Book Review – Connected (Connections #1) by Kim Karr

What if  ‘Once in a Lifetime’ could happen twice? 

WOW. That ending. Just… WOW.

Its not often that a book can really pull the rug right out from under me with a revelation like that but I swear to you I did NOT see that ending coming!! Wow. Wow. WOW. Amazing!

The majority of the book read as a solid 4-star read for the most part. I liked the characters, I liked the story, and enjoyed my read. There were a few scenes here and there that were just phenomenal, but for the most part, I sat at a very happy 4 stars. Until the end. The last 15% or so were a solid 5 stars. Have I said “wow” yet? ‘Cuz it deserves to be said again!

Yes, the ending is a cliffhanger. Technically. But it’s also not really. It’s an ending that I wouldn’t change for anything. It is probably one of the best story twists I’ve read. I’ve thought about it a lot and honestly, the story just would not have had the same impact if it had ended differently. Let’s put it this way, I hate cliffhangers, but I loved this ending. Why? Because of what it opened up for the future story lines.

Right. So what’s this book about?

Dahlia London had a loving boyfriend, wonderful friends and a beautiful life. But a chance encounter with a local rockstar, River Wilde, threw her world off its axis for a moment. They had a connection. An intense, undeniable connection.

“When our eyes connected it felt like minutes, in reality it was mere seconds. At that moment, something happened inside of me. The connection was like nothing I’d ever felt before. It was an electric pull that willed me in and forced me to keep looking at him….could love at first sight even exist when you were already in love with someone else?”

And then she walked away.

But her world is shattered the day her boyfriend, who has also been her best friend since childhood, is killed. Her entire life comes crashing down. He has been a constant in her life since she can remember and she can’t even begin to imagine going on without him.

Those scenes were incredibly well written. Losing a loved one is one of the worst nightmare scenarios imaginable and the author captured that feeling of utter loss and despair so vividly. I wanted to cry. My chest constricted. My throat closed. It was powerful and heart breaking.

But as time moves on, eventually she finds the need to allow her heart to mend. And when River comes back into her life, that connection they had that one time is rekindled and magnified. It was always there, but now, there is nothing standing in their way.

“I feel like fate has brought us together again. I also believe that one night, so long ago, just wasn’t the right time for us. But tonight is.”

Ben was perfect for her – he truly was her match. But … so was River. He was her soul mate. I truly fell in love twice in this book.

I really liked that nothing about this book felt rushed. I felt that there was enough time between Ben and River that I, as a reader was allowed the time to grieve, and by the time River came into Dahlia’s life, it was the right time and I too was ready to move forward.

That being said, I really appreciated Dahlia’s struggle with not being able to or wanting to move on at first, but at the same time being faced with the reality that her boyfriend just wasn’t coming back. And finding that point within her heart where she felt she could open it up again to love.

I absolutely LOVED that River never tried to replace Ben. He knew what Ben meant to her and despite naturally having his own worries, he both honored and respected his memory and her need to keep him in her heart. And to me, that spoke volumes about the kind of man he was.

Music plays a huge role in this story. Both the song references, the playlist at the beginning of the book and the chapter titles all serves to better connect the pieces of the story together.

This book has so many wonderful elements – rockstars, swoon, passion, heart break, loss, healing and hotness!!!! Yes, there is sex! Most certainly an adult read!

“I swear I won’t stop until your legs are shaking and every hotel guest on this floor knows my name.”

And… there’s even a little shout out to Kellan and Jake in this book! How cool is that?? Rockstar cameos!

The first chunk of the book is written from Dahlia’s POV but later on we are treated to quite a bit of River’s side of the story. I liked seeing how felt about everything – seeing his fears despite how understanding he was. And seeing how completely and utterly in love with her he was.

“I never imagined I could feel so connected to anyone as much as I feel connected to you. I knew I loved you from the moment I saw you. How could I not? Loving you is as easy as breathing.”

So about that ending!!! Seriously… that last 15% …. Holyyyyyyyy WOW! I didn’t see it coming. I thought of every possible theory but that one. I got chills. Shivers. EVERYTHING just all came together. LOVE LOVE LOVED the twist!!!!

Is it weird to say that I would describe it as a cliffhanger that I loved? I both loved and hated it. I hated it because I desperately wanted more, and I loved it because honestly, it was just a freaking AWESOME twist and I wouldn’t change it for anything!

“Dahlia, I will love you forever… in this lifetime and in the next.”

What if once in a life time truly CAN happen twice? Kim Karr’s debut novel made me fall in love twice and just blew me away with the ending. I can’t wait for more of her books!

4.5 stars overall (4 stars for most of the book but 5 huge stars for that ending!)