*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher BooksGoSocial for providing a free arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*

1.5 stars

I had such high hopes for this book! The synopsis sounded so good, with disability rep and women in stem. I got my hopes up for a mix between The Love Hypothesis and the The Kiss Quotient. To be honest, I was let down.

Safety in Numbers follows Seraphina Ellis, a passionate young mathematician with aphasia. She applies for her dream job of a research assistant at a company owned by the ~moody broody~ CEO Milo Grant. Obviously, she catches his attention and they get all lovey dovey.

As you can see, the plot is extremely predictable. That's not necessarily bad, so if you're looking for a short quick romance (maybe a palate cleanser after a fantasy overload) this will do the trick. For me, this was incredibly disappointing.

If I could describe this book in one word it would be bland. The writing, the romance, even the spice!

The writing was bland too. So simple that it was risked stepping into Wattpad territory...

The romance was just lacking. It felt forced with such a predictably boring storyline that I was rolling my eyes. I had hope for Seraphina! But the disability rep was disappointing since Seraphina went through ZERO character development. She retained her ableist mindset throughout the whole book with no change. I could not take Milo seriously from the start with that name, I had to physically force myself to not imagine him as a green can of chocolate powder. He was so weirdly jealous for no reason. Don't get me wrong, I love the jealousy trope in books, loved it in FBAA, but here? It was so stupid, he yelled at some poor waiter for looking at Seraphina. Their "romance" was painfully cringey to read at times, which is saying something for me since I love heart melting romances.

Overall, I'd say read this expecting a quick, light, predictable romance. Also, ignore the disappointing representation of disabilities. Otherwise, enjoy!

This was an easy and sweet read. However just didn’t hold a high mark for me. The angst was ok, it was more drama than anything. I just found it to be a bit too predictable.

The premise of the book sounded good. Woman with aphasia is reentering the workforce, and learning how to cope with the changes in her life, while meeting her billionaire boss, they fall in love and she learns to accept herself with a disability, rather than thinking she is unlovable. The execution was not as good though.

Seraphina, the main female character, has a brain injury and aphasia as a result. She loses words for even common things. The author wrote Seraphina as childlike at times, which was not the impact of her disability, and is a stereotype that is so often written about in novels with disabled main characters.

The books had a few times where exact descriptions were repeated. For example, Milo uses an escort service because of a broken heart previously. It just seemed repetitive, and more something that would be repeated in a second book, not a chapter later.

I was looking forward to seeing growth in Seraphina, moving from struggling with her disability and seeing herself as unlovable because she had a disability, to someone who loves and cares for herself. This happens a little bit, but almost to0 late. We have nearly the entire novel of her talking about how she is embarrassing because she has aphasia, and then she is fine with it in the epilogue. We don't see any movement through the stages of coming to terms with things, so it is hard to believe the growth.

This was a cringy romance, with poor disability representation and therefore was just not the book for me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an open and honest review. All opinions are 100% mine.

Safety in Numbers is written in the first person narrative and follows the romance between Seraphina and Milo. Seraphina is a brilliant mathematician whose life completely changed after a car accident left her with brain trauma. After recovering, she gets a job where she hides her disability from her coworkers and maintains a life of solitude. Milo is the CEO of the company, a brilliant scientist, but a complete jerk. After a chance encounter in the elevator, Milo finds that Seraphina would be the perfect research assistant. Despite both battling their own demons, romance blooms and they both find out they might be exactly what the other needs.

STEM heroine, disability representation, workplace romance, billionaire boyfriend, nerdy couple, ‘I hate everyone but you’ male… there is no shortage of tropes here. As a woman in STEM, I’m so drawn to these types of stories. I was looking for a book similar to The Kiss Quotient and The Love Hypothesis and this one didn’t hold a candle to those. Definitely a heavier read than anticipated, which I normally enjoy but there was a lot of opportunities here. I feel Seraphina had so much potential to be a great heroine. I’m unsure how well Seraphina’s brain trauma is written but she came across as quite ableist and was clearly ashamed of her disability… I understand how hard it must be to adjust to your new reality but I hoped she was able to overcome that by the end of the book and she never really did. The book blurbs Seraphina as ‘broken’ and that just didn’t sit well with me right from the start. She also placed her entire value in her relationship with Milo and was pleased because she thought her disability meant that no one would ever love her, which she talked about incessantly. I wasn’t a huge fan of the writing style and I really didn’t like Milo’s selfish inner dialogue. Milo was a jealous creep and might be my least favorite male love interest in a long while. Overall, there are much better STEM romances and I would like to find a more well-done romance centered around a disabled protagonist.

