It was such a good plot until the end, I couldn't get on board with the idea of a doppelganger and it just took the story in a different direction leaving me with an unsatisfying ending. I still really enjoyed the story and the different voice actors who brought to life all of the characters.

Jasmine is running from an abusive relationship, and Stephanie is headed to a work-related conference. They wind up on the same flight. Soon after the flight, they both meet the same man. Is this man responsible for their disappearances?

The story develops from the two POVs of Jasmine and Stephanie, as well as text messages they were both sending to their friends. I was pulled into from the beginning. I love when an author tries something different, and the premise had me excited to listen to this one. Being a debut, the author impressed me with her writing style and the development of the plot. The second half was really outlandish and less believable. I am usually able to suspend all belief when reading, but the second half was a reach, even for me.

Overall, this was a solid debut, and I can't wait to see what's next from this author.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars

Things I loved:

The format: alternating timelines + multiple POVs = chef’s kiss

That wild twist I did not see coming

The full-cast audiobook made it feel like a bingeable true crime podcast

The Business Trip grabbed me from the first chapter and never let go. Stephanie and Jasmine don’t know each other, but they end up seated in the same row on a flight to Denver. Stephanie is heading out for a work trip, and Jasmine is escaping an abusive relationship. At first, their lives seem totally separate until a few days later, when they both start texting their friends about the same charming, mysterious guy: Trent McCarthy.

Then they vanish. At the same time.

From there, it becomes a total puzzle box of a story, told through shifting POVs and timelines that slowly fill in the blanks until the final twist hits like a truck. And let me tell you, whatever I thought was happening? Not what was happening. Every time I thought I had it figured out, the story pivoted in a new direction.

The format worked so well for this one. Each perspective adds another layer, and while I normally get nervous with books that hop around this much, Jessie Garcia nailed the structure. Every chapter left me wanting more. And the audiobook version? Highly recommend. The full cast of narrators made the different voices pop, and it added so much tension and realism—felt like a bingeable Netflix limited series in audio form.

If I had one teeny critique, it’s that there were a couple of places where I had to rewind to keep the timelines straight—but honestly, that’s on me for being too impatient and trying to listen while multitasking. I think the complexity was one of its strengths.

The pacing, the voice, the way the twists are layered in—The Business Trip is clever, dark, and addictive. If you like psychological thrillers with structure-driven storytelling, high tension, and a side of "WAIT WHAT?!"—this one's for you.

Jessie Garcia, I’m already on board for whatever comes next.

This was wild, but in a fun way. It's told via multiple viewpoints and everyone's "voice" is distinct and easy to tell apart. If you like twisty thrillers that keep you guessing until the end, add The Business Trip to your to-be-read pile.

This audio book had me wanted to find every opportunity to listen to it!
If you like books that you can't tell who is telling the truth until the very end
The Business Trip is the book for you.
Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy.

I was pleasantly surprised by this debut book by Jessie Garcia! I was worried that it would be too similar to stories that I've heard before, but this was really fun and twisty! Stephanie is on the business trip and Jasmine was running from an abusive partner - they met on a plane and sent their friends the same messages about Trent McCarthy. Then, they went missing. What happened? I really enjoyed the suspense and the twists. Looking forward to reading more from Garcia.

Narration by a cast of characters was exceptional, with Andrew Eiden's narration was particularly intriguing. Great pace and sound.
Overall, a pleasure to read.

I really enjoyed the plot twists and turns in this book. Will definitely be looking to read more from this author.

This was a wild ride. There were so many twists I had no idea what to expect the outcome to be. It’s hard to even summarize it because I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone. I can’t believe this was a debut novel, and I’ll definitely read more by Jessie Garcia.

I flew through the audio of this book. I loved the full cast. It really helped distinguish between all the characters.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for my copies of this book.

