I absolutely adore this author (her Trial of the Sun Queen series is one of my all-time favorites!!), so I was excited to dive into Not Safe for Work.
While this one didn’t hit quite the same for me, there’s still a lot to appreciate here.

On the positive side, the representation is on point, and I applaud the way the book tackles real, often frustrating workplace dynamics that many women (especially women of color) will recognize all too well.

That said, the first half felt a bit slow for me. I struggled to connect with the characters early on, especially Rafe, who initially seemed more like a collection of abs and smirks than a fully formed love interest. Tris’s fixation on his looks was repetitive at times, and I found myself wishing for something a little deeper from the outset.

However, once the story hit its stride, I enjoyed it. Their dynamic grew in a believable and engaging way, with the banter and chemistry really shining in the second half. The supporting cast was another bright spot - Molly, in particular, had me laughing out loud despite her limited page time.

Overall, this wasn’t a standout hit for me like some of the author’s other work, but it had its moments. If you're into enemies-to-lovers romances with workplace drama and a tropical backdrop, you may enjoy it!

This was a fun mix of workplace drama, enemies-to-lovers tension, and tropical escape. I liked Tris right away—her ambition, frustration, and burnout felt super relatable. The corporate retreat setup in Hawaii gave just enough rom-com chaos (shared honeymoon suite, of course), and Rafe surprised me in a good way. The pacing dipped a bit in the middle, but I was invested enough to keep going. If you like smart heroines, forced proximity, and a side of professional redemption, this one’s worth picking up.

So, it’s a yes to the representation and to issues that many women face in workplace politics. It’s also a yes to the slow and deep connection between the two characters. I wasn’t really a fan of the MC and felt some the side characters could have been better fleshed out but I really liked the deeper rooted issues that many women face in offices. It was a good balance of realism and romance. 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc

I really liked the representation of women in STEM in this. The romance felt believable and I was rooting for our couple. I am always going to think we need both POVs when it comes to romance books, but overall I enjoyed this story.

I really enjoyed this one! Workplace romance, enemies-to-lovers, and forced proximity!? I just knew I would devour this. Thank you for the advanced copy. I know several others who will love this one as well!

For every woman that has worked in a male dominated profession and has silently seethed while wanting to flip the bird, but also loves a work place enemies to lovers romance, this one is for you.

I DEVOURED this book. It made me laugh, want to scream, and I definitely texted a friend saying (and I quote) I don’t know if I want them to f*** or fight right now. Nisha beautifully crafted a book that made me feel so incredibly seen as someone who has worked in male dominated fields her entire career, but make it spicy.

A million stars, no notes.

3 stars

this was cute!! I really like it when fantasy authors debut into romance; I think the style really changes and you get to view their whole range of talent and, most of the time, it's pretty enjoyable!!
this was no exception - it was very easy to read, binge-worthy, and I was SWOONING! however, I kind of noticed that it seemed hard for her to leave behind the techniques of writing fantasy when it came to this. while her fantasy novels aren't high, they distinguish themselves enough to make an impact on the difference between romance and fantasy, and the writing style in this book just tiptoed over the line.

that being said, I love these characters. rafe and tish are adorable (mostly rare - I kinda wanted to scream and tish most times), and the forced proximity in a vacation setting was CHEFS KISS!! the real-world topics discussed in this gave it a real nice touch, making everything seem 1000% more real.

an amazing palate cleanser! though I'm still in my slump. we'll see what happens next.

thank you netgalley and author/publisher for gifting this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Yes Nisha can write a contemporary Romance. This was very entertaining. Very fun. A little bit of everything for everyone.