Thank you Netgalley, Sophie Penhaligon, and BooksGoSocial for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date: 1/03/2022

This review contains spoilers.

I really enjoyed this story - I chose this as I also have a hidden disability (sight related) and hugely identified with Seraphina's wish to keep her struggles a secret from her colleagues and treated the same. I would say that this mindset was handled well, although the conversations with the therapist towards the end of the story felt a little heavy handed and I would have preferred Seraphina to come to her conclusions on her own.

I also enjoyed the dual POV structure and particularly enjoyed that Seraphina was portrayed as so competent in her field.

I received this ebook free of charge from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the ARC. I really enjoyed this book and how sensitive the author was to those with traumatic brain injuries, at least from my perspective. The romance was sweet and some pieces seemed to speed along quite quickly but also took time in places. I was a bit disappointed in one of the storylines being dropped around how Milo behaves at work after his relationship with Seraphina evolves. All in all, a very sweet romance novel that I was happy to spend a few hours with snuggled up in the cold.

I only made it 50% of the way through this one, I just did not like it. I was cringing the entire time. A girl with a brain injury is saved by her boss turned lover? This one just isn’t for me

Safety in Numbers is the first book that I have read by Sophie Penhaligon, and it definitely won’t be the last. I absolutely loved reading Milo and Seraphina’s story and devoured it in less than a day. Their characters were so relatable because they had flaws like real people, sure they are both like geniuses in the math and science arenas and one of them is ridiculously rich too, but they are so much more than that. I loved getting to know their characters more and more as the story unfolded. It was so great to see how much both Milo and Seraphina’s characters changed during the course of the story and not only that but to see how much each one helped the other one to grow and become a better version of themselves. It was such a sweet and beautiful romance, and I can’t wait to read more books by this very gifted storyteller. So if you are in need of a romance that will grab you from the beginning and have you cheering for the main characters, then look no further than this sweet moving romance. It is a story about a young woman who is reentering the workforce for the first time after suffering from a severe injury and tragic loss and a very wealthy business owner, who lashes out at everyone around him to keep people from getting close enough to be able to hurt him, end up working together and help each other heal, grow, and last but certainly not least fall for each other.

If you are looking for a relatively short, somewhat steamy romance with brainy romantic leads, Safety in Numbers by Sophie Penhaligon is the book for you. I read this charming story in less than a day, the second of Ms. Penhaligon's novels I have devoured, and I will surely be looking for more of her books in the future.

Seraphina Ellis is a highly educated mathematician/computer scientist who is returning to the work world after over a year in recovery after an accident which resulted in a traumatic brain injury and the loss of her mother. The company's owner, Milo Grant, is as good looking as he is temperamental, and a chance meeting in the building elevator makes an impression on them both. As they get to know each other, Seraphina and Milo recognize that each is as vulnerable as they are strong, and the sparks between them are undeniable.

The portrayal of a character who is recovering from a brain injury, getting back to living independently and the struggles that entails, was a refreshing spin on the contemporary romance genre. I appreciated that the difficulties that Seraphina encounters (both actual and feared/anticipated) were realistic, and her response to challenges and dread of certain situations seemed authentic. The character Milo was, at times, almost too good to be true, but then again, isn't that what makes us fall in love?

Safety in Numbers is about taking chances in life and love, and it is a fun read!

Thank you to Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for the opportunity to read an e-ARC of Safety in Numbers. The opinions in this review are my own.

