I read this book beginning of January and loved it the romance between characters was amazing I loved the writing style it deals with disabilities in this woman the character very strong woman that want to show even with a disability you can do what most people can do and she landed her dream job I loved learning so much about her the story a loving feel good story just what I needed you love this one.

Safety in Numbers was my first read by Sophie Penhaligon, and I was excited to discover a new author. The main character is a brilliant mathematician who suffers a traumatic injury that leaves her broken and detached from the outside world. She meets Dr. Milo Grant and her life changes forever. I really wanted to love this book but it fell a little flat. I wish there was a little more character development. Overall, this was a fast, fun, emotional read. Thank you to NetGalley for the eArc.

At first I was a little uncomfortable with the speed of events in the story but I ended up loving it.
As a person who lives with some types of special needs I found the way the author represented the difficulties and insecurities of the main character very careful and respectful.
Both main characters having "flaws" was something I didn't expect to make sense. But in this story it did.
<spoiler> Even though for Milo his difficulties were rooted in many years of parental neglect and emotional irresponsibility on the part of his previous partners while for Seraphina he was recovering from a more recent trauma. It was very interesting to follow how the heads of the two were interpreting the situations and news in their relationship. </spoiler>
I really enjoyed how this wasn’t a poor girl depiction of disabilities. That is really hard to find when the author doesn’t know the reality of what living with disabilities is like.

Seraphina Ellis was a very intelligent and active mathematician when a tragic accident leaves her broken and despairing. A brain injury has her convinced that she will live out her life in lonely solitude. She tries to conceal her disability from her co-workers and as a result they find her odd and socially inept A chance meeting with the billionaire scientist and CEO Milo Grant provides her with the job of her dreams. He is so impressed with her mind and mathematical skills, and she confides to him about her brain injury. They are both physically attracted to each other, but he is haunted by his own monsters in the romantic area. This is a very touching love story while also dealing with the topics of loss and disability. I recommend this story.

“Despite all this, there was no way I was going to admit to having a disability. I knew it would make things easier for me in the long run, and people would understand why I was the way I was, but I didn’t want to be seen as different. I didn’t want people to have to make allowances for me.”

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Seraphina Ellis’ life will never be normal again. She was in a tragic accident, where she developed a brain injury that affected her speech. As long as she can plan her answers she’s fine, which is not what happened at her job interview, but she ended up being offered a job in another department in the form. Months later, she has an awkward run in with the hot boss in the elevator, it was completely embarrassing! And just mere hours later, he’s offering her a job as his personal lab assistant - the job she had applied for in the first place!

Wow. I needed this book in my life. Seraphina was probably the most fascinating and intriguing character I have come across so far in 2022, and that’s saying A LOT considering this was my 13th book of the year!

The book had me laughing and crying and everything in between, from beginning to end! And I finished it in less than 24 hours… I think the book not only has everything romance tied up completely, but the reminder that because someone appears ordinary on the outside, may not mean they are struggling on the inside - whatever the issue may be.

I’m really glad both Seraphina and Milo got the endings they finally deserved ! Also this would make a fabulous film !

3.5 stars

What I liked:
1) The female MC Seraphina is handicapped/ good impairment representation
2) Seraphina’s mother had her and raised her without a man, and they both still had happy lives
3) Seraphina and her mom’s relationship was a loving and uplifting relationship
4) The male MC Milo is super sweet once he notices Seraphina and wants to get involved
5) Seraphina’s character has considerable character development

What I didn’t like:
1) The insta-love/ insta-relationship, especially considering that Milo hadn’t had a girlfriend in seven years
2) Milo is a huge a%#hole to everyone but we don’t see him interacting with people after he mellows out and improves on how he treats people
3) The jerk female coworker talks crap about Seraphina, but it’s never addressed after (I would’ve loved to see her get fired, or at the very least been given a written warning, and/or the company get training on positively interacting with disabled people)
4) I would’ve loved to see more of the work environment- what exactly were Milo and Seraphina working on in the lab (some description without getting too technical) and them working more on the home lab project
5) The epilogue was too far into the future- I would’ve loved to see the proposal/ wedding

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

Safety in Numbers

Sophie Penhaligon

Publication: January 16, 2022

This book was a sweet surprise! Seraphina is a scientist who has a brain injury from an accident. She is learning to live with this disability but at the same time trying to keep quiet about her medical condition so people don’t treat her differently. Milo is the grumpy owner of the company where Seraphina applies for a job. Both Milo and Seraphina have an emotional backstory. I loved how Milo is so patient and sees Seraphina not as broken, but as a woman. And Seraphina, in return, “sees” Milo for who he really is. Their romance was so endearing and I enjoyed them as a couple.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Seraphina is a mathematician who suffers a traumatic brain injury after a deadly car accident. She works as hard as she can to get back to “normal” but must come to terms that somethings just won’t be the same, the biggest being how she communicates.

