Fast paced and I liked the multiple pov. I really didn't guess all the twists and turns. Recommended by Frieda and I think if you like hers, you will like this. I did find the Jasmine section a little repetitive after reading the story 2xs so could have cut some details down. The ending was unexpected!

This was a great book. I really enjoyed it. It was a fast read and kept me guessing the whole time. It was just released January 14, 2025, so if you haven't seen it, go find it!

Jasmine is a young woman who is in an abusive relationship with Glenn. She plans her escape and while en route on her escape, she meets Stephanie. Stephanie is on her way to a news director's conference.

We meet Jasmine, Glenn, Stephanie and Trent along the way and how they are interconnected. This one trip goes very wrong and causes a lot of chaos in several lives. Read for more to see how it ends up.

This is a five star for me. You should go read it...NOW!

#TheBusinessTrip #NetGalley

I loved the fast pace and the multiple POV’s. The book kept me guessing – it was suspenseful and made me wanting to keep reading. My major problem was the ending, it was a bit much, especially with one character in particular. Also, without giving anything a way, there was something about Jasimine that kept irking me once we found out her back story. After finishing it a few days ago, I’m still not entirely sure how I feel about this one – some parts I loved and some parts I loved.

I love to try debuts and this had some buzz swirling so I gave it a shot. I'm sad to say that it wasn't for me. The setup was good - Stephanie, an overworked news director, and Jasmine, a woman running from an abusive relationship, meet on a plane and make a connection while talking about their lives. I won't spoil what transpires since it seems a lot of people like this book, but parts were suspenseful, parts were unbelievable, and 2 of the characters were completely unlikable. I both read and listened to this title and did like reading it more than listening, for the simple reason that I could flip back easier to catch up when I put it down for a couple days. Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the early access in exchange for my honest opinion. 2.5-3 stars

Overall, this story is intriguing. Stephanie and Jasmine happen to end up next to each other on a flight to Denver for two very different reasons. The mystery starts when they seemingly both end up missing and maybe dead, but how did that come about?

I’ve read books written in alternating first person POV, but this is written in multiple first person POV and I wasn’t a fan of that. Third person may have been a better option since knowing whose POV each chapter is about gives a huge hint about the end.

The story was well written and it kept me hooked. This was my first read by this author and I would definitely read more.

Thanks to the publisher for a review copy via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ok I will start off saying that the format of this story wasn’t for me, but I do know people that enjoy books like this so I will be recommending it to them.

I know the jumping around in the timeline with multiple POVs is common for thrillers to keep the tension and leaving the reading wanting more. I was pulled in at the beginning and then again with the first twist. However, the last quarter of the book felt rushed and some of it just seemed like it was thrown in. I would definitely read more books by this author. I would like to see how their work develops over time. This was a great debut.

Stephanie and Jasmine are two women who don't know each other but board the same flight for different reasons. Stephanie is on a work trip and Jasmine is escaping from her abusive douchebag boyfriend. Pretty soon crazy texts are flying everywhere to all these other pointless characters, then nothing. Complete radio silence. But both women mentioned a man named Trent McCarthy to those pointless other characters and he becomes the focus in their disappearances.

On the surface, this book seems like something I LOVE. But it was all a trick because this book was SO, SO, SO bad. Like, truly a contender for one of the worst books I've ever read.

Jasmine is AWFUL. We are supposed to feel sorry for her because she is supposedly stuck in this abusive relationship with her dumbass boyfriend, Glenn. There is no single reason to root for her, because she can apparently murder people withouta second thought, but couldn't manage to come up with a way to just kill Glenn and make it look like an accident? She could have done that in the year it took her to save up money to escape. All the framing and murdering was way more work, and he was the only person in the book who might have actually deserved to be killed. This book would've been a lot shorter, maybe even never unleashed on the public.

Along the way we find out she killed a girl in high school and framed the boyfriend. Being rich as a reason to be murdered will come up more than once in this stupid book.

She frames Trent in the present. AND murders Stehanie to steal her identity and justifies it by basically saying that Stephanie has a lot of money and has probably lived a decent life. But THEN also has the nerve to call herself a champion of women? What in the actual fuck?

I think another reason I am so mad about this stupid book is that it started out strong. I was engaged in the story, until all the different POVs started popping up. So many were unnecessary. And then Jasmine retells the same thing, from her POV. Essentially you read the same thing twice, but the second time Jasmine explains why it's okay for her to murder people who she thinks have it coming because they had the audacity to be rich.

Trent, the guy Jasmine choses to take the fall for her, was also seriously awful, in a different way. It felt like his disgusting behaviors were exaggerated so greatly, so that no one would feel bad when he was accused. He was seriously a charicature of the worst type of narcissistic frat-boy mentality type of guy.

The so-called plot twists are not actually plot twists, because they make absolutely no sense whatsoever. There have to be clues, for it to truly be a good twist. But here it was just Jasmine jumping from one perfect set-up to another and everything working out magically for her almost the entire time.

