It was a pretty nice, quick read. I was drawn to the book by the female StEM member with a brain disability. It was grumpy x sunshine slow burn romance and definitely swoon-worthy.
Seraphina applies to be Milo's research assistant. At the company, a person from HR interviews her. Seraphina doesn't want people to treat her differently so she doesn't tell them about her disability. Because of this, she is assigned to a different department within the company. Milo fires his assistant and asks HR to look for a suitable one from within the company employees and gives them criteria. Only Seraphina matches it and he hires her. He develops an infatuation with her and slowly they fall for each other.
Milo was so nice and patient with Seraphina. However, I thought that the book dragged a bit and was slow at parts. Overall it was a good book.

the fact that the (h) Seraphina had an injury, which was being brought up again and again, really ruined the vibe of the book for me.
Like I get it, you don’t need to repeat it after everything you say or do.

Also the (H) Milo, was cringey……

This book was just not for me

I liked some aspects of Safety in Numbers but I think it was poorly executed. The synopsis of the book made me very excited to read it, the couple is cute and their relationship is convincing, but the author's writing was ok. I was expecting something more… more.
But by far what bothered me most was the representation of the main character's disability and the lack of development in the character, which was almost non-existent.
Overall the bookers ok.

Thank you Netgalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After a tragic accident, mathematician Seraphina Ellis must learn to live with the after-effects of her injuries and the loss of a loved one. She applies for a job at the company of the grumpy but charming Dr Milo Grant. New prospects open up for her, both professional and personal…

When I read the description of this book on NetGalley, I was quite excited. Indeed, as a disabled person myself, I am always interested in books that depict disability. Unfortunately, I was quickly disappointed.

I had the impression that I was reading about disabled people on one side and normal people on the other, and that Seraphina had to become “normal” again at all costs, not learn to live with her disability and make it a strength. I understand all too well what the process of mourning your previous life is, but I also know that disability is not an end, but the beginning of something else, and I didn’t feel that this book put a finger on that.

Apart from that, I felt that the story was told through the male gaze even though it was written by a woman. I felt uncomfortable many times during my reading. I also failed to connect with the characters. In short, this book was not for me.

I give it a 2/5.

Thanks to NetGalley, BooksGoSocial and Sophie Penhaligon for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

ARC received by the author and publisher of NetGalley in an exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Seraphina has a condition called Aphasia that robs her on the ability to speak, this is due to an incident that had happened. While, Milo Grant is the CEO of Grand Technologies and a jerk to everyone.

This was a good and easy read, though I need more actual conversations and interactions from the MC. I also skipped some parts because it became too wordy. Love the Seraphina though, because even though she has the disability on her speech the author still manage to know alot about her. She is brave and she take a lot of courage to take care of herself. Milo is okay too, though sometimes his story became too repetitive, he’s still a cutie and a softy too. Angst is okay and the romance is also okay too. I did actually enjoyed reading this.

I loved that this wasn't your typical rom-com. It was bit deeper. Seraphina and Milo had real issue that they overcame to get to their happy ending. The author is also very talented, and managed to get the book flow just right. The only reason I give this 4 stars instead of 5 is because I just didn't love the book overall. I cant quite put my finger on it. The book was good, but it wasn't great. It doesn't really leave a lasting opinion, nor do I care what happens to these characters in the future. In a 5 star novel, I'm always disappointed that the book ended because I want more of the characters. In this book it just didn't get that. It was a well written story, that I'm happy to have read, but i would never re-reread, hence just 4 stars.

**Received this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to read this book because I was a fan of The Love Hypothesis and this synopsis had the same vibe. Women in STEM, hard workers, he falls first, etc. Safety in Numbers definitely aced most of those tropes! I loved the premise of the novel, and a lot of the lines delivered. The book's Male MC developed really well IMO, and shed light on neuro disabilities. A few things:

- Some chapters felt like fillers and therefore had the story moving slower than it could've been
- Minimal side characters, especially in the majority of the book. Side characters usually provide a different side of characters and allow readers different perspectives of the main characters

I also want to recognize a lot of the terms used in this novel, such as those mentioned in many reviews here, describe our MC as "broken" because she has a neurological disability. It's important to recognize that I read this book from the perspective of being able-bodied. My perspective is privileged, and describing a person with disabilities as broken, even towards the end of the book isn't accurate at all.

I was really looking forward to this and I have to say I was really upset as I found that the way disability is presented in this book is quite ableist and I really wasn’t comfortable with this, I could understand if it had come from other characters to make a point about ableism, but it was from the main characters words, actions, self belief etc and this really put me off, I just couldn’t enjoy the rest of the story due to this. Overall I’m disappointed.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

This book touched my heart with it's wonderful depiction of love and work and disability all put together. It's a perfect read for people who loved The Love Hypothesis or The Heart Principal.

