Thank you Macmillan Audio, partner for the ALC of The Business Trip and PRH Audio, partner for the ALC of The Note, in exchange for my honest reviews.
There is nothing I love more than a fun, twisty popcorn thriller to listen to while out walking the dogs or getting some things done around the house and these two were perfect for just that!
THE BUSINESS TRIP by Jessie Garcia
Published: January 15, 2025, Macmillan Audio
Summary:
THE BUSINESS TRIP is the gripping, page-turning debut from author Jessie Garcia.
Stephanie and Jasmine have nothing and everything in common. The two women don’t know each other but are on the same plane. Stephanie is on a business trip and Jasmine is fleeing an abusive relationship. After a few days, they text their friends the same exact messages about the same man—the messages becoming stranger and more erratic.
And then the two women vanish. The texts go silent, the red flags go up, and the panic sets in. When Stephanie and Jasmine are each declared missing and in danger, it begs the questions: Who is Trent McCarthy? What did he do to these women— or what did they do to him?
Twist upon twist, layer upon layer, where nothing is as it seems, THE BUSINESS TRIP takes you on a descent into the depths of a mastermind manipulator. But who is playing who?
My thoughts:
This is such a clever, addicting read. I am so impressed that it’s a debut – I’ll for sure be keeping an eye out for whatever this author writes next!
I loved that I was pulled into this story right from the start and that never let up. The multiple points of view and timelines had me completely engaged and wondering just how this would all play out. There are a lot of characters here, but I never once felt lost or that I couldn’t keep track of them – they are all so well-developed and all are needed!
This book is full of twists, some quite shocking, but I think that is what I loved most! This book is definitely not at all what I thought it would be – nothing is what it seems and even with the unreliable narrator and building suspense, I was still unable to predict how this would turn out.
Audio thoughts:
This is narrated by a full cast and I really think audio is the way to go here. It is so engaging and I found that once I picked it up, I did not want to put it down!
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THE NOTE by Alafair Burke
Published: January 7, 2025, Random House Audio
Summary:
A vacation in the Hamptons goes terribly wrong for three friends with a complicated history.
It was meant to be a harmless prank.
Growing up, May Hanover was a good girl, always. Well-behaved, top of her class, a compulsive rule-follower. Raised by a first-generation Chinese single mother with high expectations, May didn’t have room to slip up, let alone fail. Her friends didn’t call her the Little Sheriff for nothing.
But even good girls have secrets. And regrets. When it comes to her friendship with Lauren and Kelsey, she’s had her fair share of both. Their bond—forged when May was just twelve years old—has withstood a tragic accident, individual scandals, heartbreak and loss. Now the three friends have reunited for the first time in years for a few days of sun and fun in the Hamptons. But a chance encounter with a pair of strangers leads to a drunken prank that goes horribly awry.
When she finds herself at the center of an urgent police investigation, May begins to wonder whether Lauren and Kelsey are keeping secrets from her, testing the limits of her loyalty to lifelong friends.
What had they gone and done?
The Note is a page-turner of the highest order from one of our greatest contemporary suspense writers.
My thoughts:
This is another addicting, though slower-paced read that I overall enjoyed. I’ve read a few books by Alafair Burke and have even had a chance to meet her so I was excited to pick up this latest one.
Three friends reunite for a girls’ weekend in the Hamptons (love the Long Island setting!) and things take a wrong turn. While I didn’t necessarily love all the characters, I did love that they all had their fair share of secrets and I was dying for them all to be revealed and to see how it would affect the friendships, which to me just seemed so toxic! This made for such a complex, complicated dynamic amongst the friends and I really did enjoy this and felt these relationships were really developed quite well. The drama and the betrayal we learn about really kept me fully engaged.
While I wasn’t trying to guess the perpetrator, I did end up figuring it out just before the reveal, but it in no way detracted from my overall enjoyment. It was still a fun, twisty popcorn thriller that I quite enjoyed!
Audio thoughts:
This one was expertly narrated by Catherine Ho, who was able to give all the characters their own unique voices. Her pacing and intonation were spot on!
Have you read either of these two books or do you plan to?
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