I don't even know what to say. It sounded like an interesting thriller that did not live up expectations. I think at the 'reveal' part of the book everything fell apart for me. I didn't even understand what was going on. And the multitude of people we follow in this one just has you reading and reading, hoping to get to something that made sense. The ending wasn't great and it didn't make a lot of sense.

"The Business Trip" follows two women, Stephanie and Jasmine. Stephanie is divorced, with one son, and currently working at a news station. She's resentful of her job constantly having her going to conferences and despondent on how much her son has pulled away from her since the divorce. She ends up meeting Jasmine on her flight to San Diego. Jasmine, we find is running from an abusive boyfriend and dead end job. The book follows their friends and coworkers left reeling when the two women vanish.

The thing is, most of this book just follows Jasmine. I don't think we really get a sense of Stephanie at all. And then when it shifts over to following Stephanie's neighbor, her coworkers, and Jasmine's best friend from childhood, etc. We then shift over to a man [no spoilers] and then back again to you are on a never ending loop. I also had to look to see who was "speaking" in the chapters I was reading because some of the characters we get sound so similar that I was getting confused.

The plot is just a mess. I think Garcia was going for a popular book I won't name here since that will reveal things, but there were so many plot holes and just out and out incorrect things that I just didn't really ever jibe with this one.

The ending had me going okay then. It just kind of ends...badly. We get a limp ending that made me think that I was supposed to feel empowered I guess. One grudging star given for this one.

The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia

The story is told in 4 parts with multiple points of view. Part 1 is told by the two women preparing to travel for very different reasons. We learn about their lives, their relationships and why they are traveling. Part 2 is told from multiple POV’s – the friends and co-workers of each of them. This is where the suspense takes off – especially when they learn that their friend doesn’t return as expected. What happened? The 3rd part is told mainly in the POV of the man they met and finally the 4th part wraps up the story with the original women’s’ POV’s. This is where the story fell short for me and became easy to put down - suspension of disbelief. This section was mostly telling instead of showing. Once I accepted having to suspend disbelief, I finished it quickly – I wanted to know how Garcia was going to wrap up the story – too many twists added a bit more suspension of disbelief. Despite that, it was entertaining. Plot was intriguing although motivation and method needed a bit more thought to make it more credible.

Garcia is a debut author and the premise made for a good thriller. I’d read her next book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jessie Garcia and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of this audiobook.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

WOW!!! What a great book!! This one had me hooked from page 1! This was a first for me from this author and I will not be my last! This one was a win for me!

I did enjoy this book but there was just something missing. Things lined up a little too unbelievably, especially at the end.
However, I liked the writing and thought most of the twists were great and unexpected.

This book kept me guessing the whole time… right up until the end. A super interesting story with multiple POVs (that were easy to follow and keep up with).

The author does a great job of honing in on all of the characters, helping you understand why they do the things they do. Some I loved, some I couldn’t stand (intended), and some I felt so bad for.

If you love a twisty turny thriller that will keep you guessing, this is it!

A great debut novel for this author. This was one book that once started I couldn’t and didn’t want to put down. I devoured this book and loved the twists and turns given!

Loved this book. The ending was such a surprise that it made the entire book better. I haven’t been surprised by a book in a long time and this one actually made me gasp. I look forward to reading more by Jessie Garcia.

This book kept me interested the whole time even though I didn’t feel particularly connected to either of the main characters. Two women, strangers to each other, board a flight for two very different reasons and after speaking briefly to each other on the plane neither’s life will ever be the same. Stephanie is going on a business trip but could also use a little R&R, and Jasmine is trying to escape an abusive relationship but calls it a business trip” if anyone asks. A few days later, friends get strange text messages and things gets twisty from there. What happens to the women is intriguing and kept me reading to find out how it is all resolved. The book picks up its pace in the second half and definitely had a few twists I wasn’t expecting.

The Business Trip is a riveting debut that had me on the edge of my seat! The story follows Stephanie and Jasmine, two women from different walks of life who find themselves on the same plane, unaware of the dark connections they share. As their seemingly unrelated lives intertwine, the suspense escalates when both women vanish after sending eerily similar texts about a man named Trent McCarthy. Jessie Garcia skillfully unravels a web of deceit and manipulation, delivering twist after twist that kept me guessing until the last page. This thriller delves deep into the complexities of trust and betrayal, making it a must-read for fans of psychological suspense. An impressive start for Garcia—can’t wait to see what she writes next!

Two woman meet on a plane to Atlanta. Both send messages to their friends that they have met a man. Both women soon disappear.

Not much can really be said about the premise of this book without spoiling it. It was so much more interesting than the blurb described. The writing style was very unique and it definitely kept me intrigued and I found it hard to put down. The alternating characters and timelines were very well done. The plot was wild and I loved it. Was the twist all a little bit far-fetched? Probably, but I was all for it. Ultimately I was hoping for something a little different for the ending but overall I loved it and would highly recommend it.