Synopsis:
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, Sophie Penhaligon manages to deliver a novel that is lighthearted and fun whilst dealing with the difficult topics of loss and disability.

When a tragic accident leaves mathematician Seraphina Ellis with a traumatic brain injury, she is convinced she will live out the remainder of her life in lonely solitude. That is until she lands a new job and a chance meeting with grumpy and self proclaimed asshole, CEO Milo Grant.

What follows is a touching and sexually charged contemporary romance that delivers a lighthearted and fun read that delves into topics like loss and disability.

Safety in Numbers is a sweet read and even gave me Kiss Quotient and The Love Hypothesis (which I haven’t even read yet) vibes. I loved our main character’s name and everything she over came throughout the book to live her life. It was lovely to see two imperfect people with their insecurities and jealousies and issues fight to make their relationship work. I also love that we’re seeing more books with smart, sexy leading ladies in the STEM field.

↳ I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

You see, I had a few expectations for this book.

It all begins with Seraphina Ellis, a mathematician who suffered an accident and now lives with a brain injury that turns interactions with others hard for her. As consequence, she starts living her life under a rigorous regiment that hardly allows her the chance of doing things spontaneously. She also is very insecure about her injury and refuses to let anyone know about it.
Milo Grant, a renowned CEO of a tech company, hires Seraphina for the role of his personal lab assistant. She confides him about her injury, thinking that it wouldn't be fair to accept the job without him knowing about it. They get along well and Milo gets very protective of Seraphina, even before they start to date.

Now I have to say that while the couple was cute and their story was touching, the book itself failed in a lot of points.

What bothered me the most was the disability representation. Seraphina was often described as a broken person, which doesn't sit well with me. The author had the chance to develop her as a person who would gradually become less ashamed of herself and even proud of her traits. Instead, what we got was a character who sadly got a weak arc. Towards the end of the book, there's a scene where Seraphina's shrink tells her that is actually her fault that she was called imbecile by her mean co-worker because Seraphina never gave her the chance to be informed about her disability like WHAT IN THE ACTUAL HELL? That co-worker was described as a mean and petty woman in the whole book and you tell me that if she knew about Seraphina's condition then she would have been nicer? This is extremely disrespectful like if Seraphina didn't have a brain injury then she wouldn't deserve respect? Because that's exactly what that implies.

Then we have the writing. At some points, it felt that what was going on was just a repetition of facts previously established in the story. The pace wasn't great either and the description of time was very confusing. In the very beginning, we have a time jump that barely is acknowledged and it was all extremely bewildering.

The main characters were perhaps what I liked the most in the book. Seraphina was very sweet and if I could give her all the good things in the world, I would. I'm kind of disappointed that she didn't receive the development she deserved. Milo had to work harder to win me over, but he managed to do it. I liked the way he cared for Seraphina and the way he was not only protective of her but also encouraged her to go beyond her fears.

Overall, the story had potential but it all got wasted in poor execution. This is extremely sad because I love reading about women in STEM and we really need more books with accurate representations of disabled people.

“I still believed in safety in numbers, but my belief system had changed a little over the last year. Now I also believed in the power of one, because one was all I really needed.”

Seraphina Ellis is a computational whiz with numbers, but still learning to live again after a traumatic accident left her with a brain injury. Milo Grant needs a research assistant with Seraphina’s skills and is not concerned with how her speech patterns and words sometimes get mixed up. Spark’s fly in Dr. Grant’s lab as the two of them together work. Seraphina helps Milo with his research and accepting love despite his neglectful parents. Milo helps Seraphina navigate the re-entering social world while learning to accept herself for who she is now, brain injury and all.

This was a lovely, quick read about learning to accept yourself, flaws, past and all. I enjoyed following Seraphina’s experience learning to live with a brain injury and navigating life with an invisible condition. I am also ALWAYS here for a brilliant woman in STEM main character.

Review posted on my bookstagram on publication day

Ratings : 4,2 stars

Some of the first chapters would make you think that this book was just like another love story. Cause that's what happened to me when I read it. But, wait! Don't stop. You need to read it until you hit the last page of this book cause I promise you, you'll find a lot of fun here.

Starting with Seraphine Ellis, the genius girl who got a tragical accident that left her with her disability. Not making it a weakness, Seraphine got in to Grant Enterprises, which was she always wanted to go there. After she met Milo Grant accidentally, they became friends. Many things happened.

I was literally wrong when I thought this book would be boring, turned out it wasn't.. This book is sweet and filled with humors. You need to know that Milo did have that sense of humors (when I thought he was that typical man who was annoying and cold) when he actually warm and sweet. But of course, you may not getting laughs in every scenes.

