Disappointment doesn't cover what I felt reading this book. ugh. took me more than a month to finish this and I only finished this through sheer stubbornness because I had the ARC + ALC. It's safe to say that if I didn't have the ALC I would have dnfed it long ago.

let's begin with what I enjoyed in this Book - honestly I have no clue. Tris giving back to Rafe's dad I think? Oh and the friendship with Molly, Lan and Gabrielle. Her email ( Chap 28) was the highlight of the whole book for me. Rafe's tenderness for her could be counted as well.

the last 10 percent - Tris standing up for herself and learning to trust herself and her heart was probably the best thing about the entire book. I felt proud of her for realising what she deserves and also because she chose to give rafe time to unfuck the whole thing with his ex rather than the third act breakup I was expecting. that was the only reason I bumped my rating up.

what I didn't like -

- When you market a book with a desi ( Indian) FMC but except for a mention of her ethnicity in the first chapter and a racist comment in the last 10 percent, there is nothing about Trishara that would distinguish her from your usual white fmcs. The workplace toxicity was more sexism than anything more, and so much so that if Tris was any other ethnicity or race, it would change nothing in this book. As an Indian woman in stem, reading this felt like Indian FMC was just a marketing/inclusion tag strategy - do what you will with that information.

- this is one of those books which might have been a lot better as dual pov Because as a single pov, what's supposed to be sexual tension ( I am assuming) comes across as desperate horniness from the FMC and nothing more. First 45 percent of the book is Tris talking about Rafe's arms, abs, smile and how she wants to fuck him every two paragraphs. it drove me up the wall.

- They kiss at 69 percent and then have their first real, honest and heart to heart conversation. Then the next few chapters are just fucking. then there is Rafe's Ex drama. and this is at 95 percent of the book.

- I can't really tell where the romance was? Their whole “rivalry” is based on the fact that she was attracted to him, scared of it and mad that he didn't seem to be attracted to her. there was sexual tension and physical chemistry but love? it fell flat and shallow. i felt no emotional connection with Tris or Rafe or their relationship. For two 30 year olds they are both felt very immature. and even in the last chapter when they are confessing to each other I couldn't tell if there really was any love. Everything felt very superficial.

- the other woman drama - why give so much page space to Hannah the ex if we get to know nothing? why was rafe picking her calls? how did he break it to her that they were done? what were the consequences? what was the point? we know nothing except that she created mistrust between tris and rafe and then everything was sorted off page and hannah 'moved on'.

Would Tris and Rafe last after the epilogue? i don't know.

This was my first book from the author and knowing she was an Indian author writing an Indian FMC - we deserve better rep and this book wasn't it. Finishing this book felt like a huge task until the 85 percent mark and I am not sure I would ever pick another book from the author..

thank you netgalley for the arc and ALC

⭐️ Review: Not Safe for Work by Nisha J. Tulli

3.5/ 5 stars

Why I picked it up:
This novel intrigued me with its promise of a workplace romance entwined with serious themes like sexual harassment, the glass ceiling, and nepotism. Those elements felt timely and sharp, promising both heart and heartache.

⸻

✅ What Worked
-Urgent, relevant themes — Tulli doesn’t shy away from the systemic challenges women face in corporate culture. Scenes addressing harassment and incest-like nepotism feel authentic and necessary, grounding the romance in real stakes.
- workplace dynamics — I appreciated how professional hierarchies, power plays, and promotion politics weren’t just backdrops but pivotal to how characters grew. The tension over promotions and favoritism added layers beyond a simple love story.
- Workplace Retreat in Hawaii! Ummm Dream come true, Loved that the chunk of the book was set in Hawaii.

Nisha had my jaw on the floor! I was laughing through the banter and on the edge of my seat over the scorching chemistry between Tris and Rafe. I highly recommend anyone who's a fan of romcoms to give this a try-- you won't be disappointed.

I will be buying it for all of my besties.

Thank you so much for my early copy! I will be going to read Nisha's entire backlist now.

**3.75 stars

Thank you to Nisha J. Tuli and Forever for the eARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Before I go into the details of my review, I did enjoy this book. I loved Rafe. He had so many layers and really tried to do the right thing so many times, even if we don't learn everything he's done over the years until later in the book. I also really loved the female friendships. Supporting one another, but also calling each other out when it was needed. I also really enjoyed the diversity of this book.

This book, while a fun rivals to lovers romance, also deals with some heavy topics. The FMC is a woman of color that works in a male dominated field, and a big part of the plot is her experiences as a woman and a woman of color in engineering. It touches on racism, nepotism, misogyny, sexism, sexual harassment, and different types of toxic relationships (between partners [not the MCs with each other], parents).

