4.5 ⭐️

This was so fun! Forced proximity, one-sided enemies to lovers, one bed, are all some of my favorite tropes and they were all very well done. The women in tech representation was done to perfection. This was my first book by Nisha and I hope she does more contemporary romance

Not Safe for Work and an amazing transition into contemporary romance for Nisha J Tuli. I loved her fantasy series and this book lived up to her previous writing.

Not Safe for Work follows Trishara as she navigates toxic male work culture while trying to avoid an enemy she can't stop thinking about in all the best ways.

Nisha's writing was fantastic and really gave a breath of fresh air to what could have been a run of the mill romance. I love that her FMC was a typical brown girl without being too overtop. Both leads were very relatable. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to more from Nisha.

Thank you NetGalley for the advance arc for an honest review!

This book follows Trishara Malik and Rafe Gallagher. This is a workplace enemies to lovers romance, with a grump sunshine. Other tropes that are included are the single room, then to single bed trope.

I really enjoyed the banter throughout this book. I really felt the chemistry between the two characters and I love the he falls first type romances. I also appreciated there wasn't really a third act break up which is always my pet peeve.

Overall a really fun read that I finished in a day and. half.

Not Safe for Work is a delightful romance escape! The perfect summer read. Tris and Rafe are engaged in a lot of not appropriate for work behavior. I love their rivalry and tension. Tris deals with a lot of sexism and microaggressions in the workplace. This is an important them that adds to the story. I also loved the theme of finding your place and pursuing a career that makes you happy. I found the 3 week in Hawaii training program a little unbelievable. Thanks to Forever and NetGalley for this eARC!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ 4.5/5
Book: Not Safe for Work by Nisha J. Tuli
Genre: Romance
Publication Date: May 20, 2025

I had such a great time with this one! Not Safe for Work delivers all the best tropes—enemies to lovers, forced proximity, one bed (!!)—but what really stood out to me was how refreshing it felt to see a smart, capable South Asian woman at the center of it all. Trishara Malik is sharp, ambitious, and so easy to root for. She has been passed over for a promotion (to the boss’s son, no less), totally burnt out from the grind, but still shows up swinging—with heart, sharp comebacks, and serious hustle.

Set against the lush backdrop of a company retreat in Maui, the tension between Trishara and Rafe is perfectly paced, layered with snark, slow-burn chemistry, and real emotional stakes. I loved that the story not only explored romance but also tackled workplace inequality and burnout in a way that felt relevant and honest. Plus, Rafe’s character arc was a pleasant surprise—he is not just the typical office golden boy, and I appreciated how their dynamic shifted as Tris began to let her guard down.
This book had heart, humor, heat, and representation—and I will always show up for that. I highly recommend it for anyone who loves a romance with substance, sharp banter, and strong, emotionally intelligent leads.

P.S. Snapped this at my very real team-building event. Felt appropriate since the book also dives into workplace chaos—minus (thankfully) some of the drama.

Thank you so much to @netgalley and @readforeverpub for sending me this lovely advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

#NotSafeforWork #NetGalley

**𝑨𝑹𝑪 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘** 𝑵𝒐𝒕 𝑺𝒂𝒇𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝒃𝒚 𝑵𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒂 𝑱. 𝑻𝒖𝒍𝒊

Release Date: May 20, 2025

4.5⭐️4🌶

Trishara Malik has been an engineer at WMC for the last 5 years, and has been passed over for a promotion that should have been hers 3 times.

Rafe Gallagher, the boss’s son, has been her rival almost from day one at WMC. They seem to constantly disagree on project details, and he's taken to stealing her stapler regularly while she unplugs his computer monitors.

Trishara has had just about enough of WMC when she's offered a three week Corporate retreat in Hawaii. The only catch is that she has to spend those three weeks with her least favorite coworker Rafe, who just so happens to look like a younger Henry Cavill. She had planned to spend as much time on her own as possible while at the retreat, but things to NOT go as planned where Rafe is concerned.

I love the banter between these too. Plus, I'm also a woman in engineering, so a lot of these scenes make complete sense to me. The descriptions of Hawaii are also a fun and blissful read.

Themes/Tropes:
🍁Enemies to lovers
🍁Workplace Romance
🍁Forced Proximity
🍁Slow Burn
🍁Vacation in Paradise

TW:
✨Sexist coworkers
✨Misogyny
✨Inappropriate workplace comments
✨Explicit Sex Scenes

#books #reader #bookstagrammer #arcreader #arcreview #arcreviews #advancedreadercopy #fantasy #darkfantasy #romantasy #readerofinstagram #newreleasebook #notsafeforwork #nishajtuli #romcom #romanticcomedy #contemporaryromance #workplaceromance #slowburn #vacationinparadise

Are you a fan of…

🏝️Only one bed
🏝️Women in STEM
🏝️Ketchup & mayo
🏝️Banter and pranks as flirting
🏝️The Hating Game vibes
🏝️Secret drawings & secret baking
🏝️Hawaiian setting
🏝️Wedding crashing
🏝️Spicy, but sloooow burn romance
🏝️An MMC who's a dirty talker and texter

If so…

Not Safe For Work is Nisha J. Tuli's first contemporary romance. I am a BIG fan of her Artefacts of Ouranos series, so I was very excited to read her very first contemporary romance.