In the end, there is not even any good, logical reason for Jasmine to steal Stephanie's identity. She escaped the moment she was on that flight. She could have stayed in Denver and started over. Do we really believe Glenn was going to come looking for her? And how would he even be able to do that? Again, a much shorter book, or the possibility of it not existing at all.

And yet, here we are.

Awful. Do not recommend.

The Business Trip centers on two women who have nothing in common, except that they look alike and the bizarrely identical texts they both send to their friends about the same man. After a fateful meeting on a flight, they both are seemingly put into a dangerous position by this man they have met on their trip. But everything is not always as it seems!

This is one of those books where it's best to go in without knowing anything. Just dive in and start reading. But be sure to carve out plenty of time, because once I began The Business Trip, I couldn’t stop. Narrated from multiple points of view, it's fast-paced and has everything I look for in a novel like this. The plot twists are well crafted and a few are completely jaw dropping!

I was engaged with this book from the very beginning to the very last crazy twist. If you like psychological thrillers that have intriguing characters and a plot that unravels in a unique way then this is the book for you!

I am grateful to St. Martin's Press for granting me access to a digital copy of this fantastic book through Netgalley. All opinions throughout this review are my own.

3 stars! This story follows Jasmine, who is in an abusive relationship and saves enough money to leave her abuser. She decides to fly to a different city for a fresh start. Stephanie, a news director is on her way to a business conference and meets Jasmine on the flight. They engage in conversation on the flight and they never see each other again.

Stephanie sends a text message to her friend letting him know that she is extending her trip because she met a man, named Trent and they are spending time together and getting to know each other. Jasmine also texts her friend letting her know that she met a man, and his name is also Trent. Then, both women disappear and Trent is arrested for their disappearance.

Did Trent hurt both women, or is there more to this story. This story had multiple POVs that I felt were a little unnecessary but overall this story was good.

I felt so bad for Jasmine while i read this book. You know a book is written well when you genuinely feel sorry for the characters. The ending was wild. I was not expecting that at all. This was a page turner from beginning to end. first book by this author & i look forward to reading another one by her.

I ejoyed the first chapter, although it was a bit wordy. The second chapter was too boring and long winded to hold my attention, so I quit reading.

If you do not lock every single extra lock in your hotel room, reading this book will make you. I obviously do, but the entire time I had a shiver down my spine knowing that there are people out there who don’t…

Stephanie and Jasmine have nothing in common, besides sitting next to each other on a flight. Stephanie is headed to California for a news reporter conference, while Jasmine is running away from an abusive relationship, ready to start a new life for herself. So when both women begin texting their friends about a man they met on their travels, it doesn’t necessarily raise any red flags.

That is, until the texts get increasingly more concerning, and their friends begin fearing for their safety. It’s time to figure out who Trent McCarthy is, and what he has done to these women.

If you like a thriller that keeps you on your toes, this is one for you. There are a ton of twists and turns, and even a few moments where I let out an audible, “Wait… what just happened!?” This is one of those stories that I just wasn’t sure how it would end.

Additionally, if you’re a fan of Freida McFadden’s writing style, you will probably enjoy this, but if you are anti-Freida, not sure I’d recommend this. The writing is a little lackluster at moments, or almost rudimentary. It’s not a work of literary genius by any means. HOWEVER, I was extremely entertained, and sometimes you just need an easy read like this! But that’s where my rating was coming from.

I cannot believe I haven’t seen this debut novel being talked about more.

The Business Trip follows two women who have nothing in common, except identical erratic texts they send to their friends about the same man before both vanishing without a trace after one chance encounter on a flight.

This is one of those books where it is better to know nothing. Go in blind and just start reading. But make sure you have a good chunk of time blocked off, because once I started The Business Trip I literally could not stop reading. Told from multiple POV, it was fast paced and everything I ever want in a novel like this.

Thank you so much St Martins Press for this eARC copy and putting this book on my radar. Jessie Garcia, you knocked it out of the park with The Business Trip. I have sense texted so many friends to add it to their list to read! The Business Trip is out now!

The Business Trip is really delightfully twisted psychological thriller drama that manages to suck you in and won't let you go till the very last dramatic blowup.

I absolutely love a book that does moving POV and timelines well, and this book rocks it. It was so much fun unravelling the mystery of the two missing/presumed dead women who only have one thing in common, which is a random man who they allegedly meet around the same time.

I truly cannot say more than that without sending it down the road of spoilers, and this one should be devoured without any hints. But it is really, really fun popcorn thriller reading that won't disappoint. I can promise you that.

Many thanks to the publisher for the copy!

I really enjoyed this book and it's uniqueness. It hooked me pretty quick and kept me hooked. My only issue was with how there seemed to be so many coincidences that made the story seem unrealistic however I'm sure stranger things have happened and it didn't keep me from loving the story!

