Kasie West

"A girl with the power to search alternate futures lives out six weeks of two different lives in alternating chapters. Both futures hold the potential for love and loss, and ultimately she is forced to choose which fate she is willing to live thorugh"--

Pivot point

Shannon C

Oh my god, the last bit of this gave me so many heart attacks. I need a drink

Perfect for fans of Sliding Doors, Kasie West's riveting novel Pivot Point follows a girl with the power to see her potential futures. Addison Coleman's life is one big "What if?" As a Searcher, a special type of clairvoyant, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she is able to look into the future and see both outcomes. So when her parents tell her they are getting a divorce and she has to pick who she wants to live with, a Search has never been more important. In one future Addie is living with her mom in the life she's always known and is being pursued by the most popular guy in school. In the other she is the new girl in school, where she falls for a cute, quiet artist. Then Addie finds herself drawn into a murder investigation, and her fate takes a darker turn. With so much to lose in either future, Addie must decide which reality she's willing to live through . . . and who she's willing to live without.

Pivot Point

Nessa Luna

Read this review, and many more on my blog October Tune!

I had added Pivot Point to my to-read list a long time ago, but I never really got myself to read it. Until Epic Reads announced that they were putting it on their website for a weekend, for free. So I decided to finally start it (because why not, I’m Dutch, I love free things). I didn’t get to finish it by the end of the trial, so I got myself an eBook version to finish the rest of the book.

The story starts off with Addie’s parents announcing their divorce. Her father decides to leave the Compound, to live with the ‘Norms’, while her mother stays. They give her a choice; leave with her father, or stay with her mother.

Everyone in the Compound has special powers, Addie’s being ‘Divergence’, not to be confused with ‘Clairvoyance’ (which a lot of people in this story do). She can see her own future and make her choice based on what she sees. The book revolves around those two possible futures, switching between the Norm world and the Compound world.

I liked that the story switches between both choices every chapter. Normally I’m not a fan of changing POV’s (yes I count this book as that, because basically it’s two different Addie’s we’re following), but it was just very well done in this book, and it actually made me want to read on at some points.

In the Norm world, Addie meets Trevor, Stephanie and Rowan (and some other people, but these are the three ‘important’ characters). I liked Trevor right from the start, but wasn’t really a bit fan of Stephanie or Rowan (still not a fan after reading the entire book). In the Compound Addie has her best friend Laila, her love interest Duke and his (creepy) friend Bobby. I liked Laila, and like Addie wasn’t a fan of Duke or Bobby, not even when Addie started liking Duke more.

There was a sort of love-triangle in this book, and though I am not a fan of that, I was actually rooting for one of the guys.

The story was very well written, and sometimes you could see things from one ‘universe’ happening in the other (like Laila letting out the air of someone’s tire in both stories). There was a sort off plot twist near the end, which I had not expected at all, but that is good, because I like it when I get surprised by a book.

Apart from the small bit of action near the end of the book, there wasn’t really that much action at all, unless you count the Football games (but Addie wasn’t really paying attention to the games, so we didn’t really ‘see’ anything). Though I am normally an action-person, I liked the ‘lack’ of action in this book. It wouldn’t really have fitted, in my opinion.

In the end, I really enjoyed Pivot Point, and I am definitely going to read the second book, called Split Second.

dija

I don't know how i feel about this one but am sure as hell about how i feel about Trevor.

I LOVE HIM SO MUCH KDJSIAKSNAK

Menna Khaled

this book is a piece of intelligence on earth. kasie west u have a great talent. ur mind's imagination is terrific by all means. this story resembles intelligence and style in writting that i adore and it is different from all other writers. u r realllllllllllllllllly gifted.
 i can't thank u enough for writing a great book like that and i am speechless and can't wait to read split secound.

Tia Malt 

** spoiler alert **
           I'm 4.5 stars

Struggled to decide on a rating for this book because while the plot line isnt terribly unique - it has elements of uniqueness, but is also quite samey - it put a spin on the powers and abilities story line that you tend to see so much of.

I felt like i really got to know the characters throughout this book, and there really was some character development to be seen. To start with i was entirely rooting for Duke - how naive of me. Towards the end i just could not get enough of Trevor - he was everything you could ask for in a male lead. His and Addie's banger filled chats were both hilarious and adorable, and i found myself really adoring his and Addie's relationship.

I have to say i both loved and hated the ending. loved - because it made me hopeful for a second book and because it was genuinely just a good wrap up to the events of the book. hated - because there was no Trevor! i was expected to wait for the next book to see what happened next with him. Unacceptable.

Overall a really good book that i definitely enjoyed and would recommend

Samantha 

I really liked this one! It was such an interesting storyline!

Cindy Lee

Read more of my reviews at Secrets of Lost Words.

Rating: B

I always thought Pivot Point was a time-travelling book but it wasn't. Our protagonist, Addie, has this ability called Divergence that allows her to live through the results of the decisions she makes. From there, she has a heads-up of which decision to should make.

