What's Behind Door Number Three?

Expected Publication:  February 12th, 2013
Pivot Point (Pivot Point # 1) 
By: Kasie West
HarperTeen
ISBN-13:  9780062117373

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.

Review

     Addie has a serious decision to make - whether or not to leave the Compound she's lived in her entire life to live with her Dad or to stay there with her Mom.  On the outside things would be completely different with the Norms, people without special abilities like Addie, her friends and family have at their fingertips.  So Addie does what she always has, she uses her ability to search both potential outcomes to decide what to choose.   But when things get dangerous and it looks like Addie's only choice is what way she prefers to be unhappy, what will she choose?  And can her choice mean the difference between life or death, hate or love?  This was an extremely interesting book.  I loved the fact that Addie could search into the future and DECIDE which choice to make based on the outcomes.  Usually in fiction, if a characters has a time travel/alternate dimension related ability, they can't use it to make their future different in any way.  Addie is able to bypass that stifling rule and do things her own way.  The relationships she has with her parents and best friend, Laila,  are very well developed and highly realistic. I loved the snarky comments and the rebel hair-streaking in the reality where she chooses her Mom.  The romances with Duke and Trevor, respectively, were both carried off perfectly.  Only at the end do you realize that one of them has been playing Addie  and using her for their own purposes.  There is also a side story with the paranormally inclined teens using their powers to hurt other athletes, striking out competition.  Honestly, I didn't find it completely necessary but it did help tie the two realities together nicely and bring things full circle.  The ending was something that disappointed me but also made me happy.  Addie did what was right and missed out on her happy ending.  But it seemed like she might find her way back to it at the end.  Overall, a fun and well-written mystery/romance that I would recommend to fans of time travel and alternate realities.  I will definitely be reading the next one in the series! :)

VERDICT:  4/5  Stars

*I received this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie. No favors or money were exchanged for this review. It will be available for purchase on February 12th, 2013.*