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Pivot Point #2
Split Second
Life can change in a split second.
Addie hardly recognizes her life since her parents divorced. Her boyfriend used her. Her best friend betrayed her. She can’t believe this is the future she chose. On top of that, her ability is acting up. She’s always been able to Search the future when presented with a choice. Now she can manipulate and slow down time, too... but not without a price.
When Addie’s dad invites her to spend her winter break with him, she jumps at the chance to escape into the Norm world of Dallas, Texas. There she meets the handsome and achingly familiar Trevor. He’s a virtual stranger to her, so why does her heart do a funny flip every time she sees him? But after witnessing secrets that were supposed to stay hidden, Trevor quickly seems more suspicious of Addie than interested in her. And she has an inexplicable desire to change that.
Meanwhile, her best friend, Laila, has a secret of her own: she can restore Addie’s memories... once she learns how. But there are powerful people who don’t want to see this happen. Desperate, Laila tries to manipulate Connor, a brooding bad boy from school—but he seems to be the only boy in the Compound immune to her charms. And the only one who can help her.
As Addie and Laila frantically attempt to retrieve the lost memories, Addie must piece together a world she thought she knew before she loses the love she nearly forgot... and a future that could change everything.
Addie hardly recognizes her life since her parents divorced. Her boyfriend used her. Her best friend betrayed her. She can’t believe this is the future she chose. On top of that, her ability is acting up. She’s always been able to Search the future when presented with a choice. Now she can manipulate and slow down time, too... but not without a price.
When Addie’s dad invites her to spend her winter break with him, she jumps at the chance to escape into the Norm world of Dallas, Texas. There she meets the handsome and achingly familiar Trevor. He’s a virtual stranger to her, so why does her heart do a funny flip every time she sees him? But after witnessing secrets that were supposed to stay hidden, Trevor quickly seems more suspicious of Addie than interested in her. And she has an inexplicable desire to change that.
Meanwhile, her best friend, Laila, has a secret of her own: she can restore Addie’s memories... once she learns how. But there are powerful people who don’t want to see this happen. Desperate, Laila tries to manipulate Connor, a brooding bad boy from school—but he seems to be the only boy in the Compound immune to her charms. And the only one who can help her.
As Addie and Laila frantically attempt to retrieve the lost memories, Addie must piece together a world she thought she knew before she loses the love she nearly forgot... and a future that could change everything.
360 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 11, 2014
About the author
Kasie West
24 books17.4k followersI write YA. I eat Junior Mints. Sometimes I go crazy and do both at the same time. My novels are: PIVOT POINT and its sequel SPLIT SECOND. And my contemporary novels: THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US, ON THE FENCE, THE FILL-IN BOYFRIEND, PS I LIKE YOU, BY YOUR SIDE, LUCKY IN LOVE, LOVE LIFE and the LIST, LISTEN TO YOUR HEART, FAME FATE and the FIRST KISS, MAYBE THIS TIME, and MOMENT OF TRUTH. My agent is the talented and funny Michelle Wolfson.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,868 reviews
December 27, 2013
At this point in my reading career, I am utterly convinced that Kasie West writes books just for me. No one can dissuade me that she goes to her desk at the end of her day and says, "Now, what amazingly cute story can I write to make Steph Sinclair explode into a confetti parade of happiness?" The thing is, after reading a grand total of three of her books in one year, she has never failed me on this front. The humor is spot on, the characters are entirely lovable, and I know without a doubt when reading one of her books my feels are in good hands.
I was surprised to find that Split Second not only is told from Addie's point of view, but her best friend Laila's as well. This worried me because I obviously was going into this book looking for three things: Addie and Trevor, Trevor and Trevor. I had imaginary conversations with West about this (as one usually does with their favorite authors).
Me: Seriously, though, Laila is cool, but TREVOR.
West: I got your feels, yo.
Me: Yes, but...
West: Don't worry. The story will be so sweet, it'll melt your teeth down to their core.
Me: In that case, please be on the lookout for my dental bill.
I was initially concerned that I wouldn't like Laila's narration passages as much as Addie's, but it turns out I was just as as interested in hers because West evenly distributed plot twists and romance to both heroines. What I didn't expect was to find Laila's character so much more complex than I originally thought from Pivot Point. We get an opportunity to really understand her family life and why she tries to control everything. She's a very relatable character, though at times frustrating, particularly when it comes to her feels for Conner. By the way, prepare to swoon, guys, because Conner and Laila's chemistry does not disappoint. I couldn't decide what I wanted more: More scenes of Conner and Laila or Addie and Trevor. I swear I ran out of SHIPPING tape with these couples.
What I really love about Kasie's books are how effortlessly her dialogue comes. And this is where I once again tell you Kasie wrote this book JUST FOR ME. This is not your everyday "Hey, I'm trying to be funny, watch me make a joke" humor. For example, my husband would never get this book because he prefers his humor more lively and story-like. Split Second has an obvious, dry humor feel to it where the characters are hilarious without attempting to make a joke.
Not only is it their dialogue, but it's their "too cool for school" mannerisms and ability to still maintain that AND make me laugh at the same time, that make this book so perfect. It's like watching The Road Runner running from Wile E. Coyote in the episode where it's possible he might actually get eaten this time. But you aren't really worried because he's The Road Runner, and then something like this happens:
I'm not even sure if that makes any sense, but Kasie's books just send me to my ultimate happy place. What more can a reader ask for? Oh yeah! Swoony characters. Split Second does not disappoint in that department. I actually was a little shocked at how much I had forgotten from Pivot Point. Not the important details, but the minor ones. However, that turned out to be a moot point since Addie also doesn't remember what happened. It's a little genius when you think about it because enough of the story is recapped for you to fall in love with Trevor and Addie again, but at the same time, not too much to annoy someone who has decided to marathon the series. So when we I ran into Trevor being his oh-so-adorbs self doing things like this, swooning was not a problem. Trust me.
Of course, the critic in me can't shut up to save her life, so I do have a few things I wanted more of.
- I would have loved to see more of a resolution with Laila and her family. What happens to her brother and father?
- I'm unsure how I feel about The Compound issue. On one hand, I love how Addie is just a normal girl, solving only problems she is able to solve. She's no Mary Sue with a boat load of powers, ready to conquer any and everything. There's only one other YA novel I read this year that did that (Dualed by Elsie Chapman) and it's refreshing. But on the other hand, something's got to give. I can't believe that things will go on and The Compound will do whatever without consequences. Even though Split Second is the final book in this series, it just doesn't feel finished to me. Of course, this could be just my way of pleading to the universe for Kasie West to write another Pivot Point novel.
-
Overall, Split Second is a solid follow-up to Pivot Point. It's fresh, fun and addictive. I'd recommend it in a heartbeat to anyone simply looking for a fun read. Plus, any book that gives me the following feels is okay in my book. Thanks for the cavities, Kasie!
*ARC was provided by the publisher (thanks, Harper!) and despite me giving favorable reviews to all of Kasie West's books so far, no one has paid me for my services. Such is my life, alas.
More reviews and other fantastical things at Cuddelbuggery Book Blog.
I was surprised to find that Split Second not only is told from Addie's point of view, but her best friend Laila's as well. This worried me because I obviously was going into this book looking for three things: Addie and Trevor, Trevor and Trevor. I had imaginary conversations with West about this (as one usually does with their favorite authors).
Me: Seriously, though, Laila is cool, but TREVOR.
West: I got your feels, yo.
Me: Yes, but...
West: Don't worry. The story will be so sweet, it'll melt your teeth down to their core.
Me: In that case, please be on the lookout for my dental bill.
I was initially concerned that I wouldn't like Laila's narration passages as much as Addie's, but it turns out I was just as as interested in hers because West evenly distributed plot twists and romance to both heroines. What I didn't expect was to find Laila's character so much more complex than I originally thought from Pivot Point. We get an opportunity to really understand her family life and why she tries to control everything. She's a very relatable character, though at times frustrating, particularly when it comes to her feels for Conner. By the way, prepare to swoon, guys, because Conner and Laila's chemistry does not disappoint. I couldn't decide what I wanted more: More scenes of Conner and Laila or Addie and Trevor. I swear I ran out of SHIPPING tape with these couples.
What I really love about Kasie's books are how effortlessly her dialogue comes. And this is where I once again tell you Kasie wrote this book JUST FOR ME. This is not your everyday "Hey, I'm trying to be funny, watch me make a joke" humor. For example, my husband would never get this book because he prefers his humor more lively and story-like. Split Second has an obvious, dry humor feel to it where the characters are hilarious without attempting to make a joke.
"How does it feel to know that even though you have an advanced mind, the girl you love wants me?"
Not only is it their dialogue, but it's their "too cool for school" mannerisms and ability to still maintain that AND make me laugh at the same time, that make this book so perfect. It's like watching The Road Runner running from Wile E. Coyote in the episode where it's possible he might actually get eaten this time. But you aren't really worried because he's The Road Runner, and then something like this happens:
I'm not even sure if that makes any sense, but Kasie's books just send me to my ultimate happy place. What more can a reader ask for? Oh yeah! Swoony characters. Split Second does not disappoint in that department. I actually was a little shocked at how much I had forgotten from Pivot Point. Not the important details, but the minor ones. However, that turned out to be a moot point since Addie also doesn't remember what happened. It's a little genius when you think about it because enough of the story is recapped for you to fall in love with Trevor and Addie again, but at the same time, not too much to annoy someone who has decided to marathon the series. So when we I ran into Trevor being his oh-so-adorbs self doing things like this, swooning was not a problem. Trust me.
"So then I can probably do this." Ever so slowly he brought his lips to mine. Even though I saw it coming, it still took my breath away when our lips touched.
Of course, the critic in me can't shut up to save her life, so I do have a few things I wanted more of.
- I would have loved to see more of a resolution with Laila and her family. What happens to her brother and father?
- I'm unsure how I feel about The Compound issue. On one hand, I love how Addie is just a normal girl, solving only problems she is able to solve. She's no Mary Sue with a boat load of powers, ready to conquer any and everything. There's only one other YA novel I read this year that did that (Dualed by Elsie Chapman) and it's refreshing. But on the other hand, something's got to give. I can't believe that things will go on and The Compound will do whatever without consequences. Even though Split Second is the final book in this series, it just doesn't feel finished to me. Of course, this could be just my way of pleading to the universe for Kasie West to write another Pivot Point novel.
-
Overall, Split Second is a solid follow-up to Pivot Point. It's fresh, fun and addictive. I'd recommend it in a heartbeat to anyone simply looking for a fun read. Plus, any book that gives me the following feels is okay in my book. Thanks for the cavities, Kasie!
*ARC was provided by the publisher (thanks, Harper!) and despite me giving favorable reviews to all of Kasie West's books so far, no one has paid me for my services. Such is my life, alas.
More reviews and other fantastical things at Cuddelbuggery Book Blog.
October 9, 2015
I was a bit worried when I started reading this because I wasn't sure how the author was going to spin around the plot in this final installment. But I shouldn't have doubted her because Kasie West didn't fail me.
The story has become even more interesting in this sequel especially with the alternating POVs of the two heroines, Addie and Laila (one of the coolest pairs of best friends you'll ever meet.)
That's right! There are two heroines in this book who are equally developed, who have equally really hot guys rooting for them and who have equally cool super mind powers.
The plot has become more dynamic especially with our heroines' abilities becoming more advanced and with scenes requiring them to actually use their abilities.
But what makes this even more adorable is the story of friendship between the two heroines. It's a lovely message how Laila would go through great lengths and do anything and everything to protect Addie.
In this sense, I believe the author highlights Laila's character and heroism a bit more which only makes sense because in the first book, it was Addie who was Laila's hero. <3
I'm just not sure I'd call this dystopia after all because it's a bit too mushy for that qualifier especially with that fairy-tale like ending. Lol. I'm not complaining though. This was such a fun read! <3
The author better hurry up writing more novels because I have one last published book by her I haven't read yet and I know I'm gonna need more!^^
March 29, 2016
3.5
(I rated Pivot Point four stars with an actual 3.5, so I basically enjoyed both books the same way, though I think book one is intrinsically more engaging because, let's be serious, the double-patterned plot is unbeatable; long story short, the three stars I'm giving here are due to the fact that with a four and a three the mean that comes out is 3.5, which is my actually rating for the whole duology. But the book is enjoyable just as much as Pivot Point is.)
