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.

The award for the best "never saw that coming" twist (actually there are two!) goes to The Business Trip. While the overall plot is not unique-The Business Trip involves two women who meet on a plane-the revelation of what happens to them is nothing short of ingenious. News director Stephanie is flying to a business conference in San Diego; Jasmine is running from an abusive boyfriend. As Stephanie's communications to her friends and colleagues back home become more bizarre-( a running joke between Stephanie and her assistant Lucy involves the actor Mark Ruffalo. When Stephanie tells Lucy to reschedule a meeting with "Mark R." when no such meeting ever existed, Lucy knows something is amiss). The Business Trip manages to be both suspenseful and sarcastic-another attendee at the conference is a caricature of every obnoxious, misogynist, and possibly dangerous "alpha male" out there, but it's the mystery of what happened to Jasmine and Stephanie this is the heart of the novel. With short chapters and plenty of dialogue this is a quick journey, but it's the ending that makes The Business Trip unforgettable.

I really enjoyed reading “The Business Trip” by Jessie Garcia! I couldn’t put it down! The story is about Jasmine who is escaping an abusive relationship and Stephanie who has a career in the news world attending a conference! Both ladies happen to cross paths on the same flight and after that there is plot twist after plot twist! You will want to keep reading and be on the edge of your seat trying to guess what happens next!I highly recommend this novel and look forward to reading more books by Jessie Garcia!!!

A Thrilling Debut: Jessie Garcia's "The Business Trip"
Jessie Garcia's debut novel, "The Business Trip," is a captivating psychological thriller that expertly weaves together suspense and intrigue. The story follows two women, Stephanie and Jasmine, who, despite their vastly different lives, find themselves entangled in a mysterious web of danger.
Stephanie, a successful news director, is on a business trip when she encounters Jasmine, a woman escaping an abusive relationship. Their paths cross unexpectedly, and soon, both women are sending alarming texts about a man named Trent McCarthy. As their messages grow increasingly erratic and their friends become increasingly worried, it becomes clear that Stephanie and Jasmine are in grave danger.
Garcia's writing is both suspenseful and evocative, drawing readers into the heart of the mystery. The author skillfully alternates between Stephanie and Jasmine's perspectives, offering a multifaceted view of their lives and the escalating threat they face. The plot is filled with twists and turns, keeping readers guessing until the very end.
"The Business Trip" is a thrilling and thought-provoking novel that will leave readers on the edge of their seats. Garcia's debut is a promising start to what is sure to be a successful career.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this book for review. I really enjoyed this thriller and all the twist, right to the end. Stephanie and Jasmine were on the same flight but are completely different. This book definitely kept me guessing as to what was going on. Really good thriller and I will keep an eye on this author in the future.

The Business Trip is a fascinating tale of two women swapping lives… or did they? Each character’s escape from their past will have you questioning what’s real and what’s not. The protagonist's conference cover story pulls you deeper into the mystery, but don’t trust a word she says. Even the red herrings have their own twists! This book kept me guessing at every turn, with unexpected layers that made it impossible to put down. A thrilling and unpredictable ride from start to finish!

This one was a lot of fun (if you’re like me and have fun reading thrillers with lots of twists and turns!) and I really liked the author’s writing style, the differing POVs and all the twists. This was one of those books that had me guessing and second guessing myself while reading and I love that! Overall, this was a quick read with short chapters and loved the ending (which isn’t always the case for me with thrillers).

to be honest the majority of this book felt pretty repetitive and almost boring until the end… there wasnt a single likeable character in here, many things felt extremely unrealistic. however, the twist at the end had me laughing so hard it to was too good to watch how this book wrapped up.

this was a pretty good debut novel & i do look forward to giving any future books jessie puts out a try!!

The Business Trip is a quick and fun read that hooks you immediately with its short chapters and shifting POVs. The story centers around two different women, Stephanie and Jasmine, who both disappear at the same time and only reach out to friends with cryptic text message updates that suggest a whirlwind romance with the same man.

I had a fun time trying to figure out exactly what had happened on the titular business trip but was a little underwhelmed by the final twists. You also have to unfortunately spend a lot time with some very unlikeable characters, which made some of the parts less enjoyable. Overall, this was a very promising debut, and I will definitely check out what Garcia writes next.

This one was a rollercoaster! It was quickly paced, and I burned through it trying to understand how the author was going to wrap this up.

I appreciated the unique format, meaning the first half is told through several different points of view trying to determine what happened to the two main characters who both have seemingly disappeared. We know their stories will cross at some point we are just left trying to piece together how.

At the end you realize that there are several breadcrumbs, but they are well hidden. The second half switches the point of view one of the missing women and you start to learn how the story unfolds.

The author wraps it up nicely, it felt like a bit of a stretch but not so much that it wasn't a satisfying ending. Overall, this is a solid read that I would highly recommend, and I am looking forward to what this author has in store for us in the future.

This was such a good book. One of those, you think you know what is going on, until you don’t. No spoilers here! Read it!!

Thank you to Jessie Garcia and St. Martin’s press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4/5

“THE BUSINESS TRIP is the gripping, page-turning debut from author Jessie Garcia.

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?”

This was really fun to read and I really liked this story, though I did find a lot of the dialogue and writing to be kind of forced and stilted.
I did like the twists, even the ones I saw coming were fun to explore. There was one twist at the end, though, that wasn’t explained very well and felt like it was just thrown in for shock factor. I felt more confused than anything after. Overall, it took away from the story a bit and left a weird taste in my mouth to end with.

Very good for a debut novel though, and I definitely will read more from this author. I really enjoyed making my way through the story and it was definitely a page turner. Would definitely recommend for anyone who likes thrillers.

This story opens with Channel 3 News Director Stephanie Monroe packing for a business trip to a news conference in San Diego. At the same time, a domestic abuse victim named Jasmine is planning a trip of her own, to escape her abuser and disappear. And what better way to disappear than to become someone else? The plot thickens when the folks back at Channel 3 begin receiving odd text responses from Stephanie, including very uncharacteristic, impulsive travel changes. This is so not like her. Suspecting something is wrong, they launch an investigation. Meanwhile, Jasmine’s disappearance is taking shape with remarkable success, and the reader has a front row seat to it all. Garcia’s writing flows, with no wasted words or unnecessary scene-setting to bog it down. The colorful cast of characters move the plot along at a brisk pace and there’s no telling where it will lead or how it’ll end. I love that! This one’s a true pleasure to read. Check it out!

This was a solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️. I will say some things that took place seemed a little far fetched to me. Once this happens I start to disconnect from the story. My opinion is my own and I encourage other readers to read it for themselves.

Ohhhh...do not miss this one!! You will need your thinking cap on!!

Two women who didn't know each other are dead - did obnoxious Trent do it?

Jasmine was running away from her abusive boyfriend, and Stephanie was heading to a conference.

Somehow they were seated together on the plane and got to know each other.

What we know is what their lives and Trent’s life were like and currently are like. All were interesting characters and one was especially despicable.

Ms. Garcia kept me glued to the pages with such suspense and incredible twists that you will wonder how she even thought of the storyline.

Her very clever way of organizing the book's structure made it one that will have you not wanting to stop reading even though a few things seemed hard to believe, but I did.

This marvelous debut has jaw-dropping twists and an ending that had me scratching my head as Ms. Garcia ended it as well as she had written the entire storyline. 5/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.