The Business Trip by Jesse Garcia is a fast paced murder mystery with plot twists all the way to the epilogue. I enjoyed the chapters being set up from different character points of view and the premise of the story wherein two women are leaving on trips to the same destination and something clearly goes wrong, leaving us guessing the further the book goes. That said, I found so many of the characters unlikeable that at a certain point I was just hastily reading to get to the end and see what happened. I guess I stopped enjoying the reading. Part of this is related to the style which is mainly quick judgment type phrases and thoughts about others, told from each person’s point of view. The descriptions are short and stereotyped which allows the reader to get the gist quickly, but also left me wanting more depth. The strength in the book lies in forcing the reader to think about how easily some of these events could occur to the unsuspecting, and how AI and modern technology can be leveraged in such nefarious ways.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for allowing me to read this ARC.

The novel starts with the introduction of two characters who are leaving town and end up on the same airplane. We are introduced to each briefly and then they just disappear from the narrative. We then meet a succession of secondary characters and it is slowly revealed that the women are missing and/or being impersonated via out-of-character text messages.

I found the story structuring puzzling. Are we expected to be as frustrated (like all their friends, etc.) by not knowing what happened to these women? I found it annoying. Toward the end of the story we do get insight to what was happening "off camera" but the reveal that one of the women was actually a full-blown unlikeable sociopath did not makeme to appreciate the story more.

This book was offered to me via an email by the publisher via NetGalley so thanks to both for the opportunity to read and review.

3.5 stars out of 5.

This book was full of twists and turns. I was immediately drawn into the book and I really enjoyed the multiple POVs from the different characters. The chapters were pretty short and left you hanging so I felt I needed to keep on reading on to find out what happens next. I did enjoy reading most of the book but towards the middle I could not stand Jasmine or any of the characters really. They needed to be developed more plus the ending was rushed and there were a lot of plot holes. Overall though, it was an entertaining fast paced thriller.

In The Business Trip we meet Jasmine and Stephanie. Jasmine just left an abusive relationship and had plans to head from Madison to Denver. Stephanie works for a news station and is heading to a business conference in San Diego. Both the women are on the same flight to Denver where Stephanie needs to switch planes for California. Without giving too much away, both women appear to be missing and Trent McCarthy seems to be in the middle of it. But is he really?

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thriller debut that I happily grabbed, and glad that I did! A thrilling twisty book with multiple perspectives, definitely had you on your toes the entire time! I did like how the author switched between so many different characters, so I could see how everyone was thinking as opposed to one or two main characters. A few of the plot twists were slightly unbelievable, but if you put that out of your mind and go along with the storyline, you will absolutely be entertained!

I would happily read another one by this author.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC, all opinions are my own

I really wanted to love this book. It had such a promising premise, but just fell flat. The plot holes were HUGE, the characters were not particularly well developed or likable, and the dialogue felt cheesy and forced.

Slow to start but what a ride! I did not see any of that coming and you honestly won’t know who to root for until the very last page. Highly recommend.

Finished up @jessiegarcia_author ‘s debut thriller THE BUSINESS TRIP and absolutely LOVING it. This is one you’ll definitely want to check out early next year! Pub date set for 01.14.25 be sure to add to your tbr asap!

A solid 5⭐️ read with such a cool plot. Two women with totally different backgrounds are boarding the same flight. One is escaping an abusive relationship and the other is just headed to a business trip. But then each appear to go missing after the flight and their friends are desperately searching for answers.

There are a lot of characters introduced but it’s so easy to fall along with! Sometimes an abundance of characters makes it difficult to keep up with but it was written so well that it’s not a problem with this one 🤍

thanks to @netgalley, @stmartinspress + the author for my advanced copy of this great book!!

This convoluted tale of murderous mistaken identity, fraud, and the schemings of a person who cannot be sane left me as cold as an iceberg.

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley.

This was a fun and twisty read. The switching perspectives didn’t really do much for me, and a lot of the voices blended together with not a lot of individuality. There was also a lot of telling vs showing—recounting action rather than being in the action. Some of the coincidences and decisions felt a bit over the top. Overall though a fun debut.

This was a solid read. I was hooked from the first chapter. I did find it a little confusing at first to keep up with the multiple point of views but they were each written with such description that it became easier at the 1/2 way point.

I thought I had it figured out but I was mistaken. I did not see the plot twist and the ending had me even more shocked.

The only thing I didn’t like was the ending. It definitely left me hanging and I wanted so much more closure. A final chapter of Jasmine would have been nice.

Thank you St Martins Press and NetGalley for this Advance Readers Copy ebook in exchange for my honest review.

This book certainly was a surprise. At times it felt like watching a train wreck, but yet you couldn't look away, or in my case stop reading. The characters did not have a lot of depth, and at times were cliched, but the twists and turns made it all worthwhile. I would recommend giving it a read, I think you will find yourself surprised.

