Thank you NetGalley for providing this arc
this book was short and sweet I really enjoyed it .plot had so much potential ,heroine story and origin was new for me and I expected much more but unfortunetly author didn't deliver it .here are some critics that I have about the book:
1-in the first chapters all I read was about how pretty hero was ,kind of too much and boring
2- hero's personality was not portrait well enough. it was all about him saying how bad he is and then it suddenly changed like without any background he turned into some loving boy friend
3-the start of the relationship was too fast, again not enough backbone in the plot
4- when she meet his parents that behavior was so out of the character ,how some one with trouble in speaking suddenly starts like that? I didn't like the scene...
5-i felt the author just wanted to finish the book so fast and didn't pay attention to the details first 30 % was great but the middle not so much

my rating:3 stars
spice:1chilli

“Safety in Numbers” by Sophie Penhaligon follows two main characters - Seraphina and Milo. Their stories are told in alternating chapters. Seraphina has suffered a brain injury, but has decided to conceal that information from nearly everyone in her life. Milo is her boss - who becomes her lover.

I found the exploration of Seraphina’s aphasia (loss of word usage - aka difficulty finding the right word) an interesting angle. I also found her coping strategies interesting to read about and liked the idea of a flip-book for items at a grocery store, clothing store, or about the house. While it’s always a person’s right to tell or not tell others about any disabilities they have, I felt that because Seraphina knew her speaking was “off” and knew others were picking up on it, that mentioning something after a few meetings, no matter how uncomfortable, might have been appreciated by her co-workers and others in her life.

While the book was a quick read, I found some of the information repeated a number of times - twice mentioned were Seraphina’s desk items; Milo refers to himself as another term for donkey a number of times, his good looks were mentioned numerous times - and I’m not quite sure why all the repetition was necessary. I didn’t like the “mean girl” because, well, she seemed to be thrown in there to just cause tension. While this is a romance book - with a bit of a predictable plot - it was a fast read, but for me, this was an okay book.

I was not able to finish this book. I found some aspects really disturbing. Milo is by his own admission verbally abusive to his employees and it’s just chalked to his genius and his personality. Newsflash a smart a**hole is still an a**hole. Furthermore, the way he speaks/thinks about Seraphina is plain creepy and quite disturbing for 2021.

I also didn’t like the portrayal of Seraphina as the only smart and hardworking person in the company. Specially the way she speaks about other female employees. It feels like the author cannot envision supportive denial relationships. The most egregious is the character of Kendall, whose demeanor is described in a way that does match someone with her job. In fact, the way the characters refer to women in general is quite atrocious. And why are all the bosses/supervisors male?

Honestly, as feminist, I had to stop reading at 30%.

I enjoyed this cute stem based romance read. But do not let all the sweetness fool you! I appreciated how it touched based on a very specific disability and the main character's struggles to accept it and love herself and let others do the same despite of it.
After a terrible accident, that not only left her with a disability but pretty much alone in this world besides her medical team, Seraphina Ellis is trying to live her life again. After joining Grant enterprises and overcoming many challenges along the way, she encounters love and the support she needs in the rude, workaholic, but oh so handsome, Milo Grant, her new boss.
An uplifting and easy read, Safety in Numbers, teaches us how we can find love in the most unexpected times and places, even when we ourselves have already given up.

Fresh off my enjoyment of The Love Hypothesis, Safety in Numbers seemed like the next logical choice for a STEM based romance. Our heroine Seraphina was brimming with intelligence and had a gentle heart as big as her brain. This book had the nice gentle pace of a rowboat in comparison to the fast paced waverunner romances I’ve read this year. The full throttle books lacked character development and offered no friendship alongside the couple’s chemistry, thankfully Safety in Numbers delivered on both accounts. In addition to having a female thriving in the scientific field, she was also recovering from a brain injury that affected her speech. Penhaligon brought two underutilized romance categories to the forefront in a lovely combination bound to make you say “Eureka!”.

