4.5/5 stars!
Thank you Forever Publishing, Nisha, and NetGalley for the chance to review this book!
I really enjoyed this from start to finish. Trishara is related in all manner of ways and she is FUNNY. Her inner monologue had me cackling. I felt her emotions in my bones.
I longingly sighed, I lol’d, I even cried at the end.
The slowest of slow burns was WELL WORTH the payoff and I would gladly read Rafe & Tris antagonize each other for another 20 chapters.
The chemistry was sizzling, the emotions were high, and the retribution Tris got in the end was "perfect* I was incredibly satisfied with the ending.

This was giving he’s a 10 but he’s your work nemesis vibes. All while in a fancy Hawaii work retreat yes please!!! For a first contemporary romance you nailed this!!

If you’re looking for an easy read binge worthy book and with a bowl of popcorn (or favorite snack) this book is for you. I was smiling and kicking me feet the whole time. Something about a work place romance that just has the best tension. *Except please insert side eye glare at Hannah for entering my happy bubble.

My favorite part of book was seeing the representation of Tris as a woman in STEM and getting lost in the boy club of a large corporate companies. Always being pass over for being a women or a women of color. Tris wants to break the glass ceiling and I love seeing her advocated for herself was just perfection.

Now for Rafa, this man was secretly a little softie. I loved learning
about him and his back story. Along with some fun surprises on his hobbies. Something about a man dressed up for work and his sleeves are rolled up.

Truly the ending of this book was perfection. It just melted me.

Thank you Forever and NetGalley for the ARC!
This is my honest review.

I loved this book so much! The rivals to lovers banter is so good, Trishara's internal monologue is hilarious and all the desserts mentioned were making me hungry. If you're looking for a quick, fun read that also tactfully handles microagressions, racism, and misogyny this should be your next read!

4 stars!

I really enjoyed this one! Nisha J. Tuli delivers a rivals-to-lovers romance filled with tension, chemistry, banter, a refreshing look at corporate dynamics, and a heroine you can’t help but root for. Trishara (Tris) is such a strong fmc; she is driven, witty, and painfully relatable as she battles the frustration of being constantly overlooked in a system stacked against her.

Tris is caught off guard when she’s selected to attend a leadership retreat in Hawaii - and even more so when she finds out she’ll be sharing a room with Rafe, the guy who stole her promotion (and just so happens to be her boss’s son).

I especially appreciated how the story thoughtfully explored themes of bias, privilege, and career stagnation. Tris’s personal growth felt authentic, and her dynamic with Rafe was the perfect mix of tension, humor, heat, and heart.


A heartfelt thank you to Forever Pub for the ARC & ALC!

This book was such a delightful surprise that I couldn’t stop smiling through most of it. The chemistry between Tris and Rafe sizzled with all the delicious tension and witty banter I crave in a workplace romcom. The writing sparkled with humor and warmth, making the slow thaw of their icy rivalry into something tender feel so earned. The romance built up with just the right mix of playful push and pull, and watching Tris learn to trust wasn’t just about love but about believing in herself. It’s the kind of book I wanted to dive back into the moment I finished, and I’m already thinking about rereading it on a rainy day.

Not Safe For Work is such a relevant yet fun summer read!

Trishara is absolutely sick and tired of being passed over for opportunities and promotions at work…. especially since Rafe gets them all as the son of the boss. It’s shocking when she’s selected for a leadership development program! But alas, Rafe is too.

This book gave me a lot of feelings - sometimes it was really relatable, sometimes I cringed (people say some cringey stuff in the workplace in real life too), sometimes I laughed. And of course… there’s only one bed and they’ve accidentally been assigned the same suite!

I felt the author got it right with this fun workplace romcom!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book. The review expresses my own opinions.

Honestly…I kinda loved this book. The only reason it’s 4 stars instead of 5 is because it took them so long to finally kiss. The tension and banter was there. Tris and Rafe were perfect together and I loved that it was interracial.

Next up I was Lan and Gabrielle’s story.

I really enjoyed this work place/vacation romance. This one had a lot of classic tropes that you would find in this type of setting/plot so it was a cozy, predictable read. The banter stood out as well as the specific character’s experience as a women and a person of color in a white male dominated work place. I loved the mix of romance with the workplace/character growth,

Thank you to Forever & Hachette Audiofor the Advanced Reader Copy. This review is left voluntarily.

I’ve been a big fan of Nisha J. Tuli and truly adore her as an author. Her writing has brought me joy with multiple spots in my top reads of the year and I went into Not Safe for Work fully expecting it to be another favorite. As someone who spent nearly a decade working at a big tech company, I was excited to see that setting on the page—particularly through the lens of a woman of color. I was hoping for a story that would reflect the quiet (and not-so-quiet) misogyny, the exclusion from the boys’ club, and the professional gaslighting I’ve experienced myself. In many ways, the book does touch on those themes—but unfortunately, the reading experience just didn’t land for me the way I’d hoped.

