Tag: Jennifer E. Smith

Review: Hello, Goodbye and Everything in Between by Jennifer E. Smith

Posted September 13, 2015 by Rowena in Reviews | 1 Comment

Review: Hello, Goodbye and Everything in Between by Jennifer E. SmithReviewer: Rowena
Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between by Jennifer E. Smith

Publication Date: September 1st 2015
Genres: Young Adult
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four-stars

On the night before they leave for college, Clare and Aidan only have one thing left to do: figure out whether they should stay together or break up. Over the course of twelve hours, they'll retrace the steps of their relationship, trying to find something in their past that might help them decide what their future should be. The night will lead them to friends and family, familiar landmarks and unexpected places, hard truths and surprising revelations. But as the clock winds down and morning approaches, so does their inevitable goodbye. The question is, will it be goodbye for now or goodbye forever?

Charming, bittersweet, and full of wisdom and heart, this new irresistible novel from Jennifer E. Smith, author of The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, explores the difficult choices that arise when life and love lead in different directions.

I haven’t read too many books by Jennifer E. Smith but I was pretty excited to jump into this story. The premise was really interesting and I thought Smith did a great job of telling Clare and Aidan’s story. The pacing worked for me and the characters were interesting and the story itself was mighty compelling.

So, Clare and Aidan are getting ready to head off to college on different coasts. Clare is heading to the East Coast and Aidan is heading to UCLA in California. This story takes place over the course of their last night together and a whole lot of things happen. The plan was for them to take a walk down memory lane, remember their history and then decide whether to do the long distance thing or not. Clare thinks they should break up because logically, things were bound to change and they would drift apart so they should end things on a high note but on the other hand? She doesn’t want to. Aidan just flat out doesn’t want to. He loves Clare and he wants them to make it work but Clare is dead set on ending things now before they grow to hate each other later.

As they hit up each stop on Clare’s list, things just don’t go the way that Clare was hoping they would. Tensions are high, memories are only half remembered and the night gets away from them but I really enjoyed Smith’s writing style with this book.

This book was a lot deeper than I was expecting but Smith really dug into the heart of what Aidan and Clare was going through. The story is character driven and even though there were times when I rolled my eyes at Clare, I finished this book having liked what I read. Smith had thinking about what I’d do if I was in their position…would I stay together or would I let go? What’s the smarter choice? I thought the story ended on a high note and being the romance loving person that I am, I appreciated the story all the more. This is an enjoyable read and I definitely recommend.

Grade: 4 out of 5

This book is available from Poppy. You can purchase it here or here in e-format. This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

four-stars


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

Posted April 9, 2012 by Ames in Reviews | 4 Comments

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

Main Character: Hadley
Love Interest: Oliver
Series: n/a
Author: Facebook|Twitter|Goodreads

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 18C. 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.

The premise for this book definitely stood out for me. I love cute British guys and I was curious to see how Jennifer would pull off these two characters falling for each other in such a short period of time.

Hadley’s day is off to a bad start. A series of things leads to her being 4 minutes late for her flight to England. A flight she doesn’t want to take because she’s furious with her father and the last thing she wants to do is go to his wedding. Fortunately, there is room on the next flight to London but she’ll be arriving minutes before the ceremony – and she’s standing in the wedding party. Ugh.

While she’s waiting for the next flight, Hadley spots Oliver. He’s on his way to London too. He’s going home to visit but he’s going to college in the States. Hadley asks him what he’s studying and I love that he makes up something different every time – hint, the title of the book is something Oliver says. 😛 So Hadley and Oliver get to know each other on the flight. They are kind of using their new friendship as a way to avoid the reason why they’re going to London. Oliver’s reason is not what you think and Hadley wants to avoid thinking about her dad. I really enjoyed this part of the book.

But the whole book doesn’t take place on a plane (which is what I originally thought LOL) and eventually Hadley and Oliver are separated in the airport. Without exchanging information. But hope is not lost. A random overheard comment after the wedding leads Hadley to where Oliver is.

Ok, this book definitely had some depth I was not expecting. What struck me the most was Hadley’s reaction to her father. He’s a professor and he accepted a 6-month teaching position in England. And while he was gone, he fell in love with someone else and divorced Hadley’s mother. I was surprised at my reaction to this. I was pissed off for Hadley! And her mom. I mean, you’re married buster. So this reaction definitely puts me in Hadley’s headspace because why does he get to do whatever the eff he wants and hurts the people he loves and then get his HEA by marrying the hussy? LOL And screw that “you can’t help who you fall in love with” crap. He was married, he should have helped it! Anyway – this sub-plot with Hadley’s father really got to me and I really liked the way this played out.

And Hadley and Oliver. *sigh* Jennifer really did it. She made me believe that these two came to care for each other in a 7 hour flight. Their actions afterwards definitely support that. I thought these two were great characters.

And here’s a passage that I really enjoyed from the book. It takes place when Hadley finds Oliver after her dad’s wedding ceremony:

He nods at the stone bench a few feet away, the rough surface still damp from the earlier rain. They walk over together, heads bowed, the mournful sound of an organ starting up inside the church. Just as she’s about to sit, Oliver motions for her to wait, then whips his jacket off and lays it on the bench.
“Your dress,” he says by way of explanation, and Hadley glances down at herself, frowning at the purple silk as if she’s never seen it before. Something about the gesture cracks her heart open further, the idea that he’d think of something so trivial at a time like this; doesn’t he know she couldn’t care less about the stupid dress? That she’d gladly curl up on the grass for him, make a bed out of the dirt?

I love that and I can’t even explain why. Just something about the emotions going on in this scene really got to me.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight was a wonderful read and I highly recommend it. B+!

..and that’s your scoop!

Buy the book: B&N|Amazon|Books on Board|Kobo
Book cover and blurb credit: http://barnesandnoble.com

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

Posted July 1, 2011 by Rowena in Promotions | 6 Comments


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.

Awww, this looks like it’d one of those too cute for words books and I’m anxious to get my hands on it. We’ve got a bit of a wait because this book doesn’t come out until January 2, 2012. Ugh, how am I going to last until then? Oh well, I look forward to meeting Hadley and Oliver. I look forward to their airport adventures and to seeing what happens in their story.

Don’t forget to mark your calendars because this book comes out early next year.

..and that’s your scoop!

Buy the book: B&N|Borders|Amazon|Book Depository
Book cover and blurb credit: http://barnesandnoble.com


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