Ok, so the beginning of this book caught my attention IMMEDIATELY. A woman getting out of an abusive relationship is suspenseful, scary, and empowering.

Then, it got even more interesting once two women are seemingly with the same man and no one has actually heard from them in days, other than in texts.

WHAT IS GOING ON? My mind was REELING, I tell you!

I truly thought this was going to be a remix of The Last Flight by Julie Clark (which I LOVED) but it turned out to be a very different dynamic with a completely twisted plot.

But then, the second half happened. It wasn’t bad, but it also just kind of felt like a let down. I don’t know. It was pretty much the first half just re-written with more details. It was a lot of explanation, which is something I just don’t love in a novel.

I really, truly felt from the first half like this was going to be one of those novels that sticks with me and that I couldn’t wait to recommend to EVERYONE (it was that good). But I didn’t care for the second half, even though I do love how twisted and sadistic it was. 😂

I think this will be one of those divisive books amongst readers and reviewers.

Thank you to Jessie Garcia, St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC. My review is completely voluntary and all opinions are my own.

Initially this book irritated me in that every chapter was from a different character. That said once I got into the mystery intrigue this book became something I could not put this down! It had twists and turns. I am now a fan of this new writer and will look for future books.

Thank to the publisher and NetGalley for a readers copy of this title. My reviews never contain spoilers and are freely given.

Wow! Full of twists and unexpected turns, The Business Trip delivers. An Atlanta news director is accused of murdering 2 women. All evidence says he did it. One was a fellow News director he met a at conference, the other a bartender on the run from an abusive relationship. The truth will surprise you, and the ending truly satisfies. Please read this one.

Thank you @netgalley for another great, thrilling read! I always judge a book by its cover...whoops! I can't help it! Cmon most of you do too!
Literally page 1 and I was invested and this is a DEBUT! I cannot wait to see what's next for this author!
Jasmine had me rooting for her so hard....almost the entire time! Wow!

This book hooked me right at the beginning and I did not want to put it down! As the story progresses the reader hears from different characters, getting many perspectives. I heard the audiobook version is really good because it has a full cast of narrators, so I might check it out later. I liked that the author kept me guessing and threw in some good twists! Whenever I had a theory, she blew it apart! Overall, it was an engaging read and I look forward to more of this author’s work!

Rating: 3.5 stars

Thank you to St. Martin’s for advance copies of The Business Trip!

Two women who do not know each other will become inextricably linked after finding themselves on the same flight. Stephanie and Jasmine are both texting their friends about the same man, but the texts start to not make sense. And then they vanish.

Who is Trent McCarthy? Is he a predator? Or is he the victim?

And that’s about all I’ll say about this one. Some books are just best left going into as blindly as possible. I will say that I don’t think the full synopsis you can find on Goodreads and retailers does the book justice. It’s much more and a tad different than that.

This book is full of manipulators, and it’s truly impossible to work out who to trust and who to blame.

This is one of those thrillers where it’s necessary to suspend belief or you will spend the book calling bullshit on what you’re reading. Just have a good time with it!!

Two women meet on a flight. Stephanie is a news director heading to a conference in San Diego. Jasmine is escaping an abusive relationship and thinks Denver will be a great place to start over. After talking together through the flight Jasmine comes up with a new plan. One that will guarantee she'll have her perfect beach side cabin in Mexico. Will she be able to execute the perfect crime? You'll have to read this to find out.

Ugh. I almost set this aside in the beginning (wish I had) but then the book started to become more interesting and I was excited to see what tricks Garcia had up her sleeve only to be left feeling really disappointed. I just found it ridiculous how this all played out. A LOT of suspension of disbelief is needed. Also, you can expect a lot of repetition, too.

As far as characters go, Jasmine is completely unlikable. I think the author wanted us to sympathize with her but she was awful and not once did I ever feel sorry for her. Then the character of Trent was introduced and I almost had to stop reading. He's disgusting in every way imaginable. 😡

Then that silly ending really sealed the deal. This was NOT for me. 2 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my complimentary copy.

This book requires a significant dose of suspension of belief. Some of the situations in this story were ridiculous, unreasonable, and completely unbelievable. That said, I still enjoyed it overall.

The plot is compelling, twisty... and specifically confusing. Unfortunately, I can't elaborate on that further without giving away major spoilers. I will say that the confusion is intentional, the twists are unique, and I genuinely believe the author crafted this novel in a very creative way, unlike anything l've read before. It is a nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat, what-in-the-world-is-happening kind of story, making it a fun, fast read.

Again, if you can overlook some of the completely absurd and convenient situations in this story, I think many readers would generally enjoy the book.

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for an eARC of this book, which I have read and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia
3 Stars

This book presents an intriguing concept but ultimately falls short of its potential due to an overcomplicated narrative structure and a lack of sustained tension. One of the major issues is the sheer number of POVs the story uses. With multiple characters offering their perspectives, it becomes difficult to fully engage with any single one, leaving the narrative feeling disjointed. Each character's internal thoughts and motivations sometimes feel underdeveloped, and the frequent shifts in viewpoint make it hard to connect emotionally to the story.

In terms of plot, the book struggles to maintain a consistent level of suspense. The story lacks the gripping energy needed to keep readers on the edge of their seats. The tension is sporadic, with some moments dragging while others rush through key developments. This uneven pacing diminishes the overall impact of the thriller elements.

While this wasn't my cup of tea, I have heard from other reads that the audiobook is fantastic, so I would recommend taking that route if this book peaks your interest.

