Friday, January 27, 2012

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight (YA)

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight. Jennifer E. Smith. 2012. Little, Brown. 236 pages.

From the prologue:
There are so many ways it could have all turned out differently. Imagine if she hadn't forgotten the book. She wouldn't have had to run back into the house while Mom waited outside with the car running, the engine setting loose a cloud of exhaust in the late-day heat. Or before that, even: Imagine if she hadn't waited to try on her dress, so that she might have noticed earlier that the straps were too long, and Mom wouldn't have had to haul out her old sewing kit, turning the kitchen counter into an operating table as she attempted to save the poor lifeless swath of purple silk at the very last minute...

From chapter one: Airports are torture chambers if you're claustrophobic.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight has to be one of the best, best YA romances I've read in years. This one is seriously giddy-making. It was practically perfect in every way. One of those oh-so-satisfying novels that keep you happy and satisfied from start to finish. One of those that almost from the start you know you're going to absolutely love.

So. The heroine of The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight is Hadley Sullivan. She is ever-so-reluctantly flying to London to be in her father's wedding. She's never met the woman destined to be her stepmother. Never wanted to have to meet such a woman. But she's to be in the wedding--a bridesmaid. So no matter how much she doesn't want to go, she has to go.

The big question...did she miss her flight on purpose?! No, not really. Not intentionally. But those four minutes--the four minutes that kept her from her scheduled flight turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to her. For she happens to meet Oliver at the airport. He's on his way to London. He's actually from there, he's just studying at Yale, as to why he's going back just now...well...that's best left a surprise.

If you love romances where it is all about the dialogue, then this one will make you oh-so-happy. So much is revealed about both Oliver and Hadley through their conversations. The whole novel just covers a little over twenty-four hours. And these two are sitting side-by-side on an airplane, so that is just one reason why there is so much conversation in this one...

One thing that I just LOVED, loved absolutely about this one, was the fact that a book came to symbolize so very, very much. And the book in question is Charles Dickens Our Mutual Friend, my favorite-and-best Dickens. And the novel even quotes some of my very, favorite lines. And these lines help clarify things for the heroine. So it was just a lovely thing for me!!!

I loved everything about this one. The writing. The setting. The dialogue. The characters. How their stories unfold...it's just a GREAT book, a great romance.

Read The Statistical Probability of Love At First Sight
  • If you want a new book, a new romance, to gush about!
  • If you're a fan of teen romances
  • If you're looking for a romance with substance, with actual character development
  • If you're a fan of Jennifer E. Smith






© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

2 comments:

chrisa511 said...

I've almost gone home with this one multiple times!! Now I think I'm going to have to actually get it next time I see it :p Sounds really good!! I love when books talk about books too :)

Anonymous said...

i remember when my best friend was reading this book! It took her 4 months and no im not joking!:( I wanted the book so badly but she didn't give it to me until 4 months of her reading it were over!:( It was torture :(:(:( It took me only 3 hours! I loved it more than a lot of other books! i read it three to four times!!!!!! :) :)