Thank you to NetGalley for an advance reader's copy of this absolutely amazing book.
This was a beautiful short story. I was smitten with it. Beautiful things happened in Beau and April's relationship. This was the ideal example of a mental and physical connection and love at first sight. Absolutely amazing book, it definitely would be read again

This novella is just adorable and perfect for a quick, breezy read. Since it's a novella, it flies by in no time, making it ideal for when you need a little pick-me-up.

The telepathic communication between the main characters adds a new layer of uniqueness to the plot and makes the story feel extra special.

As for the romance, it's definitely on the lighter side, but still super entertaining. You can't help but root for the characters as they navigate their connection and the challenges they face along the way.

Overall, if you're looking for something cute and fun to brighten your day, I'd definitely recommend giving this one a shot. It's the perfect escape from reality for a little while.
I received an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! This was my first book by the author and I had been seeing this book all of Instagram when I requested it, but then life happened and I didn’t get to to until now.
I will definitely be reading more by this author because it was really good.

I thought this book was going to be weird, but it’s so cute!! I loved “hearing” all the thoughts Beau and April exchange as they fall in love in their own heads. A quick read, this book is a great one-sitting reads.

This was a short and sweet little read, and the missing connection was 100% found in these pages. There were a few gaps in the storyline but on the whole a cute little novella.

A sweet little novella that could be read as a standalone! Love a magical realism when it's done well, and this was!

A little steamy, a lot sweet!

This was a short and sweet romance with an enthralling and captivating premise. I loved spending my time with this one.

Short and sweet. It’s sort of difficult to wrap your head around but once you ‘accept’ the premise it’s much easier.
I enjoyed the characters, they were both likeable though slightly annoying.
The storyline was interesting enough, but I feel like some bits were missed out or not explained properly.
Overall not bad 🤷🏼‍♀️

Another good read
Perfect book to curl up with and to get lost in
Will have you hooked from the first page
Thanks NetGalley

I did not finish this book as I am not a fan of time travel. If you like time travel different spaces then you will like this book.

A Missing Connection is a novella romance with elements of magic and fantasy. I like novellas when I have work the next day and know I shouldn't stay up all night reading. But since I am a fan of slow burns, I usually prefer the future couple starts the story with an already-established relationship.
In A Missing Connection, Beau and April meet in the beginning and only have so many pages to fall in love. It was too insta-lovey for me, and some of the romantic declarations read quite young and idealistic. The dynamic between Beau and April reminded me of my stance on Netflix's Love Is Blind - just because you talked about your feelings with someone for the first time doesn't mean you are in love with them. It means you need therapy.
I could see this author maybe cutting down on the spice and writing YA romance if she hasn't already. As far as I know, Gen Z still needs their equivalent of Edward Cullen.

Beau Forrester has lived his life according to the wants of his father, as heir to the Forrester empire. He feels isolated, forced into a life he doesn't want, and struggling to find a relationship with someone who doesn't just want him for his fame and fortune, he feels completely suffocated in such a fast moving and overwhelming world. April Swan works in data analysis, and spends her time combatting her mother's incessant nagging to settle down and have kids. She's happy where she is, and finding the idea of dating less and less appealing with her mother's constant pressure and urging. When fate intervenes, April and Beau find themselves able to speak to each other telepathically, finding kindred spirits in the other, and a safe space to speak their truth and be vulnerable as long as they stay anonymous to each other.

Beau, a charming, compassionate, warm-hearted and lonely heir to a conglomerate fortune, desires more from his life. With his father stepping down as CEO, Beau is forced into intensive training to take over, but all he wants is to be free, and able to settle down with someone who wants him for him, instead of his gleaming reputation and vast fortune. He's determined to make his mark on the world. and change his own destiny, to be able to achieve his dreams of helping others.

April is charismatic, peppy and warm. She's invested in her career and loves her job, despite her mother's insistent jabs for her to settle down and put her career and goals on hold. She's very tenacious and resilient, family-orientated and driven, a very refreshing and heartfelt young woman.

This was a super cute and wholesome romcom, about kindred spirits meeting and finding solace and comfort in each other, and finding a space to be completely free and vulnerable with someone else for the first time in their lives. It's not necessarily a read that stood out to me, but it was cute and heartfelt so if you just want to escape reality for a little while into a wholesome little story, this one is definitely for you.