2.75

I listened to the audiobook version and some narrators did fantastic while others didn't do a good job. This story has multiple POVs and is constantly switching between the main characters and side characters. When written well I usually love having so many different POVs. The problem I found with this story was every character felt like a fake person and except for the two main characters they all lacked any depth. Some POVs could have been left out since they only added repetition to the story and nothing of value. The plot had potential, and I love that the author tried to tell the story in an intriguing way but due to the writing, characters, and slow-moving story it overall fell flat for me. However, this is definitely an unpopular opinion as this book does have many high ratings. I'd recommend this one if you literally have no other thriller to read and don't mind a book that has an ending that will let you down. 

I received a copy on #netgalley all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Two women meet on a plane, one for work and one for a new life, and then they both disappear.

Jasmine is running from an abusive relationship having believed he was going to take care of her, but Glen was just a manipulative asshole. (Glen is voiced by Kirby Heyborne, a favorite narrator of mine.)
Stephanie is just headed for a news leader conference, a divorced mother just trying to find some enjoyment again in life.
Trent meets Stephanie at the conference and thinks that he will just woo her socks off. He has no luck, until a week later and he is arrested for Stephanie's and Jasmine's murders.
The first part of the book is told from multiple points of view as everyone is trying to figure out what is happening to these women. Did they really go off with Trent? Are they really dead? Why did they both sound so strange in their texts and voice memos?
The second part of the book we learn what really happened, and while this part was easy to listen to and kept my interest, I found I had no interest in this character. I didn't care about her childhood and what led her to be this way, I didn't need all the details about how she set everything up, and honestly the ending was really disappointing. The last chapter didn't make any sense.
The story held my interest, I liked the beginning, but the whole "twist" was just blah. Narrators were fantastic though, so if you want a strange story to listen to, I'd pick it up.

I really enjoyed most aspects of this thriller by Jessie Garcia. I thought the character development was pretty well done and it had a lot of surprising reveals at the end that I didn't see coming. I thought the ending was pretty well done and very fitting for the characters. I do wish there were a few more twists and turns in this to make it a little more suspenseful towards the end, but overall I really liked the explanations. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Stephanie is on a business trip and Jasmine is fleeing 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 erratic.

And then the two women vanish.

I LOVE an audiobook with multiple narrators for different characters! Not only does it make it so much easier to follow along, but it just makes the entire thing so much more realistic! This was a pretty fun mystery/thriller! Lots of twists and turns, ESPECIALLY at the end!! Did not see that coming!!

A big win for thriller lovers! The drama, the twists and the writing are superb. I recommend this to everyone.

This twisty mystery/thriller was just what I needed as an escape during a super busy work week. I really liked the narration with the different characters. I found some of the plot lines a bit unfeasible, but overall an entertaining escapist read.

I loved the way this book kept me on my seat for quite the ride. Normally, I don’t really care for multiple character storylines but this was very well written and weaved together beautifully. I really enjoyed the voice actors as well.

SOOOO glad I finally got around to reading this one!

5/5 and 11/10.

Twists and turns I never guessed and it’s was so dang good. I listened to the audio via Libby and at first heard there would be many narrators but the characters were easy to distinguish and keep track off! Which for me, is usually hard.

I want to buy this book to put on my shelf now! Recommend it to everyone who loves a good thriller and twists

This one was alright. It was a little hard to get into in the beginning, but it got more captivating as it went on. There were some fun twists. I’d read more by this author

One of the best thriller/mystery book I have read in a long time! I thought the plot was genius and executed so well- I was intrigued from start to finish! There were some big twists I was not expecting and that made the read that much better. Highly recommend!

I could not get into the book, as many times as I tried it was slow, repetitive, and unrealistic. I could not connect with any of the characters and questioned every move they made. I twist was not as big as I expected, but also was predictable.

The audiobook is told by an ensemble cast, and that helped the pacing of the book. Had I not listened while reading this book I most likely would have DNF'd it.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for an advanced reading and listening copies of this book.

I loved the premise of the story but unfortunately it just got to be too repetitive. The beginning was great but it didn’t last. There seemed to be too much explaining, when I wanted more action. The narration was great, though and added to the story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ALC.