Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between - Jennifer E. Smith

Title: Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between

Author: Jennifer E. Smith

Pages: 256

Publisher: Poppy

Source: BEA15

About: 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?

I usually really like stories that take place over a small period of time (like one night, or 24 hours).  This is one that I think would have benefitted from a little more time to let the story breathe.  It felt a little clumsy shoving all the memories into the “scavenger hunt.”    If it had taken place over their last summer I think it would have been easier to get invested in the characters and feel their pain a little bit more about leaving. 

I found Clare and Aidan really selfish.  Which is sort of okay if you look at the narrative, it’s their last night home before leaving for college, but I’ve addressed that I don't love the timing thing.  The fights and reconciliations didn’t hold as much weight because you don’t really know these people or their relationship.  The reveals like – SPOILER – Aidan LYING to his parents about applying to Harvard (like, what????) aren’t truly impactful because what are they going to do about it, ground him for six hours?  He leaves for UCLA in the morning.  Also, it’s probably because I’m an old now, but going away to college wasn’t that big of a deal?  Like, I was a little upset to leave my friends, but we knew we were going to see each other again in a few weeks.  Not everything changes right away.  If you want to play like leaving for college is this HUGE THING (which I don't really buy into) then you have to build up to an explosion, not just be thrown into someone’s last night.  I feel like so many of the things you feel when you’re leaving for college is because your whole existence becomes this countdown.  There’s too much history you can’t jam into one night.  And you definitely can’t care about it.

This Is What Happy Looks Like - Jennifer E. Smith

Title: This Is What Happy Looks Like

Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Pages: 416
Publisher: Poppy

From goodreads.com: 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?

Another solid contemporary romance from Jennifer E. Smith.  I really enjoy her straightforward, not-too-flowery writing style and I love her characters.  I really liked seeing Graham's perspective, a little peek inside a movie star's head who doesn't really feel like a movie star, and Ellie was awesome too.  The only thing that felt slightly off at first was the storyline with her dad.  I wound up liking how it played out, but at the beginning it felt a little unnecessary.  Also, something about the pacing felt choppy, but it may just be how it was broken up while i was reading it.  Overall this was a great contemporary summer read- just what I was looking for when I read it.

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

Title: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Pages: 236
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company

From bn.com:  
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.

I first saw this one when my sister brought it home from BEA last year (lucky girl!)  and I knew immediately that if I read nothing else from her haul, I must read this.  I loved how long the title was and that it took up most of the space on the cover.  I loved that the image is black and white with red accents.  Then, the buzz started.  Every blog I read that reviewed this raved.  And what isn't there to rave about?  The book takes place in 24 hours, some of that time spent on a plane with a swoon-worthy English boy.  Yum!  But really, I loved Hadley and her impulsive craziness.  I loved Oliver and his willingness to help this girl that he didn't know from Adam and sticks with her.  Most of all, I loved them together.  When this one ended, I kept flipping back to pages because I didn't want my time with them to be over.  I know this is one I'll reread again and again.