OMG! This book! WOW!

Told in four parts by several POV, this story is so good and unbelievable! The twists and turns are non-stop!
Jasmine and Stephanie sit together on a plane to San Diego. Jasmine is escaping an abusive boyfriend and Stephanie is going to a work conference. Both women disappear and both are possibly murdered by the same man. What happens on the plane? How can they both vanish and who is Trent McCarthy?

This book is clever and very devious! My kind of crazy story! This one is hard to put down and I almost read it in one sitting!

Gripping, Suspenseful, and Jaw-Dropping! 5 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy! This book will be released 1/14/25.

I'm not going to give a star rating on Goodreads because I don't want to pull down the average and I appreciate that every author puts their heart and soul into their debut. I also love the cover. This book is clearly an attempt at capturing the magic of <i>Gone Girl</i>, with its twists and diabolical female character(s), but the writing doesn't come close to that of its predecessor. The premise starts out strong, but quickly goes off the rails. I will say, it kept my attention enough to finish the book, but I think that may have been merely to see how the author managed to dig herself out of the plot holes that were created. Spoiler alert: it just gets more outrageous and unbelievable as she tries to stitch things together. The biggest issue for me, though, is that none of the characters are likable or believable. The men are one-dimensional 'baddies', possessing zero positive qualities, yet are somehow self aware enough to reflect that <i>"...it made the devil in me expand. Every hair on my head was angry. My devil had a pitchfork in his hand and flames behind him and was taunting me to do something..."</i>, and <i>"We all knew men made better leaders. I would never say that out loud, of course, or the woke mafia would come after me, but everyone knew it was the damn truth.</i> Meanwhile, the female main character, Jasmine, has pretty much no plan and zero legitimate motivation for her actions <spoiler>are we supposed to believe that she falls into two murders, without any forethought?! What was even the point of the first murder, when she was in high school?</spoiler>. Unlike the brilliant Amy Dunne, who we love to hate-- or hate to love-- or even the delicious <i>Last Mrs. Parrish</i>, Jasmine lacks all cleverness, so there's never any part of us that wants her to win.
All of this aside, I will say that the book moves along at a clip and it definitely juts off in unexpected directions. I could see this working for a certain subset of readers, namely BookTokers and Lifetime movie lovers.

Thank you, NetGalley and St Martin's Press for this eARC to read and review. Pub date: January 2025.

I read a lot of books by St Martin's Press and almost always love them. I love mysteries and thrillers as a rule! But I did not love this book.

I disliked the one-dimensional abusive relationship between Jasmine and her boyfriend that the book opens with. I was hopeful when we switched to TV news manager Stephanie's POV, as she seemed a more balanced and nuanced character.

We get some extraneous POVs, including Jasmine's bartender friend, Stephanie's co-workers and neighbor. I hoped those 'normal' characters would add appropriate weight and logic to the book, but no such luck.

By the 50% mark we had learned a lot about Jasmine's history (reveal #1), which made the entire second half of the book unpleasant and stretching credibility in countless ways. Jasmine's character progression as written was so wildly inconsistent I couldn't buy it, and Trent was a caricature. The only reasonable people were Stephanie's work colleagues, but the author didn't write too much about them. And by the last 5-10% we get reveal #2, which stretched credibility even more in ways I can't even write about.

I just learned a term reading another review: hate-reading. I'll modify that term to 'hate-speed-reading,' which is what I did for most of this book. If you are an avid reader who enjoys well crafted characters, plots and logical reveals, I would pass on this, sorry to say. 1.5-stars rounded up for the author pulling together a series of reveals and making a book of them that will be published.

Jasmine is leaving her abuse boyfriend, and her life. She wants a life with money, nice clothes, etc. However, to get there, she needs another woman. She meets Stephanie on a plane, and thru some tricky moves, she because Stephanie...even after her death.
This story is told with so many twists and turns! I will definitely be following this author after reading the debut!!!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin Press for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review

The Business Trip by Jessica Garcia is a captivating thriller that I really enjoyed.
A really unique premise.

Synoposis:

Stephanie and Jasmine have nothing and everything in common. The two women don’t know each other but are on the same plane. Stephanie is on a business trip and Jasmine is fleeing an abusive relationship. After a few days, they text their friends the same exact messages about the same man—the messages becoming stranger and more erratic.

And then the two women vanish. The texts go silent, the red flags go up, and the panic sets in. When Stephanie and Jasmine are each declared missing and in danger, it begs the questions: Who is Trent McCarthy? What did he do to these women— or what did they do to him?

Twist upon twist, layer upon layer, where nothing is as it seems, The Business Trip takes you on a descent into the depths of a mastermind manipulator. But who is playing who?

Absolutely LOVED IT!