I wasn't sure what I was getting into when I requested A Missing Connection by Dani McLean. I just liked the cover. But this Movie Magic novella was absolutely, well, magical. Beau and April both feel lost and invisible, then one day they discover that they are somehow magically connected. They can speak to each other telepathically. This odd connection leads to late-night conversations and soul-deep confessions, but they agree not to meet. Until that's all they both can think about.

I get the hype now. I'd seen people raving about Dani's books all over Bookstagram, but now I understand. They're whimsical and require you to believe in magic, and they're also super hot. (Dani writes excellent steam.) It's rare to find such a perfect combination, and the fact that they manage to package it all so perfectly in a novella? That takes true talent.

The concept for this sounded fun and fresh, I was so excited to finally dive into this novella! But sadly I was a bit let down and really wanted more. I understand that in a novella you have to be quick, there's not tons of time for world-building, and you're pretty much guaranteed insta-love. But when two people suddenly start being able to hear another person speaking in their minds I need something. Like give me ANY romance reason you want, it could be complete nonsense, but give the readers something. Also when there are no rules are explanations for this sort of magic connection it actually starts to become distracting. Why can they hear each other at certain times? How long does it last? Why? I just needed something to help me be invested in their story, so it sadly fell flat for me. I'll forever be dreaming about what could have been with this book because the idea is so clearly there, but it just wasn't executed.

Cute story with a cool psychic twist. Beau and April can hear each other's thoughts, and their romance develops that way.

I liked the grumpy-sunshine dynamic, their chemistry, the way they fit each other, and the fun concept.

This was so sweet and just a joy to read! Think You’ve Got Mail, but their communication is telepathic and they don’t know each other so there’s no animosity. This series is so fun in the way it mixes cute romance with those fantastical elements, they’re like 90s/early 00s romcoms and just perfect for the soul.

This was an interesting little novella!

It had some spice. The mind connection was an interesting way to tell a story and I enjoyed it. The banter was good, but the conflict fell flat for me.

• review •
a missing connection | dani mclean

★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

that sounds bad. but honestly, I didn’t dislike this book at all. it was cute. for sure. it just wasn’t my vibe, ya know?

it was incredibly fast paced, which I mean.. duh.
it’s a 128 page novella.

but idk dude, I think when it comes to romcom style stories, I want them to be somewhat realistic? not that a morally-grey billionaire with a secret heart of gold knocking into me at a bookstore and deciding that he can’t live without me is all that realistic, but.. maybe it is? (let me pretend)

but there is absolutely no way in HECK, you would not freak the efff out if you suddenly started hearing some stranger’s voice in your head? if you suddenly started talking to someone inside of your brain?
you most definitely would not be like:
oh cool, what’s up my guy?

no way jose.

but it was cute. no doubt about it. beau and april were adorable together. maybe if it was a full length book, and they did have that “ummmmm I need to go to the hospital.. immediately” moment, I would have liked it more.

for the record, I did enjoy her other novella called “midnight, repeated” which now that I think about it, also wasn’t realistic. but… 🤷🏻‍♀️

if a pinch of realism isn’t a deal breaker for you, and you like fast paced romcoms, then boy do I have the book for you! (did you read that in a car salesman voice? because that’s how I said it in my head)

anyway,
did you read this one? what did you think?

thank you to dani mclean and netgalley for sending me this one 🤍

A Missing Connection is yet another great romance by Dani McLean! The writing, the character development, the pacing... all spot on! Utterly enjoyed this and cannot wait to see what she does next!

This was an unexpected surprise, the good kind. I knew it was a novella going in, but I ended up wanting more by the time end rolled around!
It is hard to make a convincing argument for a couple to be one in books without providing a strong enough foundation.
There is a little stretch of reality that facilitates the deeper 'connection'. It is too light to count as magical realism, but it is the very central point in the book. Our lead protagonists have glimpsed at each other one or two times and have been intrigued by the other, just not enough to approach the other. Both have issues in their personal lives and feel like they are not being understood by those closest to them. In this struggle, an unknown helping hand is outstretched. They start to communicate telepathically, suddenly. This connection is approached with appropriate scepticism until their inherent loneliness lets them accept things. They start to form a bond that slowly becomes more amorous in nature.
The final reveal happens as expected, but some of the changes in their separate personal lives, helped by this voice in their head, are positive and work well in the plot.
For the size of the book, there is enough depth that I liked several of the extended cast as well! As mentioned earlier, I would have liked it if it had been even longer!
I highly recommend this to fans of the genre, especially those on the lookout for shorter ones.
I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.