"A wrong was just righted."
•How beautiful is that ending? And far more touching that I expected it to be. Maybe it was me who was totally blinded by how gripping the story was, but I didn't see that coming (though now I see, it could have been guessed). My heart exploded in a million little fireworks.
•Connor. I love his background, I love his characterization, I love him. I love him more than I love Trevor. His story pulled at some heartstrings -of all of them. Why can't we have another whole book with him as main character? That would make you rich, Kasie West, I can promise you as much.
•I liked Laila and her POVs. She works so much better as main character than as sidekick. And I envy her like there's no tomorrow because, yes, .
•Being half of the book Laila's property, we don't get nearly as much Addie and Trevor as I needed. He is a cutie pie as always, she remains the likable main character that I appreciated in book one, but the space they get is too reduced for my liking. I'm not saying that this is an absolute flaw, just that subjectively speaking it made the book work a little less fine for me.
•The plot is good. Not anything special and, surely, not conceptually intriguing as Pivot Point's, but it's not boring, it doesn't present any evident flaw in the pacing, it flows smoothly and it's easy to follow. And again, just as in book one, no greater evil to stand up against, no world needing saving, just our protagonists and their little, deliciously individual stories. It may seem a smaller detail, but believe me, it actually means a lot while you're reading the books. It's refreshing and relaxing, and besides, the author is perfectly capable of creating the right amount of tension and suspense even like this, which prove once again how talented she is.
•The way our heroes fix the whole mess, though -I'm talking about the ending- is a bit underwhelming. Maybe it seemed too easy? I don't know, and, at the end of the day, I don't even care that much, because, as I already said, the last two chapters and the second-to-last in particular are so heartwarming that the action totally takes a back seat.
•One last insignificant thing, was I the only one to feel a little sorry for Stephanie? Addie practically stabbed her in the back. I mean, girl, you and and Mr. Detective there could wait until you were alone, now wouldn't you?
➽ All in all, I extremely enjoyed this duology. If you know Kasie West's writing, you already know that she is a skilled, talented writer, and it won't be so hard for me to convince you to read this; if you don't, well, I can think of a thousand reasons why you should pick these books up, and I talkes about them all. Aren't you convinced yet? Just try to read the first chapters, then. I'm sure that's all it will take to get you hooked.
(I rated Pivot Point four stars with an actual 3.5, so I basically enjoyed both books the same way, though I think book one is intrinsically more engaging because, let's be serious, the double-patterned plot is unbeatable; long story short, the three stars I'm giving here are due to the fact that with a four and a three the mean that comes out is 3.5, which is my actually rating for the whole duology. But the book is enjoyable just as much as Pivot Point is.)
"A wrong was just righted."
•How beautiful is that ending? And far more touching that I expected it to be. Maybe it was me who was totally blinded by how gripping the story was, but I didn't see that coming (though now I see, it could have been guessed). My heart exploded in a million little fireworks.
•Connor. I love his background, I love his characterization, I love him. I love him more than I love Trevor. His story pulled at some heartstrings -of all of them. Why can't we have another whole book with him as main character? That would make you rich, Kasie West, I can promise you as much.
•I liked Laila and her POVs. She works so much better as main character than as sidekick. And I envy her like there's no tomorrow because, yes, .
•Being half of the book Laila's property, we don't get nearly as much Addie and Trevor as I needed. He is a cutie pie as always, she remains the likable main character that I appreciated in book one, but the space they get is too reduced for my liking. I'm not saying that this is an absolute flaw, just that subjectively speaking it made the book work a little less fine for me.
•The plot is good. Not anything special and, surely, not conceptually intriguing as Pivot Point's, but it's not boring, it doesn't present any evident flaw in the pacing, it flows smoothly and it's easy to follow. And again, just as in book one, no greater evil to stand up against, no world needing saving, just our protagonists and their little, deliciously individual stories. It may seem a smaller detail, but believe me, it actually means a lot while you're reading the books. It's refreshing and relaxing, and besides, the author is perfectly capable of creating the right amount of tension and suspense even like this, which prove once again how talented she is.
•The way our heroes fix the whole mess, though -I'm talking about the ending- is a bit underwhelming. Maybe it seemed too easy? I don't know, and, at the end of the day, I don't even care that much, because, as I already said, the last two chapters and the second-to-last in particular are so heartwarming that the action totally takes a back seat.
•One last insignificant thing, was I the only one to feel a little sorry for Stephanie? Addie practically stabbed her in the back. I mean, girl, you and and Mr. Detective there could wait until you were alone, now wouldn't you?
➽ All in all, I extremely enjoyed this duology. If you know Kasie West's writing, you already know that she is a skilled, talented writer, and it won't be so hard for me to convince you to read this; if you don't, well, I can think of a thousand reasons why you should pick these books up, and I talkes about them all. Aren't you convinced yet? Just try to read the first chapters, then. I'm sure that's all it will take to get you hooked.
June 10, 2017
3.5 rounded up because the second half of this book was just so entertaining and had me on the edge of my seat.
This book starts off right after where the first book ends. I did enjoy it, however the first half was so slow and boring, but things do start to pick up and akhskankaankanka it's fucking crazy shit.
Full rtc after my exams.
➖
thank fucking everything i had the second book with me right after finishing the first because that ending FUCKING KILLED ME
(y'all should read it.)
This book starts off right after where the first book ends. I did enjoy it, however the first half was so slow and boring, but things do start to pick up and akhskankaankanka it's fucking crazy shit.
Full rtc after my exams.
➖
thank fucking everything i had the second book with me right after finishing the first because that ending FUCKING KILLED ME
(y'all should read it.)
January 6, 2014
See more reviews at YA Midnight Reads
4.5 stars
Split Second is just another reason why Kasie West is one of my favourite authors. Along with her snarky writing, lovable characters and swoon inducing romance as well as an ass-kicking plot line, who can be disappointed?
Like Pivot Point, Split Second follows the point of view of Addie, but now with a new addition of Laila’s point of view. I was mainly worried about wanting to skim Laila’s POV since I was rooted on reading all the Addie and Trevor scenes but there wasn’t any problem with that as Kasie West keeps both POVs interesting and unputdownable. One of the huge benefits with this dual narration was that we got to see Laila’s life that we didn’t learn about when it was just Addie telling the story. I was surprised to discover underneath the layer of a sweet and vibrant teenage girl, there was a damaged and intricate girl with a family that’s struggling to stay together. Which of course, only makes me want to hug Laila tighter. With another narrative point, this totally calls for another love interest, yes? Connor and Laila’s chemistry was a painful, I think because I wanted to grab them from out of the book and smoosh their faces together. KISS NOW. They are honestly perfect for each other and my heart melted a little when Laila finally came to her senses.
Addie. Oh Addie I’ve missed you so much. I felt partially sorry for her because she has to go and chase her love around once again but I couldn’t help but love the idea because I was squealing the whole way through their scenes together and it did not feel repetitive at all. Just freaking adorable. And. *kisses book* Other than the romance, the plot was also well developed. There were twists I didn’t see coming and I clung onto every word.
Unfortunately, despite the brilliance in the characters and romance and plot, I still had a problem with Split Second. While the ending was sweet and intense, I felt that there were some questions that needed to still be answered. I will not divulge much further what they were but I wanted to know how some other minor plot points were resolved.
In all, I am delighted with the result Kasie West gave us and I cannot wait for her upcoming novels. She can perfect nearly every aspect and deserves all, if not more hype.
---
**This is a pre-review**
Split Second was... CRAZY AWESOME. Can I end my pre-review there? I mean, there isn't anything else to say. Of course, I could just spill all my emotions out but I would spoil the book and would have 5000 million armed readers chasing me down. Now that, would be scary.
I thought I would be able to write something a little helpful or conventional if I left this review alone for a week. Turns out, my feelings are still so much very raw. So sorry if you wanted something helpful. I did try to be helpful, this is what I wrote before I deleted it.
Characters: Addie. Trevor. Laila. EEEEK! All my favs.
Plot: It's simple but fun and has some special secret power to make sure you won't put it down. I read this during school and actually slapped someone in the face for stealing it.
Romance: *deep breaths* ASDFGHJKL; PERFECT. ABSOLUTELY. FREAKING. PERFECT. I went nuts. Completely. Nuts. Drowning in it.
And Laila finds a special someone too...
Were my expecations met?
So yeah, there it is. Just a bunch of craziness. And a note on my rating, I cannot really rate this right now. But definitely a 4, 4.5 or 5 star.
4.5 stars
Split Second is just another reason why Kasie West is one of my favourite authors. Along with her snarky writing, lovable characters and swoon inducing romance as well as an ass-kicking plot line, who can be disappointed?
Like Pivot Point, Split Second follows the point of view of Addie, but now with a new addition of Laila’s point of view. I was mainly worried about wanting to skim Laila’s POV since I was rooted on reading all the Addie and Trevor scenes but there wasn’t any problem with that as Kasie West keeps both POVs interesting and unputdownable. One of the huge benefits with this dual narration was that we got to see Laila’s life that we didn’t learn about when it was just Addie telling the story. I was surprised to discover underneath the layer of a sweet and vibrant teenage girl, there was a damaged and intricate girl with a family that’s struggling to stay together. Which of course, only makes me want to hug Laila tighter. With another narrative point, this totally calls for another love interest, yes? Connor and Laila’s chemistry was a painful, I think because I wanted to grab them from out of the book and smoosh their faces together. KISS NOW. They are honestly perfect for each other and my heart melted a little when Laila finally came to her senses.
Addie. Oh Addie I’ve missed you so much. I felt partially sorry for her because she has to go and chase her love around once again but I couldn’t help but love the idea because I was squealing the whole way through their scenes together and it did not feel repetitive at all. Just freaking adorable. And. *kisses book* Other than the romance, the plot was also well developed. There were twists I didn’t see coming and I clung onto every word.
Unfortunately, despite the brilliance in the characters and romance and plot, I still had a problem with Split Second. While the ending was sweet and intense, I felt that there were some questions that needed to still be answered. I will not divulge much further what they were but I wanted to know how some other minor plot points were resolved.
In all, I am delighted with the result Kasie West gave us and I cannot wait for her upcoming novels. She can perfect nearly every aspect and deserves all, if not more hype.
~Thank you HarperCollins Australia for sending me this copy!~
---
**This is a pre-review**
Split Second was... CRAZY AWESOME. Can I end my pre-review there? I mean, there isn't anything else to say. Of course, I could just spill all my emotions out but I would spoil the book and would have 5000 million armed readers chasing me down. Now that, would be scary.
I thought I would be able to write something a little helpful or conventional if I left this review alone for a week. Turns out, my feelings are still so much very raw. So sorry if you wanted something helpful. I did try to be helpful, this is what I wrote before I deleted it.
Characters: Addie. Trevor. Laila. EEEEK! All my favs.
Plot: It's simple but fun and has some special secret power to make sure you won't put it down. I read this during school and actually slapped someone in the face for stealing it.
Romance: *deep breaths* ASDFGHJKL; PERFECT. ABSOLUTELY. FREAKING. PERFECT. I went nuts. Completely. Nuts. Drowning in it.
And Laila finds a special someone too...
Were my expecations met?
So yeah, there it is. Just a bunch of craziness. And a note on my rating, I cannot really rate this right now. But definitely a 4, 4.5 or 5 star.
Want to read
August 3, 2015
July 21, 2017
3.5 Stars
Spoilers beyond. Please read @ your own risk !
