This book is more of a 3.5 stars than just 3! I love the premise and set up of the story, I just wasn't entirely sold on Milo's character. I love the grumpy yet soft guy trope but sometimes it felt like he was infantilizing Seraphina, rather than just simply caring for her. I'm not sure on the accuracy of how TBI was portrayed, but I actually really enjoyed it. It never really occurred to me before how difficult it is for people to have to relearn to speak and relearn basic words again, but this book really opened my eyes to it. I really enjoyed Seraphina as our heroine, but Milo just fell short in some places for me.

I was drawn to Safety in Numbers by the allure of women in STEM, nerdy workplace romance, an underdog disability, and romantic slow burn. A brilliant mathematician and computer programmer applies for a job as research assistant to an equally brilliant and accomplished inventor. Unfortunately Seraphina Ellis’ initial introduction with the irascible Dr. Milo Grant, CEO of Grant Industries, meets with an abrupt dismissal. Little do they know that their past challenges make them perfect soul mates!

Here’s my reaction to this love story, by the numbers. At 25%, my tummy was thrumming with excitement because I sensed I had found someone who knew how to set me up to fall in love. At 50%, my heart was palpitating with the thrill of new love and fiery sexiness. At 75%, my core felt warmed by the connection between the two lovers as they came to understand how they complimented each other, filling in gaps created by their self-doubts. By 100%, my soul floated on the euphoria of an indelible bond and well-deserved happily ever after. Sophie Penhaligon is a new-to-me author who has won a new fan!

This is a voluntary and sincere review of an ARC downloaded from NetGalley.

I liked the sound of Safety in Numbers and after reading The Love Hypothesis and The Kiss Quotient, I was ready for another science-based romance! Unfortunately, Safety in Numbers didn't live up to my expectations. I think the representation of a traumatic brain injury was good, I don't know an awful lot about them but it didn't make light of the situation which I appreciated.

My main issue was with the way the story is told through the character's internal thoughts, pages would go by without any actual dialogue between characters. Pretty much everything was told directly to the reader by the character thinking about the situation and how they felt, it was pretty odd to read.

For example:
'We enjoyed a companionable dinner with me doing most of the talking. She really appreciated Emmy's chilli, and I was surprised at how much she ate. She was a petite girl. I didn't think she would have much of an appetite, but she certainly did it justice.'

If I wasn't reading this for a NetGalley review then I probably would've DNFd around 45%, but I definitely would have done when Milo went into crazy caveman mode over a bit of ice cream...

I was really hoping to like this one. I was surprised at how well the main character’s TBI was portrayed, but I think this book got a lot heavier than I originally anticipated. There are things like child abuse and loss of a parent discussed, which did make it a little hard for me to personally enjoy the overall romance of the story. I also felt like those topics I mentioned above were just…there. They weren’t explored enough, so it felt like they were just there to be there. Overall, I think this book had a lot of potential but fell flat for me.

DNF at 42%.

Seraphina Ellis received a traumatic brain injury in a car accident which has made interactions with others difficult. Faced with spontaneous choices she panics and so her life has become highly regimented with a daily meal plan, clothing selections and set routines for every part of daily life. her stilted speech and social awkwardness mean that despite her brilliance as a mathematician she has a lowly cubicle job in a tech firm.

Milo Grant is a billionaire CEO of the tech company where Seraphina works, young, handsome and good-looking of course he comes with a bad personality, sacking assistants regularly and shouting/swearing at people.

Seraphina originally interviewed for the role as Milo's assistant but failed the interview. Having seen how Milo bit the head off of the HR woman when she tried to introduce them Seraphina is sort of glad she didn't get the job, even if the alternative is that she has an unfulfilling job and no friends. She even meets him in a lift one day on the way to her cubicle and he makes an unkind joke at her expense.

After firing yet another assistant Milo decides to get the head of HR to trawl their employees qualifications to find someone who can handle the work - surprise, surprise it is the mousey woman from the lift. When she starts work it turns out she is perfect for the role, far better than Milo could ever imagine and he finds the time he spends in the lab with her the best parts of his day.

All this sounds great right? STEM heroine meets flawed billionaire yadda, yadda, yadda.

