I blitzed through this book over the weekend as I just could not get enough. Light and witty but not shying day from the realties of life I enjoyed every second. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Seraphina and Milo for the win!

Gosh, I absolutely loved this book. From the beginning it was already relatable in the context of job searching and not wanting to share about brain injury/disability. I have been diagnosed with a mental health illness previously, and it truly sucks when on the outside you seem "fine" but there are a lot of layers and trauma too that needs to be dealt with. I like how the book was sensitive to these topics and portrayed the two main characters in a very human light, in that we are all imperfect, and some of us hide our flaws better than others. Safety in Numbers is a great example of how it takes two to tango, and I really like how the two main characters really complemented each other despite their conflicts and inner critics.

I really enjoyed how both characters' perspectives were taken into account. Both Milo and Seraphina have their own monsters to deal with, but it brought them closer together rather than tearing them apart. I am one of many who dream that there's someone out there who would love me and want me despite my many flaws and weaknesses, and seeing that love/communication happen between Milo and Seraphina made my heart burst with content. If I can't live out my romantic dreams right here and now, at least my favorite characters are living it to the tee!

Both characters' were so likeable, and both fell head over heels for one another. I loved Seraphina's little quirks, giggles, and side stories/knowledge, such as when she helped massage Milo's head when he was really upset. They just get each other and know what makes the other tick, and know how to make each other happier and more at peace. It was such a gorgeous and intimate portrayal of a love story and had my stomach curling in all the right places (especially the steamy scenes, you know what I mean uh huh ;D)

I do think some of the side characters could have had better development. I would have loved to see more depth into Kendall. The way she was written was that she's just a mean girl who's jealous of what she does not have and so she acts out by badmouthing others and being very outwardly judgmental. Understandable that she was most likely meant to be more of a plot device, to keep the story going but again, I do like seeing more rounded "bad guys" in the stories I read.

I also really enjoyed seeing Seraphina's little interactions with different people like the pizza guy who she trusted and her counselors/mentors at the House as well as Lara and Melissa.

Wonderful and quick read, I would recommend this for fans of Colleen Hoover, Amy Harmon, Jennifer L. Armentrout.

2.5 stars.

Let me start by saying that this book had a lot of potential, yet did not deliver in the way I would have wished. We follow Seraphina a young woman suffering from severe brain damage (aphasia). The book starts with her applying for a job she highly qualified for, but doesn't get due to her lack of social skills due to her brain injury. Once the book actually picks up the CEO Milo Grant offers her the job anyway and they start working together.

This book had a lot of things I personally enjoy. Milo is a royal ass, which he admits to being, yet isn't to Seraphina. He does not seem to change at all, apart from the fact that he wants Seraphina, since she's smart and special. Seraphina in her right is an interesting character, but I felt like her brain injury was her defining feature, which I don't agree with at all. Seraphina is a beautiful woman, highly intelligent and driven, yet the book truly portrays her as only being someone with a brain injury. Seraphina on top of that does not want to tell anyone of her injury because she doesn't want people to treat her differently, but gets mad when they do treat her differently, simply due to the fact that people don't know why she is the way she is.

The characters were not used to their full potential and were quite flat, especially Milo since he does not change in the slightest. Something I also missed was the actual research and the wit and grind for research since they are both working on important projects.

As I said a book with huge potential, but it did not deliver as I wished it would.

Thank you to NetGalley for proving this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Very sweet romance! They were so wholesome but had a hidden fiery side.

Premise: This book was intriguing because the main character is a woman in STEM. Seraphina Ellis is a mathematician and computer science wiz, she also suffered a traumatic injury leaving her with a mental disability that impairs her speech and word recognition. To avoid embarrassment, she acts shy in social interactions.

Plot: The story takes place some months after her injury as she is trying to get back into the work force and explore her independence. Queue the CEO, Dr. Milo Grant, of the billion dollar company she is working at. He’s hot, he’s a genius, he’s a grumpy jerk, and he’s very interested in her. Their romance begins once she becomes his research assistant. Things kick off pretty quickly between them after that but it makes sense for his character since he goes after what he wants with tenacity.

