By Kasie West, published by Harper Collins (US).

Goodreads Synopsis: 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 Review: WOW. Just, quite simply, WOW. This book was just mind blowing. It was so original, and thought provoking, and a brilliant science-fiction twist on a real-life situation, and I could literally talk about the concept for hours.

Addie is a girl living in a compound that we never get to know the full secrets behind, which annoyed me. (Though I’m guessing that’s to come in book 2, Split Second!) IT’s a mysterious town hidden away in America, where all of the residents have different kinds of powers- mostly mind powers. Some are telekinetic, or telepathic, or if you’re like Addie; at points where you have to make decisions, you can view the two paths you could take, before choosing one. Not reading the synopsis properly, I didn’t realise that the book was split into two worlds; two alternating chapters…

Addie comes home from her high school, to find out that her parents want her to make a life-changing decision: Who does she live with, Mum or Dad, when they split up? Utterly torn by the decision, Addie uses her Search skills, to view the futures she would have in either path, Mum or Dad. I was confused at first because I didn’t realise that every other chapter was of the different search, but once I’d realised that, I was amazed. I was really worried that the story would jumble up- there are, effectively, two different stories happening at once- but miraculously, it didn’t. Kasie West’s writing is immaculate. I understood everything perfectly- and the format was so original, and unlike anything that I’ve ever seen before.

Both plots (I’ll have to refer to them as two separate things! Though, they do link in places- that sounds confusing… but read this and it’ll all make sense!) were really well thought out. I couldn’t decide which one I preferred. In one Path, Addie moves out of the Compound to live in the real world, where she must conceal her powers. In another world, she stays in the Compound with one parent, but in both of the Paths, events behind to take place that shake everything up. I was so hooked on both of the stories; devouring each chapter, eager to read on. Kasie’s cleverly used cliffhangers to her advantage., and it definitely worked.

Addie is a character that I loved to read the story of. I could relate to her really easily, through her realistic teenage problems, to her love of books (yay!). She has a best friend who I also absolutely adored… and the last events of the book had me so scared for her, but I don’t think I can say much more than that without spoiling things. Addie has a very complex sort of love story woven into her life (lives?). IN one path, she meets a new boy who isn’t Gifted like her. However, in another path, she dates a boy with Gifts, who she has known vaguely for a while. Though you don’t get to know much about Addie’s opinions on her Path choices, you can interpret them- it’s obvious she really struggled with what side to pick. I loved her final decision, though.

As I was reading quite fast, utterly addicted to the story, I found the ending to the novel quite abrupt. I had to read over it a few times, for the result to actually sink in, and was a little bit disappointed the epilogue wasn’t slightly longer. I’m really interested to see what happens in the sequel, Split Second. I hope it’s in a format like this one was, with two different choices, and more detailing on the background of this supernatural Compound. Though, I think Pivot Point would be good as a simple standalone, because it keeps you thinking about the plot and the character long after you put it down.

Overall, Pivot Point is, as I said at the beginning, mind blowing. The concept is very powerful, and there is actually nothing I can compare it to. Well done, Kasie, for creating a book that I think I’ll be re-reading a lot, until I can grab a copy of the sequel! Addie is such an unforgettable protagonist. I loved her Talent, and the way that she dealt with everything. The plots were quite different but some of the events were similar- the two Paths were cleverly linked in places. I’m now really excited for the sequel, Split Second- As I have no idea what could happen in that, but I really badly want to re-visit Addie’s unique world again.

My Rating:

I received a copy of Pivot Point from the publisher, in exchange for a review. In no way at all did this affect my thoughts.