Determined to make sure no-one knows about her disability; she keeps to herself and stays in her own little cubicle working away. Then, one day she is called to the CEO’s office after capturing his attention and is offered the job of her dream, to be his lab assistant. How can she say no? And how are they supposed to ignore the attraction they are both experiencing?

Safety in Numbers was a fun and enjoyable story. Milo and Seraphina were interesting characters, and I loved the taste of the grumpy/sunshine trope involved. Seraphina wasn’t a true “sunshine” character as she does have a complicated past that plays a huge part in who she is. But Milo definitely has that “nobody but you” thing going, and I loved it.

Both Milo and Seraphina have complicated pasts, but I do wish they were explored in a little more detail. It also felt that their relationship was a little rushed. The story itself was wonderful and I loved seeing the representation of living with a disability and women in STEM, but I think the characters just needed to be a little more flushed out. It was a great story and I look forward to seeing what else Sophie Penhaligon will release.

First of all, I love reading any book that involves women in STEM (which was the primary reason I picked this one up). I was also excited to see some of my favorite tropes- workplace and grumpy billionaire. Sadly, this one wasn't a great fit for me. I didn't feel like there was huge growth with the characters and the romance didn't' spark for me.

Initially, I was very excited to read this bc the synopsis made this sound very interesting and definitely something right up my alley. However, this one fell a bit short for me as the plot wasn’t as gripping as I’d thought it’d be and the characters were quite frustrating, in my opinion. I made it through though but overall, it was just an ‘okay’ read.

2.75 stars

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and #BooksGoSocial for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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When I saw the cover of Sophie Penhaligon's upcoming book I knew that I had to read it! It was giving me #TheLoveHypothesis and #TheKissQuotient vibes and those were two of my favourite reads this year!
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This was a super quick read for me and it was just what I needed, some sweet and spicy scenes but it also covered some more serious topics with the main character suffering from a brain injury and how she coped with the aftermath.
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The premise of the story is that Seraphina (a mathematician) sustained a brain injury that has left her feeling determined to live as independently as possible and get back to work, and Milo (a millionaire scientist and businessman) whose past hurts have caused him to put on a tough front and keep others at arm's length. The two come together for work and develop a relationship blossoms as a result of this.
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Seraphina and Milo are the definitions of the Grumpy Sunshine Trope, so if you enjoy that then this is definitely a book for you! Enjoyable and easy to read, will be keeping an eye out for some more books from Sophie in the future.

Thank you to netgalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to have access to an eARC for this book in return for an honest review.

this is a great down to earth romance comedy that had a cute couple who had great chemistry and I loved the comedy of the book. This was great overall i also enjoyed the authors writing style and pace in this book.

I've never read anything by Sophie Penhaligon before, so I didn't know what to expect. At first, I thought it would be interesting to read a romance where the main character has a disability (brain injury). Most people don't notice it, though. Sometimes she has a hard time remembering some words, but that doesn't stop her from being totally genius. I was very curious to see how CEO Milo Grant would react after knowing the truth and how their relationship would develop.

I really wanted to love them as a couple, but I honestly felt no chemistry. Everything happened too fast. It seemed so easy. The way they talk to each other also didn't seem natural to me. It's a good plot, I liked it, but unfortunately I can't say that it became one of my favorites. I really needed more time and deeper conversations between them... But well, maybe that's just me being annoying. If you enjoy fast paced romances, then this is a gem for you.

* I received this book from BooksGoSocial in exchange for an honest review.

Seraphina was in a tragic accident that could have taken her life, thankfully it just left her with a traumatic brain injury. It did however, take the life of her beloved mother.

After all of that sadness, her boyfriend just couldn't be with her and left her in the state that she was in.

She went to outpatient rehab at the Morley House, which helps people with similar issues as Seraphina's.

She was taught how to LIVE again, even though she lives differently than others, she can live alone.

She put in an application to be a research assistant, but during her interview she gets the opportunity to interview with Dr. Milo Grant - who looks down at her and tells the interviewer that he doesn't have time. The interviewer can't pass up on her skills and hires her for another department.

