Review: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
Title: The Statistical Probability of Love at First SightAuthor: Jennifer E. Smith
Series: None
Publisher: Poppy, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company
Publication Date: January 2, 2012
Pages: 236
Format/Source: Hardback/Borrowed from Library
Age Group/Genre: Young Adult/Contemporary, Romance
Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?
Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan’s life. Having missed her flight, she’s stuck at JFK airport and late to her father’s second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother 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 sitting in her row.
A long night on the plane passes in the blink of an eye, and Hadley and Oliver lose track of each other in the airport chaos upon arrival. Can fate intervene to bring them together once more?
Quirks of timing play out in this romantic and cinematic novel about family connections, second chances, and first loves. Set over a twenty-four-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver’s story will make you believe that true love finds you when you’re least expecting it. (Photo and synopsis from Goodreads)
Where to Begin?
I really don’t know what to say about this book. I’d say I’m at a loss for words, but I’m really not, I just don’t know how to articulate how wonderful this book is. But I’ll try.
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight is beautifully written, is full of extremely complex and compelling characters, it’s my kind of love story, and it has some fantastic themes woven within the pages. I love how the story isn’t just about two teenagers who meet on a plane and fall in love, but it’s also about family and forgiveness, while also having strong themes of time throughout. Carpe diem, time management, and how a few moments can change anything are all themes of time that Jennifer E. Smith has incorporated into this book, and she does it beautifully.
I know I’ve said before that I don’t really like books that are mostly all about the romance, but I think I have to eat my words. This novel is, at its core, a YA romance novel. But like I said above, it also has multiple other themes and story lines as well. But really, it is pretty much a straight-forward love story. So I’m not sure why some love stories really don’t appeal to me, while others, like The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, Anna and the French Kiss, and Lola and the Boy Next Door, make me swoon and want to hug the books and marry the leading men.
And speaking of leading men, Oliver has definitely become one of my book boyfriends, along with Cricket from Lola and the Boy Next Door and Hale from Heist Society. I also really liked most of the other characters, like Hadley, and her dad. I LOVED Hadley’s dad. He definitely had made some mistakes in his life, but he really was a wonderful father and I love it when I come across great parental figures in YA books, because they’re so few and far between!
I also really loved the banter between Hadley and Oliver. It reminded me a lot of how some of my friends and I talk to each other. I especially loved the part when they see a fly on the plane and Hadley wonders if the fly thinks “he’s flying really fast,” and says, “He’s probably psyched to be making such good time.” It really made me laugh out loud because I’ve had conversations like that before.
Great Quotes…
I really loved A LOT of lines from this book, so it was hard to narrow it down to just a few to share, but here are some of my favorite lines from The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight:
Disclaimer: I borrowed a copy of this book from my library. I was in no way compensated for this review.
And be sure to check out my His Dark Materials Readalong + Giveaway with Jessie from The Daily Bookmark, going on now! We’d love for you to join us–it’s not too late!
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Becky
September 17, 2012 at 3:36 pmI love this book too. One of the top books of this year. Glad to see you enjoyed it too.
Becky @ A Reader’s Devotion
Bittner
September 17, 2012 at 5:04 pmthis book is definitely on my list of books to be read before the end of the year! I just hope I can get to it soon because I've been wanting to read it for so long. I'm really glad that you liked it too!
Andrea @ Cozy Up
September 17, 2012 at 5:37 pmI still have yet to read this book, even though everyone I talk to recommends it. The story sounds so cute, I'm glad that you are loving these books. I hope to read this one before her new book comes out next year.
Kate@Midnight Book Girl
September 17, 2012 at 11:24 pmI do need to read this…someday! Isn't it funny, I usually have an easier time writing about books that I didn't love, but it's far harder to express why I absolutely loved a book. I'm always afraid that I won't do the book justice!
Jessie Marie
September 18, 2012 at 2:51 pmI'm so glad you enjoyed this one. I hadn't really made up my mind on whether I wanted to read it or not but I think I might have to now. : ) So I just ordered it for my Kindle! Great review, as always!
Kimberly @ On the Wings of Books
September 19, 2012 at 3:48 pmI'm so glad you loved this one, as I did too! Even though there is romance in the book some of the best stuff in the book was the relationships of the family and how to deal with stuff and that's what made this romance book way better than other romance books :)
fakesteph
September 21, 2012 at 2:49 pmYou're right… for a book that is mostly about romance, which I don't usually like, this one just… sigh, it makes my heart so happy. I love Oliver and I'm glad that you finally got around to reading it!