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

I was really looking forward to reading this book.

It follows our mc mathematician Seraphina who survives a car crash that results in a traumatic brain injury.

Enter a chance meeting with grumpy billionaire scientist and CEO Milo Grant, who provides her with the job of her dreams, and the chance of escape from cubicle land.

Their love story is sweet - but I found it rushed, and lacking depth. Their characters lacked growth for me and I found the internal monologues in both POVs to last longer than they needed to.

Overall, this book was good - but not great.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Safety in Numbers is a fairly predictable romance, and while I found the situation Seraphina was in interesting, I did feel that the portrayal of her disability was more negative than it could have been.
When we first meet Seraphina she’s going for a job as a personal research assistant. We don’t know the circumstances, but she tells us she has health issues caused by an accident. Her brain injury means she often forgets words and her speech difficulties mean she finds interviews hard. She isn’t given the job, but is asked to help in a different area.
This first job after her accident is a huge step, but I don’t know why she’s so determined not to tell people about her condition. Conscientious and determined to succeed, she does well. Then the boss, Milo, discovers she has the perfect qualifications to help with his research and she’s invited to move jobs.
As she works alongside Milo we watch their crush develop into romance. Both have their issues. We never really see him developed, and her stubbornness to not involve others was infuriating. Of course we know they’ll be great together, once they deal with the blips.
While I feel having some attempt to represent disability is a good thing, it did seem a little forced and quite negative. I’m grateful to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this before publication.

I am all for books with heroines in STEM and the concept of this book really seemed interesting to me. While I did enjoy some aspects of the story there were also some that fell a bit flat for me. Every few chapters we would have a time jump and I think it really affected the natural progression of Seraphina’s and Milo’s relationship. Being told about their relationship instead of seeing it develop made it a bit too “insta-lovey” for me. Sometimes the dialogue between them was a bit childish and cringey. I also felt like Milo could have had more to his own character arc. I will say that I learned a lot about TBI and aphasia, and loved seeing this representation in books.

I received this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

TW: Brain disability and trauma

This book is probably one of the sweetest books I have read in a while. I gave it 4/5 stars because I loved lots of the tropes in this book. Workplace romance, billionaire boyfriend, I hate everyone in the world but you, and etc... I love Seraphina and the meaning behind her name and how it constantly is being recurred. Also, the little bit of spice is a nice touch. I only wish there was a bit more and not so rushed at the end but all in all I think this was a great book.

This book is super cute. It is a bit heavier than I expected it to be but I loved it. I love that he was never hesitant because of her brain injury, he just accepted her as she is.

I received a copy through netgalley.

I received this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Where to begin.

I was intrigued by the book because the main character was a woman in STEM and because I thought that getting back into a relationship after a brain injury was a super interesting plot point to explore (and one many romance novels shy away from.) Unfortunately, I did not like the execution at all.

First of all, the disability rep. As a disabled person I did not like that the main character is described as 'broken' in the book description. Other than that, the first half of the book was ok, as far as the disability rep goes. The FMC was feeling ashamed but that was actually realistic to me. I would have loved for her to grow into herself and become less ashamed of her disability at the end of the book. But that never happened. It felt like she never grew as a character.

Also, towards the end of the book there is a scene where one of the FMC's co-workers calls her an imbecile behind her back because she 'can't talk right' or whatever. It is then established that the main character should just open up about her disability because then people would understand her more. And I get where the author was going with this, I really do, but I just disagree. This other character was established as a 'mean girl' from the start. Why should the FMC then have to open up and be vulnerable? In the book it is said that if you open up, people will understand and not be mean. This is unfortunately not always the case in real life, plenty of people are still mean and make fun of you even if they know you're disabled. How about don't call someone an imbecile because it isn't a nice thing to do? No matter if they're disabled or not?

The male main character.. didn't care about him. He didn't have a personality or a character arc.

Then, the writing. It just sounded mechanical. NOT because the FMC had a brain injury and couldn't always find the right words (her speech makes sense), but because every character had the exact same voice. Reading their dialogue, there was no distinct speaking style or much of an emotion at all. If a character messed up they simply said ''You're right. I'm sorry. Please forgive me'' like a robot lol. and it just made me feel so far removed from the characters and not emotionally invested in their romance at all.

The first day I was going on the first day I wanna I had a little too long I wanna is a little too much bigger and then I gotta is a little too hard for you haha was the way joe and joe was so excited to get back in his

This book is special, yes it’s a romance and yes it has spice but it is so much more than that. I’m a speech pathologist and this book spoke to my heart. It follows an intelligent, independent woman recovering from a traumatic brain injury with aphasia. She struggles to find her way in social settings and deals with word finding deficits in every day tasks. She is brilliant and determined to find her passion through work again. With of the help of her medical team she gains employment and falls for her grumpy, micromanaging boss. However, we find that he has his own past and needs to work though issues himself. He does a fantastic job helping her gain confidence in love again. and she does the same for him in return. This is my kind of love story and I am so happy I had the opportunity to read it! Thank you NetGalley and Sophie Penhaligan for the ARC.

The main character feels like she is written entirely for the male gaze and that just doesn’t do it for me, personally. For example, Milo’s inner commentary on her appetite is only something men say about slender women. He wouldn’t have the same feelings if she were plus-sized. His first thought when he meets her is that she will be “fiery in the sheets.” When he picks her up to take her to the bath, she comments how she weighs nothing. The point is really driven home that she’s slim. Seraphina seems to be a very determined woman, but when it’s Milo’s POV, she crying over her keyboard and seems insecure and only his assurance that he still like her makes her feel better. I’m not sure these two things go hand in hand for me. Is she bold and fiery and determined or is she meek? I could go on with many more points, but this love story just doesn’t work for me because I feel like it wasn’t written for me, a woman. It feels like it was written for men.

The biggest drama was other women talking badly about Seraphina and her overhearing them. She then runs off and leaves only a note apologizing to Milo. It just wasn’t a convincing conflict to me.

I hate that I’m rating this so low because I really wanted to like it! I love the gruff love interest trope and multiple POVs, but this book just didn’t do it for me.