The Statistical Probablity of Love at First Sight

Jennifer E. Smith
6 / 10

From the blurb: Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Imagine if she hadn't forgotten the book. Or if there hadn't been traffic on the expressway. Or if she hadn't fumbled the coins for the toll. What if she'd run just that little bit faster and caught the flight she was supposed to be on. Would it have been something else - the weather over the Atlantic or a fault with the plane?

Hadley isn't sure if she believes in destiny or fate but, on what is potentially the worst day of each of their lives, it's the quirks of timing and chance events that mean Hadley meets Oliver...

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.

This book wasn't exactly what I'd expected from its synopsis. There wasn't nearly as much romance as predicted. As a sappy romantic, I thought that was a shame. That being said, the relationship between Hadley and Oliver was truly sweet. Both of them were believable and raw, and had an openness that comes naturally with long flights and a lack of sleep.

There were a few slightly too convenient ocurrences (a conversation between two strangers about Oliver was a little too coincidental for my liking) to help the plot along, but for the most part these can be brushed aside.

The most important part of this book, though, was Hadley's relationship with her father. Watching your parents suffer through a messy yet somehow-almost-amiable divorce is never going to be easy. Hadley is stuck between fierce loyalty to her mother, fury with her father, and a desperate yearning for things to be the way they used to be. I found Hadley's plight to be very relatable, though at times she could be a little frustrating. She's far too angry with her father's fiancee, and not nearly enough with him. And she doesn't really admit to any current sadness; she says she was miserable when her parents first separated, but now seems to be just cross.

But I found myself rooting for Hadley, hoping everything would work out in her favour. She makes a few incredibly daft mistakes. However, the resolution really suits the story. This may not be a deep, meaningful read, but it is enjoyable.

You'll probably like this book if you've enjoyed 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' by Sarah Dessen or 'Love Story' by Jennifer Echols.