Review ~ The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, by Jennifer E. Smith

Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. She's stuck at JFK, late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon to be step-mother that 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 in seat 18C. Hadley's in 18A.

Twists of fate and quirks of timing play out in this thoughtful novel about family connections, second chances and first loves. Set over a 24-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it. ~From GoodReads

I swore, when I sat to write this review, that I wouldn't do this. I was going to be calm and reasonable and rational. But...that's just not me, not with this book. So, in an effort to not make a total idiot of myself, I'll keep this review short and oh so sweet. Before I get started, I have to get one thing out of my system. Ready? Here goes. SQUEEEEEEEE!!!!! I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!!!!

Whew. I am so glad I got that out of my system. But in all seriousness, my feelings about Statistical Probability can pretty much be summed up with those frantic words above. Now that I'm somewhat collected, let me tell you why I loved this book.

My initial reading of this book was on a roadtrip with my husband. After showing much affection towards the cover, I finally cracked it open. I read the prologue. I sighed. I read the prologue again. I sighed harder. This cycle repeated itself about five times, with my husband, who I'll lovingly refer to as "Mr. Nonfiction", growing increasingly nervous. After many shifty-eyed glances my way, and seeing that I hadn't  moved past page three, he finally asked what my deal was. That question was all the prodding I needed to burst forth with my swoonage. "Do you understand how beautiful this is?" I asked in a desperate manner. His answer: a blank stare. So, like anyone who has a trapped listener would do, I read The Prologue to Mr. NonFiction. After I finished reading, I leaned back, clutching this beauty to my chest and asked what he thought. To be honest, I expected an eye roll or a snarky comment. But he looked at me, blinked about five times as if he wondered how in the hell he'd gotten into this situationwith his loon of a wife and then replied "Not bad", with a half-smile. That reaction might not mean much to you, but knowing him like I do, it might as well have been an "OMG!".  That was a huge seal of approval coming from him.

The entire book can be summed up by this one line from the prologue:

"Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?"

Kind of promising, right? This book read like a beautiful, heart-warming movie. Love, Actually and Serendipity come to mind. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight was a book about chance, circumstance, fate, and trusting your heart. This book made me happy beyond belief. It will likely end up being the "feel good book of the year". Highly, highly recommended. In fact, I might be willing to throw down a money-back guarantee if you don't love this book.

Favorite Quote (There were too many to choose from!):

"It seems impossible that she could have liked someone like Mitchell when there was someone like this guy in the world, someone tall and lanky, with tousled hair and startling green eyes and a speck of mustard on his chin, like the one small imperfection that makes the whole painting work somehow." (pg 31)

Hardcover, 236 pages

Published January 2nd 2012 by Poppy

You can purchase The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight at:
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