Addie's parents have just divorced and now she has to choose which parent she wants to live with. Her dad is moving to the Norm world and her mom is staying. No matter which path she chooses, there will be consequences. Both paths are filled with adventure and it just kept me turning the pages to see what will happen next. I was never confused which path I was reading about.

Living in two different worlds comes with two different love interests! I don't know if you could call this a love triangle since the guys don't technically know each other. If she chooses to live in the Compound with her mom, her boyfriend would be Duke, the all-star quarterback. If she chooses to live with her dad in the Norm world, her boyfriend would be Trevor, the ex all-star quarterback. Damn, she seems to have a thing for quarterbacks (ex or not), doesn't she? I've always had a bad feeling about Duke and thinking that he's hiding someone so I was naturally Team Trevor. I think Trevor is more emotional and more open about his feelings. Even when shit hit the fan, he never made a rash judgment and still stuck by Addie.

Of course, when the Search came to an end, she had lived through both paths and she had to make a decision. The ending was a bit confusing and I seriously have no idea what's going to happen in the next book.. which makes me all the more excited about it! 

Pivot Point brings in a unique idea to the YA world and I can't get enough of it! Split Second can't come soon enough!

ashley hopkins

laura

*I gave this book 4.5 stars for review*
I really loved this departure for Kasie West and really enjoyed how she crafted a science fiction lite world. I really was captured by the world builidng and also the duel timelines that was created. I really loved how this timelines really was so well done and loved seeing how a simple action can change everything. I was equally invested in both timelines and really enjoyed both BOYS as well. I found Addison to be a complelling lead and really can't wait to dive into the sequel. The highlight of this book was def the complex romances and the world building. This book is high now my on my lists of favorites by this author!

Lisa Collins

Dude. I mean… man. Holy moly.

Pivot Point by Kasie West was one of my most anticipated debuts of 2013. I love it when new authors blow my mind or make me love them from the very beginning of their careers. I say that because West’s novel totally exceeded my expectations. Pivot Point is one of those novels that can be classified as a lot of things: some Mystery, some Romance, a lot of Paranormal/Sci-Fi… and a lot of awesome.

Pivot Point is literally two stories in one. Addison has the ability to “Search” the different outcomes of decisions she has to make, which is what the novel is: one big Search. The audience reads two stories: 1) Addison if she chooses to live with her father and 2) Addison if she chooses to live with her mother. I was quite surprised with how West played the story. No matter which path was chosen there were still events that overlapped. So in one path if Addison goes to a football game, she’s most likely at a football game in the other path as well. It sounds weird, but West set the story up so well that it’s hard to notice there could be any other way for things to happen. It all unfolds very naturally. It’s apparent how much thought went into every part the story. Aside from the mechanics I just really loved the plot. I couldn’t put this book down and did that whole “Just one more chapter!” bit for so long while I was reading.

Addison… I’m not really sure what to say about Addison. I enjoyed reading about her, but I don’t feel like I was connected to her in some strong way. Then again, I was too busy swooning over Trevor to really notice much else. Both Addison and Trevor were complex characters with a ton of layers (like onions!). I feel like there was the correct amount of backstory for each character and no fluff at all. Not that fluff is always bad, but the absence in this novel was good considering it was highly plot-driven. I love Addison’s tendency to word vomit, though. Who starts a conversation with (with a complete strange, mind you) “Your eyelashes make mine want to commit suicide from shame."? Addison does, apparently. I feel you, Addison. I can’t help the things I say either… sometimes.

I’m a really big fan of all the main characters throughout the story, with emphasis on the “Norms”. Addison’s group of friends in the normal world seem so fun, like the people you want to hang out with. Sure, having an “ability” would be cool, but so is playing things like the Dessert Game. (Is that a Thing? Because I’m pretty sure we don’t do that here. Why NOT?) All in all, they’re super fun loving and passionate, and it’s awesome. (I’m looking at you, Rowan!) We don’t really get to see many of Addison’s friends from the Compound. The ones we do see are clearly the “bad guys”, with the exception of Laila, Addison’s best friend. It totally worked for the story, but I hope to see some of the people from the Compound in a better light in the next book. (Or maybe just more of them in general. I’d love to get to know Laila better.)

Pivot Point was a very strong and interesting debut novel. I loved it from beginning to end and will definitely be waiting very impatiently for the second book in the series to release. I can’t wait to read more by Kasie West and strongly urge you to check this book out. Go, go, go! Do it.

Ella Dewars

Well. Let me see... it was alright. It was most definitely not what I was expecting - I thought that it would be a primarily sci-fi/fantasy-ish book with the romance as a side plot (as in most sci-fi-ish YA books), but it was in fact quite the opposite. The primary focus was Addie's relationship with the boys in each different future, and while that surprised me (and made the book a tad bit less enjoyable), it was still pretty good.


  The Good:

1. The writing. Kasie West is a talented writer, I have to give her that. And she certainly came up with a very interesting idea. Again, I wish she had focused more on the fact that there are these people that can do things with their minds (!), but she did manage to make an otherwise extremely romantic book pretty interesting (the whole murder thing, for instance). Unfortunately, the real action-y bits were all towards the end. (And they weren't really all that action-y).


