Review: Pivot Point

Pivot Point by Kasie West
Grade: A
Summary: 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.

The Good: Basically, everything.  Seriously, I loved this book.  As the summary says, Addie has to choose one of the two realities she sees in her Search.  And while I wish she had chosen the other, the one she did choose was, ultimately, the right one.  The ending was a bit heartbreaking, but that shows just how into the book I was.  Addie was an awesome character.  She totally could've been selfish, but she did what was best.  Duke and Trevor were cool love interests.  I would've been fine with either one as the book progressed, but then I got to about page 268 and that was it.  I was firmly on Team Trevor.  Their romance progressed nicely.
The book's chapters after chapter two alternate between the two futures.  I enjoyed both, but the chapters in the "Normal" world were definitely my favorites.  The powers were all awesome.  I liked how Addie described them when she and Trevor were making the comic.  They're all very mental, not like flying or super strength.  It's a cool twist on super powers.  It all reminded me a bit of the Energies in the Shatter Me series, in a good way.  I sort of like this trend with super powers in YA fiction.
Kasie West created a masterpiece with this book.  It was the first book I read in 2014 that I absolutely loved.

The Bad: I think one of the few things that bothered me was how stereotypical Stephanie was.  Jealous, cheerleading ex-girlfriend and all that.  I also think "Poison" needed to be more significant and not just... *SPOILER* a red herring *END SPOILER*

The Ugly: Swearing was nonexistent, or at least very minor.  Romance stayed fairly clean.  There was no underage drinking.  Violence was perhaps the worst, but it was minimal, too.

The Verdict: Read this book, y'all.  There aren't many books I recommend passionately (well, that may be a lie), but this is definitely one that I will shove in your face until you give it a chance.