Full of twists that kept me guessing throughout, The Business Trip is a great debut! I love audios with full cast narrations and this one was done really well. I look forward to more from Jessie Garcia in the future.

Jasmine & Stephanie have nothing in common-- they come from completely different walks of life and had never met before booking the same flight. When the plane lands, the woman continue on their separate ways...... and then both mysteriously vanish. Did something happen on the flight? Did someone target the two women randomly? As their families and coworkers each mount searches, the details start to paint a concerning picture.

I absolutely loved this one! The story was great anyway, but the full cast narration really made each of the characters come alive and I just never wanted to pause it. I love the way the author only needed a little bit of time to ramp up a backstory robust enough that you feel like you know exactly who the characters are without feeling like you're being told their whole life story, it was really impressive. I also thought the big twist was great, while I suspected some of it, it went to much further than I expected, and it all worked beautifully. For me it only vaguely teetered on unrealistic because the explanations and set up behind everything was clever and reasonable.

This was an absolutely fantastic debut novel. I can't wait to read more from this author!

5 star Audible! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you both LISTEN TO and read books-I highly recommend that you listen to this one, as each character is voiced by a different narrator! Spectacular! I paired my reading 📖 with the Audiobook 🎧 which I love to do and finished in one day!
9 hours 7 minutes at 1.0x , 6 hours 5 minutes at 1.5x, 5 hours 13 minutes at 1.75x

“The Business Trip” really is gripping, and binge-worthy as advertised!

My synopsis will be vague on purpose as to not spoil anything for you!

Stephanie and Jasmine both board a flight to Denver, and by chance, are assigned to sit together in the SAME row. Stephanie is on a business trip and Jasmine is fleeing an abusive relationship.

After a few days, each woman is texting their friends and co-workers about meeting the SAME great guy-Trent McCarthy.

And then each woman vanishes at the SAME time.

But this book is not the SAME as any other that you may have read! It is LAYERED, TWISTY and UNPREDICTABLE!
I guessed NOTHING right! LOVED it! ❤️

VERY CLEVER Jessie Garcia! I can’t wait to see what you come up with next!

This debut is available on January 14, 2025

Thank You to both MacMillan Audio and St. Martin’s Press for the gifted ARCs via NetGalley Shelf/NetGalley.
As always, these are my candid thoughts!

⭐️⭐️
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the gifted ARC (audiobook)…as all opinions are my own.
 
I was an instant sucker for the cover and title.  The book started off strong as we mingled between the two main female characters, Jasmine and Stephanie.  They have drastically different lifestyles that manage to cross paths and then the mystery begins.  Around the 30-40ish mark, the plot starts to pivot.  At 70%, I wanted to DNF the book but pushed through.  Once finished, all I could think was “What in the Scooby Doo and Crew was this?”  The plot was captivating but the twists were derailing.  The dialogue during the final chapters was unrealistic, especially where law enforcement was concerned.
 
It was difficult to care for the main characters….scratch that, the neighbor was tolerable; however, this book wasn’t about him.  I didn’t know if we were meant to like or loathe Jasmine…because she irritated my core.  After the first couple of chapters, her conflicts (specifically the inner thoughts) did not justify her actions at all.  There were too many POVs and irrelevant details to keep straight.  Especially when you realize the book could have carried on without this dialogue.  There was one final “yay” moment and sadly, it happened during the epilogue.  That redeeming moment should not have been left to the very end.  Le sigh! 
 
Side note: I opted for the audiobook and could not take Trent’s dialogue/narration seriously.  Mentally, I was picturing Gaston from Beauty and the Beast meets Johnny Bravo.  And kudos to narrating Glen(n) so perfectly.
 
The final sentence from the book’s description: “But who is playing who?”  Honestly, the author, that’s who.  It was a struggle to finish parts three and four as they did not properly align with the first half.  Had I physically read this book, it would have been DNF’d…quick, fast and in a hurry.  While the book wasn’t for me, I would read another by the author.  Fully understanding it’s their debut so fingers crossed for a redemption.  Fool me once…fool me twice…  I would recommend the audiobook to fellow thriller readers with the warnings above-mentioned.

I really wanted to like this book. It started off strong and peaked my interest. And overall, I never really lost interest. But there were just a couple big things that made me not fully enjoy this book. The first was that there were just way too many characters’ POVs at the beginning. I feel like a couple could have been eliminated, and just portrayed the same things through word of mouth of other characters. The second thing was I felt it was unbalanced that the second half or so is just primarily one person’s POV. And the last thing that just didn’t wow me was the ending. Did I see it coming? No, but it was about as interesting as my husband’s updates on his fantasy football team.

Since this book did keep me listening to it from beginning to end, I am giving it an extra half star. If thrillers are your pizza, as in you will enjoy it just because it’s pizza alone, then I’d say pick this one up. But just don’t expect gourmet toppings.

