Book Review: Pivot Point by Kasie West

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.

My Rating:

I’m not sure what to classify Pivot Point as. There are neat paranormal aspects to it (such as memory erasure, clairvoyance, and telekinesis), but it reads like a contemporary novel – cute romance and all. Despite not fitting neatly into one genre, I can say one thing with absolute certainty: I really enjoyed reading it.

Pivot Point is told in an enthralling manner: after a certain point, each chapter alternates between Addie’s life in the Compound and Addie’s life outside, in the Norm world. At first it seemed as though this dual narrative was going to lead up to Addie choosing between one of two boys, so I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the narratives were subtly interconnected and culminated in an intense, heart-breaking finish. Thankfully, the romance was sweet, not exactly a love triangle, and didn’t overshadow the main conflict too much.

Pivot Point is very much a character and relationship-driven novel, and as a result, the world-building is slightly lacking. I would have liked to know more about how the powers came about and the structure of the Compound, so hopefully that will be elaborated upon in the sequel.

Addie was a girl after my own heart: instead of going to parties, she would much rather read a book. She’s charming, witty, and easy to sympathize with, making her coming of age journey a lot of fun to read about. Addie’s most admirable trait, though, is her loyalty and fierce love for her family and friends – to the point where she is willing to sacrifice her future happiness for them.

The secondary characters were just as intriguing as Addie, and it was interesting to see how their relationships and motivations changed with each portion of the Search. I especially loved seeing how Laila and Addie grew even closer with the distance that separated them, and how different Addie’s relationships with Trevor and Duke were.

Overall, Pivot Point was a quick, fun read that caught my attention from the start. I can’t wait to see where Addie’s story goes from here!