🔵 Obviously Trevor. If I were to look up the definition of perfect, Trevor would be listed under there, I swear. Not to mention, he and Addie are super super cute together <3
🔵 I liked how Duke ended up helping Addie, Laila, Conner, and Eli in getting Trevor back and making everything right again. From deeply resenting him at the end of Pivot Point to the first half of Split Second, I am actually starting to respect him, which I never thought the day would come, honestly. I just love characters that make a complete 360 turn and do something that completely impresses the reader and makes them start to admire the character more than before.
🔵 Eli is seriously such a cutie.
🔵 You know how I said before that Trevor is the definition of perfect for Addie, well, Connor is the definition of perfect for Laila. From asking him to help her restore Addie's memories back, they end up falling in love and it's so cute. What's also cute is their banter together. It's light and nothing serious and just adorable.
🔵 I really wish Addie's grandpa were still alive. Though he may come off as a bit weird and crazy in the head, he really is a good person. Technically, it was fake (a Perspective pretending to be Addie's grandpa) but it felt so real. He'd be so proud of Addie.
🔵 Addie's Time Manipulation powers are pretty darn cool.
🔴 Now that I'm done with this duology, I've come to realize that there is absolutely no science behind the reason for the Paras to be Paras in the first place. I really wished the author had mentioned a history of the Compound because now that the series is over, I'm dying to know how it all came to be and how they got their mind powers in the first place. Which brings me back to when I mentioned that there is no science behind this duology. Yes, I completely understand that this is a fiction novel, but still, there has to be some realistic factors in there, for example, how the Paras got their mind powers. I find it hard to believe that it just happened and the very first Paras all of a sudden decided to make another separate world to protect their race. How is it that there are those with mind powers and those with none, Norms, living in the same world? Thus, this is a big reason for my low rating, despite how much I enjoyed the book.
🔴 This isn't something I really dislike, but I seriously can't understand why Laila wants to continue living in the Compound even though she now knows all their secrets and what they do just to protect the Paras. Yes, I do understand that something you worked hard for, you would want to protect. But the lengths the Compound took to do so completely disgusts me. The CC are such cruel people, honestly.
This duology, Pivot Point and Split Second Kasie West, was definitely an enjoyable one what with all the humor and action. But ultimately, with a shallow world-building and no reasons whatsoever for how Paras came to be, one I would not reread. However, I would recommend to those looking for a light and fast read :D And the only reason for 3.5 stars would be my newest book boyfriend. If it wasn't for him, I'd have probably rated this series two stars and below.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ and a half / 5 stars
Lead Male Character: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ / 5 stars (Trevor) ★ ★ / 5 stars (Duke)
Lead Female Character: ★ ★ ★ ★ / 5 stars (Addie) ★ ★ ★ and a half / 5 stars (Laila)
Plotline: ★ ★ ★ / 5 stars
Genre: Young adult, romance, adventure, sc-fi
Will I recommend this book to others?: Sure
Will I reread this book?: Only for Trevor <3
Overall story summed up in one word: OK
“Once Addie let someone in, she was impossible to forget. There was something about her that crawled inside a person and built a nice comfy home there, her goodness expanding until it filled every limb.”
Spoilers beyond. Please read @ your own risk !
Things I Liked:
🔵 Obviously Trevor. If I were to look up the definition of perfect, Trevor would be listed under there, I swear. Not to mention, he and Addie are super super cute together <3
🔵 I liked how Duke ended up helping Addie, Laila, Conner, and Eli in getting Trevor back and making everything right again. From deeply resenting him at the end of Pivot Point to the first half of Split Second, I am actually starting to respect him, which I never thought the day would come, honestly. I just love characters that make a complete 360 turn and do something that completely impresses the reader and makes them start to admire the character more than before.
🔵 Eli is seriously such a cutie.
🔵 You know how I said before that Trevor is the definition of perfect for Addie, well, Connor is the definition of perfect for Laila. From asking him to help her restore Addie's memories back, they end up falling in love and it's so cute. What's also cute is their banter together. It's light and nothing serious and just adorable.
🔵 I really wish Addie's grandpa were still alive. Though he may come off as a bit weird and crazy in the head, he really is a good person. Technically, it was fake (a Perspective pretending to be Addie's grandpa) but it felt so real. He'd be so proud of Addie.
🔵 Addie's Time Manipulation powers are pretty darn cool.
“I had seen a different side of her, the one where she didn't feel threatened by me, and I liked that side. That side was vulnerable and happy and kind.”
Things I Disliked:
🔴 Now that I'm done with this duology, I've come to realize that there is absolutely no science behind the reason for the Paras to be Paras in the first place. I really wished the author had mentioned a history of the Compound because now that the series is over, I'm dying to know how it all came to be and how they got their mind powers in the first place. Which brings me back to when I mentioned that there is no science behind this duology. Yes, I completely understand that this is a fiction novel, but still, there has to be some realistic factors in there, for example, how the Paras got their mind powers. I find it hard to believe that it just happened and the very first Paras all of a sudden decided to make another separate world to protect their race. How is it that there are those with mind powers and those with none, Norms, living in the same world? Thus, this is a big reason for my low rating, despite how much I enjoyed the book.
🔴 This isn't something I really dislike, but I seriously can't understand why Laila wants to continue living in the Compound even though she now knows all their secrets and what they do just to protect the Paras. Yes, I do understand that something you worked hard for, you would want to protect. But the lengths the Compound took to do so completely disgusts me. The CC are such cruel people, honestly.
“A wrong was just righted. Take care of my best friend.”
Overall:
This duology, Pivot Point and Split Second Kasie West, was definitely an enjoyable one what with all the humor and action. But ultimately, with a shallow world-building and no reasons whatsoever for how Paras came to be, one I would not reread. However, I would recommend to those looking for a light and fast read :D And the only reason for 3.5 stars would be my newest book boyfriend. If it wasn't for him, I'd have probably rated this series two stars and below.
“Thanks for choosing me, Addison.”
Rating: ★ ★ ★ and a half / 5 stars
Lead Male Character: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ / 5 stars (Trevor) ★ ★ / 5 stars (Duke)
Lead Female Character: ★ ★ ★ ★ / 5 stars (Addie) ★ ★ ★ and a half / 5 stars (Laila)
Plotline: ★ ★ ★ / 5 stars
Genre: Young adult, romance, adventure, sc-fi
Will I recommend this book to others?: Sure
Will I reread this book?: Only for Trevor <3
Overall story summed up in one word: OK
November 5, 2015
Kasie West, I love you. When have you ever written something I didn't like?
This book puts an end to a fantastic series. The idea of a world where a small part of the population live secluded and have awesome abilities is incredibly intriguing, which is why so many readers can't stop reading once they begin. When you start reading, you're impressed by these people and wish you could have such powers, but as the story goes, you start doubting that it would be a nice world to live in, because there will always be people using their abilities to do bad things. I really liked seeing the deterioration and wondering what I would do if I were in Addie's place.
I really liked Laila in the first book, so I have thrilled to see more of her in the second one. She's so fierce, independent and smart that I wish I could be like her. I loved her relationship with Connor, who's an awesome character. Although he's described as a bad boy in the summary, I think he's actually the opposite of that, because once you get to know him, you realize he's so incredibly nice and caring. I think he and Laila might be one of my new favourite ships.
I wish we could've seen a bit more of Addie's ability in this book, because it's awesome and there are pretty much no possibilities of doing something bad with it. Also, I thought the ending could've been a little bit more complex and interesting, because I didn't get that much into the story by the time it ended.
In the end, I really enjoyed reading this series and I would recommend it to anyone. Kasie West will always be a favourite of mine, even though I must admit that I preferred her romance novels now that I've read everything that can be read from her.
This book puts an end to a fantastic series. The idea of a world where a small part of the population live secluded and have awesome abilities is incredibly intriguing, which is why so many readers can't stop reading once they begin. When you start reading, you're impressed by these people and wish you could have such powers, but as the story goes, you start doubting that it would be a nice world to live in, because there will always be people using their abilities to do bad things. I really liked seeing the deterioration and wondering what I would do if I were in Addie's place.
I really liked Laila in the first book, so I have thrilled to see more of her in the second one. She's so fierce, independent and smart that I wish I could be like her. I loved her relationship with Connor, who's an awesome character. Although he's described as a bad boy in the summary, I think he's actually the opposite of that, because once you get to know him, you realize he's so incredibly nice and caring. I think he and Laila might be one of my new favourite ships.
I wish we could've seen a bit more of Addie's ability in this book, because it's awesome and there are pretty much no possibilities of doing something bad with it. Also, I thought the ending could've been a little bit more complex and interesting, because I didn't get that much into the story by the time it ended.
In the end, I really enjoyed reading this series and I would recommend it to anyone. Kasie West will always be a favourite of mine, even though I must admit that I preferred her romance novels now that I've read everything that can be read from her.
December 21, 2013
Loved learning more about the Compound. The ending totally surprised me. I can't believe I didn't see that one coming. I still feel kind of bad for Duke even though he continues to make bad choices. I did miss getting to see two different choices unfold. Addie still does a search here and there. I would probably search everything if I were her. LOL
September 12, 2023
4.5 ⭐️
Kasie West slayed so hard with this duology. Ik she’s mainly a contemporary romance author but I would ascend into heaven if she wrote another sci-fi/paranormal book because seriously, I loved everything about this one.
I fell in love with Addie and Trevor in the first book, but not only did I fall for them again in this conclusion, my heart was also captured by Laila and Conner. They were hilarious and adorable and I was fr shipping them so hard 🥹 This book was full of humor and heart and oh jeez, I sound like a review written by a 50 yr old critic on the back of books and movies.
But my singular brain cell is straining to even get through this review, so bear with me. This book is full of humor and heart and twists and I was laughing, crying, kicking my feet up, and just overall completely unable to read this in front of my grandparents. You could call me single in 100 different languages and it wouldn’t slap as hard as the not one but two amazing romances in this book. Where’s my Trevor and/or Conner 🙇♀️🙇♀️
Seriously though, idk what Kasie laced this book with but it’s so good and addicting. If you’re a Kasie West fan or just a bookworm in general do yourself a favor and read it babes
(Sorry about this horrible review thing I’m listening to Taylor, talking to my sisters, and driving through my favorite city ever so I’m a bit distracted.no I’m not just trying to make excuses)
Kasie West slayed so hard with this duology. Ik she’s mainly a contemporary romance author but I would ascend into heaven if she wrote another sci-fi/paranormal book because seriously, I loved everything about this one.
I fell in love with Addie and Trevor in the first book, but not only did I fall for them again in this conclusion, my heart was also captured by Laila and Conner. They were hilarious and adorable and I was fr shipping them so hard 🥹 This book was full of humor and heart and oh jeez, I sound like a review written by a 50 yr old critic on the back of books and movies.
But my singular brain cell is straining to even get through this review, so bear with me. This book is full of humor and heart and twists and I was laughing, crying, kicking my feet up, and just overall completely unable to read this in front of my grandparents. You could call me single in 100 different languages and it wouldn’t slap as hard as the not one but two amazing romances in this book. Where’s my Trevor and/or Conner 🙇♀️🙇♀️
Seriously though, idk what Kasie laced this book with but it’s so good and addicting. If you’re a Kasie West fan or just a bookworm in general do yourself a favor and read it babes
(Sorry about this horrible review thing I’m listening to Taylor, talking to my sisters, and driving through my favorite city ever so I’m a bit distracted.
July 19, 2017
Pivot Point ★★★★☆
I was a bit sceptical before reading this book. I completely loved Pivot Point and I was a bit uncertain if a squeal was necessary but now I’ve realised that it totally is! This book didn’t start off that great but as I read more, I couldn’t let go. Kasie West’s books are always so light and they put me the best mood. I am a bit upset that this is finished because I loved almost everything about this book. Pivot Pointwas much better even though I gave it the same rating but this book just didn’t deserve lower than 4 stars.
This book picks up right where Pivot Point ended and continues with the story except not only follows Addison’s POV but Laila’s too. Writing a book in multiple perspectives can be difficult to pull off and there needs to be some sort of difference between the characters but in this book, I felt like Addison and Laila were a bit too similar. It’s not a big issue but I am not a big fan of multiple perspectives so I can get really picky.
