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.
I was hoping to really love Pivot Point, because parallel universe are one of my favoritest things, but instead I just liked it. It's definitely a super interesting concept, especially the way the author presented it. And I loved that the ending wasn't some cliched cop-out. But for the first half or so, I was mostly bored. Addie can kind of see the future. When presented with a choice, she can Search each path before she decides. With her parents getting a sudden divorce, she has to choose who she wants to live with. She does a Search for six weeks, most of which is boring everyday stuff, but then she sees some things that make her choice nearly impossible.
Pivot Point is pretty great toward the end. I just wish the beginning had been as strong. It did have me nervous that Addie's decision was going to be based on which boy she prefers. If she stays she'll have Duke, the star quarterback with telekinetic powers. If she moves to the "Norm" world with her dad, she'll meet Trevor who becomes her friend first. Addie's ability is super cool, so don't waste it on romance! Luckily, there's something bigger going on and both of Addie's futures sort of converge. It's weird how that works, and I actually had a tiny brainsplotion moment thinking about something Trevor points out. Pretty awesome that. If only something had come from it.
There's not much I can say about Pivot Point without giving key things away. The world is interesting, since Addie lives in a compound with others with abilities. It was quite funny seeing her try to live in the real world where she can't even open a door without a manual. Despite me not wanting the focus to be on the romance, I actually did really enjoy Addie and Trevor. They're super cute! And that ending was super awesome! Addie had a terrible choice to make, but I think she did the right thing, even if it was the hard thing.
