The first half was pretty slow, and you’re left unsure where the story is going. There are SO many POVs (most are superfluous), and it doesn’t really pick up until the second half. Then in the second half, a lot of it is repetitive, just from the main FMC’s POV.

I really can’t stand Trent. Not that I think he deserved his part in this, but UGH he was gross. I actually didn’t really like any of the characters, and thought stereotypes were used as a crutch.

A few too many parts were just too coincidental or inconceivably convenient. And finally, I found the writing itself to be lackluster and at times immature.

I’m sorry, I really dislike giving low ratings! I don’t think it was necessarily bad, I just think my expectations were too high and I was looking forward to reading this book. If you go into it with low expectations and also suspend belief a bit, you may really enjoy it. I still wanted to know what was happening, and it had a promising premise, it just fell flat for me.

⭐️⭐️ (☹️)
Pub Date: 1/14/25

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately this book was a miss for me! There were too many political references and one sided characters. Also the big twist at the end was super unbelievable. I'm bummed that I didn't like it because I was pretty excited to read it from the blurb. Thankfully it was a quick read.

2 star review, thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy for my honest review.

I read this book cover to cover in a single day. This was the first book I read from Jessie Garcia, and now I need to read more of her books. I appreciate the fact this title was not predictable whatsoever. I felt there were many twists and turns in the book that captured my interest. I could not put the book down after reading the first chapter. I love the character dynamic, the author keeps the reader guessing until the end of the book. The ending surprised me, and I did not see it coming. Highly recommend!

Two women in two very different places of life but both very unhappy and wanting more out of life. Jasmine is in an abusive relationship and totally controlled by her boyfriend, Glenn. Stephanie is a divorced tv producer who seems to have it all on the outside but even her own son is ignoring her. After months of planning, Jasmine is finally able to escape in the night and get on a plane to a new life. Stephanie is on her way for a business conference to San Diego and they happen to sit together on the plane. Stephanie makes it to the conference but then her friends and coworkers get strange texts that she is taking another week off and going to Atlanta with another producer, Trent McCarthy which doesn't sound like her at all. Jasmine's last text to her friend who helped her escape is that she is in Atlanta with Trent McCarthy and don't tell Glenn and then both women disappear. Who this guy and how is he involved with both of them and where are they? I have to admit I literally read this in one sitting, ignoring everything around me to find out what happened. It is fast paced, suspenseful and clever which is my favorite type of book!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC! #TheBusinessTrip #NetGalley

This is definitely a page-turner of a book. We are following two women at the story's start, as they are both about to board a flight and are in the aftermath of the flight.

I would say that this gave Gone Girl vibes, but at the same time, I think that this was darker than Gone Girl. I enjoyed most of my reading experience with this book. I thought that the characters were unlikeable, which they should have been. I thought that the plot was done okay I felt like when the reveals started to happen things were a little too convenient but overall I thought that the mystery and the outcome were enjoyable. I think the pace of the story was done well, and the constantly switching perspectives added to the suspense of the book.

Overall, I would say this was a 3.5 for me. There were good and bad things for me with this book, but I do know a lot of patrons who would eat this up. While I won't say I am reaching for another one of this author's works immediately, I will say if one ever sounded interesting, I would give it a try.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martins Press, for allowing me to read this as an ARC.

Stephanie and Jasmine are two very different women who by chance, end up on the same plane. Stephanie is a successful businesswoman on the way to a conference and Jasmine is escaping her abusive relationship. Shortly after they reach their destination, they both send texts to people back home, that they have met a man named Trent McCarthy. Stephanie was due back and work and claimed she wanted to spend time with Trent, leaving her co-workers baffled. When both women are eventually declared missing, the search for answers begins and everyone wants to know who is this Trent McCarthy and how is he connected to both women?

“Wow” was my first reaction while reading this book! What a great way to wrap up my 2024 reading list! I was glued to my seat trying to finish as much as I could in one sitting! I thought the first half was so cleverly written. I loved how it was told through multiple points of view, as the people who knew Stephanie and Jasmine were introduced to the story. It was so clever how their lives were woven into the storyline as the the layers were unraveling! As the story unfolded, I was constantly trying to figure out what was going on and how it was all connected. The tension in this book was non-stop and the questions kept coming! It’s full of twists and was one of the most bingeable books I have read this year!

Congrats to Jessie Garcia on this debut!! I can’t believe that it is a debut and can’t wait to read what you come up with in the future!

