Book Review: Pivot Point (Pivot Point #1) by Kasie West

Pivot Point (Pivot Point #1) by Kasie West

Release Date: 12th February 2013

Publisher: Harper Collins
Format: eBook
Pages: 237
Rating: 4.0/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2014 EBC, 2014 RC and 2014 SSC 

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."

Review:

** Spoiler Alert: Read at your own risk**

Overall, I thought this was a solid read. The story is something I've never come across before - our protagonist, Addie, has the ability to see into her future when presented with a choice. She can see both outcomes clearly, in fact, she feels like she's living both outcomes, so when she returns from her 'searches', as she so calls them, she has to live through whichever path she chooses, without having the ability to change anything, whilst still remembering the other path. And so, on one horrible day when her parents sit her down to tell her of their divorce, and her need to choose which parent to live with, she thinks nothing of doing a quick search into her future. And that's when things get interesting. 

In essence, we read through two whole story lines. In one, Addie stays with her mother and starts to be pursued by Duke, the most popular guy in school, and in the other, she travels outside The Compound with her father, and develops the cutest romance with all-round-nice-guy Trevor. And that's one aspect that I love about this book. We basically have two story lines we alternate between, never quite sure which one Addie will actually live through. And what with a big ol' mystery unfolding in both paths, its interesting to try to piece the mystery together with information from both realities. 

But, there is a problem with this. Even though I loved the story and the idea behind it, with the whole seeing into your future, I just couldn't shake the feeling that none of it seemed real. It was like when you watch a dramatic TV episode only to have the main character wake up at the end, realising it was only a dream. I understand that for Addie, even though she only lives through one of her chosen paths, both feel completely real for her, but I just couldn't get the whole it's only but a dream idea out of my head. In the end, she only lives through one storyline, and it's not even the one that includes Trevor. She lives through the shitty one where the guy uses her for her abilities. After moving outside The Compound with her father, immersing herself into this strange new world of the Norms, coming to learn that there's nothing wrong with Norms, and maybe having 'superpowers' ain't so great anyway; after all that character growth she went through, it all just gets erased. She never lived through it, and not only that, she doesn't even remember it. And I hate that.

But, putting that aside, this was a very enjoyable book. Reading through both story lines was fascinating, and I loved how it gave us a very whole picture of Addie. Seeing her grow in both environments gives us a more complete view of her character, something we wouldn't see if we only saw one reality.   And Trevor, one of my fave characters in the book. The way he was with Addie, how he made her feel and learn to accept Norms as nothing different, was really quite great, and did a lot for Addie's character growth. And on top of that, when everything with Layla went down, he told Addie not to choose the path with her father, not to choose the path with him, which speaks volumes about his character. So much better for Addie than Duke. I just hope they're able to sort everything out with Addie and Trevor in Split Second, because it really would be a shame if they didn't. 

TL;DR This was a very enjoyable book that I would definitely recommend.