But with all of that, and understanding her experiences have shaped who she is now, I did not like the FMC until WAY later in the book. She has every right to be bitter, but that bitterness made her mean. And not just to the MMC, which is part of their flirting dynamic, but to others who get in the way of them bickering. And that part is just glossed over. She says sorry and it's never mentioned again. I would have liked more development of her character seeing how her experiences have caused her to treat others over the years, and not just pushing them away because she's scared to get hurt. But besides that, I liked her character growth and her getting her spark back.

Overall, it was a good book. And I liked the way the FMC stood her ground throughout the book. I also enjoyed the ending. It was realistic while still giving you the HEA you want from a romance.

A fun workplace / Hawaii-set romance! Tris is a great main character, I loooooved following her as she fell in love with Rafe. And he's such a solid love interest! I adored Lan and Gabrielle — I want their story, STAT!

2.75 - 3 stars!

This was alright—nothing particularly groundbreaking, but still enjoyable in its own way. I appreciated how easy and fast-paced it was to get through, and OMG Nisha definitely knows how to write some steamy scenes!

One of the standout elements was how Tris didn’t tolerate workplace harassment or discrimination—that was genuinely empowering to read and added some much-needed substance to the story.

While I liked watching the main characters dance around each other, I struggled to buy into the idea that they were true enemies. The rivalry felt either nonexistent or very one-sided. Rafe was arguably one of the most boring book boyfriends ever - he feel so flat & that's likely because we never got his POV. The “ex-girlfriend” subplot didn’t sit well with me either—it felt unresolved and lacked any real confrontation or closure, which was disappointing.

Overall - it's easy & has it's fun moments but it's nothing special.

I'm adding this author to my must read like ASAP! I'm a sucker for a workplace romance, then add in enemies to lovers and I'm sold. With Tris being a female in a male dominated workforce, she's struggled to find her place, not only as a woman but as a WOC. She been passed over for a promotion that should have been hers, but was given to Rafe instead. This felt beyond relatable, and I'm sure others will connect with the FMC as well.

This was a slow burn! If that trope is your thing, then this book should be your next read. The writing is witty, thoughtful and engaging and had me hooked. It was easy to finish this book in a weekend.

⭐️: 4/5
🌶️: 3/5

Very slow burn, but once Tris decided she was willing to give in to her “obsession” with Rafe, it got spicy real quick! Tris is a badass boss babe who ultimately knows her worth and decides to stand up for herself in the end! Her resignation email should be framed in their house somewhere. “Who run the world? GIRLS!!”

Thank you to Net Galley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC (even though I didn’t start reading it until after it was already released. 😔)

I had an absolute blast reading this! I devoured it in less than 48 hours. I loved the banter and spice. This is a perfect book recommendation for people who want a fun summer read that feels like a rom com.

I love this book, there was a lot of sexual tension and this payoff is spicy. If you like spice, this is a good one, we have enemy to lovers, forced proximity if you are into those tropes, Tris is a strong woman, which we love and she was THE lead of this book, I loved her- she's a boss and not afraid to show it or apologize for it, Rafe is the boss's son so you know what she thinks of that out the gate they are both chosen to go to a career making retreat in Hawaii and suprise only 1 bed is available! - maybe there is more to Rafe than Tris realizes, I would definitely read more with Tris and this would make a good movie

Thank you net galley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately I did not love Nisha Tuli’s debut romance. I found both main characters to be immature and frustrating. The Hannah situation didn’t have enough closure (or at all?) and I was hoping to see more about Tris’s headaches since they were brought up frequently. I struggled to understand why Tris and Rafe fell in love. There was chemistry but I wasn’t sure why.

Man oh man I do not know why I waited so long to read this book!!

The spice, the relatable workplace dynamics and skewering of the racist and patriarchal systems in our society, the layered characters, the crazy high jinx — what more could you ask for in a romantic comedy? This book is filled with heart, commentary on the systems of oppression we exist in, and the yearning y’all. Oh the yearning the pining the TENSION. It was delectable. Simply the best.

This was such a cute enemies to lovers and forced proximity tale!!

That sexual tension was spicy and was so fun!!

Couldn't get enough of Tris and her strong bad ass character! She knew what she deserved and was not afraid to stand up for herself! She really made this story! I loved how she fought back with all the sexist workplace bs!!

Rafe... he was quite the quiet type of hotness. He had that mysterious sexy energy going on. And those forearms... yes it's a thing now haha.

It was such a slow burn type of sexy. We really were waiting for that fire to burn. That one bed haha hilarious!

Overall, such a fun enemies to lovers workplace romance.

3.5/5 stars

Thanks to forever for my copy!!

Trishara & Rafe. A combustible combo! Sizzling heat! A slow burn romance. I was there for all of it.

This was such a fun, bingeable read. It would make a great summer read. Beach side/pool side read. Vacation read. Mind escape read. You see where I’m going with this. And the setting wasn’t too shabby either - a work conference in Maui! Swoon!

Underneath that all was a deeper commentary about what it’s like to be a woman in a male dominated profession. Tris is an engineer in a company dominated by old white man and though we like to think that we’ve made progress, maybe we’re not progressive enough just yet!

