Review: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer Smith
Release Date: January 2012
Publisher: Hachette | Poppy
Pages: 256 pages
Source & Format: Birthday gift; Kindle e-book
Amazon | Goodreads
Summary (from Amazon)
Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. She's stuck at JFK, late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon to be step-mother that Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's in seat 18C. Hadley's in 18A.
Twists of fate and quirks of timing play out in this thoughtful novel about family connections, second chances and first loves. Set over a 24-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it.
Thoughts on The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
I kept seeing reviews of this book popping up on some of the different book blogs I love, and the title kept catching my eye. I mean, seriously, how can you go wrong with such a fun, mouthful of a title? Then, I kept passing it in Target, which only made me want to read it more (Target is magical like that - it makes you want to buy stuff). Thankfully, my sweet friend got it for me for my birthday.
Even though I have tons of books of my to-read list, this book automatically got bumped to the front of the stack. Why? Did you see how adorable it looks? Now that I've finally read it, I'm happy to say that it lived up my my expectations. In fact, I think it passed them! This book was adorable.
Hadley is on her way to her father's second wedding - until she misses her plane by four minutes. Four minutes. That's all it takes for things to turn around. When she meets Oliver, a cute British boy headed in the same direction, she's got no idea what the next 24 hours will hold.
I don't believe in love at first sight, so I was worried that this book would be all insta-love. But, thank goodness, it's not! This goes beyond the lame "He's-cute-and-I'm-only-attracted-to-his-looks" kind of stuff that sometimes pops up in young adult novels.
I loved the dialogue. I highlighted numerous portions of this book because it was just that good. I loved the references to Charles Dickens' Our Mutual Friend, as well as Hadley's realizations about the role of books in her relationship with her father. I didn't know that family was going to play such a huge role in the story. Hadley's feelings for her dad have been put through the ringer after her parent's divorce, and I think this story added some depth (and a little sad reality) to the novel.
I didn't love every decision the characters made, including a few by Hadley. However, that didn't stop me from falling in love with this little novel. It's a very quick read, and certainly not anything groundbreaking, but it is a wonderful way to pass a few hours. Trust me, you'll be gushing too.
So Quotable
"But though she's told a longer version of the story a thousand times before to a thousand different people, she gets the feeling that Oliver might understand better than anyone else. It's something about the way he's looking at her, his eyes punching a neat little hole in her heart. She knows it's not real: it's the illusion of closeness, the false confidence of a hushed and darkened plane, but she doesn't mind."
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