As the title suggests there is, of course, a love story but Smith also expertly captures the essences of both Hadley and Oliver’s characters while also writing a refreshingly honest story about family and dealing with the consequences of divorce. What makes The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight especially appealing is that it packs so much into such a small book (256 pages, hardcover).

Strangely for a novel set largely in an airport waiting terminal and on an airplane itself, Smith’s settings are strongly evocative bringing Hadley’s fear of small spaces and the daunting foreign landscape of London to life. Hadley and Oliver are both realistic, witty characters that readers will root for throughout the story. Smith perfectly captures the dizzying feelings of serendipity and chance in her writing. Set over the course of twenty-four hours (with chapter headings that include the time in both Eastern Standard and Greenwich Mean Time), The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight is a fast, funny read. And, somehow, through twists of fate and strange coincidences Hadley’s worst day might turn into something better in The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight (2012) by Jennifer E. Instead Hadley meets the perfect boy in the airport waiting area. It should be one of the worst days of her life.īut, somehow, it isn’t. Instead of being on her plane, Hadley is trapped in the crowded airport watching it leave for England–without her–as she contemplates whether it will be worse to be late for her father’s second wedding or to miss it altogether. Who ever heard of a plan leaving on time? Who would have thought that four minutes could change everything? If she hadn’t missed the exit, or had run a bit faster to the gate.

If she hadn’t given herself a paper cut while printing her ticket, or lost her cell phone charger, if there hadn’t been traffic on the way to the airport. If she hadn’t forgotten the book, if she had tried on the dress sooner. “There are so many ways it could have all turned out different.”

The statistical probability of love