Review: Pivot Point by Kasie West

Book: Pivot Point by Kasie West
Publication Date: February 12, 2013
Series: Pivot Point (#1)
Rating 4.5 out of 5 stars







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.

WHAT I LIKED

• This was not the average type of book and I quite liked that. It alternated between two pathways that Addie went through to choose which future she wanted to stay in. She could either stay with her mother in the Paranormal world, or move with her father to the Normal world. The first pathway, Addie stays with her best friend Laila and gets a boyfriend named Duke. Most things look peachy. She's happy for the most part, has an awesome boy friend, but she always had doubts about something. Addie's second future lead her to meet the cute cowboy named Trevor. She immediately adopts him as her best friend to help her cope with out Laila. She was moving on, but she felt she was growing distant with Laila and something tragic happened. It was unique to read both points of view because you actually go through both futures, rather than it just be explained to you.  
• I also liked that in the beginning of each chapter, Kasie put a word with either PARA or NORM in it to distinguish which future she was in. For instance, when Addie was in the paranormal world she put the words PARAdox, disPARAte, or irrePARAble, and when she was in the normal world she used words such as pheNORMenon, NORMvid, and NORMinal. Of course some of the names were made up, yet it was still helpful and funny to see which future she was in. Plus, I was anticipating which word she would use next for each chapter!
• I LOVED Trevor! He is such a charismatic and loving character. He is also a very sexy cowboy! From the beginning when he met Addie he was very cordial and friendly with her. Like Addie, he was also struggling to find himself. He went through a terrible football accident that ended his football career (this comes into play here later in the story), so he is not the jock he once was. He has a laid back, calm demeanor, and he also draws beautiful art! That boy was so cute and I loved the way he flirted with Addie.  
• Speaking of flirting, I loved the chemistry between Addie and Trevor. I thought it was so cute how they became friends at first, while slowly it became more than just friends. They could be the same around each other with out being false. Then came their first kiss and boy was that steamy!
• The ending killed me! But in a good way. Both of Addie's futures turn out to be difficult and so she is forced to decide which one she wants. I believe Addie made such a heroic and mature decision. If I were in her shoes, I would have been selfish and gone the other route. (That's not nice of me though lol). This was seriously a huge cliffhanger and left me hanging on a thread. If you have this book, definitely have Split Seconds on your hands because you will be crying! Well, at least I did hehe.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE

• Duke. Let me just say this dude is a Grade A Jerk. Right from the beginning I did not like him. He seemed too fishy, cocky, and it was always about him, him, him. I never got a good vibe from Duke, like he was using Addie from the beginning. Addie always doubted him and that's never a good sign. I just wished she would have listened to her instincts more. As the book passed, I'm glad his true colors were starting to show because it showed Addie that he wasn't Mr. Perfect.
• It was a slow start in the beginning of the book which got me a little worried. About a hundred pages in though is when the story started picking up and I was hooked. 

FINAL VERDICT

Would I recommend this book? Yes! The story had friendship, romance, mystery, with some paranormal in it. I liked the main character Addie because although she isn't a tough, snarky chick, she knew how to hold her own. She may not have followed her instincts completely, but she was smart and I liked that. There were also the friendship between she and Laila that I enjoyed very much. They had each other's backs no matter what. I have to read Split Second soon because like I said before, Kasie left with a cliffhanger that has you dying for the next one. This was a fun book for its first in a duology!


FAVORITE QUOTE
"The rest of the ride I look out the window to my right. It slowly turns white from the hot air inside the car. I run my finger along the smooth glass, drawing my standard doodle - a line that halfway up splits in two. Then I circle the pivot point. The point right before the path separates. I press my finger into the center. One little choice can make all the difference."
Addie's point of view, page 132