Two women, Stephanie and Jasmine, have practically nothing in common, except they’re both on the same plane. Stephanie is on a business trip and Jasmine is leaving an abusive partner to start a new life. But something isn’t right. After they text their friends increasingly strange messages after several days about a mysterious man, red flags emerge. Worried, their friends desperately try to piece things together.

I loved the premise of this book. I expected lots of twists and turns and I was certainly not let down. I was kept guessing for a long time and each reveal felt like a gut punch. That being said, I felt that it sometimes took too long to get to these punches. There were times when the pacing felt very slow, and other times, especially toward the end, when the pacing felt too quick and overwhelming. The end in general disappointed me a bit. Without any spoilers, there were reveals and moments that felt a bit too unbelievable and far-fetched. I know that fiction isn’t supposed to be 100% realistic, but it did take me out of the story. There were also times when I felt that I was being told what happened rather than being shown. I found myself not getting as invested in the characters and story as I might have otherwise been with more description. Overall, this was a worthwhile read that I did genuinely enjoy, but certainly not flawless.

P.S. The audiobook version has a fantastic ensemble of different narrators that help make the book feel more movie-like. I would highly recommend listening to this one!

Thank you Macmillan Audio for providing this audiobook for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This was a great book that kept me on the edge of my seat needing to know what would happen next.
I highly recommend this book.
This is my first time reading this author but it won’t be my last
Huge thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc!

Jasmine trying to escape an abusive marriage and Stephaine a successful new producer meet on a plane to Denver. Next thing family and friends of these two women are being revived that they met a man and were going to get to know each other.

Jasmine world her friend who help her escape is starting to wonder where she is and why she isn’t texting her back and why she is left to deal with the fall out of what she did.

Stephaine friends start to worry about her when she didn’t return from a work trip and would abandon her life like she did.

I didn’t see the twist t the end but I really enjoyed this story. I love how the different point of views of each person helped create this amazing end

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!!

Wow, this one kept me on my toes. So many twists and turns, I flew through this audiobook. A great book to start the new year with. I really enjoyed the multiple POVs bringing this story to life.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for a copy of this audiobook!

I was so very pleasantly surprised by The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia. It was truly a treat! I am excited to see what the author comes up with next since it's their debut novel. I really didn't know where the story was going. It is a quite unique story. The narration was superb.

My issue with this one wasn't so much the content, but the way it was told. There were a TEN POVs, all told in the first person. I just don't understand that narrative choice. Though I'm glad the audio had ten different narrators to help with that. Even still, it was confusing a little hard to follow. I never connected with any one person because there were simply too many. Maybe if it had been in third person and we were reminded of the character's name more often it would have been easier to stay grounded in their POV. But with every single one saying "I" instead, I found it hard to keep track of who was speaking. Many of the POVs felt unnecessary and redundant. It was a little too much whiplash for me to get invested or stay engaged.

In Madison, Wisconsin, waitress Jasmine has been secretly plotting an escape from her abusive boyfriend, and has finally saved up enough money to buy a plane ticket to Denver. In the same city, Stephanie is the news director at a local TV station being sent on yet another work trip to a conference in San Diego, with a layover in Denver. As fate would have it, they end up sitting next to each other and talking during their flight, but what happens when they land?

Well, if you’ve heard the saying “fate is a fickle thing” … that sums up the rest of the book pretty perfectly!

I know this is all very vague and intentionally so, because this really is best gone into as blind as possible. I’ll only say that this book will make you rethink ever talking to the stranger next to you!

I loved the full-cast narration for the audiobook, which I listened to while reading on my Kindle. All ten narrators did an excellent job, and I particularly enjoyed the voicing for Jasmine, Stephanie and toxic, “bro” culture a-hole Trent, who I wanted to throat punch pretty much every time he spoke.

If you enjoy mystery, intrigue, and suspense with twists and turns that reads like a true crime Dateline episode, this might be fun for you! My only minor ding was a bit too much of an exposition dump at the end on how the perpetrator was caught which I thought could’ve been handled a little better and a kinda ‘meh’ epilogue, but honestly I thought Garcia did a fantastic job and I look forward to seeing what she comes up with next!

3.5 / 5 stars. This book was interesting right from the beginning and had some good twists. I enjoyed the writing and the narrators of the audiobook really brought it to life. A solid mystery thriller for the new year!