Characters: Seraphina had good development and grew a lot throughout the book, however I wanted more for Milo. He also suffered from a lot of trauma and insecurity but we didn’t get to see him face a lot of that. Seraphina was aided by Milo and her rehab team to face her own issues and become empowered by her disability. But I wanted Milo be seen as a better boss/CEO, maybe trust his management more and focus on his research, something. He just felt a little incomplete and immature, I’d have liked to see him grow up more and face more of his insecurities.

Romance: They were a couple who is sweet in the streets and steamy in the sheets! Holy hell, wasn’t expecting that! I liked how Milo was immediately intrigued by Seraphina, and never judged her. He was so accepting. In fact he was encouraging, often telling her how competent and intelligent she is. She was so smart, even if she had a hard time articulating herself out loud. He was so open and really did his best to improve her independence while simultaneously taking such care of her. He was a lovely romance hero! They had a lot of fluffy moments, and good conversation— her speech improved a LOT just from opening up to him. He never pressured or rushed her, and I loved that Seraphina took a lot of initiative and control. She was low key such a dominate lover! It was unexpected but Milo was very into it. He even guessed that she was hiding her fiery side, and he was so right!

This is a pretty adorable and quick read. I recommend for lovers of Kiss Quotient and The Love Hypothesis.

Good book! This is my second book from this author. This book took a different approach to workplace romance. The writing style and characters were sometimes unbelievable, but this a book. I would read more books by this author.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc of this novel

This was a first novel for me from this author.Nice and easy read .Read it in one sitting.Couple of scenarios could've been given a bit more attention but overall fun read with some serious real life issues presented.
Looking forward to the future work from this author.

Would definitely recommend to the readers!

This is not The Love Hypothesis.

I went into this story really excited about another romance between scientists because I enjoyed The Love Hypothesis so much, however, this book did not live up to my expectations.

Seraphina suffers a traumatic brain injury during an accident, which alters the course of her life. When she starts working again at her new job, she piques the interest of the company's CEO, Dr. Milo Grant, and he convinces her to work directly with him.

This is actually when the story really started to lose me. I enjoyed the character Seraphina, and thought she was well developed, but I had a hard time with Milo. He's supposed to be this bad-boy, super smart scientist, with a gooey inside, but I just thought he was annoying. The book is told in dual POVs and I had a really hard time believing Milo's inner monologue. It didn't match who his character was supposed to be. Even though he's a scientist, that doesn't mean he thinks in scientific and formal ways all the time. I just wish his inner monologue was more casual. There's also British colloquialisms that are used, which is understandable because the author is British, but the characters live in the US.

I also found it hard to stay interested in reading because most of the story is told through inner monologue. I personally find it very boring when the plot happens through inner monologue because I would much rather be experiencing the plot with the character.

This story has a lot of potential, but I think it needs more work before it's published.

seraphina becomes milo’s research assistant and the two of them begin to get closer. recovering from a brain injury, seraphina is dealing with the impacts of that and trying to navigate her new normal.

i have mixed feelings about this book. the story had so much potential, with it being an interesting plot idea. one of the biggest fails seemed to be the pacing, there were a few time jumps that were brushed by and vague. this left some confusion about how much time had passed throughout the book. along with that the writing itself was just not up to parr. the dialogue of the characters often seemed choppy and forced (outside of the brain injury), along with there being a lot of clunky passages.

Safety in numbers was a simple and sweet romance that distinguished itself by exploring more serious themes. Seraphina is coming to terms with life after being in a serious accident, when she starts a new job at Grant industries. Milo is a successful billionaire that runs the company, and when these two meet sparks fly. Despite their immediate connection, they both are working through their own issues and the book explores how they overcome this. Despite being a somewhat stereotypical romance read, the characters were well written, multidimensional and very likeable. Would definitely recommend this book!

A different read for me.

The first few pages gave a doubtful vibe but as I continued reading, it started to grow on me.

There were places where I felt a bit lost and in few instances wondered if we would want our book bf to be like Milo etc.

Somewhere between 25% to 40% the thought I had was maybe Seraphina and Milo characters could have had a bit bolder image - something like Nora Roberts MCs.
But then after 50% I was like - each person is different and we have different strengths and weaknesses. Why not accept the characters as they are!

