Series: N/A
Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Genre: young adult, contemporary, romance, realistic fiction
Published: January 2013 (first publish January 2012)
Publisher: Poppy Hachette Little Brown and Company
Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Genre: young adult, contemporary, romance, realistic fiction
Published: January 2013 (first publish January 2012)
Publisher: Poppy Hachette Little Brown and Company
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?
Set over a twenty-four-hour period, this is a cinematic novel about family connections, second changes, and first loves.
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“Love is the strangers, most illogical thing in the world.”
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WARNING: this book is NOT for people who hate insta-love. This is ABSOLUTELY NOT for anyone who doesn’t like to see two people immediately kissing a few hours after they meet.
I just really have to get that off my chest because I don’t want people ranting stuff like: they just met like a few hours ago and they’re going at it as if they’ve known each other for years! orr something like that (but maybe I’m just over doing it).
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight is an adorable romance story; a moving story about family; it’s also a story of acceptance; a story of understanding; and maybe doing what you can for something you really don’t want to lose.
I read mixed thoughts about the book. Some say it’s a cute love story while others say it’s downright bad or such.
I’d say it’s an adorable and compelling story. I liked Hadley. I enjoyed Oliver. I loved a good deal of things about this book!
I expected Hadley and Oliver’s meeting to be some kind of cliché airport bumping to each other kind of thing. But it’s an expectation failed for me. Hadley and Oliver’s meeting felt like something they both contributed to. It’s not just about Hadley being 4 bloodydamn minutes late for her flight. The thing is that I feel there’s mutuality in their meeting. Oliver offered help and Hadley responded positively. At the back of my mind it must be stupid to trust a complete stranger but sometimes, I’m more than willing to disregard things that will take off all romantic cliché-ness. Their meeting was plain. Simple. Nothing explosive. But it develops into something very beautiful later on.
From their meeting, the dialogues that went on were just really cute. They’re very fun to read. Their conversation and interaction were very simple, amusing, and occasionally romantic. Hadley’s flashbacks were very essential parts of the story and were really great breaks from the back and forth conversation between Hadley and Oliver.
Hadley is this naïve girl who’d just do what gets on her mind. But there was certainly a good amount of development on her. And I like how Oliver played a huge role in it. Hadley and Oliver’s conversation opened Hadley to a lot of things about her father, his current state, the reason he left Hadley and her mother, what he wants for them in the future. Oliver, on the other hand, is perhaps a guy that will make you smile while you talk to him. Yet at the same time, he’s the clichéd guy who tries to avoid every single thing that will have him to talk about his own drama. And did I mention Oliver is British? I sometimes unconsciously imagine his voice (/≥ω≤)/
One of the things I love about this is how it’s not all about the romance. There’s also the involvement of family problems (Hadley’s attending her father’s second wedding). I was truly moved at how Hadley reconciles with her father and how they talked things over. I felt like this is just the first time I was really able to read nicely written father and daughter relationship.
All in all, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight is a really great read. Reading it felt like watching a chick-flick. Cute romance. Occasionally dramatic. And really unforgettable ending (really one of the things I LOVE about this. It’s that cinematic ending you expected but still pinched your heart and made you smile while mentally saying awww).
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What I Like: (1) the adorable and compelling presentation of the story, (2) Hadley & Oliver, (3) the development on Hadley, her realizations, acceptance, understanding, (4) Hadley’s relationship with her father, (5) Hadley and Oliver’s back and forth conversation, (5) the ending (definitely one of the things I’ll hold on to things thing!)
What I Didn’t Like: (1) it started slow for me, (2) the whole Hadley running out for Oliver just didn’t sit right with me,
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