The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Publisher: Poppy (Little, Brown & Co.)
Released: January 2012
Genre: YA Contemporary
Series: No
Source: Library
Challenge: None
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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?

Who would think a novel that takes place in exactly twenty-four hours with very few flashbacks could be so completely captivating? But Jennifer E. Smith in The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight accomplishes just that - from the moment Hadley and Oliver meet to the moment when there is a promise of "beginning," I felt like I really got to know both Hadley and Oliver really well. And knowing the characters well makes the story flow along so beautifully.

I loved how the book touched on other subjects as well as love at first sight, like Hadley's dad remarrying, Oliver's relationship with his dad, Hadley dealing with her mom... In fact, Jennifer weaves the story together so brilliantly that the romance becomes a sort of backdrop for two characters dealing with emotions, and then the romance takes center stage to bring it all together.

As for Oliver... there's very little physical description of him, which I like, because he's such a perfect guy that I was happy to be able to imagine him my own way. I love how he's there for Hadley through most of the first half of the book, and I was completely enchanted by everything he says and does. He's just so perfect! But I also love that Hadley gets the chance to be there for Oliver as well, and that Oliver shows that he has his weaknesses too. For me, that balance between the guy and the girl says so much about where this relationship is headed, and again, Jennifer is a genius for managing to get all that across in under 250 pages.

That statistical probability is that 98% of readers will fall in love with this book at first sight!