I have to be honest, at the beginning, I really didn’t like Laila’s perspective and I still didn’t like it that much. I understand why it was needed but I just didn’t care for Laila that much. She isn’t an annoying character but no matter what she couldn’t grow on me. My opinion of the rest of the characters is still the same as in my review of Pivot Point.
The first book didn’t end the way I wanted but this one did and IT WAS A PERFECT ENDING!!! It was exactly how I wanted it to end. I do have to admit some parts was a bit cliché but it’s okay because I wanted that to happen. It wrapped everything up except issue with the world building. As I said in my review of Pivot Point there is no explanation for anything in terms of the world they live in. I feel like because there’s a lot of stuff to do with the Compound in this book an explanation was needed more than the first book.
I have now officially read all of Kasie West’s books and there has not been one that I have been disappointed by. I absolutely loved this book and am going to miss all the characters. Now I don’t know what to read. I wish Kasie West had more books for me to read because her books are so addictive.
I was a bit sceptical before reading this book. I completely loved Pivot Point and I was a bit uncertain if a squeal was necessary but now I’ve realised that it totally is! This book didn’t start off that great but as I read more, I couldn’t let go. Kasie West’s books are always so light and they put me the best mood. I am a bit upset that this is finished because I loved almost everything about this book. Pivot Pointwas much better even though I gave it the same rating but this book just didn’t deserve lower than 4 stars.
This book picks up right where Pivot Point ended and continues with the story except not only follows Addison’s POV but Laila’s too. Writing a book in multiple perspectives can be difficult to pull off and there needs to be some sort of difference between the characters but in this book, I felt like Addison and Laila were a bit too similar. It’s not a big issue but I am not a big fan of multiple perspectives so I can get really picky.
I have to be honest, at the beginning, I really didn’t like Laila’s perspective and I still didn’t like it that much. I understand why it was needed but I just didn’t care for Laila that much. She isn’t an annoying character but no matter what she couldn’t grow on me. My opinion of the rest of the characters is still the same as in my review of Pivot Point.
The first book didn’t end the way I wanted but this one did and IT WAS A PERFECT ENDING!!! It was exactly how I wanted it to end. I do have to admit some parts was a bit cliché but it’s okay because I wanted that to happen. It wrapped everything up except issue with the world building. As I said in my review of Pivot Point there is no explanation for anything in terms of the world they live in. I feel like because there’s a lot of stuff to do with the Compound in this book an explanation was needed more than the first book.
I have now officially read all of Kasie West’s books and there has not been one that I have been disappointed by. I absolutely loved this book and am going to miss all the characters. Now I don’t know what to read. I wish Kasie West had more books for me to read because her books are so addictive.
April 24, 2021
Let me start by saying, holy smokes! I don't know who I love more Trevor or Connor so I decided both. Now that that's out of the way, I must applaud Kasie West for giving us an amazing first book and then even more amazing sequel in the series.
We have dual POV in this with chapters alternating between Addison and Laila and we get to see more of Laila's personal life and her background. I absolutely loved how she was such a great sister along with being a really good friend. We already knew Trevor's life story so I was in for a pleasant surprise after getting to know Connor's back story. And Addison was exactly how I expected her to be, hard on Laila first but still caring for her. I also loved the fact that Addison's mother was shown to actually care in this about her daughter unlike in the previous book. Duke, well Duke is Duke. He played his part well and I almost felt sorry for him in the end. Almost.
I loved how Laila came back with a bang and proved to be the best best friend everyone would want to have. I loved how their friendship was mapped out in this book. And also how both Addison's and Laila's relationships grew and didn't instantly happen.
Those twists and surprises made up for Pivot Point's disappointing surprise. The whole thing was so fast paced and kept me on an edge.
The only complaint I have from the book is that I was hoping for some bromance between Trevor and Connor which I never got till the end. And even that was for a split second but I loved it loved it loved it. All in all I loved Split Second and I feel like I left some part of me with the ending of this book and I don't feel whole and never will. Yep, I'm getting emotional. I hate saying goodbye to the books that I love. And the fact that this is only a duology, I'm extra emotional.
4.5 stars
We have dual POV in this with chapters alternating between Addison and Laila and we get to see more of Laila's personal life and her background. I absolutely loved how she was such a great sister along with being a really good friend. We already knew Trevor's life story so I was in for a pleasant surprise after getting to know Connor's back story. And Addison was exactly how I expected her to be, hard on Laila first but still caring for her. I also loved the fact that Addison's mother was shown to actually care in this about her daughter unlike in the previous book. Duke, well Duke is Duke. He played his part well and I almost felt sorry for him in the end. Almost.
I loved how Laila came back with a bang and proved to be the best best friend everyone would want to have. I loved how their friendship was mapped out in this book. And also how both Addison's and Laila's relationships grew and didn't instantly happen.
Those twists and surprises made up for Pivot Point's disappointing surprise. The whole thing was so fast paced and kept me on an edge.
The only complaint I have from the book is that I was hoping for some bromance between Trevor and Connor which I never got till the end. And even that was for a split second but I loved it loved it loved it. All in all I loved Split Second and I feel like I left some part of me with the ending of this book and I don't feel whole and never will. Yep, I'm getting emotional. I hate saying goodbye to the books that I love. And the fact that this is only a duology, I'm extra emotional.
4.5 stars
July 27, 2016
I guess it had to happen. My first rage-quit/annoyed review of 2014
*wipes away tear of emotion*
I actually did finish the book even though I skimmed a lot through the last 15%, but that’s what you get when an incredibly predictable plot twist arrives at a point when you already are feeling pretty much over the whole read.
The worst part though? I was genuinely excited for this sequel. I didn’t adore Pivot Point, the second half was a little disappointing and the ending well…the ending seemed created especially to launch a sequel, and it felt a little pointless. I already couldn’t help but wonder how a sequel would even work without being redundant. But I loved KW’s other book: The Distance Between Us and I had faith that Split Second would turn out OK. Thus when the release date arrived, I was excited as two excited things on an excited tablet. (Here’s some Georgia humor for you, before things get ugly). And Komal was too, so we decided to do a read-along, which added to the excitementosity of the thing.
And so it started.
First off, I guess I should have re-read Pivot Point beforehand, because the beginning of Split Second isn’t that crystal clear and some details just didn’t compute. So I skimmed the last chapters of PP, all while feeling like if the beginning of a sequel makes you scratch your head and generally think “God, why am I even bothering, I don’t want to re-read the first one” it probably isn’t doing its job. I’m not saying it should have gone the exposition route with a full chapter dedicated to “So this happened and that happened and this character combed her hair” but this just felt…messy.
I suppose it didn’t help that I’d already pictured how Split Second would/could start since we got the premise at the end of PP: basically there was no way we were going to escape some déjà vu with Addie re-meeting Trevor and everything.
And that is. Exactly. What. Happened.
For more than half the book, you get a gratuitous Pivot Point rewriting.
Yeah. Me no likey.
On top of that, since the “different futures” alternative chapters solution couldn’t be reiterated, and apparently alternative POV chapters are OBLIGATORY in bad YA books, we got split POVs between Laila and Addie instead.
Let me tell you, I did not care for Laila’s POV. I already didn’t like her much in the first book, so getting half of this one worthy off filled with her uninteresting thoughts was not what I signed up for. And I just couldn’t bring myself to care about anything that happened to her. She’s the reason
By then I was pretty sure this book wasn’t going to turn out to be the nice fluffy, vaguely paranormal read that I wanted it to be.
I’m not sure if I let too much stuff pass in PP or if it was actually better than SS...But a lot of things grated me in SS that came from the premise so here goes.
First of all, Addie’s ability advances. Oh OK then. And you know what? SHE CAN SLOW DOWN TIME AND SAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE FALLING. Ring any bells yet? We get multiple sequences during which she somehow goes from one point to another, saving people and grabbing inanimate objects that are falling. Yep, Addie is god freaking damn Edward Cullen in disguise, casually saving the day when need be, slow mo at the ready! Good God girl, are you going to start sparkling in the sunlight next?
Speaking about Twilight-ish tendencies, there are an awful lot of similarities between these mind “paranormal abilities” and the Speshul Powers of the Speshul Vampires in Twilight.
And let’s not forget the inevitable “But…but…WHAT ARE YOU, YOU DEVIL-CHILD” from Trevor who just can’t believe his peep-holes as to what is happening in front of him.
Last but not least, there’s a “scared goodbye kiss” at the end. Yes, you know, like the ones where Bella feels like Edward is leaving her FOREVAH and the kiss is desperate and shit. That one. Yes well we get one of those here too, because life wouldn’t be fun otherwise.
So the cycle is complete. Rejoice.
As we all know, I am no Twilight fan and blatant reminders like this one didn’t help me get engaged in the book. Then (this I didn’t remember from Pivot Point, so I guess it’s partly my fault), Addie’s ability is described as Divergent? Really? There was no other term that could have corresponded to “seeing the two paths of the future that might happen”? COME ON. Divergent has to be the book series I despise the most but it’s still pretty well known in YA circles so you can’t tell me no one warned the author about this.
So after realizing quite early on that this was a mix of both twilight and divergent, the book was going to have a tough time eliciting more than a 1* rating from me.
Unfortunately, the downhill spiral didn’t stop there.
The writing I’d loved in TDBU suddenly stooped to new lows, like this gem:
There was something about her that crawled inside a person and built a nice comfy home there, her goodness expanding until it filled every limb
Can we take a moment here? What is this? There was really no other way of describing the fact that Addie is a good friend and person (a fact that’s actually pretty debatable but this isn’t about that)
And it doesn’t stop there, sometimes it’s not even in English anymore.
Stephanie’s waiting, which, by the way, you should really ask her to winter formal.
Did anyone bother to-reread this before it got published? Or am I just not understanding how the liaison between the two parts of the sentence is structured?
Which brings me to the editing of this book.
You see, in Pivot Point when Addie did Searches, they were in different chapters and since she couldn’t do Searches within Searches (holy inception ripoff, Batman!), we didn’t get to see her try more than one path in the same chapter.
No such thing in Split Second, bring out the confetti because IT HAPPENED. And it was awful. First of all, Addie doesn’t tend to remember that she has this ability (she’s much more impressed by her cool Edward saving stuff advanced ability so we get a lot of that, especially since she can’t control it) so whenever she has choices to make she just flounders about, hoping that someone else will decide in her place. But this one time, she does remember the whole point of the story and does A. Search. (not at the best of times because that would have been too convenient of course, she just wants to save her boyfriend, obviously).
And thus you get three times the same paragraph. Same beginning but slightly different ending. Except (I was already sort of skimming by that point) you get no warning and end up a little confused at to what’s happening. So you have the first Search. The second Search. And then The Reality.
That’s right ladies & gents, it wasn’t enough to basically rewrite Pivot Point without the “what if” for half of Split Second, but now we get three separate rewrites of the same fucking scene. My only question is: was the book so empty that it needed this? Well apparently yes. Never underestimate potential fillers.
Ugh, I’m getting annoyed at this book all over again so I’ll just list obvious plot-devices/incongruencies.
- And the Winner for Most Convenient Plot Device iiiiiiiiiiiiiiis *drum roll*: Laila can only restore memories while kissing the will they/won’t they brooding-but-not Connor dude. Hilarious.
- The grandparent storyline? I get where it was going with this and blah blah blah the Compound people are baaaaaad but it was so contrived and just didn’t work. Special mention at this line: “What do you mean? Do they think you’re dead or something” Uh, LOLZ Addie, pardon me if I got this wrong but
- Insta-friendship. See, this is a nice variation on insta-love. It happens when the main character arrives in a new town and suddenly, a secondary characters who appears to have NO FRIENDS just takes them under their wing and are forever calling the MC for outings such as shopping and parties and proms. Because that character had NO LIFE before the MC arrived.
- Laila abruptly realizing that mayyyybe seeing her would-be murderer woud be hard. Wow. Perceptive much? Guess someone has the wrong ability.
