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

2 Stars. (contemporary YA)

I was so excited for the release of this book and had it on my TBR list for ages. When the book was finally released I was eager to get a copy and then quickly tore into it once the book arrived. 

Unfortunately, I can't say I loved the story as much as I was hoping I would. My 2012 reading hasn't started out as well as I'd hoped, none of the 7 books I've read so far earning a 5 star rating. 

Now, I don't want this review to become a list of all the things I didn't like, because in reality this was a decent book with a nice storyline. There wasn't anything that I really hated, no real negatives, but in the same token there was nothing that really stood out about this book either. Nothing that made me want to tear through the pages until it was done, nothing that I would really remember once I'd reached the end. 

Hadley is flying to London, England for her father's wedding to a woman she's never met. Her father and mother split up unexpectedly over a year ago and her father has since fallen in love with another woman. Her mother has moved on as well, but the sting of losing her father who decided to move permanently to the other side of the world has yet to lose its edge. Hadley is annoyed, unsure, emotional and dreading the wedding her mother forces her to attend. She arrives at the airport 4 minutes late and the plane she was meant to be on takes off without her, forcing Hadley to hop on the next one. She ends up meeting Oliver in the airport and the two strike up a conversation, they are seated together on the flight and so begins a beautiful friendship :p

The premise of the story is really cute. The execution could have been better. I just didn't get pulled in to the lives of these characters. They remained flat to me and no matter the turmoil they were each going through in their respective lives I just couldn't feel anything emotionally for them. I'm the type of reader to get really caught up in characters and if the story packs an emotional punch I'm a goner. I'll obsess, worry over them, want the best for them as if they were my own. I just didn't get there with Hadley and Oliver. I got where the author was trying to go with their story but it just didn't resonate. It's really as simple as that. 

Hadley was annoying. She spent most of the book being glum and in drama queen mode, she was also kind of selfish and in turn I felt depressed right along with her. Oliver was cute, but the cuteness could have really been amped up. He didn't hit me in any particular way.

The narrative voice was also and issue, third person limited, it sounded forced and very uptight. Did not make it any easier to connect with the characters. 

I would also really appreciate it if one of these days a YA writer actually wrote a parental figure who was responsible, in touch with their kid and able to handle emotions and upheaval's like - ooh say - AN ADULT. The constant dysfunction and drama is a good plot device, but has really gotten irritating as I read it time and time again in YA books. For once, I'd like to have a parent actually act their age and be parental. Enough with the annoying, clueless, emotionally inept parental units. 

As far as I can tell this book is getting mixed reviews, so I'd recommend it to anyone who's interested in the story. You may love it, you may not. It's really up to the individual reader with this one.