4 Stars!

The Business Trip was a fast pace and exciting read! From the first chapter I was hooked. This is a must read for anyone who loves a good whodunit.

The story opens up with Jasmine who is trying to escape her abusive relationship. She is determined to leave her partner and previous life for good no matter what the costs. We then meet Stephanie who is a news director that is traveling to another news conference. She is divorced with an adult child and feels her boss takes advantage of the situation. This is her fourth conference in six months. What do these two women have in common? Not much except for being on the same flight and both vanishing after meeting the same guy!

This is a multiple pov story that is executed effectively. It is broken into four parts. Each part has different charter’s pov which gives important insight to the story.

As you’re reading The Business Trip you might think you know what is going to happen, but I promise you don’t!

Thank you St- Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and Jessie Garcia for an advance reading copy of this book.

I can't wait for everyone to read The Business Trip! It was a one sitting read for me because I just too engaged in the "mystery" and where it was heading. We meet two women who lead very different lives and somehow they are intertwined through death. The chapters are short, fast paced, with multiple POV's from all interesting characters that build the story.
Some of the characters were so vulgar that you truly bought into the story and couldn't help but imagine their downfall. As a season mystery reader, I couldn't predict the ending. I recommend this read!

Envy and vengeance prove to be a deadly combination in this wildly unpredictable thriller. I enjoyed the different POVs and was entertained and surprised by how all the pieces cleverly came together. The plot is intense and intriguing with unexpected twists throughout. This is an impressive debut. I look forward to reading more thrillers by Jessica Garcia in the future. Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my copy.

The Business Trip

My first book by Jessica Garcia had me sitting on the edge of my seat in the very first chapter!

As a an avid reader of fiction thrillers, I actually discovered I was holding my breath as Jasmine describes what she is up against! Cliché? Maybe, but it’s true!

Then there’s Stephanie…

Two women, one on the brink of burnout and the other in search of a better life with a peculiar “connection” that quickly put me in a mode that wanted to know more!

An easy to read page-turner with plausible twists, I couldn’t help but feel for both of these women and what they had gone through to end up where they were in life.

You’re definitely going to think twice about your next business trip!

Enjoy!

I loved the plot summary of this book but just couldn't get interested in the book. I think it is solely reader-error/mood and I will attempt it a third time (sometimes you just need to be in a particular mood to read a thriller). It was obvious in the first few pages that SOMETHING big is going to happen.

This... was so silly lol. Okay, for the latter half of the book, I was nearing a 3.5 star for a few reasons. First, the writing - all the first person POVs read the same. There's also a lot of telling, not showing. The writing just fell flat in a bunch of areas for me. But! I really loved the organization! The way it starts with the two womens' POVs, then switches to their friends/family after the fact. Then to Trent's view. THEN back to the reveal. I did guess the first major twist before it happened, but I didn't guess the last one - and that was silly bananas. But so silly bananas that it kind of boosted my enjoyment up to a 4 star. The premise of the book was interesting and lived up to that, for sure.

Wow! How did Jasmine and Stephanie, from two different walks of life, end up on a plane together and disappearing with a text to loved ones saying they were with the same man? The answer to these questions will build up and burst out at the end. Great book!

Wow!!!
Wow wow wow!!!!!!
The twists and turns!
I was hooked from the beginning!
Could not out it down!!!

There were a few typos I wish I could contact someone about, but other than that, it was very well written!
I love how each chapter is a different person's POV instead of being told in 3rd person pov.
I Love the structure.
The more I read, the more I wanted to know!

The read felt lengthy but in no way was that negative! Everything was relevant and I could not get enough of the tea!
Although there were a lot of characters, each character POV reeling me in more!

Thank you so much for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review! I can not wait to buy a physical copy!

The Business Trip, by Jessie Garcia, is a new suspense story with lots of twists and an appealing murderous motive. This came close to being a top thriller, but some parts were too explicitly spelled out, in a way that felt repetitive and anti-climactic.

That’s about all I can say without any spoilers slipping out, so stop here until you’ve read the book!

Jasmine sneaks away from her terrible boyfriend while he’s asleep, taking a suitcase full of dirty clothes she could silently grab from the bedroom floor, and paying cash for a same-day flight to Denver to start over. On the flight, she’s seated with Stephanie, who’s on her way to a news conference. Similar ages and appearance, but Jasmine’s life couldn’t be more different.

Through this novel, I particularly liked the modern and feminine reinventions of elements that worked so well in the classic suspense story The Talented Mr Ripley. Detailed travel plans as either alibi or clues, carefully framing someone else, a lower-class person inhabiting a higher-class life, with careful mimicry of expectations, a clever and ruthless villain you don’t really want to get caught, and more. The Business Trip is in no way a retelling or even particularly inspired-by, of course, but many of the elements resonated. I loved seeing a careful and ruthless Jasmine, setting up whatever she needed to do to get the life she wanted.

Some parts of the story in The Business Trip are laid out carefully — of course Jasmine can hide in a crowd, after that semester of cosmetology school and some smart Goodwill shopping, she can change her appearance enough to blend in well. Of course Trent would be easily manipulated by the hint of sexual interest, we’ve all met a guy who thinks he’s every woman’s dream date and that he just has to ignore her rejections until she says yes. This description grounds the thriller elements into a realistic, (mostly) believable story.

And then some parts are… too clear. Although I liked going through Jasmine’s plans carefully, sometimes it was too detailed. Once we’d seen the text thread from Lucy’s perspective, heard her telling her coworkers about the trap she was setting, seen her set the trap, and seen everyone react to it, I’m not sure if we also needed to see the text thread from Jasmine’s perspective. This slows the pace of a twisty page-turner down to case notes.