WOW what an ARC! Like, I can’t even begin to explain the WHIPLASH I got from this read 💀

Everything I thought I knew what was going on… well, let’s be honest. I never knew 😅 I’m so good at guessing twists but I was really shocked where this story ended up!

Like, I don’t post spoilers in my reviews, so I can’t say much. BUT. I’ll say this. Wherever you think this story is going, you’re wrong. Straight up. I felt myself rooting for different characters every few chapters. I found myself questioning what was really happening. I was DESPERATE to see how everything came together.

There were even times I was like “this is so unrealistic.” But then they even address it at the end! Like the cracks form before your eyes and it isn’t ignored, ya know? Sure, some things seem beyond belief, but it’s also a thriller book so 🤷‍♀️ I can’t say a lot without spoiling anything, BUT. I will say this. It was fast-paced, entertaining, twisty, and a fun read!

I really enjoyed this book. It sucked me right in from the beginning, kept me guessing and completely blindsided me multiple times in the end.
We first meet Jasmine, who is escaping her life and abusive boyfriend. She meets Stephanie on a plane and they strike up a conversation, making Jasmine excited for her future life. Soon, both Stephanie and Jasmine go missing. The only thing they have in common is one man - Trent McCarthy.
Both women text their friends that they met this man, but things aren’t adding up. You’ll enjoy this fast paced book. I only subtracted one star because the final twist lost me a little. I still highly recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley, Jessie Garcia and St. Martins Press for the ARC!

Buckle up, folks, because “The Business Trip” is anything but business as usual. Meet Stephanie, a professional with a job that requires travel, and Jasmine, who’s saying goodbye to her old life and taking flight—literally. These two women don’t know each other, but they’ve got one thing in common: they both end up on the same flight with a guy named Trent McCarthy. And let's just say, things get… weird.

At first, it seems like a typical story of two women crossing paths with the same charming guy. But when their text messages to friends start looking like they were copy-pasted from the same creepy script, it’s clear something's up. And then—plot twist—they vanish. Suddenly, everyone’s wondering: Where did Stephanie and Jasmine go? And who is Trent McCarthy? Did he do something sinister, or did these women pull off the ultimate tag-team takedown?

Cue the paranoia, plot twists, and red herrings. Is Trent the puppet master, or are Stephanie and Jasmine masterminding a revenge plot that would make Hitchcock proud? Trust no one and suspect everyone, because “The Business Trip” is a rollercoaster of manipulation, mystery, and double-crossing. You'll be questioning who’s the predator, who’s the prey, and if you can ever trust another business trip again.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review “The Business Trip” prior to publication.

thanks to netgalley & st. martin's press for the free earc in exchange for a fair and honest review!

this was pretty good. it takes a ridiculous amount to actually surprise me in mystery novels, and this didn't really do it for me, but it was still a pretty good story. if you're looking for something with deep characters, this isn't it — almost every man in the story is a horrible person, and the women are righteous enough but very misguided and shallow at times.
this book seems like it was written with absolutely no planning, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the stream-of-consciousness writing style didn't quite work at times. to its credit, this book never bored me for longer than a couple of pages, but i also found the writing style a bit juvenile at times.
there's nothing i abhor about this book—it was good enough, the story was fine, and the plot was acceptable—but also nothing i absolutely adored.
read this if you: want an easy and interesting mystery, like mysteries with fake identities or technology, or are very bored.

I had a very hard time liking this story. From the beginning, we were jumping around multiple povs, none of which were settled in the end. Many of which, dropped off completely. I think that many of the POVs could have been taken out all together. The premise had potential and I was excited to read it once I saw it was approved, but it fell flat. From the characters to the execution of the story itself.

I read this book in a night, it’s not a difficult read. However, I didn’t have hopes I would enjoy the ending of the story. I was surprised by some things, but the ending did not make sense.

Jasmine's life takes a drastic turn as she quietly escapes from her abusive boyfriend, determined to board a flight to Denver. Meanwhile, Stephanie, a seasoned news director, is en route to a conference, with Denver merely a stopover on her journey.

Told through alternating storylines from multiple perspectives, this gripping narrative unfolds with a domino effect, impacting not just Jasmine and Stephanie, but also the lives of those around them. As fate intertwines these two women on a single flight, the story explores what destiny has in store for them and those connected to their paths.

This fast-paced thriller kept me on the edge of my seat, with an anxious intensity that made it hard to put down. Although the ending stretches the bounds of plausibility, the unexpected twists kept me engaged throughout. While the character depth and backstories felt somewhat shallow, the story’s quick pace maintained my interest, delivering an overall enjoyable read.

