The twists, the turns, the surprises!!!
This was definitely a story that kept my interest and my brain trying to figure it out.
Jasmine is finally taking the steps to leave her abusive controlling boyfriend. She’s leaving town and starting fresh.
Stephanie is going to a conference in San Diego. If only she knew how much her life would change with this one trip.
Trent is also going to the conference and his slimy ways are going to catch up to him.
Told through multiple persons and sure to keep you guessing. Loved hearing the details through all parties involved.

From the description I thought I was getting into a "strangers on a train" type situation but it was darker and twistier than expected! There was a lot of detail and buildup which I think could have been a bit less but overall a great storyline. The big twist in the middle of the book was not expected and I was again hooked on what seemed like a new. storyline! great read

3.75⭐️ - Overall this debut novel is completely bingeable and sure to get you out of a reading slump with some edge-of-your-seat fun. With a major ‘Strangers on a Train’ vibe I couldn’t stop turning the pages to see what happened to Stephanie and Jasmine, two seemingly strangers who met on a plane with two different end destinations whose lives cross with one awful guy. ⁠
The beginning is fast-paced and I truly couldn’t believe I was reading a debut fiction novel, however once we got to the second half the book lost me a little. The pace slowed down quite a bit and we got the exact same sequence of events from a different point of view which ended up being incredibly repetitive rather than shifting the focus to mostly introduce new information.⁠
In the end we picked back up with the bingeable theme of the first half of the book which I was happy about. Overall this is an excellent debut and I can’t wait to see how this author evolves, as I’ll certainly read more by her going forward.

Unbelievably thankful to have been given the honor of reading this arc. This book was thrilling with many plot twists that I did not see coming. This writing was easy and sucked you in immediately. The change up in POV was unlike any other book I’ve ever read. Cannot believe this is a debut novel for this author and am excited to read more from Jessie in the future!

The whole plot of this book was intriguing to me and it didn't really slow at all which I liked. You pretty much got right into the good stuff right away. When I got to Trent's character I almost stopped reading. Not because of the writing but just because of his personality. But humans like that do exist, very cringe. Anyway, I am so happy with the ending because as I was reading I thought if it didn't end the way I hoped then I would be quite upset. I thought it was a quick and easy read. I believe some parts like the repetition of texts didn't need to be there but I understand it was sharing another character's POV at the time. Would recommend.

The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia is one of those books that pulls you in from the first chapter and doesn't let go.. The suspense kicks in right away, and I found myself constantly wondering what was really happening. Is Trent pulling the strings, or are Stephanie and Jasmine playing their own twisted game? Just when I thought I had it all figured out, something would happen to throw me off. The pacing is perfect—intense without being too much. It’s definitely one of those books where you keep saying, “just one more chapter.” If you’re into psychological thrillers with lots of twists, this one’s a must-read!

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Wow! What a twisty, turny, thriller! This kept me intrigued and surprised through the last page. Written first-person by multiple characters, everyone has a past, everyone is trying to cover something up, everyone has their own purposes, and they all have their schemes running into each other. The book has everyone from newsroom executives to outright criminals, murderers, forgers and identity thieves. The protagonist has a fantasy she shares with a neighbor about being taken by a “friendly” kidnapper. It happens… or does it… or in a way she doesn’t expect? The twists and turns go through this story all the way to the end! Kept me on the edge of my seat, and considering what could be happening while I was away from the book.

Well, this was a wild ride! I really enjoyed the plot of this story and the several twists the author threw our way. I am usually pretty good at guessing where these types of thrillers are headed, but that final twist really shocked me!

My biggest gripe was the large number of POVs. I'm sure the author's intention was to use these to keep the reader guessing what really happened to our main girls and to help provide some backstory. But I feel like many of those clues could have been added elsewhere to keep the story tighter. Did we really need a chapter from the POV of Trent's boss? Or all those folks in Stephanie's newsroom? The lack of a distinct voice made all of these kind of blur together and read more like info dumps.

Also, many of the characters rang hollow and were bordering on stereotypes. This could have been remedied had some of the extra POVS been removed to give them more space to be fleshed out.

I did really enjoy just how unlikable Trent was. I laughed out loud at some of his scenes because I know a few men that are just like him. I found myself hoping for his comeuppance regardless of whether he was guilty of murder.