Cute romance. The female protagonist had a brain injury which was pretty interesting to read about. I appreciated that this topic was handled respectfully. The character development was a bit off at times (protagonists did things that seemed out of character). Not perfect but very entertaining and a quick read.

A little like 'The Love Hypothesis' but not in all the best ways. A bit disappointing but an easy read.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This open door romance offers dual POV, so you get insight into both Seraphina's and Milo's thoughts. It's nice to see STEM representation in romance books, and both Seraphina and Milo demonstrate unabashed enthusiasm for their work in the lab.

This book also includes disability representation. Seraphina has suffered a brain injury and the book depicts the systems she has in place to help her navigate her new reality and how she learns to adapt and accept her disability.

This is a quick read.

I would have loved to see more character development for both characters. At times, Milo felt flat to me.

I'm also not completely comfortable with how those who knew about Seraphina's disability treated her. I understand encouraging someone you love to grow, but Milo keeps expanding Seraphina's boundaries without her input. There should at least be some discussion, even if she is hesitant. While Milo encourages her to start small in unveiling her disability to others, so that she can become more comfortable doing that, her therapist seems to imply that others have a right to know that information: "'It's not always about you, Seraphina, and what you want.’" Clearly Seraphina has been through both emotional and physical trauma, but at times in the book, it feels like some of her medical professionals are minimizing that, implying that she should spend time with another patient to see how it could be so much worse (instead of just saying that she should spend time with that patient because he is her friend). It is also implied that the office gossip would not have made hurtful comments about Seraphina if she knew about Seraphina's brain injury, but one of the comments the gossip makes is about how she thinks Seraphina was promoted as part of a disability program. If she is willing to openly make a comment like that at a work event, you can't know for sure that she would behave differently with confirmation of Seraphina's disability.

Trigger/Content Warnings: grief, child abandonment/neglect/abuse

It's been a year since the accident in which Seraphina lost her mother and her speaking skills. Because of this, she is stuck in a cubicle job despite being a mathematical genius. So when he is offered a promotion as a research assistant in Grant Innovations, she is overjoyed. Her new boss Dr. Milo Grant is a good guy under his attractive appearance and scary demeanor. When both meet, they instantly connect because of their social awkwardness and tragic past. But does that mean anything?

In a sentence, this is a light quick read. I finished it in one sitting and it was so short that I thought I was halfway through it when I was almost done. All the focus was on the two main characters, with a simple, but life changing backstory. This isn't the kind of book I will reread, but it gave me two subtle messages. One- Expressing your liabilities doesn't make you weak or pitiful. It makes you true to yourself and more lovable. And two- You don't need to create a false identity for show. Be your true self. Now may sound impressive, but it isn't really. I'll just say that both characters had such exaggerated personality traits to make them flawed, that they became boring and repetitive. For example, Milo is a horrible employer and extremely rude to everyone (which would be believable) except Seraphina. I get that he finds her good-looking, but I don't understand how he goes out of his way to be nice to her just because he is desperate for an assistant (This was before he finds out about her aphasia) And then Seraphina is determined not to tell anyone about her disability, but she simply blurts it to Milo because he should know that working with her won't be easy. Also, she conveniently regains her memory of words and speaks in full paragraphs when she wants to. I won't be too critical with this book because enjoyed most of it, hence the rating.

Rating- 3.5/5

to be honest, i was really excited when i started reading this book because it's another woman working under the STEM industry and i love that kind of representation. it's not everyday i get to read something like that. i also liked how seraphina was able to show what she can do despite the accident. she was outstanding.
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i made it to the middle of this book, but i found myself cringing already. it made me lose my interest and i've decided that it's not working for me anymore. i wish the execution of this book was better. it could've been better.

I hadn't heard of this author before but the description and the cover drew me in. I was impressed with the book quite a bit and am going to look to see if this author has other work.

Seraphina is a math/science genius and is in need of a job. However, she had an accident and is having a few setbacks that have left her unable to function at the capacity that she once did. She has interviewed to be a research assistant for Dr. Milo Grant. She does get a job but not the one she interviewed for.