Grab this if you love
🔥 enemies to lovers
🔥 fun banter
🔥 slow burn romance
🔥 only 1 bed
🔥 MMC looks like Henry Cavill and walks around shirtless a lot

A huge thank you to Forever & Grand Central Publishing for my ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I liked the premise for this book a lot and the tropes too. But I only found it to be okay. I felt like it was about 100 pages too long though and got bogged down in some unnecessary descriptions. But the storyline was good and I liked the ending a lot.

The beat part of this book was the workplace harassment representation. I hope this causes some people to stand up for themselves and their rights.

I received an advanced copy of this through NetGalley. This is my honest review.

Real Rating 3.5

I’m not gonna lie….. this helped solidify that I don’t actually like enemies to lovers books lol And it actually wasn’t his fault for once. Because being in her head and her saying he did XYZ when I knew she didn’t give him a chance to explain BECAUSE SHE WAS MEAN made me skin crawl. Stop making me agree with men lol But I DID love the feminist aspect of this. It wasn’t all bad, but I didn’t exactly have fun either if that makes sense.

Ok so the feminist aspect was her being in Tech and a woman. And Lordt I got so mad listening to all the BS she was going through. I was so annoyed with every single person. And I just KNEW that the person she was trying to get with was bad news. I’m so glad the author didn’t let her slip up just to make that other person mad. I was begging her not to touch him and making faces like she could hear me from here. In this aspect, I was so happy that she was such a strong and smart woman and showed that women in Tech deserve respect and people should treat them as such.

The thing I didn’t agree with was the way she was so frustrating to him but had no idea what his side was. I mean I get it, he was the bosses son. but did you even listen to him about anything when his dad was around? He didn’t even ACT like he liked his dad? I was so confused. Like did I read it wrong? I was so annoyed that she made me side with a man. Because why? And I hate to be a tad bit spoilery, but the sketchbook scene?! That made me crazy lol You don’t play with anyone’s art and creativity. And being all in his business when you’ve been so mean this whole time was weird. And then you just TOOK IT?! Absolutely effing not. I have cussed people out for reading some of my writing before I was ready to post the review or whatever I was writing. Idk, maybe it’s just me, but you don’t do that to someone. That’s why he said a yt woman’s name when you asked lol

The romance was cute once it finally got there. So basically like the Epilogue. I wish we had more time with them liking each other because I wanted her to redeem herself. But in that last chapter she was sweet and he was the golden retriever he had always been. And I was so proud of them. They definitely made it so that they could both get what they wanted. I love to see love win!

I keep trying enemies to lovers because I always think it’s something that I’m doing wrong. But anytime one makes me feel like the dude was in the right it makes me mad lol I think this one was a little too far out there for me. If you like enemies to lovers tho, give this one a try. You will like it more than I did.

A fun summer read if you love slow burn, rivals to lovers, banter, wit and a bit of chaos! The star of this show was the calling out of corporate culture and how it favors the white man (obviously) but I enjoyed that layer to it a lot. The hot and cold between Rafe and Trish (mostly Trish) felt a little erratic at times but overall a good summer read!

✨Read if you love
- slow burn
- only one bed
- workplace rivals to lovers
- forced proximity
- only one bed
- protective and secret softie mmc
- woman of color in STEM
- resort romance

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The representation of being a woman in engineering was great and made me, a woman in engineering feel very seen. The pacing was fast and the book very easy to read. The only issue I have with the book is the weird comments both MCs make about their bodies and their relationships with food. Both MCs validate their eating habits and the MMCs passion for baking as justified because of their near daily workouts. This rhetoric is fatphobic and perpetuates diet culture. These views did not add depth to the plot or characters and therefore are purely harmful to the reader and in support of harmful ideals.

This is my first read by Nisha J. Tuli and I thought it was a pretty cute and fast read - a slow burn for sure. I liked how she brought attention to the issues some women face in the workplace, especially in a male-dominated field. I enjoyed Tris’s character - she was headstrong and fought for what she wanted. Her banter with Rafe had me laughing. Speaking of which, I thought Rafe was…ok. I wish he had more personality. The story overall was good - workplace romance, kind of enemies to lovers, all set in Hawaii. I know the author normally doesn’t write stories like this, but I am interested in reading more of her work.

Rounded up to 3.75. Rival engineers Trishara and Rafe find themselves at odds, but when a work summit arises Trishara has demands and wants to be taken seriously. All of the planning goes underway but as she's put in the best suite the company can offer, she finds that there's a snafu where Rafe is booked for the same room. There are no other rooms available and they two must figure out how to navigate around the odds though there are some things that may not appear to be as they seem. I generally enjoyed the trajectory of this story but found myself finding Trishara a little pretentious (though I empathize with why) I did find the conflict to be a little rough around the edges for the romance setting but overall this was a read that I am glad to add to my shelf.