I typically enjoy a prickly heroine, but Trishara’s anger was always close to the surface bordering on explosive when things didn’t go exactly to plan. She often seemed to expect people to read her mind, while giving no grace in return. That imbalance made it hard for me to root for her. The book is told from her perspective, so I knew what she was thinking but her lack of empathy or ability to read a room was hard.

The romance between Trishara and Rafe was also hard for me to track. Their hot-and-cold dynamic swung so wildly that I occasionally wondered if my bookmark hadn’t synced or if I’d missed something important. I so wanted them to just sit down and talk it out, there was so much miscommunication. I picked up and put down the book hoping that it was just my mood. Which led me to I read the book both via ebook & eventually enjoying the audio once I was approved, I was trying to find my sweet spot. Narrator Soneela Konkani did a wonderful job bringing the world to life and I will look for more of her works.

That said, I know many readers have loved this book, and I fully believe this might just be a “me” issue. I wanted so badly to fall for this story the way others have, especially because Nisha’s previous work has meant so much to me. But Not Safe for Work just didn’t work for me.

Still, I’ll absolutely be picking up her next book—and cheering her on every step of the way.

Loved loved loved. This is a really wonderful love story but the setting of a corporate retreat adds a level of both hilarity and depth to the story, allowing us to understand the characters as whole personalities. Tuli also navigates parental relationships, the role of women and POC in the workplace and just the travails of dating in the 21st century as career focused people with aplomb. This felt fresh in a genre that often can feel repetitive.

This was a cute, over the top workplace romance. The horniness these two felt for each other was more funny than steamy, especially how much Tris was fantasizing about her supposed supervillain coworker. This was a great quick read, beachy setting romance, with lots of funny moments. I loved seeing a South Asian FMC with chronic pain be an absolute badass, and the descriptions of her outfits sounded amazing.

However I found some parts of the book to be rather flat. The depiction of Hawaii could have easily been any other beachy destination resort and had basically no culture integrated into it. The MMC is also a bit generic and read like a bit of a white knight with how much he was constantly jumping in to stand up for her. It didn't feel like any of the conversations they had about workplace sexism were very real or vulnerable.

Ignoring all that and not treating the book as a serious read made it a quick and enjoyable read, but a really standout book could've gone deeper in my opinion.

Big thanks to Forever for the gifted review copy! Thoughts are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever Grand Central Publishing for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

My first Nisha J. Tuli book and I’m so happy that this one did not disappoint! This was a super cute, witty, quick read for me and I adored Trishara and Rafe’s back and forth banter. Tris was a headstrong badass female character who learns the about the power of speaking up for one’s self, especially in male dominated STEM field. And Rafe 🥵 oh man! He’s a man who knows his way around, unlike most of the other Khakis 😘

For a contemporary rom-com that has a strong emphasis on workplace romance and work rivals to lovers, I cannot recommend it enough. Also if you’re familiar with Nisha’s Artifacts of Ouranos series, you’ll appreciate the subtle reference she makes in this book.

This was a solid summer read! The perfect book to bring to the beach with you. I really enjoyed the banter back and forth between our characters.

I loved this book! I love an enemies to lovers, forced proximity trope. And knowing that they’ve both been pining this whole time?? Loveee. I do wish it was a slower burn but I’d definitely recommend! The end also seemed a little too fast paced for me but I’m obsessed with reading a POC FMC. Can’t wait to read more of Nisha’s work!

What to expect:
- a strong-willed, driven BIPOC woman in STEM
- a slow-burning, forced proximity romance with so much delicious tension
- the one-bed trope!
- witty banter
- a kind-hearted MMC who will make you swoon
- a book that transports you to Hawaii (a.k.a. the perfect summer read)

Because this is a single POV, the focus is on Tris rather than Rafe. We see her heal and grow from her past relationship, and fight against misogyny and unfairness in the workplace, while falling for Rafe (even if she really doesn't want to 🤭).

“I want to taste your mouth and eat you out and f—k you until the sun comes up, Tris.”

Thanks to the publisher for the e-ARC and ALC!

- workplace rivals to lovers
- endless banter and insults as flirting
- interracial romance (South Asian FMC, white MMC)
- slowburn with spice
- tension 😮‍💨
- Soneela Nankani is a fabulous narrator who brings all the characters to live and gives them all a distinct presence seamlessly

Trishara and Rafe have the kind of tension and chemistry that you can feel - their competitiveness and blunt words don’t fool anyone but maybe themselves. A work retreat to compete for a leadership position and hotel mix up landing them in a shared room with only one bed is all they need to have an opportunity to face what they really yearn for.

Tris is smart and excels in her job as an engineer but she’s constantly passed up for opportunities in an obvious display of racial and gender based bias. While she’s somewhat given up on hoping her ambition will go anywhere with her current company, being selected to compete for a leadership program spot reignites that fire in her. You can’t help but to root for her, even as you start to question if it’s really what she wants when the company has never treated her like she deserves and it will likely continue to be an uphill battle.

