The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

Hadley is forced to attend her father’s wedding in London, England and missing her flight by a mere 4 minutes she unexpectedly meets Oliver. Out of a weird twist of fate they also have seats near each other on the plane. Oliver occupies the seat next to Hadley and for the next couple of hours they talk their ears off finding out what each other’s lives are like. There’s an undeniable charge and pull that Hadley and Oliver had, and for once it wasn’t lust. The two really hit it off well and I couldn’t stop grinning ear to ear when I read their cute and witty banter. As the story progresses you can feel the characters change almost mature about how they live their own lives, which is very responsible of them. You can also say they saved each other. Oliver is happier when he’s around Hadley and vice versa. Love isn’t planned and organized, it’s quick and surprising. I enjoyed reading this book not only because love was the sole theme but relationships between a parent and child are touched upon. How satisfying to read a book where the girl doesn’t want to rip her love interest’s clothes off! Read this book if you’re a romantic, or if you want to grin like a lovesick fool because of the cuteness this couple emanates!show more

My summary: Hadley fantasied about ways to miss her dad's wedding in London., ways that would get her off the hook without having her be at fault. Being four minutes late for her flight wasn't one of them but that's what happens. Now she's stuck at JFK airport waiting for the next flight. She hates the crowds, the mayo on her sandwich, the closed in feeling; she hates flying. But then the adorable Oliver steps in to help her with her bag and the waits not so bad. What are the odds that he's on her same flight, sitting in the same row? He is. He distracts her from the claustrophobia she feels in the plane and the impending doom of attending the wedding of her father and a women she has never met. Funny and good looking, Oliver seems interested in Hadley but sitting next to someone on a plane is not like talking in the real world. When the flight is over, any friendship developed is over too. Right? My thoughts: 5 stars - a must read I have so many books to read. It gets overwhelming sometimes. There are books I need to read for reviews and books I want to read. This book is in the want to read category. When I saw it in December, I wanted it. I received a gift card as a thank you gift from a friend and pre-ordered this book. I had it the day of release but it sat with so many other books I want to read. In the middle of reading three paranormal books, I just needed a break. I needed normal - not vampires and such. So on a whim, I picked this one up to just sort of browse. Well five hours later, I put it down finished. It drew me in and held me captive. I love reads like this where I don't have to work to read them, instead they are my escape. This story takes place over roughly 24 hours. There is most assuredly a love at first sight story in there but there is so much more. And that love at first sight isn't this sudden attraction thing that's nauseating. No it's more like two people trying to cope with personal struggles and they try and help each other. In the process, something happens between them. I loved it. Since the story develops over a very short period of time, the story moves along quickly. We learn details of Hadley's life as she remembers things about the past but we have to discover Oliver's story in real time. There was a nice balance between the memories from Hadley and the present action. I really liked how we discovered what was up with Oliver. It wasn't what I expected. I realized it the same time Hadley did. I like that. If you need that break from the complicated and stressful world of paranormal reads and just need a story from the real world, then this is a must read. If you like contemporary YA, then this is a must read. If you like YA, then this is a must read.show more

http://lovesbooksreviews.blogspot.com/2012/01/statistical-probability-of-love-at.html In Jennifer E. Smith romance novel The Statistical Probability at Love at First Sight, I thought it was a great read! It had romance, family life and the possibility that you can find love in airports. Smith's words let me be able to imagine England; the novel was so beautiful that I was in a little tears at a part. Oliver is one Hot boy! He is smart, funny and full of life that Hadley discovers that he is the one! From the first moment she meets him, I saw the connection between these two. It was a great way to introduce both of the characters. Hadley's family life was the basis of the plot as well, because without her father getting married in England, she wouldn't have meet sweet adorable Oliver. It must have been an awesome flight because Hadley and Oliver have chemistry. The last 30 pages I was waiting for something to happen, I was reading the pages like crazy. The characters, Hadley was a great protagonist, her character was funny, smart and brave. Each one, Hadley and Oliver had a great personality which I liked because we get to see them grow as well. Oliver is able to help her consider growing up and he opens up to her as well. The writing was very well done. I was starting to fall for Oliver at some point during the novel. Oliver was a very interesting character to get to know on a plane because both Hadley and Oliver are very similar and enjoy each others company. The expected love at first sight can still happen in airports, anywhere. This book can still give hope to others who havent found love.The plot was very well done. From reading the first page to the last I was loving this book! Jennifer E. Smith has created a beautiful story that will show that love will always find you in convenient places, even the airport. It has also told me that family is important even if your father is marrying another women. It was hard for Hadley to adjust to this, but she learned in the end that she did forgive him for what he did. The book had no loose ties, or shocking ending, because the ending was perfect. I was in love with the book, it was soo cute!! It is a must read! The Statistical Probability of Falling in Love at First Sight was sweet, adorable and will warm your heart. Its one book you can look forward to for your next read.show more