Two strangers meet on a plane. Shortly after, both of them go missing.
Jasmine is fleeing to Denver from her abusive boyfriend. After a year of saving up she finally has enough money for a plan ticket to start her life over.
Stephanie is a divorced program director from Wisconsin laying over in Denver before heading onto San Diego for a news convention.
Their lives can't be any more different from one another, yet somehow both of them are texting their friends about a man they met, Trent McCarthy who lives in Atlanta.
As the text messages become more worrisome to their friends about how controlling and erratic Trent can be, it sparks them to alert the police when the texts go silent.
How did these women, seemingly in different parts of the country end up in Atlanta with Trent and what really happened to them?
The layers in this story from each character's perspective show that all is not as it seems and the twists and turns of this plot will have your head spinning till the very last page.

wow!! what a twist!! this was a quick read that literally had me on the edge of my seat!! i’ve never read the author before but will definitely check out more of her books. i loved how in the end Jamie got a surprise of her life lol!!!

This was pretty good. I had no idea what was going on through like 75% of the novel, so it kept me reading.

2.5⭐️s. The characters and dialogue in this were so cheesy and overdone it was obnoxious. Even psycho misogynists don’t talk to others or themselves like this. It was bizarre - like it was attempting to be comical but definitely wasn’t.

The concept of the story was actually good - interesting and had twists that you didn’t anticipate. However, the way it got there was so completely unbelievable, with plot holes, insane perfect-scenarios, and inconsistent characters, it totally ruined it. Also, so much of the other dynamic of characters was just weird, forced, and unrealistic as well. I felt like I was waiting for the punch line in all of it but nope, it was intended. So ridiculous.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are mine.

I really liked this one. A thriller with multiple POVs and manipulative people? Yes, I'm here for it.
This book does have some not-so-realistic situations...but I, for one, don't mind that at all. I usually looove a thriller with ludicrous characters and/or plot twists.
I had fun with this book and I can see a lot of thriller readers enjoying this one, too.
Thank you, NetGalley and St, Martin's Press, for allowing me to read an eARC of this novel.

Thank you Netgalley for the Arc!

"The Business Trip" by Jessica Garcia is a captivating exploration of personal and professional growth, blending humor, drama, and profound life lessons. From my perspective, which might be a tad bit "more" than the author intended. LOL The novel resonates with the journey of self-awareness and emotional healing. The protagonist's transformation mirrors the challenges we face in balancing work, relationships, and inner peace. Garcia's storytelling gently reminds us to embrace change and trust our intuition, values I deeply connect with in my own life..

The story builds around the two women, Stephanie's and Jasmine's, interactions with Trent McCarthy, a figure whose involvement is shrouded in mystery. The novel is filled with twists, where nothing is as it initially seems. You are always questioning who the real manipulator is—whether Trent or the women themselves?!?

Side note- If you like unpredictable thrillers, you’ll likely find it an engaging and entertaining read. However, if you're not a fan of dark, manipulative plots, it might not be for you. Regardless of this, I would recommend giving it a read.

I liked this book! I thought it was an interesting way to present a mystery. I enjoyed the different POVs - it showed how others were reacting to what was happening. There were times when the story seemed a tad far-fetched, but it didn't bother me all that much. Thank you NetGalley and St, Martin's Press for a digital arc of this title.

À great suspense from Jessie Garcia, an author I just discovered. I liked the characters, Stephanie and Jasmine. It’s a good page-turner!

Pretty much had the ending figured out about 50% through the book. I feel the story could have been better if scripted a bit differently. Story felt like a snooze fest and dragged from about 60% through the book to the end. There was a good bit of repeats in conversation when switching between the different characters which caused me to not be as interested in finishing, even though I did finish. Unfortunately this isn't a book I will likely recommend to others. It was okay, but did not keep me on the edge of my seat like I had hoped for.

Unfortunately the build up to what happened on the flight was a lot more interesting than what actually happened on the flight. I was hoping for a clever twist but it was mostly unbelievable and just didn’t work for me. The multiple POVs included were ultimately unnecessary. The recounting of conversations was repetitive and did nothing to move the story along. This one just didn’t work for me. Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I found this book to be less than what I expected. The beginning of the book is somewhat confusing with the chapters bouncing around between different characters. Iit was still fairly easy to figure out early on what was actually going on even though the author did her best to try and make it confusing. The bottom line is that crime does not pay, no matter how skillful you think you are.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Goodreads, Net Galley, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog.

This was a very clever mystery crime story about two women. The first is Jasmine who works in a bar and lives with an abuse guy. The second is Stephanie who is the news director of a TV station. Stephanie is traveling to San Diego where she meets Jasmine on the plane ride.

This book switches points of view between the two women and other key secondary characters. I sorta rooted for Jasmine in the beginning after all the abuse she suffered but then….. And Stephanie I liked throughout the book and was sad when she ended up in trouble. The ending came quick and I would have enjoyed a longer finale. It was very entertaining and I’d recommend it to those who enjoy a good twisty plot.

Thanks to St Martins Press and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review this book.