Overall, this novella was cute, but just okay for me. I thought the premise was interesting (two strangers find they can speak mind-to-mind) and I liked the characters...but I don't know. Weirdly, I think there was almost too much dialogue? I think I wanted more of just them....on their own and apart. Ultimately, I find novellas hard because I almost always end up wanting more story! The author's note does ask us to suspend belief, but I did find it strange how easily Beau and April accepted that they were hearing each other's voices and talking mind to mind.

Basically: it had cute moments, some spicy scenes, but it didn't blow me away.

This was a quick, fun, spicy novella. I thought it was a fun plot device to have the two main characters fall in love via exchanging virtual 'letters' through their magical connection. I enjoyed each of their backstories, but the insta-love fell a little flat for me. While the virtual sexual tension was on fire for me, I was upset when they finally met that the scenes went fade to black.

I had a harder time with this one than I did with Dani’s last Chance city novella.
There was something about two people heading a voice in their head and instead of freaking out or getting help they instead fall in love with it, that I struggled with.
My biggest issue was that Beau and April clearly need therapy. They’ve both got some pretty serious issues, with their happiness, their family, their work/life balance. But instead of seeing a therapist, they use this new voice in their head as a way to solve all their problems, and miraculously, it does!
It’s also insta love which I have a hard time with. And when I say insta love I mean, falling super super hard for a voice inside their head.
Dani’s writing continues to be really strong and enjoyable, and I’ll continue to read her work. It’s just that this one wasn’t for me.
If you’re a fan of insta love and can see past the sci-fi like premise, then you’ll really enjoy this one.

“Now the future looked less certain… How many tests would she run before she was broken beyond repair?”

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for my advanced readers copy of A Missing Connection.

Chance City is a place where anything and everything can happen. April and Beau figure out one night they can speak telepathically to each other. They agree to talk about everything, expect who the other one really is. Not knowing who is who, but knowing they love speaking to each other will April and Beau decide to meet each other in real life? And will they find their missing connection?

I love Chance City. I wasn’t a huge fan of the author’s other book Not my Love Story very much (which takes place in the same city), but it was good enough to make me want to pick up her new book. I’m sure glad I did. This book was full of heartwarming romance. I was hooked from the very beginning. I loved the character April. She is a relatable character, who I think everyone will love.
I would recommend this book to those who like Hallmark Movies and fluffy romance!

I don’t even have words to explain that this book is just perfection. Dani has such a way with words to capture all the raw emotions and attitudes of characters and created such a spectacular city with magic, love, and lust. These are novellas!!!! But I feel like I take a whole vacation to Chance when reading them because nothing is left out, I wish they were longer but they don’t need to be and it’s just literal perfection. Learning about different parts of the city in each book is so much fun and seeing the Easter Eggs of past characters makes me so giddy. I go through a roller coaster of emotions while reading these novellas and I feel like i’m right there with the characters by the vivid details and description, it’s truly a masterpiece of words on paper. Beau and April are some of my favorite yet, even tho Max is my first Dani book love. The way they literally talked with their MINDS!!!! The ✨scene✨ (iykyk) and the fact that two people who are destined to meet will always find a way to each other are so clear in this book and it touched me so much. Dani just has a way of making anything seem possible when it comes to romance and it’s my favorite thing about her books! Again, perfection, I can’t wait to visit Beau and April over and over again. I love them with my whole heart!

this was such a sweet novella, oh my god. I nearly felt like crying by the end. I love that they were the voices in each others head and bonded before ever meeting, its definitely not a realistic concept but it worked so well. although this was a short story, the pacing was perfect. I loved that they were so different but the same in the end. I highly recommend this book. it's so good. dani is an amazing author and i will be reading more from her. Thank you to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for this ARC of A Missing Connection by Dani McLean.

3.5 - What happens when your soulmate is the voice inside your head?

Beau and April spot each other by chance through the windows across the buildings they work in. They cross paths again on the train when they're both going home from work. Later on, they discover that they can speak to each other telepathically but they don't know that the person in their head is the person they met by chance. They decide to get to know each other without revealing who they actually are so that they can establish a real connection.

Beau is the COO of his father's company gearing up to take over as the CEO. He's tired of people getting to know him because of his money or connections and wants to find someone who will want him just Beau. April is a data scientist who loves her job and doesn't have time for a relationship. Both of them are two lonely souls who just want to be loved. We watch them as they get to know each other on a deeply personal level and they fall in love.

I loved that we got to know both of them as characters and we were able to see how well they suit each other.