Seraphina and Milo's courtship was sweet as pie and I loved their progression from friendship to a serious relationship. They were so tender with each other and had very open communication. They constantly shared their feelings and it was such a welcome feature not often seen in modern romances. I can always appreciate a hero who is not ashamed to discuss his emotions with the heroine. The bar is pretty low for fictional men, but Milo cleared it with ease. While the couple did provide plenty of warm fuzzies, their more carnal moments weren't too shabby either. I'm happy to get a little sugar and spice to help balance my overall reading experience.

My only complaint was a slight dip in interest near the last quarter of the book. There was a scene where our heroine overheard some mean girl gossip in the bathroom and Seraphina ran out crying. It seemed very juvenile and out of place for an adult romance novel. Otherwise, this was a lovely unique book that I'm pleased to have read. All the ingredients were well researched and the author confirmed her hypothesis for a successful love story. Whether it's the amount of funds needed for scientific research or the amount of times you say "I love you", we can all indeed agree that there is safety in numbers.

"Why would I want normal when I can have extraordinary? You are incredible Seraphina; normal is for boring people."

I deeply enjoyed this story.
Full review to come.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

I really appreciated the attention to detail about the brain injury that Seraphina suffered and her journey through this book felt grounded in research. Some of the dialogue felt a little silted for my personal taste, but overall, I enjoyed this! A one-day read that's easy to get lost in. Milo has serious Tony Stark vibes, which was a bonus!

Unfortunately this was a dnf for me. The writing was very stilted and it felt like there was no real depth/ substance to either of the main characters despite the setting of the story in the world of STEM and heroine having a disability. (2 ⭐️)

Sweet book! It has a very interesting concept that is different. The couple was very cute. This book was along the lines of The Love Hypothesis and The Kiss Quotient.

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the opportunity to read and review Safety in Numbers. I’m sharing my feedback voluntarily.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the synopsis of this book and that influenced how badly I wanted to read it and understand the premise more fully. I am coming to really love Sophie Penhaligon books. This one was no exception. It was clear and centered. The first chapter three chapters felt slow and a bit disconnected from the rest of the book’s style but it was an enticing read from there.

I appreciated examine my own bias and ableism through Seraphina’s storyline. I was challenged at times by the plot points around her disability and it was an important opportunity to check in with myself and expand my view. I felt that people treated her so tenderly and I didn’t understand the motives of that approach. Milo was a complex character and I enjoyed his evolution. He was a self described asshole but I didn’t really get that vibe from the plot points that centered him. He was extremely tender with Seraphina.

The writing and dialogue are strong and the resolution was sweet but not schmaltzy. It centered Seraphina and her own growth which I enjoyed a lot. I recommend this for a fast and heartfelt exploration of romance from the point of view of people who have had traumatic experiences and live with disabilities.

It was good! It read well, and flowed nicely. The characters were well written and i liked both Milo and Serephina. What lovely names as well. Unfortunately i found it super predictable, which i would like to see different in the future but i would love to read more of Sophie’s works in the future!! I felt that there could have been more development, let’s see more of Milo’s grumpiness before he becomes squishy. I liked it though :)

Safety in Numbers is a romance book with disability representation, the main character is a girl with aphasia after a car accident. She is ashamed of her disability and tries to hide it. The book was an easy romance read which was predictable at times.

Seraphina ends up being paid attention to by the CEO of the company she works at, then she starts working under him and predictably, it turns out he has some problems of his own. Since it's a romance, I believe this was just thrown in to make the characters have more things in common.

I was expecting a powerhouse girl who while ashamed at the start (which most people with disabilities can be) ends up embracing what happened and starts showing it to the world.
Seraphina kept saying over and over that no one would love her because of her disability. While I can understand she may worry, it doesn't need to be repeated several times.

I was hoping she would change her mindset to a positive and become an advocate, this did not happen however.

I was disappointed because I was excited to read this book, however it was something you didn't need to focus on and was an easy romance to read

I felt like I was reading two completely different sets of characters. Seraphina and Milo started out one way, then they both seemed to switch personalities completely. She was a shy, timid, mathematician recovering from a traumatic brain injury (TBI). He was a brash, loud, standoffish researcher. By the mid point, Seraphina was sarcastic, sexual, and very forward. While Milo was sappy and lovesick, almost kind. It was odd...

