The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E Smith
| The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E Smith | |
|
| |
| Category: Teens | |
| |
Reviewer: Jo Heffer
 | |
| Summary: Young love is often puzzling and often painful. It can also be quite unexpected which is the case when Hadley meets Oliver as she reluctantly travels from the USA to London for her father's wedding. This book, aimed mainly at young adults but enjoyable for all, explores how it feels to be in love bearing in mind 'the statistical probability of love at first sight'. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 240 | Date: January 2012 |
| Publisher: headline | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-0755392179 | |
|
Share on: | |
| Video:
| |
The story takes place over the course of only twenty four hours but so much happens during that small amount of time. It starts when the reader meets Hadley having missed her flight to London by a mere four minutes. As it turns out, those four minutes are some of the most significant of her life, as they result in her booking a later flight and consequently meeting Oliver with whom she is seated throughout the journey across the Atlantic.
As the pair fall into conversation, it seems as they have a lot in common and get on well. Hadley finds herself surprisingly confiding in Oliver about how she feels about her parent's divorce and her father's imminent wedding at which she is preparing to be bridesmaid later that day. When Oliver tells her that he will also be at a church service that same afternoon, Hadley mistakenly assumes that he too will be attending a wedding but obviously not her father's. Sadly though, they are separated at Heathrow and Hadley makes her father's wedding with only minutes to spare. Unexpectedly, she also discovers that by having talked things through with Oliver, she is more accepting of the wedding and is surprised to find herself even liking her father's new wife, Charlotte.
The wedding goes ahead, bridges are rebuilt but what of Oliver? In an attempt to find where he is, Hadley risks making a fool of herself and also discovers the sad truth about why he is also in London. This touching tale of first love and teenage angst highlights what it is like to be young, unsure about love and distraught about a family breaking up.
Although the book is aimed at young adults (something that I have not been for quite some time), I really enjoyed this book. It was an easy yet absorbing read and I liked the way that everything happened in the space of twenty-four hours. There were a few elements of the story that seemed a bit far-fetched but nothing that spoiled the overall enjoyment. Also, if you are a believer in fate, you will like the fact that all that occurs in the story does so because of a fluky four minutes.
It is a light and easy read but it also has more thought-provoking underlying themes. Particularly, I felt that Hadley's feelings of being an innocent victim amid the fallout of her parents' marriage breakup were particularly poignant. Overall, this is an intelligent and enjoyable book.
We also have a review of Smith's The Geography of You and Me.
If you like the sound of this book, why not take a look at Pretty Face by Mary Hogan or The Sun is also a Star by Nicola Yoon.
Please share on: 
Facebook, 
Twitter and
Instagram
You can read more book reviews or buy The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E Smith at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E Smith at Amazon.com.
Comments
Like to comment on this review?
Just send us an email and we'll put the best up on the site.
