SPLIT SECOND by Kasie West

Rating: A+
Synopsis:
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 on the book:
Split Second, the follow-up to Pivot Point, which was one of my favorite books of the year last year, did not disappoint. I'll admit that I was almost afraid to read this sequel because every sequel I have been reading lately hasn't lived up to the rest of the series. This book was incredible, though, and I could not put it down. The alternating points-of-view between Addie and Laila worked seamlessly; each character had her own voice that shined through. The pacing was spot-on, and the descriptions were fantastic. West is quickly becoming one of my favorite YA authors.

Normally I'm not a huge fan of switching points-of-view, mainly because it's hard for authors to do it right. It is difficult to give multiple characters unique voices, and the transition between chapters is often bumpy and unnatural. West, however, executes this perfectly, and both Addie and Laila have their own voices and own journeys to take. Laila's character development surprised me. I wasn't sure I'd be able to relate to her very well, but it turns out that she's not at all what she seems. By reading from her perspective, I could see why Addie adored her so much. I found myself rooting for Laila after a chapter or two, and I was happy to see her grow into the person she became. I loved Addie in the last novel, and this one was no different. She's a bit more emotional this time because her memory is gone, but she and Trevor still have amazing chemistry. I also absolutely adored Trevor. He is one of the best YA male leads I've read, and more authors should create characters like him. 

This story was fast-paced, which made me unable to put this book down. I was up all night reading and was sad when the book ended. The world-building was also extremely well-done, and I could clearly understand and picture the differences between the Compound and Norm worlds. West also goes a step further and shows the price paid for living within a Utopian-style world. In order to have perfection, or near perfection, one must give up one's freedom. The author did an excellent job for showing the motivation behind the government's reasoning instead of completely making them seem power-hungry and without conscience. This added human element contrasted nicely with the lengths they would go to in order to keep their community "safe." 

Overall I'd recommend this book and series to anyone. There are paranormal and sci-fi elements for people like me who love that, but it's not so heavily sci-fi/paranormal that it wouldn't appeal to those who also love contemporary. The story itself is unique and the world-building is fantastic. The characters are flawed and real and grow throughout the course of the novel. This is one series that can't be missed. 

Buy Split Second today!