I can breathe again now with the sequel, The Redemption of Callie and Kayden. They’re back! And while, the beginning of the book was pure torture, in a way, I will say that it was torture that had to happen. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t torture to read because the book was bad—it was great!—it was torture because I found myself wanting to crawl into my Kindle, shove everyone aside and squeeze Kayden until his sweet face turned blue! Kayden needed a snuggle badly, and I was totally willing to give it to him. But since I can’t fit inside my Kindle, we got Callie, and I’m good with that.
I think Callie has always been strong. I never considered the ways in which she coped with her own personal trauma as weaknesses. They were coping skills, pure and simple, and they kept her alive. Callie is a survivor. In this book though, we see Callie really come into her strength and begin to own it, to grow even more. Callie has to be strong in this book, not just for herself, but for Kayden and for her family, and for everyone affected by the secret she’s been keeping; and she rises to the occasion. She never gives up—on herself or Kayden—even when things look like they may never be quite right again.
And Kayden. I love this kid. Poor Kayden is drowning, he’s giving up, he’s giving in, but when Callie offers him a hand up, his inner strength really shows. Sometimes, the hardest thing to do when you’re down is to trust someone else enough to help you up, especially if you’ve had a life like Kayden’s. I love that both Callie and Kayden (and Seth, too!) have this amazing will, this hope that maybe things will get better—even when they have so many doubts and fears. Someone once asked me, “What is it that makes some people become the thing that has hurt them, and other people fight so hard to never be like the thing that hurt them.” I’d say it’s an innate quality in individuals, impossible to explain or define. Too often we hear of people becoming like the things that hurt them; I love that in this book we have all of these characters fighting so hard against that. And I love that they fight together, that they take care of each other, support each other, and become the family that none of them has ever really had but needed.
And as a girl whose best friends were guys for a very long time, I love that Callie is able to find a safe place with Seth, Luke and Kayden. I love that they are such a huge part of her healing.
Jessica Sorensen has so many great characters in these books, and in this second installment, they grew, they deepened, they became so much more clearly and powerfully who they were—and I’m not just talking about the big four (Kayden, Callie, Seth and Luke). Both Callie’s and Kayden’s mothers developed. In the first book, we mainly saw these characters from Callie and Kayden’s perspectives, but in Redemption, they spoke for themselves, and their presences added so much more depth to Callie and Kayden’s characters. I really felt for these two (Callie and Kayden) in Redemption. I loved them in Coincidence, but Redemption brings more to the table in terms of character development (esp. supporting characters), and I thought it was a huge boost to the story as a whole. It upped the emotional ante and made the entire story more complex. I felt like there was a real jump in Ms. Sorenesen’s storytelling in this book. She wove a great story in Coincidence, but she added so much color this time, shadow and light. Kudos to her!
The story moved and I never wanted to put it down. I even read it on the treadmill and I hate reading on the treadmill; all that bouncing around is annoying. But a girl’s got to do what a girl’s got to do to get through her book! I didn’t want it to end, and I can’t wait for the next one. There is so much still to come for these two, to work through, to begin to resolve, but I appreciated both of them being left happy and whole and not bleeding to death this time around. Clearly, there’s a lot to come, but thanks, Ms. Sorenson, for not leaving me hanging by my fingertips again! My frazzled nerves thank you, too!
If you loved Coincidence—read this!! It’s a must! If you haven’t read The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden—hurry up!! What are you waiting for?! Get to it!! You don’t want to miss either one of these books!!
P.S. There’s lots of Seth, too! I love Seth!
I had read all the fantastic review for the first book, The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden, but I was warned of the HUGE cliffhanger ending. Since I don’t deal well with cliffhangers at all, I decided to wait until the sequel released to go easy on my heart. Man, was I glad to do that… I literally had to dive into Book 2 immediately after finishing Book 1. It’ll be hard to review The Redemption without spoiling too much from The Coincidence but I’ll do my best.
