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Reviewed by Anne Boling for Readers' Favorite
This is a review of the audio format of The Coincidence of Callie & Kayden by Jessica Sorsensen, read by Leslie Bellair. Callie was raped on her twelfth birthday by her brother’s best friend. Her personality changed; she started wearing baggy clothing, chopped her hair off and withdrew into herself. She also became bulimic. One night she accidentally walked in on a horrifying scene; Kayden’s father was beating him. She was shaking as she managed to distract the man and help Kayden bandage his wounds. When Kayden saw her on the college campus, he wanted to thank her. Slowly the two scared individuals grew closer.
Callie drew me into this tale. I ached for her. I actually like this book but I am also troubled by certain aspects of the plot. I’ll start with what I liked. The relationship between Callie and Kayden was allowed to slowly develop. First they developed a friendship and it was from there they developed stronger feelings for each other. I liked Seth; he was funny and heartwarming. I liked the way Kayden wanted to protect Callie. Now what did I not like. The vulgar language was uncalled for. I found the reaction of Callie’s parents odd; their normal twelve-year-old daughter comes downstairs with her hair chopped off and dressed in baggy clothing, behaving in an odd manner and they don’t seem to suspect anything. Then there is Kayden; how could school authorities not recognize the signs of abuse? I realize his father was a pillar of the community but how could they not see the constant cuts. Callie’s dad was the football coach and of all people he should have recognized the signs.
Then there is the ending or should I say lack thereof; there was no ending. I realize there is a sequel to this book but you don’t just end a book so abruptly. I felt as if the author became bored or ran out of time and had to do a quick fix on the ending. Having aired my complaints let me end by saying, I feel as if I have a vested interest in the characters in this book so, yes, I will have to read or listen to part two.
