While there are quite a few things I enjoyed about From the Jump, I’m unfortunately not ranking it among my top romances of 2021.

Things I loved:
* the entire plot surrounding Deiss’ record store (with some great character additions aka Mia)
* Liv being a “yes” woman but realizing that she doesn’t have to say yes to everything (I related to her a lot in regards to this)
* the growth of the relationship between Deiss and Liv
* Cat Stevens 🐱
* the ending

Things I wasn’t as crazy about:
* the entire portion of the book that takes place in South Africa. I’m not sure what is was about this part of the book but it felt very out of place for me?
* Same thing goes for what happens to Liv when they return from the trip (not going to spoil but it was almost too insane and awful to be believable)
* Liv’s Type A personality and her weird obsession with books and blogs telling you how to properly live your life to succeed in every aspect

I don’t want to make it seem like I didn’t like this book, because I did. The characters were likable overall and Liv shifting career paths because she wasn’t happy where she was at really resonated with me. Plus, I love a book about travel (despite what I said above).

If you like friends to lovers, books about traveling, and books that shift between different time periods, this one may be for you.

I was looking for a fun romance and thought this would hit the spot. However, I found this to be a bit lacking. I thought the plot to move too quickly; by that, I mean the actions just happened without any build-up at all, and truthfully, a lot of them didn't make sense.

Look, I totally get breaking out of the "yes" mindset; it's something I'm working on training myself to get out of. But Olivia's sudden change just didn't make any sense.

And unfortunately, I just didn't feel the chemistry between Liv and Deiss. I really, really wanted to, but I felt like the author was trying to tell us about it rather than show us.

Overall, I'm disappointed because it seems like this author is a hit for so many! Nothing really clicked here for me.
•••
Thank you Net Galley and Putnam Books for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

(4/5) Liv Bakersfield gives me huge Eleanor Oliphant (a la <i>Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine</i>) vibes, except if Eleanor had a found family of friends from college. She's a chronic yes-woman who makes decisions and lives her life based on the advice of blogs like Husband Huntress and the like. But when she decides to say "no," it feels better than she expected. The "no" snowball keeps on rolling and Liv decides to join her friends on a vacation to South Africa. When Liv gets back to LA, the snowball turns into a new apartment, new jobs, and a prospective new romance where she has to choose between what she *should* want and what she really wants.

Things I liked: FOUND!! FAMILY!! We LOVE to see it. I liked the pace of the book and found all of the characters (with the exception of one, no spoilers) to be endearing, if a bit overexaggerated sometimes. I'm not always a friends to lovers fan, but I liked this one.

Things I didn't like: Honestly I CRAVE(!!) a dual POV from Deiss' perspective. I need it! It would have really taken the book to the next level.

I really really loved this book, and from the moment I read it, I had a hard time putting it down. As someone who has a large group of friends that met in college, Lacie did an exceptional job of writing group dynamics. I fully believed that these characters would have become friends when they were 18 and continued that friendship into their late 20's and early 30's. Each of the characters had their own distinct voice and personality and felt like a fully fleshed-out person, which made the group dynamics feel even stronger. I thought that Liv's background felt realistic enough to explain the various choices that she made throughout the story -- however her background didn't feel dramatic for the sake of being dramatic. The trauma she experienced as a child informed the choices she made as an adult, but she never blamed her childhood for her choices, just used it as an explanation. I admit, in the beginning, she comes off a bit grating, but as the story unfolds and she eases up a bit, she becomes a lot more palatable. Not only does the author do a great job of portraying real found-family dynamics, but the chemistry between Liv and Deiss jumps immediately off the page. From the moment these two characters first started interacting, I knew that they were going to have amazing rapport. The various twists and turns of the book (all the way to the end!) keep the story moving forward and feeling fresh. I really really enjoyed reading this; thank you to Penguin Group Putnam for the early copy!

This was cute! It had me hooked from the start after a few books that have put me in quite the slump. The banter between Liv and Diess was great and I laughed out loud a few times throughout the book. It was so fun to jump into there world over the last few days. The friend group makes me wish I had one of my own like that!

From the Jump by Lacie Waldon was fantastic! I loved Lacies first book The Layover, but loved this one even more! Lacie always brings fun destinations in her books where you feel like you're there. The theme of this book is listening to your heart and following your heart instead of doing the normal and expected route. This slow burn love story makes for the perfect vacation read. I'm ready for Lacie's next book and the next destination!

