Pivot Point by Kasie West

Reading Level: Ages 13 and up
Hardcover: 352 Pages
Release Date: February 12, 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen
Narration: First Person: Addie
Genre: Supernatural/Superpowers
Challenge: Debut Author Challenge

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Pivot Point Series
Book One: Pivot Point
Book Two: Untitled (2014)
Book Three: Untitled

Author's
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Goodreads Synopsis:

 

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.

My Review:

Gorgeous, gorgeous cover. I don't think anyone can argue with that. I love the fact that even though it's meant to be flashy and appealing to the eye, it still pertains to the story and somewhat echoes the two paths she sees herself taking and ultimately the difficult, life changing decision she has to make in the end. Cover designers, you deserve a pat on the back! The name, Pivot Point, also suits the story very well. I couldn't have picked a better one even if I tried.

Since Addie has the rare ability (Called Divergence) to "Search" the two different paths she can take based on a single choice, she uses it when she faces a difficult situation. I mean, who wouldn't? The majority of the story wasn't even real. Instead it was the path she could take if she decided to live with her mom in the Compound, which basically houses people who are mentally advanced, or if she went with her dad, who chose to live in the Norm world, otherwise known as our society today. Basically, Kasie alternated between these two paths every other chapter.

At first, it was easy to follow because they took place in two totally different settings with completely different characters. However, once the stories sort of merged together near the end, I had a hard time figuring out which life she was really living/searching. This alternating point of view (Don't think that's the correct term to label it, but I can't think of anything better to call it), also made it harder to become engrossed with the story. Every time I began to get into the natural flow of things, I was ripped from one world and roughly deposited into the other. However, for a debut novel, I think that Kasie did a pretty decent job at it. After all, alternating different stories is a pretty hard task to accomplish.

I'm a little bit perplexed as to if I like the protagonist, Addie, or not. Although she had many similar characteristics in both worlds, it seemed like she had two different personalities due to the people who surrounded her. Of course, there might be another reason for her certain actions because of some.....outer influences...Gah don't want to give it away, so never mind.

Addie was a book lover which was rare in the Compound, since in her community, things like that were all done on high tech holographic tablets that we haven't even invented yet, if they were done at all. Although she was more into classics than the novels I'm interested in reading, I still felt like I could relate to her better because of our common addiction to books. And despite the fact that she was best friends with the high spirited and rule breaking Laila, she was more of a quiet soul. The type of person you would see reading in a secluded corner at a party. Definitely something I would do as well. xD Addie was also deathly afraid of awkward silences, which as teens, we can all relate to. All of these little subtle facts gave her a depth that made her feel real, to the point where you feel like she could easily be your best friend in reality. Although I did question some of her actions, I've finally made my decision and decided that I like her after all. xD

We have two love interests, but before you go on complaining about another YA love triangle, Pivot Point wasn't like that at all. Since there are two different outcomes that haven't really happened yet...Argh....this is really hard to explain. *Facepalms* Anyways, I'm treading dangerously close to spoiler territory once again, so let me just tell you a little bit about each character. Let's start with Duke. Overall, he's charming, an amazing quarterback, knows how to work a crowd in his favor, and always gets what he wants. I have to admit that in the beginning I thought his slightly cocky attitude was a bit cute and endearing, but as the story progressed, I began to like him less and less.

Trevor was absolutely adorable. The playful and friendly banter between Addie and Trevor had me giggling out loud and earned me a few concerned glances from my parents. They didn't just automatically BAM! fall in love. It was a slow gradual transition from acquaintances to friendship to something more. There was this one particular part when Trevor listed all the little things that no one else would care to know about Addie, that made me tear up a little. But what I liked best about Trevor's character was that he wasn't perfect. Kasie created suspicion around him that had you wondering what he was really going to do......Dun dun dunnn. *Ques dramatic music*

I'm usually more into action novels with all that bloody sword fighting and face punching stuff, so I was a little hesitant to pick this one up. Because although it isn't completely contemporary, a genre that I usually despise wholeheartedly, it still had the makings of one. Yes, they were mentally advanced and had mind powers, but they didn't use them in glaringly obvious ways. I can't say that I didn't enjoy the action, because I read Pivot Point in one sitting, but I wasn't totally into it either. I was never like, "Oh gosh oh gosh what's going to happen next?!" and the big "revelations" and "plot twists" weren't all that shocking either. I saw 99% of them coming from a mile away.

Overall, Pivot Point had a intriguing premise and a unique structure that I didn't fall in love with or hate. If your into contemporary novels with a hint of supernatural then you'll probably love it! Pivot Point was better then most debut novels, and I'll definitely be looking forward to reading the rest of this series very soon. :D

Heroine- 4/5
Romance with Trevor- 5/5 One word. Adorable.
Romance with Duke- 2.5/5
Liked him in the beginning, but now I want to pummel him with my fist.
Action- 3/5
Kept me interested most of the time, but there was never really a lot happening.
Comedy- 4.5/5
Overall- 3.5/5