This is a magnificent debut novel with all of the twists and unexpected revelations that I love in thrillers! Jasmine is escaping an abusive relationship while Stephanie is on yet another business trip for her news network. Both women are on the same flight and both mysteriously disappear and both mention having met the same man on their trips. The mystery is compelling, but I really had no idea who was telling the truth. There are multiple narrators, the women themselves, their friends and coworkers and Trent, supposedly the last man who saw them. I really loved how the story unraveled around the central idea of the women’s disappearances and told a riveting backstory about them and their previous relationships. I enjoyed getting to know each of the minor characters, especially Stephanie’s neighbor Robert who seemed so personable and someone whom I would like as a neighbor. He was just nosy enough to get concerned when Stephanie didn’t return from her trip on time. I wasn’t quite sure what to make of Stephanie and Jasmine since they became almost invisible after they vanished. They were the focus of the story but they weren’t in the actual story. The twists just kept coming all the way to the end, and there is no way I would have been able to guess that conclusion. Bravo to the author for a book filled with surprises and red herrings!
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16th CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Publishing for the ARC of "The Business Trip" in exchange for an honest review.
I'm torn in two different directions trying assign a rational, sensible rating to this book.
As a fast, fun read, I got a huge kick out of it. It reads like the wind and its major twists did in fact had me picking up my jaw when it dropped. to the floor..The pull-the-rug-out-from-under-you twist the occurs halfway through the book staggered me with its cleverness. and clockwork precision. And the final twist is almost its equal in surprise. I swiped pages through my Kindle at 60 miles an hour.
But having said all that, I cannot avoid saying that there's not one of these whopper reveals that's even remotely credible, believable or come within 100 miles of reality. The twists, clever and outrageous, are also absurd, eye rolling and borderline laughable.
Not much detail I'd dare to share about the plot, which involves two disparate women who cross paths on a flight to San Diego. Jasmine's a waitress escaping a miserable trailer park existence and an abusive boyfriend. Stephanie's a successful local TV news manager on her way to a conference for her fellow TV journalists. Somehow, through texts to their friends, they speak of encountering and being charmed by the same man, Trent McCarthy. And shortly thereafter, nobody hears from them again. And then we're off and running to Twist-landia.......
The first Big Twist left my mouth truly agape and the book eats up a lot of time and chapters laying out how it was accomplished. Impressively detailed yes, but it also had me muttering 'you gotta be kiddin' me' all the way through. By the time the second off-the-rails, nutso Big Twist comes along, I could only chuckle and shake my head.........but to author Jessie Garcia's credit, I never wanted to stop reading either.
That's why I'm calling "The Business Trip" a 3 star Very Guilty Pleasure. Sure, it's untethered to common sense, and ridiculous, but I still gobbled it up like that tub of buttered popcorn you just know is not good for you.

I really enjoyed the story for this book and thought that the twists were really well done, however I feel like this book really needed some serious editing. The way it was written felt a little too casual for the type of book, and it also got really repetitive towards the end, with some scenes being fully repeated almost word for word just from a different point of view. I think with some editing this could've been a great book, but it was just ok as is.

The Business Trip is an absolutely jaw-dropping thriller that I stayed up late to finish, with shocking twists and turns that I did not see coming. This one gets five stars just for sheer make-the-world-go-away entertainment value!

Stephanie and Jasmine are strangers seated by each other on the same flight to Denver. Jasmine is escaping an abusive boyfriend, and Stephanie is on her way to a conference. After the flight, both text friends almost identical messages of meeting the same man, and then the two women vanish.

This story was told from the POV of several different characters, which I wasn't sure I liked at first but ended up really working to develop all the details. The directions this went in were just insane and unexpected; just when you think you have the ending figured out, no you don't! It was all so over-the-top and I just devoured it.

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for this ARC!

I'm a fairly prolific thriller reader, and it's rare that I get completely surprised by a twist, but Jessie Garcia's The Business Trip has a reveal at the end that got me. It's an OMG kind of moment, and the ride to get there is incredibly entertaining. None of the characters are particularly likable, with the exception of Robert the cat sitter, but that was part of the fun. The Business Trip is a strong debut, and it's easy to see that Jessie Garcia is an author to watch.