𝘼 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣: This book had a lot of different narrators, so I’m not sure who all is who. I appreciated they had so many narrators, though, since there were so many POVs in the first half. It made things easier to keep track of, and I thought they were all great.

I COULD NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN. Wowza. I was absolutely GRIPPED.

I really thought I knew where this book was going and I couldn't have been more wrong. I was surprised over and over and kept thinking to myself, WHAT IS GOING ON?!

I listened to this novel on audio and it was excellent. I enjoyed ALL the narrators - and there were a lot! - and the acting was on point. With so many different viewpoints, I was worried there would be a lot of fluff but every character brought something significant to the story and really pushed it along.

I really can't believe how much this book surprised me in the best way. Admittedly, I could have done without the final twist but it was definitely a jaw dropper so I'll enjoy it all the same.

If you are looking for a book that will shock and delight you, The Business Trip is it! It was a super-fast listen and I really think I could have listened to the entire novel in an entire sitting had my schedule allowed it!

A big thank you to St. Martin's Press and MacMillan Audio for the copy. Don't miss this one!!

Thank you to Jessie Garcia, Netgalley, and MacMillan Audio  for the ARC audio of this book.

This is an engaging thriller, with surprise twists. Jasmine and Stephanie cross paths on a plane ride to Colorado, Stephanie catching a connection and Jasmine fleeing an abusive relationship. But when they meet, both their lives change forever. As friends and coworkers begin to receive weird responses from both women, things get tense. When a man comes into the picture, Trent, and the whole plot flips.
This book will have you second guessing what you thought you knew in the story. And the twist at the end, really shocked me! I would recommend this book for anyone who likes thrillers that take you on twist after twist.
The audio was really good, I enjoyed the narrator and found it easy to follow.

You should read this if you like ❤️
-thrillers
-shocking end twists
-unreliable narrator

Warnings ⚠️
-none that im aware of

When Lisa and Frieda recommend a book, you know you’re going to be on your toes and it’ll be a good one! This was fabulous! Highly recommend.

I read the kindle format of this and loved it so much I just had to request the audio for reread. The audiobook brought it to a whole new level. I loved it so much!!

This book took a little time to get started as the two main characters are introduced, but once it takes off - buckle up! Twists upon twists that honestly floored me, and an ending that had my jaw dropped. I liked the multiple point of views, even though I did want to shake each of these women!

The multiple narrators took the story to another level, really bringing it to life. They all did a fantastic job and helped me connect more with the characters. I throughly enjoyed this book!

Thanks for the opportunity to listen!

I love a good mystery that has me thinking I know what’s going on, but finding out there is so much more to the story.

There were some things that happened in here that made me hate some of the characters, but I still needed to find out what the hell was going on. I was mad about it, but the suspense had me coming back on for more! It made me want to get back to this every chance I had. So even though I was irritated with the characters, I still give this 3 stars for keeping me interested enough to want to finish it.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the chance to read this ARC.

Very twisty mystery/thriller. A little Scooby-Doo-ish towards the end, but overall very gripping and entertaining.

Jasmine escapes an abusive relationship in Wisconsin. She sneaks out in the middle of the night and boards a plane to Denver. After a few days, she contacts a friend and tells her that she met a man and after that no one is able to contact her. Stephanie is a news director at a television station in Madison and she boards a flight to attend a news conference. After a couple of days, when she doesn't return when expected, her friends and colleagues receive a series of odd texts from her saying she has met a man and is going to spend time with him. Then she vanishes as well. What happened to these two women?

I listened to the multi-narrator full cast audiobook production of this novel and it was fantastic. It really helped to get immersed into the story and involved in what was happening. It allowed me to feel the emotions of the characters and get to know them better than I would have on the page.

The narrative moves between the present day, the near past, and the past. The story unfolds deliberately and I was absolutely captivated wanting to know what was going on with the situation. It's difficult to know who to believe--if anyone! Just when I thought I had it all figured out, another curve ball is thrown and I was surprised yet again at the turn of events.

Although the ending felt a bit dumbed-down due to the over-explanation of every single detail of how everything transpired, this was still a completely entertaining mystery thriller that is sure to please readers of the genre. There's a bit of suspension of disbelief needed, but overall if you just relax into the story you are sure to enjoy the experience.

It isn't that this wasn't fun in a vaguely lifetime movie kind of way, it's that the characters were so flat and myopic that it became distracting.

Stephanie and Jasmine are strangers that meet on a plane by chance. Both of them go their separate ways and then begin texting their families about a man. Shortly after that, they both go missing. Is this man to blame or is there something more sinister going on? EVERY SINGLE TIME I thought I had the story or a situation figured out, I was slammed with another twist. It was an amazing read. I cannot wait to read more from Jessie Garcia!

I believe that the several narrators in this ALC are what made the story so special. Each narrator played their characters seamlessly so that there was never any confusion about who was who. They embraced the both the positive and negative qualities in there characters and played them beautifully! Jessie, you have a new fangirl! Thank you NetGalley, MacMillian Audio, and Jessie Garcia for this ALC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the gifted ALC.

