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

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. Having missed her flight, she's stuck at JFK airport and late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother 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 sitting in her row.

A long night on the plane passes in the blink of an eye, and Hadley and Oliver lose track of each other in the airport chaos upon arrival. Can fate intervene to bring them together once more?

Quirks of timing play out in this romantic and cinematic novel about family connections, second chances, and first loves. Set over a twenty-four-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it. 

 I don't really know what compelled me to pick up this book. I mean, I do like contemporary, but the title itself should have turned me off. The title speaks of the one thing I loathe in books and movies with a burning passion.

Insta-love.

Just thinking about it makes me shudder with horror and disgust.

However, this book pulled it off in a unique way. Hadley doesn't just see Oliver and fall in love right away. She only notices that he is a very handsome man. Hadley only begins to truly like him when they speak. When I say speak, I don't mean something along the lines of the following conversation:

Boy: Hello.
Girl: *Internal thoughts* OMG! I LUV HIM ALREADY!! HE LUVS ME 2! WE CAN BE 2GETHER 4EVER!!!

No. That's not how it works, people. Sorry to disappoint you.

Instead, Hadley and Oliver talk about things that you would on a date with someone you don't really know. Things like hobbies, life, school, past relationships... you get the drift. It wasn't some kind of stupid attraction the had no focal point; there was actually something there.

Not only that, they don't necessarily fall in love right away. In fact, they don't really fall in love at all. Well, not in the written part of the book, anyway. We tend to use our imaginations, don't we? Err... BACK TO THE POINT!! They really only discover that they honestly like each other and they want things to work out. The whole "love at first sight" thing is just Oliver trying to be romantic. (And succeeding, might I add.)

Anyway, this book really was worth reading. I wouldn't say it's a "must". I'd say it's more of a "if you have the time, then by all means do so." Really, this book is very coercive in its own way.

.....

You know what? I am going to be perfectly serious with you guys. The reason I picked up this book was probably because deep down, I knew the guy was going to be amazing. And I was right; Oliver is beyond amazing. Oliver is sweet, charming, sarcastic, humorous, and comforting all at once. Now, he is a far cry from the standard of "perfect" given by society, but in his own way, he really is the perfect guy.

Oh, and he's British. All British people are perfect.

My rating:

Three out of Five Stars!