Many thanks to NetGalley, BooksGoSocial, and the author for this e-arc to review.

SAFETY IN NUMBERS follows two perspectives: Seraphina Ellis, a woman that has suffered a traumatic brain injury as a result of a car crash and has recently applied for a new job as a personal research assistant at a tech company. Unfortunately, she doesn't get the position but is offered another one with the company. Months later, the CEO of the company, Milo Grant, is desperately searching for someone that's already employed with the qualifications needed for the personal research assistant position. When Seraphina is brought into the office, he's shocked by how qualified she is and how attracted to her he is... and how he might have been a jerk to her in the past. As the two begin working closely together, a mix of friendship and romantic feelings quickly blossom but conflict is bubbling underneath the surface when Seraphina struggles with allowing her to be herself in front of others and believing that Milo can love her/be with her no matter what.

Seraphina is a great character. I really enjoyed reading about her and watching her grow overtime, watching her grow to love and accept herself regardless of her injury. The representation of Seraphina's brain injury and recovery throughout the story felt a bit iffy. I do not have a brain injury nor do I know anything about them so my comments on this subject could be incorrect. However, I did feel that the repetitive reminders of the injury were a little bit annoying and I wasn't too found of how the injury was made to make Seraphina 'broken' majority of the book. The main issue that caused the rift between Milo and Seraphina didn't feel fully solved. It was one of those moments where it felt told to you rather than shown to you and then tied up nicely in the epilogue. Also, if there was another 50-150 pages, I feel that Seraphina would have had more time to grow and her relationship with Milo would've been more fleshed out.

With that being said, SAFETY IN NUMBERS is not perfect or something mind-blowing that would be recommended and enjoyed by many. If you're looking for a read that is similar or compares to titles like THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS and THE KISS QUOTIENT, this may not be the one. Even though it shares various themes to those titles, the representation and overall writing of the story didn't mesh well making it difficult to thoroughly enjoy.

CW + TW: bullying, car crash mentioned, child abandonment and trauma discussed
Rep: women in STEM, brain injuries and disabilities, mental health, aphasia,
3.5 stars

I decided to read this book because the main character Seraphina was a female mathematician with a brain injury. I expected some disability and woman in STEM representation, however… this book was quite uncomfortable to read.

Seraphina was working as a research assistant in a lab and fell for millionaire Dr Grant, the intimidating boss of the lab. She reveals her disability to him which develops into a whirlwind relationship.

Seraphina was presented as a broken woman, undeserving of love because of her traumatic brain injury - which seemed like more of a plot device to serve the storyline rather than being accurate representation. There’s a scene with her therapist telling her that her failing relationships with partners and colleagues is her fault for not informing them of her disability?! So disrespectful and I was in disbelief reading it. She falls for the overprotective, jealous Dr Grant and that’s it, that’s her whole personality and the story ends as she found the man who could ‘fix’ her.

There was no character growth and the book lacked substance, with many components being cliché and even cringe (think 2012 Wattpad fanfiction).

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It was nice to read a romance novel that still had some depth to it and dealt with some deeper topics.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I went into this book with high hopes and initially, I did really like it. I thought the two main characters were cute together and I really like how understanding Milo was towards Seraphina and her disability. But after Seraphina started working as his research assistant, the book started to go downhill. I felt like the relationship between Milo and Seraphina happened so quickly that there was no time for it to develop and I didn't feel much chemistry between them. It felt like the book was trying to force me to care about their relationship but it just did not come across. And the actual plot of the book felt so boring. I kept waiting for the main conflict on the book to hit and then the book just ended without it happening. I know the conflict was their own insecurities, Seraphina with her brain injury and Milo with his issues surrounding his past girlfriend and his parents, but it felt like the conflicts weren't developed enough and it resulted in a very strange pacing, where the last two thirds of the book dragged on for me. Overall, it was a short read and cute enough, but personally, I just don't think it was for me.

The premise sounded like a brilliant romance book with MC disability and trauma representation, and also included a woman in STEM - what more could I ask for? Turns out quite a lot. This had a lot of potential, unfortunately a few key aspects were lacking which meant this just fell flat.

Firstly, the main characters were not for me. To be honest, Seraphina, is exactly the kind of women I don't like, she immediately stuck out as a pick-me, as she continually demeaned the women around her in her head for being 'superficial', or worse! For gossiping! The horror. However, other than this, despite a few minor exceptions, it was hard to decipher what her personality was, she appeared to be opposites at times when it suited her, and whilst I understand people are complex and different faucets of their personality can be emphasised, it was mostly confusing - beyond the superficial, I barely knew her. However, the one thing I did appreciate was the exploration of Seraphina's relationship with her disability, particularly the shame and grief she felt because of it, which was interesting and appreciated by me, yet as the book went on the less well handled this felt.

