Book Review: The Business Trip
Genre: Mystery
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Release Date: January 14, 2025
Key Details:
- 1 Woman running from danger
- 1 Woman on another unwanted business trip
- Both end up on the same plane
- Both women go missing
- Amazing full cast — audio is a MUST
- So many twists
- Multiple POV

Notes: I couldn’t stop listening! I thought I had predicted the end, and while I did foresee some details, my mouth literally dropped when the last two twists hit. Highly recommend!

This audiobook kept me on the edge of my seat right up until the final chapter! Every time I thought I had it figured out, the author threw in another twist—some more surprising than others—that kept me guessing.

The multiple POVs and timelines can often be a challenge in audiobooks, but the well-labeled chapters and distinct narrators for each character made it much easier to follow. This thoughtful organization is something more audiobooks with complex narratives should definitely adopt.

Overall, this gripping tale with its unexpected twists and engaging narration makes for a fantastic listen. If you're looking for a thrilling audiobook experience, this one should be at the top of your list!

This one sucked me in immediately. I loved the first half and was thinking it might even be a rare 5 star read for me, but I struggled a bit with the direction the plot took in the second half. This one has a unique premise and very unique twists that will keep you guessing. The character development was a bit uneven which is why I thought some of the twists were a bit ick for me, but I also see why the author did what she did with the plot (I just think more character development would have made it smoother and more palatable). I did enjoy this read, and I will definitely check out more from Garcia in the future.

What a wild ride of an audiobook!! This novel had me guessing until the final chapter, it was a unique concept and done extremely well. The story is told from multiple POV with a full cast of narrators, which really brought the audiobook to life. The chapters are clearly labeled with POV and timeline (i.e., 1 day before the flight, 1 week after the flight), which makes it easier for the audiobook reader to follow along and I always appreciate when an author takes the time to organize their book for adaptive/audiobook readers 👏

Stephanie is a journalist on a business trip and Jasmine is fleeing an abusive relationship. The two women sit next to each other in a plane and then part ways. As more POV are added to the story, red flags begin to pop up and the women's loved ones are left confused and worried.

The twists and turns of this novel had me questions everything I read and where the novel was going. I couldn't stop listening and basically finished this novel in a day 😱 This is a 2025 thriller to add to your TBR list!!

Thank you St. Martin's Press for the ALC.

I listened to the audio of this book and really enjoyed it! I loved all the twists. It kept me wanting more!! I did wish that there was a little more believability to one of them, however, I highly suggest this book to all the thriller lovers out there! It's comparable to Alice Feeney and Freida McFadden.

Whew this was a wild ride! It was an entertaining read if a little far-fetched. It was hard to know who to root for. Some parts a little repetitive as the new POVs were introduced.

I loved the different narrators for each different character, it made the audiobook much more enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was so much fun! We follow a cast of multiple people, however we start out with our two main POV's. One girl is trying to leave her abusive relationship and the other is just on her way to a business conference. These two happen to meet on the same flight, and oddly enough....they both end up missing.

The multiple POV"S made this one so fun and was such an interesting take on the story. I FLEW through each chapter as I could not wait to see what was going to happen. It was such a breath of fresh air in a thriller/mystery novel. Especially since I have been in a rut with these particular types of books.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my early e-arc review.

Wow! Not at all what I expected and I thought I had it al figured out. Two women from very different backgrounds meet on a plane. Twists and turns follow and what an ending! Great debut by Jessie Garcia. I look forward to other books by this author. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Stephanie, tv news director in Madison, Wisconsin, is headed off to a convention . Jasmine, also from Madison, is escaping the violent man with whom she's been living. The end up assigned to the same row of seats on their flight to Denver and their other seatmate asks if they are sisters because they resemble one another so much. Stephanie's friend and neighbor Robert is caring for her cat. Jasmine checks in with a friend who helped her get away.

A few days later, both women text their friends that they have met a fantastic guy named Trent McCarthy and are going to his home in Atlanta. Trent is another news director, and, a bit of a jerk. Then, Stephanie texts Robert that she is afraid for her life. He gets the police involved. While neither Stephanie or Jasmine is found, DNA evidence and their phones are found at Trent's home.

Where did the women go? What happened to them? Is Trent more than just a jerk? This mystery is full of twists and turns and both women, as well as Trent, have some secrets. This one is difficult to put down. Reminiscent of the works of Gillian Flynn, anyone who enjoys a good thriller with at least one heartless protagonist will not want to miss this one.

Multiple narrators bring the audiobook alive and the 9 hour books goes quickly!

