Review: Pivot Point by Kasie West

Pivot Point by Kasie West
Published: February 12th, 2013 (HarperTeen)
Pages: 343
Source: bought
Series: Pivot Point, #1
Buy the book: Bookdepository
Rating: ★★★★☆ ½


Knowing the outcome doesn’t always make a choice easier...

Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.

In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through... and who she can’t live without.

Pivot Point is a perfect example of the kind of book that can get me out of any reading slump I might having. While we live in a world filled with ‘what-if’s’, Addie has the ability to Search a decision and choose the best one and actually see the what if of her decision. When her parents announce their divorce, Addie is forced to choose: live with her mum, who she doesn’t feel a particular bond with, in their home in The Compound, or move off The Compound with her dad, whom she loves dearly. So she does what everybody would do in her place. She does a Search.

Told in alternating point of views, Pivot Point shows what Addie’s life would be like when she makes either decision. I loved this Sliding Doors kind of concept, even though it’s based on making only one big decision instead of several smaller ones. It reminded me a bit of Before I Fall, another one of those books with a strong contemporary feel but with some paranormal/sci-fi elements to it. I absolutely adored Pivot Point in all its glory. West has cleverly woven the storylines together and it was interesting to see what would happen to the other characters when Addie would leave them for her decision.

If I wouldn’t have known this was a debut, I would never have guessed. The writing was fluent and addictive, keeping me captivated while I flipped the pages. The characters were well-developed, their little quirks taking them off the pages for me. This is one of those books where you just really see a film playing in your head while you read and I loved that.

And the best news: there will be a sequel! Yay! Pivot Point ends on somewhat of a cliff-hanger and I really really really need to know what happens next. I felt so sad when she made her decision in the end, even though there wasn’t really a question about it. It was heart-breaking and I really, really have high hopes that everything will work out in Split Second.

Massive thanks to Debby, without whom I probably wouldn’t even have picked up this book. I adored the cover, which is incredibly pretty, but I never would have guessed the magic between the pages. I will be eagerly awaiting West’s future books – with Split Second high on my most anticipated list for 2014.