Milo, I can't even tell you who Milo is. I often found him to be an exact mirror of Seraphina with the same thoughts and beliefs, and at the times he was not it felt I was only seeing the surface of him, not the man who supposedly lay beneath. Furthermore, the few things we do find out about him show no growth throughout the book and remain stagnant, which was a shame because it's hard to have a good romance without good characters.

The romance: I was bored. In my opinion, it was too quick, too sudden, too passionate; I like it when an author drags it out, make me wait a little bit longer for that conclusion - I did not wait with this book. What was truly strange though, was despite the romance being introduced early I understood little of it, I didn't particularly like them as a couple and the moments were they working together in a STEM environment were far and few between. If you thought this book may contain cute scenes of a nerdy couple doing science together like I did, please look elsewhere, it doesn't happen that often.

I haven't much to say on the plot as I don't feel like much happened, they were together, that's how I would sum it up. That's it really. Anything else that did happen that felt like it could have been a bigger plot point wasn't, and the areas I wanted to be explored weren't and that was it.

The writing of this also left something to be desired. Often times, I found myself re-reading the same information over and over again, wondering why that feature was so important for the author to drive home that hard, and this was never truly answered. As well as this, Milo and Seraphina sometimes repeated what each other were thinking in their own internal monologues, no this wasn't shared through communication, it was just the same thought they both had independently and it was a bit unbelievable most of the time.

I'm not going to comment on the disabled representation in this book in any great detail other than to say it's not good and I didn't like it. I would recommend if you want to read this, or are curious, to check out the one star reviews on Goodreads as there are a few reviews form disabled people there to read.</p>

Overall, a lacklustre romance that suffered from serious flaws even though it had so much potential. I'm sad I didn't even like it.

A solid 3.5 star romance.

I really enjoyed the story of Seraphina and Milo, and I would have to say this book is more of a Women's Fiction then a romance. The romance is there but it's more of a respect and being understanding of Seraphina's brain injury. I felt that the most interesting parts of the story were about how Seraphina's lives her life daily and everything she has to do to get to where she is. I wish there was more about Billy and her time in recovery since it ends up being really important but done almost as a side note within the story.

Ah, I just finished this book, I read it in less than 24Hrs, it is so good. Not great for my productivity however, better get back to my University assignment now....

Thank you for allowing me to read this book, funnily enough a lot of the content in the book (the science parts) greatly link to what I am studying at university (that's how I justified my binge marathon!). Such a good book and a really cute romance!

This book touched on a topic you don’t see very often in romance books. Traumatic brain injury caused by an accident months prior has caused Seraphina to have a hard time communicating while working. Milo, the CEO of the research facility is the “bad boy” of science. I enjoyed this book over all and this was the first book I’ve read read by this author as well.

I received this ARC through #netgalley and I am voluntarily reviewing this book

Safety in Numbers-Sophie Penhaligon
Rating : 4 stars ☆

About the book:
The premise of this book is based on the relationship that develops between Seraphina Ellis and Milo Grant. Seraphina is trying to move forward with her life after a tragic accident left her with a brain injury and a mild case of aphasia. A friendship is formed between the two characters which quickly turns into more between Milo and Serphina. This story is about them getting past their issues and igniting the spark between them throughout the novel. It is clear from the beginning that their spark is instant between the two and something you root for.

My thoughts:
I loved the character development throughout the story as they learn to overcome obstacles and accept themselves despite what had occurred to them. I love that Seraphina is working with in STEM (science, tech, engineering, and mathematic) field which is an inspiring position for females and becomes a step above when you see her triumph despite the delays she may have from the accident. I enjoyed that neither character was perfect, and had their own flaws which made them more relatable to the reader. The plot sometimes lagged or slowed at points in the story, but overall it was a great read. I would be excited to see additional books from this author.

A cute book with a predictable storyline of the shy girl (who also has a TBI) falling for the brooding boss. The book focuses heavily on the main character Seraphina's "challenges" without actually delving into much story development. Character narrative was very superficial and trite, many plot lines were left half developed and the ending was abrupt to say the least. However, I did find myself enjoying the novel despite myself - as someone who has done much (non-math related) bench research it was fun to have characters in that world.

An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Cute! There were times where I felt like the romance was rather rushed- but overall I enjoyed the story.

This book has such a unique premise but missed out on being great.

The author really did a great job describing Seraphina’s life and how she lives with her disability. Her POV was heart-wrenching, and I was rooting for her happy ending. On the other hand, I couldn’t connect to Milo. None of the character traits he was supposed to have appeared to match his actions and behavior. Most of the time, I was confused if I was actually reading the POV of a grumpy brilliant scientist. Apart from this, the romance seemed forced.

The pacing of the book also seemed to drag at places. This was a huge disappointment, especially since the plot seemed so interesting.