And for Seraphina, I adore her. With her condition like that, she managed to get herself a life. Well, she did teach me to stay strong, not afraid to be different and love everything you did. She taught me how to make our weaknesses to be our strength.

Thank you for the author and Netgalley, for giving me a chance to read this book <3

Thank you netgalley for the digital ARC. This was such a super cute romance! Plenty of emotional and traumatic parts but in the end it was simply adorable. Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a sorta light romance to read.

Safety in Numbers is my first Sophie Penhaligon book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Seraphina is a girl that suffered a brain injury from a car accident. She is covering from that trauma and learning to adapt to her life now. Milo Grant is a brilliant scientist and entrepreneur who can also be a complete arse. He has suffered some abuse and trauma in his childhood and life. Good girl meets bad boy. Penhaligon kept me engaged since page one. Seraphina had strength to her to balance her vulnerable side. She's smart, sassy, and sexy. I would love to be her friend and we'd probably be bffs. Milo had that bad boy look to him but really is a sweet, thoughtful, and caring guy. He is that candy coated chocolate, hard and cold shell but soft and delicious center. The one thing I'd love to see more of is Seraphina and Milo interacting with others at their place of employment. You see that on occasion but there's not much that helps the storyline through. Additionally, the last third of the book seemed a bit rushed for me. I wanted more of their adorable relationship, more of them fighting for each other or fighting to be with each other. Overall, I loved my time with this story and I'm intrigued to get into the author's backlist. I would highly recommend this sweet and thoughtful romance.

Many thanks to Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book fills a lot of boxes in the premise, but if wasn't able to get into the story itself. Maybe it was one too many tropes?

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"Safety in Numbers" follows the story of the fiery Seraphina Ellis and the permanently grumpy Milo Grant. An easy, uplifting romance read I was drawn to the STEM-based plot with elements of mathematics, physics and computer science and a slow burn, nerdy office romance. Seraphina suffered from a traumatic brain injury that has resulted in aphasia (the loss of words), but this doesn't stop her from embracing challenges and navigating the mundane. She is fiercely independent and knowledgeable but has deep-rooted doubts about love and relationships. Enter Dr Milo Grant, the CEO of the company she's working in, who is secretly battling his demons that manifests in the form of crudeness, being standoffish, constant swearing and temper tantrums. His genius and being incredibly handsome is a cherry on the top.

Sophie wonderfully captures the marriage of minds, the beauty of honesty and the blooming of passion. It was beautiful to read how each character slowly as their connection deepens. I appreciated how the author presented the intimate aspects of their relationship. However, as I turned the pages, the book became segmented. The first part appeared to have solely focussed on Seraphina's disability which takes a backseat as the relationship between the two protagonists blossomed. While the characters have their moments of vulnerability, I found certain aspects repetitive (especially with Milo's approach to relationships and his estranged parents). I would have also liked to see more on how Milo put his demons to rest, given that the book has dual narrations. To me, this prevented the characters from being fully fleshed out but did not compromise on the power of love, endurance and perseverance. A well-deserved ending awaits you, one which brought a smile to my face. This is my first book of Sophie Penhaligon, and it's not going to be the last. A 4 star read!

Rating: 3.75 🌟
First and foremost, I'd like to express my gratitude to Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this romance book.
I must acknowledge that I requested this book solely because the main characters are STEM majors.
•Workplace romance X Grumpy to everyone except YOU - To be honest I felt the romance was instant but as the story progress, I really liked how Milo respect Seraphina and give her space when it was required. The second half of this book was sweet as they were complimenting each other in both their personal and professional lives.🤍
•Woman empowerment – Seraphina didn’t give up on her life after the accident occurred and despite her disability (aphasia) but coped with her professional life by preparing all the needs independently with the help of a therapist.
•Milo- He knows how to treat his girlfriend by giving her space when she needed and love and attention most of the time. He pushed her to be a better self-version of her despite her disability and knowing the limit by doing so.🥺

This novel follows Seraphina Ellis, the main character. An intelligent, highly educated, and driven woman. Who, unfortunately, is involved in an accident which affects her greatly. However, in starting a new career she finds her voice again. I particularly focused on Seraphina as I enjoyed learning how certain circumstances affect people and then overcoming their challenges. It is what makes her such a great character. Of course this is a romance novel and there is a very evident and obvious attraction between our main character and a certain someone. I loved how the author created this knowing and understanding dynamic to their relationship. Overall I enjoyed this novel.

Just brilliant. One of the best books I’ve read in ages. Such clever writing, a moving and educational story about living with a life changing brain injury and how hard and beautiful life can be. A funny, deep and tender romance told almost as a biography of Seraphina and Milo with all their heart and emotion on every page.