I don't remember this book super well but I do remember going in with super high hopes and then it just not actually being as interesting as I was hoping it would and there were some issues with the writing style for me.

I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

I had to DNF this book. I couldn't stand the characters and felt as though she was written as a stereotype of those with autism.

It was a very enticing and fun read, but it did take me longer to read it than expected. I think the story was a bit slow on my part, but I definitely think others would truly love this!

STEM meets steamy romance.

Seraphina Ellis, a mathematician, is broken and dejected after a horrible accident leaves her, and she is sure she will spend the rest of her life alone. She retreats to her lonely cubicle, marking off the days of her existence, unfulfilled and defeated, all the while trying to keep her impairment a secret from her coworkers.
She gets the job of her desires and the chance to leave the cubicle life after a fortuitous encounter with the obnoxious but alluring billionaire scientist and CEO Milo Grant. But Grant, who is fascinated by more than simply her mathematical magic, is plagued by his own demons.
Despite dealing with the touchy subjects of grief and handicap, Sophie Penhaligon is able to write a lively and enjoyable contemporary romance.

I an unable to review this title, as it was archived before I had a chance to download and read it. This feedback is only to stop this title from adversely affecting my netgalley feedback rate. If in the future I have the opportunity to read this title, I will post a proper review here.

Couldn't really get into this book, got to about 40% through and wasn't able to continue. The writing style wasn't for me.

I had high hopes for this book as I really enjoyed the Love Hypothesis and Lessons in Chemistry and thought another book about a woman in STEM would be right up my alley. Plus the main character is disabled, which I am dealing with in my personal life. The whole thing didn't work for me. The romance wasn't great and felt like it took too long and was way too much of the plot. The ableist comments were just ridiculous and made me not want to continue. Some of the comments about body parts were uncomfortable. I gave it two stars because I finished but it probably is closer to 1 on my normal scale.

I requested this book, because I'd read 'Christmas With Hamish' by the author and I loved it, so I thought I'd love this one as well.
Nope.
See, it had potential. The idea was there. It was cute, and I liked it, but I was disappointed.

Likes:

✨Seraphina's name is so pretty.

✨Her social anxiety was very relatable.

Dislikes: ⚠️MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS⚠️

✨The MMC being called "Milo Grant"
I mean, what's with every academic ever being called Dr. Grant? Are there no new names?

✨Excessive use of exclamation marks. I never want to see another "!" in my entire life.

✨Some sentences were utterly horrendous.
-"A lot of men would have just given up on you, pulling a stunt like that." like, excuse me? Who on earth says that to someone already suffering mentally, even if it's well meant?
-"I was Milo Grant. I could move mountains." chill, habibi.
-"You're smooth all over, it's so provocative." do I even need to say something about this?
And a lot more.

✨Make some loving once, and immediately after "what are your thoughts on contraceptions?"

✨A god awful amount of clichés; "What could possibly go wrong?"
"Nothing really happens in bathrooms."
Or the break up. Don't even get me started on the break up.
The pass code to her apartment was unchanged, her door unlocked, and her phone had no password on it. Like please, give him some obstacles at least to make it slightly believable.

✨Milo's ""Wow!" I exclaimed, not really knowing what to say."
Respectfully, you're a disappointment of a fictional man. Fictional men are the epitome of unrealistically perfect compliments. Do better, Milo.

Thank you @netgalley & the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review💕

The full review of this title appeared in Pages and Pictures.

This is one of the most endearing romances I have read in a long time. This story has so much. It has disability representation, lots of spice with just as much consent, and two characters who get progressively more lovable as the story unfolds. It was a privilege to review this five-star love story!

I found this book to be a sweet, east to read, breath of fresh air sort of romance. Bonus points were given for the representation of women in STEM, a topic that has near to zero representation in fiction and it was liberating to see this.

Seraphina is a likeable main character. She is sweet, talented, and fun. I would've definitely liked to have seen her character blossom more and develop throughout the book. Maybe this would've made even more likeable. Maybe as hers and Milo's relationship blossomed, we could've seen her character blossom a bit more too? Milo though.. no thanks. His selfish inner dialogue was a huge no from me. I just couldn't connect with him at all.

Sadly, I felt as though this book dragged in places for me. There were some enjoyable bits, don't get me wrong. I just felt as though some things were very 'samey', and as though it was quite repetitive in places. However, for the upmost this was a sweet book and I would definitely be up for picking up more of the authors work in the future.

im seriously getting withdrawals from this book i love them soo much.

i didn't expect to like this book so much. the characters were amazing and i loved it how milo was obsessed with her. like my man saw her once and started acting differently 💀💀 he was down BADD lmao.

now there wasn't much going on plot wise. it was just milo seriphana and vibes <33
and im not angry about that! sometimes you just need to read stories that are cute and adorable, and make you feel warm inside!

i also appreciated how they handled the disability rep here. the mmc didn't 'pity' her and act like he had to 'fix' her somehow.
the fmc was embarrassed about her disability and didn't tell people about it, but i think that's normal! it wasn't like it had been years since the incident.
she was just handling her grief as the best she could!
and i was so proud of her in the end!!

