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A review by swooningandstepbacks
From the Jump by Lacie Waldon
4.0
The sweetest of slow-burns, From the Jump is the perfect vacation read about a group of college friends and their evolving group dynamics. Central to the story, is Liv, a graphic designer known as “The Ice Queen” by her friends who has her life plotted out from A to Z until one day she gets the urge to change her trajectory by using the simple word, No. This one little word has big consequences and she finds herself leaving her job, on a trip to South Africa meeting up with her friends on their vacation at the last minute. From the moment Liv’s friend Deiss picks her up for a three hour journey, the chemistry begins to grow between these two. Since their friendship has spanned 11 years it’s easy to see how something more than just a friendship could spark.
The friend group dynamics were fun and fairly amazing considering this group of 5 had stayed in touch for so long. As liable to do, people change with time and Waldon writes the narrative in the present by reaching back to “then” moments from the groups’ past to tie to the current storyline. Phoebe and Liv have the closest relationship, but even still, no one in the group is an open book and everyone has secrets or things they don’t share openly.
I loved reading the moments between Deiss and Liv and felt that the lead up was written so well. Lots of swoony moments with build up in Africa and in the apartment and music store made me flip pages with anticipation. And the slow burn is so good. My one BUT would be that there was such an opportunity to discuss safe sex, but that moment was glazed right over. The lead up was done SO well and then the act seemed to be over within minutes. Could we get just a little bit more? Pretty please? I did love that Deiss’s character was consistent. Even though friends seemed to think that he cared about nothing, he clearly cared a lot and was vocal in how he felt, even when other characters brushed him off. I also enjoyed seeing the changes and transformation in Liv. Waldon takes her time writing this evolution and it pays off with how Liv begins to see herself and her relationships more clearly.
With any romance, there’s the third act breakup and this one bothered me slightly because it’s based on a secret that is withheld almost to the point of lying. Betrayal (of any kind) is a very tough place to come back from and I found myself cringing at what I thought the outcome would be. Fortunately Waldon works her magic and convinces her readers that a HEA is still possible, and that there is hope. I think this works because of the ground that’s been laid prior establishing what kind of person Deiss is and how he handles himself.
Overall I thought this was a fun follow up to The Layover and enjoyed it even more due to the solid chemistry and tension between Deiss and Liv. I can’t wait to see what travel destinations Waldon takes her readers to next. Thank you to G. P. Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for and honest review. All opinions are my own.
The friend group dynamics were fun and fairly amazing considering this group of 5 had stayed in touch for so long. As liable to do, people change with time and Waldon writes the narrative in the present by reaching back to “then” moments from the groups’ past to tie to the current storyline. Phoebe and Liv have the closest relationship, but even still, no one in the group is an open book and everyone has secrets or things they don’t share openly.
I loved reading the moments between Deiss and Liv and felt that the lead up was written so well. Lots of swoony moments with build up in Africa and in the apartment and music store made me flip pages with anticipation. And the slow burn is so good. My one BUT would be that there was such an opportunity to discuss safe sex, but that moment was glazed right over. The lead up was done SO well and then the act seemed to be over within minutes. Could we get just a little bit more? Pretty please? I did love that Deiss’s character was consistent. Even though friends seemed to think that he cared about nothing, he clearly cared a lot and was vocal in how he felt, even when other characters brushed him off. I also enjoyed seeing the changes and transformation in Liv. Waldon takes her time writing this evolution and it pays off with how Liv begins to see herself and her relationships more clearly.
With any romance, there’s the third act breakup and this one bothered me slightly because it’s based on a secret that is withheld almost to the point of lying. Betrayal (of any kind) is a very tough place to come back from and I found myself cringing at what I thought the outcome would be. Fortunately Waldon works her magic and convinces her readers that a HEA is still possible, and that there is hope. I think this works because of the ground that’s been laid prior establishing what kind of person Deiss is and how he handles himself.
Overall I thought this was a fun follow up to The Layover and enjoyed it even more due to the solid chemistry and tension between Deiss and Liv. I can’t wait to see what travel destinations Waldon takes her readers to next. Thank you to G. P. Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for and honest review. All opinions are my own.