Blurb from Goodreads: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.
Title: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Publisher: Little Brown
Publication Date: Janury 2, 2012
RATING: 3/5
Brooke's Review:
This book came highly recommended to me by a number of my friends. And since I'm on a contemporary kick I thought I would dive right in. And while it was a quick and easy read (did it in only a few hours), I had some issues with it.
I'll start by saying I really enjoyed Hadley. She's quirky and fun. She's very intelligent and more confident than she lets on. I wasn't expecting her to be quite so independent. it was refreshing. Of course she comes with some baggage (divorced parents, a father who is remarrying and living overseas). And she's comfortable enough in her own skin to admit how she's feeling. She doesn't hold it back.
Oliver, well, first off he's British, the accent I heard in my head made me like him immediately. But what really made me like him was how he seemed to be so in tune with Hadley without every knowing her. Like Hadley, he has some baggage, though we don't really learn about it until we're well into the book. But it plays a significant in role in how he treats Hadley, in my opinion. It makes him a better man.
The story's pacing was good. I have to say that once Hadley got to London it slowed a bit for me. I was itching to have the connection she felt with Oliver rekindled. And Smith really made me believe in love at first sight. That you could actually meet the one person who was the "it" for you and even across the miles and after getting separated still be pulled back to that person and know it's for real. The romance was sweet and simple. And the book had an overall realism to it that made me connect with the characters.
My biggest issue was the filler. So much backstory in the middle of the book. Too many flashbacks that probably could have been threaded more evenly to make the book flow better. It started off with a boom but once they landed in England, I kind of got bored with it and it tapered off for me. And, while I knew what would happen in the end, it wasn't this fantastic ending that had me so happy for the couple, it was just meh.
Overall I think those who like YA contemporary that is simple and easy without a huge focus on romance and kissing will like this. For fans of Stephanie Perkins' Anna and the French Kiss, for sure.
Jennifer E. Smith is the author of The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, The Storm Makers, You Are Here, and The Comeback Season. She earned her master's degree in creative writing from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, and currently works as an editor in New York City. Her writing has been translated into 28 languages.
I am one of those who loved it and I agree that this is not a book for those who want romance and kissing. That's probably why it worked so well for me. I also liked that it was a quick read, especially good for the summer months. At the end, I felt there was so much more for these characters and I wonder if the author will ever revisit their story. Great review!
ReplyDelete