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

Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything? Imagine if she hadn't forgotten the book. Or if there hadn't been traffic on the expressway. Or if she hadn't fumbled the coins for the toll. What if she'd run just that little bit faster and caught the flight she was supposed to be on. Would it have been something else - the weather over the Atlantic or a fault with the plane? Hadley isn't sure if she believes in destiny or fate but, on what is potentially the worst day of each of their lives, it's the quirks of timing and chance events that mean Hadley meets Oliver...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.

I was intrigued by this book when I read about it, I like books that are set over a short period of time, this one is 24 hours. It is cleverly written and is easy to read.

The book introduces us to Hadley, an American girl who needs to catch a flight to England, to go to her father's wedding the next day. However, due to a number of mistakes and incidents, she missed her flight by four minutes. When she had rebooked her flight and gone to the waiting area, she met a tall, handsome stranger, who she discovers will be sitting one seat away from her for the flight to England. Not much is known about Oliver, except that he is English and is studying in America, but returning to England for a family occasion. 

The plane journey is a large part of the book, and the relationship between Hadley and Oliver grows as they talk throughout the flight and fall asleep on each other. However, they are separated at immigration and each go on their separate journeys. Hadley hopes that Oliver will be waiting for her in arrivals, however is disappointed to find he hasn't and continues her journey to her father's wedding. It is after the ceremony that she realises that Oliver may not have been going to a wedding as she had assumed .....

I did enjoy this book, it was an easy, quick read (only just over 200 pages) and was something that could be read over one night. It reminded me a little of the film Sliding Doors in so much as what would happen if you were a few minutes later than intended - where fate took over. i do not really believe that things happen for a reason however the story was believable.

I liked the straightforward story, there were no twists and turns but it was a predictable story in that girl meets boy, girl falls in love with boy, an easy read when you want a story that you don't have to concentrate heavily on. 

The book covers how a child feels about a parent remarrying, which i think is a subject that is becoming more common in the world today. There is also Oliver's story, which I will not reveal here, but another one which will touch peoples heart.

One thing I will say is about the cover. I was lucky enough to receive a proof of this book, which had a cartoon style cover with hand drawn clouds and aeroplanes, which I think depicted the book perfectly, rather than the cover which accompanies this review which is a slightly harsh cover in my opinion.

I would recommend it for teenagers or young women as a great read, I think older women would think is that it?, there is nothing to get your teeth into. 

Thank you to the publisher, Headline, for sending me the book to review.