I really loved this book. Enemies to lovers, workplace romance, forced proximity, grumpy hero... sign me up now. Trishara and Rafe are co workers who have a rivalry going on. Trishara is an engineer who has been passed up for a promotion a few times, and the last one went to Rafe, the boss's son. She knows that she has what it takes, but her company doesn't support women in leadership roles or diversity for that matter.
Rafe is grumpy and one of the most attractive humans she has ever met. When they are both chosen for the company's leadership retreat, then get booked into the same room, sparks fly.
We only get Trishara's perspective but you can glean a lot from the little comments and subtleties that are in reference to Rafe. You can tell he is into her, even if she can't see it. I thought it was done well showing us his feelings, without getting his POV. I was just waiting for the time that we would see them accept what was right in front of them. Rafe gave me all the butterflies, he was such a sweetheart. Almost too sweet, if we are honest, because the stuff with his ex went on entirely too long for my liking. When it all came to a head, he did what he needed to do, but it was like he never wanted to rock any boats or make anyone mad at him and I felt for him on that. Pleasing everyone else was just weighing him down so much.
Thanks to Forever, Netgalley and Nisha Tuli for an early copy.

As a women in STEM, and a Nisha J. Tuli lover, I was so excited for this book! I think Nisha did an amazing job at bringing light to the issues women in male dominated fields face and the behavior that we have to deal with from male coworkers. This book was easily binged in a few days and I enjoyed it from start to finish.

First of all I just love Nisha Tuli’s writing!! It is so human and so funny. It feels like you’re casually chatting with someone vs something very fabricated and contrived. The FMC was super quirky in a good way and totally secure in her with and value. I loved how she didn’t shy away from awkward encounters or disrespectful situations! I loved her inner monologue and her fierceness. Loved the MMC and his love language. I also loved the representation of diversity and inclusion. A little too much redundancy with the lusting after the MMC but it helped write the narrative of rivals / enemies to lovers! Will be posting on Instagram and Goodreads about it this week!

Thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read this on Read Now. I started it but I'm only 20% in and already not vibing with the writing. I really dislike it when an author feels the need to drop an actor's name into their very clear character description so that you know EXACTLY what you're supposed to picture for the MMC. Don't spell that stuff out for me.

I loved the premise, but unfortunately the writing style didn't work for me. I'd still be willing to read this author (and am interested in giving her fantasy series a try).

I LOVED THIS ONE SO MUCH!! Easily a five-star rating for me! From the get go, I was immediately intrigued with the MC. I love Trishara so much! I also found that I relate to her in many ways. From being burned from a bad/toxic relationship, to having a career in a male-dominated field, to being of Asian descent. And I truly appreciated all of the emphasis on diversity and inclusion throughout this novel. And I also appreciated the representation of a female working in a male-dominated industry, and the sexism and discrimination that often comes paired with that unfortunately. I truly felt seen. Not to mention, I looooooved Rafe. I’m a sucker for an enemies to lovers trope and Nisha did a fantastic job of building up the tension between these two characters and landing it once it all came together! Pun intended hehe. I loved the character development of both Trishara and Rafe, and I was empowered by their courage to not give in to societal / corporate ladder climbing pressures to achieve what they both had thought were there “dreams” or next steps in life. I will be recommending this book to all my friends! And I think the fact it gets published right before summer hits is perfect. This would have made a great read on a fun trip or vacation, especially one poolside / on the beach. Thank you to NetGalley and my friends at Forever Publishing for my eARC and physical ARC!!!

📚Work Rivals
📚Forced Proximity
📚One Bed
📚Chronic pain rep
📚Dirty Texts

The Hating Games 2.0.
It was extremely predictable, but a fun read anyways.
It felt like a character study in how women over-analyze everything men say and do… to their own detriment.
I was having a great time reading this up until about 70%. It became overly political and turned into a statement about females in the work place… I wanted a Rom-Com and this took me out of the story completely. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. It was such a fun rivals to lovers story! I loved the banter and one-upmanship between Tris and Rafe. The tension between these two was so so good!

I also thought the work retreat/vacation setting was super fun. It made for a nice change to a typical work place romance.

The commentary on the struggles of women in male dominated fields was also so important. I loved how well this was done.

Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for the early digital copy!

Not Safe for Work is a spectacular entry into contemporary from beloved fantasy romance author Nisha J. Tuli!