Jasmine and Stephanie were not related in any way -- until they both go missing and seem to be connected. This book has such a fun twist on top of a twist! I'm not going to spoil it but it was clever and I'm always happy when thriller writers come up with new things. I'm going to keep an eye on this author for new thrills!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Stephanie and Jasmine cross paths on a flight. Stephanie is a news director on her way to a conference, and Jasmine is fleeing an abusive boyfriend. Soon, the people in their lives begin to receive similar texts from both of them about the same man. It is out of character for both women, and people begin to suspect that something is amiss. Great narration

Two complete strangers living two very different lives - what happens when they both end up on the same flight and their paths unsuspectingly cross? One is running from her past, the other is on yet another business trip. Then, they both disappear. When compelling evidence is found of both women at a mystery man's home, friends of both women start to try to put the random pieces of their disappearance together. Who is this man who just appeared out of nowhere? How did he meet either woman? How is this all connected when it doesn't make sense at all?

This book was a roller coaster from start to finish! By listening to the audio version of this book, I was lucky to be able to hear a full cast of characters, which made the book even more compelling. Each narrator did a great job of portraying their characters - I was pleasantly surprised that I never got confused between who was who!

As for the story, Jessie Garcia did a great job at keeping things moving at a fast-pace, giving you just enough time to put your own theories together while moving right into the next twist or kernel of information to consider. As things progressed and I thought I was seeing where this was going, another chapter would come along and make me realize I still had much to discover!

I finished this book in one day - I couldn't put it down. For a debut novel, I highly recommend picking this one up! I will be looking forward to Garcia's next novel. Thank you so much to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for allowing me to listen and review this book!

A jaw-dropping, wildly unpredictable thriller! Stephanie and Jasmine don't know each other and have nothing in common but they're on the same plane. One is on yet another business trip and the other is escaping an abusive relationship. I had so many ideas as to where this book was heading but all of them proved to me wrong. I listened to an advanced copy of the audiobook and it was narrated very well. Told from many POV's and a narrator for each made it even more engaging. Thanks to NetGalley for this binge listen!

I had the pleasure of receiving an audiobook ARC of *The Business Trip* by Jessica Garcia, and overall, it was a mixed experience for me. The book starts off strong, delivering a fun and thrilling ride, but unfortunately, it loses its momentum in the final stretch.

**The Pros**
- Exceptional Audiobook Production: The multiple narrators were a fantastic touch, making it easy to follow the shifting POVs and adding depth to the story.
- Gripping Beginning: The opening scenes, featuring a planned escape from a dire situation, were intense and completely engrossing.
- Unique Narrative Structure: I appreciated how the book explored the "before" perspectives of the two main characters, then transitioned to focusing on the supporting characters' POVs. This weaving of different perspectives added intrigue and originality to the storytelling.
- Standout Side Character: The Broadway-loving, cat-dad neighbor absolutely stole the show. He’s easily the MVP of this book.
- Fast-Paced Plot: The story moves quickly, keeping you engaged for much of the ride.

**The Cons**
- Unlikable Characters: While some characters were compelling, many came off as frustrating or overly annoying, making it hard to fully connect with them.
- Losing Steam: After the initial twists and discoveries, the latter half of the book started to drag and felt less cohesive.
- Far-Fetched Twists: While twists are a staple of thrillers, some of these bordered on unbelievable, pulling me out of the story and lessening the overall impact.

---

In summary, *The Business Trip* has its moments of brilliance, particularly in its audiobook format and early narrative structure, but it stumbles in its execution toward the end. If you’re looking for something fast-paced with a unique storytelling approach, it’s worth a try—but don’t be surprised if some of the twists feel a little too out there.

Finished in one day because I had to know how it would resolve! I cannot recommend the audiobook version of this one enough; there are tons of characters’ perspectives, but a different narrator for each really helps set the characters apart, adds to the story, and keep things (extra) attention-grabbing!

Honestly, more people should be talking about this upcoming thriller (and immediately adding it to their lists) because despite it being the author’s debut, it reads like a seasoned thriller writer wrote it. It’s gripping, the perfect length, and definitely unpredictable. Without giving away any spoilers, I will just say that the ending is PERFECT.

