Series: standalone
Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Publisher: Poppy
US Release Date: January 2, 2012
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance
Content Rating: Teen (loss, kissing)
Format Read: Paperback
Find On: Goodreads
Purchase: Azon | B&N | BookDepo | Indiebound
Summary:
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. Having missed her flight, she's stuck at JFK airport and late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother 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 sitting in her row.
A long night on the plane passes in the blink of an eye, and Hadley and Oliver lose track of each other in the airport chaos upon arrival. Can fate intervene to bring them together once more?
Quirks of timing play out in this romantic and cinematic novel about family connections, second chances, and first loves. Set over a twenty-four-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it.
* * *
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight is a contemporary romance that was heavy on the contemporary and light on the romance, something I typically prefer but here did not. It's a story about loss and acceptance in a number of ways, which made it a much more serious read than expected given the colorful cover, playful title, and romantic summary. Hadley spent most of the story internally brooding and surprisingly little time in the present with Oliver, well over half the book (possibly two-thirds) absorbed in flashbacks of her childhood and recent past. Because of this, and just in general really, the Third Person Present Tense point-of-view grated, making for a clunky and uncomfortable read as Hadley constantly switched mental past and present gears. I continued reading only for the mystery that was Oliver, even though I wasn't particularly enamored of him. I just kept hoping he would eventually brighten Hadley's dark attitude and story, but instead he only sunk her and me deeper into a depressive mood when his own was revealed. By the time we solved his mystery though I was two-thirds through and decided to finish the short book, although while I was reading it the book did not feel short at all. Hadley and Oliver's interactions were the highlight of the story, but this really doesn't say much as they weren't particularly witty or even very interesting - not that they were given much time to try with all the flashbacks hogging the word count. Statistical does end on a hopeful and somewhat happy note, but while I appreciated the conclusive lift of spirits it came much too late for me to declare I in any way enjoyed the read.
Conclusion: Am I glad I read it? ...Not really. I wish I'd given up early on when the Third Person Present voice grated and Hadley's brooding flashbacks brought me down. I am glad I've finally read a Jennifer E. Smith book though, and now know to be wary of her future work. That said, Field Notes on Love still sounds interesting so I'll probably give it a try since I have a copy. Recommend Statistical for readers who enjoy their romances depressively heavy on the contemporary aspect.
Scribble Rating:
2 of 5 Scribbles
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