From the Jump - Review

From the Jump

By: Lacie Waldon

Publication: July 19th 2022 by G.P. Putnam's Sons

352 pages

Genre: Adult, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss (Thank you!!

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Goodreads description--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.

Lacie Waldon has impressed me for a second time. The Layover was the first book to hook my interest after having Baby # 3 in 2021. And so I knew I wanted to see what she would write next. And honestly, I can't remember what was holding me back from picking up From the Jump earlier.

Basically, Liv is in a group of 5 friends who met in college. Mac and Deiss are the two guys of the group and friends before the fivesome. Pheobe, I believe, was Liv's college roommate. And then Simone was the 5th wheel to the group. Mac and Pheobe dated for six years before calling their relationship off, and the two have unresolved issues. Simone and Liv have an almost simultaneous crush on Lucas Deiss. Simone comes from money and is used to getting what she wants. But Liv has to work hard to keep her head above water.

Even after college is over the friend group has a regular monthly meet up of the third-Thursday of the month along with yearly vacations to keep them strong and bonded together. However, Liv has never been able to afford to go on the vacations, and she's never been able to take time off work. But she kind of snaps one day and decides that she wants to start speaking up for herself. This breaks her longtime self-preservation rules. And the problems begin when she shows up on vacation with little planning to get there.

While on vacation, Lucas Deiss and Liv have some moments of spark and flirting. But Pheobe and Mac's breakup nearly broke up their group back in the day, and Liv and Pheobe are certain that getting into future relationships with any member of their friend group will tear them apart for good. Yet, Liv needs a place to stay when she returns from vacation, and it just so happens that Lucas has an extra room. Of course, the two grow closer, and I loved their journey.

Simone becomes an issue, though, as her jealousy and fears are what really threaten to tear the group apart. Mostly, I felt she was entirely selfish and out of line, but I could also see some genuine caring for Liv in all her twisted drama. I found it hard to like her. She was definitely my least favorite of their friend group.

Favorite quotes:

-What's cool on him--his aloofness and self-contained personality--is perceived as cold on me. But I suppose you can't compare the two of us. Not when Deiss makes no effort at anything, and I feel like I never stop trying to get every little thing right.

-"That's what it looks like," he whispers, "when I'm making an effort."

-Despite the fact that my head has always been fully on board with our status as platonic friends, my skin seems to have gotten confused by all the changes.

From the Jump was better than I was expecting. I may have even liked it better than The Layover. Honestly, I think that I did. I can relate to Liv trying to do all the right things even if my reasons differ from hers. And I loved that there are essentially two romances in From the Jump. Plus, the main characters and side characters were all well-rounded and fleshed out. Each one popped off the page. From the Jump gets 4.5 Stars. Have you read From the Jump? What did you think? Let me know!