I'm only giving this an average rating of three stars because the beginning half of the book pulled me in and I didn't want to stop reading. Once the story went to a different point of view to wrap up how everything ended up being played out, it felt repetitive and boring. I skimmed most of it just to see how it ended. The ending was supposed to be a twist, but it was so far out there that it was absolutely unbelievable.

Very clever and well written book. . It did start out as a slow burn but even that was enjoyable. Definitely went from slow burn to a nail biting, edge of your seat read! Great story line that kept me guessing until the end. Great thriller, definitely recommend. Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Jessie Garcia for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Two women meet on an airplane, one fleeing domestic abuse, the other on her way to a work conference. They part ways when the plane lands, but then friends and colleagues of both become suspicious that something with each of these women isn't quite right. This premise of this one sounded so great, but this debut novel definitely read like a debut. The characters were more like caricatures...the gay best friend, the abusive boyfriend, the macho sleazebag, etc. The dialogue wasn't realistic. The second half of the novel had sooo much re-telling from the first half. I did really enjoy the suspense midway through, trying to figure out exactly what was happening, but that couldn't make up for the rest of the shortfalls. With a little nore practice and a little more editing (editors! Why didn't you help her cut out all the repetitive plot? An easy and obvious edit!), this author will create some zingers. But she's not there yet.

If you like your thrillers to be fast-paced, engrossing and with multiple twist, you will really enjoy The Business Trip, the debut novel by Jessie Garcia. Jasmine and Stephanie are two women in their mid-forties who meet for the first time on a plane trip to Denver. And that’s all I want to disclose so as not to give anything away. Go into this one as blind as you can.

I enjoyed the way the story was told. There were many first person voices as the story unfolded, each providing information to move the narrative forward and give a unique perspective. It was not flawless but very impressive nonetheless. Readers who enjoy a twisty thriller should pick this one up. I can’t wait to read more from this author!

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

I really liked this book! There were a lot of POVs but each character was unique so it wasn’t too bad to keep track of! It was kind of a fun chaotic because each person was going through a different set of emotions regarding the mystery. The twist was completely unexpected! I finished this one pretty quick, it was pretty fast paced! I’m grateful to have read this debut early!!

Oh, man, I really struggled with this one. It felt like a completely original premise (and, after reading the spoilers, it does seem different from any other thriller I've read). However, I just could not get into it. Multiple POVs are tough for me, and the high volume of narratives — especially from minor characters — didn't help. And I really didn't need the perspective of an abuser.

I also think this books needs some content warnings at the beginning. A few pages into the first chapter had some triggering content (with basically no warning), which didn't encourage me to keep reading.

This one wasn’t for me. I tried to get into a few times but just couldn’t. It felt like I had already read it before. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc ebook, all opinions expressed are my own.

I love a good popcorn thriller, but this was just ridiculous n so many levels. It was also very, very wordy. Hopefully the editor(s) will make note of that.

This book was definitely a page-turner. I liked the different perspectives (although didn’t think the two men Stephanie worked with each needed their own). I loved Robert’s perspective the most, and I wish we got Raven’s perspective. I won’t really be able to talk about the parts of the story I didn’t love because I’d have to include spoilers, so I will wait to put those on Goodreads closer to publication. I really disliked the author making Jasmine a victim of DV in order to get you to sympathize with her/like her right away. It almost felt mean to the reader to do that, knowing now what kind of character she is. I liked the friends solving the mystery parts, and I think thats why I was so frustrated with the fairly abrupt ending. I know some other reviewers were able to suspend their belief for that last bit, but I think it was just a little too much for me. Also, how on earth is the lie Stephanie told REALLY that big of a deal, such that it would lead to those consequences? Over a conference? Really? It feels…very not that serious.

This is one is one of those books that I did not expect to enjoy as much as I did! Stephanie and Jasmine are two strangers on the same plane. They each text friends then vanish. Jasmine is fleeing an abusive relationship and Stephanie is a professional on a business trip. And Trent McCarthy seems to have a connection to both women. Who is he? Who is scamming who and what the heck is going on? This was a fun ride with a lot of twists and turns. Good debut and I'm excited to see what this author does next!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Jessie Garcia and St. Martin's Press for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I will post my review to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Facebook and other retail and social media sites upon publication day of Jan 14.