3.5🌟
Two women - One flight!
Each board that airplane for different reasons.
Jasmine is fleeing an abusive relationship.
Stephane is on her way to a conference.

Once their paths cross….🧨

I was drawn in right from the start! The storyline is told from the POV of both women (and a few supporting characters) leading up to the flight. I could not put it down! Any spare minute I would sneak in a chapter or two! Was absolutely gripping, chocked full of suspense! Everything I want in a thriller.

THEN…Que the sound of screeching brakes at the 50% mark as the entire feel of the book changed. Frustratingly, there was too much explanation and not enough action. Much of the story was retold as though the author felt she needed to break-down everything to the reader. But she didn’t…we got it and loved it and wished you would have just run with that.😩

This was a debut thriller, and with the potential I experienced in reading the first half I will definitely be watching for her next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press.

This is definitely a book where going in blind is the best way to enjoy it. It’s full of intricate details and moving parts, but the author weaves them together so skillfully that its never feels confusing. If you love stories with lots of layers and surprising twists, this one’s for you. Even though the pace does slow down a bit in the second half, it still keeps you hooked and turning pages right to the end. I’d definitely recommend giving it a read!

I had mixed feelings about this book for a while but ultimately, it wasn't for me. The first 60% had me so hooked and I really liked it. After that point it took a turn that changed the whole story and I felt like it soured the plot.

The characters were a mix of good and bad. Some likeable and some not. They had a good amount of development and just enough backstory. The writing was easy to read and the story had a nice flow. The plot overall had good potential but the twists didn't hit the mark, in my opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC of this book!

“The Business Trip” is a debut fiction novel by Jessie Garcia. This book is written is different parts - the first part sets up the main story. Two women - Jasmine and Stephanie - don’t know each other, but end up as row mates on an airplane. As the story unfolds, it becomes evident that both Jasmine and Stephanie have decided to go off to Atlanta with the same man, per texts and messages they leave for their friends. When both women end up dead, Part two begins, where the reader hears more from the secondary characters. Part three (or so) fills in a number of the holes of the plot, giving the reader some back story - but also (sadly) begins repeating things from the other parts. Was this a great book - no. Was it a book that kept my interest - yes. Did I find it believable - uh, no. I didn’t like the last twist (really?) and I really really disliked the final line of the book. And although I didn’t like a number of the characters, I did feel sorry for one of them because that person was framed. Was all the backstory for one of the characters necessary - eh, maybe, but it was a bit disturbing. I did find the sections about the news room interesting - since the author is a reporter, those parts seemed authentic. I think this book was clever - sometimes a bit too clever (especially that ending). Overall, a 3.75 star read from me, rounded up to 4.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an early copy of The Business Trip. It started out a bit far fetched but by the end I knew WHY. I did like Trent even though his emotional maturity was of a 15 year old boy. The story is intriguing but then at 50 % WHOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! I was wondering WHAT IS HAPPENING??? Jasmine is CRAZY!!! Very, very good plot. The ending was sooooo blah though, not a good ending at all.

The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia
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Stephanie and Jasmine have nothing in common. They board the same plane to Denver together by chance. Days later they each text friends similar erratic messages that involve the same man. Then they disappear.
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What I liked:
-This book really hooked me from the get go. We meet both Staphanie and Jasmine in the first two chapters and learn why each of them need to board this flight to Denver. Those two chapters did such a great job and made me care about both of the characters.
-Then we meet the friends who are getting the messages and it was great to see how the messages slowly went off the rails. I had my theories fully forming throughthese chapters.
-The last part of the book was were all the twists were, and there were a least a couple! They were wild and crazy.
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The ending wasn’t really what I was expecting and I wasn’t as happy with it as I would have liked.
If you are a fan of twisty books then I would love to hear your thoughts on The Business Trip!

The Business Trip is a thriller about two women and their journey on this twisted business trip. I was intrigued from the very beginning about these two very different women and the one interaction they had on a plane. While there we headed in completely different life direction their lives soon began to intertwine. Jessie Garcia had Avery interesting storyline and created something amazing with it. I was drawn in from the different perspectives of the character's. The reader was able to see every point of view every step of the way. There was mystery and intrigue throughout the book. Just when you think you know it all there is more to the story. I also enjoyed reading where the inspiration of this novel came from. Garcia herself found that these little interactions that we have with strangers may have more meaning than we thought. I really enjoyed the novel I think it was written very well and clear. I think there was a bit of repetitiveness with the text messages and the retelling the story. The end could have used a few more details, but overall very good.

P.S.
I think chapter 32 has a few errors in grammar.

This one started off strong! Jasmine is trying to escape an abusive relationship and Stephanie is trying to escape her everyday routine. I loved the perspective of the different characters. Although I loved the start of this one, it began to slow down for my after the second half and I started to get a tad bit bored. I would definitely check out more of her books though!!

I absolutely loved this one! So fast paced, kept me guessing until the very end!!! I cannot wait to read more from this author!

Thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Where to begin with this… I am a natural thriller lover. It’s one of my favorite genres and this one sounded so good. I was excited to get into it. My actual rating is a 3.5/5.

For the most part, I enjoyed the writing style, but the first twist felt a little predictable. I didn’t see the second one coming, but that felt kinda random, honestly. I really liked what I was reading and I wanted to continue to reading. It may have just simply been me. I would read more from Garcia and if you like twisty thrillers, I’d recommend this one! Don’t let my review discourage you from wanting to read this.

WOW! This was just WOW! So much going on I couldn't put it down! Loved the fast pace of the story. Quite a few red herrings had my brain spinning as to what was going to be the end result. The last twist was a bit of a disappointment though. But overall, I was on the edge of my seat!