Wow! I liked this way more than I expected to. I binged it in just two days. Unpredictable and full of twists. Clever and so much fun to read. Highly recommend. I believe this is Jessie Garcia's first foray into fiction and she nailed it! I hope she gives us more!

3.9 rounded up to 4.

A thriller written by the perspective of many people, it was a bit hard to get into (I literally had to skim a few chapters as it was a bit boring, especially the overdone Glenn and Trent characters at the beginning), but it got better in the second half of the book and moved faster. The ending was also good, which made me bump it to 4 stars from 3. Read if you like thrillers and are willing to get past the first half of the book to get to more plot and movement.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. #sponsored

Stephanie and Jasmine meet on the plane. Both are in different situations but both end up vanishing shortly after, with one connection - a man named Trent. All I have to say about this book is to buckle up! This book is a wild ride, with so many twists that you won't see coming. I felt some of them were quite unrealistic, however overall I really enjoyed the story. With this promising debut by Jessie Garcia, I look forward to seeing what she will write next.

3.5⭐️

This popcorn thriller kept me turning the pages so fast that I finished it in less than two days. I just couldn’t put it down. As is the case with a lot of popcorn thrillers, you just have to suspend your disbelief for a bit and go along with the story.

I enjoyed the multiple POVs and thought it made the story more interesting, but felt like part 4 (which was mainly narrated by Jasmine) was dragged out for too long.

I enjoyed all the twists and turns (especially when my theories turned out to be wrong), but was not a fan of the details/explanation of the final twist as it had me rolling my eyes a bit.

Overall a solid read that I would recommend to anyone who wants some brain candy to fly through over a weekend.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this ARC!

When this book started out I was on the edge of my seat; the premise was original and I couldn't wait to see how it would turn out. Stephanie and Jasmine are two women living in Madison, WI. They are both getting on an airplane; Stephanie is a news director heading for a conference in San Diego and Jasmine is escaping an abusive boyfriend. The two women sit next to each other on the plane and make small talk. The next we hear is both women have sent texts to people saying they have met an amazing man named Trent-then both women disappear. My mind was going overtime trying to guess what in the world was happening and how these women ended up with the same man.

The rest of the book was a bit of a disappointment as the narratives began to be spread around many characters including co-workers of Stephanie, neighbors, friends of Jasmine and even co-workers of Trent. All of the narrations were about the same so I have no idea why so many characters were needed. The resolution to the mystery was one I couldn't have guessed but only because it was so unbelievable. There were things that plain didn't make sense like a character not realizing people would be trying to contact her and she had to make proper arrangements and the idea of someone dragging a suitcase that weighed over 300 pounds! Kudos to the author for a very original idea, but it needed a touch more realism and a few less characters. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this ARC for review.

Stephanie is the news director for a station in Madison, Wisconsin. On the way to a conference in San Diego she sits next to a young woman who looks a lot like her. Jasmine is on the run from an abusive boyfriend.

Everyone mentioned in this book has chapters with their points of view. I didn't feel the characters were well developed at all. They were just telling you what they observed. I just heard this term hate reading and this perfectly fits. I wanted to find out how this was going to wrap up and hated that I was even reading it. There was supposed to be a big twist at the end and the most exciting part for me was that it was finally over.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a digital copy.

I love when thrillers set themselves apart and this one did just that! It was told from a variety of perspectives and even without a clear pattern, it was easy to follow and fun that the mystery unfolded in such a unique way. The twist at the end was totally unexpected and gave me the surprise and closure I was hoping for. I think people are going to love this one! Thanks for sharing it with me!

What a fun thriller & read!

Worthy of the 3 star rating- I enjoyed the layout of the story told from multiple povs and not lacking twists and turns.

I didn’t enjoy some of the dragging on of the story and felt like it could’ve been more to the point.

I did enjoy the story though and would recommend it!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for my honest review!

I love the way the book was structured, the different perspectives were unexpected and fun. The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is because at one point, it became too far-fetched, I think about midway through when we learn a new fact. But overall, such a good book and will definitely recommend!

Jasmine is leaving an abusive boyfriend.
Stephanie is going to a news director conference.
They both end up on the same flight.
Then a few days later their friends receive very similar text messages about meeting a guy ...the same guy.
And then they disappear. What happened to them? Who is the guy they supposedly met? And if you think you know what happened...no you don’t!
I loved the twists, one took me completely by surprise!

The Business Trip was a wild, twisty ride of a psychological thriller that gave me whiplash almost every step of the way.

At some points I thought I had the plot of this book pinned. At zero points did I have the entirety of this unhinged story figured out.
There were a ton of POVs, which I thought might be messy, but turned out to add so much perspective and it was fun (is it weird to call such a depraved book fun?) to see the same scene from different POVs. It felt like a complex puzzle coming together piece by piece.
This was definitely a slow burn but once things start rolling they are nonstop all the way to the end of the line. There’s so many little details peppered in that may seem insignificant but turn out to be anything but later on, which I love in a thriller.
Without giving too much away, the pivotal moment when the first twist is revealed is a gobsmacker. My flabbers were truly gasted. I couldn’t believe the sheer sordidness of this character. The final twist was a good one too. There were so many moving pieces that came together to deliver that final sucker punch, it was incredibly satisfying.

I loved The Business Trip. I think it’s a solid psychological thriller, akin to Freida McFadden in a multitude of ways, and I think a lot of people will love this one.

Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press for this eARC via NetGalley, as well as the author, Jessie Garcia.
Publication date 1/14/25

When I first started this book, I felt like I could guess how it would turn out. Halfway through it was apparent I was wrong 😅

This is a heck of a debut for JG!
I was in for the ride from the first two chapters.. hanging on to every word to see how the heck this would play out

The last 10% was chaotic ans a bit unrealistic. It seemed tossed in at the last minute, but still a good twist.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this riveting, unpredictable advance copy. It is a debut character-based thriller by Jessie Garcia, and I look forward to reading her future books. Told from multiple perspectives, we learn different points of view of the same chain of events. Some twists are surprising and far-fetched, but if the reader suspends disbelief, they will be entertained. The characters are well-developed, intriguing, but mostly unlikeable. The prime protagonist is vile and despicable. The Business Trip was a well-plotted /paced story with increasing tension and suspense.

Jasmine and Stephanie meet on a flight. Jasmine works as a waitress and is fleeing her trailer home from an abusive relationship. She is determined to escape and hopes for safety and a better life. Stephanie is a busy, successful woman. She is heading to another conference mandated by her TV newsroom. The meeting of the two seatmates is fuelled by envy and greed, leading to impersonation, deception, and murder. A man named Trent McCarthy will be attending the same conference as Stephanie. He is conceited and flirts with many women who do not always welcome his intentions.

Stephanie and Jasmine vanish after texting business associates and friends that they are happily in a romance with Trent and are abandoning their plans to be with him. Then, alarming texts are received that Trent has become dangerous, and they fear he plans to kill them. The police are notified. Recipients of the messages have reason to believe that someone is pretending to be the women and sending false texts.

The police investigate Trent's home. Traces of blood, DNA, and items from both women are discovered. The evidence is vital in the arrest of Trent for a double murder. His career and reputation are shattered. Did he kill both women, or did they set him up for the crime?

This complicated but easy-to-follow plot concludes with a satisfactory ending. Its date of publication is set for January 14, 2025.

I wish I had listened to my GR friend Jayme and had the audio. I think I would have enjoyed it more. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC and debut in exchange for my review.
Stephanie and Jasmine meet on a plane. One is a successful business woman working as a news director headed to a conference in San Diego. The other woman is Jasmine, who is running from an abusive relationship, on the means of handouts from friends and stealing.
Their friends receive the exact text messages referring to the same man they have met and then they both vanish. Twisted behaviors, wrongful accusations, and a string of lies will make you even more skeptical about meeting strangers. Some are being played and manipulated while one is a dangerous psycho. I had it all wrong about these unlikable characters.

I like how the timeline of this story was laid out and the different perspectives. I wasn't a fan of some of the not as interesting details describing everything. But where I thought I had totally figured out the ending for once, I didn't. Not really. It surprised me!

Thank you Macmillan Audio, partner for the ALC of The Business Trip in exchange for my honest review.

This is such a clever, addicting read. I am so impressed that it’s a debut – I’ll for sure be keeping an eye out for whatever this author writes next!

I loved that I was pulled into this story right from the start and that never let up. The multiple points of view and timelines had me completely engaged and wondering just how this would all play out. There are a lot of characters here, but I never once felt lost or that I couldn’t keep track of them – they are all so well-developed and all are needed!

This book is full of twists, some quite shocking, but I think that is what I loved most! This book is definitely not at all what I thought it would be – nothing is what it seems and even with the unreliable narrator and building suspense, I was still unable to predict how this would turn out.

Loved the idea of the synopsis - Having not felt connected to any of the characters, most were very unlikable, this one just didn’t hit for me.

Talk about a trip! This debut was such a wild, twisty ride. I could not stop turning the pages to find out what happened.

If you like a good frame-up, you’re in for a treat. There will be no spoilers, but just when you think they’re going to get away with it… BAM 💥 That ending had my jaw on the floor!

There were some parts that were a bit far-fetched to me where there was more forethought than I think the character would’ve actually had. But I enjoyed the writing and pace so much, that I could look past it and settle in for the crazy journey Garcia plotted out for us.

It’s fast-paced, and if you have the time, I think you could easily finish it in a day or two. There are also a ton of POVs, and while I didn’t find them hard to follow in the digital copy, I’ve heard the multi-narrator audio enhances this story even more 🎧

Definitely check it out if you’re looking for a new thriller to kick off the year! 3.5 stars

Whoa talk about a crazy ride!!!! I devoured this book because of how it was written and the story. I loved the different points of view. Usually when you get a story told from different POV’s the story gets repetitive since you are seeing the same thing different ways. Not with this story at all! And most the chapters were super quick so it kept me blowing through it!

SYNOPSIS
- Two women, strangers to each other, board the same flight. Stephanie is on a business trip, and Jasmine is fleeing an abusive relationship. Days later, both send identical, erratic texts about the same man—and then vanish.
- As the search begins, one question looms: Who is Trent McCarthy, and what really happened?

MY THOUGHTS
- As a debut novel, The Business Trip had a promising premise that drew me in right away. The first third of the book was strong, and I appreciated the short chapters that made it easy to keep turning the pages. The multiple perspectives were also a nice touch, showing the author’s ambition in juggling different voices.
- However, the execution faltered as the story progressed. While I typically enjoy multiple POVs, there were simply too many characters here, many of whom felt unnecessary. A tighter focus on fewer perspectives would have allowed for a stronger narrative and better character development. Unfortunately, most of the characters lacked depth and came across as cartoonish, making it hard to connect with or care about them.
- As the plot unraveled, it went completely off the rails. I’m all for suspending disbelief when it serves a well-crafted story, but this one pushed past the limits of plausibility without the payoff. The ending, in particular, was completely unsatisfying and left me feeling frustrated rather than thrilled.
- Overall, while The Business Trip had its moments and showed potential, it ultimately didn’t deliver on its initial promise.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐ Promising premise with a strong start and short chapters, but too many unnecessary characters and shallow development dragged it down. The plot went off the rails, and the ending was unsatisfying. Ultimately, a disappointing debut.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press & Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchanges for an honest review. This book will be published on January 14, 2025.