Rachel Rambles About Pivot Point

Pivot Point by Kasie West
From Goodreads:

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.

OH. MY. GOSH.

THIS BOOK. THISBOOKTHISBOOKTHISBOOKTHISBOOK.  

I cannot even handle how freaking EPIC this book is. I was not prepared to become absolutely obsessed with this book, BUT OH WHOOPS I BECAME OBSESSED ANYWAY.

*calms down slightly* Okay, I need to stop fangirling for a second so I can explain to you guys just how amazing this book is.

Addie is a Searcher, which means that when she's faced with two choices, she can search the future to see both outcomes. The chapters of the book alternate between a chapter about one possible outcome and a chapter about the other possible outcome. It's a very complicated and potentially difficult way to tell a story, but Kasie West NAILED IT. At first, I thought this format would make the book confusing and hard to follow, but it wasn't. Not at all. I had no trouble keeping up, and I was incredibly impressed with Kasie West's storytelling.

The main character, Addie, was someone I wasn't sure I was going to like at first. But once I got a few pages into the book, I realized that I really liked her. She doesn't fit into any kind of category that's typical for a protagonist of a YA book. She's just...normal. When I was reading about her, I felt like I was reading about a normal teenage girl. I understood all of her actions--even if I didn't always agree with them--and nothing about her annoyed me or made me dislike her. She was a protagonist who I became emotionally invested in, and I loved reading from her point of view.

I'd say the second most important character in Pivot Point is Laila, Addie's best friend. What can I even say about Laila? I love her! She's not a sidekick or the comic relief or a side character. She's an actual main character with layers and character development and her own story. It was so refreshing to read about a best friend who was treated as someone extremely important in the book, even more important than the Cute Boys.

Ahh, the boys. Yes, there are two. One of them is a [BLEEP] who I disliked pretty much since the first few pages. The other one is someone I grew to love as the story went on, and I just have SO MANY TREVOR FEELS. <3 Both guys were compelling characters who surprised me in countless ways throughout the book, and I loved getting to know each of them, even though I may not have liked one of them. :P They were both really cool characters with lots of secrets that Addie gradually uncovers as the book goes on. At first, I wasn't sure how well romance would fit in with a book like this, but I was proven wrong. The romance fit perfectly in Pivot Point, and Addie's relationships with these two guys proved to be very important to the plot.

This book was so complex and CRAZY. There are so many plot twists flung at you as you're reading, and you can never know what to expect next. Pivot Point was an addicting read that I couldn't help but finish in a matter of hours. It was so well-written and simply amazing. Kasie West is a genius.

Also, hey, that ending? Yeah, I'm not really cool with that. I need the sequel NOW please. 

-Rachel