I also didn't love the way that the author portrayed Seraphina with her TBI... some of her struggles and day to day life seemed very accurate and showed just how difficult recovery could be - but on the other hand, I felt like she minimized her effects and made it seem like all it takes a little hard work and tough love and she can recover. Unfortunately, TBI's don't work that way.

There were some sweet moments and steamy bits, but I never felt the connection between the characters and it was a little too "instant love" for me. Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

Safety in Numbers was a quick read with a lot of potential. The characters were cute and the premise of an intelligent young woman battling with aphasia was something I have never seen in a Romance novel. However, the romance felt forced, and the characters weren't developed enough for me to really truly care about their relationship. At times I felt like Milo treated Seraphina as a child, which somewhat makes sense, but also made the romance awkward. The book wasn't my cup of tea, but if you're looking for a romance with a unique setup, this might be the right book for you.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶🌶.5

This is my first book from the author and i loved it! It’s giving me the love hypothesis vibe! This follows our main character Seraphina who had a traumatic accident leaving her with a language disorder called aphasia (difficulty in producing or comprehending spoken or written language). Trying to get back from work, she met Dr. Milo Grant, the boss who is very hot, a genius, a grumpy jerk and very much interested with her the first time they met in the elevator.

I loved the character development of Seraphina. She grew a lot throughout the story. Both of them had their own sufferings and i have seen how Seraphina worked it out. However, i would have loved the book even more if there are also scenes on Milo’s Character development.


Tropes:
* grumpy x sunshine trope
* The “i hate everyone but you”
* Workplace romance
* Boy falls first
* Fast paced romance

Thank you Book Galley for giving me an ARC!

Thank you Net-Galley for the chance to read this book. This book got my attention because I like STEM related romance books. This book was a loving easy read that was enjoyable. I wish the book was a little more in depth and focused on characters bettering themselves.

3.75 stars 🌟.

Heroine was the best!!! Omg the trauma she went through. And I can’t tell you how brave and courageous she was. Like wise hero was such a brilliant but grumpy guy to everyone other than heroine. From beginning itself he treated her preciously. He was her pillar of strength.
I would say the angst and drama was low level but the book had depth and meaning.
My heart went put for heroine’s friend Billy.
Epilogue was so satisfying.

Safe, hot and recommended.

The story starts by beating the audience over the head with the fact that Seraphina has a disability while delaying telling us any details of the disability. When her disability is explained it is told in the light of how ashamed she is and how she does everything possible to prevent people from finding out. Where this comes into the plot is that Seraphina actively sabotages her own career (a career all involved including her known she's the best candidate for) rather than giving others an opportunity to understand her situation.

Later she is saved and given a chance at the job for which she originally applied (again I repeat she is the best candidate) thanks to the romantic interest Milo, who is the CEO of the company. This is pure insta love with no logic: he see's her in the elevator and there is just "something" about her.
Seraphina literally needs a man to "save" her and give her the job that she is extremely qualified for all to avoid explaining her condition. The romance then largely revolves around Seraphina not thinking herself worthy of love and Milo telling her she is.

The story itself didn't work and I am largely rating this book on the plot but I am concerned that where it tried to show representation for a community it negatively portrayed that community instead.

Okay. This is one of the cutest books I have read this year hands down. If you are interested in a book that will keep you smiling throughout the whole thing this is the book for you. I love mature characters and this had just that. SO SO GOOD. Thank you so much for the copy. Will definitely be rereading super soon

If you enjoyed "The kiss quotient" then you'll adore this book.
Safety in numbers is a cute, sweet, and fast read about Seraphina Ellis, a mathematician, and computer science, suffering from a traumatic brain injury that left her with a mental disability that damaged her speech. And her boss, Dr. Milo Grant, is a hot, sexy, and intelligent scientist, CEO of Grant Industries, where Seffy works as a research assistant.
I personally loved the fact that mc has a disability, I felt closer to her, knowing that she is a powerful, strong, and independent woman. Milo accepts her like she is, and he even protects and helps her.
Since the beginning of their love story, I smiled and felt happy.
"At that moment, I knew I had to have her. I didn’t care about her challenges or her past; I needed her to be mine."

I looking forward to Sophie Penhaligon's future books.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange fr an honest review