“The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight” is the latest novel of Jennifer E. Smith. It is the tale of broken relationships, first love and second chances.

 

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

By Jennifer E. Smith

311 pages, Little, Brown, and Company

“The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight” is the latest novel of Jennifer E. Smith. It is the tale of broken relationships, first love and second chances. Have you ever found an instant bonding with a person you just met? Have you ever felt butterflies in your stomach when you met someone? Have you ever wished to stay in a place forever so that you can have quality time with someone? Ever heard that few minutes changed someone’s life, well these mere four minutes has changed Hadley’s life. It doesn’t matter how hard you have tried to find true love, finding love is elusive, it mostly depends on timing. She don’t know what would have happened if she was not four minutes late to the airport, but she knows for sure that she never would have met Oliver if she was not four minutes late. The guy with cute British accent and witty banter who makes her feel at ease, and makes her lose track of time. He has given her a new perspective and unknowingly gave her a push to mend her relationship with her father.

 

Story starts with Hadley who reaches airport four minutes late due to various reasons. She misses her flight for the first time. She actually never wanted to board that plane, in her mind she has imagined different reasons which would lead to the cancellation of this trip. But after missing the flight she feels bad. Her mother wants her to be in London, so she decides to take the next flight. She hates the crowd on the airport especially when she has to wait seven and half hour for the next flight. That’s when she meets Oliver. He gives her company on the airport. He is handsome, charming, and mysterious. Later, he ends up sitting beside her on the plane to London. They both have an instant bonding. While Oliver reveals very less info about his personal life, Hadley finds it easy to omit all her problems to a stranger whom she probably won’t see again. He also helps her to get over her claustrophobia on the plane. Hadley is seventeen. It has been a year since her parents divorced. While her father settled in UK, she lives with her mother in US. She used to love her father a lot but his choices has created a rift between them. The last time she met him was the day she learnt about the other woman in his life, that was a year ago. Now, she is going to attend his wedding because her mother thinks that after some years, Hadley will regret not being a part of father’s important day. She hates the evil stepmother already but when she meets her, she finds out that it is difficult to hate her. I don’t want to be the spoiler, so read the novel to find out the rest of Hadley’s story.

Hadley is basically the heroine of the story, Oliver just acts like a catalyst to her journey. The instant-connection between them is heart-meltingly sweet. Oliver’s bit of story only motivates Hadley to forgive her father and fills the gap between them. Despite the title, Hadley and Oliver never confesses their love to each other. The author shows the beginning of a budding relationship, but she never concludes it.

I had a lot of fun reading this book. I can’t keep smile off my face while reading their conversation on the airport and on the plane, it’s cliché but also very entertaining. Hadley is kind but at the same time very self-centered. In the story, Oliver helps her to get over her bratty attitude. Her stubbornness and Oliver’s quirkiness are the best things in the story. I liked the chaos in the story as it makes the book weirdly entertaining. It is a captivating love story which keeps the reader hooked till the end. Every page of the story made me to swoon and sigh at the same time.

However, Oliver’s character seems superfluous in the story. I’m sure the readers would have enjoyed the book more if Smith has given a bit more attention to Oliver’s story as well. Also, the hurt and sense of abandonment Hadley felt after her father left goes unaddressed in the story. The way she accepts both her father and her stepmother with open arms is too good to be real. After a year of resentment, forgiveness by a stubborn girl like Hadley within a day time is near to impossible. The author’s attempt to make it true in the novel is unbelievable. Also, I wish that author would have added romance as a part of the story not as just a throwaway.

Jennifer E. Smith has managed to fit a 24-hour turn of events into a whole novel very beautifully. She has shown great how fate plays an important role in the story. Almost all the characters of the story are relatable and incredibly likeable. The story has unpredictable twists and turns. A great setting and the sparkly dialogues make this novel irresistible. Smith’s has an interesting writing style. She has used typical third person narration in the novel which takes some time to get used to, also some flashbacks seems awkward because of the narration. The quotes used in the story, especially the ones from Charles Dickens’ book “Our Mutual Friend” are really impressive like “And O there are days in this life, worth life and worth death” and “Is it better to have had a good thing and lost it, or never to have had it?”

 

If you are really looking for numbers and statistics like the title suggests, sorry to be the informant, you have reached the wrong place. But if you want cute, sweet, and interesting teen fiction, this is the right book for you. This tale is light and fluffy as well as touching and wonderful. I bet you will enjoy it a lot.

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