Friday Couple: Caleb and Maggie

In case you missed the last Friday Couple, you can read my thoughts on Pip and Rosie from The Rosie Black Chronicles here.

I've taken Caleb and Maggie for this feature from  Paradise  by Simone Elkeles, which is a bind-up of two books: Leaving Paradise and Return to Paradise. The two are quite an unconventional couple, both being involved in a car accident, leaving Caleb being released from juvy and Maggie with a limp that she will probably have for the rest of her life.

When the two met each other again for the first time, it was definitely a tense situation. Caleb was desperately trying to redeem himself after the accident, but Maggie certainly didn't make it easy for him. Surprisingly, somehow they ended up forming a relationship - but it definitely wasn't a smooth one. 

Caleb is a little rough around the edges after his time in prison, but still has a heart that cares. After being the most popular guy in school, it was hard for him  to come back to his life and act as if everything was perfect again, when it was anything but. He still had his moments when he was a total jerk, but did make up for them in the end. Nobody's perfect, and everyone makes mistakes and decisions that they might later regret, and that's what happened to Caleb. In terms, of his relationship with Maggie, it was certainly difficult, and the emotions that both of them had held in formed some sort of barrier between them. Caleb came through in the end though, and showed Maggie that he really did care about her, and would be there when she needed him. Because of Maggie, he became a better person and changed as a character.

Maggie was broken after the accident, both physically and emotionally. However, she put on a resilient front and developed a hard outer shell to prevent her from getting hurt again. She never expected to fall in love with Caleb after what had happened, but the crush she had on him before the accident soon resurfaced. However, she didn't let Caleb into her life easily, and he had to prove himself. Maggie is one of the strongest female characters I have come across in YA, and she was so brave to go through what she did, and have the strength of character to forgive. 

In all, Caleb and Maggie were an unexpected and unconventional couple. They had their ups and downs, but in the end they came through for each other.

                                                                        ~Eugenia