Holy heck this book gave my brain whiplash, in the best way! This was not what I was expecting. I loved the little twists that were constantly popping up throughout this story. I never knew what was going to happen next and when something did, it was nothing that I had foreseen.

This has a lot of back and forth between several characters which threw me off a time or two. I found it hard to keep track at times but after a few moments of running backwards in my mind, I quickly caught up with where we were and could move forward. While I really loved the basic storyline, there was a bit that I found to be unbelievable which gave my excitement a little hiccup and had me hesitating to reevaluate. However, I’m a very lenient reader and I was able to suspend belief and continue on this wild ride.

Loved this! Full of twists and turns that kept me guessing. I always enjoy the books by this author and just like the others you cannot go wrong with this one.

I believe this is the authors debut novel and you certainly can't tell. This book grabs ahold of you and leaves you turning pages well into the night and is very well written.

Still waters run deep in this novel by Jessie Garcia..The .normal can reverse itself in an instant. Circumstances change and lives are changed in so many ways, even when they die.
There is a conference in California for television's News Directors who run the news broadcasts, and coordinate everything for the broadcasts, It should be a nice opportunity to mingle, share and learn but something is off.
Something terrible has happened and the truth must be discovered. The story is well-conceived, moves quickly, and is impossible to put down. . People can be motivated by greed, fame, envy or any combination of them.. It is very creative and sometimes viciously enacted.. It has twists and turns and an unreliable narrator but we all are influenced by our view of ourselves. Things seem obvious at first but, the truth can be different and shocking...
One never knows who they are interacting with at these rapidly evolving encounters.. Some people are interesting and great, others, not so much.
Sometimes, a bad seed gets into the mix.
Who knows what makes other people tick?
The twist at the end was shocking. I did not expect it, and my eyes raced through the pages. I re-read several passages because I was so surprised.
I received an advance copy by the publisher and all opinions are strictly my own.

This is an author to watch. Just wow!

What a story! The plot twists and guessing game the author puts to you to try to figure out what's going on, until it's slammed in your face!

This was a very entertaining and surprising mystery, although more than a little unbelievable. It started off a little slow and I wasn't sure where it was going or if I was going to like it. But once part 2 started, the pace picked up and it got much more interesting. I liked how each part told the story from different characters points of view. I look forward to reading more from Jessie Garcia. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

I love a twisted mystery. Two women, who’ve never met before, are sitting next to each other on a flight, but that’s not the end of their encounter.

Jasmine is fleeing from an abusive and controlling boyfriend. She’s been saving tips from her waitressing job to escape under the cover of night with a carefully thought-out plan. Stephanie, a news director at a local TV station, is dreading yet another business trip to a conference, her boss always selects her to go because she’s not married and has no kids.

Prepare to be a bit confused (often comes with the territory when reading a thriller), with a racing heart throughout, trying to figure out who set up whom, all while keeping up with rapid fire clues coming via texts. On top of that, trust none of the characters because everyone is a suspect. Imagine going from working a 'regular' job to having murder-on-the mind. Part of what makes this a lively read is how the characters quickly turn their thinking away from their lives back home to figuring out how to clean up blood, disposing of a dead body, and other murdery-related skills.

The multiple POVs kept me engaged, the misogynistic men made me seethe and want to keep reading to see how the sisters-are-doing-it-for-themselves women would fend them off, and while the near-ending was a shocker, the very end, not so much, but still a fun, fast-paced read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Jessica Garcia really knocked it out of the park with this one!!! Loved every second and kept me reading. Devoured this one in 2 sittings!

A riveting thriller about two women, strangers on the same plane, disappear after sending texts to their friends about the same man. Did the man do something to them? Or did they do something to him? This was a slow burn thriller but really picked up in the second half.

This one had me hooked for the first 60% until I discovered what had happened. Then I really grew to dislike one of the main characters. I thought a lot of parts seemed weird and unbelievable. I definitely needed more from the ending. Considering this is the author's first book, I would definitely try another one.