Though it felt a bit long, it was made for an interesting read.


3.5 stars for a good read.

QOTD: What time do you go to bed?
My A: Honestly... like 2-3am. I know, I know, it’s awful. I’ve been a raging insomniac since I was a child and all the medication, yoga and sleep schedules in the world haven't fixed it so I’ve given into being nocturnal. I’m usually awake by 9am. My husband, on the other hand, falls asleep around 8:30 every night and wakes up at 4:30am, so sometimes we meet in the mornings on our way in/out of bed.
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Get ready to add yet another book to your TBR for 2022! Sophie Penhaligon’s novel, Safety in Numbers, is a feel-good workplace romance. Fast paced and low angst, there were moments of predictability, but I never mind that if the characters can carry the story. I’m totally a sucker for the ‘I hate everyone but you’ trope and Milo is the perfect example of this. He’s rough around the edges and a total jerk, but he just melts for Seraphina. Swoon!! I admit, I would’ve liked more of a build up between them and more of their outside of work life, but I’ve been really loving the science/lab workplaces in romances lately! I also feel like the representation on TBI and Serephina’s day to day struggles were written well and obviously researched. All in all, a great book for a cold Thursday spent bunded up on the couch!
BLURB:
When a tragic accident leaves mathematician Seraphina Ellis broken and despairing, she is convinced that she will live out the remainder of her life in lonely solitude. Determined to conceal her disability from her co-workers, she hides away in her desolate cubicle, crossing off the days of her life, unfulfilled and defeated. A chance meeting with irascible but mesmerizing billionaire scientist and CEO Milo Grant provides her with the job of her dreams, and the chance of escape from cubicle land. But Grant is haunted by his own monsters and is increasingly interested in more than just her mathematical magic. In this touching and sexually charged contemporary romance novel, Sophie Penhaligon manages to deliver a novel that is lighthearted and fun whilst dealing with the difficult topics of loss and disability.

Seraphina Ellis suffers from a disability after a accident that changed her life. Milo Grant is a CEO, scientist and an asshole. Seraphina and Milo meet and love is born. This is pretty much the story.

I wanted to beging by saying that I loved that this book portraited a mental disability. Mental disabilities are a reality most of us don't know and don't understand about and I believe that, the fact that this book portraits one of this situations, makes us more aware of the challenges people with this condition might suffer. It's interesting to learn how Seraphina lives and deals with the world, how she has to work so hard on things most of us take for granted. I'm sure we all benefit to have such realities represented in books (or media).

The narrative either takes place in Seraphina's point of view or Milo's. I usually enjoy this split narratives a lot, but I didn't love this one because it was told in the first person and it didn't click with me.

As the story moves on (a bit too fast on my opinion) we get to learn more about Seraphina and Milo.

I really liked Seraphina but I couldn't connect with Milo. He is supposed to be an asshole just on the outside and a good person on the inside but I couldn't feel that vibe from the writting. For me Milo was just an over protective/controller ass who is used to get everything the way he wants.

Overall I'd give this book a 3.5/5 and I think it's worth the read simply by the fact that it portraits a mental disability. Plus it's very light and easy to read.

I read a lot of romance, so it is hard for a book to stand out to me. They all start to blur together with common tropes and ideas.

However, I found Safety in Numbers to be a delightful and engaging read. Milo and Seraphina were a great pairing and I enjoyed their romance. I think the fact that Seraphina suffered a brain injury was thoughtfully done. My cousin had a similar situation and it is hard to find books that have decent disability rep.

I binged this one in one sitting and would recommend it as a quick, fun romance.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Seraphina is a mathematician with a brain injury trying to navigate her new reality while determined to conceal her disability.

A chance meeting with irascible but mesmerizing billionaire scientist and CEO Milo Grant provides her with the job of her dreams, and the chance of escape from cubicle land. But Grant is haunted by his own monsters and is increasingly interested in more than just her mathematical magic.

This book started off wonderful, I was drawn to it as I had a similar issue after a brain surgery and really related to Seraphina. I found Milo interesting and I really enjoyed the beginning stages of their relationship. I loved the focus on them being intelligent individuals and found the book really sweet.

