First off, I'd like to thank Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this advanced reader of The Business Trip. I'll be honest, this book was a challenge for me to make it through this book. As far as the narration and the logistics of an audiobook, this book was fine, but I definitely struggled with the plot and the characters.

The first section of this book worked well for me. It kept the plot in mystery and had the reader guessing as to what was going on. The view points were that of supporting characters who were also in the dark as to what was going on and it played well into the mystery. When it came to the main characters though, there weren't many likable or relatable traits to them. The book was divided into sections and those sections were highly focused on each of these characters, so to be put into long portions of the book that focused on each individual unlikable character, made the book almost unbearable to finish.

There were a couple twists that worked well for the plot, but overall they couldn't save the experience this book provided.

Jessie Garcia’s debut adult thriller novel THE BUSINESS TRIP brings a lot of heart-pounding suspense with a good amount of believability until the very end. Justine is fleeing a violent partner, and Stephanie is on her way to a work conference for news directors. They get on the same flight, and then they can’t be found after except for clues that lead them to the same man. Were they both victims at the hand of a serial killer?

I thought this novel had a nice balance of action and getting into the head of the “bad guy.” As a reader, I don’t always see that a complete confession happens, so I did like that we got a rationale and play-by-play. It did get a little implausible at the very end (at about 90%), which is a lot longer than I usually go before rolling my eyes at a popcorn thriller. I was hopeful to get through the whole novel without an eyeroll, and, while that didn’t happen, I did get through the vast majority of the novel before it occurred.

There are ten audiobook narrators for this novel, one for each perspective. However, each perspective doesn’t have the same amount of “air time,” so to speak. Don’t feel pressured to be able to identify each of their voices. I thought all the narrators did a great job. I’d recommend taking in this novel on audio.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance listener copy in exchange for an honest review.

THE BUSINESS TRIP publishes January 14, 2025.

This was a very dark and twisty story. I enjoyed it. The plot was easy to follow until all of the twists were throw in there. I really liked this one.

Wow...
In this story, we meet Stephanie and Jasmine, two women who are going on a "business trip" for different reasons. As a new director, Stephanie lives a more comfortable life, while Jasmine is a waitress. These two women meet on the plane by pure coincidence, and their lives change in unimaginable ways. I was so sure I knew who the "bad guy" was, and then I came to find out I was wrong. I don't want to spoil it, but I was surprised. I had a slight feeling there was something off about this character as the story evolved. Trent's character was so obnoxious I could not stand him. However, his character added much to the story and made the twists more surprising.

The narrators did an amazing job bringing this story to life.

Thanks to SMP and Net Galley for the e-arc!! Also, to Macmillian Audio for the ALC!!

Thank you to Netglley and MacMillan Audio for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Stephanie and Jasmine are strangers who happen to cross paths when they end up on the same flight. Each travelling for very different reasons, One on a business trip and one running from a violent message. Days later their friends each receive a text message saying that each woman has met a guy named Trent and they will be extending their time away. Then both woman vanish. At first I thought I had this one all figured out and was looking forward to how this would play out then the author took it in a whole new direction and I was reading into the late hours of the night. I just needed to know how this one would end. Enjoy!!!

I truly enjoyed this book! Jasmine and Stephanie absolutely BLEW my mind! I would read this over and over!! The audio is FANTASTIC!!

I absolutely loved this book, it was really good from the beginning. Keep me engaged and intrigued at the same time. I enjoyed having all the character POVs, really keep it interesting and I didn’t see the Plot twist coming at the end at all. If you are looking for a really fast-past, suspenseful and psychological thriller, this is the One for 2025! Well Done Jessie Garcia!

Uniquely structured narrative that can be read in one sitting!

My Goodreads friends convinced me to grab the audiobook, even though I already had the physical ARC of The Business Trip. Glad I did, as I raced through this fast-paced thriller!

What really happened on the business trip? Stephanie and Jasmine sit next to each other on a plane. One is fleeing an abusive relationship and the other is on her way to a conference. After texting that they met a man named Trent McCarthy, both women turn up missing. Told in four parts through a plethora of narrators, this cat and mouse game will keep you questioning who is telling the truth. Who is playing who?

This is a great debut novel by Jessie Garcia and I see promise for her in this genre. However, this book is a popcorn thriller containing several over the top and unbelievable twists. The way the author has structured the narrative is what sets it apart from other similar themed books. It also allows for a good amount of repetition, as characters relate their versions of the same story. While I enjoyed listening to the plot, I don’t think I would have enjoyed it as much if I was reading the print version, so thank you to my Goodreads friends for convincing me to try it!

3.5/5 stars rounded down

Expected publication date: 1/14/25

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC of The Business Trip in exchange for an honest review.