🔎 ARC Review

The Business Review

@jessiegarcia_author
@stmartinspress
@netgalley

Publication Date: January 14th, 2025

My Rating:
🌟 4/5


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?

🔎 My review
This is Jessie's debut novel and 🎤 drop!! In the first half it was a little slow and had a few twists. I actually was telling my husband about the book so far and then when I resumed the book, i literally was screaming at the second half! The twist at the end was crazy and definitely unexpected 😲. 100% recommend


Thank you @jessiegarcia_author, @stmartinspress, @netgalley for the ARC!

#books #bookreviews #bookstagrammer #bookworm #bookstagram #bookobsessed #thriller #jessiegarcia #stmartinspress #NetGalley #TheBusinessTrip #mystery #unexpectedtwist

Pretty good psychological thriller with some twists & turns. Would make a good vacation read. The main character is sympathetic, and the supporting characters are well developed. I like that there was some acknowledgement of class and wealth disparities.

I gave this book 4 stars. It was my first time reading a book by this author. The story line was very original and it kept me guessing until the end. The only thing I didn’t love was how the book ended.

What a clever debut novel! Once I picked this up there was no stopping, it certainly was addictive.

2 very different women. First we have Jasmine who has saved all her pennies to escape her abusive partner. Then we have Stephanie, a top TV executive on her way to a conference. These 2 ladies meet on a plane and what happens next is a wild ride. The way the story is told, with multiple characters points of view and timelines was so well done. It had me second guessing myself. There is twist after twist and has me turning those pages as fast as I could.

I will definitely be looking out for more from this author.

Thanks so much to St Martin’s Press on NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book. I see this being a big hit for 2025. Publishes January 14th

Holy. Guacamole. Talks about twists. Yes, plural. Every few pages I knew exactly what the next thing to come was. WRONG. I was always wrong. Oh, so it kept me on my toes you’ll ask? My toes are gone. Worn out by constantly tripping over the words on these pages! Literally was letting out breathes I didn’t know I was holding. I’m still not over all of this. 5 stars? HA. Wrong again. 10. I’ll end on this note: I want more.

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 captivated right from the beginning! 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! Was absolutely gripping, chocked full of suspense! Everything I want in a thriller.

However, at around the 50% mark 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.

This was a debut thriller, and with a lot of potential, I would definitely pick up their next book!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press.

Not sure why I waited so long to read this book! This book is broken down in four parts. I absolutely loooved the first couple parts, but towards the end I felt like "okay.. are we wrapping up?" It felt like the storyline dragged a bit but the TWIST. Whew! That was good!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sending me an Advance Reader's Copy.

I was eager to read The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia because it sounded like an intense, twisty novel. For the most part, it delivered on its promise.

Stephanie and Jasmine both get ready to board a plane to Denver, and a week later they both ghost their friends, who are left wondering what happened. The execution of this novel was unique and clever: in the first half we see some events playing out, but we readers know we are missing the big picture. In the second half, we learn how those events happened. There were some clever twists along the way, along with many points of view, some of which were unnecessary. The resolution caught me off guard but was fitting.

I will recommend this to readers who enjoy thrillers and are willing to suspend disbelief, since much of the action was off the wall in a Freida McFadden sort of way.

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

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?

In the first half I was liking it, but not loving it. It had a slow burn. I felt like the book was missing something. I then found out that I didn't have a connection to the characters. I was very intrigued though to find out what was going to happen next.

In the second half I loved it I thought it was a great twisty read. I was gobsmacked! I thought I had the whole story figured out and I was wrong. I was so surprised. I thought the plot of the book was very clever and it was a fun read. I was able to have a better connection to the characters in the second half The story became very suspenseful and gripping. The characters are unlikable. Who is Trent McCarthy?

The twist were so good especially the one at the end. My jaw dropped to the floor.

This was a buddy read with Debra! Make sure you check out her review.

I want to thank Netgalley, St Martin's Press
for the copy of this book an exchange for an honest review.

thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review!

oooooghghhh. oooooof. I'm so sorry but this one was just bad. really bad. now a large part of what made it bad was a variety of very stupid twists and plot asides that I don't want to spoil, even if I very much do not recommend this book, but it wasn't only that. there were so many pointless and extremely unpleasant POVs. and overall, the moment to moment writing was just so entirely bland. here's a random example:

An hour later, I felt like I could finally shower, shave, and put on clean clothes. I started to feel more myself, and my stomach growled. There were only three things in the fridge, though, so I used DoorDash to order a basic chicken-and-noodle dish from a place down the street and ate on the couch flipping between two NBA games.


the entire book is like this. again I am so sorry to be this mean but it is the most meh writing I have read all year. the entire book simply felt so deeply silly, between this type of writing and the dumbass plot twists. I am really sorry to be this rude but I do not know what else to say.