I absolutely enjoyed Lacie's first book The Layover, so I was very excited to read this one and it did not disappoint! It was a lighthearted read and a perfect book to read, especially when you want something quick. It was swoon worthy and gives us the perfect friends to lovers romance!

This is the second Lacie Waldon book I've read and I enjoy them so much! I also especially love the gorgeous, vibrant cover - what a delight!

I loved Lacie's book Layover, and I loved that the setting for this one was South America! But the rest sort of fell flat.

This story follows Liv, who is a rigid perfectionist type, who is about to miss out on another vacation with her friends when she decides to quit her job and join them in South Africa. From there, a series of unfortunate events happens to her and she ends up crashing with her friend, Deiss, back in LA. As you can imagine in a romance, romance ensues.

So I kinda feel like this story felt very disjointed - like two separate stories combined. The South Africa trip and then the LA bits - plus there were flashbacks to the past with the friend group. I really liked the romance part of the book - it's a friends to lovers type of situation. A semi-unrequited love deal. Really sweet. I truly hated the friend group. They were awful people. All-in-all the plot felt a bit all over the place with the beginning LA, South Africa vacation, return to LA, and flashbacks, but I enjoyed Liv & Deiss as characters, so I probably would have rated this 3.75 stars if I did quarter star ratings. It's a high 3.5 star rating!

I loved this book. Friends to lovers. A lesson in stepping out of your comfort zone and being your true self instead of what you think you should be.

This was my first book by this author. This was a friends to lovers book that was also a woman who was finding herself. Liv was the type of woman that was always doing for others. A friends group that made a pact a long time ago that they would not date one another, but things change on vacation. I enjoyed the banter within this book along with the friendships that came with it. What drew me in was the cover of this book and how beautiful it was and I stayed for a pretty good story.

Liv is used to being the “yes” woman. Always playing by the rules, she lives in the box society she feels she should. But after an impulsive comment at work, Liv finds herself flying halfway across the world to vacation with her group of college friends. Through forced proximity and traveling outside of her comfort zone, Liv just might find the woman she always intended to be, instead of who the world thinks she should be.

review

From the Jump is the perfect escapist summer read. As the first half of the book is set against the amazing South African landscape, the book made me want to hop on a plane and go on Safari! This is a forced proximity, friends to lovers romance.

Liv was an extremely relatable character, especially as she strives to do what she thinks is best for others, instead of what is best for herself. She is incredibly loyal to her group of friends from college. Her love interest, Deiss, was completely her opposite, yet he knew the ways to push her outside of her comfort zone to grow and change. I loved how he was incredibly private and illusive, which added to the mystery surrounding him.

While I enjoyed the book, I waffled on what to rate it. The pacing felt off to me at times. There were parts that I really liked and was totally engaged in, but then the next chapter wouldn’t capture my attention and I felt bored. I didn’t care for the flashbacks to “then,” because it didn’t feel like they moved the story along or added anything pertinent to the arc of this group of friends.
I also struggle when heroines are wishy-washy with their feelings, so Liv’s going back and forth over her feelings for Deiss frustrated me.

in conclusion

However, I loved the found family aspect of the book. It explores not only how people grow and change as they get older, but also how friendships fluctuate as well. Just as people aren’t expected to stay the same, the book shows how hard it can be when group dynamics change, even though the group tries to keep the status quo. The loyalty of Deiss, Mac, Phoebe, Simone, and Liv is something people crave in life and I appreciated their friendships.

From the Jump is an adult contemporary romance about a rule follower that decides to start saying “no”, taking more risks and ends up falling for her friend.

Liv Bakersfield (note: not one of my favorite romance character names) is fed up with the uninspiring graphic design jobs given to her by her firm when she impulsively says “no” to a bone broth campaign. She is promptly put on leave by her boss to work on her “personal issues” but she spontaneously decides to join her college friends on their trip to South Africa instead. Once there she finds herself in close quarters with Lucas Deiss her attractive but emotionally distant friend of over a decade. In both South Africa and back at home Liv will be forced out of her comfort zone and into breaking some of her own self-imposed rules all the while falling for a man that she never considered a possibility.