So, The Redemption starts out exactly where The Coincidence left off. Which is a huge freaking relief, because that cliffhanger nearly had me jumping out of the plane I was in while reading this series. I felt like the plot line of The Redemption was even heavier than the first one. It was ten times more emotional too if that’s possible. Both Callie and Kayden are at their ultimate breaking point. Callie’s mom doesn’t approve of anything she does, which goes without saying that she now doesn’t want Kayden in Callie’s life at all. Kayden is trying to stay away from Callie for reasons I actually never fully understood besides the standard “I’m no good for her” crap that most protagonist undergo at one point in the storyline. And that stunt only bothers me in instances like this book where it goes on for pretty much the whole time. Sorry, minor spoiler. Kayden also has to deal with major family issues. I hated his family. I had no doubt in my mind about how terrible his family was and how they were never gonna change. Yet, Callie and Kayden’s inner strength is amazing. Although everyone and everything appears to be conspiring against them, they still manage to trudge through. I loved seeing how much they grow and how they finally, FINALLY, gain control of their worlds. The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden is more than just a love story, it is a story of life, how to conquer your inner demons, and how to let yourself be happy.
Even though the whole world seemed to be working against Callie and Kayden, there was no doubt in my mind that they would work out in the end. I knew they would eventually get to the I love you’s and I knew that they had the forever kind of love. That’s what kept me going the entire book. Well, that and Seth and Luke. They were sort of the comedic relief for me in both books. I appreciated their funny lines as well as their undying support for Callie and Kayden. Back to Callie and Kayden’s love, I was insanely frustrated with their relationship most of the time, but that’s one of the many things that kept me interested. I had to keep because I never knew how they would react next, would they screw it up more or actually fix it a little? All in all, The Redemption of Callie and Kayden was a fantastic follow-up to The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden. I felt like after everything they both went through, that they deserved the happily ever after to end all happily ever afters. But, surprisingly their happy ending was quiet if not, understated, which shocked me and left me wanting more Callie and Kayden. I mean, it was kinda fitting seeing as how both Callie and Kayden are quiet people that just want to move on and forget all the insane drama, but still. I want another Callie and Kayden book. Please.
“She would do anything for me—she already has. She gave up her secret, she gave me herself, she gave me her love. And even though I can’t tell her yet, I feel the same way about her. She owns me completely, uncontrollably, irreversibly.” -Kayden
“Yes, I went through a lot of pain, heartache, breaking. But I’m here breathing and my heart is beating. I’m thriving. I’m not alone. And I’m loved.” –Callie
Have you enjoyed this review? Visit Falling In Fall Book Blog for more reviews by Tricia.
I’m the author of the Fallen Star Series, the Darkness Falls Series, the Death Collectors Series, and the New York Times and USA Today Best Seller, The Secret of Ella and Micha, a New Adult Contemporary novel.
I love writing and reading almost anything that is YA. Some of my favorite authors are Cassandra Clare, Sarah Dessen, Becca Fitzpatrick, Abbi Glines, Tammara Webber, Jamie McGuire and Jennifer L. Armentrout. I’m also an avid watcher of TV series The Vampire Diaries and of Modern Family.
I absolutely love music. When I’m writing, 9 out of 10 times I have music blaring in the background. My list of favorite songs could go on and on, since I have a very broad taste in music. But a few of my favorite bands are Chevelle, Rise Against, Alkaline Trio, Brand New, Death Cab for Cutie, Flight 409, Nirvana, and I’m going to stop there or else I’ll keep going on forever.
I don’t really have any favorite movies, but a few that I could watch over and over again are Anywhere but Here, Juno, Pride and Prejudice, The Hangover, and Bad Teacher.
If you’re interested in contacting me, here are a few options:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jessica-Sorensen/165335743524509
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jessFallenStar
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4601855.Jessica_Sorensen
Email: jessicathefallenstar@yahoo.com
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