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

Title: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

Author: Jennifer E. Smith

Publisher: Poppy/Little Brown

Pages: 236 hardcover

My Rating: 5/5 Stars

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. 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.

Let me start off by saying I was a bit nervous for this book. I already knew I loved the cover and I thought the title was so adorable (even if it is a bit of a tongue twister.) With the first two things being insta-love for me, I wasn’t so sure the story within the pages would quite live up to the greatness I was making it out to be. But never fear fellow book lovers!!! I should have known it would turn out to be this lovely, incredible, and surprisingly deep novel.

When we first meet Hadley she is one moody girl, but who can really blame her? Her family is kind of in shambles and it seems as though her dad has moved away to create a whole new life without her. Yeah, that’s what I consider a total suck-fest. But even though Hadley has her moments in which she lashes out at her parents, she is still a fun, snarky girl that I think A LOT of readers can relate to. If not for her personality, then for at least what she is going through. Divorce is never easy on anyone involved. It is as Hadley sits in an airport wondering just why she needs to be flying off to London for her dad’s wedding, one she is still not too happy about, that we first get a sense for how hurt she is. However, missing her flight to London by just 4 minutes, miss moody-pants meets a boy who will change her life. That’s right folks, all it takes is a day of these two strangers being together for things to completely change for her. And do you want to know what the most shocking part of this is? Every last second, every detail of their relationship is believable. As unlikely as it may seem, I found myself rooting for Hadley and this boy throughout the entire story!

You may be wondering who this mystery boy is that makes such a great impression on our dear Hadley. He is none other than Oliver. Let’s get this straight, Oliver is cah-ute. Oliver has an accent which makes Oliver irresistible to 99.9% of girls. Oliver seems to understand Hadley a bit more than she can understand herself. Oliver is yet another one of my fictional crushes. In short (or not so short, depending on how you look at it) Oliver is a very caring, kind individual that can sense how badly Hadley is hurting and he makes her feel better. He brightens her mood and gets her to relax for the first time in a while. I think that is the main reason why I fell so in love with these two so quickly. They just seemed to click; they were able to be comfortable around one another from the very first second they met.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight takes place over one day. Throughout this day, by chance, by luck, and sometimes by sheer force of will, Oliver and Hadley continue to cross paths. Call it what you may but I choose to call it fate. Sometimes when you are meant to be with somebody or at the very least be affected by somebody, then fate steps in and does what it must. I loved turning the pages wondering if and when these two would run into each other.

Don’t let my excitement over these two finding each other fool you. The moments in between were just as remarkable except in a whole different way. Throughout the course of the day Hadley seems to grow, not by height or weight….duhh, but as a person. Her reasoning, her maturity, and her ability to grasp and understand her parent’s divorce is astounding. Sure it may have taken her some time and a whole lot of stubbornness to reach that next level, but she eventually makes it and it is such a beautiful thing to see her wanting to build a relationship with her dad and new stepmom.

Hadley is not the only one that changes. Even though 90% of their encounters involve Hadley leaning on Oliver for support whether it is physical (I believe she uses his shoulder as a pillow for the entire flight from the U.S. to London) or emotional, there comes a point in the book when Oliver learns that it’s not always the way it has to be. He can’t always be so tough; there do have to be moments when you are the one that needs to lean on someone for support. See, another reason to love these two! Being there for each other during hard moments and learning to lean on one another when you most need it is such a beautiful thing.

So this whole situation may seem unlikely (Don’t let me fool you. Weeks after reading this I had a flight from Michigan to New York and you better believe I spent a good half hour searching the airport for a cute, English boy named Oliver), but I think that is what is so great about it. There are sometimes instances, chance encounters, or moments like missing a flight by 4 minutes that can change the course of your life. I love how Jennifer E. Smith brought this very fact to light in her book. Nothing is set in stone, life is crazy, unpredictable, and never what it seems. Sometimes it may suck and tear your family apart. Or sometimes it can be incredibly great and you can meet a lovely boy named Oliver who helps change your life. Either way you choose to look at it, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight is an incredible book!