Safety in Numbers was the first of Sophie Penhaligon’s novels I have read, and I am so glad I did as I have discovered another author to add to my list as I would definitely be keen to read more of her work.
This story was a cute read and I just adored Seraphina.
Thank you so much to the publisher & Netgalley for kindly gifting me this ARC to read.

I’m a bit torn about this book. I loved the premise and the romance story a lot . It’s really interesting to see more diversity in the book world when it comes to real life jobs and how some characters grow before our eyes.
Saying that, I had a hard time to actually get into the story as in letting my imagination “run wild “ and feel it all . Many times I got the message that I am actually told that this is what happens now and this is how it looks now than me feeling it.
Nevertheless it’s a nice story and while is my first book by the author, I’ll still be reading her in the future.

Safety in Numbers by Sophie Penhaligon
Rating : 4 stars

Synopsis
The premise of this book is based on the relationship that develops between Seraphina Ellis and Milo Grant. Seraphina is trying to move forward with her life after a tragic accident left her with a brain injury and a mild case of aphasia. She interviews for a job at Grant enterprises for a research assistant position and when the interview goes wrong. Seraphina find herself spending her work days hiding in a cubicle and hiding her disability, in a position that she is over qualified for. After a chance encounter with Milo Grant in the elevator, it leads to her landing the job that she originally applied for. A budding friendship is formed between the two which quickly turns into more between Milo and Serphina. Milo and Seraphina are both characters that suffer from underlying issues. Milo has trust issues that stem from his childhood and a previous relationship. These issues have led him to believe that he has to portray himself in an unflattering way. Milo tries to control all aspects of his business, which takes away from his true passion which is being in the lab. While, Seraphina no longer believes herself to be capable of forming relationships and friendships due to her injury. So, she lives her life in solitude due to her not wanting to disclose information about her disability. The spark between Milo and Seraphina was instantaneous but in such a sweet way.

Review:
I loved Milo’s protectiveness and his ability to look at Seraphina and decipher her emotions and moods. I also enjoyed seeing both Seraphina and Milo develop as a characters and find parts of themselves that had been seemingly lost. I really enjoyed seeing a STEM female character that wasn’t this perfect cookie cutter individual. I liked seeing the growth. I do think certain elements like her routine and or specific issues that we saw in the beginning of the book. If those elements would have been sprinkled in a little more throughout the novel, it would have made the story more well rounded. Overall, this was an incredibly cute story and I really enjoyed it. Sophie Penhaligon has definitely earned a fan of her work with this story.

*Thank you so much to the author Sophie Penhaligon, Netgalley, and BooksGoSocial for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This review will also be posted to Goodreads.

This plot had so much potential. I just couldn't get past the writing. Show don't tell! It felt like an academic trying to write romance for the first time. Instead of describing emotions or facial expressions, it was just told to us. And sometimes the writing could be redundant. The premise of the love story was great, but I don't think the writing delivered.

I think we can all agree the world could use more leading ladies in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics). And, we definitely need more characters with disabilities represented in our fiction. So Sophie Penhaligon’s Safety in Numbers synopsis sounded like a recipe for success to me.

In the context of the light-romance genre, Safety in Numbers got off to a strong start, with well-paced opening chapters and solid character development. But then all of a sudden things got steamy very quickly…

Now, don’t get me wrong – this made for an entertaining escapist read. But in that almost impatient jump to the bedsheets, I just felt Penhaligon sacrificed great simmer potential and from that point on, left much of the heavy-lifting to the stereotypical tropes.

Read full review at BookloverBookReviews.com

Enjoyable read! I love a good frenemies to lovers romance. Seeing the romantic side and concern from the office grump was adorable. I would have loved to see more development from these characters, but overall a quick enjoyable read.

3.5 stars

I find books dealing with disabilities really interesting and it's rather rare to find a romance that will tackle that subject.

After an accident that killed her mother, Seraphina believes she is broken and bound for a life of loneliness. She is brilliant with numbers and despite her trouble with aphasia she manages to get a job working with the CEO of a massive company, scientist Milo. While their relationship was sweet and pretty hot, I felt like her disability gets forgotten about. Obviously as she and Milo get closer she becomes more comfortable and the more noticeable parts of her aphasia lessens, but it doesn't disappear. She constantly talks about how important it is for her to stick to a routine, but that just flies out the window.

I think this just needed to be polished and tightened up a little to really have a great story.

I really enjoyed this book. It has a women in stem, a brooding, grumpy ceo boss and a forced proximity in a workplace romance and disability rep, Seraphina has a brain injury that has resulted in her needing help with her speech, I think the part of her where she feels broken or frustrated with herself is her having to learn to live with the fact that she lost alot during the car accident and her learning to love herself as she is and that she is not broken or less smart or unlovable and overall, I enjoyed this book alot.