Seraphina is doing great in her job, she goes to work, works, goes home and repeats - very methodical and it works for her. That's what her system needs.

One day, she meets Dr. Grant in the elevator and he's enamored by her. He does whatever he can to find her, and get her working with him - little does he know that her mind is amazing and he wants her on his team. He finds out that he actually turned her down in the past!

One thing leads to another and they start hanging out, dating, falling in love only to be ruined by petty, jealous girls. She returns to Morley House on a whim and has to work out her issues. Milo tracks her down and brings her home.

They live happily ever after!

Such a cute romance with a lot of sadness along the way.

I just reviewed Safety in Numbers by Sophie Penhaligon. #SafetyinNumbers #NetGalley

I liked this book, it’s a cute romance with some steamy scenes.
I was attracted to this ARC by the STEM character.
Seraphina is a brilliant scientist who was involved in a terrible car accident that left her with a traumatic brain injury that completely changed her life. She has trouble remembering words, and lives by a strict routine where everything is labeled.
The accident took away her carefree personality traits but somehow increased her mathematical abilities. She doesn’t talk about the accident, and as a result people who don’t know about her situation think she’s not very bright.

She goes to work at a company led by a tech genius named Milo, “the bad boy of science” and ends up working as his lab assistant. Milo seems to understand her completely and isn’t bothered by her issues. They’re very attracted to each other, and Milo buys her clothes and takes her on trips on a private jet. Their relationship is serious and they both are very happy.
Seraphina loves her job, but her feelings for Milo are serious and he’s her boss! Can she find a way to keep Milo and her job?

I enjoyed this book but there were a few things that put me off a little. Milo’s attitude towards Seraphina was very paternalistic, and their romance got serious very quickly.
I liked Seraphina’s character, I’ve never read a book where the main character had a traumatic brain injury, and the descriptions of how she coped were very interesting. 4 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I liked the premise but I just did not enjoy the way it was written. It felt like it needed a lot more editing and also character development. I think the author has promise but this book just felt lacklustre.

Safety In Numbers by Sophie Penhaligon was my 1st read of 2022! Well technically I finished the last 10 pages of the Cecelia Ahern book I was reading so I guess this was my 1st official book of 2022. It's funny because I was looking at my list of books read in 2021 and my 1st book of 2021 was The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang which this book reminded me of.

Synopsis: Safety in Numbers is the story of a mathematician Seraphina who is recovering from a brain injury after a tragic accident that killed her mother. She is a little lost in the world, not having anyone to rely on but her medical team. She suffers from aphasia and is slowly learning how to interact with the world after the accident. While the accident impaired her speech, it left her math skills intact. She then starts to work for a brilliant but moody CEO, who has his own share of demons. While working together, they both learn how to let their walls down and let love in.

My thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. It was sweet and hopeful, exactly what I needed to start off my year in reading. While the cover and synopsis might categorize this book as a fluffy romance, I think there is a deeper message in there. When we put walls up to try and protect ourselves from hurt, it also keeps the good things out. I really enjoyed this book, read it in a day and half!

There was something about the book that kept me reading even the parts that I was frustrated with. It could be because it makes you emphatic to the characters.
Seraphina was a very interesting and it was nice to read about her struggles and how she overcomes them.
Milo was interesting too and I’m sure a lot of people will like his type of personality.
The writing really helped showcasing what was going on in the characters minds during the book and I must give credit to that.
I will be adding a more in dept review to my bookstagram as a January wrap up!

I really tried connecting this book but I just couldn't. The idea behind the books sound so great but however I kept getting side track when reading it. There was something lacking. I wish I could like it more insteand of DNF.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the free arc of this book.

I really wanted to like this book. As someone, with an invisible condition myself, I was excited to have a main character with a disability. I found that I related to Seraphina’s struggle of not wanting to be defined by her condition and how it impacted her overall. I had hoped we would see more of her coming around and accepting herself as she is but we didn’t get to see that as much as I would have liked.

With Milo, I just hated the way he talked to her sometimes. I felt like some of his verbiage that was used made it seem like he felt like owned her and she was a possession to him. So while I wanted his protectiveness to be cute, I just found it annoying at times. Maybe that’s just my personal preference though. I

Overall, I will say it was an easy read that I breezed through quickly. I just didn’t get the resolution I was looking for with Seraphina completely.