Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Putnam for providing me with an advance copy. What follows is my honest review.

From the Jump was the perfect summer romance read and I absolutely loved it. The cast of characters was great: I loved how different they all were, and how much they loved each other because of it. Liv and her friends meeting completely by random in college and just choosing to stick with each other for years is something I relate to and something that feels very quintessentially college, and I liked seeing these friendships carry over into adulthood.

The chemistry between Deiss and Liv (and Mac and Phoebe, frankly) is immediate and obvious, and the tension only grows. From the Jump is an excellent, excellent slowburn and a wonderful example of friends to lovers done right. Seeing the careful politics of dating within a friend group play out was relatable and honest, and something I really loved to see. Almost everyone was easy to root for and all five of the main characters were easy for me to relate to. It took me a bit to get into, and I was very busy while reading, but the second half absolutely hooked me and by the end I was sold.

So what didn’t I like? First of all, one of the easiest to spot universal red flags is when a man’s favorite movie is Fight Club or Pulp Fiction. Take a guess what Deiss’s favorite movie was. Second, the book felt a bit heavy handed for me. Liv could only be 100% straight-laced scheduled to the minute or she could be 0%. There wasn’t ever really any consideration of a middle ground. I just would’ve liked a bit more of a middle ground. And finally—wow do they forgive each other easily. It’s one thing to acknowledge that your friends can hurt you and it doesn’t mean you stop being friends, it’s quite another entirely to say that since you’re friends you can just ignore every shitty thing that friend does to you?

Liv Bakersfield has done everything right but feels overworked. She will miss another vacation with her friends. But, when Liv begins saying "no," she gets caught up; Liv quits her job and hops on a plane to South Africa!

Liv and her friends, Phoebe, Simone, Lucas, and Mac enjoy their time in South Africa, but Liv realizes she does not really know everyone like she thought.

This has a gorgeous cover! What a sweet, swoony story! I loved the friends to lovers troupe; Liv and Lucas were so cute! I appreciated Liv being pulled out of her comfort zone.

I enjoyed the authors debut book The Layover and was happy to read her next novel. The entire story is from the POV of Liv Bakersfield. She counts as her family of choice her best friends who she met in college. It been eleven years since the group met up up and they gather once a month to catch up with one another. Liv is being successful doing graphic design work for a company that she doesn’t love. She is professional and people pleasing until the day that she says no. That starts off a series of events that changes her life.

First she joins her friends on their annual trip something she never allowed herself to do before. She realizes that while she sees them monthly they get together more often and have ongoing connections. I see a lot of reviews loving the friend group where I thought they treated Liv poorly. Only one has been to Liv’s apartment or knows she owns a cat. For the reader layers are peeled back exposing the real Liv. She is someone that did not have financial or home stability while growing up. She has know poverty that would shock her so called friends. Her friends can be bossy, domineering and lacking empathy calling her the “Ice Queen”.

But there are redeeming and growth moments that save the book for me. Deiss welcomes her when she comes to Africa and again when she needs a place to land when returning to LA. Being with Deiss allows her the freedom to interact with her friend group more and work on projects she likes. This reads more like women’s fiction \ with so much focus on the friends and Liv’s personal growth. The friend to lover trope is there but it isn’t the main focus of the story. This wasn’t a laugh out loud book for me. There were sweet moments but a lot of underlying sadness in Liv and for the life she been living. I guess it depends on which character you relate to.

I will continue to look for future books from Lacie Waldon. The first took me to Belize and now I’ve gone on safari to South Africa with her. I wonder what the next destination will be. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. (3.5 stars)

Liv is a yes woman and a pleaser, but all her rule following has made her miss out on her real life. She does what she should do and in the spur of the moment she decides to say no.
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This single word creates a sense of spontaneity that she didn’t know existed and changes her entire life. She quits her job and meets her best friends on vacation in South Africa. This book is as much about Liv as it is about their entire friend group. It’s about how dynamics can change in a close knit group when they move from college to adulthood, jobs change and romance sets the tone.
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This is a story about what you should do versus what you want to do. It’s making the hard decisions about what’s good for your life plan versus what’s actually good for your life. This is a fun one that is out on Tuesday.
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Thank you #gpputnamsons and #NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Liv relentlessly sought perfection as means to the stability she never had in her past, however, with one decision, that life she had built began to unravel. That first “no” may have seemed like disaster, but it set Liv on a path of change which might actually lead her to the future she was seeking.

Waldron’s previous book, The Layover, was a solid read for me, but this, this was a runaway hit. I started and finished this book the same day which is a good indicator to how much I loved this story. I devoured it! Furiously flipping those pages, eager to see how it would work out, and all the while, wearing a smile on my face.

One of my favorite elements of this story was the friendship shared between these five people. It’s precious the way they met when they were in college, as well as the way they worked to maintain their friendship. But even after all these years, there was room for improvement. This whole journey for Liv was also a journey for this group, and it was wonderful to see them come out stronger in the end.

