My review of Caleb and Kate by Cindy Martinusen-Coloma (fantabulous story!!!)

Publisher's Description

"Romeo + Juliet gets an update in this story of forbidden love. Shakespeare’s never been so hip." -- Jenny B. Jones, author of The Charmed Life Series


As the popular darling of the junior class and heiress to the five-star Monrovi Inn empire, Kate has both everything and nothing. She’s bored with school and life...until she locks eyes with Caleb at a school dance.


Caleb is new to Kate’s exclusive prep school, and it’s clear he doesn’t fit in. In fact, he and his dad work in maintenance for Kate’s father. And while Caleb knows better than to spend time with the boss’s daughter, it seems that every time he tries to back away, something pulls him right back in.
When their parents demand that they are to stay away from each other, they learn of a fight between their families that occurred more than fifty years ago. It’s a mystery Kate doesn’t understand...but a legacy Caleb has endured his entire life.


With the world stacked against them, Caleb and Kate will have to walk by faith to find the path that God has planned for them.

My review:

If there was a ten star rating system for Young Adult romances I'd give this book twelve stars. It's the best YA romance I've ever read. Seriously. My heart was actually pounding for the last half of the book. Yes, it really was. I adored Caleb. He was a great guy, and I loved that he was not what everyone assumed when they first met him. The same with Kate. She wasn't a rich snob like he'd expected. I was thrilled that he couldn't hate her even though he had tried. They were so different.

Having met people from Hawaii who were native to the islands, the whole "haoles" reference to white people rang true, too. He didn't want to love her because life would be easier not to love her, but that's the cool thing about true love. It comes unexpectedly. When it hits you right in the heart, it leaves you stunned at first, but then craving more. Kind of like a wild carnival ride. Scary and exciting at the same time. I loved how the author perfectly captured the thrill of the ride in this story without being sappy or cliche.

The YA romance "voice" of this story was perfect, too. So was the male point of view. I loved that he didn't see her and think, "gee, she looks like she might have a wonderful personality. I'd like to get to know her." It was realistic. He thought, "Whoa. She's beautiful." And he kept feeling very drawn to her despite his attempts to feel otherwise. He also had very male teen hormonal thoughts, which rang true. Passion under control is SO heroic. Ahhh...love that kind of story where you fight true love and you lose.

There is something wonderfully elating about being pulled into a story and having it win over your heart. That is what this story did for me. I couldn't stop reading. I wanted to call someone to talk about how much I loved it as soon as I closed the book. It was such a beautiful story and slightly sensual but nothing over the top. These are high school teens here! Anything less than that would seem fake. I loved that they both fought desire. That made the story even better. And the fact that there was a faith element gently woven into the plot made it all the more endearing to me.

This book is making my top fiction list for 2010! Move over Valeria's Cross. You have some serious competition here. I now have a tie for the top of my favorites list! That has never happened to me before.

Caleb and Kate was published by Thomas Nelson and released in May 2010. A hearty thanks go to Thomas Nelson for sending me a copy of this book to review. I loved it!!!