The Business Trip is the gripping, page-turning debut from author Jessie Garcia.
This book was high on my most anticipated reads of 2025 and it did not disappoint!
I was immediately pulled into the story! It was fast-paced and intriguing. Definitely kept me hooked and wanting more.
The characters are well-developed and realistic.
The writing is fast-paced and engaging, with vivid descriptions and dialogue that will immerse you in the story.
An entertaining, impressive, twisty debut. Such a great suspenseful story.
I will definitely e keeping my eyes open for Garcia’s upcoming titles.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an Advanced Reader Copy

The Business Trip is Jessie Garcia’s debut novel. The novel is a thriller based on a chance meeting between two women sitting next to each other on a plane. One woman is fleeing an abusive relationship, while the other woman is a news director on her way to yet another professional conference. After the flight, the two women begin sending texts to friends about a mysterious man named Trent McCarthy that they met and are now going to visit in Atlanta. Then both women vanish. Who is Trent McCarthy, and who are these women?

The first half of the book focuses on piecing together what happened to Stephanie, the news director, as the texts are inconsistent with her personality and don’t even sound like her. The next 40% of the book focuses on Jessica, the abused woman, and this portion of the book really drags and is more tell than show. The last 10% of the book is the final gobsmacking twist that is entertaining yet implausible. Certainly not something the reader could have predicted based on what had gone on before. However, I rate this book as a 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars for the shock value alone.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary advanced copy of this book.

Sometimes I really struggle with multiple viewpoints in thrillers, especially as their POVs overlap in the narrative, and The Business Trip was no exception, but it was not nearly as bad as it's been for me with other books.

Stephanie and Jasmine are two women from drastically different walks of life whose lives end up having more in common than they don't. The twists and turns this story went on were so interesting, but sometimes the switching of POVs made the narrative slow to a halt and I found myself paying attention to details that didn't really matter (which, arguably, means they weren't necessary) but I think Garcia told this story in a way that works best for the characters, and I'm not sure how to rephrase that without making it spoiler-y, so I apologize if that was confusing.

Overall, I found this to be gripping but I felt like the slow moments really slowed the narrative at times. However, the parts that were gripping were very engaging and I stuck with it more than I didn't. A very solid debut!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing an ARC!

4 ⭐️s

Stephanie and Jasmine share a brief encounter on a flight to San Diego. The two women have nothing in common, but before long both have vanished after sending eerily similiar text messages about a man named Trent, alarming their friends at home. I absolutely loved this thriller with its unique, fast paced structure. It switches frequently between characters so you absolutely have to read the name at the top of each chapter, but it's absolutely worth keeping track of who is talking. I couldn't put it down and definitely didn't guess at what had happened to the two women.

What did I just read? It’s hard to throw in twists these days that avid readers don’t see coming but Garcia did an amazing job. I started this one this afternoon and did not get anything done because I got so invested in this page turner. 5 stars! This is going to be one of the best of 2025.

This book gave me so much anxiety for at least the first half, if not 3/4. But it was well placed suspense and lots of it that caused my anxiety! That suspense kept me reading. I had to know what happened to these characters!

Told through multiple POVs this was like a whodunnit on steroids. And just when you think you solved one thing, another twist arose.

The very end did a whole lot of explaining at once, maybe too much. But, you don't have to worry about unanswered questions.

Very enjoyable read. I look forward to reading more from this author.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4⭐️.

As always, thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to have an advanced ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a read!!

Jasmine is desperate to get out of an abusive relationship, and finally has the means to make it happen. While she was getting away, she met Stephanie, who could almost be her doppelgänger they looked so much alike. Jasmine puts on a great front and had planned well to get away and not let her ex find her. But as she’s sitting on the plane with Stephanie, she’s getting ideas on how to make her getaway easier. And then both women vanish.

Pros
Engaging storyline with lots of twists and turns
Different perspectives
Suspenseful

Cons
Repetitiveness
Complex list of characters makes it challenging to keep track
The ending is not at all what I expected for a book like this.

