The Coincidence of Callie & Kayden by Jessica Sorensen

Title: The Coincidence of Callie & Kayden (The Coincidence #1)

Author: Jessica Sorensen

Publisher: Forever

Release Date: August 6, 2013

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

For Kayden, suffering in silence was the only way to survive. If he was lucky, he could keep his head down, do as he was told, and make it through the day. But one night it seemed like his luck--and his life--might finally end…until an angel named Callie appeared just in time to rescue him.

Callie has never believed in luck. Not since her twelfth birthday when everything was taken from her. After the worst was over, she locked up her feelings and vowed never to tell anyone what happened. Now, six years later, she continues to struggle with the painful secret that threatens to consume her.

When fate lands Kayden and Callie at the same college, Kayden is determined to get to know the beautiful girl who changed his destiny. Quiet and reserved, Callie still fears letting anyone else into her world. But Kayden is certain that Callie has come back into his life for a reason. And the more he tries to be a part of her life, the more he realizes that, this time, it's Callie who needs to be saved...

If you've been reading my posts for the past month or so then you'll know I've been devouring any and all New Adult books I've been able to get my hands on. It was no different with Jessica Sorensen's The Coincidence of Callie & Kayden. I was hooked right from page one and just tore through the book.

Callie Lawrence has wanted to be invisible since everything was taken from her on her twelfth birthday. And she's succeeded to do it all the way through high school. But as she's about to leave doe college, Callie witnesses something, and for once she can't just be invisible. Stepping in to save Kayden's life, Callie couldn't have predicted that she would be saving herself in the process. Letting Kayden into her life goes against everything Callie believes in, but it might be just what she needs. Because no one can understand her desire to be invisible better than Kayden. 

Maybe it's because New Adult is typically contemporary romance and that's my favourite genre, but it just can't seem to get enough of these stories. Jessica Sorensen's The Coincidence of Callie & Kayden just fuelled that hunger more. I got hooked right from the start. I wanted to know more about what had happened to both Kayden and Callie. I wanted to see if they would be able to come out on the other side. This wasn't a happy story and some parts of it were downright painful to read but that's where some of the story's power ultimately comes from. In this story, Jessica Sorensen tackles some tough subjects in a way that feels disturbingly realistic.  The abuse Kayden suffers and how it affects me completely broke my heart. There were times while I was reading where I just wanted to hurt his father for what he was doing and knock some sense into his mother. The way Callie dealt with her own trauma felt just as realistic and, like with Kayden's pain, Callie's pain just made my heart break at times. 

But it wasn't just a dark story about abuse. The romance between Callie and Kayden was, to sound completely cheesy, beautiful. These were two people who understood each other on a level other people wouldn't be able to understand them. I loved seeing them work together to overcome their past, even if at times they struggled. But their struggle is what added that realistic quality to the story. I was rooting for them the whole way. Even though they sometimes didn't see it, I could see that they were good for each other and they made each other better I more than one way. 

It wasn't just Callie and Kayden's story that felt real, it was the characters themselves. I figured what happened to Callie pretty much ten pages into the books that only made me appreciate her character more. Because I knew what had happened to her, I was able to better understand why she was acting the way she was acting. With Kayden, the reader is told in the first chapter that his father is physically abusive, but as I read, I realized that there was a whole lot more going on with him. And that just broke my heart. But what I appreciated the most about Kayden is that the chapters that were written from his perspective really and truly felt like I was I the mind of an 18 year old guy. That just made Kayden feel that much more real to me. My only wish as far as characters are concerned is that I could see more of Seth and Luke. They both have their own story to tell and while I've been able to get bits and pieces from here and there, it has only served to make me want more. 

I love nothing more than a good contemporary romance with characters that are completely broken. I've said it before and I'll say it again, broken characters make for some of the best and most touching stories. This is exactly what Jessica Sorensen's The Coincidence of Callie & Kaden was. If you choose to read this story, be prepared to be hooked and want the sequel immediately after you finish. At least, that's what happened to me.