Stephanie and Jasmine meet on an airplane. Stephanie is on her way to another business conference because she’s the only one at the station who is currently unattached and can be guilted into attending more than her fair share. Jasmine, meanwhile, is fleeing an abusive relationship. How is it that they seem to meet the same man and suggest he’s going to be the world to them? An intriguing synopsis for Jessie Garcia’s debut novel, The Business Trip.

For two-thirds of its length, The Business Trip took me on an intriguing ride and then the tone changed and it lost me. Well, it didn’t lose me in that I knew exactly where I was. It lost me because it decided to add more twists in an already twisty novel without supplying the logic or background to support them. Now, if you follow my reviews, you know that I love, love, love twists and would almost subscribe to the notion: more, more more! But The Business Trip convinced me that less is indeed more. Twists work because the framework has already been installed for them to succeed. Without the framework, you simply have a character waking up at the end of the novel and suggesting that it was all a dream (and, no, that didn’t happen). Clues have to be there. Behavioral clues particularly for a psychological thriller.

The twist at the 2/3 mark broke the novel for me because I believe that if you’re going to pursue twists in a novel to keep readers guessing, you also have to supply logic. You have to supply plausibility and character traits and depth. One incident in a character’s background does not demonstrate a penchant for violence unless smaller incidents have occurred along the way. Ah, the world of trying to offer support for an opinion without spoilers. 😏

The production of the audiobook was excellent. Indeed, I think the audiobook made me believe that the writing was better than it actually was since I also had access to the ARC and found some of the dialogue, especially near the end to be stilted without the drama of the voice actors.

Many thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy.

Thanks so much St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC! This book was a fun, twisty read! Once I got into it, I could not put it down. I loved learning about the different POVs, hearing the back stories and ultimately, how it all connected at the end. I can't wait to recommend this to others!

Thank you @Stmartinspress and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
This was a solid debut that kept me guessing! I was invested in Stephanie and Jasmine’s stories. Their lives are totally unrelated but when they end up on the same flight and text their friends about the same man something is definitely up. When both women end up missing the real question is who is this mystery man and how are they all connected? I don’t want to give too much away but this was a great mystery!
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Jasmine has spent years serving drinks and making small talk as a waitress at a local bar, but behind the easy smiles, she’s been planning her escape. At 44, she’s stuck in a suffocating relationship with Glen, a younger man who started out charming but turned possessive and controlling. Every day, she pockets a little extra cash, tucking it away like a secret lifeline. And then, finally, when the moment is right, she takes it—sneaking out in the dead of night, her heart pounding as she leaves behind the life that’s been holding her prisoner. Her destination? Denver, where she hopes for a fresh start, a new identity, and maybe even a chance to finally breathe.

Meanwhile, Stephanie is living a completely different kind of life—or so it seems. A successful news director, she’s built her career on discipline, precision, and a tireless work ethic. Divorced and with a grown son, her life is all about the newsroom, deadlines, and control. So when she heads out of town for a conference, no one thinks twice—until she starts texting her neighbor about a mysterious new man she’s met. Her messages grow more surprising: she’s skipping the conference altogether, heading to Atlanta with this guy. Her co-workers are floored when she casually announces via text that she’ll be out for the whole week. This is *not* the Stephanie they know—the woman who practically lives for her job, who would never just disappear like this. Something doesn’t add up.

Two women. Two disappearances. But are they running *to* something—or from something far more dangerous?

This was an engaging read that drew me in slowly but surely. It was thrilling and possessed what I love most about the genre - the twist I didn't see coming! As Jessie Garcia's debut novel, this was a solid four stars for me. I look forward to seeing what she writes next!

Note: this published on January 14th meaning readers can go secure their copy now!

Thank you NetGalley, Jessie Garcia, and St.Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

More Than Just a Business Trip: A Novel of Ambition and Change

Thank you NetGallary for an early review copy of The Business Trip!

The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia is a refreshing take on corporate life, ambition, and personal transformation. The story follows a group of professionals on an overseas business trip that turns into an unexpected journey of self-discovery, ethical dilemmas, and corporate intrigue.

One of the book’s strongest aspects is its character development. The protagonist (or key characters) evolve in a way that feels authentic, shaped by their interactions and challenges on the trip. Novel does an excellent job of balancing humor, tension, and introspection, making the story both engaging and thought-provoking.

The book also sheds light on workplace dynamics, office politics, and the blurred lines between personal and professional life. The setting of the business trip serves as a perfect backdrop for these themes, offering moments of cultural exploration and professional growth.

While the pacing is generally well-handled, there are moments where the narrative slows down, particularly in the middle. Some readers might also find certain plot points predictable, but the execution keeps the story enjoyable.

Overall, The Business Trip is a compelling read for anyone interested in corporate drama, career aspirations, and the unexpected twists that come with professional travel. It’s an entertaining and insightful novel that resonates with professionals navigating their own workplace journeys.

This book is great for readers who enjoy corporate fiction, workplace dramas, and character-driven storytelling.

Rating: ★★★★☆