In her novel The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, Jennifer E. Smith narrates the story of Hadley Sullivan, a girl who encounters a guy while traveling and falls in love with him. Hadley's father is remarrying a year after his divorce from her mother. Consequently, she is hesitant about attending the wedding. However, to her surprise, she's asked to be her future stepmother's bridesmaid. Despite her anger toward her father, she agrees to celebrate with him out of familial duty. Unfortunately, she misses her flight but meets a charming fellow passenger on the next one. Oliver's kind and warm personality captivates Hadley, and they spend the entire journey engaged in conversation. Before they can exchange phone numbers, they lose track of each other during customs checks.
During the wedding, Hadley finds herself consumed by thoughts of Oliver and attempts to locate him on social media, but her efforts yield no results. However, one day at the hotel, she overhears someone mention Oliver's name. He's come to London to attend his father's funeral. After finding him in a church, Hadley anticipates a joyous reunion, but Oliver's indifferent response leaves her disappointed. Feeling embarrassed, she returns to the hotel.
After leaving her father at the reception alone, she regrets her earlier zeal to meet Oliver. She apologizes to him and promises to make amends in the future. Although she tries to put Oliver out of her mind, he reappears. After apologizing for his earlier rude behavior, he invites her to dance and confesses his feelings for her. The story reaches an optimistic conclusion as Hadley and Oliver start a new chapter in their romantic journey. In the novel, Hadley hopes to meet Oliver even though she has no information about him. Her father and Oliver have hurt her, but Hadley gives them a second chance because it allows her to preserve the relationship she treasures with them.