“The Business Trip” is an excellent thriller debut with a unique writing format that keeps you turning pages through the night.

The plot follows Stephanie and Jasmine whose paths cross when they board the same flight to Denver. Stephanie is travelling for a business conference and Jasmine is on the run from her abusive boyfriend. The way their lives cross over is unexpected to say the least.

When reading the synopsis I expected to immediately be on board the flight with the two women seeing how they interact. I was pleasantly surprised to see that after a small intro for each woman, the author completely diverted us through multiple character points of outside characters whom have connections to the main characters.

Through their thoughts we begin to see that something unusual is happening in the days following the flight and we begin to wonder what the heck is going on. It isn’t until the second half of the book that we are pulled back in time to see just how exactly we ended up there.

I loved how unique the plot was. I enjoyed all the different POV, even though there was so many of them I always knew exactly who was talking because of the way they flowed so nicely together patching you through the timeline consecutively.

I loved this book overall. My only qualms was the ending which i personally felt got a little too far fetched in the last three chapters and Jasmines character seemed to do a 180 to me. However there was one component to the ending i was glad for. This book makes for a great debate / conversational topic and would suit book clubs well.

Thank you to Jessie Garcia, St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the EARC!

Publish date: January 14th 2024

Wow! This is a riveting debut that will have you turning pages late into the night. It is a labyrinth of twists and turns with a breathtaking finale.

Stephanie is headed to a conference and ends up on the same flight as Jasmine, who is fleeing an abusive relationship. As seatmates, they strike up a short conversation, nothing more than triviality, and say goodbye on landing. So when they both disappear, it’s difficult to put the puzzle pieces together. They both have ties to the same man who was at Stephanie’s conference, but the leads end there. Oh, what a tangled web they weave.

Fantastic premise, told from multiple POV’s, edge-of-your-seat drama, and a sinister plot. What more does a reader need? I will definitely be looking for more from this author. Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced reader copy.

Thanks to NetGalley for my gifted copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. I read this book over the course of a couple day Hawaiian vacation and what a great beach read it was! The Business trip is a fast paced whodunnit that had a fun twist at the end.
The story follows several characters but focuses on Jasmine and Stephanie. It is told via multiple perspectives and keeps te reader guessing right to the end. Solid 4 stars!

Business trip was definitely a twisty thriller but the only semi likeable character was off screen for a majority of the book. I'm okay with reading about unlikeable characters as long as the prose or plot is interesting enough. Unfortunately that was not the case.

Sleep is for those unfortunate people that aren't reading this book. Absolutely amazing, it was hard to put down to do stupid, responsible adult things.
Rooting for the good guy? Rooting for the bad guy? It came to a satisfying end.

Hard to believe this is a debut book. I look forward to more from this author in the future.

Perfect blend of complex characters, plot twists galore, and great psychological suspense. Don't miss it.
Couldn't put it down Very interesting read of various individuals attending a business conference.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Two women meet on a flight in San Diego. One is headed to a work conference, the other is escaping an abusive relationship. When both women depart from the plane, it appears to be the end of their story. However both of their loved ones receive texts that from the women stating they have fallen for with a guy named Trent, who is sweet but mean sometimes. How could this be possible? You'll have to read more to find out!

This book was very fast paced and quick to read. I loved the authors ability to switch between multiple POVs and still keep true to each character. I can imagine that was a daunting task. This is a light, easy thriller I'd say. Very reminiscent of some of our favorite thriller writers like B.A. Paris and Gillian Flynn. I see a lot of success in this author's future and recommend this book to those who love a good multiple POV thriller.

This book was really well written and twisty and I was absolutely not expecting the last 10 percent of it. Truthfully, I wasn't expecting SEVERAL things in this one. I was actually really rooting for Jasmine, because I felt she deserved a better life after all she'd been through. I'll leave it to the reader to find out if that happens ornot, though....,. I REALLY enjoyed the way the story unfolded, with multiple points of view and different narratives. It definitely added layers to the book- this was a literary onion, in the best way. Absolutely will be recommending this, and I'm excited to see what Jessie Garcia will write next.

I received an ARC of this debut novel through NetGalley.

Fast-paced and a page-turner. Those are well-worn book descriptions but are totally fitting for this twisty mystery. I read this in just a bit over a day. Not because the book was short, but because I couldn't wait to see what would happen next.

The plot is very, very clever. It is about two women who meet each other on a plane and wind up getting involved with a man who was a news director for an Atlanta TV station. One of the women is a news director also for a Madison, Wisconsin station, while the other is escaping an abusive relationship with a man, altering her identity in hopes of starting a new life.

The characters are rather extreme, eccentric in different ways. The plot is the star of this book. The author takes you on quite the ride, with a very solid resolution and conclusion at the end.