This was such a cute, fun read! I instantly fell in love with Liv, the main character of From the Jump. The author did a great job developing the storyline, and I just did not want to put it down. I would highly recommend this sweet contemporary romance.

Thank you so much to G.P. Putnam's Sons and Netgalley for letting me read an eARC of From the Jump! I love the cover- so vacation-y, so I was super excited to read it!
From the Jump 4/5 Stars
Summary from Goodreads:
A chronic yes-woman finally admits to what—and who—she really wants in this unforgettable and heartfelt romantic comedy, by the author of The Layover.
Liv Bakersfield is used to living her life in “shoulds.” Be fit. Be financially responsible. Be your best self. An overworked graphic designer, she’s stretched so thin that she’s about to miss yet another vacation with her beloved group of college friends. But when Liv finally decides to start saying no, it feels good…good enough to leap straight into quitting her job and hopping on a plane to join them in South Africa.
Amid the exotic landscape and unforgettable sights, Liv expects sun and safari animals and an easy time with her best friends. But such close proximity makes everything more complicated, especially with the emotionally unavailable Lucas Deiss. Their friendship is the only thing in her life that's still solid, and she vows to do anything she can to keep the group together. But once they get back to L.A., Liv discovers that her leap of faith has become a freefall, sending her crashing into Deiss's arms. With the trust of the people she loves most on the line, Liv must decide between doing what she should … and risking everything for what she shouldn’t want.
I really liked From the Jump! I thought it was really well written and I really loved how Liv had such a core group of friends that she had stayed close with from the beginning of college until now. And I also loved how this book started changing up those relationships and seeing how differently everyone in the friend group was dealing with those changes- both the goods and the bads of them. Liv was probably one of my favorite main characters ever because she was so real and relatable. I loved Deiss a lot too because even though he had his faults, he was perfect for Liv and it was so cute to see them interacting with each other. I really loved the South African vacation they all took and everything they did there- it sounded like so much fun! Simone's betrayal would have been too much for me and I would have not been able to forgive her for it, but I guess that's what happens when you've been friends with someone for such a long time. Overall, From the Jump was a really fun, super cute read and I highly recommend it! Definitely go out and grab it today!

Link to be added once blog post goes live

From the Jump by Lacey Waldon

What a great cover, right?! 😍

That, along with @allaboutthat_lace being the author, sucked me right in.

I expected more of a vacation based story because of the cover, and that’s only a small portion, so it threw me off…but nevertheless, I really enjoyed this book.

I just adored Deiss! He had strong book boyfriend material 😍 Liv was a tough character to like in the beginning, but I figured there was a lot going on from her past that caused her to have this “perfect” exterior, and she wound up growing on me about halfway through.

I loved the friendship this group created and kept throughout the years. It’s hard to keep a group of friends together sometimes, especially when some of them have dated and broken up 🙈

My favorite part was the very end though! The way everything wrapped up was just perfect and I adored every bit of it 🥰

If you’re looking for a cute, quick and easy read to wrap up your summer reading, I suggest picking up this one 💜

Thank you to @penguinrandomhouse and @netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review!

From the Jump is a friends-to-lovers romance that includes forced proximity and one bed. This novel is follows Liv Bakersfield and her group of college friends initially on a vacation to South Africa and then in their home city of Los Angeles.

Although setting does play a bit into the story, From the Jump is largely character and relationship-focused novel. I do wish that there were more details about the setting. What fun is a vacation setting if you do not feel like you are also on the vacation and experiencing South Africa?

My biggest issue with this book was the protagonist, Liv. First, this lady clearly needs therapy. (Having a mess of a protagonist is seemingly becoming a trend. One I am not onboard with.) Her naiveté and dedication to perfection was grating, and I desperately wanted to shake the stupidity out of her. Liv’s so-called best friends for 11 years basically knew nothing about who she really was, because she did not want them to know in fear that they would not like her. How Liv was not totally and completely exhausted by her life is beyond me. As Liv grows through the story she becomes more likeable and less annoying, which is a much welcomed reprieve.

The romance portion of this book was enjoyable, and I was a particular fan of the love interest, Lucas Deiss. In fact, he was the one person out of the friend group with which I would want to be friends. I kind of wish that the entire story was told from his perspective instead. But alas, we are stuck with Liv.

I realize that I am grumpy, and consequently, highlighting what I did not like in this book. However, I did enjoy From the Jump. I thought the romance built well over the course of the book and was satisfying. For those of you who need spice in your romance, From the Jump was a clean romance, which I found to be tastefully done and still present a spark between the love interests. In addition, I thought the conflict was not cringey or based upon miscommunication as is so often the case in contemporary romances. This made for a very pleasant read and resolution.

Overall, I enjoyed From the Jump and recommend it. I do not think that Liv is an intolerable or unlikeable main character. She just was not my favorite. I am looking forward to reading Lacie’s debut novel, The Layover.

