The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia
Format: ebook/audio hybrid (thank you for the advanced reader copies @netgalley)
Pub Date: 1/14/25
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book had me hooked from the jump and I was expecting a fast pace popcorn thriller! You do, in some ways, get that. But the back half of this book sort of really went off the rails for me.

I think this book had a very fun premise and definitely had me intrigued from the jump. I really enjoyed both female main characters’ POV and there are things that had me wondering what the heck was going on from like 5% in. It certainly had me flying through and turning pages!

First half has these super fast chapters (like 3-5s each) from so many different POVs. It took a second to get used to, but I wasn’t against it. But then you get into the second half and we’re switching to these like 30 page chapters that kind of threw a wrench in the pacing.

I also just think the end of this book is bananas and also a little bit confusing. I found myself texting @marishareadsalot like help did I miss something? (I did not). A lot of the characters whose POV we get in the beginning never end up tied in at the end either which left it kind of unfinished feeling.

All in all this is not a bad book and I think the narrators did a good job, but it would not be a top recommended thriller for me!

This was a fun and twisty book. Some of the characters were a bit simplistic and the twists were bit unbelievable but it was still a fun read. My only other comment to the author is that there were too many POV. The characters were different enough to keep track of but it was hard to follow at times on the audio of who was who. I would still recommend it though if you are looking for a light read.

Thank you NetGalley and McMillan audio for an early copy.

Thank you @jessiegarcia_author & @stmartinspress for the ebook and @macmillan.audio for the gifted ALC! #MacAudio2024

A great debut from this author. Awesome audio as well, narrated by a full cast. I was intrigued right away with the narrative and ready to see what this woman was up to as she ran away from her abusive ex.

Parts were predictable, but flowed well with the storyline. However there was a twist I absolutely didn't see coming that I loved. Overall a great entertaining read that I binged quickly.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc audio. It was really good and my first book from this author. It was everything I was looking for in a suspenseful thriller. I would recommend it and rated it 5 stars.

I was really intrigued by the concept of this story, but I felt at times it was hard to follow. I struggle with multiple POV’s, and the big twists near the middle felt a bit of a stretch. It was definitely shocking, and I did not predict the ending.

I really enjoyed The Business Trip. It had me hooked from the very beginning. The narration was great. The ending just seemed a little too far out there for me and maybe just a little rushed. Seeing this is a debut and I enjoyed it, I’m looking forward to reading more books from this author.

3.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

For a while, I wasn’t sure where I stood on this book. The first part of the book has SO many different POV’s. Yes it builds some suspense and helps with some character development, it was kind of irritating. Especially since some of the characters were minor characters. Their POV chapters led me to believe they would have bigger rolls and they just didn’t. Then, the second part was all the perspective of Jasmine, one of the main characters and while I did prefer that, I thought it went super fast from creating the mystery to “how I did it”.

While I did not really care for the writing style, I really enjoyed the plot itself and I did really like the development of the main character, Jasmine. She’s a piece of work but I felt like she was written and developed really really well.

After all is said and done, while I did not like the style of writing, the plot was good and the character development was very well done, so I’m giving it a 4.

Quick and easy thriller read. But the further in I got, the more unbelievable the plot twists became.

Thank you for the advance audiobook copy.

I really enjoyed this book. Finished it in one day. The audiobook was excellent with multiple narrators.

Stephanie works in tv and is on a business trip to a seminar. Jessie is on the run after ditching her abusive boyfriend.
The two are on the same plane, just seats away. Jessie steals Stephanie’s wallet and tries to take her identity. But, when Stephanie’s friends start texting and Jessie tries to attend the seminar as Stephanie, Jessie realizes that she needs to disappear in to Mexico.
I loved the story line, but honestly when I do an audiobook it’s because I’m doing chores. In the beginning it seemed the POV was from various people and I could not tell that it was a new character from the narrators voice.

I did read this in less than 24 hours. RECOMMEND – but try the physical book version.

Thank you #NetGalley for the complimentary copy of #TheBusinessTrip in exchange for an honest review.

Jasmine is finally getting away from her abusive and controlling boyfriend. She has been secretly hiding money and has a flight booked to go stay with her sister where he can't find her. Stephanie is a TV executive and is flying to a business conference that she is less than enthusiastic about. The two women have nothing in common and end up sitting next to each other on the flight. A few days after the flight they both sent mysterious texts about starting a relationship with the same man and not coming back. The messages seem especially out of character for Stephanie and her neighbor and coworkers report her missing. Both women have not remained in contact reliably and their safety is questioned.

This was such a psychological thriller. I was trying to figure it out right along with the other characters. I could not tell what was real and what wasn't. It was such an original concept too. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and would recommend it to all thriller lovers.

