This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith- Review

This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

My rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Publisher: Poppy (2013)

Length: 407 pgs

Genre: YA Contemporary Fiction

Format: Paperback, purchased from Scholastic Book Warehouse Sale

Goodreads Synopsis: When teenage movie star Graham Larkin accidentally sends small town girl Ellie O’Neill an email about his pet pig, the two seventeen-year-olds strike up a witty and unforgettable correspondence, discussing everything under the sun, except for their names or backgrounds.

Then Graham finds out that Ellie’s Maine hometown is the perfect location for his latest film, and he decides to take their relationship from online to in-person. But can a star as famous as Graham really start a relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie want to avoid the media’s spotlight at all costs?

My Review:

Author Jennifer E. Smith has a talent, a talent for taking the typical romantic clichés and reviving them in a way that reminds readers why we loved them once before they became over done. After reading The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight and being overwhelmingly drawn into the emotions of the characters (major feels from such a small book!) I was eager to read This Is What Happy Looks Like. The premise of the novel is based in the normal-teen-girl-dates-movie-star fantasy, with a cute twist that features email formatting sprinkled throughout the book. Though it doesn’t have the emotional intensity TSPOLAFS, this novel was the perfect feel-good, fluffy read.

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

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

My rating: 4/5 Stars

Publisher: Poppy/Little Brown (2012)

Length: 236 pgs

Format: Hardcover, checked out from my local library

Goodreads Synopsis: 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.

My Review:

I wish I had been able to read this book in a single sitting. Set over a twenty four hour period on two continents and one long plane ride, Smith’s novel clicked along at a natural pace that had me experiencing what it was like to be in Hadley’s shoes, whether it was sitting in the airport or navigating the London Underground. Had I been able to read this relatively short text in one sitting, I would have truly felt the experience Hadley has- of meeting and bonding with a stranger through the artificial intimacy of travel and all of the significant moments that are blurred together within a single day in one’s life.