<i>I received an arc from NetGalley.<i>

Dani McLean didn't disappoint with A Missing Connection. It's such a lovely read about overcoming fears and insecurities and finding love. It is such a unique idea for the characters to have a telepathic connection and not meet until the final section of the story and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it worked really well. This is such a sweet novella that I was unable to put this down. Can't wait for the next story from Dani McLean.

Thank you to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

A Missing Connection was a great read! It was a short novella that packed a lot.

Beau is a billionaire and April is a woman in STEM. Beau works in the building across from April. Beau is tired of living a life he does not want. He wants to be his own person and make his own choices with disappointing his father, who is sick and dying. Beau’s father was a background dad and was not there for him and his brother. April is trying her best and her work means everything to her. She worked hard for her degree and just wants her mom to appreciate and respect the decisions she’s made without feeling guilty for not marrying/having children like her siblings.

One night Beau and April realize they are in each other heads and can hear each other. They begin to talk everyday through their minds and form a beautiful friendship that blossoms into much, much more.

This story was beautifully written and had all the feels. I loved watching both Beau and April grow. Not only with each other but with their own persons.

I loved how they finally met in person and how their life formed with having one another in their life.

This was an ARC provided by Victory Editing, Netgallery co-op, in return for my honest review 😊 These words are my own.

A Missing Connection is the latest fun and flirty romance novella from Dani McLean. It’s the third instalment of her ‘Movie Magic Novella’ series but all of the novellas can be read as standalone stories and this was my first venture into both the series and the author.
The book tells the story of Beau – the extremely wealthy sole heir to his father’s business empire – and April – a woman working in STEM who comes from a large family background. They both feel in a rut in their lives, particularly when it comes to dating, but one day they realise they can speak telepathically to one another. As months go by of them speaking to each other day and night, they really open up to each other and build an anonymous relationship of flirtation, encouragement and deep understanding (with quite a lot of dirty talk thrown in for good measure).
This beautifully crafted love story is short and sweet but really packs a punch. It’s really nice to see a love story where they connect on an emotional level first and their instant chemistry was perfect. A Missing Connection is a real cutesy romance and although it has all of the inner-workings of a cheesy hallmark movie, it also has some fantastically written spicy scenes and the bathtub seen was HOT!
I was hesitant that the length of the story would limit my opportunity to build a connection with the characters but this was not a problem at all as Dani McLean writes such fantastic characters and achieves such depth to them despite a limited wordcount. Both April and Beau are such wonderful, loveable characters with impeccable banter that it was quite hard to work out which one of them I fancied more.
Although it’s only a novella, the story manages to go beyond the romance and also looks at the inner-workings of both April and Beau’s families. I would have a liked a little more exploration of Beau’s relationship with his father as it was resolved a little too cleanly for my liking but I do appreciate that we were limited on page space.
I fell in love with the setting (particularly the market) and the descriptions of the vibrant community. The scene where they finally met for the first time had me beaming from ear to ear and I really enjoyed the epilogue and the quick insight it gave into how their lives and relationship had progressed after meeting in person.
I would advise going into this book not expecting any explanation for the fantastical telepathic connection element. But, despite not being an avid reader of the fantasy genre, this didn’t really bother me and I just enjoyed the magic element of the romance, interpreting the telepathic link to be the universe’s way of connecting soulmates.
A Missing Connection is perfect for anyone who’s after a quick charming love story with a bit of spice and a whole lot of heart.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

This was quite cute. The concept is a lot of fun and it’s told well, it’s very light and gentle and it’s low on conflict between the two main characters, Beau and April. There is some background drama, unrelated to the central romance, but it doesn’t detract too much from the main storyline.

The writing is generally very good and I think the author did a good job at presenting well-rounded characters given this is a novella. There were a couple of bits of writing – specific phrases, mainly – that were sometimes repetitive, but not enough that it affected my enjoyment of the book overall.

As a whole this is a nice little novella. I would recommend it if you’re looking for a quick, easy read that’s low on drama between the main couple, has a bit of a fantasy element, and a tiny bit of family drama. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy of this book.

Content Notes: Terminal illness (parent), difficult relationship with a parent, death of a parent mentioned in epilogue, on-page sexual content.

A simple, cute, and quick read.

Two workaholics, hopelessly romantic and lonely, find each other via telepathy. As in, they only meet and communicate by speaking aloud to one another. They don't know who the other is, and their connection quickly grows.

The pacing is a bit wonky, but the book would need to be longer for it to not be. It's a contemporary romance with mild spice. The epilogue made my heart pitter patter.

Thank you, NetGalley, Dani McLean, and Victory Editing for an eARC.