DONT EVEN GET ME STARTED ON MILO SEREPHINA TOGETHER. they were so <i>SWEET</i> together!! i loved them in every scene!!

i definitely recommend this if you're in the mood for something relaxing and fun!

ARC received from Netgalley and author/publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are my own and have not been influenced in any way.

This book is an easy-read, but it’s an incredibly good read filled with love, laughs and some tears. Sophie Penhaligon has done such amazing work writing a disability that’s not visible when you meet someone for the first time. I'm really glad I read this book and I can't wait for everyone else to get into it!

2.5⭐️ A sweet story, but it wasn't executed well

I received an e-ARC of this story on NetGalley in the Fall of 2021, and I finally finished one year later. Sorry, it took me so long to write this review.

WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ Scientist FMC with brain injury
✨ CEO/Scientist MMC
✨ Office-romance
✨ Boss x Employee
✨ Grumpy x Sunshine
✨ past trauma (emotional and physical)
✨ healing journeys
✨ spice

What I liked:

- I really enjoyed the premise behind the story. A young woman suffering from a brain injury learns she is perfect just the way she is and is capable of living a fulfilled life. A CEO learns how to open his heart and what it’s like to be cared for. These main characters had a lot of potential.

- I truly adored Seraphina and Milo together. They both had some things to work through, and this led to some emotional moments. Seraphina's love and guilt over the accident and her struggles with her injuries were heartbreaking. Milo’s past familial trauma was terribly sad. Both their stories gave me the feels. But how they supported and listened to one another was lovely.


What I didn't like:

- The story often felt forced. Milo and Seraphina would do or say things that were out of character in order to push the story along. For example, Milo (a notorious asshole CEO who never gives anyone the time of day) happened to talk to Seraphina in a crowded elevator. Or when Seraphine (notorious for her habits and sticking to a schedule to create a sense of normalcy in her life) invites Milo up to her apartment after he drove her home, and they eat dinner and cuddle while watching tv - all things that are very unusual for her to do since she doesn’t have any friends. Or when Seraphina, who is nervous about interacting with people, in general, feels comfortable enough to have sex with her boss after only working with him for 2 months and has gone on one date.

- The author repeated a lot of mundane information that we already know. I found it annoying.

- There were times when background information was mentioned and then later on repeated, but then it went into further detail. It happened a lot and made the story feel disjointed.

- Milo’s descriptions of how petite, weightless, and hairless (down by her pussy) Seraphina was giving me the ick. I HATE when books describe women through what women think is the male gaze. Guys don’t think or talk like that. At least, not any guys I know.

- The dirty talk was sometimes cringe. “You are hugging me so tight. Go easy, I don’t want to bruise you.” I’m sorry, bruise her pussy? Wtf? That’s weird. That’s not a common thing, let alone something you mention during the first time you have sex with someone.

- I’m conflicted as to why Sera had to apologize to Milo for her freakout. She has been through so much - losing her mom tragically and having a life-altering brain injury. She is allowed time to have freakouts and time to adjust. I just hated some of the dialogue that was around that described her as being foolish. The people who said this had the best intentions and weren’t wrong in their assessment of Seraphine during her meltdown. However, the way it was written wasn’t quite right or sensitive to someone in this situation.


Overall, I think this story has a few good qualities, but it needed more work. The story was mainly lacking development in the plot and romance. I do like how the author writes in general, but I’d just want it to be more fleshed out and sensitive to the characters and their situations.

Pretty cute romance novel. I liked it
This ARC was given to me by NetGalley and the publishers to read and review. All comments above are my true opinion after reading this book.

I thought that this was a great read

It had a good storyline that was well planned out and it flowed really well

The characters were well developed and had some great interaction and I loved finding out more about their personality and relationships as the book progressed.

Determination and love help this young woman on her journey to overcome her injuries

It was a pleasure to read - a romantic and sexy read - it is 5 stars from me, very highly recommended!

I wasn't sure I'd like this at the beginning but the more I read, the more I enjoyed.

A huge thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for providing me a copy of the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Sophie Penhaligon is my go to book author and will read her books more and more. Will read more of her books.

SAFETY IN NUMBERS - SOPHIE PENHALIGON

I AM A SUCKER FOR WOMEN IN STEM! There, I said it.
Seraphina is a brilliant scientist - a mathematican and computer whiz - but her life was turned upside down after an unfortunate accident. Now, her brain is playing tricks on her, leaving her with mental and speech issues. This waivers her confidence, her social life becomes kind of a hinder.
Up until, she comes across the chance of a lifetime: she gets promoted as a research assistant for her company's grumpy CEO, Milo.
He is tenacious, gets after what he wants, and when he realises there's something special about Seraphina, he doesn't hesitate to go after her.
I thought this book will be a lot tamer, than it turned out to be, but I'm glad it wasn't. The chemisty between the characters was definitely palpable and well-written.
The only thing that was a bit hit-and-miss was the character development. Seraphina was way ahead of Milo in this regard, I would've preferred a bit more even playing field.

This was such a cute read! I enjoyed getting to know the characters and reading their story. I felt the book was a little slow at times, but overall I still enjoyed it.