Dr. Milo Grant is a hard guy to work for. He has a temper and is well aware that he is perceived as an overall ass. He is in desperate need of an assistant who is competent. After some searching he finds that exactly what he needs is already working for his business.

He and Seraphina begin working together. Through her own physical trials and his temper can they get along? Does their relationship go beyond work?

These questions are answered in such a great way. I adored how Penhaligon discusses brain injuries. You can tell that she either has personal relations to this or that she is a great researcher.

This is the perfect balance of romance and understanding that setbacks do not hinder you from success.

Thank you BooksGoSOcial and Netgalley for the advanced readers copy of this story. All thoughts are my own and have not been influenced by any outside sources.

I found Seraphina very sweet and her story quite interesting but the rest of the book just didn't work for me. The CEO Milo is just an asshole who goes around and uses his power to abuse his employees. Can you imagine working for someone who would instill so much fear that you would run a hall each time he passes the hallway? Seraphina might be fine with that but I could not fall in love with a person who treats others this way. Also albeit Milo's point of view pictured Seraphina very differently from how she sees herself and gave some insight why Milo seemed to be spellbound by her from the beginning, in general he was not that interesting and he sounded like having an immature mind. I am not a big fan of having both points of view presented and this case it made me dislike the hero even more.

Overall, the romance novel didn't work for me because there was no tension, no chemistry, no building, no surprises - it was rather all predictable and too predictable to my taste that I stopped reading half way through. I think the author should try again but a good novel needs a built-up, tension and release.

Thanks Netgalley for a free copy in exchange of the honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Safety in Numbers drew me in due to disability and women in STEM representation.

If you love a grumpy boss with a soft spot, a very intelligent woman making the best of her new life with a traumatic brain injury, and lots of pet names, this book is for you.

This book is a cute and quick romance but also deals with some very heavy topics throughout, so please be sure to check trigger warnings before diving in.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The first 50% is much stronger than the latter portion. There was some parts to the story I had issue with but I tend to overlook those in romances.

I had difficulty with this book due to it being very expository and “tell” instead of show. If you open it to the first chapter and read, that’s the style that is used for the duration of the novel. It might be right up your alley, but it wasn’t up mine. I also have difficulty with liking jerks as love interests. Someone online compared this 50 Shades, and I think it does have very similar vibes but less explicit.

I was really excited when I read the synopsis for this one - disability AND STEM representation? But the writing just killed it for me. Seraphina is a whip smart mathematician who suffers from aphasia after a traumatic brain injury and Milo is her grumpy, temperamental (but filthy rich) CEO and boss. Seraphina was determined not to let her disability be known to anyone, but ended up disclosing it to Milo anyway, they helped each other become better versions of themselves, yadda yadda yadda.

I help people with job applications as part of my day job and I’m always telling them to “show, not tell” on their cover letters. There was a lot of telling going on in this book. We kept hearing how much of a jerk Milo is, but we hardly saw that in action. The whole story felt incredibly rushed, and I felt like there was a lot of dialogue missing. The author used a lot of the same words over and over again - forget “eating”, it’s always “tucked into”. Some distinctly British and Canadian words were peppered in throughout (which made more sense when I read about the author) but it felt out of place in a story that took place somewhere in the US.

This book had a great premise but there were some major flaws I couldn’t get past, unfortunately. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Booksgosocial and NetGalley for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Seraphina Ellis is working at a high tech company owned my Milo Grant. She has a TBI that has altered her life in many ways. Milo needs an assistant and Seraphina has the perfect qualifications. Throughout the book Seraphina and Milo develop a relationship displaying the good, bad, and ugly.

The characters in this book have good chemistry and it was a quick read for me. I enjoyed the message behind the title as well. However, I was not fond of the pace of the book and felt like the plot was rushed and certain scenes were oddly specific making it highly predictable. I didn’t enjoy a specific character due to feeling like they had a controlling, jealous, and egotistical personality. The intimate scenes in the book made me cringe and were very hard for me to read.

Overall, I feel like it had a good message but was poorly executed.

Rounding up from 2.5