Book Review: The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden by Jessica Sorensen

"There are those who don’t get luck handed to them on a shiny platter, who end up in the wrong place at the wrong time, who don’t get saved.

Luck was not on Callie’s side the day of her twelfth birthday when everything was stolen from her. After it’s all over, she locks up her feelings and vows never to tell anyone what happened. Six years later her painful past consumes her life and most days it’s a struggle just to breathe.

For as long as Kayden can remember, suffering in silence was the only way to survive life. As long as he did what he was told, everything was okay. One night, after making a terrible mistake, it seems like his life might be over. Luck was on his side, though, when Callie coincidentally is in the right place at the right time and saves him.

Now he can’t stop thinking about the girl he saw at school, but never really knew. When he ends up at the same college as Callie, he does everything he can to try to get to know her. But Callie is reserved and closed off. The more he tries to be part of her life, the more he realizes Callie might need to be saved."

Rating: 5/5

You can buy The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden as an eBook or a paperback now.

I first read Jessica Sorensen's work earlier this year when I read her book The Secret of Ella and Micha, a book I really enjoyed despite not really expecting too. Since then, Sorensen has had several more titles released as eBooks, but I have preferred to wait for the paperback release. The first of these books is the first in her Callie and Kayden series, The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden. I really liked the sound of this book, it sounded interesting and I enjoy a good old-fashioned love story, this one sounded just the ticket.

Callie has struggled with her time at high school. The other kids in her class were horrible to her, making assumptions because of how she chose to look and act, not knowing the painful secrets that Callie hides, locked away so it can't hurt her anymore. Now at college, she and new best friend Seth try to work through their issues together, trying to be different and try something that frightens them everyday. Kayden, who grew up just round the corner from Callie, also manages to secure a place at Callie's college. He, too, harbours some secrets he can't bear to divulge to anyone, and when Callie catches his eye, he wonders if she can be the one to break down his playboy facade and see the man beneath. Will Callie and Kayden be able to save each other?

First of all, I have to say there were parts of this book which were really sad, and it certainly does affect you emotionally as you're reading it. I found myself thinking a lot about what Callie went through long after I had put the book down in the evenings, and also thinking about Kayden too. They were a very troubled pair of teenagers, both with home lives they struggled with, but with no one to talk to about their pain. I felt incredibly sorry for them as I was reading, it makes you realise how much people can hide from others, and how we can judge people without knowing the full facts about their lives. I loved how Callie and Kayden come to rely on each other, drawing on their own experiences to help each other through the bad times, and it was very touching in parts.

The issues suffered by the pair in the book are certainly not easy to read about. While I found Callie's hard to read and imagine what she went through, there was something about Kayden's which really touched me, living in such fear of a person who is supposed to love you most in the world was horrific, and Sorensen writes it so realistically, I almost wanted to stop reading in parts. It wasn't easy, but it certainly made it clear why Callie and Kayden are the troubled individuals they are. The inclusion of a few of their troubled friends too makes up a nice group to read about, and you certainly care about all of them in their own way. I liked seeing Callie build her trust with Kayden more as the story went on, and it made me smile to see them relax more and talk to each other about things, showing how just finding a friend can help so much.

The ending of the book had me shocked, I really hadn't expected it at all and it makes you extremely keen to read the next book in the series, The Redemption of Callie and Kayden which is out now as an eBook and due out in February 2014 in paperback format. Luckily, in the paperback version of this book there's the first chapter of the next book, so there's something to get you through that shocking ending for now! I really enjoyed this book, and it touched me so much more than I had ever expected when I started reading. It's a tale of growing, trusting and loving between two young people more damaged than most people could ever imagine. Both Callie and Kayden are so likeable, you want things to work out nicely for both of them, and I'm so hoping for a happy ever after. This is a fantastic book, and I really look forward to reading more of Sorensen's books after this fantastic and emotional story.