- SPESHUL MENTION number 2 when Laila and Addie are supposed to have this MEANINGFUL conversation about memories and it morphs into them talking about boys. BOYS. Because two teens who obviously have a lot of other issues at hand, just inevitably talk about boys. This doesn’t happen only this one time though. There are quite a few moments when the whole gang (why not) are in pretty big trouble and danger and yet they talk about completely mundane things, most of the time of the “but I have a crush on THAT GUY and not that one and omg is my nail polish chipped?” variety.
- Did you say convenient? I’ll give you convenient. Laila just happens to call right before Dead-or-maybe-not-Dead Grandpa was going to restore Addie’s memories. WELL THAT’S MIGHTY CONVENIENT INNIT. AND IT KEEPS COMING. SHE DOESN’T GIVE ANY INFO TO HER GRANDPA ABOUT WHY SHE ISN’T DOING IT ANYMORE. AND EVERYONE JUST GOES DO THEIR OWN THING WITH NO EXPLANATION WHATSOEVER.
- At some point (and it is the point everyone was waiting for, so it was a Pretty Big Deal,
-
- Storylines going nowhere fast: Laila basically selling her ability for money so she can afford to have Face teach her about restoring memories. Yep. Forgotten 2 seconds later for no valid reason, we could’ve just got to that point without it.
-
- Between Pivot Point and Split Second, Addie transforms into a whiny sobbing mess of an idiot and she fucking cries all the time for no reason and thank you for ruining a somewhat good character.
- Obligatory love triangle shenanigans…I was so far gone at this point I didn’t even care but when you top that with the unwelcome third part of the triangle *cough*Duke*cough*
- Interesting detail: Addie and Laila have their “chests that expand” whenever they kiss/are feeling happy about a boy. Um OK. How does that even work? Is it the heart or lungs or what? Excuse me but I have trouble picturing this, and also it bothers me when we get this from both main characters because it was hard enough to distinguish their “unique voices” thanks to the double POV.
- Ultimately, NOTHING ever matters since Laila can erase everything, Addie can slow down time and whatever, whatever, WHAT FUCKING EVER GAWWWWWWWWWWWD
I apologize, my feelings over this book took over and last capped sentence became my general response after about 10% of the book.
I’m pretty disappointed, to say the least. I’ll still read this author’s contemporary book coming out this year because TDBU still holds a special place in my reader heart but that’s it.
*wipes away tear of emotion*
I actually did finish the book even though I skimmed a lot through the last 15%, but that’s what you get when an incredibly predictable plot twist arrives at a point when you already are feeling pretty much over the whole read.
The worst part though? I was genuinely excited for this sequel. I didn’t adore Pivot Point, the second half was a little disappointing and the ending well…the ending seemed created especially to launch a sequel, and it felt a little pointless. I already couldn’t help but wonder how a sequel would even work without being redundant. But I loved KW’s other book: The Distance Between Us and I had faith that Split Second would turn out OK. Thus when the release date arrived, I was excited as two excited things on an excited tablet. (Here’s some Georgia humor for you, before things get ugly). And Komal was too, so we decided to do a read-along, which added to the excitementosity of the thing.
And so it started.
First off, I guess I should have re-read Pivot Point beforehand, because the beginning of Split Second isn’t that crystal clear and some details just didn’t compute. So I skimmed the last chapters of PP, all while feeling like if the beginning of a sequel makes you scratch your head and generally think “God, why am I even bothering, I don’t want to re-read the first one” it probably isn’t doing its job. I’m not saying it should have gone the exposition route with a full chapter dedicated to “So this happened and that happened and this character combed her hair” but this just felt…messy.
I suppose it didn’t help that I’d already pictured how Split Second would/could start since we got the premise at the end of PP: basically there was no way we were going to escape some déjà vu with Addie re-meeting Trevor and everything.
And that is. Exactly. What. Happened.
For more than half the book, you get a gratuitous Pivot Point rewriting.
Yeah. Me no likey.
On top of that, since the “different futures” alternative chapters solution couldn’t be reiterated, and apparently alternative POV chapters are OBLIGATORY in bad YA books, we got split POVs between Laila and Addie instead.
Let me tell you, I did not care for Laila’s POV. I already didn’t like her much in the first book, so getting half of this one worthy off filled with her uninteresting thoughts was not what I signed up for. And I just couldn’t bring myself to care about anything that happened to her. She’s the reason
By then I was pretty sure this book wasn’t going to turn out to be the nice fluffy, vaguely paranormal read that I wanted it to be.
I’m not sure if I let too much stuff pass in PP or if it was actually better than SS...But a lot of things grated me in SS that came from the premise so here goes.
First of all, Addie’s ability advances. Oh OK then. And you know what? SHE CAN SLOW DOWN TIME AND SAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE FALLING. Ring any bells yet? We get multiple sequences during which she somehow goes from one point to another, saving people and grabbing inanimate objects that are falling. Yep, Addie is god freaking damn Edward Cullen in disguise, casually saving the day when need be, slow mo at the ready! Good God girl, are you going to start sparkling in the sunlight next?
Speaking about Twilight-ish tendencies, there are an awful lot of similarities between these mind “paranormal abilities” and the Speshul Powers of the Speshul Vampires in Twilight.
And let’s not forget the inevitable “But…but…WHAT ARE YOU, YOU DEVIL-CHILD” from Trevor who just can’t believe his peep-holes as to what is happening in front of him.
Last but not least, there’s a “scared goodbye kiss” at the end. Yes, you know, like the ones where Bella feels like Edward is leaving her FOREVAH and the kiss is desperate and shit. That one. Yes well we get one of those here too, because life wouldn’t be fun otherwise.
So the cycle is complete. Rejoice.
As we all know, I am no Twilight fan and blatant reminders like this one didn’t help me get engaged in the book. Then (this I didn’t remember from Pivot Point, so I guess it’s partly my fault), Addie’s ability is described as Divergent? Really? There was no other term that could have corresponded to “seeing the two paths of the future that might happen”? COME ON. Divergent has to be the book series I despise the most but it’s still pretty well known in YA circles so you can’t tell me no one warned the author about this.
So after realizing quite early on that this was a mix of both twilight and divergent, the book was going to have a tough time eliciting more than a 1* rating from me.
Unfortunately, the downhill spiral didn’t stop there.
The writing I’d loved in TDBU suddenly stooped to new lows, like this gem:
There was something about her that crawled inside a person and built a nice comfy home there, her goodness expanding until it filled every limb
Can we take a moment here? What is this? There was really no other way of describing the fact that Addie is a good friend and person (a fact that’s actually pretty debatable but this isn’t about that)
And it doesn’t stop there, sometimes it’s not even in English anymore.
Stephanie’s waiting, which, by the way, you should really ask her to winter formal.
Did anyone bother to-reread this before it got published? Or am I just not understanding how the liaison between the two parts of the sentence is structured?
Which brings me to the editing of this book.
You see, in Pivot Point when Addie did Searches, they were in different chapters and since she couldn’t do Searches within Searches (holy inception ripoff, Batman!), we didn’t get to see her try more than one path in the same chapter.
No such thing in Split Second, bring out the confetti because IT HAPPENED. And it was awful. First of all, Addie doesn’t tend to remember that she has this ability (she’s much more impressed by her cool Edward saving stuff advanced ability so we get a lot of that, especially since she can’t control it) so whenever she has choices to make she just flounders about, hoping that someone else will decide in her place. But this one time, she does remember the whole point of the story and does A. Search. (not at the best of times because that would have been too convenient of course, she just wants to save her boyfriend, obviously).
And thus you get three times the same paragraph. Same beginning but slightly different ending. Except (I was already sort of skimming by that point) you get no warning and end up a little confused at to what’s happening. So you have the first Search. The second Search. And then The Reality.
That’s right ladies & gents, it wasn’t enough to basically rewrite Pivot Point without the “what if” for half of Split Second, but now we get three separate rewrites of the same fucking scene. My only question is: was the book so empty that it needed this? Well apparently yes. Never underestimate potential fillers.
Ugh, I’m getting annoyed at this book all over again so I’ll just list obvious plot-devices/incongruencies.
- And the Winner for Most Convenient Plot Device iiiiiiiiiiiiiiis *drum roll*: Laila can only restore memories while kissing the will they/won’t they brooding-but-not Connor dude. Hilarious.
- The grandparent storyline? I get where it was going with this and blah blah blah the Compound people are baaaaaad but it was so contrived and just didn’t work. Special mention at this line: “What do you mean? Do they think you’re dead or something” Uh, LOLZ Addie, pardon me if I got this wrong but
- Insta-friendship. See, this is a nice variation on insta-love. It happens when the main character arrives in a new town and suddenly, a secondary characters who appears to have NO FRIENDS just takes them under their wing and are forever calling the MC for outings such as shopping and parties and proms. Because that character had NO LIFE before the MC arrived.
- Laila abruptly realizing that mayyyybe seeing her would-be murderer woud be hard. Wow. Perceptive much? Guess someone has the wrong ability.
- SPESHUL MENTION number 2 when Laila and Addie are supposed to have this MEANINGFUL conversation about memories and it morphs into them talking about boys. BOYS. Because two teens who obviously have a lot of other issues at hand, just inevitably talk about boys. This doesn’t happen only this one time though. There are quite a few moments when the whole gang (why not) are in pretty big trouble and danger and yet they talk about completely mundane things, most of the time of the “but I have a crush on THAT GUY and not that one and omg is my nail polish chipped?” variety.
- Did you say convenient? I’ll give you convenient. Laila just happens to call right before Dead-or-maybe-not-Dead Grandpa was going to restore Addie’s memories. WELL THAT’S MIGHTY CONVENIENT INNIT. AND IT KEEPS COMING. SHE DOESN’T GIVE ANY INFO TO HER GRANDPA ABOUT WHY SHE ISN’T DOING IT ANYMORE. AND EVERYONE JUST GOES DO THEIR OWN THING WITH NO EXPLANATION WHATSOEVER.
- At some point (and it is the point everyone was waiting for, so it was a Pretty Big Deal,
-
- Storylines going nowhere fast: Laila basically selling her ability for money so she can afford to have Face teach her about restoring memories. Yep. Forgotten 2 seconds later for no valid reason, we could’ve just got to that point without it.
-
- Between Pivot Point and Split Second, Addie transforms into a whiny sobbing mess of an idiot and she fucking cries all the time for no reason and thank you for ruining a somewhat good character.
- Obligatory love triangle shenanigans…I was so far gone at this point I didn’t even care but when you top that with the unwelcome third part of the triangle *cough*Duke*cough*
- Interesting detail: Addie and Laila have their “chests that expand” whenever they kiss/are feeling happy about a boy. Um OK. How does that even work? Is it the heart or lungs or what? Excuse me but I have trouble picturing this, and also it bothers me when we get this from both main characters because it was hard enough to distinguish their “unique voices” thanks to the double POV.
- Ultimately, NOTHING ever matters since Laila can erase everything, Addie can slow down time and whatever, whatever, WHAT FUCKING EVER GAWWWWWWWWWWWD
I apologize, my feelings over this book took over and last capped sentence became my general response after about 10% of the book.
I’m pretty disappointed, to say the least. I’ll still read this author’s contemporary book coming out this year because TDBU still holds a special place in my reader heart but that’s it.
April 16, 2021
5 stars
Kasie West does it again! Oh my god, guys, I am so happy. I want to dance around and throw confetti in the air, because obviously I've officially found my author soul mate. This is Kasie's third book, and just like the other two, it gets 5 stars from me. I mean, there's auto-buy authors, and then there's please-can-I-stalk-you-and-maybe-marry-you authors, and that's kind of what Kasie West is becoming to me. *cough* Okay. Calm down, Debby. Cool it.
