Review: Split Second by Kasie West

Split Second (Pivot Point #2) by Kasie West
360 Pages
Release Date: February 11th, 2014
Publisher: HarperTeen
Genre: Paranormal
Rating: 5 STARS

Goodreads Summary:
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.

MY THOUGHTS:
       I can't even express my love for all things Kasie West. And THIS BOOK. Refreshing, exhilarating, and all too cute, Split Second already had me hooked even before I opened the book and it's a book you do not want to miss reading. I did miss the "Norm" and "Para" alternating chapters that was used in Pivot Point but I did enjoy reading Laila's point of view and seeing how both of their loves affect one another is crazy awesome. Like I did in my other review for Pivot Point I'm going to split my review between Addie's life and Laila's life so it's more organized and easier to understand.
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ADDIE:
      Once I started reading Split Second I was basically already squealing and just fangirling over how she was going to meet Trevor and basically it was amazing. So. Many. Sparks. I love how both of them have this kind of familiarity and get along as well as they did before. Having her fall back into being friends with Rowan and Trevor without her having her memories back just shows who she is and it was nonetheless entertaining to have her and Trevor become friends again and start falling for each other. I love how much her life intertwines with Trevor's. I do wish there was a bit more of Trevor in the book. I mean he was there for a lot of it but not as interactive in a way that I hoped. There's so much I want to talk about but I can't do that without literally ruining the entire book but I will add that there's definitely was a lot more family drama that strained her relationship with her father through the book. The Compound is something that is most definitely a topic that is unraveled as learn more of what it does and how it works.
     
LAILA:
      Having Laila's point of view was something I was iffy about reading about. With what happened in Pivot Point it was a bit odd and I really didn't like the way she kept the letter that she was supposed to give Addie and for the first few chapters in her POV I was still debating whether she was someone who I would like. And boy did she redeem herself. I lover her spunk and how she contrasts from Addie, the way she grounds her family and takes care of them, and her determination to help restore Addie's memory. 

     Then she meets Connor. The one who's memory she can't erased. The one who isn't charmed by her looks. The guy she doesn't have control over. The one who for the first time is the guy she needs.  I LOVE their banter and how alike both Connor and Laila are yet how different they are as well. And no matter how much Laila would rather have nothing to do with Connor, she needs him. He knows that she knows that and it's hilarious seeing someone that could outdo Laila :P Both have their own family issues and they just click. They're able to understand one another on a personal level and they're so stubborn yet adorable. And seeing Connor's love for Norm history and technology really emphasizes how different the world is between the Para and the Norm. I also loved learning and seeing more of Laila's brothers and her close relationship to them.
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      Duke's role in the story came as a shock since I really didn't even expect him to be apart of the book as much as he was. He's not a character that I could entirely hate as much as I want because of some of his actions and how he does eventually help them even though he technically was the cause of the problem. I'm not a huge fan of how much they use their power like with Laila and how she erases people's mind if things don't go the way she plans or Duke and his mood controlling albeit helpful at times, I would hate someone controlling my emotions. But it's probably just me and my norm ways.

     Kasie West definitely met my expectations and Split Second is one I recommend to every YA reader. The suspense, the thrill, the romance, and the paranormalness of it all is definitely something that should attract YA readers. If you loved/liked Pivot Point, Split Second will blow you away with it's awesomeness.
A definite must reads. Happy Readings!