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.
"Life is full of luck, like getting dealt a good hand
or simply by being in the right place at the right time. Some people get luck
handed to them, a second chance, a save. It can happen heroically, or by simple
coincidence, but there are those who don't get luck on a shiny platter, who end
up in the wrong place at the wrong time, who don't get saved."
First off, let me state that if rape, abuse, or cutting is a
trigger for you this book may not be a good fit. It does not gloss over either
of these topics, and some of the parts are very descriptive.
I have had this story for over a year on my Nook; have held
on to it since Kim told me that it was a tale of abuse and second chances. At
that moment when we both bought it, I wasn't ready for it so I promised myself
I would go back when I was in an easier place. I always meant to read their
story, but things kept getting in the way, in all honesty, I wish I had not put
it off. I wish that I had experienced Kayden and Callie sooner. Theirs is a
story that will be with me for years to come. A definite reread. The
Coincidence of Callie and Kayden wasn't an easy read for me, in fact it was an
extremely hard and emotionally intense read at some points due to the triggers
it held. However, despite that, I finished Kayden and Callie's story in a few
hours and I finished it heart broken and in big fat baby sobbing tears. I
cursed Jessica Sorensen for taking me on such a raw and gritty emotional ride,
hooking me, and all to be left with an ending like that! I need book
two stat! I suggest if you don't like cliffhangers (which I don't, but I forgot
Kim told me about that before) that you wait closer to the release of book two.
"The way I feel is irreversible; overtaken, wanted,
needed, connected. I'll never be able to let it go."
I seriously don't even know where to begin, I feel as though
my review won't even come close to doing this book the justice it
deserves. Jessica Sorensen poured her
heart and soul into these characters, there wasn't a moment that went by in
this book that you weren't feeling their emotions; experiencing their pain,
anguish, hope and love. Callie and Kayden, their lives are not made of fairy
tales, and their happiness definitely does not come quickly or easy; it comes
at a high cost. Damaged, cautious, and vulnerable are three key terms I would
use to describe this couple, these words shape both of our main characters and
it is the motivation that shapes all of their interactions and behaviors.
“I trusted him once and I decide to do it again. I just pray
to God he doesn’t shove me down and break me, because I’m already in too many
pieces and I just don’t know how much more breaking I can take.“
Jessica gave us the story of two victims when she described
Kayden and Callie's traumatic pasts and presents, but what we also learned of
our courageous heroine and hero through their journey is that they are both
beautiful and amazing in their own ways. They were such strong
individuals. Our MC's are the definition
of survivors. I loved both of them equally; there was no siding for me. One
wasn't stronger than the other was; they were both strong in their own ways.
Callie and Kayden both captured a piece of my heart and held it all the way
through the book. I cried so many times, my heart broke over and over again and
my mind screamed out in pain from the torture these two had to endure.
"I can do pain. That's the easy part of life. It's
everything else, happiness, laughter, love, that's fucking complicate."
What made this story for me was their personal growth, their
struggle to overcome the dark beast holding them down. The damage done to these
two is heart wrenching; it is more than most people can bear, but with each other,
they are able to ease the pain and see that there is sunshine behind the dark.
They moved together as a couple and as individuals at slow paces finding the
confidence they needed to trust, their journey isn't one we hear about every
day but it is as real as you can get as was their reactions. Their love for
each other shined through everything else as we watched them slowly grow into
it, acknowledge it even if they couldn't say it aloud. Kayden and Callie's need
for one another anchored them and allowed them to flourish and open. There was
nothing simple or instant about their relationship, it was raw and gritty; they
were real and it moved slowly as they both had to move past the attraction to
find the trust and build on that.
"Callie, you're the only person that's ever made me
feel happy about anything. That night you saved me, you changed something in
me-you made me want to live."
"For the last six years, I've been afraid of almost
everyone except Seth, but he and I shared this connection and I trusted him
fairly quickly. It was the same with you."
Kayden and Callie have become one of my top favorite hero
and heroines. They are an inspiration. If you haven't gathered it already, I
absolutely LOVED this book and I HIGHLY recommend it. It is not an easy read, nowhere
close to it, but it will leave a lasting impression and affect you in ways you
can't even begin to imagine. I truly
can't wait to get back to them, they deserve to find happiness, but I know that
book two will be just as intense if not more when both reveal their secrets and
pasts to the world. No longer can they hide within themselves, what they reveal
will either bring them even closer or break them.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden to review for my honest opinion.
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