The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden (The Coincidence #1) – Jessica Sorensen

Synopsis

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.

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My Review

At age twelve, everything in Callie’s life changed. It changed her so much that she hacked off her hair, turned into a recluse and locked up everything that happened to her up. Never telling anyone about it. Six years later, it still consumes her every thought and she cannot wait to leave the small town to start college. It may not be a fresh start, but it sure as hell gets her away.

Kayden has suffered in silence from a young age. He vowed it was the only way to get through the pain when it happened. One night after making a mistake, it seems that his life may just be on the edge until he’s saved. Callie is coincidently at the right place, at the right time and saves him.

Four months after and Kayden can’t stop thinking about the girl who saved his life. But luck is on his side again when Callie is at the same college that he is and he will do whatever it takes to get to know her and owe her for that night. But Callie is closed off and doesn’t want to be owed. “I just did what anyone would have done.” But he knows that’s not true, people would have walked away. The more he tries to get to know her, the more is feels its Callie that needs to be saved.

Jessica Sorensen has done it again. First with The Secret of Ella and Micha and now with The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden. She makes me fall in love and feel all kinds of emotions throughout the books and I just can’t get enough. I always ask myself why I take so long to read such amazing book and I literally can’t answer. Well, I can and it’s because sometimes I’m scared. Scared to read it and then have it break my heart. Yes, I know it’s just a book, but no, it’s much more than that to me. I get hooked, captivated and I can’t get it out of my head until I finish it. And even after, I still think about it.

That’s exactly what happened with The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden. I was scared to read it, but I took a chance and I am so freaking glad I did! Despite the ending (WTFFFF), I couldn’t put the book down. Ms. Sorensen keeps me wanting more, keeps me turning every page until I am right at the end and begging for more. Begging for The Redemption of Callie and Kayden to be out now and in my hands where I can read it and find out what happens next. But alas, I have to wait until August. Counting down the day? YES I bloody well am.

Callie has been ‘broken’ since her twelve birthday when something horrific happened to her at the hands of her brother’s best friend. Before that incident she was happy and after, she died a little. She cut her long hair short, started wearing baggy clothes to try and make herself ugly and became a loner. She didn’t want attention on her and she certainly didn’t want any boys around her. She didn’t trust them.

Kayden has been dealing with pain since a young age. He has scars both inside and outside his body and going away to college is his chance to try and forget about his past, about his home. It’s his chance to try and start again, away from all the pain. He still owes his life to the girl who saved him all those months ago and when he finds out that shes at his college and is the girl he accidentally fell on top of, well, he’s going to stop at nothing to get to know her and thank for. Thank her for stopping it.

Callie and Kayden have actually known each other since they were kids but not really enough to call one another a friend, despite the fact that Callie’s dad was Kayden’s football coach for years. But one night, Callie was just coincidentally at the right place at the right time and saved Kayden’s life. Something he will never forget.

Four months later, Kayden arrives at college with his best friend Luke in tow. Callie has already been at college for four months, deciding to get away from home early and she’s found solace in Seth – her new best friend who also has secrets of his own. She’s still afraid of everyone, apart from Seth, so when Kayden wants to spend time with her, Seth calls her out and makes her pick things off the list to do. It results in her hanging out more with Kayden, Luke and of course, Seth and they build a close friendship unit, something Callie would never have thought she would be involved in.

She takes baby steps each day, with the help of the list, but shes beginning to trust Kayden, just not enough to tell him her secret, just yet.

Kayden has dealt with pain all his life and he knows Callie is hurting. From what? That he doesn’t know, but he wants to help her. He has learnt to cancel out feelings and emotions but around Callie, she makes him feel, which scares the hell out of him. He doesn’t want to be feeling but he can’t stay away from Callie. He’s protective of her, he dreams about her and as much as he wants to stay away, he just can’t.

The more time they spend together, the more you can see that Callie is slowly trusting him and Kayden begins to feel worthy of being with Callie. Together they are learning to heal from their pasts with the help and love of one another. It’s a tough journey as they have been hurt pretty badly, but just being together is building them back up.

It truly is a beautiful story. It’s powerful and breathtaking and I felt so many emotions whilst reading. The journey that Callie takes is one that I respect. I was proud of her for taking each day at a time and owning that list that she and Seth made. She powered through them like a trooper and I loved seeing her become happy – at least for a while when she wasn’t thinking about the past – and just living for the moment.

I loved how at the top of each chapter it had something from ‘The List’ that Callie had to do. It was a great way for her to try and regain something back in her life and it was a great way to help her along with her journey into at least trying to get over what happened when she was twelve.

Seth was a fantastic best friend to Callie. He was there for her completely. It was mad to think that they had only known each other a few months, but in that short time they had both confessed their deepest darkest secret to each other and that, in itself, made them close and made them determined to help each other through everything. It was a perfect friendship and I loved how Seth pushed Callie to her limit with the list, knowing she could do it and to not be scared to do things on the list as eventually it was breaking her barriers down and she was ‘getting’ better because of the list. It was an awesome idea.

One of my favourite scenes is actually linked to the book cover. When Callie runs into the rain and just spins around. It was like she just forgot everything for that moment and focused on the rain and how free she felt. When Kayden joined her, it was like there was no one else. At that moment it was just her and Kayden, no one else in the world. It was perfect. They are perfect and my heart was racing in the scene for those two where they had such a raw passion for one another.

Oh god, that cliff-hanger! After I clicked the next page hoping it would be okay, I realized it was the end. I cried. Yes tears ran down my face because Jessica Sorensen, that was evil! LOL. I seriously need The Redemption of Callie and Kayden now! I don’t want to wait until August because I’m not sure my heart can take it. I neeeed to know what happens next.

Sigh, I’ll just have to be patient and count down the days till it’s out.

The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden is a book not to be missed out. It’s about coincidences, trust, love, abuse, friendship and of course, being saved. It touches upon emotional, physical and sexual abuse, which is not taken lightly at all and both Callie and Kayden are whittled down to the core but surviving somehow. Ms Sorensen writes about the topic beautifully, and despite everything that happen to them, they are still getting along, day by day, trying not to let it affect them too much. They are broken by it, but together, they find a way to forget for a while and just be as two people.

I can’t say how much I enjoyed this book enough. I’m just still thinking about the ending and how I have months until the second book to see how it all ends.

If you’re like me and HATE starting series that have major cliff-hangers (I didn’t know this one did) then I would say wait until august to read this book but if not, then bloody well get your copy and read it now! You won’t be disappointed and you will fall in love with Callie, Kayden, Seth and Luke. Guaranteed.