And seriously, it was about time Liv took a hint from her name and actually LIVED! She spent so much time trying to be perfect, saving for a rainy day, and working towards goals she didn’t really desire, that she was missing out on a lot. It was a beautiful thing to see her let loose and share some incredible experiences with her friends. The trip to South Africa was so much fun. I mean, it was usually a lot of fun to be around this group, but I loved see Liv be an active part of it. She found many opportunities throughout the story to find her joy, her love, her purpose, and I just couldn’t help but be swept away by it all.

The romance was of the slow burn variety, but it didn’t bother me the way most slow burns do. I think it’s because I reveled in the friendship between Lucas and Liv, and their growing attraction made me giddy. There were also a bunch of other great subplots to keep me happy as I waited for these two to finally act on their feelings.

I was elated about so many things that happened in this book that my face cracked in half from the perma-grin I was wearing. Liv’s personal journey was a standout part, and it was so satisfying to see her come to the realizations about perfection and happiness.

Overall, this book offered the perfect blend of friendship, romance, and personal growth. The story was told with humor and warmth, and it was just a tremendously feel-good tale.

DNFed at 13% — not a good fit for me. I couldn’t buy into the close friendship this book seems to hinge on. Here’s the line that broke me: “I wondered what Deiss’s dad would have to say, but I didn’t bother asking… After two years of friendship, we’d get to be able to get him to share anything of his past. Once, Simone pushed too hard to figure out what state he was from, and he’d walked out of the room, strolling back in three days later like nothing had happened. We stopped asking him questions after that.”
Sorry, I don’t believe these are the best buds they’re made out to be.

Don’t let my review stop you from trying this one out. There’s loads of 4 and 5 star reviews here so clearly this is just a bad match for me as a reader.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for a free copy in exchange for my honest review!

This was such a cute & fun read!! I knew I was going to enjoy this book when i read the prologue, and the rest of the book did not disappoint! I absolutely loveeed Liv’s character development in this book. It was so well done and I felt for her the entire book. This is probably one of my favorite friends to lovers books I have read in awhile!! The dynamic of Liv and Deiss’s friend group was so much fun! There were multiple times I was laughing throughout the book, and honestly, a lot of those moments were brought on by side characters. Which i LOVE when that happens! Every character in this story had a role and a part and it all worked so well. Plus, i loves every single one of them.

The romance is fade to black, which is fine! I do secretly wish we couldve gotten a little more of Deiss’s player side. I feel like his flirtations were fun with Liv but i think it wouldve been even more fun if there was a little more dirty talk. But overall, i loved them and their relationship. I loved how their relationship progressed too. Definitely will seek out this author for future books.

Liv Bakersfield lives a very regimented life. She has her future planned out, dutifully saves money, follows a strict diet and exercise routine, and never turns down a project at work. One day she realizes how good it feels to say no to some of her responsibilities. She throws caution to the wind and, for the first time ever, she decides to meet up with her friends on their vacation in South Africa. During and following the vacation, Liv finds that there's so much more to one of her friends, Lucas Deiss. Even though those "more than friends" feelings start to surface, Liv stifles them in an attempt to keep the bond strong with her group of friends. Can Liv keep her true feelings in check and stick to "just friends" with Deiss? Or is there even more to Deiss than meets the eye?

I read The Layover by Lacie Waldon and was so excited to read From the Jump. By the way, check out the covers on Lacie's books - they are so pretty! From the Jump is a fun story with a friends-to-lovers trope (one of my faves!). The story provides some "then" background of the group of friends and their history. I'm lucky to have a close core group of friends, so I could totally relate to the closeness of the group in From the Jump. I loved the build up to the unveiling of where things go with Liv and Deiss. After reading this book, you're going to want a Deiss in your life - swoon!!!! I can't wait to see what Lacie comes out with next!

3.5-4 stars. This was cute, and Deiss is a fantastic book boyfriend. The friend group was really fantastic to read, and I appreciated that alongside the romance and self discovery aspects of the book, it also looked at the challenges of maintaining friendships as you age. Lacie Waldon is great at writing scenic, entertaining stories and I'm hoping for a long career for her.

A wonderful, heartwarming, and funny story about what you have to gain when you can manage to step outside your comfort zone and start living your life you way you wish.

Be healthy. Be financially responsible. Dress for success. Be your best self. Look your best. Find a partner. Settle down. And don’t forget to go out and have fun!

