Okay, hear me out…. I did enjoy this book, but the numerous, and I mean NUMEROUS narrators were incredibly distracting. Which at times felt unnecessary for the story’s progression. The plot and twist could have been much more impactful if told from just a few perspectives, which would have allowed for better character development and more effective scene building. Instead, it felt like I was constantly trying to keep track of too many characters, making it hard to fully appreciate the story’s direction. I also wished for a deeper connection with the two main characters, Stephanie and Jasmine. While we did get a brief look into Jasmine’s life that helped build empathy for her, a key moment from her past was glossed over, but this could have provided significant insight into her character. That said, it was still an engaging mystery full of deception and wildly unhinged characters.

*Thank you to Jessie Garcia, Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley for the audio copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.

Split into several parts, author Jessie Garcia keeps readers guessing as the story slowly untangles. An overworked businesswoman and an abused girlfriend have nothing in common but soon find themselves entangled in a web of lies, deceit, and even death. Keep reading as Garcia shocks readers all the way to the end in a twist you won't see coming. Just as you think you've got "The Business Trip" figured out, your foundation is ripped out from under you and the story changes directions.

What a ride! There were so many elements of this story that I loved. It was gripping, entertaining and kept my attention. I flew through this book and loved (almost) every minute of it!

The only part that I didn't love (and be warned - potential spoiler here!) was the timing of some of the twists and the repetitive storytelling. It was about halfway through when you find out what went down and then go through the first part of the book again from a different perspective. It felt too early to me that we were brought into the truth. And then it was just a bit slow with the repetition.

That said, you still are holding out for at least one more twist and it did not disappoint!

Fantastic fiction debut!

2.5 stars
I went into this book without reading the blurb, which had its pros and cons. I spent the first half of the book very confused. That said, I appreciated the unique plotting that kept us guessing from start to finish. Some of the POVs worked better than others and the landing didn’t stick for me, but it was still a fun listen! I look forward to the author’s next work.

I just finished The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia and here are my musings.

What do two women who have never met have in common? They both took the same flight, they both vanished and it all seems to be connected to a man called Trent McCarthy….

This was clever, really clever. The narration was amazing and I love how well it was done. There was a lot of POV set into different parts and I think it all held together really well.
I did find that all the twists and turns got to be a bit much. I don’t think it needed so much. Sometimes, less is more and I think it could have been scaled back a bit and it would have blown me away.

I wasn’t a fan of the ending. It felt really meh and lacked lustre. Pancake like… not a waffle… it fell too flat. I was waiting for this beautiful crescendo of chills and it missed the mark. It was a real shame because the rest of the book was really well done. It felt ludicrous, truly not what I was hoping for. It definitely made my pulse thrum and that’s enough from a thriller for me.

I definitely want to read more from this author because if this is her debut novel and she came out the starter gate swinging… She is definitely one to watch.

3.75 stars

Thank you @macmillionaudio and @netgalley for my gifted copy

This was such a good, twisty, and juicy book. I definitely want to see what else this author has to offer because I was very impressed. I did not want to put the book down because I needed to know what happened next. Ending felt a bit rushed and so that’s why I rated it four stars and not five stars.

3.25
I actually liked the layout and over all plot of the story. The twist twisted well, and I didn’t see that coming, but I did think maybe the amount of twists could have been narrowed down a bit, and I didn’t enjoy the ending at all.
The way the story was set up, with varying povs to establish the storyline was an excellent hook. Each POV felt less and less stable, less reliable. One would be well built, and then the second would build up and start to support the first, then turn and rip it to pieces. I found the unreliable narrative to really do this story well. Things started to kind of go off the rails about 3/4 of the way through for me. For me though. My experience doesn’t mean anyone else would experience the same things. Give it a go.
The narration was really good, the dialogue and emotions showed through super well.

What an amazing thriller with twists and excitement and intrigue. LOVE this one, and I am so excited to share it with my followers and fellow book lovers!!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC Audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Two women, Stephanie and Jasmine, are on the same plane, sitting in the same row, but have never met.

Their circumstances are very different. Stephanie is traveling to a business meeting; Jasmine is escaping from an abusive relationship.

Days later, both women begin texting friends about the same man. The texts become increasingly strange and concerning. Then Stephanie and Jasmine disappear...

"The Business Trip" is a story I was drawn into immediately and found seriously addictive until Part Three, which began to slow down and feel repetitive, often quoting the same dialogue from previous chapters. I did enjoy the author's creative storyline and the balance of likable and unlikable characters, but I wanted to know more about them. Perhaps giving the characters more depth of backstory would have been better than using so many pages to explain what happened.