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

From the Jump by Lacie Waldon felt like it ended with a warm hug, Waldon wrapped this book up perfectly. This book centers around Liv who is hyper focused on being perfect. Her life starts to change when she throws caution to the wind and says no to her boss from work, spurring a 6 week unpaid 'vacation' from work and Liv impulsively buying a plane ticket to South Africa to join her friends on vacation. From there we watch her relationship with Deiss start to spark. Waldon did a really good job with the slow burn, unrequited love, and the eventual get together, while weaving in complex friend dynamics for 5 friends from college. I enjoyed watching Liv grow from the unfortunate event that happened when she got back from South Africa and pushing herself outside her comfort zone. She met new people, changed her ways, and figured out she didn't need to be perfect all the time. I also loved how her change corresponded with her growing relationship with Deiss, which, much like the Love Hypothesis and the Spanish Love Deception, had unrequited feels for Liv all along.

I loved Lacie Waldon't first book, The Layover, and really enjoyed this one as well. The friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes and this one was well done.

I was so excited to read this one after Lacie Waldon’s The Layover and I was not disappointed! This was such a fun read! A chronic “yes woman” who is overworked, tired, and living with the “shoulds” decides to leave the country on a trip and put herself first—sign me up for this sweet ride of a novel over and over again because it was fantastic. This book has it all—romance, adventure, friendship and putting it together with comedy, great writing, and great characters was fantastically done by the author. Great book!

Enjoyable friends to lovers trope as the main character finds her way
Lots of friend drama - fun vacation read

Waldon will always be a go-to for reading travel,  earlier in the year we took a trip to Belize and now it's South Africa! From sightseeing exotic landscapes and animals to them *elephants* invading your campsite, this book was a chaotic once-in-a-lifetime kind of FUN.

I don't think I've ever referred to a book as sexy before but this book could be it. It was sexy as in how Liv carried herself, with strutting confidence, which wavered from time to time but was always present; sexy in the way Diess was so kind and understanding towards her, yet maintained his mystique and well...plain charm.

While this story is essentially about Liv and how after years of holding herself to mostly other people's perspective of perfect, she's given up and now lives in accord to her own will, it's also at its heart a book about five college kids who've grown up together and seen each other through thick n thin, fell in love, fell out and have still always stuck, basically it is at its heart a book about the beauty of friendships.
And if I'm done rambling about how this book was all levels of awesome, then I'd say preorder it cuz it's definitely worth :)

4.57/5✩

A big thanks to Putnam Books & Netgalley for providing an advanced copy of this book, which I voluntarily read & reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I thought this was a really cute and fun book. I loved the chosen family aspect of the book and that you got to see all their friendships develop over time. I think this is more of a fiction book than a romance book I personally thought the romance was more of a subplot mostly because it took them so long to get together. But overall I definitely liked this book and would recommend!!

Loved Lacies first book The Layover, but loved this one even more! I really related to the theme of stepping away from doing what is expected and doing what your heart actually wants. The slow burn of the love story makes for the perfect vacation read. Already looking forward to the next books that Lacie writes!

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and Netgalley for this ARC!

After loving Lacie Waldon’s first book, THE LAYOVER, I was so excited to receive an ARC of her next book and, unsurprisingly, I loved it just as much, if not more than its predecessor. FROM THE JUMP follows Liv, an extremely regimented graphic designer, who has a group of close friends from college—close in that they meet up at least once a month on a specific day and take extravagant vacations together, not that Liv has allowed herself to participate. However, after finally reaching a breaking point, she breaks free of her routines and rules. What follows completely changes her life.

It was so easy to relate to Liv’s struggles, things I’m sure will resonate with many readers, but I especially loved seeing how she rolled with the punches (with the help and encouragement of my newest book boyfriend, Lucas Deiss) and was able to become the woman she never realized she actually wanted to be.

There were also so many more incredible aspects to the story that had me devouring it in a little over a day including, but not limited to, the outstanding banter between the friend group as a whole and between Deiss and Liv themselves, the TENSION!, and the abundant descriptions that had me feeling as if I was immersed in this world. Even the ending left me more than satisfied, despite not finding out for sure if Liv’s major problem had been resolved.

I’m so looking forward to reading more from Lacie Waldon!

3.5/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Honestly, I really enjoyed this book. The main character is Liv, a character whose intense need to be liked and validated hugely impacts her personality, her life, and her relationships with others. Though it's definitely frustrating reading her perspective in the beginning, her growth is incredible, and it was mostly her character development that kept me hooked. I really liked a lot of other components of the book, too, like the found family trope and the unique plot points.

There were a few aspects of the book that I wasn't a huge fan of. Her entire life changes because one person (who she's not even very close to) tells her it's okay to say no - it felt a little unrealistic to me, especially considering her entire character revolved around living by very scripted interactions and rules. I also felt like there were some scenes/ actions that were completely glossed over, which felt a little odd.

Also, this may be more of a personal thing, but I felt like we didn't get much time to see much of the main characters' relationship after they got together. I would've loved to see more of them as a couple, though I did appreciate how much tension the author built around them before they got together.