I

Thank you to NetGalley for the free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Holy crap... what did I just read?? Wow, that was quite the whirlwind of a story.
First, my main reason for only three stars is because this one was WAY too long in my opinion. While I liked the overall plot, it really dragged in the middle and I had a hard time being invested enough to keep reading.
Also, I would say get ready for a TON of really unlikable characters as you dive into this one. Without giving away any spoilers, part of the reason I had such a hard time with this one in the middle was because of the narrator towards the middle of the book. She becomes extremely entitled and really kind of just an awful person and I found myself not really caring about her or her story line.
There were also a few "side bar" stories that did kind of end up being relevant at the end of the book, but also I don't think the side plots were necessary or that they enhanced the book at all.
Overall, it's a little outside of the realm of realistic, but the ending was pretty decent. Kind of a middle-of-the-road thriller. Would've given four stars if it had been less boring and if I had liked Jasmine as a person more.

Please note: this review is now posted on my GoodReads account

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

This book was CRAZY with a Capital C! This was another novel that I was approved to read in the Summer of 2024, even though the book is not set to be published until January 2025. Despite that I had months before the pub date to read this book, I ended up reading the first couple of pages and had to read more. This seems to be a recurring pattern for books due to be published in 2025, so BookTok and Bookstagram, trust me you are going to have some addicting reads you will need to get your hands on in 2025!

With that being said, I feel that this is a good book to go into blind. While I could tell you somewhat about the plot, I think you will be happier knowing little about this book. With that being said, be prepared to stay up all night reading, and when you think you have figured out the twist, I can almost guarantee you will be wrong! (I was stunned)

This is a fabulous debut novel by Jessie Garcia and I can almost guarantee that she will be an author to watch in 2025! I hope she writes many more books as addictive as this one!

I also had the pleasure of listening to the audiobook which was Narrated by a full cast including Andrew Eiden; Dylan Fitzpatrick; Fred Berman; Gail Shalan; Hillary Huber; Jennifer Pickens; John Pirhalla; Kimberly M. Wetherell; Kirby Heyborne; Tim Campbell. This was a stellar cast of narrators and everyone was perfect!


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Many Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Buckle Up! Get ready for a wild roller coaster ride! THE BUSINESS TRIP is a highly entertaining, impressive, twisty debut by Jessie Garcia (TV News director)—an author to watch!

When two women's (strangers) lives collide on an airplane (connecting flight) and later go missing—there is an ongoing mystery as to how the two women and one man, who seems to be the common link between them, connect in this riveting domestic page-turner.

Audiobook...

The audiobook is a must-listen performed by a stellar full-cast of 10 favorites— Andrew Eiden, Dylan Fitzpatrick, Fred Berman, Gail Shalan, Hillary Huber, Jennifer Pickens, John Pirhalla, Kimberly M. Wetherell, Kirby Heyborne, and Tim Campbell— making the characters come alive for an engaging, lively listening experience with distinct voices for the characters. I highly recommend the audio.

About...

Jasmine, a young woman from a poor background, thought she found a way out with Glen, but he turned out to be a dead-end-controlling, abusive loser living in a trailer park. He has been a constant threat in her life, making her feel trapped and helpless.

She finally finds a way out with the help of her friend Anna and fearlessly decides to take a flight to Denver for a new start, hoping Glen does not track her down and kill her. She is more resourceful than she may know.

Stephanie is a news director, highly successful, who is recently divorced and estranged from her son and is a workaholic. She is best friends with her gay neighbor, Robert who keeps her cat while traveling. She is on a business trip- a conference for work in San Diego.

The two women randomly connect on a plane, and impulsive and desperate decisions are made that will forever change the trajectory of their lives.

Mysteriously, Robert receives a text from Stephanie saying she is extending her trip to spend time with a new guy, Trent, whom she met. This is not the norm.

At the same time, Anna, Jasmine's high school friend, receives the same message about a guy named Trent in Atlanta. Who is Trent, and what is his connection to Stephanie and Jasmine?