I really enjoyed this novel about a woman taking risks in her life with both career and love. Lucas was a dreamy male main character that was aloof without being mean or emotionally stunted. I appreciated how their childhoods caused them both to play it safe in their lives but still left space to fall in love with a friend they knew and trusted.

Thank you to Netgalley for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review. This one was a slow burner for me, I'm not gonna lie. I didn't immediately get drawn into the story and I didn't immediately like the characters...like, any of them. But we all warmed up to each other, I finally got into what I was reading and from that point, it was able to keep my interest. I did love the friends to lovers part and I did like Liv's growth and those were probably the best parts for me. There were a few characters I never did warm up to and that's okay. I don't like all of the people I meet in real life either. :)

I think this was cute and so was the premise of the story. I couldn't connect with the characters because they werent dimensional more surface level.

This book was cute but not a favorite. I think it's the perfect rom-com for the summer. I mean just look at that gorgeous cover! Unfortunately the characters came across a little immature and the story line felt a little surface level. I need more emotional depth from my main characters to truly enjoy a book!

Just wrapped up this book, and it's a cute, fun read. Thought it'd be lighter, but the friendship dynamics kept it interesting. Liv, our chronic yes-woman, takes a leap, quitting her job for an adventure in South Africa with college friends. The emotionally complicated stuff kicks in, especially with Lucas. It's not as light as I hoped, but the friendship angle makes it worthwhile. Overall, a decent read, just not what I expected.

Cute cover but the MFC started to irritate me after a certain point. I felt like Liv was just too naive for me personally.

This was fluffy and cute and I enjoyed it. The setting of South Africa was beautiful and the friendships, relationships, and banter were endearing. I do wish a little more had been put into the friendship dynamic, but overall, I would definitely read another book from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Found Families win my heart, every single time. Slow burn friends to lovers is even better! This was a fantastic read! Easily a 5 star read, and then some! The character development is excellent, and you experience each experience along with them. Waldon has a way with building her characters, and this read was no exception. What a fantastic read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for the ARC in return for an honest review.

"Should" is definitely a word I used to use a LOT! before I grew up anyway- LOL!

Anyway- this book spoke to me in ways it may not have to others but I thoroughly enjoyed it!

From the Jump had me from the first few pages. I loved the characters and their friends-to-family vibe. This book takes the reader on a journey with Liv as she finds out who she truly is and that sometimes, with the right people, you can let your barriers down and not have to be so perfect.
This book was a quick read and I simply adored it. It is a great summer/beach read or any time you want a good, solid rom-com-type story.
4.5 stars if I could give it that.

This was a lighthearted and fun read. The cover is gorgeous to display. It’s a quick read for when you need a brain break.

This cover screams summertime beach read and that’s exactly what you get! Our MCs are in a group of friends who go on vacay annually!

I’ll be honest… it’s been a minute since I read and this book is a tad bit forgettable! Another #OverdueReview post from me!
But it might be just what you’re looking for if you’re searching for your next quick summer read! I was turning pages quickly and engaged!

What I liked…
🌴 Friends to lovers
🌴 A trip to South Africa
🌴 Not too steamy
🌴 Broody Lucas Deiss
🌴 This friend group (looking at you Mac and Phoebe…)

Didn’t enjoy…
🙄 SIMONE (you’re not a friend)
🫠 most of this book takes place NOT on vacation which sort of was a bummer
🤔 some questionable and extremely convenient plot points
🥴 not very thorough resolutions? Idk I feel like we could’ve fleshed out a lot more!

Overall, I still enjoyed! Thanks @netgalley for this book - out 7/19!

In my pregnancy I shifted my reading time to baby research and was not able to review what was on my shelf. I apologize as I know the number of copies you can give out is limited and would never have intentionally ignored this copy under normal circumstances. I am rating this as 5 stars as it is not the author or publishers fault I was not able to meet this timeline, and hope that you will give me another chance in the future to review as I am back into my regular reading schedule this year after adapting to the newborn life!