Split Second picks up right where Pivot Point left off, which, if you read the first one, you know was a pretty painful and heartbreaking cliffhanger. It took no time at all for me to be swept up in this book again. This time, there's no alternating timelines, but alternating perspectives between Addie and her awesome, too cool for words BFF Laila. Though this means that we see less of Addie and perhaps her personality doesn't shine through as well as it did in the first book, the addition of Laila is absolutely awesome. She's feisty and daring, and her love for Addie is so beautiful. Those two. BFFs guys. *cries*
I was on the edge of my seat from the beginning because obviously I couldn't wait to see Addie and Trevor reunited. How would it happen? How would they find each other again? The two still have such an amazing bond, and Trevor is seriously dreamy. I liked how the consequences of the first book played out. It was engrossing to read about and just... yes. It worked. It made sense. I love every bit of it.
And aside from the beauteous relationship between Addie and Trevor, this book gave us perhaps my favorite Kasie West ship yet: Laila and Connor. Oh my god guys. It's like Kasie writes romance just for me, because every single one of her couples gives me insane shippy feels. This one struck me in the first encounter. It's hate to love guys. HATE TO LOVE ROMANCE. *flails* They have such a good banter going on and are continuously having a battle of wit while secretly and unknowingly flirting. I was so invested in their relationship. Oh my god. It was just perfect. Perfect. No. Words.
But aside from the awesome ships and how Kasie West crafts the most awesome, human and relatable characters ever, the plot also packs a punch. This book is not only about Addie getting her memories back and being reunited with Trevor - as per Pivot Point there's something else happening beneath the surface. There was a subtle feeling of suspense the built up until the end of the novel. Something strange is happening to Addie's abilities, and she faces growing suspicion from the perhaps not so trustworthy Compound. While it wasn't as shocking or heartbreaking a mystery as in Pivot Point, it was incredibly interesting and engrossing.
The ending left me seriously satisfied. I was just so happy. I can't even really remember the last time I was this satisfied with a conclusion to a series. Addie's story is clearly wrapped up neatly here, and it was all kinds of adorbs. I love Laila's ending too, though there's some bittersweetness. I can tell that Kasie perhaps purposefully left the door open just a tad for a potential sequel, but at the same time, it really is an awesome conclusion, and it can stand on its own. In any case, it just worked.
Summing Up:
Kasie West gets me. She hits me straight in the feels every time. She just writes the most wonderful characters, emotions, and romance. I have hearts in my eyes right now, I can't even control myself. But while concentrating on all this loveliness, she doesn't let the plot or worldbuilding go by the wayside. Pivot Point is one of my favorite series ever, because it's just such a well-rounded, awesome series. Prepare to be reread multiple times, lovelies, and should there ever be a spin-off or continuation, I will be first in line to buy it.
GIF it to me straight!
Recommended To:
Obviously everyone. If you haven't read this series, I cannot recommend it enough.
Kasie West does it again! Oh my god, guys, I am so happy. I want to dance around and throw confetti in the air, because obviously I've officially found my author soul mate. This is Kasie's third book, and just like the other two, it gets 5 stars from me. I mean, there's auto-buy authors, and then there's please-can-I-stalk-you-and-maybe-marry-you authors, and that's kind of what Kasie West is becoming to me. *cough* Okay. Calm down, Debby. Cool it.
Split Second picks up right where Pivot Point left off, which, if you read the first one, you know was a pretty painful and heartbreaking cliffhanger. It took no time at all for me to be swept up in this book again. This time, there's no alternating timelines, but alternating perspectives between Addie and her awesome, too cool for words BFF Laila. Though this means that we see less of Addie and perhaps her personality doesn't shine through as well as it did in the first book, the addition of Laila is absolutely awesome. She's feisty and daring, and her love for Addie is so beautiful. Those two. BFFs guys. *cries*
I was on the edge of my seat from the beginning because obviously I couldn't wait to see Addie and Trevor reunited. How would it happen? How would they find each other again? The two still have such an amazing bond, and Trevor is seriously dreamy. I liked how the consequences of the first book played out. It was engrossing to read about and just... yes. It worked. It made sense. I love every bit of it.
And aside from the beauteous relationship between Addie and Trevor, this book gave us perhaps my favorite Kasie West ship yet: Laila and Connor. Oh my god guys. It's like Kasie writes romance just for me, because every single one of her couples gives me insane shippy feels. This one struck me in the first encounter. It's hate to love guys. HATE TO LOVE ROMANCE. *flails* They have such a good banter going on and are continuously having a battle of wit while secretly and unknowingly flirting. I was so invested in their relationship. Oh my god. It was just perfect. Perfect. No. Words.
But aside from the awesome ships and how Kasie West crafts the most awesome, human and relatable characters ever, the plot also packs a punch. This book is not only about Addie getting her memories back and being reunited with Trevor - as per Pivot Point there's something else happening beneath the surface. There was a subtle feeling of suspense the built up until the end of the novel. Something strange is happening to Addie's abilities, and she faces growing suspicion from the perhaps not so trustworthy Compound. While it wasn't as shocking or heartbreaking a mystery as in Pivot Point, it was incredibly interesting and engrossing.
The ending left me seriously satisfied. I was just so happy. I can't even really remember the last time I was this satisfied with a conclusion to a series. Addie's story is clearly wrapped up neatly here, and it was all kinds of adorbs. I love Laila's ending too, though there's some bittersweetness. I can tell that Kasie perhaps purposefully left the door open just a tad for a potential sequel, but at the same time, it really is an awesome conclusion, and it can stand on its own. In any case, it just worked.
Summing Up:
Kasie West gets me. She hits me straight in the feels every time. She just writes the most wonderful characters, emotions, and romance. I have hearts in my eyes right now, I can't even control myself. But while concentrating on all this loveliness, she doesn't let the plot or worldbuilding go by the wayside. Pivot Point is one of my favorite series ever, because it's just such a well-rounded, awesome series. Prepare to be reread multiple times, lovelies, and should there ever be a spin-off or continuation, I will be first in line to buy it.
GIF it to me straight!
Recommended To:
Obviously everyone. If you haven't read this series, I cannot recommend it enough.
July 25, 2015
A fast and fun finale to PIVOT POINT.
March 17, 2016
Originally posted on Super Space Chick:
**Warning! If you haven’t read Pivot Point which is the first book in the duology by Kasie West, there will be spoilers ahead. You can read my review of the first book instead if you haven’t started the series yet!**
Split Second by Kasie West is the second book in the Pivot Point duology and it is everything I wanted out of this story. Split Second picks up after the events of the first book, as if Addie has chosen to live with her mother and the events in that timeline have played out, and those in her father’s timeline have never happened. Needing an escape from the reality of the horrific timeline she chose, Addie decides to go and visit her father in the normal world for 6 weeks. Once again, Kasie West’s character, plot, relationships and writing had me completely engaged and I ended up loving Split Second.
Since Addie has left the compound but there are still important events going on there, the narrative switches between Addie and Laila (whereas in the first, each chapter was narrated by Addie in each possible timeline). I really loved getting more acquainted with Laila’s voice and becoming more familiar with the struggles she faces with her family and her guilt over Duke from her actions in Pivot Point. Laila gets entangled with some questionable people in Addie’s absence but it’s all in an attempt to help her best friend. The way Laila’s storyline plays out in Split Second is an exciting tale that’s the perfect mix of snark, charm and will have you feeling sympathetic. Plus, Laila gets a love interest. And an actual love interest, not just a boy she wants to make out with and then get rid of and it’s honestly the most adorable relationship ever. I ship them so hard<3
Meanwhile, in the norm world, Addie is dealing with her evolving powers and the fact that she has all of these memories and familiar feelings for people she is supposedly just meeting, most specifically of Trevor (her love interest in her dad’s timeline from Pivot Point). Suddenly, Addie develops the ability to manipulate time in a way she was never capable of before. She makes the mistake(?) of using those powers in front of Trevor several times, a serious infraction that the Compound would punish her for, and he begins to get suspicious of her. It’s so difficult to see them in anything other than a romantic relationship but I was just so happy they got to have more interaction because their relationship is so swoony. In Split Second, there’s another mystery afoot that’s keeping the stakes high throughout the story. Addie’s father has lied about something very important involving their family and they’re also being monitored by agents from the Compound. Things get SUPER intense and just like in Pivot Point, Kasie West will have you unable to put this second installment down until you know the truth.
Final Thoughts: Split Second is the conclusion to the Pivot Point duology by Kasie West and if you’re hesitant to read it because the first book is so perfect, fear not, Split Second completely honors it’s predecessor and the story lives up to that of the first installment. One major change is there is now a dual narrative between Addie in the norm world and Laila in the Compound. It’s a pleasure to spend time in Laila’s head as well and there is another mystery that’ll keep you completely engaged in the story. Kasie West’s characters are everything and you’ll be rooting for each of them (minus Duke) throughout the book. If you’ve read and loved Pivot Point but haven’t yet read Split Second, you absolutely must. It gives such a satisfying ending to Addie and Trevor’s story.
**Warning! If you haven’t read Pivot Point which is the first book in the duology by Kasie West, there will be spoilers ahead. You can read my review of the first book instead if you haven’t started the series yet!**
Split Second by Kasie West is the second book in the Pivot Point duology and it is everything I wanted out of this story. Split Second picks up after the events of the first book, as if Addie has chosen to live with her mother and the events in that timeline have played out, and those in her father’s timeline have never happened. Needing an escape from the reality of the horrific timeline she chose, Addie decides to go and visit her father in the normal world for 6 weeks. Once again, Kasie West’s character, plot, relationships and writing had me completely engaged and I ended up loving Split Second.
Since Addie has left the compound but there are still important events going on there, the narrative switches between Addie and Laila (whereas in the first, each chapter was narrated by Addie in each possible timeline). I really loved getting more acquainted with Laila’s voice and becoming more familiar with the struggles she faces with her family and her guilt over Duke from her actions in Pivot Point. Laila gets entangled with some questionable people in Addie’s absence but it’s all in an attempt to help her best friend. The way Laila’s storyline plays out in Split Second is an exciting tale that’s the perfect mix of snark, charm and will have you feeling sympathetic. Plus, Laila gets a love interest. And an actual love interest, not just a boy she wants to make out with and then get rid of and it’s honestly the most adorable relationship ever. I ship them so hard<3
Meanwhile, in the norm world, Addie is dealing with her evolving powers and the fact that she has all of these memories and familiar feelings for people she is supposedly just meeting, most specifically of Trevor (her love interest in her dad’s timeline from Pivot Point). Suddenly, Addie develops the ability to manipulate time in a way she was never capable of before. She makes the mistake(?) of using those powers in front of Trevor several times, a serious infraction that the Compound would punish her for, and he begins to get suspicious of her. It’s so difficult to see them in anything other than a romantic relationship but I was just so happy they got to have more interaction because their relationship is so swoony. In Split Second, there’s another mystery afoot that’s keeping the stakes high throughout the story. Addie’s father has lied about something very important involving their family and they’re also being monitored by agents from the Compound. Things get SUPER intense and just like in Pivot Point, Kasie West will have you unable to put this second installment down until you know the truth.
Final Thoughts: Split Second is the conclusion to the Pivot Point duology by Kasie West and if you’re hesitant to read it because the first book is so perfect, fear not, Split Second completely honors it’s predecessor and the story lives up to that of the first installment. One major change is there is now a dual narrative between Addie in the norm world and Laila in the Compound. It’s a pleasure to spend time in Laila’s head as well and there is another mystery that’ll keep you completely engaged in the story. Kasie West’s characters are everything and you’ll be rooting for each of them (minus Duke) throughout the book. If you’ve read and loved Pivot Point but haven’t yet read Split Second, you absolutely must. It gives such a satisfying ending to Addie and Trevor’s story.
April 15, 2015
It had been way too long since I have read Pivot Point before I started this so I went into it not quite remembering everything that happened before but still very much eager to start it. I loved Pivot Point and more importantly, I love West's book so regardless of knowing or remembering it all, I jumped right in without hesitation.
I just love Trevor and Addie but I have to say, Leila and Connor were every bit as fabulous.
I had my doubts on whether I would love getting a dual point of view between Addie and Leila, especially with all the things Leila had done in the first book, but this completely worked for me. I loved it and it made me once again team Leila.