Y’ALL. This book so hit for me. I enjoyed the author’s first book, The Layover, so I was excited to receive an advanced copy of From The Jump.

I LOVED this book! In my opinion it’s even better than Waldon’s other novel. The characters in this story were so intriguing and multifaceted. Yes, there could have been some more detail really diving into some of the past that was brought up, but I loved the pacing of the plot and the love story. Friends to lovers is a hard trope to do correctly in my opinion, but this book nailed it.

Romantic and sweet friends to lovers rom-com. I chose to read this because I had enjoyed Lacie Waldon's The Layover. This was a fun, read-it-in-a-day book for me and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Love Waldon's characters. Much like The Layover, I enjoyed the banter between Liv and Diess. And of course, the South Africa setting was amazing. Great summer read!

I think this is going to be one of my favorite books of the year. Liv lives for the monthly get togethers with her college friends. They are definitely her found family. The rest of her life is filled with activities that she thinks she should do (work harder, save more, be fit, etc). She has missed every annual trip her college friends have taken. She's tired of saying yes to what she thinks she 'should' do. She want to start saying no to what she doesn't really want to do and yes to what she does really want to do. This means she joins her friends in S. Africa. Might there be a friends to lovers romance? Only if Liv is able to start trusting herself and allow herself to say yes to what she wants, even when it's hard.

I loved Liv and relates to that constant pressure of 'should'. I loved her reflection- of how she grew up and why she is the way she is and where it works and where it doesn't. I also adored her friend group. They were like family, they got each other. It was lovely watching Liv blossom. Heartfelt. Poignant. Satisfying.

Thanks to the publisher for a copy. All opinions are my own

3.5 ⭐️

i absolutely adored lacie waldon’s debut novel, the layover, so i was super excited to receive an ARC of her upcoming release From the Jump. while i do think this is a solid romance overall, it honestly wasn’t a standout for me. while i did enjoy both of the main characters and learning more about them, at times i unfortunately just didn’t feel super engaged. i felt like there wasn’t a huge spark between liv and deiss until about 65% of the way into the book and i wish i had felt it earlier. in the end i actually did like liv and deiss together, but it took me quite a long time to get there which isn’t ideal for a romance.

oh also! wtf simone! bad friend!!

I absolutely adored this friends to lovers romance. The chemistry and emotional development of the love interests was simply fantastic. Liv has every aspect of life under control until its NOT - leaves job, goes on a 6 week vacation, get robbed of money and possession. She on a spiral No article can prepare her for especially when it comes to matters of the heart.

Ladies - here is are NEW book boyfriend Lucas Deiss. GULP Lacie Waldon has delivered another winner!

Thank you Putnam for the gifted copy of this novel

I love reading Lacie Waldon’s stories as a way to escape and go on the vacations I’m constantly dreaming of – and this was no exception.

This book felt like it had three separate parts to it. Part one follows Liv in her very controlled, to-the-letter lifestyle where she only sees her friends once a month and spends all of her time working in order to feel secure and on top of everything. The second part shifts to Liv recognizing the importance of saying “no” once in awhile and finally joining her friends on their annual vacation – this time to South Africa. The third part is upon returning to New York from South Africa and everything that happens as a result to having said “no” and living a life of spontaneity (or so Liv believes).

I struggled to like Liv during the first part, but started to truly enjoy the story as it shifted into the second part – and the third part had me so captivated, I couldn’t put the book down.

The only thing that truly bothered me was the idiosyncrasies when it came to reality … for example, anyone traveling to countries in Africa need to get immunizations/vaccines (which is covered in the book), but it’s recommended to get them at least two weeks beforehand – and in the book, she gets them the morning before flying out, which wouldn’t have been allowed as far as I can tell.

Beyond this, I loved this one and cannot wait for the next adventure from Lacie Waldon!

I really loved The Layover from this author so I was so excited for this book! The cover is so cute and fun for summer and I couldn’t wait to start it. I definitely thought going into this book that more of it would take place in South Africa, but it felt like the majority of the book was in LA. There were just some plot lines I wanted to be resolved and the ending just felt very rushed to me. I liked everything with the big friend group, but I thought their rules for each other were a little much at times. So many people loved this book though so it definitely could’ve been me!

Liv has always thought that living her life exactly the way every magazine and self-help novel told her would make feel safe, but in reality, it has only stretched her thin and forced her to miss out on ten years worth of social events with her best friends. Deciding enough is enough, she takes an extended leave from her stable job to figure out what she truly wants, starting with a trip to South Africa. She expects safari animals and fun with her friends, but what she doesn’t expect is to start developing feelings for her best friend.

From the Jump took everything from The Layover that I loved—the travel/vacation setting, amazing character arcs, the tension—and combined it with one of my favorite tropes, friends to lovers. The African safari setting was fresh and exciting and made for a perfect backdrop for the relationship between Liv and Deiss. They had such great chemistry, and watching them explore that and pine for each other made for the perfect slow burn.

