The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

by Jennifer E Smith

[jnikkir]

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight is about... well, love. It's about the love between parents, and how that love can end; it's about the love between a father and child, how that love can be damaged, and how it can be repaired; and it's about the love between two people who meet in an airport, and how that love can begin.

Can you tell I liked this book? Can you? Yeah I bet you can.

Yes, it's a contemporary romance, and it's light and fluffy. But I'm giving it five stars because I got exactly what I wanted out of it - an adorable story filled with sunshine and rainbows, but also given depth and meaning by dealing with some more serious subjects as well.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight has a lot going for it, on top of the sweet romance and awesome title. Hadley and Oliver are amazing main characters. They are adorable together; and the story of their unlikely meeting, and the 24 hours that follow, is wonderful and touching. But more than just that, the characters are great separately, not just because of their relationship. Hadley most of all, really. I feel like this book is her story, especially, and her journey toward understanding what love is, what it means, and also what it means to forgive those we love.

Smith writes Hadley in such a way that you can't help but feel (at least I couldn't) an instant connection to her, in a way that I don't normally feel unless it's told from first person (it isn't, it's in third). Even from third person, it's pretty much written from Hadley's POV, but somehow it had a narrative quality that made it seem like it was connecting the reader to the character like first-person has a tendency to, rather than having that normal distance of third-person narratives. (Ugh, did that make sense? I'm having a hard time describing it.) Anyway, I really liked that.

So yes - Hadley is a fantastic character, and I really loved seeing her progression from the beginning of the book, when she was so bitter and angry with her father, and at her situation in general, to her later acceptance and change of heart at the end. It was a fast journey, but one I felt was written really well, and really believably.

Oliver is also a wonderful character. He's certainly got all the best aspects of the quintessential British Boy, but he wasn't just a cute accent and a pretty face. I don't want to give anything about him and his story away, though, either, so I'm not going to go into much here. We don't see much of Oliver's side except when he's with Hadley (since it's from her POV); but the 24 hours that take place in this book are as much a journey for Oliver as they are for Hadley; though in a different way.

Finally, the romance. <3 It must be said - I did go into this book expecting some insta-love. I mean, that 24-hr timeline is pretty much the definition of instant, and the words "love at first sight" are in the title. But Smith is able to stretch out that time into something that feels much longer (in a good way). And as for the title: In relation to Hadley and Oliver, the word 'love' didn't even come up until the end of the book (and it's not even in the context you're thinking).

Hadley and Oliver have an incredibly natural connection, one that is able to carry the first half of the book all on its own. This half is made up primarily of Hadley's and Oliver's time at the airport and on their long flight overseas. It might be considered slow by some people, but I found their dialog to be incredibly engaging. Their conversations are often funny and cute, but they also open up to one another almost immediately. I think it sort of started out as an, "I'll probably never see you again" honesty, but the more they talked, the more they grew genuinely interested in each other. It wasn't insta-love, more like insta-like - one which I could totally buy, and found completely, heart-meltingly sweet.

Though the bulk of their interactions are on the plane, they learn a lot about each other once they part ways at the airport, as well. I won't give away what happens after they're separated, but (spoilers!) they do find each other again (it's a contemporary romance, I mean come on, did you think she'd never see him again?).

Finally, one thing that I was weirdly happy to see: As wonderful as Hadley and Oliver's budding relationship is, Smith doesn't leave you with unrealistic expectations about their future together. They've known each other for 24 hours - they don't go and get married and live happily ever after. ;) The story ends on an incredibly sweet high, but no definite answers about where things go from there. And I really liked that. Because whatever happens after, no mater what it is, this was a beautiful start to Hadley and Oliver's relationship, however long that ends up being.

This is definitely one I'll be recommending for some time to come.
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{ This review can also be found at my blog, There were books involved... }