The Business Trip started out as a pretty exciting, unique story. Told in multiple POVs, and when I say multiple, I mean many - coworkers, friends, the two main female characters, the supposed villain, the boss, etc. It wasn't hard to keep track of who was who in the audiobook thankfully, as the different narrators really helped that aspect. We start with Jasmine, a 40+ year old bartender in an abusive relationship, set to escape. Then, we move to Stephanie, recently divorced News Executive, ready to head out on a business trip. And that is where their worlds collide. With the two being so far removed from each other, other than both living in Wisconsin, I truly had no clue how their stories would come together by the end, which made me crave answers even more.

I ate this story up in less than a day and really enjoyed it up until the last hour or so of the audiobook. The twist just wasn't it. It didn't make any sense and left an immense amount of plot holes for every character involved. I found that the final outcome made no sense for either of our main character's personalities and how they were when beginning the story, and truly just had me very confused. With a different ending and a much more thorough twist, this could have been a 4 star book for me, but unfortunately that wasn't the case.

As for the audiobook production, the use of 10 narrators was very smart for this story with all of the different POVs. Not having this many voices would have made this one hard to follow. Each narrator did a wonderful job with each character, keeping the story very mysterious and exciting.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jessie Garcia, and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy and allowing me early access to listen to and review this story.

This is a tough book for me to review.

I was totally enraptured with the first 45% of The Business Trip, I was given an advanced audiobook, it made a 3 hour drive very pleasant. There were many points of view in that time with each chapter heading making me aware of who was telling their side of the story. It worked even if they were fair number of them but it's always great to see a story from different angles.

Right away I liked Jasmine, I felt for her and cheered her on as she escaped an abusive relationship. For Stephanie, she is in the opposite situation in that she is single but questioning things going on in her life. When these two women vanish the red herrings start popping up. It was intriguing trying to figure out what was going on, the shorter chapters worked well.

Then I started to question things as the twists started happening, overtime I had to suspend my belief a fair number of times. The ending was out there and I’m not sure what to make of it. It was unexpected that’s for sure.

All in all I was genuinely curious as to what was going on but the execution in the last half just felt off

You can find The Business Trip on shelves early 2025.

My thanks to Macmillan Audio for an advanced copies in exchange for a honest review.

The Business Trip

I really don’t even have words to describe the emotional roller coaster from this book following Stephanie and Jasmine. I thought I knew what was going on until I hit about 60 percent of the book. After that I was shocked and wondered what else could happen in the last 40 percent. Well apparently, a lot can happen. The twist at the end took me totally by surprise. I would have given this book 5 stars if I didn’t dislike Jasmine so much. The author did a great job at writing her as a dislikeable character. I enjoyed how the book intertwines everything and revealed each part piece by piece. I went in thinking one thing and left thinking another. If you are looking for a wild ride this book is for you. I really liked the narrators and the cover.

Thank you, Net Galley, the author, and the publisher, for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received a free audiobook copy from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

Stephanie is on a business trip to a convention and Jasmine is fleeing her abusive boyfriend, and once they board their flight, their lives are changed forever.

This is an incredibly engaging debut novel. Plenty of twists and turns that keep you guessing and interested right up until the (slightly disappointing) finale. Seriously, this was a really great read! I look forward to reading Jessie Garcia's future novels!

The Business Trip is told through multiple POVs and in a way that has the reader wondering what is going on and how is everything going to come together. This audiobook is a full cast and it really adds to the story. I thought the beginning half or so was really intriguing and I was invested in seeing how it all played out. I thought the overall idea and twists were great, but the execution of some of the reveal felt anticlimactic for me. It was the telling rather than showing that kind of brought me out of it. Overall, the narration was very well done and I would recommend the audiobook.
Thank you Macmillan Audio for the copy through NetGalley!

4⭐
Genre ~ domestic thriller
Setting ~ mostly Georgia, some Wisconsin, some California, some Mexico
Publication date ~ January 14, 2024
Publisher ~ Nacmillan Audio
Est Page Count ~ 352 (44 chapters +e)
Audio length ~ 9 hours 7 minutes
Narrators ~ listed below so it doesn't take too much space up here
POV ~ multiple 1st
Featuring ~ debut fiction, 4 parts, multiple timelines, domestic abuse, murder

This is one that I don't really want to say too much. The plot is fascinatingly clever and well thought out.

Our main characters are Stephanie & Jasmine . We, also, hear from Stephanie's coworkers, Jasmine's boyfriend and friends, and a man named, Trent, which help move the story along to it's shocking conclusion.

Overall, this was a really solid and impressive debut. There was some repetitiveness and I didn't care for the epilogue, but it was fast paced and I was engaged entirely. You'll want to add this one to your TBR for sure.

