The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden (Coincidence, #1)

by Jessica Sorensen

[Angie]

While I loved this author's other New Adult Contemporary series, The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden didn't grab me in the same way. We got off to quite a rocky start. It did pick up, but I was never fully engaged in Callie and Kayden's story. I found much of it to be quite boring and I struggled with Callie's POV a lot. The cliffhanger ending also threw me off, since these type of books typically wrap up nicely even when there's a sequel to follow. I think the story had a lot of potential, since it follows two very damaged people as they work through lifelong issues while also finding love. Unfortunately, most of it didn't work for me for various reasons.

My first problem with The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden was Callie herself. She is very timid and scared of life, which is understandable because she went through something terrible. However, she could have been presented in a way that wasn't frustrating to read about. I identified with her more than I wanted to, but I still never felt a connection to her narrative. She was very closed off to people including the reader, which isn't enjoyable to read. In the beginning she said "I'm sorry" about a million times which drove me crazy. She does grow throughout the book, but by then I had already checked out. I will admit that a lot of my issue with her sections was that it hit a bit too close for my liking, and honestly, I never would have bought this one if I had known what her big secret was.

I also found the story to be slow and boring. I like my New Adult to have a bit of an edge, or at least something that keeps the plot moving faster. I did like that Callie and Kayden hung out, becoming good friends in the process, before any romance comes up, but their earlier scenes were also repetitive because of this. It was always Callie being hesitant to spend time with Kayden, then having her friend Seth convince her to do something fun, followed by her having a good time, then freaking out afterwards, and finally apologizing for it. I would have liked for The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden to have a bit more variety in Callie and Kayden's interactions rather than the same thing in different locations.

One thing that I did really enjoy about The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden was Callie and Seth's list. They had met during the summer semester before their freshman year and instantly bonded. Seth also has a dark past that he was working through, so he and Callie created a list of things that they have to do. Some of the things are fun, such as dancing in the rain. Others are a bit more challenging and scary, like allowing someone new to get close. Each chapter has one to three items from the list as the header, and then Callie completes those tasks. I thought this was a cute addition, and it was nice to see her accomplish them.

Unfortunately, I didn't like The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden as much as I wanted. I couldn't connect to the characters, which was unfortunate, especially when I could relate to one of them. It also felt like nothing happened until the very end, when there's a very shocking and abrupt cliffhanger. In a way, I did see it coming, but I assumed it would be resolved within this book. I'm glad that I do have The Redemption of Callie and Kayden on hand, so I can find out what happens next. I also hope that the sequel works out better for me.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.