REVIEW: The Layover by Lacie Waldon

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The anticipation of a trip incites an excitement in me so strong that I’m anxious for days leading up to leaving. I mull over packing lists, carry-on dimensions and restrictions, and how many things could go wrong between now and landing. Truthfully, I prefer the flights requiring 3am wake up calls because I won’t sleep a wink the night before anyways. 

On our recent trip to Arizona, the flight was scheduled to leave at 6:30pm on a Saturday. I was running on little sleep and a lot of travel anxiety, so the news of a flight delay was un-welcomed. We arrived at the airport at the same time in hopes the delay would be canceled or just a false alarm. When the flight got delayed another two hours, it was clear that the airport was our home for the evening. 

Honoring my commitment to be a more conscious reader in 2022, I only packed my Kindle for the trip. I wasn’t thinking ahead, though, and failed to do my research and have books picked out before arriving at the airport. After some searching, I decided on The Layover by Lacie Waldon. 

Though I wasn’t on a layover, I was looking at spending the foreseeable future inside airport walls, so it still felt appropriate. Plus, reading about travel is arguably the best way to enter into full on vacation mode. 

I got through 50% of the book during the delay and the eventual duration of the flight. I was too busy vacationing once we landed in the desert sun to continue reading, but I was hooked and ready to continue reading on the layover for our return flight. I’m just grateful that I finished the book at home — the ugly crying that ensued is not something I want to happen in public.

SYNOPSIS

Ava Greene has only ever wanted one thing: stability. As a flight attendant, that one thing seems pretty much unattainable. Luckily, she doesn’t have to worry about it much longer. After a 10 year career, she’s about to work her last flight ever before marrying her very stable, very grounded fiance. She lucked out and scored a flight to Belize, which means a layover in paradise. The perfect last flight, or so it was until Jack Stone shows up. The former pilot turned flight attendant is hot, cocky, and has a reputation that precedes him. And Ava can’t stand him. The trip turns from bad to worse when mechanical problems mean she has to spend an entire weekend stranded in Belize with her arch-nemesis, as hot as he may be. 

REVIEW

The Layover is an enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy at its finest. While enemies-to-lovers is generally an acquired book taste, it’s done right in this story. The hate between Ava and Jack is mostly one-sided: extremely palpable from Ava and pretty much nonexistent from Jack. Ava goes out of her way to let Jack know how she truly feels about him, and Jack is the best sport. He makes jokes, teases her and brings a lighthearted element to all the “hate.” 

Told from Ava’s perspective, the reader knows her past, her quirks and her fears. She’s never had stability. Her parents are nomads, which meant she always missed school and all the events and memories that usually come with growing up. When she graduated high school, she’d missed so much that her only option was to become a flight attendant. While she’s grateful for the opportunity, being a flight attendant only increased the frequent travel and general instability she wanted to escape. This level of understanding softens the “hate” that Ava directs towards Jack. It also works hard to create the overall theme of the book: Home isn’t in just one place. Some people are born nomads — born to travel and roam, to make the world their home. 

The budding romance between Ava and Jack is easy to get sucked into. Hate and passion often go hand in hand. The spark between them is well-crafted, easily making this a page-turner. Though the passion is evident, this is mostly a closed-door romance. The spice is on the medium to low side, giving just enough oomph to get the reader fully invested in the trajectory of Ava and Jack. 

MY THOUGHTS OVERALL

Yes, The Layover made me cry. Yes, I had a hard time finding another book to read once I finished. 

The Layover is adorable! I chose this as my airport read over Spring Break, and I don’t regret the choice one bit. I found it easy to invest in the book and the characters and loved the way that the enemies-to-lovers trope played out, though in general it is not my go-to. Romances with high spice are generally not my favorite, so the level of spice was perfect for me. It was also a very quick read once I got into it. Jack is highly likable, especially in the way that he handles the hate Ava throws his way constantly. Favorite Book Boyfriend material, no doubt. I will always recommend any book that brings me to tears. Pick this one up from Bookshop if you need a cute spring, summer read!

RATING

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