Gimme a Call - Sarah Mlynowski

Goodreads summary:

A new life is just a phone call away!

Devi's life isn't turning out at all like she wanted. She wasted the past three years going out with Bryan—cute, adorable, break-your-heart Bryan. Devi let her friendships fade, blew off studying, didn't join any clubs . . . and now that Bryan has broken up with her, she has nothing left.

Not even her stupid cell phone—she dropped it in the mall fountain. Now it only calls one number . . . hers. At age fourteen, three years ago!

Once Devi gets over the shock—and convinces her younger self that she isn't some wacko—she realizes that she's been given an awesome gift. She can tell herself all the right things to do . . . because she's already done all the wrong ones! Who better to take advice from than your future self?

Except . . .what if getting what you think you want changes everything?

Fans of Sarah Mlynowski's Magic in Manhattan series will love this hilarious novel with a high-concept premise.


My review:

4/5

I think that the concept of this book is fantastic. I always wonder about the impact of a simple choice, so books about the different lives a person could be living because of some decisions they make are must-reads for me. This one is different from everything else I've read, so I was really interested about it and I wasn't disappointed.

I loved how the younger and the older Devi felt like two different people - which they are, in a way. They're the same person, but their life experience makes them two separate people, which we often forget about our younger self. This book really made me realize how much a person, including myself, can change in a few years only. Also, I've always wondered about what I would think of my older self and vice-versa, so seeing something like that in a book was very interesting to me.

Although it's not explained all that much, I loved seeing the relationship aspect of this book. Devi's relationship with Bryan has done bad things to her life, but it's not all black or white. Through this experience, older Devi learns a lot about life and about her relationships with everyone around her, which was nice, since it's like her younger self taught her a few things. I do wish that we could have seen more of Bryan, since 1) he seems dreamy, and 2) he's from Québec, where I live. I wasn't expecting that, but it made me like him even more. His relationship with Devi sounds pretty intense because of how much in love they are, but I would have loved to see some of it, because it sounds extraordinary.

I loved this novel more and more as I continued reading it, so I would absolutely recommend it. It's not too serious, but it makes you think about your choices in the present, but also in the future. I'll make sure to look up the author's other novels now, since it's the first one I read from her!

Pivot Point (Pivot Point #1) - Kasie West

Goodreads summary:

Knowing the outcome doesn't always make a choice easier... 

Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.

In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through... and who she can’t live without.


My review:

4/5

When Kasie West writes a book, you read it, obviously. Because Kasie West is Kasie West, and her books are simply amazing. Well, you know what? This book's no exception. Although it isn't my favourite, I still enjoyed reading it, which isn't a surprise. 

The universe created by West is really intriguing. I didn't know much about it before I started reading, but it's easy to understand and I became interested in it after a couple of pages only. Having powers such as this population does sounds awesome, even though they're not always using them to do something good. I'm not sure if I would like to have Addie's ability, but it can truly be useful, which we realize later in the story. I liked seeing both versions of the future and how they had similarities, because some actions are not influenced by her choices. It's interesting to see how one choice can affect your future, because although this is all fictional, it's the same in real life. Laila's ability is great and I think it really suits her rebellious side, which completed her personality, in my opinion. Some of their abilities sounded plain scary to me, especially the ones messing with the others' brains and feelings, because I'm all about honesty and authenticity and being influenced by someone without realizing it is pretty much the opposite. I wouldn't want to live in such a world, but it's definitely nice to imagine. 

I loved the characters I discovered in this book. Addie and Laila's friendship is amazing and it reminded me of my own with my best friend, which made me relate even more later in the story. Personality-wise, I'm kind of similar to Addie, so some of her reactions were the ones I would've had and it made me get into the story even more. As for the love interests, my choice was very clear and I'm glad it didn't change later on, because I hate when this happens. I do wish this book had been more about how you can have a great future with two different people, like I thought it would be, because I believe that love can be just a matter of timing and that your love life could be completely different yet perfect because of one choice you made. 

I wasn't expecting the plot to be that way, but I really enjoyed the way it went. It was different from Kasie West's usual genre, but I could still find similarities that I enjoyed. My only problem with the story is probably how, after the initially surprising turn of events, many things turned out to be predictable. While it's the good kind of predictable in her other YA novels, it wasn't really in this book, because the whole point of the story was to know what would happen, where the point of her YA stories is usually to see how everything happens, if that makes sense. I still got a few surprises, but there was an entire part that I had guessed would happen, which means it must have been really predictable, since I'm not one to predict right, usually. 

In the end, I had a really nice time reading and I had to start the second book, especially since I wanted to know more about Laila (she's amazing!). As always, I recommend Kasie West's books!