{Review} Pivot Point by: Kasie West

3:13 PM


Number of Pgs.: 352 

Publication date: February 12, 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen
Genre: YA, Paranormal, Science Fiction
How I got the copy: library
Rating:  5 Stars
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.

I've been using a new way of reviewing that I saw over at Making the Grade.  It breaks the book down and makes it easier to rate.  The way it works is each category gets a score out of ten points.  Then you add them all up + 50 (50% automatically for each book) and that's your score out of 100.
9/10: This book is unputdownable.  I read it in a day and was left wanting more.  Each chapter rotates back between the two realities or two paths I should say.  Addie's using her searching ability to find out who she should live with when her parents declare they are getting a divorce.  

I think this is why I couldn't put it down.  The chapter would end in a mini cliffhanger and then you'd have to read the next chapter of the other path just so you could find out what happened in the last cliffhanger.  It's a vicious cycle!  This also got kind of confusing at times since the two paths converge and you're reading about the same characters in both paths.  I forgot which path I was currently reading about at times and had to stop and figure it out.  It didn't really hinder my enjoyment of the story though.

9/10: Addie's got a super power that sounds great at first, but after reading this book I'm not sure I would want.  It's a lot of pressure knowing your future.  She almost has to pick the lesser of two evils.  She's a very strong character though and while I think she tries too hard not to fit in, I like that she's true to herself and a  bookworm.

Laila, her best friend, is a little rough around the edges.  Her dad's a drug addict so she kind of has to be.  She's also that friend that every shy girl has that is constantly trying to hook her up with a cute guy because she's too shy to do it herself.  Laila was the comedic relief at times and her ability to erase memories is pretty sweet.

Duke seemed too perfect.  He always had a quick cheesy pick up line ready.  He kind of annoyed me.

Trevor is adorable in every way possible.  He kind of reminded me of Tucker from Unearthly in the sense that not only did he wear cowboy boots, but he was just an all around good guy.  I got time for that.

 8/10: The compound where Addie lives with her mother in one path is pretty cool.  There's so many futuristic gadgets that I could see being real one day.  They don't use keys to get into their house-- they scan their eyes.  Her experiences in the "normal" world was fun.  It reminded me of Zenon from one of my favorite Disney Original Movies as a kid.  Addie is experiencing this world for the first time with less technology like no light sensors and having to actually flip a switch.  I loved her reaction to the school's library.
I couldn't resist
9/10: There is only about one chapter where she's not in the search and after that it's so fast paced going back and forth between paths.  The ending was a little abrupt, but there's at least a second book!
9/10:  I can't wait to read Kasie West's YA contemporary that's coming out this year.  I'll read anything by her!  Her writing style is so unique.
If you like books that have supernatural abilities and alternate universes you should try this book.  Just make sure you have a good chunk of time to read because you're not going to want to stop once you start.  I kinda wish Laila could erase my memory so I could reread this book and experience it for the first time again!
94/100 
“Our relationship feels different. Like someone has taken my favorite sweater and thrown it in the dryer and it doesn't fit right anymore. I want to pull and tug on it until it feels comfortable again.” 
― Kasie WestPivot Point


“When I read, I feel emotion all on my own. Emotion no living person is making me feel.” 
― Kasie WestPivot Point

         

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