Who: Jennifer E. Smith
What: The Statistical Probability of Love At First Sight
When: Janurary 2rd, 2012
Where: Little Brown (Poppy)
Why: Premise Love
How: For Review (BEA)
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 18B. 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.
First Sight (which is what i'm going to be calling it because that name? LONG) is about a girl named Hailey who misses her flight to London to go to her father's second wedding by four minutes. There, she was forced to take another flight that is leaving in three hours, in which she meets Oliver, a cute, funny brit who is now on the same flight as her. The book takes place over a 24 hour period but at any point did I ever roll my eyes and complain about insta-love. Hailey and Oliver had so much in common and had such quick and fun chemistry that I instantly loved the two of them together and were rooting for them from the very beginning! Plus, there's no: INTENSE EYE STARE, CUE HAIR FLIP moments. The two characters do into heavy conversations about their families and their lives but it never sounded melodramatic and cliche.
Hailey was awesome! She was funny and I completely believed all the difficulties in her life. I also really liked the fact that the book is not only about her and Oliver's relationship, but also their relationship to other people. You get a lot of insight on her relationship with her father and about-to-be new step mom and how Hailey's coping with the fact she's basically being forced to attend this wedding. She was flawed in her own way but I'd be friends with her in a heartbeat! Oliver was a total sweetheart. I loved all of their conversations, they had a tone a lot like Stephanie Perkin's writing, light-hearted but at the same time heavy, witty, and lovely. Plus they were awkward and adorable and this is what teenagers are like people! TAKE NOTES.
The entire time I was wondering just how Jennifer was going to tie everything together but she didn't fail me in the end! The book is a series of coincidences that were realistic and hopeful and I loved finding out about all the characters, even Hailey's step mom, who actually sounds like a lovely person! Overall, a great book that I definitely recommend!
Happy Reading!
P.S it's almost the new year! some changes going on around here (nothing serious, don't worry!) but FUN stuff!
