The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight [Kindle Edition]

This is my second book of the year and the second I read during a sleepless night. The similarity ends there, unfortunately. While Split kept me up because it was so good I just HAD to finish it, this one... well, it was only insomnia. And to think I was so eager to read it. See, I'm all for vanilla romance, it's light, relaxing and cute.
But this book did not even remotely relax me.

The premise is interesting. Hadley, on her way to London to attend her much dreaded father's wedding, misses her flight. Rescheduled for the next one three hours later, which will make her arrive barely on time, she meets Oliver, a British student at Yale, on his way to London for some other wedding. Sparks ensue. Will Hadley make it to the wedding? Will she see Oliver again?

At first, I thought that the problem I had with this book had to do with the narrative technique. The third-person limited didn't work well for me, I didn't get invested in the story that much. I couldn't connect to Hadley and even though there were some cute moments, the role I felt I was playing was just that of a polite observer. I guess I am a first-person type as far as these romantic stories are concerned, which makes total sense to me since it's not like the focal point is the world-building here but rather the characters and my involvement in the story.

But then, as the story developed, I realized that wasn't it - or rather, only marginally so.
What really disturbed me was my inability to like any of the main characters and the message they conveyed through their actions.

Let's start with Hadley's dad, a college professor. It's not spoilery if I tell you that he went to teach to Oxford for a semester, met someone else, dumped his wife and daughter and never came back. I call this kind of person a cheater. I'm not sure if the whole purpose - or one of the purposes - of the book was for Hadley to come to terms with her dad's betrayal and forgive him, thus "growing up" and understanding the complicated world of adults. Because, as far as I am concerned, there's no forgiveness to be had here. The reality is that he went abroad, met a younger, prettier girl - incidentally, Hadley's mum is short and stocky- and dumped his family. I do not accept the dad's justification "because I fell in love", reinforced by "Love isn't supposed to make sense. It's completely illogical."
In fact, wait a sec there. Love might be illogical but marriage and commitment are not. It's a joint effort and as far as I'm concerned, you just don't bail out of it, especially if there are children involved. You just don't go to the other side of the world living your happy life with your new bimbo (Charlotte doesn't come out as much more than that after all, we only hear her talking about her house). And I don't like the fact that he gets off the hook so easily and Hadley forgives him. That's not the message I want to hear from this book, Love does not justify all.

And what about Charlotte, the new wife? How can you trust a man who cheated on his wife with you? How do you know it won't happen to you, after a few years, when you've become old news?

Finally, I disliked Hadley and her drama queen behavior. How do you dump your dad on his wedding day and go see a boy you just met? Then break into tears right before the wedding reception and make it all about you, you, you? Bad timing, girl, even if you don't like your dad, the wedding or the wife. It felt like this budding thing she had with Oliver was more important than her family issues, which should so not be the case.

This is why, and I am in the minority here, I just couldn't like this book as I thought I would. Light and fluffy is totally my cup of tea, but disagreeing with the general message of the book is a whole different story.

Hopefully you'll like it more than me.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight is an entertaining and light read that anyone can enjoy. It covers issues like divorce, re-marrying, friendships, etc. All in all this book has it all. It might not be a paranormal romance, but who cares? This is a kick-ass book that will have you believing in fate and meeting your true love at an airport!

The characters were delightful, they were real and definitely realistic. Some authors make their characters TOO perfect. Everyone needs flaws, and that counts for the boys as well! Jennifer is not one of them authors. The girl wasn't perfect and neither was the boy, which I loved. I loved how the boy had crumbs down his shirt when the girl first saw him. I loved how the girl was unique in her own way. And damn, they are just perfect for each other.

Hadley is late for her plane, only 4 minutes. But those 4 minutes changed everything. If she hadn't missed her place she would have looked better at her father's wedding, she wouldn't have had to sit at the airport for an extra 3 hours. If she hadn't missed her plane, she wouldn't have met Oliver. Oliver, a charming British boy who studies at Yale. He has Hadley forgetting about her fears and ready to face the wedding that she has been dreading. I completely fell for Oliver's likable personality and easy smile. He is just so amazing. I wish a boy could be that funny, that nice and that stunning. He's like a light that burns too bright. He's not perfect, like I said, he has his flaws, but he just feels so real!

I got lost in the pages of this wonderful adventure. Who knew sitting on a plane for 6 hours could be so exciting? And fun? And who would have ever thought that you'd find your true love? On a plane of all places! Hadley was a great young girl to read about. She has a lot of pain trapped inside of her and she's still trying to find a way of letting in out. It's been hard for her. To have the perfect parents, and then to have one work thousands of miles away and then discover that he doesn't love your mother anymore? I can't begin to imagine how much that affected Hadley. But if you think about, if her dad had never divorced her mother then she wouldn't be going to her dad's wedding in England, and she wouldn't have met Oliver. So, maybe it is fate/destiny/whatever.

This is a stunning love story that will leave you satisfied and happy. Overall, a pleasant and enjoyable book that I can't help but re-read it over and over again. Jennifer E. Smith has written a beautiful novel and I need to read more of her works! You should too!

The concept behind this sweet little novel was pretty irresistable. It is about one American girl, one English boy, and the coincidences that throw them together at a New York airport, changing both their lives. Hadley is four minutes late for the plane that was due to take her to London to watch her father marry a woman she has never met. But when she meets Oliver - who is waiting for the next plane to London for a family gathering of his own - she realises that this day might not be so awful after all.

This is a really lovely little debut - the kind of concentrated whirlwind of activity that would make a great movie, in fact. Neither Oliver nor Hadley have a massive amount of depth - as you might expect from a novel with a 24-hour time frame, I suppose - but they are both witty and sparky characters and the the culture clash and gentle teasing between them is quite amusing. Their romance is the stuff daydreams are made of, but happily it never veers into cliche and Smith keeps her plot firmly on the right side of plausible.

One of the most interesting and surprising aspects of the novel, for me at least, is how much it focusses on Hadley's family issues. This isn't just a whimsical story about finding your soulmate in an unlikely place; it is also a very insightful look at what happens to a child when a family breaks down. How does it feel when that child finds out that their parents are splitting up? How does it feel the day one parent moves out of the home, taking their familiar belongings and their physical presence away? How does it feel as those parents move on with their lives? And what happens when issues of any kind go unresolved between a parent and child for too long? It was surprisingly moving to read, and emotionally spot-on.

All in all, I really liked this book. It is a quick and easy read, but one that delves quite firmly into the mechanics of family life and relationships, as well as a supplying a screen-worthy romance that made me sigh happily as I finished the last page. I'll be keeping an eye out for Smith's next novel, out next year!