The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden by Jessica Sorensen

 

2 stars**

 

I'll be honest... there is life before I read The Sea of Tranquility and then there is life after. That book was so darn good and well written that any other book similar to that one in the same genre will just never measure up.
There were a couple of things I did like... I loved the relationship Callie has with her best friend Seth. Seth is probably the only character in this book that I felt any strong connection too. And, it's because he perseveres despite his tragedy instead of hiding away from it. He keeps no secrets and strives to be happy despite his own personal traumas. And, he is good for Callie. Loved the list that she and Seth created to help empower each other. If the book had been focused only on their relationship I think I would have loved it immensely. And, of course I had empathy for Callie, Kayden and well, everybody in regards to their personal tragedies but, that's where my dislike for the book began.
There was an excessive amount of tragedy in this book. Suicide, child rape, severe child abuse, cutting, bulimia, gay hate crime and even diabetes. Every character had some kind of secret they were hiding. It was just too much and it made the story overwhelmingly hard to believe. There wasn't a single character that was untouched by some kind of personal trauma.
I hate, hate, hate the way the adults are portrayed in this book. Every single adult was a drunk, or an abuser, or so self absorbed that they can't see past their own nose. And, they turn a blind eye to the behavior and circumstances going on around them. This is a concept that I cannot wrap my head around. Particularly with the moms...
There is such a thing as balance when it comes to writing stories based on personal tragedies. For me there has to be a healthy balance of the good and the bad, the ugly and the beautiful. This book was too ugly and too focused on the bad. It even ended ugly... and on a cliffhanger! And, I loathe cliffhangers.
I know that I am in the minority on this one... but, we all have our own little set of guidelines that we create based on our own personal experiences that can either make or break our love for a book. And, based on my own personal experiences this book clearly missed the mark and I just simply could not enjoy it.
Curiosity kills me... and, I haven't decided if I should read book two. Maybe I'll just have somebody tell me how it ends.
Anyway, another one bites the dust!

Book provided by Forever Publishing via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

K~