Sadly, the execution was lacking. First, I got the distinct impression that this had been written as a serial because things were repeated. For example, Milo uses escort agencies because he got his heart crushed and he likes his romance transactional (what a charmer!). The reader gets told this more than once, I'm like I know he's a sleazebag you don't have to repeat it. Similarly, we hear about the girl in the next cubicle to Seraphina who reads out bits from gossip rags more than once as if this is news.

Second, Milo is rude to his employees and thinks that's okay, similarly Seraphina is very scathing about her fellow cubicle drones, who all made an effort to befriend her but she gave them the hard shoulder and speaks ill of them behind their backs (in her head but it totally counts.

Third and finally, the book feels as though it is almost entirely written as interior monologue of Milo and Seraphina, first he thinks about something, then she thinks about something. There's a lot of unnecessary descriptions of her hair and his hair etc, etc.

Overall, I began to dislike both characters so I decided to stop reading.

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

4.5 ⭐️ I absolutely loved this story! The story was so heart warming and had all of the things I love in a contemporary romance. There is great disability rep and the grumpy/sunshine storyline was perfect. It does have insta-love which I know not everyone likes, but I LOVE it! I only took .5 a point from the rating due to the writing being a bit quirky at times so I couldn't get completely lost in the story.

Seraphina is trying to adjust to life with a disability after being in a tragic accident. She lands a job at Grant enterprises that finds her days hiding in a cubicle and hiding her disability. After a chance encounter with Milo Grant in the elevator it leads to her landing the job that she originally wanted. A friendship is formed which quickly turns to more between Milo and Serphina.

Milo and Seraphina are both complex characters. Milo has issues with trust from his childhood and a previous relationship. Which has lead to him being rude and a grump a lot of the times due to trying to control all aspects of his business, which takes away from his true passion which is being in the lab. Not only that but he strays away from relationships. Seraphina is only a little over a year out from her accident that has left her with a disability. She lives her days in solitude not sharing that she does have a disability.

The spark between Milo and Seraphina was instantaneous. They both quickly became protective of one another and brought out the best in each other. I loved Milo’s humor and seeing Seraphina find a part of herself that had been lost since the accident. Together the really grew together. Some of my favorite parts of the books were Milo’s humor.

Not only were Milo and Seraphina great but the book had a handful of secondary characters that you couldn’t help but to love.

****ARC was kindly received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.****

A beautiful romance that is touching and serene. The main character Seraphina is delicate yet intricate that you would be able to feel her emotions throughout the book. The feel good ending is smooth and not overtly done. Hats off to the author for keeping things as realistic as possible. A 5 star for sure.

Did I read this whole story in one sitting? Yes, yes I did! It’s the story of a woman struggling with trying to navigate the world following a traumatic brain injury and a man trying to learn how to trust again. I was rooting for Seraphina on every single page as she put her self out there but felt ashamed of her disability. It was a joy following her journey of accepting her struggles and embracing them as things that make her unique.

If you love:
- the “I only like you” trope
- strong female main character finding herself
- a bit of spice

Then this is the book for you! A truly great quick, easy romance that hits on important topics of living with new disabilities.

This book was so addicting. I couldn't stop reading it. I think the main thing for me was how much I loved Milo and Seraphina, our main characters for the duration of the novel. Both characters were incredibly well written and were actually likeable. They are both incredibly smart. Seraphina is sweet and shy and Milo is intimidating and hardworking. It's amazing to see the difference between each of their internal monologues compared to how the other sees them. On top of that, they actually had chemistry. You could see them together in the long run and it didn't feel like they just got together just because the plot needed them too (even though it did lmao). They were there for each other and you could tell they were actually in love.

Now as much as I loved their characters (both individually and together) and the romance, it did feel a bit cliche to me a some points in time. It wasn't enough to completely take me out of the story, but it was enough to be noticeable. That's the one thing that kept me from giving this a full five stars. Other than that I loved it and I am absolutely obsessed with it.

This is the first book I’ve read by Sophie Penhaligon and I really enjoyed it! The book dealt with heavy situations, such as child abuse or parent loss, but did so in a way that allowed the book to remain upbeat. With this kind of discussion I would have expected the book to be heavier but I was able to finish it within the afternoon. I think the representation of traumatic brain injury was well done and loved the relationship between Milo and Seraphina.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4371294364

I started this book this morning and I have not been able to put it down, IT WAS SO GOOD!!! Now I finished it and I still have a smile on my face from it. If you liked The Kiss Quotient, The Love Hypothesis, and The Fine Print, YOU HAVE TO CHECK THIS BOOK OUT!!! IT WAS INCREDIBLE.