Narration notes:
Holy guacamole ~ 10 narrators!! They all did a fabulous job.
Andrew Eiden, Dylan Fitzpatrick, Fred Berman, Gail Shalan, Hillary Huber, Jennifer Pickens, John Pirhalla, Kimberly M. Wetherell, Kirby Heyborne, Tim Campbell

Stephanie and Jasmine are two people with completely different lives but yet have so much in common. They are two complete strangers, who end up on the same plane. One going on a business trip, the other running from an abusive man. What's strange is, a few days following their flight they begin sending the same texts to their friends and family at home. All of these text pertaining to a dreamy Mr. Trent McCarthy. The real mystery begins when the texts stop completely with no warning and now Stephanie and Jasmine are both missing.

This is a little bit of a slow burn. It takes a little time to create a connection with the characters and determine where exactly this plot is heading.
What I really enjoyed was the fact that I had the ending all wrong. I thoroughly love a good book that can fool me! Lots of unexpected twists that kept me intrigued and helped me finish this story in a single day. Always expect the unexpected, and that is the truth with this book. Overall, the story and the conclusion were satisfying to me.

There are what feels like a lot of characters to keep track of. This is written in a multi-perspective format which at times made it difficult to keep up with who was talking. The timeline also moves back and forth some that can make it confusing for some.
I did listen to the audiobook and felt like the different narrators helped keep me on track of who was talking when. All of the necessary emotions were expressed in the delivery of these narrations and I really enjoyed that.

Thank you Macmillan Audio, Jessie Garcia, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

There is a lot of (too much) exposition in this novel. The characters and their backstories are described in great detail rather than shown via their actions. While we are meant to assume this is a story about women who switch identities to get some distance from their current situations, it’s more nefarious. The story is Ok as we follow Jen running from her abusive boyfriend and planning to disappear when she literally changes her plans mid-flight. We are privy to her thoughts and actions from her perspective. At the end of the story, there is another long stretch of exposition wherein the author must describe what happened to the main characters and why (because it was not clear from their actions). It was just OK. I expect the author can do a better job with her next book.
My thanks to the author, publisher, producer, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook for review purposes.

Jasmine is trapped in an abusive relationship, but determined to escape. Stephanie is a News Director on her way to an important conference, but so tired of the travel for her job. These two women happen to meet on a flight. From that point the first half of the book was so hard to put down as I was trying hard to figure out what was going on. Then in the second half things to start to unravel as the author backs up to explain things. But the twists and turns in the entire book kept me glued to the story! Well-written, fast-paced, and a bit heart-pounding!

Great narration, multiple narrators.

My thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this e-book and Macmillian Audio for an advanced copy of the audio book.

The Business trip is a thriller that focuses on Jasmine, who is escaping an abusive relationship and Stephanie who is going to a conference business trip in San Diego. They are on the same initial flight, they text the people in their lives that they’ve met a man and are staying with him. The texts become hectic and their loved ones are starting to worry and question who the Trent guy is. The book is very dynamic as listen to Stephanie and Jasmine, as well as the people in their life tell the story of what happened during and after this trip.

The plot is initially going somewhere and right when you think you have it figured out, PLOT TWIST. If you are a Freida McFadden fan, this book is a must. I enjoyed having multiple POVs and putting together the pieces of the puzzle, even if it lead me a different route.

I enjoyed the writing style and the plot in general. It was twisty enough to keep me intrigued but not overly confused.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC of this book.

I waffled between 3 and 4 on this one: it started super strong and then spiraled/petered around towards the end, but still a good time.

Premise - Stephanie and Jasmine appear to be two very different women, without much in common other than a shared flight. But then they text their friends the exact same increasingly odd messages about the exact same man… and then they disappear. Who is Trent McCarthy and what did he do to the women - or them to him?

I really liked that this let you get into the mind of a psychopath, but I guess I wanted to start liking said psychopath at some point, or even starting to see their point of view (a la Walter White in Breaking Bad) so that it’d be super jarring to remind myself that the person is evil. I didn’t quite get that here and the ending twist felt unearned (a bit like Garcia was told she needed another twist so just tacked one on) so ultimately it’s a 3 star rather than a 4 star for me, but I had a good time!

I listened to the audiobook version, which is an absolute treat - when they say it’s a full cast read it’s a full cast read! The talented Andrew Eiden, Dylan Fitzpatrick, Fred Berman, Gail Shalan, Hillary Huber, Jennifer Pickens, John Pirhalla, Kimberly M. Wetherell, Kirby Heyborne, and Tim Campbell come together to bring Garcia’s debut to life. It’s delightful and I highly recommend indulging in a listen!

Thanks, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.