie, who meet on a plane going to Denver. Jasmine is a bartender running from an abusive relationship and Stephanie is a news director at a TV station enroute to a conference in San Diego. During the flight, the women make polite small talk and then go their separate ways. By Friday, both women inform their individual friends that they are flying to Atlanta to be with Trent McCarthy, a news director in Atlanta. By Tuesday, both women are reported dead, with Trent being the main suspect.

With various POVs and fast paced writing, readers are taken day by day in the movements of both women, their friends/coworkers, and Trent. Just when readers think they know what happened, Jessie throws in a twist to shake things up.

Overall, this book was enjoyable. Jessie really knows how to make repulsive and questionable characters. The creativity in the plot kept me guessing throughout. I did guess some stuff, I was surprised by other things. Would recommend, 3.5 stars.

This was a twisty read. Every chapter was a new perspective—I read it in digital and audio, and found that the audio did a much better job allowing me to keep everyone straight, since there were SO many characters in part one. The digital was good—chapters clearly labeled with whose POV we were getting.

I never knew which perspective to believe, which character knew the truth (or was telling the truth), and was surprised by the twists right up until the final chapter.

The full audio cast made this a phenomenal listen, and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a twisty read with sinister undertones.

Wow! This book was definitely a trip. I read it in less than 24 hours. I was so engrossed in the story it was hard to put down. There are a lot of characters to follow but once you know who's who it goes fairly quickly. There are many unlikable characters & it is really hard to root for anyone. However, I needed to know what was going to happen next. The only thing I did not care for was the very last twist. I think the book could have wrapped up just fine prior to that. The villain can win sometimes.

Vibes 2025 journey.

Did this book bring the vibes? No. No it did not so it automatically gets a 2 star from me.
I did not like the writing style. I did not enjoy being inside any of these characters minds especially the men.
Also, the ending fell flat for me.

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy.

3.5 stars, rounded to 4

When I requested this ARC, I didn’t realize the author was a TV sportscaster I watched. Realizing that was kind of neat.

The book? It was a twisty thriller that I definitely had to suspend my belief with. Something’s were a bit far-fetched. But it was a quick, enjoyable read. I didn’t like any of the characters, especially the main female, Jasmine.

Overall, the book was good. Nothing too memorable, but a nice popcorn-type thriller.

The one issue I had, which kind of annoyed me, was the Madison, Wis., settting and references to places and locations. I’m from the Madison area and know it well, so reading about the ritzy neighborhood where the governor lived that was called Maple Hills (in real life it’s Maple Bluff) or a reference to Madison North High School (doesn’t exist). But then toss in the reference to the TV station Stephanie works at as WISC, the CBS affiliate (this is real). Just wasn’t sure on the mix of real and fictitious, why not one or the other?

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I went into this book completely blind. It was full of twists and turns. My opinion of the characters seemed to change every couple of POVs. I like how the book was sectioned out into different sets of POVs throughout the book.

An excellent debut novel! Easy, quick read to finish in one sitting. Two women vanish after being in a plane together with a mysterious, strange man.

They had both texted the same message to a friend, even though they didn’t know each other. A story full of manipulation and twists and turns.

The two women couldn’t be more opposite- one has it all, the other is fleeing an abusive relationship hoping for a fresh start. Trent is the man they both met and what seems to be an open and shut case, is much more manipulation than that.

It got a little hard to follow with all of the perspectives from the boyfriend, neighbor, friend, co-workers. I also feel the con job was explained in too great of detail and I missed the buildup from the first half of the book when it was so much focus on one of the characters for so long.

This book kept me curious, and the audiobook was great with dual narration that gave each character a unique voice ! Would read more from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review. Release date 1/14/25.

Two women, chance meeting on a flight, disappear presumably murdered by the same man. Told in multiple parts we learn what happened that has Trent McCathy charged with murder. Did these women truly become victims of a predator? Or is all NOT what it seems?

This fast-paced debut novel is jaw-dropping with its revelations. The build-up to its epic ending has the reader turning its pages to get to its conclusion.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press

I gave The Business Trip a 4-star rating! This fast-paced thriller hooked me from the start and reminded me so much of a Freida McFadden book with its constant twists and turns. The story kept me guessing, and just when I thought I had it figured out, it threw me for a loop. I didn’t see the ending coming, which made it all the more satisfying. If you enjoy books that keep you on the edge of your seat, this one’s definitely worth picking up!

This was such a unique and twisty debut thriller!

Two women take the same flight - one (Stephanie) on a business trip, the other (Jasmine) feeling an abusive relationship. Days later, neither woman shows up where she should be, but both are sending their friends texts about a man named Trent. How these narrative threads tie together is done in such a clever way!

This was fast paced, absolutely full of twists and wild reveals, and such fun to listen to. I found myself gasping at some of the reveals along the way and loved that Garcia was able to shock me.

The audiobook is read by a full cast and was incredibly entertaining, like a movie for my ears. I would 100% recommend the audio route for this book! I'll look forward to more from Garcia in the future.

Thank you to SMP for the gifted ARC and Macmillan Audio for the free audiobook! All opinions are my own.

This debut was insanely twisty! I could not put this book down and I raced to try and figure out what was happening! A twisty, addictive, wild ride. When I say my mouth dropped reading it that is an understatement! Can't wait to see what Jessie Garcia stirs up next!

Two women with nothing in common meet on an airplane, and the next week they are both texting friends odd things about the same man before going missing. 😮

Okay Jessie Garcia!!! I was NOT expecting such a twisty thriller! I’m so glad I read this - it was fast-paced, kept me guessing, and genuinely surprised me in a lot of ways. I remember growing up watching the author on the news, and I loved the news station tie-ins. I can’t wait to read whatever she writes next! 4.5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I could not put this down. Read it in an afternoon. One of the best thrillers I’ve read in awhile. I thought it was going to have a different twist but was shocked to see where it went. Can’t wait to see what this author writes next.