This is the motto that chronic yes-woman Olivia lives by. After a traumatic childhood with her single mom, she does everything by the book to maintain stability. She lives her safe life of checking boxes instead of following her joy. Working in a depressing graphic design job instead of doing the kind of work she wants to do. Following all the typical dating rules. Furnishing her apartment to look like a magazine spread instead of a lived-in home. Saving every penny she can to pad her savings. But a single crack in her immaculately crafted facade starts with the simple act of saying “no” at work to another sad assignment. That’s the first domino in a chain of impulsive decisions - she takes an unpaid leave of absence from work, joins her friend group halfway across the world after years of staying home, and giving freelance design a chance. When she returns home to find her apartment completely cleaned out by thieves, she stays with her friend Deiss. Despite being frequents for years, they aren’t particularly close. But a spark that they felt on vacation begins to smolder as their forced proximity, shared daily routines, and Deiss’s unrelenting support hint that their could be the possibility of more. But with the friends having a pact that everyone keeps everything platonic for the sake of keeping the group together, is she really willing to risk it all for love?

Just like The Layover, we have a heroine on the cusp of something big - following their hearts in love and passion. After the financial and emotional instability of her childhood, she favors a safe, boring and practical career over something that will bring her joy. The then-and-now of this book really illustrates how much value Olivia has placed on her group of college friends, going as far as to call them her chosen family. A series of circumstances takes her out of her comfort zone, both with her job and living situation, but also within the friends’ dynamic. They’ve always considered her The Ice Queen, due to her shoving down her emotions and putting her hard exterior at the forefront. But she upsets the balance when she joins them on the annual vacation and then moves into Deiss’s apartment and starts working from his music store. She begins to realize exactly how much she had been missing out on by only meeting up with them once a month. And she discovers the joy of doing the types of work that she really wants to do, as well as explore the potential with Deiss that had previously been undiscovered. I find so much joy in following Olivia on her path to living her best authentic life!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance reader's copy of this novel.

DNF at 15%. I think my problem with this book is more about me than it is about the book. I simply can no longer relate to twentysomethings or early thirtysomethings, especially ones like this protagonist. She reads something called "Husband Huntress" and tries to design her life according to its commandments, which I find not only horrifying but also simply impossible to continue reading about. She won't eat any sugar or carbs because her trainer won't allow it. I know that the book is about her changing these things, but I just can't relate to her in the first place and it's hard for me to be interested in reading about someone who would actually be like this. I'm sure this book will be great for younger readers of romance novels, but it is definitely not for me.

I really enjoyed Waldon’s last book and was super excited to “jump” into this one. To be honest, it fell a bit flat for me. While I enjoyed Liv’s growth journey and I really do love women’s fiction, I think I was looking for a bit more romance. I did like Lucas the best of the group, but that slow burn might have been just a bit too slow for me…. I struggled to connect here.

Oh my goodness this book was such an enjoyable adventure! I enjoyed Liv’s interactions with her coworkers and her friends while trying to figure out that what she wants may not be what she needs. Several times I found myself reflecting back on time spent with good friends and some of the choices I made. This is the second book by @allaboutthat_lace and I loved it even more than The Layover! From the Jump is a contemporary fiction novel about love, family & friends and what’s truly important.

When Liv, a chronic yes-woman, starts saying no she somehow ends up on a hiatus for work, letting her go on a last minute trip with her friends in Africa. It starts out wonderful, but when she finds out her bank account was hacked, she quickly learns that isn't the only thing going wrong in her life. Back in LA her apartment was ransacked, her bank accounts emptied and her job gone, Liv needs to pivot quick. With her friends, helping support her, she quickly picks up freelance work and starts finding a new path for herself. Can she stay on this new path of "no" or will picking herself back up push her to go back to her old 'Yes-Woman' habits.

This was such a fun read! It's a classic friends to lovers romance set between Africa and LA. Whats not to love? Liv is totally relatable. I am also a graphic designer, with a perfectionist outlook who probably shouldn't say 'yes' as much as I do, I totally felt where Liv is coming from. Deiss is a gooey cinnamon roll hero. I loved his arc best in the whole book. The secondary characters were also funny and super interesting without taking away from the main couple. I'd so be here for a prequel with some of the other couples involved.

While I loved this book, there were some unrealistic moments, like Liv goes freelance and just happened to get a full time amount of work, when she doesn't even have a computer, felt a bit farfetched. Also I felt like the title and cover, while GORGEOUS, didn't really relate to the whole story. But those I felt were super minor and shouldnt take away from picking this book up!

Thanks to the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review. This book releases 7/19

Liv is such a relatable character. This book filled my wonderlust heart and felt like the perfect summer reading. The story was easy to read and kept me interested, I love Lacie Waldon now!

Thank you #netgalley for an early read of #fromthejump

From the Jump by Lacie Waldon
I give this book 5 stars

Liv has spent her whole life doing what's expected of her, not what she wants.
Quitting her job she spontaneously decides to join her group of friends on their holiday in South Africa. But in that group is gorgeous and emotionally unavailable Lucas. Their friendship is the one thing in her life that's still solid and Liv knows she can't mess it up - even if it means missing out on the one thing she truly wants . . .

