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.

I love an enemies to lovers trope. Pair that with forced proximity x2 and witty banter for days, Not Safe for Work by Nisha J. Tuli was a book I couldn't walk away from. Trishara and Rafe find themselves on a three week leadership retreat on Maui (oh darn, what a terrible place to be have to go for a work conference, my work should definitely not take notes). The push and pull banter and the way these two try to constantly one-up each other is so well done. The way they slowly learn that there is more to each other than meets the eye as well is wonderful.

I have an obsessing with this book and these two. Was it messy, yes. Was he mean for no reason and I still liked him? yes.

i didn't really like the wishy washy back & forth between the 2 MCs. i did like the representation of misogyny & racism within workplaces! but this book was very hit or miss for me. there was some stuff i liked and some i didn't. overall it didn't stand out to me, but i didn't hate it either!

Not Safe for Work is a smart, slow-burn workplace romcom packed with sharp banter, real stakes, and one seriously awkward room assignment. Trishara is an engineer who's had enough of being overlooked, talked over, and passed up—for the boss’s son, no less. So when she lands a spot at an elite company retreat in Maui, it feels like a shot at something better. Small problem? Rafe Gallagher, her office nemesis (and the guy who stole her promotion), is going too.

And thanks to one very unfortunate booking error, they’re sharing the honeymoon suite.

Trishara’s determined to stay focused on her career goals, but forced proximity, team-building tests, and a surprising side of Rafe start to chip away at her defenses. The guy isn’t just the golden boy—he’s self-aware, genuinely supportive, and clearly into her. Their dynamic is packed with tension, slow-burn energy, and yes, a little well-earned steam once it finally tips over.

The setting is paradise, the dialogue crackles, and watching Trishara and Rafe navigate trust, ambition, and attraction is everything you want in a romcom with bite. If you're into enemies-ish to lovers with one bed, workplace politics, and women in STEM fighting for their space, this one checks every box.

🎧Soneela Nankani was a great fit for Trishara—her voice matched the character in a way that felt really natural. Even as a single narrator, she handled the rest of the cast well, especially Rafe and the side characters, with distinct voices that were easy to follow. The pacing, tone, and production all worked to keep the story engaging. I’d definitely be interested in listening to more of her work.

“𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆’𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒖𝒏𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕’𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝑰 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒕. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒈𝒐 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖.”

Thank you @nishajtwrites, @booksparks, @readforeverpub @hachetteaudio and @netgalley for the gorgeous #gifted book, ebook ARC, and ALC. All opinions expressed are my own.

I loved how this book was a fun, spicy, forced proximity with workplace rivals, but at the same time had serious discussions in it as well. It is such a perfect summer read with more emotional depth to the characters. Rafe was an incredible MMC, and Tris has my heart with what she faces in her career field. She is such a strong FMC and truly inspiring. Definitely pick it up this summer!

Enemies to loves has always been a hard sell for me. But I found Trishara and Rafe surprisingly enjoyable together and was rooting for them much quicker than I thought.

I am a huge fan of Nisha J. Tuli's writing!! I love every single of her fantasy books, so I was really excited to read this one!!

Nisha writes delicious enemies/rivals to lovers romance and excellent banter, Not Safe For Work is another example of that.

I liked reading about a woman in color in STEM, and I think that representation is very important. The book touched sexism in an industry dominated by men, which I also liked. For a person with migraines, I felt that the representation was also well written in this book.

The spicy scenes were also awesome, per usual in Nisha's books.

While I like reading about possessive men in books, I kept thinking that if this was real life, Rafe would be a red flag walking. And his comments on Trisha's body were not helping in that sense.

Overall, a nice and spicy romance with forced proximity and rivals to lovers!

Thank you so much for the gifted copy! I want to start out by saying I absolutely love the WOMEN in STEM rep in this book. Unfortunately as much as it pains me to say-- it didn't land like I was hoping it would. I love the concept, but I just didn't care for this one. I love Nisha's fantasy series, so I was really looking forward to her debut contemporary! I think another thing that kept me from enjoying this more was definitely the characters, for their age I was expecting a little more maturity out of them. This had a really fun setting, and the premise was promising-- but it just didn't do it for me.

