The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith Book Review

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
US Release Date: January 2nd 2012
Publisher: Poppy/Little Brown
Author Info:
Source: Purchased through Amazon
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Rating: 5 out of 5
Buy It: Amazon / Barnes and Noble


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Plot: The plot for this novel is very simple. It's about a boy and girl who are both going through a rough time in their life and they meet on a plane and fall in love but also help each other. It's simple but it's still thought-provoking and there are a couple surprises and twists and turns that you don't expect. In the plot you get the perfect balance of romance, comedy, and depth.


Pacing: Even though this book takes over a 24 hour period it doesn't seem like it. The pacing is swift but not so fast you read through it and don't remember what's going on. It's a nice even pace the keeps you moving but takes the perfect amount of time to let you think about Hadley and Oliver and their situations. 


Characters: The main character, Hadley, is exactly like a real person. She makes mistakes, she is sometimes selfish, and can loose her temper. But you also see that she is loving and kind and you understand the hurt she has felt because of her father's leaving. She's a normal girl with normal thoughts and hopes and doubts and it is very easy to relate to her even if you haven't gone through what she has gone through.
Oliver is also a real person. He is not the perfect, charming, flawless guy that you see too often in young adult fiction. He is kinda quirky, a little weird, sometimes gets a bit befuddled or looses his temper. But he is still nice and handsome (in a human way not an unearthly vampire/greek god/faery sort of way).
The chemistry between Hadley and Oliver is the kind of chemistry I think almost every girl would love. It's not fueled by physical passion but more like understanding and friendship and the fact that they truly click. They laugh and joke and talk about serious things. They don't just stare intensely into each others eyes but get to know one another like normal people.
All the minor characters also seem like actual human beings, not card board cut outs that just stand around for a while. They also all play an important part within the plot and Hadley's and Oliver's life.


Writing: The writing was masterful. Its told through Hadley's POV but you still see how she interacts with the world around her and how it acts towards her. Smith makes everything very easy to visualize and understand exactly what Hadley is thinking.


Overall: I adored this book! It's basically the perfect romantic dramedy in book form. The romance was sweet, the characters were easy to relate to, and it was light hearted with just the right amount of depth to make you think. Hadley and Oliver's relationship just makes you smile because they are so incredibly adorable and even though it takes place over 24 hours it still seems like something that could happen in real life. (Sigh. I was on a plane shortly after reading this but I didn't meet any hot and nice British guy.)
I haven't read any of Smith's other books but after reading this I definitely think I will check it out. She has incredible talented and has created a truly lovable characters that are flawed and hopeful and put them in a romance the just makes your heart flutter.

5 out of 5 stars

Should you read it?

Yes!

If you love romantic comedies that make you smile, laugh, cry, and think then this is definitely the book for you.

Should you buy it?

Yes! Not only is the story great but the cover is beautiful as well.