I won't get into specifics because I don't want to give anything away but I loved this and gobbled it up. It had everything I loved about the first book and took it just a bit further with it's differences and dual POV bringing that much more insight into what was happening in the compound and with the norms.
I think this was a fabulous conclusion the the duology and I would love to see another book set in this world with these characters.
West has once again impressed me with her writing abilities and I will continue to read and buy everything she puts out.
I just love Trevor and Addie but I have to say, Leila and Connor were every bit as fabulous.
I had my doubts on whether I would love getting a dual point of view between Addie and Leila, especially with all the things Leila had done in the first book, but this completely worked for me. I loved it and it made me once again team Leila.
I won't get into specifics because I don't want to give anything away but I loved this and gobbled it up. It had everything I loved about the first book and took it just a bit further with it's differences and dual POV bringing that much more insight into what was happening in the compound and with the norms.
I think this was a fabulous conclusion the the duology and I would love to see another book set in this world with these characters.
West has once again impressed me with her writing abilities and I will continue to read and buy everything she puts out.
June 30, 2018
*3.75 TIMELESS STARS*
“My mom always tells me that if I feel like punching someone, first I have to say something nice to them. Out loud. If I still feel like punching them, they probably deserve it.”
Still a very good book but I liked this one slightly less than the first one.
The ending felt a bit rushed in my opinion.
I loved the alternating chapters from Laila and Addie's point of view. We got to know Laila so much better now, and I totally ship her with Connor!
“My mom always tells me that if I feel like punching someone, first I have to say something nice to them. Out loud. If I still feel like punching them, they probably deserve it.”
Still a very good book but I liked this one slightly less than the first one.
The ending felt a bit rushed in my opinion.
I loved the alternating chapters from Laila and Addie's point of view. We got to know Laila so much better now, and I totally ship her with Connor!
March 30, 2017
It's been a while that Addie and Laila were rescued from Bobby. Since then things only got worse.
Duke won't stop bothering her.
She still doesn't know what went down between him and Lila.
Her parents still getting divorced.
And what's worst of all, she doesn't remember anything about how her other live could've been. She thinks that it's really bad and that's why she decided to stay with her mother.
(If she listened to me, she wouldn't have this problems).
So when she visits her dad, she has no memory of Trevor or their relationship.
After her father takes her to a work related party, she meets Stephanie and they become friends and with that, her life collides with Trevors again.
Meanwhile Lila has read the letter that Addie gave her and she's on a mission to amplify her power so that she can return Addies memorys.
That brings her to the path of Connor who knows more than he prentends to do.
For me the first book could've be a stand alone with the story ending there and me beeing satisfied with it. This kinda felt unnecessary.
This doesn't mean that I didn't like it.
At first I was put off that we had 2 POVs instead of 1 like in the first book and I wasn't really into Lila's, but after awhile I got used to it and after Connor showed up, I loved it. (Probably because I loved Connor)
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Like her all her other books... this was fast paced and I went through the whole book in one sitting, but this one wasn't my favorite one.
I still would recommend this series to anyone who liked Kasie West's books.
She really did write a good paranormal series.
January 28, 2018
Loved this one more than the first book!!
Definitely not because of Trevor and the powers' development
Definitely not because of Trevor and the powers' development
September 29, 2014
OMG I <3 Kasie West forever and Trevor and Connor and Addie & Laila ... Just amazing.
I know you’re all dying to get your hands on this book… Pivot Point started as one of my favorite reads of the year, and 200plus books later it’s still at the top. I quickly realized how much love I had for Kasie West. I was so excited when I found out that there would be a book 2.
If you haven’t read Pivot Point, turn away. Now. My comments will probably spoil what happens because there is no way I can talk about Split Second without referring back to Pivot Point …
You’ve been warned.
Split Second picks up shortly after Pivot Point ends and is told from both Addie and Laila’s points of view.. Addie, if you remember is a searcher and she can see outcomes to a choice based on the options she has. Hopefully this will help her make the right decision. And she has made one… and then she made another choice that erased memories of the choice she didn’t take.
Spending her winter break with her dad in the norm world is the needed break she thinks she needs. But once she’s there she’s inundated with feelings of familiarity from people she’s never met... or has she?
But her original power has changed a bit and she’s finding out that many of the things her parents have told her aren’t exactly true and now she’s not entirely sure who she can trust.
And that’s all I’m going to say about that.
Reasons you should read these books other than flaily comments like ‘just do it.’ (which believe me, I have mastered that review type as well)
The Memories! It is so weird because at times, I had to remind myself about the circumstances of book 1… the idea that she wasn’t actually living the two different lives, simply making a choice between them. And yes, typically she would still have the memories of what had happened, but she doesn’t because of what Laila did for her. And that is just one thing that makes this unique. All those memories… they wouldn't necessarily be real to anyone but her, and so while we know all these people in the norm world … or think we know them, Addie doesn’t… not really. And they don’t know her. I think you’ll be very surprised about the differences between this book and the first.
Connor – I adore this guy. I know you’re all “who the hell is Connor?” But once you meet him, you’re going to love him too. *whispers* maybe more than Trevor? He and Laila butt heads quite a bit and she’s absolutely met her match with him. He’s a welcome addition to a wonderful cast of characters.
Laila – We sort of kind of got to know her in Pivot Point… but we definitely get to know her in Split Second especially since we get her point of view for half the book.
Trevor – He’s just as sweet as ever… and suspicious… but I’m not saying anything else about that either!
Obviously ALL the characters as you can see – West has a way of creating ones that jump off the page and make you want to be friends with them all… well maybe not Duke lol. It’s one of my favorite things about her books! I can't remember another book where I loved all the characters as much as this one.
The plot – I wasn’t sure where this one was going to go, especially because Pivot Point can completely stand alone. But West made this story completely unique and interesting and once I started I couldn’t put it down until I read the last page.
There were a lot of favorite moments in this story as evidenced by all my stickies in the book, but I did have some very favorite quotes:
From Trevor:
“My mom always tells me that if I feel like punching someone, first I have to say something nice to them. Out loud. If I still feel like punching them, they probably deserve it.”
From Connor & Laila:
“Thank You.”
“How’d those words taste in your mouth?”
“Awful.”
Once again, West creates a clever story filled with authentic characters and wonderful dialogue that you’re going to love. If you’re looking for a complete series (this is the last book in this one) that has a unique plot, kick ass girls, sweet and swoony guys, and a bit of romance all wrapped around some mystery and suspense this is the one for you.
Thank you to Kasie West for the advance copy … Best. Ever.
I know you’re all dying to get your hands on this book… Pivot Point started as one of my favorite reads of the year, and 200plus books later it’s still at the top. I quickly realized how much love I had for Kasie West. I was so excited when I found out that there would be a book 2.
If you haven’t read Pivot Point, turn away. Now. My comments will probably spoil what happens because there is no way I can talk about Split Second without referring back to Pivot Point …
You’ve been warned.
Split Second picks up shortly after Pivot Point ends and is told from both Addie and Laila’s points of view.. Addie, if you remember is a searcher and she can see outcomes to a choice based on the options she has. Hopefully this will help her make the right decision. And she has made one… and then she made another choice that erased memories of the choice she didn’t take.
Spending her winter break with her dad in the norm world is the needed break she thinks she needs. But once she’s there she’s inundated with feelings of familiarity from people she’s never met... or has she?
But her original power has changed a bit and she’s finding out that many of the things her parents have told her aren’t exactly true and now she’s not entirely sure who she can trust.
And that’s all I’m going to say about that.
Reasons you should read these books other than flaily comments like ‘just do it.’ (which believe me, I have mastered that review type as well)
The Memories! It is so weird because at times, I had to remind myself about the circumstances of book 1… the idea that she wasn’t actually living the two different lives, simply making a choice between them. And yes, typically she would still have the memories of what had happened, but she doesn’t because of what Laila did for her. And that is just one thing that makes this unique. All those memories… they wouldn't necessarily be real to anyone but her, and so while we know all these people in the norm world … or think we know them, Addie doesn’t… not really. And they don’t know her. I think you’ll be very surprised about the differences between this book and the first.
Connor – I adore this guy. I know you’re all “who the hell is Connor?” But once you meet him, you’re going to love him too. *whispers* maybe more than Trevor? He and Laila butt heads quite a bit and she’s absolutely met her match with him. He’s a welcome addition to a wonderful cast of characters.
Laila – We sort of kind of got to know her in Pivot Point… but we definitely get to know her in Split Second especially since we get her point of view for half the book.
Trevor – He’s just as sweet as ever… and suspicious… but I’m not saying anything else about that either!
Obviously ALL the characters as you can see – West has a way of creating ones that jump off the page and make you want to be friends with them all… well maybe not Duke lol. It’s one of my favorite things about her books! I can't remember another book where I loved all the characters as much as this one.
The plot – I wasn’t sure where this one was going to go, especially because Pivot Point can completely stand alone. But West made this story completely unique and interesting and once I started I couldn’t put it down until I read the last page.
There were a lot of favorite moments in this story as evidenced by all my stickies in the book, but I did have some very favorite quotes:
From Trevor:
“My mom always tells me that if I feel like punching someone, first I have to say something nice to them. Out loud. If I still feel like punching them, they probably deserve it.”
From Connor & Laila:
“Thank You.”
“How’d those words taste in your mouth?”
“Awful.”
Once again, West creates a clever story filled with authentic characters and wonderful dialogue that you’re going to love. If you’re looking for a complete series (this is the last book in this one) that has a unique plot, kick ass girls, sweet and swoony guys, and a bit of romance all wrapped around some mystery and suspense this is the one for you.
Thank you to Kasie West for the advance copy … Best. Ever.
February 1, 2014
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
There is a special place in my heart for those authors who can turn out quality book after quality book at a quick pace. Of course, I love the authors who write their beautiful novels slowly, but the Kasie Wests of the world, who can write two delightful, feels-inducing novels a year? They keep me in happy things to read, and I thank them for it. This is my third Kasie West book, and I feel like she can do no wrong with me. Split Second is every bit as fun, humorous and swoony as Pivot Point and The Distance Between Us.
Read the full review at A Reader of Fictions.
There is a special place in my heart for those authors who can turn out quality book after quality book at a quick pace. Of course, I love the authors who write their beautiful novels slowly, but the Kasie Wests of the world, who can write two delightful, feels-inducing novels a year? They keep me in happy things to read, and I thank them for it. This is my third Kasie West book, and I feel like she can do no wrong with me. Split Second is every bit as fun, humorous and swoony as Pivot Point and The Distance Between Us.
Read the full review at A Reader of Fictions.
May 3, 2015
Pivot Point is one of those books that could have done just fine as a well-written standalone novel, but, alas, as you could probably tell, that didn't happen. Split Second didn't feel as strong and original to me as its predecessor did, and I'm left wondering what it had to add to Addie's story that couldn't have just been squeezed into the first novel.
In Pivot Point, Addie's parents break the news to her that they're divorcing, and ask her to choose which parent she wants to live with. Now her choice is made, and Split Second is all about Addie dealing with the fallout and the consequences of the choice she made.
Throughout the story I couldn't help but shake the feeling of unoriginality in the plot. One of the highlights of Pivot Point was how original and unique the plot was compared to other YA books on the market, but I didn't feel the same way while reading Split Second. Typical dystopian and paranormal cliches - the utopian government feel, the constant running from the government - came into play here in an abundance, to the point that it almost felt like Kasie West used up all of her creative juice when writing Pivot Point, and she didn't have enough left to use here.
The addition of Laila (Addie's best friend)'s point of view in this story was something at first I didn't quite see the necessity of, but I found myself warming up to her quickly. She's got so much on her hands, and yet she still manages to be an amazing friend to Addie, always offering a smile and encouragement. The two are completely different - Laila is more outgoing and flirty while Addie is a bit more grounded and realistic - but their friendship is wonderful.