I have been in a bit of a slump but this took me out of it! I love Seraphina and Milo's relationship, he was the broody, heartless boss with anger problems, and she was his smart, quiet research assistant who was dealing with major brain damage after a tragic car accident. They were both two lonely souls who found peace and love within each other, it was so beautiful and cute to watch their relationship grow.

If you like:
- the "I hate everyone but you" trope
- grumpy/shunshine
-a fast paced romance
- workplace romance
- billionaire romance
-possessive hero
-boy falls first
YOU WILL LOVE THIS BOOK!! Seeing Seraphina become more comfortable in her own skin was amazing! She grew so much in the course of this book and I was happy to be there with her along her journey. Milo was absolutely adorable and the way he felt so at peace with Seraphina by his side was so cute. I kept squealing at his chapters because he was so infatuated and in love with her it was so sweet to watch. He was WHIPPED.

The only thing problem I had with this book was that it was fast paced, I loved seeing all the cute scenes between them but I wish there was more of build up of tension. Overall it was a solid 5/5 read ! I found my new comfort read and will definitely purchase a physical copy when it comes out :)

I saw this and I got so excited thinking I found another stem romance. But I just couldn’t get into this book. I had to DNF at 25% because the writing style was extremely expository and honestly it just seemed that all of the characters were flat cliches. I usually rate books highly and rarely dnf so this was really disappointing to me.

Before I begin this review, I'm gonna take a minute and just adore the beautiful cover because WOW!
This romance is a simple sober romance that surrounds with all the other themes as well. The characters were relatable and there were some really adorable side characters that had my heart and I'm shocked by how well written this book actually is. This may be my first book by the author but definitely not the last and I'm excited for more of her works.
Definitely recommend it!

Safety in Numbers is a tale of two people who have to confront their insecurities in order to lead a full life. Seraphina Ellis, a brilliant mathematician, sustained a brain injury that has left her feeling like she deserves nothing more than to live in the routines that keep her safe. Milo Grant is a successful scientist and businessman whose past hurts have caused him to put on a tough front and keep others at arms length. The two come together for work and continue to grow more and more
comfortable with one another as their relationship blossoms. This book evokes so
many emotions, especially in regards to Seraphina. You sympathize with her embarrassment and frustration with herself all while recognizing how truly remarkable and brave she is. Watching her character evolve is the highlight of the book. This was an incredibly quick and interesting read; I especially enjoyed the inclusion of a character with medical limitations. My only wish for this book is that we were able to see as much evolution in Milo's character. It was definitely there, just not
to the extent of Seraphinas. I recommend this book to any fan of romance novels. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Seraphina suffered a brain injury in an accident and struggles with everyday tasks, needing a routine to get her through the day. When she gets a new job everything seems to be going OK until she meets Milo, the CEO of the company. As they start to open up to each other everything seems to be going well, so will she listen to outsiders opinions?

A great read.

I loved this book! A well written typical romance story but what made it different to me was having a female character that wasn’t totally perfect (brain injury) and making her an incredibly clever scientist. So refreshing to have a story with some depth but still within the traditional genre of Romance. Enjoyable and easy to read, would definitely recommend.

2.5

i don’t think there’s anything necessarily wrong with it, and i did rip through it, but parts of it felt fake, stilted, and a tad uncomfortable.

#netgalley

I think this book mostly suffered from me being the wrong audience but I know it’s a hit for someone else. The characters are incredibly well done and the plot surrounds more than just a romance.

My first read by this author but not my last.

This book had hidden depths, but it was written in such as way that I never found it too heavy. I've read books in the past about individuals with challenges that have left me depressed, but this novel had quite the opposite effect and it is full of hope.

I enjoyed both main characters. I particularly liked the fact that Seraphina initially appears to be a bit of shrinking violet, but that her true character is masked a little by her disability, and she is actually quite ballsy. Milo is a sweetheart, albeit a reluctant one, with a difficult past and I enjoyed the way they both appeared to grow through their trauma together.

Although this novel covers some tricky ground, it was done with great sensitivity, and the author's light touch was much appreciated. Highly recommended.