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

The Statistical Probability of Love at First SightThe Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
Published by: Little Brown Books for Young Readers on January 2, 2012
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 236
Source: Purchased
Buy on AmazonBook Details
Rating: ★★★★½

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.

Well this book was adorable! ..And not nearly as cute and fluffy as I thought it was going to be. It had a more serious undertone, that I really enjoyed!

I was nervous going into this book. I mean, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight. Love at first sight? Doesn’t that sound like insta-love? But miraculously, this book was nothing like insta-love. I suppose it probably helps that the entire book takes place over a period of 24 hours, so even though it’s a short amount of time, it feels like a long time to the reader. But contrary to what I was expecting, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight wasn’t all hearts and daisies.

This book takes on one of the saddest topics: divorce. And not just divorce, but watching your father move on and start a new life with a new woman. That’s absolutely terrifying! The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight takes us through Hadley’s relationship with her father and her reluctance to accept his new life and fiancée. I really felt for Hadley. I know divorce is a sad topic, but man, I really got invested in her fears and disappointments. I was mad at her father the same way she was, and then maybe a little forgiving towards the end.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith - Love isn't supposed to make sense.  It's completely illogical.

On top of that, we have a sweet and tender romance. This book really is about two people meeting on pure chance, and then unknowingly supporting each other through monumental events in their lives. And by the end we didn’t have two people proclaiming their undying love for each other (like insta-love). We just had two people who were so happy to have met each other. There’s something special about just being so grateful for another person’s presence and support.

It was so easy to get lost in The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight. The writing was thoughtful and meaningful, and full of highlight-able passages. This book was everything I hoped it would be, and it certainly lives up to the hype! I seriously don’t know why it took me so long to read it. If you’ve thought about it but haven’t gotten to it yet, dive right in! Now!

The Verdict

lovedit

Photo of Ashley
I'm a 30-something California girl living in England (I fell in love with a Brit!). My three great passions are: books, coding, and fitness. more »

Don't miss my next post!

Sign up to get my blog posts sent directly to your inbox (plus exclusive store discounts!).

You might like these

30 comments

    1. I liked Statistical Probability a little better, but I still really enjoyed both! I gave Happy 4 stars (as opposed to 4.5).

    1. Lol I totally know the feeling. That happens to me sometimes too. I guess sometimes a book just isn’t your thing, even if everyone else does love it! There have been a few times for me where people rave and rave about a book and I read the synopsis like 6 times but it just never sounds like my kind of thing, so I don’t read it. It does make me wonder if I should just give it a try though…

  1. I absolutely couldn’t agree more. And I like that you put a name to their “love” and so well described it because it’s important that people who haven’t read it understand that this is so not insta-love. Smith writes it in a way that leaves a future, however uncertain, for Hadley and Oliver. It just felt so realistic! Great review. : )

    Jessie Marie @ The Daily Bookmark recently posted: Embrace by Jessica Shirvington
    1. Exactly! It’s not like we get a show to an entire romance and see a “happily ever after”. Instead, it’s like we get a great, in-depth introduction to what will hopefully be an awesome relationship. By the time it ends, it’s still just the beginning, but it leaves off on a really great and satisfying note.

  2. Aww yay, loved this review. I’ve had this on my TBR for a while, was actually going to pick it up today but put it down as I just splurged on Arclight and Golden. Will defo pick it up soon!

    Danielle recently posted: Waiting on Wednesday #12
    1. I keep hearing amazing things about Golden! I’m dying to read that one. ๐Ÿ˜€

    1. I was exactly the same way. I was nervous because I was afraid that the 24 hours would mean insta-love. But I think the great thing about this book is that it’s not about a romance that leads to love. It’s about the beginnings of a romance and taking chances in life. So even when we get to the end it’s not corny “I love you so much!!” it’s just two people who are eager to give things a shot, and we get the sense that it’s only the beginning of their journey.. rather than a whole life story crammed into 24 hours, if that makes sense!

  3. Oh yay I’m so happy you loved this one! I felt the same way about it, and I agree, the romance is so sweet and it’s not anything like insta-love, even though you think it is. It’s kind of like the beginning of a healthy relationship right? ๐Ÿ™‚ Divorce is a pretty sad topic too, Jennifer is just an amazing writer. I hope you like her other book (This is What Happy Looks Like I think?) if you haven’t read it already.

    Fantastic review, Ashley!

    PSโ€”I love that “Your Rating” thing you have below the rating you gave it! It’s just so cool!

    Eileen @ Singing and Reading in the Rain recently posted: Transparent by Natalie Whipple
    1. That’s exactly right! The end of the book isn’t like “We are so in love, happily ever after.” Instead, it’s the beginning of something that could be great, and the book is all about taking chances in order to make that “beginning” happen.

      And thanks so much! ๐Ÿ™‚

  4. So glad you liked this Ashley! I haven’t read it yet, planning on doing so when I’m on break but I love how it wasn’t instalove yay! I’ve heard it touches quite a bit on divorce so I’m curious to see how Smith handles it. Great review ๐Ÿ˜€

  5. I loved this one, and I so appreciated that it wasn’t all about the romance (despite the title!) I always appreciate an author who offers complex characters whose lives are filled with friends, families, etc. It was well done; like you, I got really invested in her and her dad’s story. Can’t wait to read more from the author!

  6. OH YAAAAAY!!!!! I am glad you liked this one!! I have been wanting to get my hands on it for a while now. It looks adorbs! And I’m so glad you think so! Yes, I’ve heard lots of thoughts on the AT FIRST SIGHT part. But I think it’s all probably and I’m glad this book does a good job of making it work! Woot! I have been such a sucker for adorable contemporaries lately. (gosh, all of May has been full of these reviews.) haha. I need this one!

    Awesome-sauce review Asheybaby!!
    <33333 yer Inkykins

    Inky recently posted: ARC Review: Transparent

Recent Posts

    Random Posts