This one started out slow for me and I had a hard time following all the characters but it then hit the mark and was super fast paced and twisty! Readers who like Freida McFadden will be sure to like this one!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.

This is a stellar debut by Jessie Garcia - I have a feeling she’s going to be in the thriller genre for a while if she keeps writing like this one!

I was legitimately SCARED reading the first 5-6 chapters — I was probably nearly sweating and worrying way more than I should have been. It was fun to read and intriguing right from the get go. Once I started reading I had a very hard time putting it down.

This is the story of two women, and an unforeseen path their lives end up on. It’s hard to say much without giving anything away so I will just leave it there.

The story has several unexpected turns and I didn’t see the ending coming at all. The only reason I’m giving it 4 stars and not 5, is to be honest I kind of wished for another ending. The last twist in the book was unexpected but also less exciting than all the others - I was a bit annoyed actually (haha!). I wanted it to end differently but that could just be me.

Overall, a great thriller and a fun book to read. I definitely recommend it!

Really love the multiple points of view, the books flew by! It felt predictable but still kept me engaged.

•This was such a quick, thrilling read. At one point I thought I knew where it was going, and I was wrong. And I was so happy I was!

•Two women, Jasmine and Stephanie are from different worlds, but their paths cross on a flight to Denver. Both women send identical texts to their friends about meeting a man. After a few days, the texts begin to sound strange and unlike the women. Things spiral out of control from there.

•The Business Trip will be available on January 14, 2025. Thank you to @netgalley, @jessiegarcia_author, and @stmartinspress for this ARC.

The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia is a gripping debut thriller that will keep you on edge. With its fast-paced narrative and constant twists, it’s a ride from start to finish. The alternating viewpoints add depth, though some found it a bit confusing. Despite a few mixed reviews on character relatability and plot development, it’s a solid read for fans of suspense and psychological drama. If you're into thrillers with a twisty plot and multiple perspectives, this one's worth checking out.

The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia is told from alternating points of view. There are three parts to the story, and each part is told from multiple perspectives, which got confusing at times and tedious to get through.

There was a lot of information that wasn't needed and didn't add to the story or plot; it felt like a lot of filler information. I did not connect with any of the characters, so it took me quite a while to finish this book.

Overall, The Business Trip was just an okay read for me.

#NetGalley @StMartinsPress

UNPUTOWNABLE - GRIPPING - BEST WHODUNNIT of first quarter in 2025!

Jessie Garcia makes a fantastic debut with “The Business Trip”, a suspense thriller that I couldn’t put down a minute! As I used to take a ton of business trips on a regular basis, I was shocked at the possible devastation resulting from a kind conversation with a stranger on a plane! I mean how often would I give away conference or hotel locations and answer a bunch of personal questions as I didn’t expect to run into that person again.

But, what if?

Garcia deals exactly with this question and weaves a thrilling story about vengeance, gullibility, betrayal and murder.

The portrayal of the protagonists and their character development is to all readers‘ utmost satisfaction whilst Garcia leads us from Madison to San Diego over to Atlanta and Mexico in her book. The writing style is superb: Fluent and logical - my favourite! As Garcia is a news director herself, her insights into the world of news channels are refreshingly authentic!

I am so happy to have received an advanced copy of this book. Thanks Jessie Garcia & NetGalley. It’s the best whodunnit I read so far this year.

I loved the. Business Trip! Great premise with two unrelated strangers on a plane. Stephanie and Jasmine traveling for different reasons become enmeshed into a thrilling, cunning thriller where the reader really has no idea of how it will end. Fast paced, with twists galore! Recommended.

I struggled to get through this book - my heart broke for the characters as they went through their past relationships but it was hard to relate to them/

Garcia’s debut was SO MUCH FUN! I could not put this book down until i found out how it ended. It’s really best to go into this completely blind, the story twists and turns multiple times and the author does a fantastic job of weaving misdirections and its multiple moving parts made me so invested in this story. it’s definitely an over the top thriller with a few too many coincidences but it was just so readable that i didn’t care.

This book kept me wanting to turn the page but I felt there were too many points of view, becoming confusing at times. I did feel the twist at the end was shocking.

Thank you to netgalley for an advance copy. My opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Business Trip.

The premise of The Business Trip sounds very familiar, a Lifetime drama I've seen and/pr read before but I hoped the author would surprise me.

Unfortunately, The Business Trip didn't hit the mark for me for a number of reasons:

1. Heavy handed exposition in each chapter; for example, in Jasmine and Stephanie's POVs we get details outlining what they're eating for breakfast, putting on their makeup, a literal info dump.

2. When the mystery begins, so do the multiple POVs and boy, are they a doozy! At the same time, they added some urgency to the narrative but also it was confusing to remember who was who and how they related to the two female characters.

3. The biggest cliche found in nearly every domestic thriller I've read in the last few years is the 'twist' which is ridiculous, silly, and painfully hard to suspend disbelief for.