This was such a great read! If you’re feeling a slump, I highly recommend this because the tension and banter will have you in love! The characters were fun! I also enjoyed reading about the struggles Trish experienced and think they were handled well and brought light to issues women experience in the workplace all the time. Overall, super great romcom to have you gigging and swooning all at once!

The cover of this book drew me in as I had not heard of the author before, I thought it was going to be another rom com, enemies to lovers storyline where they are stuck in the same room, blah blah, but the way she tied in the issues Tris and many woman in STEM jobs face while the Rafe wanted to be a baker was a nice touch.. It's a slow burn but the spice made up for it. Would love a second book to see how things progress for them.

Good easy reading book. I enjoyed it. I read this book because I liked other books from the same author. This book was not my normal genre, usually I do fantasy.

Wow, I didn’t know what to expect ad the only other books of hers I’ve read are the Ouranos series, but I absolutely loved this contemporary romance. Ugh, and the pain relating to Tris’ experience in the workplace is so well done culminating in the best way. But I digress, she is nominated to go in a work retreat, the only problem is her super hot work nemesis (and boss’s son) is going as well. Due to an inept assistant, they are assigned only one room and one bed (GASP) for their three week stay. The evolution of their relationship is fantastic.

This story was equal parts amusing, sweet, and gratifying. I love Tris as a strong FMC working in STEM and navigating the difficult road for women in her field, where men forget their manners and applaud her (and the author) for putting them in their place. The banter between Tris and Rafe was fun and their chemistry leapt off the page. I loved the equal time given to their romance and her workplace woes, showing that workplace balance is possible in life. This was a quick, fun read!

I’m such a sucker for workplace romances, especially when the setting switches to a resort—and this one totally delivered. I listened to the audiobook while reading, and Soneela Nankani brought Trishara’s sarcasm and sass to life perfectly. It felt like a full-on rom-com!

Trishara’s fight against the company’s bias toward white men hit close to home for me. She’s bold, smart, and unapologetic, and watching her find her confidence again was everything. The enemies-to-lovers banter with Rafe was so much fun—taking their tension from office to Hawaii was pure genius. That one bed situation? Hilarious and heartbreaking.

Rafe was hot and sweet but felt a little flat at times—I wanted more depth from him. The slow-burn chemistry was worth it though. Some pacing issues slowed the middle, and the conflict resolution could’ve been stronger, but the ending and epilogue gave me all the warm feels.

The Hawaii setting was gorgeous, and the book’s call-out of workplace sexism was powerful and relatable. If you love rom-coms with real issues and great banter, this one’s for you. Highly recommend!

This was a true slow burn!
I'm a sucker for a one bed troupe as well as a work place troupe!
Trips and Rafe had their own struggles throughout this book and I love that they found themselves along the way and how they had no idea how the other felt about each other!
The way he draws her....
SWOON!
Thank you NetGalley for this ALC!

Oooooh, such rivals to lovers goodness. I love that these two are not passive rivals seething from other side of their cubicles. Tris and Rafe have spent the past five-ish years competing to be the best engineers they can be. Tris, an Indian-American woman, is very much better but nepotism gives Rafe the upper hand by way of his company exec father.

When they're both chosen to go on a three week leadership retreat in Maui, it's only natural that the competition ramps up a notch (or ten!). But as it goes, there are a few kerfuffles and they end up spending much more time together then they anticipated. And OH LOOK! They have things in common. Like the fact that they both think they the other is super hot and they also hate the company they work for.

Whatever could go wrong? Or very, very right?

This is the perfect mix of vacation and workplace romance with a strong helping of lust, longing, and slow-burn tension!

Gimme that workplace banter! Gimme that woman trying to find herself when the world tried to talk over her dreams! Nisha’s contemporary debut is a TREAT! I love how Nisha wove in real problems with corporate America and how it burns us out emotionally and intellectually while also reinforcing that WE CAN DO IT! Hold on to that inner voice you earned. This book was hot with heart! For the overachiever in all of us, you deserve to be Not Safe For Work every now and then (consensually)!