Scan barcode
smill12's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A good beach read. Loved the MMC! All the heart eyes for Lucas Deiss.
reignitedreader's review against another edition
5.0
From the Jump follows Olivia (Liv) Bakersfield on her journey from the known to the unknown as she leaves her monotonous “treadmill” life to fly off to Africa with her college friend group. After reading Waldon’s fantastic debut, The Layover, I was excited to see another colorful-covered book coming up in publication. I absolutely loved this book and I would absolutely give it five stars.
Waldon’s voice is fresh and witty and I found myself commiserating with Liv and adoring her friend group right along with her. Waldon creates dynamic characters that jump off the page. Their friend group’s complex history is woven into the text in just the right way. I usually hate flashback scenes but I found myself eager to hear about how the five friends acted in college after they first met. With the addition of Liv and Deiss’ childhoods, I felt like I really knew the friends. I was sort of the silent member of the group watching everything unfold.
The plot of From the Jump kept me guessing. We open on Liv in college and then find ourselves in her office meeting Elena, her eclectic coworker. Then suddenly we’re in Africa and inside a car with Deiss, beginning to feel those first sparks of something that’s undeniably more than friendship between him and Liv. I love a good friends-to-lovers trope and this romance could not have been more perfect, even if Liv despises the word. Waldon created a lot of tension between the two that went on for a while. I loved it.
The dialogue is engaging and well done. I felt like I could insert myself into their conversations on every page and I thought Waldon did a great job creating distinct voices for each of the characters.
Avoiding spoilers, I’ll just say that I was really surprised by the plot twist after Liv’s return home from Africa. Wow. My stomach twisted as I read and I was actually anxious for her! It was shocking and really raised the stakes for Liv’s trajectory for the latter half of the book. Plus we then get those adorable scenes of domesticity between Liv and Deiss which warmed my heart.
The ending was dramatic and had my heart pounding in all the right ways. I kept feeling like yelling at Liv to just talk to Deiss but I knew she wouldn’t hear me. But in the end, it all culminated in a beautiful image of friends as family, a theme that came up throughout the text that I really appreciated. My final note: I love that Liv is a cat person. I’m a sucker for a book character that also loves cats.
I’m so glad I had the chance to read this book, it was such a fun read and perfect for this upcoming summer! A big thank you to Penguin Group Putnam for sending the digital ARC through Netgalley for an honest review!
Waldon’s voice is fresh and witty and I found myself commiserating with Liv and adoring her friend group right along with her. Waldon creates dynamic characters that jump off the page. Their friend group’s complex history is woven into the text in just the right way. I usually hate flashback scenes but I found myself eager to hear about how the five friends acted in college after they first met. With the addition of Liv and Deiss’ childhoods, I felt like I really knew the friends. I was sort of the silent member of the group watching everything unfold.
The plot of From the Jump kept me guessing. We open on Liv in college and then find ourselves in her office meeting Elena, her eclectic coworker. Then suddenly we’re in Africa and inside a car with Deiss, beginning to feel those first sparks of something that’s undeniably more than friendship between him and Liv. I love a good friends-to-lovers trope and this romance could not have been more perfect, even if Liv despises the word. Waldon created a lot of tension between the two that went on for a while. I loved it.
The dialogue is engaging and well done. I felt like I could insert myself into their conversations on every page and I thought Waldon did a great job creating distinct voices for each of the characters.
Avoiding spoilers, I’ll just say that I was really surprised by the plot twist after Liv’s return home from Africa. Wow. My stomach twisted as I read and I was actually anxious for her! It was shocking and really raised the stakes for Liv’s trajectory for the latter half of the book. Plus we then get those adorable scenes of domesticity between Liv and Deiss which warmed my heart.
The ending was dramatic and had my heart pounding in all the right ways. I kept feeling like yelling at Liv to just talk to Deiss but I knew she wouldn’t hear me. But in the end, it all culminated in a beautiful image of friends as family, a theme that came up throughout the text that I really appreciated. My final note: I love that Liv is a cat person. I’m a sucker for a book character that also loves cats.
I’m so glad I had the chance to read this book, it was such a fun read and perfect for this upcoming summer! A big thank you to Penguin Group Putnam for sending the digital ARC through Netgalley for an honest review!
loulouanna's review
2.0
Meh - nothing too special. The character’s didn’t win me over. Wasn’t as funny as the cover review made it out to be. It wouldn’t be a book I pick up again because it was just mediocre.
smalltownbookmom's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 rounded up.
This sophomore romance was one of my MOST anticipated summer reads! It started off strong and was AMAZING on audio narrated by my fav Brittany Pressley. I loved the dual timeline structure as we follow Liv Bakersfield a loner who only found her friend family in college and only years later does she finally start to take some risks instead of playing things safe and doing what's always been expected.
Perfect for fans of Nothing but the truth - I found a LOT of similiarities between these two summer releases. I did enjoy the banter between Liv and her college buddy Dice, as they travel to Africa with their friends and end up forced together A LOT. Not wanting to disrupt the group dynamics, the two try to resist their undeniable chemistry with mixed results.
I found the first half of the book really strong but it lost a little steam in my opinion, after everyone returned home to LA and Liv and Dice start working together. The dreaded third act break up rears its ugly head after a secret from Dice's past is revealed, testing these two in ways they weren't prepared for. Obviously they do make it to their HEA but it felt a bit forced for me tbh.