The Business Trip primarily follows Jasmine (a woman fleeing an abusive relationship) and Stephanie (a successful news director going to a business conference). The women have nothing in common, other than happening to sit next to one another on a plane heading to the same destination. When a few days pass, and the women’s friends begin receiving the exact same text messages from these two strangers about having met a man and deciding to run off to Atlanta with him, this begins ringing alarm bells. Then both women vanish entirely.

Thank you to Jessie Garcia, Macmillan Audio, & NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

This book was an "almost there" book for me. I felt the pace was a little slow and a little scattered. I felt like the premise of the book was really fun and original. There were many different POVs throughout the book and it was a little hard to keep everything straight-even as someone who is a big fan of books with multiple POVs. Even though this wasn't my favorite of all time, it was an enjoyable read with enough twists to keep you going.

*3.5 stars

I started this book out as an audiobook. So many different narrators…..but that actually helped me keep all the characters straight. Each chapter is from one characters POV.
I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to make it very far after listening to the first chapter TW for all of the DV victims out there. I know I personally had a very visceral reaction. Luckily after that it settled down some and I was able to finish the book.
I never actually saw the plot twist at the end. I had an idea of what might be happening somewhere in the middle but never saw that last bit.
A solid 3.5/5 stars for me.
I received an ARC of this title, all opinions are my own.

Jasmine is a woman running from a bad relationship. Stephanie is a news director headed to yet another work conference. They both get on a plane, and then their friends start receiving strange texts from each of them; the thread tying the texts together is a name: Trent McCarthy. Who is Trent? Why is Stephanie requesting extra time off to be with him? And how does Jasmine fit in? This mystery is made all the more intriguing as it’s told from multiple points of view. Readers get to hear from not just Jasmine and Stephanie, but also Trent and worried friends and coworkers. This story is absolutely captivating and addictive. Readers of Lisa Jewell and Lucy Foley will fall in love with Jessie Garcia.

The audiobook is read by a whole cast which makes the story all the more immersive. Reading the novel is fun, but listening to the emotion from the narrators was outstanding.

So the plot was clever and many parts were riveting as the numerous twists unveil the backstory. The problem is that it was too farfetched and unbelievable. Every detail seemed to play out perfectly to not even be planned. However, I did enjoy the different pov's as well as the different narrators portraying the characters in the audiobook. But the premise of the book just didn't work for me. My thanks to Macmillan Audio for providing a review copy of the audiobook via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the free audiobook in exchange for my honest review. This is narrated by a host of people all of whom do a fabulous job! Kudos to Andrew Eiden; Dylan Fitzpatrick; Fred Berman; Gail Shalan; Hillary Huber; Jennifer Pickens; John Pirhalla; Kimberly M. Wetherell; Kirby Heyborne; and Tim Campbell. The audiobook is fantastic if you are interested in that.

Two women from completely different backgrounds are on a plane together headed to different places for different reasons. Stephanie is a new room manager heading out on a business trip, and Jasmine is fleeing an abusive relationship trying to start over. The only thing that these 2 have in common aside from being on the same flight to Denver is that they bear a striking resemblance to each other. When the 2 women vanish, the questions from their family and friends circle around a man named Trent McCarthy and what happened between the three of them.

This is a fast paced read full of interesting characters, suspense and so many twists and turns! As the character's stories unfold and we begin to learn more about them, it becomes apparent that they are not who they seem to be. I could not put this one down and holy smokes, the ending was fantastic. There are a lot of characters in the story but all play their part and are easy to keep straight. Throw in a few red herrings, plot twists and a stunner of an ending, and all of my boxes are ticked!!!

5 Stars - highly recommend!!!

The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia on audio gave me vibes of Look Closer by David Ellis going into it, particularly the cover’s color scheme. I will say it held up to that comparison for the most part. It’s a creative and twisty story with a midwest flare and the ensemble of narrators was a great choice (the main narrator Jennifer Pickens was my favorite, Hillary Huber is always good also in the Look Closer cast, and the remaining narrators ok to good). For me, the plot was overall predictable but also a little too twisty. In the end, it didn’t live up to the Look Closer ‘gotcha’ standard but it was still a very good and entertaining listen. I will be checking out her next book for sure!

Thank you to both Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity in exchange for an honest review.