This audiobook hit the spot regarding a compulsive listen that I didn't want to push pause on! As the listener we hear from two women's POV's, one is escaping and one is attending a conference. It's not clear what is happening at the beginning, but the two different stories are interesting to follow.

The story gets a bit crazy and twisty in a really fun way! While it's not a really smart thriller and it's not a popcorn thriller, it lands right in the middle with an entertaining read.

Early reviews on this book are mixed, so I started it with some trepidation and low expectations. I found myself drawn into the story immediately and, while not perfect, it exceeded my expectations. I did not realize until halfway through that the author is the same Jessie Garcia I watched for years as a sports anchor on our local CBS station. The many Madison, Wisconsin references piqued my interest and were an unexpected bonus throughout the book.

Jasmine and Stephanie have nothing more in common than being on the same flight to Denver. Jasmine is fleeing an abusive relationship and Stephanie is attending yet another work related conference. Both women appear to vanish after claiming to be with the same man, an Atlanta news director who also happens to be a major sleaze bag.

The plot is twisted and has some obvious holes, but ultimately it didn’t bother me. The full cast, multiple POV narration kept me engaged until the end. The narration built tension and contributed to my enjoyment. The main characters - all of them - were lacking in morals and decency which was perfect for the plot. I definitely think the audio version is the way to experience this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for access to an advance copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

Whooo boy this book was a wild ride! The story introduces us to Jasmine, a woman in a tough situation and I was immediately invested in her situation. I started listening to the audio and I didn't want to put it down. I read almost all of it in one sitting I was that engrossed. The story is split between multiple povs and that really helped increase the tension for me because each perspective included information that added to the intrigue. I 100% recommend the audio for this book! I don't think I'd have love it as much if I read it with my eyes. The full cast narration was a smart choice for this book. All the narrators did a fantastic job creating distinctive voices to help differentiate between all the perspectives. Despite all the characters I was never confused because the narrators made it clear who was speaking. I will say the final plot twist lost me a little bit. That's where it stretched the bounds of belief a bit. I was on board for all the twists and turns up to that point though and I still had a great time. I'm so glad I picked this book up! I'm very excited to read more from this author.

Garcia's debut novel tells the tale of two women who meet casually on a plane. Stephanie, the news director of a local tv station in Madison, Wisconsin, is headed to a conference in San Diego and Jasmine, who works in a bar in Madison, is fleeing an abusive relationship and on her way to Denver, where she knows no one. Consumed by anger at not only her current situation but about her entire hard life, Jasmine becomes entwined with Stephanie, who has some fantasies of her own of trying a different life. The story unfolds from there and also features Trent McCarthy, the news director of a tv station in Atlanta. For the most part the many twists and turns of the story work well, and although the ending is clever and unforeseen, it produced a little bit of a let down in this listener. The book's strength is its plot. Character development seems to rely as much upon stereotypes as upon a fleshed out picture. Trent is a good example of an almost unbelievable stereotype. But this is a nitpik. The publisher's choice of multiple narrators was a wise one. They were all excellent and they helped to enhance the novel. The Business Trip will appeal to readers who like mysteries that are not solved easily.

Wow! It’s little slow to get going and it seemed to drag a bit initially- on top of all the characters- but keep going and hang on to your hat! Things start twisting and speed up quickly, as everything falls into place. The chapters are mostly short and very fast paced. I quite liked it!
The narration of the audiobook is done by a team voices. With so many characters to keep track of, having different narrators, rather than someone doing all the voices, really enhances the audiobook.
Thank You to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook version of this ARC.

The cover of this debut thriller immediately caught my attention, and after seeing the rave reviews pouring in, I knew I had to read it.
I received ebook and audiobook copies from St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio. There's something so enjoyable about reading along while listening to the audiobook, and this particular gem features multicast narration that truly elevates the experience. It's easy to keep track of the many characters while listening, and I can't recommend it enough!

The story revolves around two intriguing women: Stephanie and Jasmine. Stephanie is navigating life after her divorce and works as a TV executive for a news station that takes advantage of her. On the other hand, Jasmine has a difficult past marked by emotional and physical abuse. Fate brings them together when they find themselves seated next to each other on a flight—Stephanie reluctantly heading to yet another uninspiring conference and Jasmine escaping her abusive boyfriend. Just days into their trip, their friends start receiving strange texts about a man named Trent, which marks the beginning of their real adventure! I found myself completely engrossed in their story.

This tale is packed with twists and unexpected surprises, making it challenging to share many details without giving away juicy spoilers. If you prefer realistic fiction, you might find some aspects of the story a bit far-fetched, but "The Business Trip" completely surpassed my expectations. I'm a fan of wild plots that leave me breathless, and this one definitely delivers! The ending is exhilarating, but be prepared to keep an open mind as you navigate this chaotic adventure.