Just so good! The audiobook really helped me dive into the story. Every twist totally caught me by surprise and multiple times I had to go back to reread parts. Great book! Thank you NetGalley for this arc

I was really enjoying this.....until the end.
I absolutely did not see any of that coming. ,
3.5 stars.
The narrators were great.

Quite gripping and intricately compsed! I'm a sucker for books set on airplanes/in airports, but beyond that I had no preconceptions about this book. I expected a sort of Strangers on a Train theme from the description, but what I got was way better.

Go in blind for this one, because even mentioning why I liked it so much would be a spoiler. The ending is a bit far-fetched, but if you're willing to suspend belief and enjoy the ride it's well worth it.

The audiobook is especially good due to the full-cast narration. I love when producers put in this extra effort to really bring the story to life.

I'm looking forward to seeing what else Garcia puts out!

This audiobook was so good! It enhanced the reading experience. I listened along to the book and loved it!

Maybe this just wasn't the thriller I was in the mood for, but it left me feeling a resounding "meh"...cardboard characters, unrealistic dialogue, twist that was too ridiculous for words. Sadly, I did not like this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy for review.

This wasn't what I thought it be. Not for me personally, but I can see that many people will enjoy the book.

This book kept me engaged the entire time. I was so eager to finish it to see what happened. At first I thought it was going to be similar to the book The Last Flight, but it twisted in ways I wasn't expecting. A good book for fans of freida McFadden.

This got a little repetitious having to hear the same events from multiple perspectives, but it kept me entertained enough with some fun twists — until the ending, which I didn’t like at all.

I loved this book! I wasn't sure how the two main female characters were going to interact, it was quite a surprise. I could not put this book down, I'm sad it's over now....

I highly recommend the audiobook with the voices of the different narrators which give more depth to the book.
Right from the start, the author immerses us in the plot. But unfortunately this thriller runs out of steam as we progress, probably because of multiple characters. We don't dig deep enough into each of them. Did we need so many POVs?
The first 30% of the book was fast and then it started to be slow.. With so many POVs, some passages were repetitive without adding anything to the story..
The ending is what Freida McFadden would have done if she had written it! 😉
This book wasn't for me, but I have no doubt that it will find its audience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this advanced audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 👍📖

This book was such an unexpected hit! It was a slower burn, it had gone girl vibes with a double shot of murder and a dash of whodunit mystery. 🎉🕵️‍♀️

The only complaint I feel I had throughout this entire novel was the anticlimactic ending. For some reason, I felt like there should have been more. However, the book was still so shelf-worthy! 📚🤔

I received both an ebook copy [@stmartinspress] and an audiobook [@macmillan.audio] thanks to the tagged publishers & @netgalley. 🎁🎧

I got very much into both versions of reading this book, I would recommend the audio 👌 for its multiple talented narrators. It made the experience of the book so great 👍👏

#qotd What's your go-to thriller subgenre? [Domestic, cozy mystery, police procedural, legal, etc]

#bookreview #NetGalley #stmartinspress #macmillian #macmillanaudio #thebusinesstrip #jessiegarcia #debut #booksandblogs

The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia
Ten audiobook narrators!!!

If you think you know what is going on in this story, don't count on it!

First we meet Jasmine, who seems to have never had a comfortable life or any chance to feel secure and loved. With a sad family history and what seems to be recurring bad luck with men, we meet her during the tension filled time when she's finally making her run to get away from a very abusive live in boyfriend. I want her to succeed, to get away from this man, and I'm not sure she'll be able to do it.

Then we meet Stephanie, who has had such a different life. Stephanie is a successful news director, with a best friend neighbor who she'd never want to give up and a wonderful cat. Her long marriage ran its course and her adult son seems to prefer his dad so things aren't all perfect and she's actually a bit bored with her job and lot in life now. She knows she has it good but can't help feeling there is something more.

Both women are booked on the same plane and it's amazing how similar they are on the surface despite their very different backgrounds. Two women, so different but with similarities. They sit near each other, chat some, and then they are on to their different destinations.

A few days later both women are missing and they are still connected past just having sat together on an airplane. There are text messages, voice mails, visual media and friends (and an enemy) are searching frantically for them. A mad ex and worried/frustrated friends and coworkers turns into so much more. Then there is evidence, things do not look good, things look very bad for these two women.

Chapters are narrated by ten different characters with their own voice actors. Get the audiobook if you can, it's very well done, and added to my enjoyment of the book. We hear from both women, from coworkers, friends, and more and it's easy to come up with all kinds of scenarios of what "might" have happened. At some point we get the real deal on some of it but what we think we know won't be the entire story or the real story, at all. There are surprises and they are good ones! This was a buddy read with DeAnn and Jayme and makes for some interesting discussion.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this ARC.