I thought Jasmine was a silly antagonist; her voice was immature, childish, and irresponsible and her reason for 'taking' Stephanie's life was just as dumb. That's not to say there aren't people who think like that but that made me dislike her more.

The writing was okay, but tedious and repetitive.

I didn't care about Jasmine, not even Stephanie; there wasn't even a dog to like since I don't like cats. I'm allergic.

I received a free digital ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this book well enough, but somehow it took me forever to finish. Maybe because I didn't much care for any of the characters. I felt there were some minor plot holes and certain twists felt predictable. That being said, I did like the multiple POVs, which I thought were well done.

This is a quick read and I really enjoyed the way the story was told from different viewpoints and timelines. The story follows two women both struggling with their lives /lifestyles. At one point I thought this would be a funny story where the two just changed places... haha! But this is a much more sinister story of what happens to these women and how others in their lives are affected. And even an unlikeable character getting framed - I almost felt bad for him! I have to admit I hoped for a happier ending - I was definitely surprised by all of the twists.

We meet our 2 FMC’s in part one and the next few parts are telling the story from the outside looking in via a number of different POV’s. It was a unique way to tell the story, but ultimately became convoluted and unbelievable. The speech choices for some of the characters also turned me off. While this will be for some, it was not for me.

I found myself getting into this book rather quickly! The beginning pulled me in from the start. I enjoyed the plot and the characters were very interesting to read about. I thought I had figured things out at one point (regarding the ending) but I was wrong- all of the twists were very well done. For an author’s debut, I felt this book was excellent. I’m excited to see the well deserved praise this will receive once it it’s published. The Business Trip is definitely a must read and one i recommend to other readers.

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

Thank you, St Martin's Press, for the gifted e-copy of The Business Trip {partner}

Genre: Mystery
Format: 🎧📖
Pub Date:  1.14.2025
Pages: 352
Star Rating: ☆☆

Y'all… I don't know where to begin with this book. It had SO much potential. The first 30% of the book was full of intrigue, mystery, and just enough uncertainty that I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.

But then the story changed, and we were privy to a different perspective of one of the characters, and the whole thing fell flat. 

I felt like the author just repeated everything from the book's first section, added a few quick (obvious) twists, and then plastered one of those cheap dollar-store plastic bows to the top and said, "Ta-da!".

It was a complete letdown, and my only hope is that the book has quite a bit of time before the actual publication, so maybe (hopefully) a few changes can be made to the storyline that would give it some redeeming qualities. Because, if I'm being honest, I think two stars are generous.

3.5/5
Today I am talking to you about Jessie Garcias debut book about a wild and crazy business trip. How wild and crazy?! Well buckle up for this plane ride because it’s not what you’d expect! In this book we meet Stephanie and Jasmine who actually don’t know each other. Stephanie is a business woman who is run ragged by her boss basically throwing her name in the hat for each business trip no one wants to go to. She’s getting sick of going and being the one who always has to sacrifice. Jasmine feels stuck in an abusive relationship and cannot get out…or can she? Jasmine gets creative and hops a flight where her path crosses with Stephanie. And both then vanish. 😱 All communication goes dark. Except for this man named Trent. Who is he and how is he involved? You’ll just have to read to find out!

I was very intrigued from the get go in this one which made it easy to become addicted to and want to keep going. I was very intrigued to see how these women’s paths would cross. There was a good amount of tension and suspense the whole way through. This is the type of book that you’ll need to suspend belief for because the twists did seem far fetched to what would happen in real life. My favorite part of the book is how the author truly made it so you could not trust anyone. 👀

This book is fantastic! It grips you from the very first few pages. I am not joking when I say it had my heart racing in the first chapter.

You follow along with Jasmine and Stephanie as they both try to escape their past and live a new one. Jasmine is trying to escape an abusive relationship with her boyfriend (trigger warning), and Stephanie is looking for a break from her single, fast-paced life as a news director.

While I usually think multiple POVs (there are probably 20 different POVs in this story) can be very confusing, the way this was done was not confusing at all and added so much to the story. I have never read a book where the multiple POVs were done in the way this one was done. All the secondary characters' POVs, which usually are unnecessary, were incredibly important to setting up the story and gathering the full picture.

There is not an overabundance of details (which I loved because I am not a fan of too many details), and the ones that were provided are important.

This was a fast-paced book that I could not put down. Jessica makes you fall in love with characters and makes you hate others, as if you have personal relationships with these people. The twists kept coming and will keep you engaged until the very last page. I recommend this book if you are someone who enjoys mysteries and suspense without all the gore. The best thriller I have read this year by far!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sharing The Business Trip reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was definitely not about an ordinary business trip, but one filled to the brim with twists. By far the best psychological thriller book I have read so far this year! The plot was unique and kept my attention from the first page. The story was told by many different characters in the book. There weren't too many characters, just enough to build a very wicked plot. Nothing on the surface is what it seems. Be prepared to be manipulated and deceived. I can't wait for more books by this author.