It makes her rivalry with Rafe ramp up, but their time together proves to her that he has a lot more depth than she thought and that his dreams are very different from the life he’s been leading. Rafe is good at his job but nepotism and systemic bias favor him - it’s something he’s aware of and has resisted, but leadership has been determined to maintain the status quo.

The romance is perfectly balanced with the thematic exploration of systemic oppression in work environments. The romance is not sidelined but the deeper themes are not glossed over either.

I love this authors Romantasy stories and her foray into contemporary romance is just as good!

🌺🌅Not Safe For Work🌅🌺
By Nisha J. Tuli
⭐️3.75
🌶️4

Upside, Tris is chosen for a company retreat that is for a competitive training program. Downside, she has to attend with her sworn work nemesis, Rafe. Double downside, the boss’ secretary accidentally booked only one room. As they vie against each other for the coveted spots in the program, all this close proximity may convince Tris that Rafe was not what he initially seemed.

Let me first of all say overall I did enjoy this story. I appreciated the minority rep and hearing her experiences in the corporate engineering world. I thought it was so interesting and informative that it was pulled from the authors own personal experiences. The flirty banter was fun and the FMC was a great character. The ending and epilogue left me with a smile.

However, it did feel like the pacing was off in the middle of the book and a lot of the scenarios started to feel very repetitive. Like how many times they were short with each other and sought the other out to apologize and it felt like they were having the same conversations. Also a lot of scenes happened in the same setting-conference room, gym, bedroom, repeat. I also felt like the smut rivaled plot some in this story. Not just because of the plainly explicit scenes but how it was a focus of the internal monologue and dialogue as well, there wasn’t quite enough character/relationship growth over physical attraction for my usual preference.

Tropes:
✨work rivals to lovers
✨POC/ woman in STEM rep
✨forced proximity
✨one bed
✨he takes care of her
✨forbidden love

CW:
🛑sexism
🛑racism/racial micro-aggressions
🛑non consensual touch

This was my first book by Nisha J. Tuli, and I loved it! Not Safe for Work is a workplace, enemies-to-lovers romance. Trishara and Rafe are engineers in the same firm who have worked together for years, but never gotten along. They both end up on a company retreat in Hawaii and somehow find themselves forced to room together, too. As they spend more time together, they get to know each other more and realize that being friends is better than fighting with each other all the time. They share their experiences and really become close. Trishara and Rafe have great banter and chemistry. Their attraction, even while fighting, jumps off the page. Their time together leads each individually to resolve some important issues in their lives, and clarify their goals for the future. I loved how these characters supported each other to move forward in their careers and with their personal goals.

I got really caught up in this book, and finished it in a few days. Nisha J. Tuli creates authentic, relatable characters, and built the romance between the two main characters slowly and organically. The reader can really see all the ways that these characters are drawn to each other. Tuli's description of Trishara's challenges in the workplace as a woman of color were hilariously accurate. The side characters, particularly Trishara's friend Molly, were really funny, and added depth to the story. Tuli wraps up the story neatly by the end of the book, and gives the reader a fun glimpse of the future in the epilogue.

Not Safe for Work is a great workplace romance with a diverse set of characters. The main characters' forced proximity at a company retreat has many ups and downs but is a life-changing experience for both as the book concludes. I recommend this book. It will be a great summer beach read this year.

Thank you Nisha J. Tuli, Forever, and Grand Central Publishing for providing this ARC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Content Warnings: Misogyny, Sexual Content, Sexism, Sexual Harassment, Bullying

Spice level: 3/5

Thank you to Forever Grand Central Publishing, NetGalley, and the author for a copy of this ARC!!!

Summer romance set in Hawaii + workplace romance sold me! Oh and the one-bed trope… ooh!!!

And how was it executed?

I enjoyed Trishara’s character and omg her email at the end … she is an icon and a legend.

Rafe was her rival … until they weren’t! We learned a lot about his family drama at WMC, but we didn’t really get to know him other than his love of cooking/making content.

rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

includes:
❀ workplace romance
❀ only one bed
❀ bipoc women in stem
❀ rivals to lovers
❀ great banter

trishara malik currently works at wmc purcell and it’s clear that the company has pushed her off to the side. as a woman of color, she has consciously been pushed to the side in her career although her work speaks for herself. she ends up being picked to attend a leadership retreat in hawaii but who also gets to attend? ralfe gallagher, the son of the boss but her workplace rival.

my favorite part was getting to learn more about trishara’s job and the hardships that women in stem have to endure. haven’t read that many books on this topic so being able to read about this perspective was really enlightening and informative. think the author did a great job bringing those experiences to the forefront!

trishara and ralfe, whew their tension was apparent immediately. you were quite literally screaming at them for something to happen. it was hard to feel invested into them because ralfe just seemed very one dimensional to me.

really think people who enjoy workplace romances and adding in the rival aspect will really enjoy this book!