Thank you for the review copy.


Well, the concept of this story is really intriguing. And the characters, individually, are very interesting but the execution of the story is something I didn't like.

They, two busy people, just spot each other and connect instantly. They are not confused at all that someone is actually speaking inside their heads; it's a big deal, right? They immediately know who that person is. And to top it all, the conversations they make are quite mundane.

Didn't work for me. Sorry.

I really liked this book. It was diferent with the whole psychic connection thing but I really liked that. April was such a good person a family woman, she was genuine and was afraid to put herself out there, but then she realized she didn't have to be afraid of him, he would be there for her no matter what. Beau was so sweet, I loved him, he was trying to be the person he thought his father wanted and the person he wanted to be. He found that courage in her, she gave him the strength to be himself and that's so important. They made a beautiful and just really good couple, I loved them.

I enjoyed reading this novella - interesting, light reading, and not too much of it. The characters had some interesting issues going on, and the plot was tight. A handsome, wealthy man and a hard-working, smart young woman spot each other through the windows of their respective office buildings one night. Then, they mysteriously can "hear" each other in each other's heads and develop a romantic connection.

This was an interesting concept to explore and a nice analogy of fantasy conversations we all might have in our heads. I liked how the novella ended and at just the right time. I hope to read more fiction of this length.

I really enjoyed the first novella in this series and while they are not really related other than taking place in the same town, I was still looking forward to this one. I really don’t understand what was going on in this book. The two MC’s see each other from across buildings and then again on the train. Rather than start up a call and texting dialog somehow this turns into telepathically communicating with each other but neither realize it’s the person they watch from the other building. I really didn’t get it. There is no explanation as to how they randomly started telepathically start talking or how/when it will happen. It made no sense and took away from the story.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this arc.

The story takes off when Beau and April suddenly, out of nowhere, start to hear each other's voices in their heads. Reading each other's minds without an explanation whatsoever and oddly adapting very fast to the situation. They start to have conversations in their heads and building a relationship.

Beau find himself in the perfect situation since he's always wanted to be with someone who's not with him for his money or status. So, he gets to know April without that doubt and pressure hanging over him. They mind speak for the short duration of the book. They meet, "I love you's" get exchanged and they live happily ever after.

An interesting concept but very bad execution. It left much to be desired.
Neither of them questioned their sanity when they started to hear voices. They fell in love way too fast. I was left feeling lackluster and uninterested throughout the whole thing.

This was super cute! A sweet, quick read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️

I understand the conflicting reviews, but it’s a STORY - it doesn’t have to be realistic. And it definitely isn’t, but that’s the fun of it. Sometimes you just want a quick read that will make you smile, and this is it!

Beau & April were able to connect on a completely different level, since they were only communicating telepathically and hadn’t met in person. I love the show Love is Blind & it definitely gave those vibes!

The author explains the magic in her note but would also have been nice to have it has part of the story.
They don’t even mention how it’s normal to have weird things happen in the town, and do accept quite quickly that they can talk to each other.

Another question I had - why would they hear each other sometimes and not others?

Read if you enjoy:
⭐️ Novellas
⭐️ A little magic
⭐️ Different Worlds
⭐️ Billionaire MMC
⭐️ FMC in STEM
⭐️ Dual POV

Thank you to NetGalley & Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the advanced copy! All opinions are my own.

I loved this book a lot! I was instantly drawn in by the beautiful cover (another @inkandlaurel masterpiece). I don't usually gravitate towards novellas because I don't really believe 100-200 pages is enough to flush out characters, their backgrounds/intentions, while keeping me engaged with the plot. This book had great pacing and built up tension. And I was shocked by the spice?? Dani McLean's writing was truly magic.

I loved her prowess in creating this story that absolutely doesn't make sense, but it's beautiful anyways. The author's note in the beginning of the book perfectly set the tone and expectations. The idea of having an unexplained telepathic connection with a total stranger and the characters don't question it themselves, so we shouldn't either, is actually kinda bad ass.

Thank you NetGalley and the author/publisher for the ARC!

It was a cute read definitely and overall I enjoyed it. The only thing for me was everything just happened unrealistically too fast. It was just unbelievable for me. I needed a bit more. I know that chance is a city where magical things happen, but I needed more I needed to understand more.

I did feel like their love was a bit forced, but they had nice banter. The concept was interesting to be able to hear the other in your mind through their connection.

I really struggled with their love as it is insta love and I am beginning to see that is not for me. On the other hand, I know this was a novella and things needed to happen quickly.

If you're looking for a quick, easy, insta love romcom pick this one up!