Review: Pivot Point by Kasie West

Pivot Point
by Kasie West
Published February 2013 by HarperTeen
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary from Goodreads: 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.

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You know when you see tons of phenomenal reviews for a book and you just know that there's no way it can possibly be as good as you've made it out to be? That is not the case with Pivot Point; it exceeded my already sky high expectations.

First, if you're worried about being confused: don't be. The dual realities are really easy to follow once you get past the first few chapters. The plot points that overlap between the two narratives are both fun to spot and heighten the sense of urgency. I really enjoyed seeing the same characters through Addie's two different sets of eyes, and I was always wondering which path she would end up choosing.

Science Fiction is definitely not my favorite genre. Luckily for me, Pivot Point reads more like a contemporary with some sci-fi thrown in. The characters abilities take a back seat and let to stellar plot shine.

The characters in Pivot Point were all dynamic and played a part in the plot. They had to be, otherwise things would have been a ton more confusing than they actually were. I'm in awe of how Kasie West kept the characters consistent even though they were in two separate realities. The one character who I thought wasn't consistent actually was, just not in the way I'd expected.

I got so anxious about which future Addie would choose and why. It kept me turning the pages like crazy toward the end. And let me tell you, Kasie West handles the final decision in an unexpected and beautiful way. I would have been completely happy with her just leaving Pivot Point as a standalone after that ending, but I'm ecstatic that there will be a sequel.

Pivot Point is one of my favorite books this year. The writing had an effortlessness to it that kept me glued to the pages. The romances were done really well, and were so different that I never got them confused. West did a great job creating Addie's world, and I can't wait to read more about it in Split Second.