Jessie Garcia's debut as a mystery/thriller writer starts out with a bang with The Business Trip. When we are first introduced to both Stephanie and Jasmine, we see them as women who feel stuck at a place in their lives where they really need or want some type of change, which makes them relatable main characters. As the author adds in the peripheral characters in separate chapter headings, we learn more about the lives of these women. And then the twists and turns begin to unfold, which keep the reader turning the pages to find out what the world is really going on here! All leading to the last few chapters of unraveling truths and surprises we didn't see coming at all. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this advance reader copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #NetGalley #TheBusinessTrip

3.5 stars rounded up. Even though I found myself rolling my eyes and laughing at some of the events — and twists and turns — that occurred in this novel, especially during the final third, this was a very clever and entertaining debut mystery. Jasmine, who is trying to run away from her abusive partner, and Stephanie, a tv news executive who is on her way to a business conference, meet on a plane where they wind up sitting next to each other. Soon afterwards, both women are reported missing and the fun really begins! To say more at this point really might be giving too much away, so all I can say is that despite my eye-rolling quite a few times while reading this, I found it to be a real page turner, and I do look forward to the author’s next work.

The first thing that caught my attention with this book was the multiple POVs. There were a lot, and some were seemingly unnecessary, but as the story went on, I started to really appreciate them. Some were brief, and some characters got more chapters than others, but it really highlighted the author's ability to write from different personality types. Aside from the main characters, we got chapters from a domestic abuser and from a complete misogynist, and they were chilling.

The book itself was twisty and entertaining. I wasn't entirely sure where it was going. The plot twist at the end had me scratching my head until the narrator brought us back to a comment that was made earlier on, and I appreciated that it was hidden in there, and not just a random blindside of a plot twist.

The book left me with a lot of feelings on who was "good" and who was "bad." It starts out with a woman who didn't get a fair hand in life, planning and executing her escape in the middle of the night. At first you sympathize with her. Although some people may not deserve some things that happen to them, they may deserve other things.

Overall, it was a good, twisty popcorn thriller and worth the read.

I was really surprised this was author Jessie Garcia’s debut novel. The synopsis of this book is what initially grabbed me. I’m always up for a good suspense, and this this story certainly kept me guessing. Several times I caught myself thinking, well, I didn’t see that coming. While I wouldn’t say the book was an edge of thriller, it was definitely filled the most unexpected twists and turns. I recommend it for anyone looking for a good mystery.

THE BUSINESS TRIP by Jessie Garcia

This was a great read. What a great book to read on a cold winter day.

Synopsis:
Stephanie and Jasmine have nothing and everything in common . The two women don’t know each other, but are on the same plane.

Stephanie is on a business trip and Jasmine is an abusive relationship .

After a few days, they text their friends, the same exact messages about the same man – the messages, becoming stranger and more erotic and then the two women vanish.

This was a great way to start my new year off and even though the characters aren’t that likable, it was an easy read , and I read it over the course of two days.

Thank you to @netgalley, @authorslimsosa and @stmartinspress for the #gifted e-book.

This book will be published January 14, 2025, so it will be available soon .

#thebusinesstrip #jessiegarcia #january2025release #thriller #bookstagram ##booksiread #bookstoread #netgalley #booklover #newbooks #mbbookies🦬 #smpinfluencers #smpearlyreaders

The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the e-arc!

★★★☆☆

This book was quite chaotic- so many plot strings interwoven and connected!

Jasmine is escaping an abusive partner. Stephanie is headed to another news conference. The only connection the women have is that they sit next to each other on the airplane- but after the flight, both women are missing and their names are involved in a murder investigation tied to the same man.

I definitely think this book took "expect the unexpected" to a new level. There were three parts and multiple POVs - mostly from the two main characters and some from other supporting characters. There were a lot of characters to keep straight, but each played a part in the ending, so it was neat to see it all tie together. I write notes as I read and at one point wrote that there were confusing details that weren't relevant to the story, only for them later to connect to some thread that the author had woven.

The character of Jasmine bothered me- I don't want to give anything away - but her character didn't stay consistent throughout the whole book. The beginning her is very different from the person she became. It bothered me because it didn't make sense to me.

Overall this was an impressive web of story for a debut from this author! I would highly suggest reading this one without knowing too much about it - the surprises were what made the story!

