The writing style did not work for me. I'm sure other readers might click with it more. There was too much info dumping and telling not showing going on and so the flow felt off and I couldn't get into it and had to DNF.

Started off with a lot of promise, but became unhinged (and not in a good way). The second half felt like reading the first draft of a thriller where the author writes down every single idea and nothing is edited out.

I like to read a book by an unknown author, and even more so when it is a debut novel. This book, Jessie Garcia's debut, sounded promising with its intriguing plot. Unfortunately, it fell short on the delivery.

Jasmine and Stephanie meet on a long flight. Jasmine is fleeing an abusive relationship, and Stephanie is going to yet another conference for her television newsroom. Although they are far apart on the socioeconomic ladder, they find common ground. A few days after the flight, they both disappear after apparently meeting the same man. Both are in contact with friends and business associates through texts, but as the texts become more alarming, the fate of the two women comes into question. Who is this mystery man, and what has happened to the two women?

Told from multiple POVs and numerous text messages, it is quickly apparent that everything is not as it should be. The reader is led down a winding path of clues as more is revealed about the two women and the mystery man. I was sucked into the story at the beginning as I tried to figure out what was happening. The suspense is good, but I had a problem accepting the twists as the story became more complex, and it became harder to suspend disbelief. Overall, this is a good first effort, but it is sometimes hard to swallow. 3/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is January 14, 2025.

Ok now this was a great debut novel! I could not put this book down and I look forward to reading more by this author in the future. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin Press for this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review!

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.

This book is poorly written, characters are ridiculous (are they 40 or 16??), plot defies all ability to suspend disbelief, "twists" were horribly predictable. I hated every second I spent reading this book.

Wow! What a fantastic debut! I totally loved this book! Gripping from start to finish. I could not put it down. Crazy roller coaster ride with no idea who to trust. Excellent storytelling. Highly recommend.
Thank you NetGalley, Jessie Garcia and St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

4.5/5
I loved how this book was written! Each part had different narrators and we learned bits and pieces from their point of views as the book progressed. We never really know what exactly is happening, which I LOVED! Unreliable narrators and suspense are my jam! The ending was shocking! My jaw literally dropped. I loved this popcorn thriller!

I had a hard time getting into this one, and was trying to decide if I was going to push through or DNF; ultimately I pushed through and it did get better. This wasn’t a knockout read for me, but it did pick up and get a little more twist and entertaining. I did enjoy the different perspectives to the same situation, but the further into the book I got, I did start skimming some of the less interesting parts that I had already read through. The last part of the book was the most action - packed, having me trying to read as fast as I could to figure out what was happening and HOW a major twist happened. If the synopsis sounds interesting to you, I think The Business Trip would be worth picking up.
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Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Sometimes you pick up a book and the words just grab you. Your interest is sparked and you just have to find out how it all ends. "The Business Trip", is that kind of book. Not all the characters are likable. But in thrillers, that often is the case.

From the moment I began reading it, whenever I put the book down, I just kept thinking about it. There are twists and turns that are delicious! It is fast paced. And it is a terrific story, indeed. The writing was great and I just loved every moment I spent with it. I highly recommend, " The Business Trip".

The risk with having so many first person point-of-views in a book is the risk that some or all sound the same and that there’ll be a lack of development because of how many here are. Unfortunately, I felt that here. I had trouble distinguishing whose head I was in. There was also a little too much telling (paragraphs of explanations and I needed more showing and action).

If you are a fan of Freida McFadden, you will like this one! The characters are so unlikeable and the twists keep coming! With Multiple POVs the pieces come together at the very end! Some of the chapters are long but it reads really quick! Perfect for a day read on the beach or cozy on the couch!

I really wanted to like this one given all of the good reviews. But this one just fell for me. The beginning started off great, but around the middle point, it really slowed down. I did appreciate all of the POV’s, but I didn’t find any characters like able. Overall a decent, quick read, just wasn’t my favorite.

Not what I was expecting….nothing is as it seems. Hard to give a review without giving anything away, but this book was twisty and crazy and I loved it!

This was a fun, fast-paced read. We meet Jasmine and Stephanie at the start as they’re each planning a trip, one to flee an abusive boyfriend and the other to a work conference. Not too far into the book, the POVs change and we learn about Stephanie’s experience at the conference through her coworkers when she doesn’t return from her trip, instead following a fellow news director to Atlanta.

I won’t go into too much details to avoid spoiling things, but it’s the kind of book that is filled with assumptions and misdirects. I had some suspicions early on, but couldn’t piece together what had happened. The more points of view and chapters begins to fill in the blanks and paint the fuller picture.

It’s interesting since we don’t spend much time getting to know the two women in the beginning, you default into being sympathetic to them when maybe they don’t deserve it.

Certainly a clever read.



(SPOILER: However, I have to say I struggled with the idea that one character was clever enough to make everything come together but also needed to be taught how to use Uber. It was a minor detail that I was very hung up one since they were so smart in plotting their crimes, it seemed silly to need to learn that app.)

I enjoyed this one, but it didn't keep me on the edge of my seat like I originally thought it would. All of the different POVs was a bit confusing at first. I also don't love that kind of writing in general. A few chapters here or there with a POV is fine for me, but the multitude of them in this book, had my head spinning a little bit. All in all, the story line was well thought out amd had twists in all of the correct places.

This book is a debut by the author. This was a twisty thriller and kept me intrigued until the end. I felt the ending was a little bit unbelievable but overall this was a fun read. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Wow, wow, wow! I ended up loving this book!!! At first, I was getting annoyed because I was like what is the point of any of this? It was driving me nuts! But then the book totally shocked me and I couldn’t put it down! I mean those twists! That ending!? What?! Hang in there at the beginning because you are embarking on a wild ride! What a fun read!!!

Twisty, turny, rollercoaster of a thriller! The Business Trip sails along through abusive relationships, despicable people, mysterious crimes and then WHAM! Several surprises explode in the story and end rushes forward with unexpected moments. Great plot thunderbolts!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Do you like twists and turns in a murder mystery? If you do this one is for you. I definitely did not see most of these twists coming. For a while you can't even tell the good guy from the bad guy. Jasmine leaves her abusive boyfriend. Stephanie has gone on a work trip. Both appear to vanish. Dead or alive? Told from varying character's points of view, this one will keep you reading far into the night.
Thanks to #NetGalley#TheBusinessTrip#StMartinsPress for a most enjoyable EARC