Despite this, though, overall I did enjoy the book a lot, and I'll definitely be re-reading it sometime in the future!

I am excited to share my review of From the Jump by Lacie Waldon. This was such a fun book to read and a nice break for my brain after reading Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield. This was the first book I read by Lacie Waldon, but now I’m excited to read what was her debut novel, The Layover.

Lacie Waldon creates a world within From the Jump that made me root for all of the characters, especially Liv. I loved getting to know why Liv put up all the walls around her, but I do wish there was just a bit more depth. Liv’s friend group and other secondary characters add to the camaraderie and experience of the book.

I give this book a 4 out of 5. I was so close to giving it a 5 out of 5, but the ending left me feeling a little dissatisfied. There were also a few moments that felt a little rushed, but for the most part, it was a great book.

For spice, I think this book is only a 2 out of 5 peppers. There is one sex scene, but it doesn’t go into too much detail. Other than that, most of the intimacy is mentioned in passing.

What I Loved

Liv: The main character in this novel, Liv, was such a fun character to get invested in. I appreciated her journey of self-rediscovery. I enjoyed seeing her layers of protection fall off.

Deiss: I love the interactions between Liv and Deiss. I almost wish the book were longer to experience more of Deiss. He is so confident, which is balanced with the vulnerability we start to see.

Romance: The romance in this book was light and kept this out of the spicy category. I do love spice, but this was a lovely read and something that readers who aren’t into spice can read without feeling uncomfortable.

Not So Much

Quick Ending: Without giving anything away, the ending happens super quickly. While I don’t necessarily mind a quick ending, I think this one could have benefitted from at least another chapter or a prologue to neatly wrap up the ending.

Depth: I really appreciated that this was a light read. However, I do think this book could have benefitted from just a bit more depth to truly understand the characters in Liv’s friend group It makes me wonder if this book will prompt a series with POVs from other members of the friend group. I hope I’m right!

Overall, I loved From the Jump and highly recommend it. It’s especially great for an easy Sunday read or a beach read.

I really enjoyed this book. I read the author's previous book, The Layover, at the beginning of the year, so when I saw she had another, I was thrilled to get an ARC. From the Jump took a little while for me to get into it, but once I did I was hooked and read it in two days. I really loved all of the characters and the dynamics between the five friends. It felt very realistic and made it easy to connect to each of the friends and become invested in their story and journey together. I am looking forward to Lacie Waldon's next book!

I was OBSESSED with Lacie Waldon's debut novel "The Layover." I loved the travel, the romance, the wit.

I just knew I had to have this one too. Thank you Putnam and Netgalley for the ebook arc. I wanted to hold off closer to the pub date before reading. I tried holding off. I just couldn't.

I devoured this in one sitting. I couldn't stop. This was just perfection. We had familial crisis, nonlinear timelines (I wanted more of that), slow burn romance, and a bit of steam!

It was so good. Also, Waldon treats us with a bit more in the travel world. It's her specialty.

Again, thanks for the advanced copy. This review is my own words and has not had any outside influence.

OHMYGOODNESS!! What a cute story!! I absolutely adored Deiss and Liv’s relationship plus I also loved having the second-chance romance with Mac and Phoebe. I would DIE if we ever got a book with the two of them. I also loved the friendship and “found family” aspect of the whole thing. I wish that there was more scenes from Africa and I wish that some of their struggles were a bit more realistic/relatable. But all-in-all, such a cute cute cute book!!! 4/5 ⭐️‘s 0.2/5 🌶’s

While a book about romance, this is also a story about friendship and discovering new versions of yourself. This book romanticizes love, but also going on a vacation with your best friends of a decade and that feeling when you finally stop caring about what other people think of you and do what makes you happy.

Olivia, or Liv, lives her life by her personal playbook for success. Climbing the ladder at a graphic design job that offers more financial security than creative joy. Presenting herself as close to society's definition of perfect as can be. Only dating men who meet a certain pre-planned criteria. When her college best friends, who without fail meet up every third Thursday of the month to hang out, plan a trip to South Africa, Liv is put to the test. One that will literally change her life forever.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, finishing it in a few sittings. It wasn't exactly what I expected based on the cover, but still good. It really almost felt like two books to me- one through the South Africa trip and one after. The plot kept me on my toes, but still managed to hit all the tropes I love about romance novels. I mean, who doesn't love a good friends-to-lovers arc? The entire friend group reminded me a lot of the gang from the TV show 'Friends' and each character stuck out in their own unique way. There were a couple of things plot wise that struck me as a tad unbelievable, but I was engaged in the characters enough to overlook it. Having read this, I'm looking forward to reading other works by Lacie Waldon and have already started talking about this title with other reader friends.