Then, the two women go missing, and Trent is charged. Is there something more sinister involved? Where is Stephanie and Jasmine?

My thoughts...

Garcia's storytelling keeps you on the edge of your seat in THE BUSINESS TRIP. With clever suspense-building and jaw-dropping twists, she weaves an intricate web of deceit, secrets, manipulation, revenge, and lies mixed with dark humor. The unpredictable, witty game of cat and mouse will keep you guessing. Despite everything, you may find yourself possibly sympathizing with Jasmine (possibly).

Multi-layered, told from POVs: Jasmine, Stephanie, Anna, Glenn, Robert, Bruce, Dave, Lucy, Trent and Bill in four parts. (perfect with the audio version). We follow the story from airports, planes, hotels, and bars in Wisconsin, Atlanta, Georgia, California, and Mexico. The story reminds me of the TV/Book series Good Behavior by Blake Crouch. (which I loved).

THE BUSINESS TRIP has set the bar high for a debut, and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

Recs...

THE BUSINESS TRIP is for fans of fun and twisty domestic thrillers and those who enjoy works by Hank Phillippi Ryan, Emma Rosenblum, Freida McFadden, Kaira Rouda, Victoria Helen Stone, Kimberly Belle, and Jenova Rose.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and #MacAudio2024 for an ALC and ARC via NetGalley and Google Play in exchange for an honest review.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: Jan 14, 2025
My Rating: 5 Stars
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This is still a hard book to give a synopsis. I’m not even going to try. I will say the writing was simple and not that compelling but the story was what kept me going. I didn’t love the book but I also didn’t hate the book. I found it to be unbelievable for most of the story and inconsistent but I still wanted to know how it ended. It’s a bit frustrating in that way.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for a honest opinion. 3 ⭐️

Thank you, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley, for my eARC of The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

3.5
This was a fast-paced thriller told from multiple POVs where we're trying to find out a man named Trent is and what he did with two girls -- Stephanie and Jasmine.

This was a great debut novel. It had me guessing in a lot of spots and a lot of twists and turns. I enjoyed the multiple POVs and thought for the most part it was done very well -- some of the characters I wasn't sure why we were introduced to them specifically.

There were a few plot twists that I saw coming, and some things that happened seemed a bit convenient, which is why it didn't get a higher rating from me, but I enjoyed the writing and the way the story ended up unfolding. I look forward to seeing what else Garcia comes out with.

I recommend this one and will be looking out for more of Garcia's books.
Thanks, St. Martin's Press!

wow. i fully enjoyed this book. i didn’t know where it was heading and i found myself thinking about it a lot when i wasn’t reading it. i thought all of the plot twists were wrapped up early on, but boy was i wrong! already recommending it to others and will continue to do so! can’t wait to see what jessie does next!

This was a great book to kick off my 2025 reading! Very fast paced with a unique premise and interesting characters. Stephanie meets Jasmine on a flight. Jealousy spawns Jasmine to follow Stephanie and commit heinous crimes. I don’t want to give much away so I’ll just say read it and you won’t be disappointed!

Holy cow! This is a debut author? Bravo!!

I really wish I could reveal spoilers, because I feel like I need to talk about parts of this book in more detail. But let's just start with the idea of meeting your seatmate on a plane. When you think about it, you're on a plane for maybe 2 hours, or more. You're a captive audience and hopefully you've brought a book or are watching a movie on your device or the seat back. But you and your seatmate click. You find yourself revealing so much about yourself, because hey, you are never going to see this person again, right?

But then these two women go missing and the only thing they have in common is that they both texted friends that they had met a guy, Trent McCarthy. Presumably Stephanie has extended her trip to get to know Trent but her texts to her friends and co-workers just aren't making sense. And since Jasmine let her one friend know she was fleeing her husband and would be in touch, no one except her abusive husband is missing her. I was scratching my head trying to figure out what was going on. And then the twist happened. And just when you think everything is tied up in a neat bundle...another twist!

I am a big fan of debut authors and I highly recommend this well done, fast paced book by Jessie Garcia!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for an advance reader's copy.