The Layover by Lacie Waldon Published by Penguin on June 15, 2021
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Contemporary, Fiction / Romance / General, Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy
Pages: 320
Format: eBook
Source: ARC
The Unhoneymooners meets The Hating Game in this breezy debut romantic comedy about life--and love--30,000 feet above the ground.
After ten years as a flight attendant, Ava Greene is poised to hang up her wings and finally put down roots. She's got one trip left before she bids her old life farewell, and she plans to enjoy every second of it. But then she discovers that former pilot Jack Stone--the absurdly gorgeous, ridiculously cocky man she's held a secret grudge against for years--is on her flight. And he has the nerve to flirt with her, as if he doesn't remember the role he played in the most humiliating night of her life. Good thing she never has to see him again after they land....
But when their plane encounters mechanical problems, what should have been a quick stop at the Belize airport suddenly becomes a weekend layover. Getting stuck on a three-hour flight with her nemesis was bad enough. Being stranded with him at a luxury resort in paradise? Even with the sultry breeze and white sand to distract her, it will take all the rum punch in the country to drown out his larger-than-life presence.
Yet the more time Ava spends with him under the hot Caribbean sun, the more she begins to second-guess everything she thought she knew about him...and everything she thought she wanted from her life. And all too soon, she might have to choose between keeping her feet on the ground and her head in the clouds....
I thoroughly enjoyed Lacie Waldon’s debut The Layover last year (you can read my review here)and I am so excited I had a chance to read and review her latest! Just like her debut, From the Jump was a quick, lighthearted rom com that was comfortable in its predictability. Each member of this friend group has a quirk or trait that reminds me of someone I know.
I felt Liv was completely relatable! She holds her friends at an almost professional distance earning her the title of Ice Queen. Her persona is carefully crafted for perfection; the perfection upheld by self-help books anyway. She has a plan for her life, complete with steps/stages to complete, and this plan is the only thing that’s important. Until she snaps and Liv decides its time for a change and some spontaneity.
Queue an impromptu trip to South Africa that sounds positively dreamy! The entire situation with Liv’s belongings post-trip is a bit dramatic but it set up the latter half of the story well and gave me more of that forced proximity that I adore. Deiss is delightful! The longer we spent in his company the more I enjoyed the layers of his character and background. I just wish we had a little more time for the bonds between Deiss and Liv to deepen. But I know that I can be rather greedy when reading a couple that I thoroughly enjoy!
It really felt like they started more as acquaintances rather than best buds from college. And really that extended to the entire group. Liv seemed to be the odd one out; probably due to her impersonal touch to relationships throughout most the story. I wasn’t sure what kept this group of college friends in touch. Their personalities complemented each other well but something felt a little off. Simone was the hardest one to like, but she had her place both in the group and the story.
From the Jump was absolutely delightful and was the light, beach-read that I hoped it would be! Forced proximity, friends-to-lovers, and personal growth take readers on a warm, wholly relatable journey. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for Waldon’s future work!
*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you PENGUIN GROUP Putnam/ G. P. Putnam’s Sons for my digital copy!