While I didn't quite like this as much as I did Pivot Point, I still found it to be an engaging and entertaining novel despite the cliches; and I'm sure fans of the first book will be entertained and swept away all the same.
February 14, 2014
3.5 stars - Spoilers
Most YA books are all essentially the same old story with the same old boring speshul snowflake heroine plodding along in her snowflakey way and being all insufferable and boring. In a lot of ways Split Second was no different to the usual YA but for some reason all the cliches and tropes came together and worked for me. The story was entertaining and easy to immerse into, the characters (bar one or two) didn't make me want to pull my hair out, and the dual POV and intertwining arc between the main protagonists (Addie and Laila) worked really well.
-I was convinced I wouldn't like Laila after what she did to Addie in the first book but she surprised me with how good a character she was. I actually preferred her to Addie's mousey Mary Sue personality, she had more attitude and layers. I especially loved how she didn't balk at using her powers to her own advantage, it was refreshing to read a heroine who embraced her powers and didn't get all moral about them. She was happy to use them if it meant she could get her way, there was no whiny-emo-ooh-I'm-such-a-bad-person nonsense. Laila did what she had to do and didn't apologise for it, it made for a nice change. Addie on the other hand was more the stereotypical YA heroine, but not as infuriating and irritating as most.
-Connor annoyed me with how he always had to have the upper hand and how he constantly judged Laila as some sort of spoilt brat when he didn't even know her. Just because she was confident and good looking didn't mean she had it easy, he was a judgmental git. He was more tolerable towards the end though, him and Laila started to get along and their relationship was actually fun to read about.
-I didn't like Trevor all that much, he was still a decent enough character but he wasn't quite as impressive this time around. He didn't even seem all that interested in Addie and the mention of all his exes just made him seem like the run of the mill YA manslut hero.
-Addie/Trevor were cute in Pivot Point but in this their romance was really one sided. Trevor obviously didn't remember Addie but she remembered everything that happened between them so yea, she was madly in love with him and he was barely in like with her… Which was realistic but also really unromantic. By the end I wasn't convinced that Trevor would eventually feel for her what she felt for him.
-What I enjoyed most was the strong friendship between Laila and Addie, they supported and respected each other. There was no jealousy, bitchiness, or pettiness between them — their friendship seemed natural and realistic. There should be more prominent female friendships like theirs in YA.
-I was impressed with Stephanie's portrayal, in Pivot Point she was the stereotypical YA shallow, jealous, bitter ex-girlfriend who hated the heroine for no real reason but in this she showed a different side, she was fleshed out, and she was actually a decent character instead of a one dimensional caricature.
-Duke was a slimy wanker but he was also rather entertaining. I thought he'd turn into a full on douche but he managed to sort of redeem himself somewhat at the end.
One thing I didn't get was why Duke manipulated Laila into wanting him in the first book. Did he like her? Did he want to use her for something? If he was in love with Addie why was he all over Laila at the end of Pivot Point? That whole cheating situation was never clarified.
-I wasn't all that impressed with the world building, everything that related to the compound and the various powers was poorly developed. I wanted more on the compound origins, the rules and structure, and the different people in the compound.
-The ending was rushed with the fake grandpa and the agents, it was also a little unclear at times what was going on.
I'm glad this was just a duology, I hate when series needlessly drag on forever. Pretty much everything of importance was tied up, and the characters and story were left in a good place.
Most YA books are all essentially the same old story with the same old boring speshul snowflake heroine plodding along in her snowflakey way and being all insufferable and boring. In a lot of ways Split Second was no different to the usual YA but for some reason all the cliches and tropes came together and worked for me. The story was entertaining and easy to immerse into, the characters (bar one or two) didn't make me want to pull my hair out, and the dual POV and intertwining arc between the main protagonists (Addie and Laila) worked really well.
-I was convinced I wouldn't like Laila after what she did to Addie in the first book but she surprised me with how good a character she was. I actually preferred her to Addie's mousey Mary Sue personality, she had more attitude and layers. I especially loved how she didn't balk at using her powers to her own advantage, it was refreshing to read a heroine who embraced her powers and didn't get all moral about them. She was happy to use them if it meant she could get her way, there was no whiny-emo-ooh-I'm-such-a-bad-person nonsense. Laila did what she had to do and didn't apologise for it, it made for a nice change. Addie on the other hand was more the stereotypical YA heroine, but not as infuriating and irritating as most.
-Connor annoyed me with how he always had to have the upper hand and how he constantly judged Laila as some sort of spoilt brat when he didn't even know her. Just because she was confident and good looking didn't mean she had it easy, he was a judgmental git. He was more tolerable towards the end though, him and Laila started to get along and their relationship was actually fun to read about.
-I didn't like Trevor all that much, he was still a decent enough character but he wasn't quite as impressive this time around. He didn't even seem all that interested in Addie and the mention of all his exes just made him seem like the run of the mill YA manslut hero.
-Addie/Trevor were cute in Pivot Point but in this their romance was really one sided. Trevor obviously didn't remember Addie but she remembered everything that happened between them so yea, she was madly in love with him and he was barely in like with her… Which was realistic but also really unromantic. By the end I wasn't convinced that Trevor would eventually feel for her what she felt for him.
-What I enjoyed most was the strong friendship between Laila and Addie, they supported and respected each other. There was no jealousy, bitchiness, or pettiness between them — their friendship seemed natural and realistic. There should be more prominent female friendships like theirs in YA.
-I was impressed with Stephanie's portrayal, in Pivot Point she was the stereotypical YA shallow, jealous, bitter ex-girlfriend who hated the heroine for no real reason but in this she showed a different side, she was fleshed out, and she was actually a decent character instead of a one dimensional caricature.
-Duke was a slimy wanker but he was also rather entertaining. I thought he'd turn into a full on douche but he managed to sort of redeem himself somewhat at the end.
One thing I didn't get was why Duke manipulated Laila into wanting him in the first book. Did he like her? Did he want to use her for something? If he was in love with Addie why was he all over Laila at the end of Pivot Point? That whole cheating situation was never clarified.
-I wasn't all that impressed with the world building, everything that related to the compound and the various powers was poorly developed. I wanted more on the compound origins, the rules and structure, and the different people in the compound.
-The ending was rushed with the fake grandpa and the agents, it was also a little unclear at times what was going on.
I'm glad this was just a duology, I hate when series needlessly drag on forever. Pretty much everything of importance was tied up, and the characters and story were left in a good place.
March 20, 2015
The first half was fabulous, the second one left me confused (too much convenience and I didn't actually buy the resolution). Anyways, a fun read with a lot of action and some interesting do-overs. :)
THE LOVE, LOVE, LOVE …
The characters are as great as before.
We get to see both Addie and Laila coping with what happened in the first book, we get to see their friendship shine through all that darkness. These two can not be any more different (and this goes also for their romances), but their friendship is really beautiful, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
Addie, Trevor, Laila and Conor are all adorable – I loved them as individuals, I also loved the first interactions inside the couples (Addie and Trevor’s first meetings, Laila making such a fool of herself).
The narration is as great as usually, you get lost into the story and can’t put the book down until the end. It has this urgent feel attached, it creates this need for you to read page after page in a hurry, still not wanting for the story to ever end.
The last bonus point comes from the fact that we get to punch Derek.. repeatedly – how cool is that, huh?
LOVE CAN CHANGE IN A SPLIT SECOND …
To love “Pivot Point” the way I did and having read “On the Fence” right before “Split Second” didn’t do me a lot of good. It’s just that the expectations were sky-high and the last impression was only of: “hmm, that much awesome development to end it in such a mess of a happy ending?”
Because yes, the ending was good nonetheless, but also it was the only thing I didn’t get to wrap my head around. It sounded too complicated and it had too many plot holes in it:
- convenience - the resolution was too quick - there was a lot of plot development until it wasn't anymore. It seemed like the author took the easiest path out of the complexity of her own story and I can say that I was not happy about it.
- there was too much personality switch in a particular character,I can't talk about it without major spoilers, so I will leave it at that.
- the romantic stories - though I loved the individual characters, their love stories didn't impress me much (which is a shame as Connor might be my favourite boy in this story and I was so eager to relive the romance between Addie and Trevor *sigh*)
- and what about the stairs-vision?
We did learn that Addie could manipulated time in some other ways, yes, but what was really its purpose (as it was some sort of one-time-only moment)? Somehow it felt like a convenient power never to be used again.
Final rating: 3.5 stars
Happy midnight reading!
*Find the full review at: ReadingAfterMidnight.com
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July 8, 2015
Split Second is the sequel to Pivot Point and it basically picks up right where that one left off. I have to admit that I was a bit nervous as to how this one would or even could possibly follow up Pivot Point. Plus, I wasn’t sure why we were getting Laila’s POV. I thought it might be kind of a repeat of the same story but in a different time frame, but thankfully Kasie West was able to add in so much more to the story.
It’s funny because I went into this sequel dying to find out what happens with Addie and Trevor, but I ended up a bit more attached to Laila’s storyline. My favorite part of this book wasn’t even the romance or learning about the paranormal compound; my favorite part was reading about Laila and Addie’s friendship. It is so rare that I read a really good girl-girl friendship in YA, if I do read a good friendship it’s almost always girl-guy or guy-guy. I love that Laila and Addie are willing to do anything for each other and the people they care about.
It was interesting to learn more about the compound and just how corrupted they really are. But other than that the plot wasn’t completely captivating. I think the characters and the entire concept of advanced mind powers were what made this duology so captivating to me.
It’s funny because I went into this sequel dying to find out what happens with Addie and Trevor, but I ended up a bit more attached to Laila’s storyline. My favorite part of this book wasn’t even the romance or learning about the paranormal compound; my favorite part was reading about Laila and Addie’s friendship. It is so rare that I read a really good girl-girl friendship in YA, if I do read a good friendship it’s almost always girl-guy or guy-guy. I love that Laila and Addie are willing to do anything for each other and the people they care about.
It was interesting to learn more about the compound and just how corrupted they really are. But other than that the plot wasn’t completely captivating. I think the characters and the entire concept of advanced mind powers were what made this duology so captivating to me.
April 30, 2015
5 Reasons I Can’t Believe You’re Reading This When You Could Be Reading Split Second:
1. Trevor.
Trevor is amazing. He’s one of those all-around super-fantastic, incredibly nice guy book boyfriends (you know, the Levis and Hectors and Tuckers and have I mentioned how much I love this trend?) He’s kind of the best thing ever and should be enough to pick up the book right there.
If you need further reasoning (though, seriously, Trevor) head over to Cuddlebuggery.
1. Trevor.
Trevor is amazing. He’s one of those all-around super-fantastic, incredibly nice guy book boyfriends (you know, the Levis and Hectors and Tuckers and have I mentioned how much I love this trend?) He’s kind of the best thing ever and should be enough to pick up the book right there.
If you need further reasoning (though, seriously, Trevor) head over to Cuddlebuggery.
Want to read
March 18, 2013OMG PLEASE COME SOONER PLEASE COME SOONER PLEASE COME SOONER PLEASE COME SOONER PLEASE COME SOONER. I like to think I'm not a beggar when it comes to waiting for highly anticipated books, but I PHYSICALLY NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT FOR ADDIE & TREVOR. Like, YESTERDAY.
P.S. Kasie, I have a total author-crush on you. <333333 (':
P.S. Kasie, I have a total author-crush on you. <333333 (':
June 14, 2015
So I have now read all books released by Kasie West so far. I've loved them all and gave them all 5 stars because she never ceases to amaze me with her writing and plot lines.
I fall in love with her characters.
Split Second was not a disappointment.
I enjoyed how the duology was finished, and it gave me a satisfied feeling.
I can't wait to see what she brings next.
I fall in love with her characters.
Split Second was not a disappointment.
I enjoyed how the duology was finished, and it gave me a satisfied feeling.
I can't wait to see what she brings next.
May 12, 2016
Great sequel. I knew the plot line of the first book before reading it but had no clue where this one was headed. Held my attention and I loved both Addie & Laila's storylines. Kasie West is on my favorite author list for sure.
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