Overall, just an okay read for me. I loved the friendship, the banter, the forced proximity steam but things definitely tapered off in the second half and I was left wanting more. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!
This sophomore romance was one of my MOST anticipated summer reads! It started off strong and was AMAZING on audio narrated by my fav Brittany Pressley. I loved the dual timeline structure as we follow Liv Bakersfield a loner who only found her friend family in college and only years later does she finally start to take some risks instead of playing things safe and doing what's always been expected.
Perfect for fans of Nothing but the truth - I found a LOT of similiarities between these two summer releases. I did enjoy the banter between Liv and her college buddy Dice, as they travel to Africa with their friends and end up forced together A LOT. Not wanting to disrupt the group dynamics, the two try to resist their undeniable chemistry with mixed results.
I found the first half of the book really strong but it lost a little steam in my opinion, after everyone returned home to LA and Liv and Dice start working together. The dreaded third act break up rears its ugly head after a secret from Dice's past is revealed, testing these two in ways they weren't prepared for. Obviously they do make it to their HEA but it felt a bit forced for me tbh.
Overall, just an okay read for me. I loved the friendship, the banter, the forced proximity steam but things definitely tapered off in the second half and I was left wanting more. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!
tmoses's review
3.0
3.5 stars!
Fun, lighthearted read. I really liked Deiss. I hate miscommunication tropes. This is a great story to bring with you on vacation.
Fun, lighthearted read. I really liked Deiss. I hate miscommunication tropes. This is a great story to bring with you on vacation.
booksandbedtime's review
4.0
Liv like rules. And structure. And making her life into a perfect set of tailored expectations. But with the encouragement of some friends (and alcohol!) she learns that she can say “no”! She takes six weeks off work and books a flight to meet up with her college friends in South Africa. But when she doesn’t have a place to stay, she rooms with Deiss - her friend she’s been attracted to since college. What could go wrong?
I adored this book. Deiss is so swoony and irresistible. Liv’s character development is phenomenal as she shows a lot of growth.
It’s a friends-to-lovers, forced proximity, man who can’t commit kinda romance and basically all my favorite things.
Thank you Putnam for the ARC. Such a perfect summer book!
I adored this book. Deiss is so swoony and irresistible. Liv’s character development is phenomenal as she shows a lot of growth.
It’s a friends-to-lovers, forced proximity, man who can’t commit kinda romance and basically all my favorite things.
Thank you Putnam for the ARC. Such a perfect summer book!
merryberries's review against another edition
4.0
(4/5) Liv Bakersfield gives me huge Eleanor Oliphant (a la Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine) 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 job, 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.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
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.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
thereadervee's review against another edition
4.0
This was genuinely adorable and had one of my favorite tropes: friends to lovers. It even has that forced proximity feeling with them sharing a bed while on vacation AND then becoming roommates of sorts after returning from vacation. But lemme just say, it has a suuuuuuper slow burn. I kept wanting to push them together to force it sooner, but ya know - patience is apparently a virtue.
The story follows Liv and her POV. Liv is a graphic designer and has to live life like the guidelines in the books she reads and in the podcasts she listens to. She needs everything to be in order and lives life according to her plan. Her mother had strayed from that and lost everything while Liv was in high school, leaving them homeless for a bit. She does everything in her power to make sure that it doesn't happen to her - or let herself even get that close to it. While in college, she finds her circle, a little group consisting of 4 others - Deiss is one of them. After all these years (I think it’s ten), they always make sure to have a monthly lunch and the rest of the group goes on vacation yearly but Liv doesn’t go because she’s trying to save money and stick to her plan. After realizing she needs to rebel and live a little, she says YOLO and ends up meeting her little gang in South Africa for their 2 week long vacation. She ends up sharing a room and bed with Deiss, because her last minute planning fell through.
After vacation, when they get home, her entire apartment has been robbed and they drained her bank account. Deiss being the god he is, has her move in with him and we get to see such a domestic relationship and watch their friendship truly bloom as she finally lets someone in. She’s usually really guarded and it made me question if her friends actually knew her - which I think is the entire point. Overall, it was a super cute book!
The story follows Liv and her POV. Liv is a graphic designer and has to live life like the guidelines in the books she reads and in the podcasts she listens to. She needs everything to be in order and lives life according to her plan. Her mother had strayed from that and lost everything while Liv was in high school, leaving them homeless for a bit. She does everything in her power to make sure that it doesn't happen to her - or let herself even get that close to it. While in college, she finds her circle, a little group consisting of 4 others - Deiss is one of them. After all these years (I think it’s ten), they always make sure to have a monthly lunch and the rest of the group goes on vacation yearly but Liv doesn’t go because she’s trying to save money and stick to her plan. After realizing she needs to rebel and live a little, she says YOLO and ends up meeting her little gang in South Africa for their 2 week long vacation. She ends up sharing a room and bed with Deiss, because her last minute planning fell through.
After vacation, when they get home, her entire apartment has been robbed and they drained her bank account. Deiss being the god he is, has her move in with him and we get to see such a domestic relationship and watch their friendship truly bloom as she finally lets someone in. She’s usually really guarded and it made me question if her friends actually knew her - which I think is the entire point. Overall, it was a super cute book!