I loved the relationship between Liv and her tight-knit friend group and the glimpses into their past throughout the novel. But the part I enjoyed the most was Liv’s character arc. Seeing her loosen up and let go of her rigid life structure as she found happiness felt real and relatable, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

From the Jump was a great sophomore novel after last summer’s The Layover and is a perfect summer read.

From the Jump is the second book by Lacie Waldon that I have read. I enjoyed From the Jump even more.

This is a book that you would consider a beach read but has a bit more meat in my opinion because it tackles the topic of perfectionism and secrets.

From the Jump is about five friends going through life together. Liv has always tried to keep her past a secret from her four friends. She has worked hard to construct a life that looks perfect. From bloggers and authors, Liv has follow their suggestions and has become known by her friends as the Ice Queen.

Liv's perfect life falls apart when she tells her boss no to a work assignment. A domino affect starts and totally changes the trajectory of Liv's life.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The main character of this novel, Liv, is so tightly wound and focused on success and what she should be doing to be perfect that even her close group of college friends she has known for 11 years don’t fully know her and affectionately call her “the Ice Queen.” But one day something snaps, and she finally lets herself start thinking about what she wants to do, not just what she’s supposed to do - and just maybe that might mean romance, too.

This was a cute, slow burn, friends to lovers romance story, but it was also just as much about Liv’s journey to figure herself her out. There were definitely times in the book that I wanted to shake her, but I love that we were given details of her backstory that made the way she acted make perfect sense rather than a plot contrivance, and the same goes for the obstacles that were thrown in the way of the romance.

I think I preferred Lacie Waldon’s debut novel The Layover a tiny bit to this one, but I really enjoyed this one too, and can’t wait to see what she writes next. Both of her books would be a great addition to your beach bag for this summer!

I really enjoyed reading this one and I had a hard time putting this one down to sleep ... as in I didn't want to sleep I only wanted to continue to read this book! I loved the strong friendship bond between all the characters. I'm definitely will be making Lacie a must read author.

I have to admit that I was a little hesitant to "jump" in to From the Jump after not loving the author's first book. I am so glad that I was wrong! I really enjoyed From The Jump - having read it in basically a day.

Liv does everything by the book - letting the rules and recommendations of authors, bloggers, and podcasters set the terms of what she eats, wears, and dates. After a drunken night with a colleague helps her find the "no" in her vocabulary, Liv finds herself taking her first real vacation in four years with the group of friends she's had since college. When they get home from South Africa and Liv finds that she's been robbed blind, Lucas Diess offers his futon. They've been friends for 11 years so surely crashing with a friend won't create any issues for either of them, right?

I really enjoyed this friends to lovers romance. The found family element of the friend group was also really lovely. Deiss is such a swoony hero who clearly worships Liv once we finally see their feelings for each other. I enjoyed seeing Liv's character growth and development, especially because she started off pretty whiny!

I alternated between the ebook and audiobook. The audiobook is narrated by Brittany Pressley who does a really nice job capturing the voices of each of the characters.

Content warnings: There's quite a bit of diet culture talk throughout the book so readers should take care going into it.

Thanks to Putnam and NetGalley for the gift copy. All opinions are my own.

I DNF. I couldn't connect with the characters, and I wasn't interested in following their journey. Thank you, NetGalley.

I was not able to read this book in time due to the download date expiring on my Kobo. Thank you Netgalley and publishers for chance to read and review.

I devoured 𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗝𝗨𝗠𝗣 in one day. Yes, it's a friends-to-lovers romance but it's also a woman's journey to figure out who she is and what she wants.

The story focuses on Liv and her four besties from college, Phoebe, Simone, Mac and (Lucas) Deiss. She lives her life by a very rigid set of rules, doing everything she can to make sure she's never anything less than perfect, and what could be an annoying character becomes one you can't help but care for in the deft hands of Lacie Waldon. Liv's backstory makes her compulsions understandable and you root for her as she realizes what she thought was perfection was actually holding her back. When she joins the others on a safari for one of the yearly vacations she usually skips, her life is turned upside down by the experience (and aftermath!) and by sharing more time with sexy, mysterious Deiss.

I loved following Liv's quest for happiness and enjoyed the evolution of the group's relationship. Mac is a great character and Deiss may be my new book boyfriend...

Thanks to Putnam Books and NetGalley for the copy to review.

Happy publishing day to this one! Thank you to @netgalley and @putnambooks for a copy to read and review. This was a great vacation read!

Liz says yes to everything and loves her life in shoulds including her job, fitness, finances. But one day Liz decides to start saying no. She quits her job and goes on vacation with her group of college friends in South Africa. Things start to get a little complicated though with her emotionally unavailable friend Lucas. Once they all are back in LA, Liv’s life free falls and Lucas is there to catch her.

This was a fun read that focuses on a friends to lovers trope. I would recommend this. Plus this book has the best cover. It makes me want to go somewhere tropical.