  The Bad:

1. Addie. Okay, I get it - she grew up in some fancy little area where she's all sheltered and stuff, but there is no way she would literally be that stupid. I mean, come on. In a fancy advanced area, you have to have things like, I dunno, contacts?! Or maybe even normal social interactions?? Because that was the other thing - Addie had the social skills of a two year old. I'm pretty awkward and whatnot, but there is no way that I'm that much of an idiot! She spent most of her time outside the compound trying to make this guy be her "boy best friend" and that was all so awkward I wanted to cringe! I did cringe! Please, can we please teach her how to interact with people? Living in the same town your entire life does not mean that you can't interact with strangers and act somewhat normal. I mean, really. I guess what I'm trying to say is that Addie annoyed me to no end. She was like a wannabe everything - wannabe nerd (fail), wannabe introvert (also fail), and wannabe "books are my entire life so therefore I think that they determine how everyone's life should be" person (gag). Ugh.
2. The whole two-different-futures going on at once thing. I was so confused sometimes. There would be a chapter set in one future, then another in the other, and I got really lost. It all kinda blended together after a while, basically.

Nikki Fowler 

This book was different from what I usually read. It had more of a contemporary style than dystopian, due to that we see the main character fall in love with two different people at the same time, but its not like a love triangle but it is sorta.... I'm not sure how to describe it. I flew through this in almost one sitting. Would recommend if looking for a simple contemporary with a slight twist.

Elad Schulman

An entertaining read that had a bit of a different plot. The romance was cute, and I really wish that I had Trevor going to my school. I loved the ending, and i'm happy that I already have the second one, because I neeed to know what happens. I loved Laila's and Addie's friendship, and I hated Duke (which is to be expected). It was humorous and light, and I really enjoyed it.

Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

Wow!

Okay… I think I have pulled myself together enough to at least try to put my thoughts into some sort of sensible order. The impact this book had on me was huge. I’m overloaded with a plethora of specific parts of this story that I overly adored, but I’m trying to gather my thoughts into a short and sweet review. A difficult task faces me, but here’s my best effort.

Though I love the idea of parallel universes, of being able to see two paths and choose the one you want to go on, I had absolutely no idea what to expect with this story.

Surrounded by a community of Perceptives, people with special powers, Addison knew nothing different than the life she lived. With a mother that was Persuasive and a father that was a Discerner (which was basically a human lie detector… really, what could be worse for a teenager?!) and a best friend that was able to erase people’s memories, Addie the Divergent (thought to be clairvoyant by some, but no… they’re different.) lived a life very similar to other teenagers… only different. You see, in a world where you don’t need a doctor if you’re ill (Tylenol?? What’s that??) and you have no idea how to use a DVD player, the outside world seems almost crazy to you. Addison and her family and friends live this life. Addie knows no different. Until her parents decide they’re getting a divorce and her father announces he has decided to become a Naturalist and merge with the outside “normal” society. Now Addie is faced with a horribly difficult decision… she must choose whether to stay with her mother in this world she’s always known, or go with her father and experience the normal life. Two completely different paths. Only one can be chosen. Addie is lucky to have the special ability to Search… see the two different paths in her head and evaluate how each will turn out. Though she’s never Searched this far into the future before, she left with no choice.

The story flip-flops between the two different paths in Addie’s Search. Each chapter starts with a word definition. Most of them are absolutely hilarious. Here’s a great example:

ab-NOR-Mal: adj. out of the ordinary, like zombies and certain creepy boys.

Baaaaahaha!!

Okay… sorry… I’ve composed myself, and now I’m ready to continue.

I loved the thorough explanation of the characters and their abilities. Each ability was pretty amazing in and of itself, and if I had to choose just one it would be a tough decision. I guess it’s good for these characters that they’re born with their abilities, as I’m sure the decision would be a tough one for them as well. ;)

The romance aspect of this story was wonderful. It wasn’t too mushy, yet totally realistic and one I related to strongly. Each path carried with it some romantic aspects, yet the book didn’t focus mainly on that. The emphasis on families and friendships was a much stronger topic, one that really carried the story to a wonderful conclusion.

Speaking of the conclusion… I had NO IDEA how this book was going to end. The suspense was eating away at me, approaching torturous levels. I couldn’t put it down! Really… having the ability to see the two paths you could take and choose which one to take… that decision could cause almost anyone stress overload!

An amazing story from a newly favorite author of mine. I’m so eager to see what she does with her contemp story, The Distance Between Us, which I will be reading very soon. The wait for Split Second, book two in the Pivot Point series, is going to be a tough one to bear. If you like YA, Paranormal, Romance, or really anything in that vicinity, I would most definitely recommend you give this book a shot. I can’t imagine anyone that reads and enjoys this genre being disappointed with it.

Farah Khaled 

well hmm...the book was amazing obviously based on my reading status haha, I have to admit that the book was really intense especially the last 70%... I'm staring at the book smiling like an idiot haha...review to come...

Pivot point

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