ARC Review: Pivot Point by Kasie West

Pivot Point
Author: Kasie West
Publication: HarperTeen (February 12, 2013)

Description: 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 Thoughts: Addie Coleman has a psychic power. She is a Searcher. When she looks at the future she can see two paths and see the consequences of following each one. When her parents tell her that they are getting a divorce and that she has to choose between staying in the Compound among others with paranormal powers and her mother or go out into the normal world with her father. This story follows her two paths.

The book in written in alternate chapters. In one chapter we see what would happen if she stayed with her mother. In the next chapter we see what would happen if she goes with her father. Both paths have interesting boys. The para path has Duke Rivers—football hero and all around hottie. The norm path has Trevor who is also a hottie and a secret artist and an injured football player. Both paths have Addie's best friend Laila. 

The story centers around a couple mysteries. Who is killing girls in the Compound? Who is injuring football players in the norm world? I was reading frantically toward the last half as the two threads of the story were overlapping more and more and the tension kept building up. I loved Addie's voice in this story. She was a wonderful nerd who got a lot of guidance about how to behave from the books she read. She had a very dry sense of humor and very literal mind. I liked her ideas of the things a child of divorce should do. Her idea of teenage rebellion was funny. Those humorous bits helped set off some of the much more frightening bits of the story. 

I think readers will be swept along as Addie explores her two futures and will agonize with her about what choice to make when there is no choice without heartbreaking loss. I recommend this one to science fiction fans. 

Favorite Quote:

"Hey, I'm still in my-parents-just-got-a-divorce mode. Remember? This is the time when I'm allowed to question all relationships, wonder if true love exists at all anymore, and swear to a life of celibacy."

I got this ARC from Amazon Vine. You can buy your copy here.
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