From the Jump was so close to hitting the mark, but the lack of side character development really brought me down. I loved the chemistry between the two MCs, but the relationship Liz had with her friends felt so forced and made me mad that she allowed it for so long. Granted, that sounds realistic, but in this lighthearted rom-com, it didn't work for me.

Unfortunately this was just not for me. I only got 100 pages in and I had to stop. I can see where this might be a fun summer read but it just wasn't for me.

This was such a great read! Waldon gives us a sweet romance with found family, forced proximity, and friends-to-lovers tropes. The main characters were so relatable and endearing. If you’re in the mood for a sweet, light romcom this is the book for you!

This was cute, but not one of my fav romances. I liked the MC enough but the romance fell a little flat for me. Enjoyable, but ultimately not super memorable.

Really loved how entertaining this one was. Will definitely recommend to friends who love the friends to lovers grope!
Thank you NetGalley for providing a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

From the jump kept me engaged, entertained, and at times smiling! It was a great read and I very much enjoyed it.

Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin Group- Putnam, and Lacie Waldon for a copy of From the Jump in exchange for an honest review! This one started off a little slow for me but I loved how the author took her time to introduce me to the characters and their dynamics together! I love the friends to lovers trope so I really enjoyed watching the trope play out. I also appreciated the fact that there was more going on then just focusing on the relationship. I really enjoyed following along with Liv as she went on a journey to find herself and what truly brought her joy. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future!! This one is out now!

2/5 Stars

This was not the book for me. I did not enjoy reading this book. I found things very confusing. I didn't really enjoy the characters, The plot was a little lost to me. It just, unfortunately, didn't work for me. I think it would've been good to have another POV involved here. Again this book just didn't work for me. It very well couldn've just been me reading it at a bad time but.

Honestly, this book was not really for me. It was fine but it felt a little bit one-dimensional.

I found that I didn't personally connect with Liv, which might have been the main issue. I understand the workaholic trope and that her struggle to say 'no' and start really living her life was the main crux of the story, but like joining your friends on a vacation is not a big deal? Or it shouldn't be? Idk. So the friend group was odd. How do you not know more about each other after you've been friends for so long is really strange to me. I feel like you're told that the group is really close but its more telling than showing.

Friends to lovers also is not my favorite trope, and I think it can be hard to pull off. It also not really spicy which I am not really a fan of unless the story is super compelling. I didn't find this one to be.

Lacie Waldon's books are meant to be read on planes ✈️

I started FROM THE JUMP on one flight and finished THE LAYOVER on another a week later, and from the travel themes to the easy reading, both of them were great travel companions.

FROM THE JUMP (thanks for my copy @putnambooks) follows a chronic yes woman who rage-quits her job and decides to start doing what she wants to do instead of what she SHOULD do, starting with a trip to South Africa with her college friend group. This one took a little while to get going for me, but by the end I got very into the story and was excited to see where it went!

Rating : 4 out of 5
Blurbs : 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 LA, 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.

Thoughts : This is a friends-to-lovers romance book. If you like Emily Henry's books, you're going to love this book.

This was a fun, lighthearted read that is a perfect vacation read. I'm a huge fan of friends to lovers and this was very sweet. I enjoyed this one.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I loved The Layover.
But I really disliked FROM THE JUMP.

This romance revolves around a small group of friends, who met their freshman year of college, and are still best friends 11 years later.

There are two issues here:
(1) This friend group is toxic in many ways. I hated most of them.
(2) These characters are written as if they are 18 years old and not in their 30s. This book is written in then-and-now format and all of these people act exactly the same way in both time frames. They are immature, petty, jealous, and needy. I wish I were joking when I say that they still sometimes speak in the secret language they made up in college. They are business owners and professionals now and they talk in code with each other. Nooooo.

Of the much too large cast of characters in this book, there was literally only one that I liked. Every other character actively annoyed me. It was just hard to read.

FROM THE JUMP might have worked if the timeline was condensed and it was billed as a YA novel, but as it is I just can't recommend it.

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐️
𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 𝗟𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗟: Rated PG-13 / Only 1 descriptive sex scene, may have harsh language.
𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗚𝗘𝗥𝗦: past homelessness, identity theft/robbery
𝗙𝗘𝗘𝗟𝗦: 3/5 - You will definitely feel some feels.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fun read. It shows the reality of life with the ebbs and flows of people coming in and out of our lives, loss, fear, and change. It helps you realize things about your life in a lighthearted way. Quick, keep you wanting more read with surprises along the way.

The most dreamy book!! I am a sucker for friends-to-lover stories, and this one grabbed ahold of me quick. This was a slow burn but it pairs well with Liv learning how to really embrace herself and step out of her comfort zone. Special Thanks to G.P. Putnam's Sons, Lacie Waldon, and NetGalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

More Like 3 and ½ Stars !✨

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for my advanced copy of From the Jump!

I liked this one.
It kept me entertained.
I listened to this on audio. Brittany Pressley did an awesome job. ( She always does )
This book was an easy listen while multitasking which I appreciate.
I really enjoyed the story.
I loved Liv as a main character.

Why this book isn't 5 Stars-

The romance and the dynamics of the friend group in this book. I wasn't attached to / didn't really care for the other characters outside of Liv.

Overall- Middle of the road. Not bad but also not worth recommending to everyone.

This was a fun easy read. The characters were enjoyable and had build up throughout the story. Their relationship was fun and had me invested in finding out where things would go. This is definitely a rom-com fit for anyone that wants a breezy read without any heavy emotions.

As much as I enjoyed Lacie's debut novel, this one just wasn't for me. I didn't find the relationships between the characters believable, and I thought the story was one I've seen before. I did like the main character's growth throughout, but otherwise, this was just another romcom.

This is one of those books that you pick up from the bookstore for a vacation and then suddenly when you are sitting on the beach you realize you are sunburnt because you spent the whole day finishing it. It is absolutely adorable with a perfect message that sometimes we want is outside of the scope we typically set for ourself. I also am a sucker for a cute friends to lovers so that was a plus.

This friends to lovers romantic comedy is down right perfect! Lacie is an incredible author and her sophomore novel is a hit! I really loved these characters and how she took them on this journey! Can’t wait for the next one!