Review Detail

I’ll cut to the chase before I delve into a more detailed review; I loved this book! I binge-read The Connection in a day and a half and have already recommended it to a few family members both YA-aged and those like myself who love the genre many years later.

The Connection is very reminiscent of a lot of the YA supernatural/dystopian/romance series that have risen to popularity - the dynamic between the main characters serves up major Divergent/Twilight vibes (in the best of ways). Naturally, I ate it right up. It is angsty and full of all of the teenage feels that make reading a book like this such an awesome escape from reality.

I’m a sucker for dual-perspective novels and feel like the alternating POV really lends a hand to the fast-paced nature of this book and to the development of the main characters, Bea and Cash, whose enemies-to-lovers romance is at the core of this novel. Bea’s life is turned upside down when family secrets come to life and she learns of an otherworldly connection to an alien race. She is so much more than a foolish high schooler, which I loved, and she really gives the cocky Cash a run for his money as the two butt heads while he tries to keep her safe to save their respective planets.

Aside from the main characters, the secondary characters are also fleshed out in a way that allows the reader to really place themselves within the universe of this book. I didn’t feel like Darla, Tasha and co were sidelined or one-dimensional in the telling of this story.

This novel is a sci-fi YA romance, however, it is light on the science fiction aspect, which I actually appreciated. I found it to be the best of both worlds.

I’m very much looking forward to the second installment of this series and have added Dana Claire to the list of authors that I now follow.