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.

I really enjoyed The Business Trip. Super twisty and engaging and kept me engaged as I listened to it through the entirety of a flight.

I was pleased with the narrators and had no issues with the audiobook.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this advanced audiobook copy. The Business Trip is publishing on January 14, 2025.

The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
This is a wild ride!! I loved all of the thrills and twists that just kept coming in this fun story!
2 people meet on an airplane and by a strange coincidence, they look fairly similar! Both woman end up missing and the story takes off is crazy ways!
I enjoyed the multiple POV, it kept the storyline mysterious and intense! I love how things all played out in the end!

Thank you to NetGalley for an audio arc of this excellent book. The narrator’s were fantastic too!!
*It comes out January 14th, and I highly recommend it!!*

This debut was wild and so entertaining! I was a little apprehensive because there were so many character POVs but it was surprisingly easy to follow - the story was crafted really well and I was hooked from the first chapter! 4⭐️

THE TWIST AT THE END HAD ME SHOOK! 🤯 I quite literally gasped listening to the audio book. The multiple POVs narrated by different people had me in a chokehold!

I was honestly rooting for each of the characters throughout the whole thing! Jasmin was so likable and I would have never thought..if you know you know!

Truly a page turning debut and I cannot wait to read more from this author! WELL DONE!!

Now, this is a thriller of a ride with twists and turns you will not see coming unless you cheat and look ahead. Don't do that. I thoroughly enjoyed the multi-cast of readers in the audio version. It really makes a book with lots of characters easier to follow and enjoy. You will not find many to like in this book, and that is definitely the point. The main protagonists are looking for a bit of change in their lives, and they certainly got what they asked for! This business trip seems like any ordinary obligation, but it will surprise you.
I recommend this for lovers of a good mystery who love a good audiobook you don't want to turn off. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARL. All opinions are mine.

This was a very engaging thriller! I was hooked from the first chapter and felt myself sliding to edge of my seat the more into the story I got. I loved the complex plot, but did find that it was hard to keep up with all of the characters at times. It didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment, but I think some of the side character POVs weren’t necessary. The audiobook was impeccably done and really brought each character to life!

Full of twists that kept me guessing throughout, The Business Trip is a great debut! I love audios with full cast narrations and this one was done really well. I look forward to more from Jessie Garcia in the future.

Jasmine & Stephanie have nothing in common-- they come from completely different walks of life and had never met before booking the same flight. When the plane lands, the woman continue on their separate ways...... and then both mysteriously vanish. Did something happen on the flight? Did someone target the two women randomly? As their families and coworkers each mount searches, the details start to paint a concerning picture.

I absolutely loved this one! The story was great anyway, but the full cast narration really made each of the characters come alive and I just never wanted to pause it. I love the way the author only needed a little bit of time to ramp up a backstory robust enough that you feel like you know exactly who the characters are without feeling like you're being told their whole life story, it was really impressive. I also thought the big twist was great, while I suspected some of it, it went to much further than I expected, and it all worked beautifully. For me it only vaguely teetered on unrealistic because the explanations and set up behind everything was clever and reasonable.

This was an absolutely fantastic debut novel. I can't wait to read more from this author!

5 star Audible! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you both LISTEN TO and read books-I highly recommend that you listen to this one, as each character is voiced by a different narrator! Spectacular! I paired my reading 📖 with the Audiobook 🎧 which I love to do and finished in one day!
9 hours 7 minutes at 1.0x , 6 hours 5 minutes at 1.5x, 5 hours 13 minutes at 1.75x

“The Business Trip” really is gripping, and binge-worthy as advertised!

My synopsis will be vague on purpose as to not spoil anything for you!

Stephanie and Jasmine both board a flight to Denver, and by chance, are assigned to sit together in the SAME row. Stephanie is on a business trip and Jasmine is fleeing an abusive relationship.

After a few days, each woman is texting their friends and co-workers about meeting the SAME great guy-Trent McCarthy.

And then each woman vanishes at the SAME time.

But this book is not the SAME as any other that you may have read! It is LAYERED, TWISTY and UNPREDICTABLE!
I guessed NOTHING right! LOVED it! ❤️

VERY CLEVER Jessie Garcia! I can’t wait to see what you come up with next!

This debut is available on January 14, 2025

Thank You to both MacMillan Audio and St. Martin’s Press for the gifted ARCs via NetGalley Shelf/NetGalley.
As always, these are my candid thoughts!

⭐️⭐️
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the gifted ARC (audiobook)…as all opinions are my own.
 
I was an instant sucker for the cover and title.  The book started off strong as we mingled between the two main female characters, Jasmine and Stephanie.  They have drastically different lifestyles that manage to cross paths and then the mystery begins.  Around the 30-40ish mark, the plot starts to pivot.  At 70%, I wanted to DNF the book but pushed through.  Once finished, all I could think was “What in the Scooby Doo and Crew was this?”  The plot was captivating but the twists were derailing.  The dialogue during the final chapters was unrealistic, especially where law enforcement was concerned.
 
It was difficult to care for the main characters….scratch that, the neighbor was tolerable; however, this book wasn’t about him.  I didn’t know if we were meant to like or loathe Jasmine…because she irritated my core.  After the first couple of chapters, her conflicts (specifically the inner thoughts) did not justify her actions at all.  There were too many POVs and irrelevant details to keep straight.  Especially when you realize the book could have carried on without this dialogue.  There was one final “yay” moment and sadly, it happened during the epilogue.  That redeeming moment should not have been left to the very end.  Le sigh! 
 
Side note: I opted for the audiobook and could not take Trent’s dialogue/narration seriously.  Mentally, I was picturing Gaston from Beauty and the Beast meets Johnny Bravo.  And kudos to narrating Glen(n) so perfectly.
 
The final sentence from the book’s description: “But who is playing who?”  Honestly, the author, that’s who.  It was a struggle to finish parts three and four as they did not properly align with the first half.  Had I physically read this book, it would have been DNF’d…quick, fast and in a hurry.  While the book wasn’t for me, I would read another by the author.  Fully understanding it’s their debut so fingers crossed for a redemption.  Fool me once…fool me twice…  I would recommend the audiobook to fellow thriller readers with the warnings above-mentioned.