This book ticked all the boxes for me and put a big smile on my face while reading it .All the characters felt well rounded and realistic and the storyline about the dynamics of friendships and love was hugely entertaining and fun.l fell in love with Deiss and Liv, and as their relationship progressed l was totally rooting for them.
My dream holiday would be to go to S Africa so l had to read this one.
Pure escapism…..this is the perfect summer read!
With thanks to Netgalley, the lovely Lacie Waldon and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for my chance to read and review this book.

From the Jump by Lacie Waldon follows Liv Bakersfield, a serious Type A personality, from meeting her group of college besties to adulthood. She follows all the rules - eats right, exercises, goes on the "proper' number of dates with a man, invests in her future.... until one day a co-worker tells her she doesn't always have to say yes to the crappy jobs her bosses give her. She can say NO. And saying NO is like a dam waiting to be broken for Liv! She leaves her job to FINALLY go on a vacation with her college besties to South Africa. A trip of self-discovery, Liv's relationships take on different meaning as she is in such close proximity to her male and female friends.

Once vacation is over, Liv discovers that her leap of faith has become a freefall. Will she regret saying "No" or will she risk everything to get what she wants?

I loved Waldon's depiction of the friend dynamics of this group and how she alternated between the then and now. The "Rules 0f Shoulds" that Liv follows was completely relatable for me.

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for providing me with an eARC of the book to review! From the Jump is a romance novel by the author of The Layover, Lacie Waldon. This book features a big friend group, the friends to lovers trope, and the forced proximity trope. This book will be released July 19, 2022!

The story revolves around Liv Bakersfield and her friend group who have been together since college. Liv has always put her work first, but decides to take a leap and join her friends on their yearly vacation in which she has missed out on every other year due to her job. During the trip, things start to change between Liv and Lucas Deiss, though nothing can happen as a pact has been made between Liv and her group: No relationships within the friend group. With chaos ensuing when Liv returns home, she turns to Deiss for help and the pact becomes much harder to keep.

I really enjoyed The Layover so I was really looking forward to this book. From the prologue of the story, I was really excited for the friends to lovers plot line with the way in which it was set up. After the prologue though, there was a large emphasis put on the friend group rather than the romance between the two main characters. I do wish the two main characters would have had more scenes together that way the romance did not feel so sudden and forced. I did however enjoy the vacation setting, which I wish there was more of. I absolutely love the cover of this book which goes along with the vacation setting! Overall, this book did not work very well for me, which was saddening because I was really looking forward to it. However, it doesn’t mean it won’t work for you and I will definitely continue to read the author’s work in the future!

FROM THE JUMP - LACIE WALDON

4⭐

PLOT - Liv Bakersfield is used to living her life on "should"...be fit, be financially responsible, best self and so on. An overworked graphic designer, she's stretched so thin she's about to miss yet another vacation with her core group of friends. But Liv decides to say NO and it feels so good that she quits her job and hops on a plane to go to South Africa.
But there she is in close proximity to her emotionally unavailable friend Lucas Diess.
But is it worth risking lifelong friendship for something more?

MY THOUGHTS -
I enjoyed this one..Livs character was quite relatable we all have been there trying to be responsible, best etc and we tend to forget about our own pleasures in the bargain.
I loved the friends to lovers and forced proximity troupe.
The setting of South Africa and record store owner as a profession was refreshing to read.
I just felt that the romance didn't happen till the very end for my liking.

From the Jump started a little rough, but grew on me as the story progressed. This was a friends to lovers, finding yourself type of story. Liv, a graphic designer in LA, always plays by the rules - to everyone else, she is perfect. But inside, she's not so sure she wants to be the cool, perfect, "Ice Queen" Olivia anymore. So what does she do? She quits her job and hops on a plane to South Africa to join her best friends' annual vacation that she misses every year. The prologue introduces us to the group and how they met during their freshman year of college. We have Liv, Phoebe, Mac, Diess, and Simone. They are instant friends, and Liv refers to them more than once as family. This bothered me in the fact that they seem to know nothing about each other and what they're doing, and during the ride from the airport, she and Deiss discover each other's favorite movies and music and basic things that best friends should already know about the other. As the story went on, it seems like maybe this was just Liv feeling separated from the group after they graduated college, since she moved to the other side of town. Anyway, Liv and Diess form a new connection during this vacation, and things start to get messy in Liv's head (and her life - when they get home, she discovers her apartment and bank account have both been emptied.) The last half of the book takes place back in LA, where Deiss lets Liv crash at his place. This leads to sexual tension and navigation of this new relationship waters that they seem to be treading.

Overall it was a quick, fun read with real heart. I grew to Love Liv by the end, and especially Diess. I do think it wrapped up a little too nicely with a bow on top at the end, but some people like those endings.