4.5/5 stars Could hitting a red light change your life? Losing your phone charger? Getting a paper cut? Can a string of seemingly insignificant moments amount to something life changing? When Hadley misses her flight to London by four minutes, she never expects to meet Oliver - someone she instantly connects with, someone who's dealing with his own personal demons, someone who makes her view the world in a slightly different way. Hadley. I love Hadley. Though I can't empathize with her particular set of circumstances, she's a character with whose situation, whose frankness and honesty I connected with. Hadley is a girl who has been greatly affected by her parents' divorce and it has left her very hurt and embittered toward her father, who left her and her mother. When her father decides to remarry, to the woman he left Hadley's mother for, she unwillingly finds herself in the one place she never hoped to be - on a plane to London, wedding-bound. I love Hadley's confusion in her feelings toward her father - her anger and resentment combined with her undeniable longing for the way things used to be. I love her gutsiness. I love how she wears her heart on her sleeve. I love her journey towards closure as her chance meeting with Oliver causes her to finally start dealing with some of her repressed issues. Oliver's character is a wonderful compliment to Hadley's. Where Hadley doesn't hide her emotions well, Oliver is a bit more of a mystery. Though not quite as transparent as Hadley, I never felt as though he is anything less than genuine. I love Oliver's intelligent (and sometimes wicked) sense of humor, his keen insights, his rare moments of vulnerability, his kindness and general optimistic outlook. I don't believe in love at first sight, though I think people can form instantaneous and lasting connections; that souls are drawn to other like souls. One of the biggest draws of this novel for me is the idea that one could meet another person by a simple twist of fate and, in a very short space of time, form such a powerful bond. From the meet-cute and throughout the book, Hadley & Oliver have so many toe-curlingly good, sigh-inducingly hopeful moments. This is interspersed with deeper instances of personal revelation and introspection as they both deal with the issues they're individually sorting out. They each are perhaps exactly what the other needs in that moment, and it's just beautiful to watch their relationship as it begins to grow over the Atlantic and across the armrest of seats 18A and 18B. Though this book focuses mainly on Hadley and Oliver, it was also about Hadley's damaged relationship with her dad. Her journey towards coming to terms with her parents' divorce and her dad's abandonment of her and her mom was a plot point I loved. She's so conflicted by her feelings for her dad - anger, betrayal, sadness. There's this lovely poignant wistfulness to the story as Hadley remembers snippets of their lives before the separation and a sense of incompleteness as she refuses to honestly confront her feelings about her current family situation. Her emotional progression throughout the book felt very natural, and had me a bit teary-eyed and snuffly as this storyline worked toward it's resolution. Smith's writing style is another reason I fell in love with this book. She sets the scene masterfully, effortlessly giving the reader an abundance of detail without being verbosely descriptive. I don't know if an author can write cinematically, but Smith does. She also has a wonderful way of taking the everyday mundane and turning it into something noteworthy and extraordinary. Waiting in an airport terminal, grabbing food at an airport bistro or being cramped into an airplane seat for 8 hours are not usually events to write home about. It's not particularly unusual or special for those things to occur. Yet, Smith's storytelling through Hadley's soul-searchingly honest voice makes it magical and engaging. Overall, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, while a fun, romantic comedy, has some really insightful things to say about relationships, love, closure and healing, and Smith manages this beautifully without the serious moments becoming too heavy. It's the kind of story that had me considering the relationships and events in my own life and the insignificant moments that have had such a lasting impact on the direction of my life. I love when a book can achieve that perfect balance between light-hearted fun and introspective depth, and this book did that for me.show more