I never stopped reading and remained curious about the final denouement. I understand how thrillers can feel over the top, and I am okay with that in this story. What I was looking for and didn't find were reasons why I should root for characters I didn't feel a connection to. For me, the characters are the most essential part of every story.

An immersion read, the audiobook has an entire cast of narrators recounting each character's first-person narrative. It was well done!

"The Business Trip" is a story I liked, and Jessie Garcia is a creative storyteller and author to watch!

3.25⭐

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and Jessie Garcia for a DRC and an ALC through NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I am OBSESSED with this book. Stephanie and Jasmine have nothing in common and would normally not cross paths. If they weren’t on the same plane. I don’t want to give too much away because I feel the smallest detail would give something away. This book had me hooked from the very beginning which what is going happen next. The description of each of the characters were described in such detail that I could imagine what they looked like and their mannerisms. The story keeps you guessing on what happens next.

This was an interesting book to listen to. I liked that there were different POVs and voices to go along with them. The book was fun, a bit twisty but nothing too crazy. I enjoyed it but have heard and read better.

This was a fantastic thriller/mystery, especially in audiobook format! There were tons of great narrators to cover the different POVs of the characters as the listeners try to figure out what in the world happened to intersect the lives of Jasmine and Stephanie, and what does Trent have to do with it? And who even are these people?! I didn’t expect so many changes, but kept being thrown for a loop, and stayed consistently engaged throughout the entire novel. A huge thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

THank you for an advance copy of this thriller. I m glad I did the audiobook of this one. This story that starts with Jasmine leaving her abusive boyfriend takes so many twists. It had more POV/narrators than I can even count, but the audiobook made that easy to keep track. I really enjoyed this, it was a fun, twisty ride of suspense. One note, the Trent character was AWFUL and I found his chapters quite offensive. I know that was the point to show how awful he was, but it was pretty off putting. But otherwise I enjoyed this book.

Awesome popcorn thriller! Multiple POVs and full of TWISTS! You will be very surprised! Who is Trent McCarthy? UNPUTDOWNABLE!

The Business Trip was a quick, easy read. I enjoyed the multiple POVs and was drawn into the storyline from the start. While the twists were there, they were also way over-the-top, leaving me with a dislike for the novel by the end. The story was replete with unlikeable main characters, shallow supporting characters, and twists that made this much too hard to truly believe.

While the plot was twisty and fairly unpredictable, I didn't enjoy it. It was very much a popcorn thriller, similar to the works of Freida McFadden (her fans will likely really enjoy this one!).

The audio presentation of The Business Trip was extremely well executed.

This book was the epitome of popcorn thriller. Lots of POVs increased the mystery and made it fun to read. It’s a book that had you rooting for the bad guy, which by the end gave me a bit of an ick. Audio is the way to go here with a full cast!

Thoroughly enjoyed the audio on this one. Two women meet on a plane. One is headed out for a business trip, the other is escaping her past. They both disappear days after the flight.

This one kept me captivated and would be a great binge book.

I love to try debuts and this had some buzz swirling so I gave it a shot. I'm sad to say that it wasn't for me. The setup was good - Stephanie, an overworked news director, and Jasmine, a woman running from an abusive relationship, meet on a plane and make a connection while talking about their lives. I won't spoil what transpires since it seems a lot of people like this book, but parts were suspenseful, parts were unbelievable, and 2 of the characters were completely unlikable. I both read and listened to this title and did like reading it more than listening, for the simple reason that I could flip back easier to catch up when I put it down for a couple days. Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the early access in exchange for my honest opinion. 2.5-3 stars

3 stars! This story follows Jasmine, who is in an abusive relationship and saves enough money to leave her abuser. She decides to fly to a different city for a fresh start. Stephanie, a news director is on her way to a business conference and meets Jasmine on the flight. They engage in conversation on the flight and they never see each other again.

Stephanie sends a text message to her friend letting him know that she is extending her trip because she met a man, named Trent and they are spending time together and getting to know each other. Jasmine also texts her friend letting her know that she met a man, and his name is also Trent. Then, both women disappear and Trent is arrested for their disappearance.

Did Trent hurt both women, or is there more to this story. This story had multiple POVs that I felt were a little unnecessary but overall this story was good.

These women had enough but do I believe in their cause? Not really. I won’t be able to say more without spoiling the story for those who haven’t read it.

Stephanie and Jasmine were on the same plane for very different reasons. However they disappeared the same. They sent same texts to their loved ones but both filled with red flags to those who know them well. They were both declared missing after awhile when they stopped texting. That’s when story took a new direction with introduction of waste of space Trent McCarthy.

If you want to understand a mind of a manipulator, go ahead and read this or listen to a true crime podcast. It was well meaning story but did not resonate with me.