Tris Malik (Trishara to those who don’t know and love her…yet) has put in the work…literally ALL of the work in her engineering roles and for some reason (read: sexism, racism, blacklisting, harassment, and more - our girl is going through it) it has yet to pay off at WMC Purcell. When the company announces a training trip for their brightest stars, Tris knows that Rafe Gallagher, son of a senior VP, job stealer, and her arch nemesis, will punch one of the golden tickets but is stunned to find out she has also been selected. The promise of 3 weeks in paradise immediately feels much more like a pain in the neck (and head and shoulders and eyes, this IS foreshadowing) since she knows that unfortunately after 5 years she wasn’t magically rewarded based on merit and over the pleated khaki wearing familial henchmen and their ilk.
Arriving on the island after sparring with Rafe for the window seat, Tris is met with the spoils of her triumph with…no that can’t be right - they CANNOT only have one room booked. Confines be damned, Tris vows to make the most of island time for herself and banish Rafe to the couch in their suite and any other group during training. Their shared experiences at the office and their too close for comfort quarters have the two publicly bickering and privately unraveling the lore of one another to discover that maybe they aren’t complete opposites or even on opposing teams. Vulnerable moments in the form of broken relationships and chronic migraines and out of control fear alike, have Tris & Rafe leaning in to mutual support from the person they both least expected to feel safe and understanding and finding that their not so secret attraction to each other might be more than surface level. What they plan to do is 100% violating someone’s HR policy but when opportunity to explore things comes along, who cares about keeping things safe for work?!

* I love you Tris Malik so very much and I want you to be my best friend IRL. You have the most incredible fixed sign energy and are so gritty and smart and lustrous despite the challenges of being a woman in STEM, a woman with a chronic condition, a woman of color, and hell sometimes just a woman at all. The tenacity of this character is admirable and inspiring because damnit she shouldn’t HAVE to be so self-reliant and calm on the surface and work 100x harder than everyone around her - she deserves to be vulnerable and desired and cherished just as she is (and so do you, reader) without all the added strife!
* Rafe Gallagher I love your forearms and talents alike. You are soulful and caring and self-aware in the best ways. Truly a lesson that the most important work we do sometimes is done for and on ourselves.

Thank you to the author & Forever Publishing for the prioritized review ARC and chance to gush about this story before official release on May 20 2025!

There’s something about Nisha’s writing that draws me in from the first page, and it was no different with her contemporary romance debut! Not Safe for Work is a cute and sexy feel good romance that I adored.

I’m all for a workplace rivals romance, and I loved the hate to love relationship and how they played petty games with each other. The tension is off the charts with the most immaculate "idk if she hates him or wants to f*ck him vibes." But she’s definitely obsessed with him.

I liked their whirlwind of a romance in a tropical setting. AND the spice was hotttt. What I would give to have Rafe’s POV omg. This MAN.

I am so proud of Tris for standing up for herself 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 you f*cking go girl.

Also can I just say that I loved that Nisha was referencing her own romantasy books.

Forced proximity
Woman in STEM
Workplace romance
One bed
Enemies to lovers

4 stars!
This was such a cute fast pace read and I wish it didn't end.
Tropes: STEM setting, women of color, banter and angst (love the tension and build up), workplace romance, only one bed, and chronic pain rep
The FMC and MMC helped each other realize what they truly wanted with romance and in the workplace. They gave each other space when they needed it. They were able to talk to each other, no miscommunication on that end. The only miscommunication was their feelings for each other.
I LOVE how this represented women in the workforce, how eyes were turned when something happened. And for Tris to stand up for herself, *chef's kiss*
I do wish Rafe had more in this book. Yes we find out a lot about him (he's a hottie and a wonderful baker) but I wish we could've been inside his head instead of being told. i.e his conversations with Hannah and his father.

book releases on May 20th, 2025

This was just what I needed after my last read left me in a bit of a slump. If you are a fan of workplace rivalries, forced proximity, and some tension - this will be a fun read for you.

Tris and Rafe had great chemistry, and their banter kept the book moving and entertaining; however, I really would’ve loved to see some flashbacks or deeper glimpses into their shared past. There are references to history between them, but without experiencing those moments, parts of the connection felt a little instalusty and rushed—especially from an emotional level. The tension and stakes were there, but I think a bit more backstory would’ve made their dynamic more impactful.

Overall, this was a fun read and totally scratched the “I need something quick, spicy, and entertaining” itch. A great pick-me-up read when you’re coming out of a slump!