Review: The Redemption of Callie & Kayden by Jessica Sorensen

The Redemption of Callie & Kayden
by Jessica Sorensen
Release Date: July 30, 2013

Description:
The dark secret Kayden has kept hidden for years is finally out. Worse, he's facing charges for battery. The only way to clear his name is for Callie to speak up-something he'll never ask her to do. Instead, he'll do whatever he must to protect her . . . even if it means letting go of the only girl he's ever loved.

Callie knows Kayden is going back to his dark place and desperately wants to save him. But that means facing her greatest fear and admitting her own painful secrets aloud. The thought of breaking her silence terrifies her-but not as much as the thought of losing Kayden forever.

Deep in her heart, Callie knows the time has come for her and Kayden to forget the pain of the past. With the help of her friends Seth and Luke she makes a plan to show Kayden the life they could have. But can she convince him they can make a fresh start together-or is she already too late?

Review:

Definition of redemption (n)
re·demp·tion
1.improving of something: the act of saving something or somebody from a declined, dilapidated, or corrupted state and restoring it, him, or her to a better condition
2.redeemed state: the improved state of somebody or something saved from apparently irreversible decline

Let me just start off by saying that I really really enjoyed the first book in the series, but honestly this book just didn’t do it for me.  It felt redundant and dragged quite a bit.  The back and forth and back and forth and back and forth was just killing me and I’m not talking about going from character to character and back because I’ve always loved that aspect in books.  It was the whole you don’t deserve me you deserve better but I can’t be without you and the back and forth.  It was annoying because they obviously belong together, especially because they are both so broken and can help the other heal.

We are back with Kayden currently in the hospital after being stabbed; Callie isn’t allowed to see him at all.  She eventually has to go back to school but when its break and she does come back she tries so hard to see him and the few times she does run into him, thanks just don’t go as well as she hoped because he’s completely closed off.  He keeps avoiding her because he just can’t deal with everything and doesn’t want her more involved but on the other hand Callie feels that everything that is happening to him is because of her.  If Kayden didn’t get into a fight with Caleb over her then none of this would have happened.

I honestly think that everything happens for a reason.  You have to go through the tough to come out on the other side on a better note.  Maybe if Kayden hadn’t gotten into a fight with Caleb then he would never have finally admitted the truth about himself and his family to Callie.  See, everything happens for a reason.  I know that the issues these two characters are going through are very serious issues and I sympathize and never wish that on anyone and it must be hard to finally let go or let someone in, maybe in real life it really is a back and forth situation. 

When it did switch from character to character through I felt the redundancy a little because you would get a repeated scene by the others perspective.  I don’t remember if the first one was like that but it didn’t bother me if it was, but this time around it did.  Don’t get me wrong I love the characters and I think they have a lot of story to tell both individually and together but I think this book wasn’t really necessary, I think we could have ended it with the first book.

We do finally get to see some strength from both characters as they finally start the healing process and speak to the people they need to speak to, the truth is revealed and it’s refreshing that they could finally accomplish this.  I believe by the end of the book they have both redeemed themselves and have reached that redemption they both desired.

Overall I thought the book was good, but the first one really caught my heart.  Love the cover, you can tell the people on the cover look scared/broken/ and in need of each other and that's exactly how I felt about the characters in the book. 
 

Disclaimer:
I received this book from NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing), so that I may give my honest opinion and a review. Whether it is good or not please do not let it discourage you from purchasing/reading the book yourself and forming your own opinion. What might be good for me may not be good for you and vice versa. With that said, Happy Reading Everyone!!!