REVIEW – The Certainty of Violet & Luke by Jessica Sorensen

Title: The Certainty of Violet & Luke
Author: Jessica Sorensen
Series: The Coincidence #5
Release Date: September 16, 2014

Violet Hayes’s life is a mess. Between her stalker, Preston, refusing to leave her alone, her parents’ case still being unsolved, and falling behind in school, she always feels on the verge of losing it. When some unexpected news comes her way, it’s the final straw and she ends up doing something that almost costs her life. Thankfully, she survives and makes a promise to herself to put her life back together and to try and figure out exactly how she feels about Luke Price, the one person that’s always there for her.

But as a recovering alcoholic and gambler, Luke has his own struggles to overcome. He’s also fallen in love with Violet, but fears telling her the truth, that it will scare her away or worse, she won’t reciprocate the feeling. Plus, there never seems to be a right time to say it, either the case, Preston, or life getting in the way.

Can the two of them ever get enough peace in their lives to conquer their fears and finally tell each other the truth about how they feel?

Violet and Luke’s journey has been fraught with emotional turmoil from the beginning. Their days as a carefree college couple were few and far between. When this part of their story begins Violet is a total mess. Jessica Sorensen has broken this character down until all that remains are her worst fears and the heartbreaking judgments of others. Violet is completely exposed to us, broken and raw for the world to see. Luke battles his own anxieties as he struggles to keep Violet holding on while the world gives her every reason to just let go.

“Nothing can be erased in life. Life is permanent, from the breaths we take to the decisions we make.”

Some of this story was hard to read because it was so crushing in its honesty. Violet’s inner demons come roaring to the surface, threatening to take everything from her. At times her internal conflict and pain was absolutely brutal. It hurt me to watch her go through all of that darkness, most of which existed in her own mind, out of Luke’s reach. She was vulnerable in the way we all fear being. Jessica did not pull any punches while writing Violet’s heartache. The emotions in this story were powerful, deafening and often all-consuming.

“I take his hand and we walk out of the room side by side. For the briefest second, I feel like I’m stepping into the future for once instead of drowning in the past, that maybe this is why I chose not to drown.”

Luke was the surprise for me in this book. He grew up. Plain and simple. He decided what kind of man he needed to be, wanted to be, and he made himself that man for Violet. He was constantly evolving, letting go of his vices and opening up his heart, throughout the story. Jessica Sorensen has carefully crafted such profound character growth in Luke that I was astounded and at times left speechless by his thoughtful words and actions. In choosing to fight his own darkness to be there for Violet, he really came into his own.

“Wishes are just wishes. Destiny is just destiny. And neither really has control over your life. Shit happens, shapes our lives, but doesn’t have to shape who we are.”

From the first page to the last, The Certainty of Violet & Luke had me enraptured. I worked to put the pieces of their story together in my mind, hoping to figure out how their story would end. I couldn’t have imagined the intricate twists and turns this story makes. Jessica has certainly been meticulous in planning out every detail and clue to their journey throughout this series. She kept me in suspense and expertly balanced the light and dark of this story to produce a tale that is both devastating and absolutely breathtaking. By the end, my heart was full for Violet and Luke and I wore a huge grin on my face, finally for the first time since their story began, feeling perfectly content.