Thank you to Jessie Garcia's team and Netgalley for granting me access to this ARC... However this is the first one that I can say there is nothing about this book that I enjoyed. The 1500 POVs was excessive and the plot was very clear and easily predictable. The characters were all incredibly shallow and I felt like my face stayed cringed through the entirety of the book.

This book started off really strong. I was completely invested and wanted to know how the fate of these two women was somehow connected. Did the same man really meet and hurt these women who just so happened to be sitting next to each other on a flight?

Told from multiple POV's, I found it a little difficult to keep track at first. Once I started to keep better track of who was connected to who, it became a little easier. As the two women's lives begin to intertwine between other characters such as co-workers and friends, I was completely sucked in and couldn't wait to see what happened.

I started to get let down once I hit the 70% mark. The story started becoming incredibly far fetched (especially those final chapters). I totally get that that's what happens sometimes in a thriller, but this one was just over the top, no possible way, kind of far fetched. I will say, I was still impressed with the writing for being a debut, I just wish it was a little more believable. Some aspects of those final chapters just kind of had me eye rolling because there's just no damn way LOL.

Overall, it wasn't awful... I would still recommend if you want a quick read. Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced eArc. This one releases on 1/14/25

The Business Trip by Jesse Garcia, in the beginning of the book we meet Jasmine Little, who is quietly getting her things together, as to not wake her abusive bully of a boyfriend Roger. She’s running away to Denver, she’s been saving for over a year and just wants a clean break and a fresh start. then we meet Stephanie Monroe. She’s packing for a business trip in San Francisco with the layover in Denver. she’s divorced with the son named Eathan, who she wish she was closer to, but since her divorce, she feels as if their relationship has grown distant. before the story is over, both acquaintances of the women will get text saying I met a guy named Trent McCarthy, but not much else. This was a great book. It’s almost as if throughout the book you wait for the plot of the story and then when you get that, you wait for the big reveal but for most of the book you’re just as confused as their friends and coworkers. I found this to be a brilliant story and a well done novel. It’s a book you’ll either love like I did or hate it like a few people did. I listen to the audiobook and read the Kindle version and I must admit everyone except for Jasmine. I listen to on the audiobook. I don’t find the girl who did Jasmine has a very reliable narration because one minute she sounds as if she’s trying to seduce the reader and then the next minute she sounds as if she’s bored. I’m still giving the book 5 stars because as I said, I listen to her on the Kindle book which really changed the whole tone of the story immensely and I just couldn’t get enough and couldn’t put the book down. although I do want to say that when I listen to Trent on the Audio book I was laughing out loud at how stupid he was. He really is like something out of a cartoon, but still very entertaining in a well done story.#NetGalley, #JesseGarcia, #TheBusinessTrip,

While this story had a delicious twist that delighted me, the chapters with every POV imaginable made it hard to keep track of who was who, let alone sympathize with the MCs. I didn’t need the multiple narrations, I wanted to know more about Jasmine, but her story felt rocky and incomplete. I do love supporting debut authors, so giving this story three stars.

My thanks to St. Martin's Press, Jessie Garcia and Netgalley.
Well....I just suppose that I really didn't care for this story, at all.
The writing was good, and I will definitely try this author again.
My issue was that I knew what was going on. I truly hate when that happens!
Also, I hated the main character. I know that we were supposed to, but damn...that woman was despicable.

Thank you to Jessie Garcia, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Ever read a book that is so far-fetched that you think it would never be possible, and roll your eyes, but yet cant put it down? Yeah, this is that book.

Holy crap, was this a good one! For the first time in a long time I went through a majority of the book without a single theory. I couldn’t for the life of me guess where it was going. By Part 4 when all of the pieces started coming together, my jaw was permanently on the floor. Fast paced, heart pounding, absolutely killer.

Jasmine is on the run from a bad relationship and Stephanie is on a business trip when their paths fatefully cross on a flight to Denver. Not long after they land, both women send cryptic texts to friends about a man they’ve met… and then they both disappear.

What follows is a crazy twisty wild ride perfect for fans of Freida McFadden! This is a such a fast-paced, unpredictable story, my mouth was constantly dropping open in shock! It was a really entertaining read, and there is no way to predict the curveballs that keep coming at you. I binged this popcorn thriller in a single afternoon and loved it all the way up until it went off the rails. While I definitely expect to have to suspend disbelief when I read a thriller, the conclusion was over-the-top unbelievable.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me an advance copy of this book.