A review by bluebeereads
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

5.0

I literally just finished reading this book and when I turned the last page, I sighed and smiled. Although this may seem like just another Young Adult Contemporary book with insta-love, it isn’t. It’s something entirely different. And I loved every single part of it.

“Love is the strangest, most illogical thing in the world.”

This is the story about Hadley. Her parents are divorced and we meet her on the airport where she just misses her flight to London, where her father is getting remarried. And at that airport, in a full waiting area, she meets Oliver. A seemingly perfect guy who just happens to sit in her row on the plain. They talk and the time passes quickly. And after they land, they lose each other in the chaos at the airport. Will they meet again?

“Love isn’t supposed to make sense. It’s completely illogical.”

This was a really sweet and light novel with a heaviness behind it. We get flashbacks from Hadley and her mom and dad before, during and after the divorce and I never once got confused. It all blended in together and if felt like reading a movie. Sounds weird, I know. Even though most people, me included, think of insta-love after reading that title. It sure sounds like it. But it isn’t. The romance was sweet and this book wasn’t all unicorns and rainbows. The flashbacks gave more depth to the story. I really loved it and more importantly, I believed it. It was very realistic and I know it can happen in real life, because it happened to me. The entire book takes place over a period of 24 hours, but it felt so much longer to me.

“That’s it? A good feeling?”
“That’s it,” she says. “I think it’s meant to be.”
“I’m pretty sure it doesn’t work that way,” Hadley says with a frown, but Violet only smiles.
“What if it does?”

Even though this was a pretty short and quick read, I really got to know the characters. I loved Hadley and I can relate to her. My parents are divorced (not for the same reason, but still) and I’ve experienced love at first sight. And the guy I fell in love with at first sight, has been my boyfriend for the past 4 and a half years. I really loved her and Oliver too. Who doesn’t love a handsome guy with a British accent? Come on… I loved her mom and dad too, even though they didn’t have a really big part in the book. I got to know them through the flashbacks. Really loved them.

“What are you really studying?”
He leans back to look at her. “The statistical probability of love at first sight.”

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves contemporary. Even if you don’t, just give it a try. It’s the perfect summer read (or winter read, it’s always perfect). Just give it a try and I hope you’ll love it as much as I did.

That title is way to long by the way.