I took a chance on this book. I enjoyed over half of it, but then the rest of it became unbelievable and far-fetched for me. I was ready for it to be done. I didn't dislike it enough to give it below 3 stars, but I didn't love it enough to give it any more. I guess it just was predictable for me for some reason. I would read more by this author. This one just wasn't my favorite.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

Two women, Stephanie and Jasmine, come from two very different backgrounds. They sit next to each other on a plane. A few days later they are both missing and strange texts are being sent. Plenty of twists and turns. Trent was so awful.

This book was sooooo good!!! I couldn’t stop reading!!! Had me in it right from the start!!!!! Could not put down!!! Solid 5 stars!!!!!!!!!!!

Such a phenomenal fast paced thriller.
It was a page turner from the get go. I couldn’t put it down and it had me guessing up until the end!

I loved this book it kept me on the edge of my seat ! I loved the twists and turns ! Highly recommend !

Jasmine has had enough. When she first met Glenn, he seemed nice. He took her on dates and made her feel special. But that was long ago. That was before he hit her and demanded she turn over her paychecks and kept her away from friends and family. And then he started hitting her. Jasmine saved up a little bit of money week after week for over a year in order to make her getaway. But it’s finally time. She is boarding a plane for Colorado and not looking back.

Stephanie is a news director in Madison, Wisconsin, heading for a work conference in San Diego, with a stop in Denver. She didn’t know anyone at the conference, and she was getting tired of being the person from the station who had to travel to all the work things. But as a divorced woman with a cat, Stephanie is the easy person to choose, and she always agrees. Her neighbor and friend Robert will be handling the cat sitting duties, and she will bring him back a kitschy gift. It’s what they do when she has to go on these trips.

These women had nothing in common but a flight, a row of seats where one sat by the window and the other by the aisle. They chatted briefly and went on their separate ways. But aside from a few texts where each woman talked about a new man they were seeing, no one heard from either woman until the police were called to the home of a man named Trent McCarthy and find DNA from both women in his possession.

Trent is a news director also, and he attended the same news conference Stephanie was heading to. They had been assigned the same table for the first day, sharing ideas on running their respective newsrooms. After the conference, he had gone back to Atlanta to return to his life, and everything seemed normal until the day the police came knocking on his door, after a 911 call directed them to his place, a woman begging for help on the line.

As the police and Stephanie’s fellow news reporters started to dig into her disappearance, they found a number of things that didn’t add up. Her texts had been sparse and terse. Stephanie hadn’t answered her phone for anyone, just sent texts and voice memos and posted on social media. What exactly happened to these women between their flight to Denver and Trent McCarthy’s arrest?

The Business Trip is the debut thriller from Jessie Garcia, and it’s filled with questions and twists that suck you into the story and keep the pages turning until the end. Told in multiple perspectives, this story offers up breadcrumbs of truth, letting readers make their own guesses about what is really happening and finally resolving it (for the record, I guessed wrong). But seeing all the puzzle pieces fall into place is such a fun journey that I genuinely enjoyed this trip.

I listened to The Business Trip on audio, which has ten different narrators. It was easy to know whose perspective we were getting, as each character truly had a distinctive voice. The voice actors are Andrew Eiden; Dylan Fitzpatrick; Fred Berman; Gail Shalan; Hillary Huber; Jennifer Pickens; John Pirhalla; Kimberly M. Wetherell; Kirby Heyborne; and Tim Campbell, and they definitely bring all these characters to life through this narration. I thought the audio book was masterfully done, and I think it’s a great way to experience this thriller.

Egalleys for The Business Trip were provided by St. Martin’s Press and an early copy of the audio book was provided by Macmillan Audio, both through NetGalley, with many thanks.

I don’t want to give anything away for future readers but this book was extremely good! Well written, keeps your attention throughout the entire book.

The pacing was okay. This thriller was a little underwhelming leading to moments where the story seems to drag or hurry through important events.

3.5 stars rounded down;

Stephanie and Jasmine are sitting next to each other on a flight. Both women are going to the same location but they are strangers and have absolutely nothing in common. Jasmine is fleeing an abusive boyfriend while Stephanie, a TV exec, is on a business trip. A few days into the trip, both women text their friends/family about the same guy - Trent. When the two women suddenly vanish, questions are raised. Who is Trent? What is his connection to these two strangers?

A fun and interesting read, but it's definitely OTT and you will need to suspend your beliefs. There are lots of twists and it is honestly quite unpredictable. Didn't really guess where this one was going. The author is very creative for coming up with this plot and all the twists! It is hard to put this one down (I read it in one day!) as so much is happening - it maybe lends itself a bit to a "popcorn thriller". I did really enjoy this author's writing style.

Well done to Jessie Garcia on this debut thriller - looking forward to reading more novels by you!

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fun thriller, full of humor and twists and turns! As soon as I thought I knew…I didn’t! You get glimpses of the story from multiple POVs which just gave this story great layers. I listed to the audiobook with this one and the cast did a great job!!! Honestly a really spot on narration.

If you love:
🔪Thrillers
✖️Multiple POVs
🌪️Twists
🐈Cats
🤯Who did it
😥Troubled background
👥Dynamic side characters

Give this one a read!

#thriller #thrillerbooks #netgalley #thebusinesstrip #whodidit

The Business Trip was a rollercoaster thriller that I was not prepared for. The short chapters and ever-shifting points-of-view kept me as the reader on the edge of my seat and completely off-guard. The itty-bitty breadcrumbs and clues that were gradually dropped along the way kept me guessing. And the final resolution that finally tied all the characters and clues together so the whole plot was finally revealed was a bit of a unique experience when so many thrillers can be guessed anymore.