Book Review: The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

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The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray is a historical fiction novel that spans many years and tells of the friendship between former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune. I don't know if I would have picked up this book if it hadn't been the August selection for one of the book clubs I belong to in my area because I don't read a lot of historical fiction. However, I am so glad that I read it and was able to learn many things I hadn't learned about in any of my history classes.  I don't recall learning anything about Mary McLeod Bethune, and she is an important part of American history. The things she helped spearhead to provide African American people equal rights is quite impressive. One of the things I was horrified to learn about is Franklin D. Roosevelt's resistance to stop lynchings because he was afraid of losing the Southern Democrats backing for his New Deal Bill. Another thing that I fo...

Book Review: The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia

The Business Trip
by Jessie Garcia is about two women from Madison who are completely different from one another and are on an airplane bound for Denver, Colorado. Jasmine is a waitress and is escaping an abusive relationship. Stephanie is a news director for a local news station headed to a news conference. Friends and family of both women receive texts that they've met a man named Trent. Then, both women disappear. Panic starts to set in with loved ones. Who is Trent, and what has he done to them?

I'd like to thank NetGalley for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) that they sent to me for free in exchange for my honest review. The synopsis of The Business Trip intrigued me, and I was excited to dive into the book.

The story hooked me from the very beginning. I was rooting for Jasmine to escape her boyfriend and live happily ever after. I was also rooting for Stephanie to find the happiness she was looking for. Then, the book took a very disturbing turn, and I ended up loathing Jasmine. The supporting characters are a mixed bag when it comes to likability. Trent, Raven, and Glenn are absolutely despicable for various reasons. However, Robert and Lucy are absolutely lovely; everyone needs people like them in their lives.

Jessie Garcia had me guessing through a good portion of the book as to both women's connection to Trent. The next big twist was if the culprit was going to get away with their plan and shocked the readers with yet another twist, albeit a bit of a far fetched one. I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of the story, but when I found out who the culprit was and what the character was doing, I spent the rest of the book feeling extremely anxious.

Overall, I really enjoyed this debut novel, The Business Trip, by Jessie Garcia. The expected publication date is January 14, 2025. Four out of five stars is what I rated it, and I look forward to seeing what other stories this author will write.

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