Thank you Netgalley for this advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

I'm so shook. This was wild. I really expected something else from this. The twists and turns had me surprised! Poor Jasmine. And it's wild about the end as well. I'm just all around in shock. Though I felt the ending was a bit rushed *hence the 1 star off*, otherwise this was a wonderful read. I loved the back and forth and all of the characters involved as it truly gave more depth to the storyline and the suspense of the "whodunit" factor. 4 stars!

I received this ARC from St Martin's Press and NetGalley to read/review. All of the statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book.

This started out as a typical mystery not too exciting, I assumed I had it all figured out….Was I pleasantly surprised at the turn of events.

super thrilling and downright addicting!! i loved this from start to finish. it was such a quick read because the content itself was so addicting you couldn't put the book down. i will definitely read more from this author.

3.75. This book opens up really good. Jasmine lives in a trailer with her abusive boyfriend and plans on secretly leaving him.

Stephanie is a newsroom Director and goes on a business trip to meet other news directors.

Each of these women text their friends, the same message, saying they met a phenomenal guy. But then the texts stop. Their friends are left wondering what in the world is going on.

The book is divided into chapters and parts. Each part pertaining to a different person. I absolutely loved the way you were never really sure what was truly going on. It made me want to continue to read more and more, faster and faster. I wanted to find out how these people came to know each other and what part they played in each other’s lives. Who was sending these texts?

Then about halfway through it changed a bit and you discover what is going on. It is this part that left me longing for the fast pace of the beginning. The who did what and how. It got a bit redundant in repeating texts from prior chapters.

I liked the ending (although a bit unbelievable) and it was still a worthwhile book - it just got bogged down in too many details in the second part and slowed it down.

Although Jessie Garcia has written several non-fiction books, I believe this is her fiction debut.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jessie Garcia and St. Martins Press for the digital ARC in exchange for my opinion.

WOW ok. It was a hard story to believe but kudos to the author for such an interesting and creepy story! I stayed up many a late nights to get this one finished. A super compulsive read! A huge thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC. 4 out of 5 stars for me!

I thought this was such an interesting premise with the first half of the book being a completely different story about the two main female characters compared to the second half of the book.

I can't say much without spoilers, but I enjoyed the Gone Girlish aspect.

The problem was I felt that I couldn't really connect with either character during the second half of the story. The things that happened seemed so out of character for the women that...I don't know. I just couldn't really connect it all together.

I thought the pacing was good, but the repetition of events was a bit boring.

This would be a good popcorn thriller for mystery enthusiasts.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an e-book copy of THE BUSINESS TRIP to review.

I rate THE BUSINESS TRIP three out of five stars.

Promising book that grabs you from the first chapter. Multiple povs and open story plot that lead to what should have been amazing thriller. The bad part is the characters were all so paper thin. The main fmc which again who was she , the author left you with zero attachments to any of them. The plot is odd at times and seemed forced ending.

This book absolutely floored me. I had written all these notes to add to my review, but eventually I decided that the synopsis is just about all you need to know. Two women meet on an airplane, and let’s just say, things get WILD!

Stephanie is a news director who is heading to a conference in San Diego. Jasmine is a woman In an abusive relationship, who is finally leaving her partner for good. The two women end up in the same row on the plane, and eventually strike up a conversation. Within the next couple of days, they are both oddly texting people in their lives that they met a man named Trent McCarthy, and they are going to his house in Atlanta.

Before you find out about that though, you will read about the days after the conference. When Jasmine doesn’t come home, her boyfriend Glenn is enraged and begins texting her friend, threatening to kill her if she doesn’t tell him where Jasmine is. When Stephanie doesn’t return to work, her colleagues are concerned. They are texting her, and she’s responding, but they feel like something is amiss…they are journalists, and are all trying to figure out this story.

What happened on that plane? What happened in San Diego? Who is Trent McCarthy? You’ll find out later in the book, and it’s SO FREAKING GOOD! There are several surprises once all is said and done, and I didn’t see any coming. This is one of those books you may want to read a second time, once you know everything; it’s written from the points of view of several people, and going back to see the differences between their interpretations would be fun.

I laughed a lot towards the end, because it was all so perfectly devious. One small thing I loved was that many of the characters have pets - more people in books should, because pets are in many lives but they are rarely mentioned in stories. This was super suspenseful, very unique, I loved the layout, and I was shocked to see that this was a debut novel. It was fantastic. Five stars!

(Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Jessie Garcia and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on January 14, 2025.)

A chance encounter between two women on a plane sets off a string of unbelievable deceit and murder. Both women texted loved ones that they were with a man named Trent McCarthy and then went missing.

This book was reminiscent of Frieda McFadden books. Quick pace with twists on twists.

I had fun reading but have to mention that most of the twists (especially the last one) were so unbelievable and off the wall. There are many plot holes. However, I flew through this book and had a great time doing it. This book will not stick with me long term, but I enjoyed my time with ir.