Review: Pivot Point by Kasie West + Signed ARC Giveaway!

Pivot Point by Kasie West

Release Date: February 12, 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 320
Genre: YA Paranormal
Source: ARC from author
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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.

ADD TO GOODREADS

Addie lives in a paranormal compound hidden from the normal population. Her best friend Leila can erase memories, her mom can influence people, and her dad is a lie detector. Addie has a unique power where she can see the different outcomes of a choice in her life. She can only look into her own future and she usually doesn't look further than a few hours or days. Too many extra memories to deal with. The farthest she ever looked was one week when she waned to see how a date to the dance with Bobby would have went. It was awful so she kept her memories. Laila could erase them but if she erased them then Addie wouldn't remember why she should stay away from him. When Addie's parents decide to divorce they give her the choice of where to live. It is a huge decision since her dad will be leaving the compound to live with Norms. Addie will look a full six weeks into both futures in order to make her choice. The lives are told through alternating chapters.

Choice 1 or Team Mom-Para-Duke as I like to call it lol

Addie is sad that she doesn't get to be with her dad so she decides to do some teenage rebelling that she read about in books. She is pursued by the very charming quarterback of the football team, Duke. Addie is usually into the reserved type but Duke peruses her relentlessly so it would be hard not to give into his charm. He says all the right things and makes her feel special and popular. I really liked Duke. He wasn't perfect but I felt for him and the difficult decision he was facing. During this choice we also got to know Addie's best friend Laila more. She has the power to erase memories which makes them a perfect friend combo. If Addie doesn't like the way one choice goes, Laila can erase it out of her mind. Although Addie explains how she sometimes looks to the future and sees that one choice was so much fun but lead to getting in trouble so she doesn't take it. But she will always have that happy memory even if it never happened. Kind of sucks for Laila who will never live the choice with her though. I enjoyed this choice because Addie stayed at the paranormal compound. I really wanted to learn more about it but the book focused more on her choice. I really hope to get further into this world in the sequel.

Choice 2 Team Dad-Norm-Trevor

This choice is a big culture shock for Addie. The outside world is very different from where Addie originally lives inside the paranormal compound. She has no idea how to make friends with Norms especially when she has to hide a big part of who she is. Looking at things in our world confused her but made me laugh. She attends a football game and meets Trevor who she decides will become her new best friend. Trevor is exactly Addie's type, shy and reserved, but then Addie learns that Trevor actually used to be a football player but was recently injured when playing against Lincoln High, Addie's paranormal school. (Lincoln High was actually the name of my high school!) A new mystery of whether or not paranormal students are using their powers incorrectly. There is also a murder mystery that her dad researches. Trevor was so sweet and a perfect friend to Addie. He saw the real her but Addie desperately wanted to tell him the truth about her powers. The compound had strict rules about who to tell. I also didn't understand why Addie's dad was looking into the murders so undercover. The compound seems to be hiding too much. Laila is really distant since Addie left her. Laila avoids a lot of her calls and hangs out with Bobby who Addie used her power to see that he would have been a big jerk on their date. I didn't like Laila in this version. I understand that Addie left her but was sad with the way she treated Addie.

About both choices

It is so hard to review and explain this book without giving too much away and also trying to explain what I liked about each life at the same time. lol I have no idea how the author kept both worlds lined up! That is what I really loved. Both choices have events line up and there are little clues scattered in both lives to give you hints to the mysteries. I somehow didn't guess it. Looking back maybe I should have but my mind was everywhere at once (And mostly on the boys as it always is!) It makes me really want to go back and read it a second time. Especially since I was literally up all night reading. So many emotions and trust issues while reading. I couldn't decide who or what choice was better and who or what to trust. It was crazy in a perfect way! I also liked that it didn't feel like a love triangle. Even though there are two love interests they are both in separate lives so there isn't any of that cheating or the guys fighting over her. I loved the build of both relationships. No insta-love at all. They felt very real to me and very close to the way I fell in love in high school. I had butterflies with Addie. Then is slowly becomes clear which guy is best for Addie. Of course I still really liked both guys but one guy was better for Addie.

Making a choice

As you can guess both lives have good things and bad things but one life had something horrible. I kind of expected her to make the choice she did but at the same time was a bit surprised. To try to change the choices would risk something even more disastrous happening. Like in Sliding Doors I guess no choice is perfect and no matter what choice you make shitty stuff is going to happen but maybe in the end you will always end up where you are supposed to be and maybe you couldn't avoid certain things no matter what. (Sliding Doors is a great movie BTW and streaming on Netflix) My mind was reeling for days off of it! It makes you wonder...where you might have been if... Anyway it was a brilliant book and I want Laila to erase my memory of reading this book just so I can read it again for the first time! It didn't end exactly how I wanted but what I did love was that it was fully wrapped up with no cliffhanger! Although I still think about it often and can't wait to see what happens in the sequel!


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"First of all, I can't just ask the universe if Duke likes me. It doesn't work that way. I have to be faced with a choice. There is no choice here. Second, even if I did get the opportunity to find out my future with Duke, I wouldn't, because if it tells me I end up liking that guy then I'll just kill myself now."

"You know what else the average girl who's acting out does?" Duke asks quietly.
I glance once at Laila, but it's obvious she can't hear us. "What?"
"She starts spending her all her time with the boy who's no good for her."
"And that boy would be...?"
"Me, of course."

"No, it's not that. It's that if everyone else likes something, that something usually knows it and has a huge head because of it. The things I have to hunt for don't even realize how awesome they are."

"Smile, I'm about to embarass you."
"Please don't." But before I even finish the words, Duke stands and says, "Everyone, this is Addie, my girlfriend, and her best friend, Laila. Introduce yourselves when you get a chance."

He shrugs."Doesn't help to waste my time thinking about would've-beens."
Laila whispers, "He says to the girl with a mind full of them."

Rating: 5/5 

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