As their romance progressed, I did begin to feel like i'd put one book down and picked up another. While I'm no prude, I found the sexual aspects and Milo's constant gifts of clothing and a trip in a private jet overwhelming , a bit possessive and it started to feel a bit too Fifty Shades of Grey. I do feel the book lost it's way in the midde.

However! i'm pleased to say it picked up again and went back to being the lovely , interesting book i'd started reading and there was the introduction of further characters which added something special.

Overall a decent read and a sympathetic take on traumatic brain injury.

It was one easy romance read for me.. Also, I quite liked the setting, pace and the word building. Though, it was pretty predictable at times, but nonetheless, I enjoyed it

Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for this arc.

I found Safety in Numbers to be an easy, sweet romance read. The main character Seraphina is coping with aphasia (loss of use of words) as a result of her traumatic brain injury suffered in a car accident a year previous.
While she has her arsenal of work-arounds and coping tools, she's determined to live as independently as possible and start to work again. She ends up at Grant Technologies and naturally comes to the CEO's attention (it's a romance).

Once she starts working directly under Milo Grant (CEO), her TBI kinda falls to the wayside as the romance develops. Naturally, Milo has some issues of his own, but it felt like they were thrown in more to balance the characters rather than something heavy.

Overall, I found this a medium/low angst and predictable (it's a romance!) read.

3.0 stars

Sophie Penhaligon's book, Safety in Numbers, can accurately be described as "un-put-down-able." From the moment I started reading this book, I was absolutely enthralled with her characters. I managed to binge-read the entire thing in one sitting. The main character, Seraphina, is fun, quirky, and relatable. You cannot help but root for her. This is everything I wanted in a book and more. I will definitely be recommending this one to my friends.

I loved and didn't love this book all at once. I adored the representation of neurodiverse characters and a character with a traumatic brain injury. I didn't love the overall arc of the relationship in the story.

Seraphina is pretty much alone in the world. She survived a devastating car crash that left her with a severe traumatic brain injury and killed her mother. Prior to the accident she had gotten her master's degree in Mathematics and was strongly involved in research. the accident significantly affected her speech language processing - which makes interactions with strangers and new environments difficult for her. But after a full year of recovery, Seraphina is ready to rejoin the working world. She interviews for a research assistant job with billionaire scientist/businessman Milo Grant. That interview - does not go well - but Seraphina gets a job in another area of the company and things move on from there.

Seraphina is such a sweetheart. She is kind and smart - and your heart breaks for all the things she has been through. How much she's accomplished and is able to do is also amazing. I liked how much the author showed that Seraphina was so much more than her TBI. That she was a normal human woman - just one who had some very specific and unique challenges. I liked Milo -a lot. He definitely doesn't try to "fix" Seraphina - and seems perfectly ok with letting her be who she is - TBI and all. He definitely needs Seraphina to bring him back down to earth and remember how to treat people.

So here's the thing - unfortunately - I felt this book succumbed a little bit to the "love fixes all things" pitfall. When we start the book - Seraphina definitely has a hard time communicating with strangers - and finding words. This improves at a very rapid pace throughout the book. I am not discounting the fact that her confidence was also growing - and that she had held herself back somewhat out of fear - but still it felt somewhat unrealistic. Like Milo believing in her "fixed" her TBI. Maybe it is just that we don't see her using as many of her OT prescribed systems, routines, and workarounds - but it felt like once she was with Milo that all just completely fell away.

I also felt that Milo's character - while interesting - ended up feeling somewhat two-dimensional. The background and information was there, but I just never really felt strongly about him emotionally in the same way as Seraphina.

Overall - this was a good read and a different take on romance. I love romance books that show the many different shades and shapes love can come in - and this one definitely does that.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own.

Such a refreshing and sweet book about two people who find safety in each other. Big fan of smart women in STEM representation with a twist of her new disability (brain injury) and how she dealt with it. Loved the love, chemistry and patience the MCs had for each other.
It was an adorable, fast read that I was not able to put down, so glad I had the opportunity to read it.

I think this story had a lot of potential but missed the mark. Seraphina was a great character but Milo seemed one-dimensional and without growth in the story.