4.25 stars
This was a nice surprise! Great thriller full of twists and turns I did not see coming! I could not stop listening to this audiobook. It was done so well!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this book.

I received an early copy from Netgalley and Macmillan Audio. This review is my honest opinion. Two women are sitting on a plane in the same row. One for a business trip, the other is fleeing an abusive boyfriend. As they begin to share a little of their lives, one begins to formulate a plan. Think you know what happens next? You would be wrong.
I was drawn almost immediately into this story and the first third of the book kept my interest. However by the middle, I felt the book begin to drag and I began to not like at all one of the main characters. But then another twist happened and the author ratcheted up the heat. A good twisted debut book of two women who should have never met.

This was a wild ride and clever for sure. I barely saw any of the pivot points of the story coming!

One of the gripes I did have was at the start of the story, you are in like 4-6 differrent POV's. As your learning the setting, I feel like all those POV's really toss you around and leave you confused.

Past that, it was such a good story. I barely put it down once I got to part three!!

I think I might not be the target audience of this book and potentially an outlier. The first half of the book was chugging along and I was enjoying it. That all comes to a halt when we start to learn more about the twist. I found the author to put more time and effort into TELLING the reader what happened, instead of showing us. I found myself very disappointed. The characters were very one dimensional, and there were certainly too many of them. I did enjoy listening to this as an audiobook, however, because the cast did do a great job in delivering the story. I just feel like the story itself was weak, not the narrators. I don't want to give any more away because I'm sure a lot of people will like this book, it just felt like a low grade thriller for me.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced reader copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

An excellent audio! It's so fun when there are multiple POVs and multiple narrators. Narrated by the following: Andrew Eiden; Dylan Fitzpatrick; Fred Berman; Gail Shalan; Hillary Huber; Jennifer Pickens; John Pirhalla; Kimberly M. Wetherell; Kirby Heyborne and Tim Campbell.

The story starts with two women wanting a different life. Things end up sinister and the book moves quickly from there. Jasmine and Stephanie are from different walks of life. Jasmine with a sordid past and Stephanie, a recent divorcee and successfully runs channel 3 in Madison, WI. Suddenly, a plan hatches in Jasmine's mind and the suspense is real. What will happen to Stephanie?

This story has all the makings of a great thriller. Suspense, good guys and bad guys- and a twist at the end that I never expected!

The audio quality was excellent and each narrator really represented their character well. The transitions between character and chapter, flowed well.

I highly recommend the audio of this story vs print.

This book kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time!

I was immediately pulled into the story! It was fast-paced and intriguing and I definitely wanted to keep reading (or listening!).

I did a mix of Kindle and Audiobook, and if you're wondering which version to get, with the fantastic full cast of narrators, I definitely recommend going for the audio! I really enjoyed the different narrators, and some really shine through with their performance!

The last third of the book dragged on a liiittle too much for me, but that ending had my jaw dropping to the floor!

It's shocking to me that this is a debut novel and I'm definitely looking forward to the author's next books!

This was the debut audiobook for Jessica Garcia and I was impressed. I went into this book blind and I'm so thankful I did that. I had no idea what was going on and that made this story even better in my opinion. This story and the characters were well written.

Andrew Eiden, Dylan Fitzpatrick;,Fred Berman, Gail Shalan, Hillary Huber, Jennifer Pickens, John Pirhalla, Kimberly M. Wetherell, Kirby Heyborne, and Tim Campbell were great narrators. I felt like they told this story in the best way possible. They held my attention and kept me entertained. I didn't get bored in this book because there was so much going on. There are a lot of twists and turns. I almost needed my motion sickness pills with this roller coaster ride! LOL

Stephanie and Jasmine end up on a plane together and they are nothing alike. Once they lad everything will go off track and things will get very interesting. This is the type of story that the less you know the better. I was so happy that I went in blind so I could just enjoy the ride so I'm going to recommend the same thing.

This book will have you on the edge of your seat. Each chapter will leave you wanting more and asking what is going to happen next. This was a great debut story and I can't wait to see what Jessica write next. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this ALC for my honest opinion.

I would not have finished this if I hadn’t had an early copy for review. I don’t understand the hype, nor do I think this was original in anyway. There are too many characters given a POV, and absolutely none of the characters are likable. I don’t think I stopped rolling my eyes past the plane taking off.

I received an ARC. All thoughts are my own.

Even though I’m sure this story is highly implausible, I still really enjoyed it and had a hard time putting it down.

I was shocked on the last twist. I really didn’t see that one coming.

I loved the different POVs and I found the characters all pretty interesting. Jasmine’s backstory is was pretty good. I know she is pretty much the antagonist, I still somehow rooted for her and found her to almost be an anti-hero. I definitely don’t condone any of her actions and I am happy how things turned out, the author just did a great job on creating empathy for a terrible person.

Thanks NetGalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!