Not Safe For Work was the perfect read for me because it has some of my favorite tropes and microtropes, all wrapped up in one book. The banter, the pining, the fact Rafe turns into his inner caveman around Trishara... SO GOOD. It's also the perfect time of year for a tropical setting. This should be everyone's beach read this summer.

If you've ever felt undervalued in the workplace, especially if you're a woman, and even more so, a woman of color, you're really going to love this book. Trishara was based on Nisha's real experience as a woman of color in STEM and it really adds to the relatability of the character.

Rafe is the MMC we all hope a strong FMC like Trishara gets; one who is secretly obsessed with her and sees her for who she is. He definitely deserves a spot on Book Boyfriend Island™️. There was so much yearning, tension and build up, but it leads to a BIG payoff.

Overall, I absolutely loved it and am looking forward to more from her, both contemporary and fantasy. I also loved the nod to AoO for those of us who've read the series. This is going to be in a top favorites wrap-up post at the end of the year, I just know it.

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central) Publishing. I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

As an HR professional, I often struggle with workplace romances. But this one was fun!!

Being a woman in a male dominated field can be difficult to navigate. I appreciated how the misogyny was represented and dealt with in the book (but wish it wasn’t the reality woman are faced with)

When I say I sat down to read it, this book consumed me, and then all of a sudden it was over, I mean it.

I fell in love with both Tris and Rafe. I knew that Nisha could write a killer romance based on Artefacts of Ouranos, but to see it in romcom action made me fall even further in love with her writing. From the slow burn, enemies to lovers, workplace romance, and ONE BED!!! I was swooning constantly. The pacing was perfect, never a lull in sight.

What I loved the most about this book was the topic of sexism in the workplace and how realistic her descriptions were when in a male dominated field. Women do have to work twice as hard to get any recognition and respect, the potential for sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior, and even the reality of being fired just for sticking up for yourself. These are realities women face EVERY SINGLE DAY and the fact that she made she to highlight the significance of this made me proud to be a woman in STEM and that I am not unnoticed.

Tris was a phenomenal FMC and I could not get enough of her. She always had the perfect witty response, was willing to stand up for herself, and proved that women do have a place at the table, the head of the table. Rafe was dreamy in so many other areas. His broody temperament, ‘caveman’ response to anyone going near Tris, and how much he adore and respected her made me love him all the more.

For being a contemporary romance debut, I applaud Nisha J. Tuli and cannot wait to see what she puts out next. I am also hoping (triple fingers crossed) we get a cameo of Tris and Rafe in any future romance books she puts out!

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review and opinion.

3.5 stars! Not Safe For Work is an office romance featuring rivals that win a company sponsored training program opportunity to Hawaii. Very cute and for fans of Ali Hazelwood for sure. I’m glad she’s writing contemporary romance in addition to fantasy- I’ll definitely check out her future books! The reasons it’s not 5 stars for me is that I didn’t really believe they fell in love in the time frame? It went enemies to lovers in 3 weeks and the first 10 days were filled with miscommunications. Sure it was after 5 years of knowing each other but it didn’t really seem like they had interactions that felt … positive. And the main conflict was very messy to me where if this happened IRL I’d tell my friend to RUN lol. BUT I did enjoy the setting and the premise of the book. I love a good office romance and haven’t felt vibes like this since the hating game!

You’d think with a title like NSFW it’d be a little more **risqué** but honestly it was like a 2.5, maybe a 3 in terms of spice.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the ARC. NSFW is out now!

I loved seeing a brown woman in STEM standing up for herself. I also loved seeing her with a man who knows how powerful she is and can meet her there. These two were so good together and this book was hot hot hot.

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever, and Ms. Tuli for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

I've had Ms. Tuli's romantasy series on my radar for a while so I was intrigued by the chance to sample some of her work (albeit of a different genre). I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Trishara Malik is a non-white, non-male engineer and as such struggles daily against blatant and implicit racism and sexism at work. She is on the verge of walking away from her job when she is offered the opportunity to attend a leadership conference in Hawaii. Also in attendance? And, due to a booking snafu, her new roommate for the next several weeks? Her office 'nemesis', the owner's son, Rafe.

Of COURSE Tris and Rafe strike sparks off each other and of COURSE their rivalry escalates into outright war. The snarkiness is definite and a lot of fun. I wish there was a little more exploration of Rafe's character; outside his rivalry/connection with Tris and his rocky relationship with his dad, there really isn't a lot. And I would have LOVED more, more, more of Tris showing those Khakis who's boss. Seeing a woman succeed, especially a woman of color, would have been so gratifying. Tris was complimented, but only one-on-one, and her successes and skills largely went unremarked during the conference by the administration. I suppose that's what made her later email so, ahem, satisfactory. I was wondering if the author has ever sent such a communication? (since she said the book was directly inspired by her experiences as a woman in STEM.).

To be completely honest, as cute as Tris/Rafe were, I wouldn't have even minded if there was no romance at all, because Tris' trouncing of the Khakis was so satisfying.

Overall, a fun contemporary romance especially if you're in the mood for a feisty woman showing up some lame-o guys. (Who's not!?!)

⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book was everything! It was such a slow burn and then 🔥🔥🔥 INFERNO! I am a sucker for Just One Bed and this one didn’t miss. Workplace rivals is also one of my faves so that added to the joy. Tris was such a strong female presence- AANHPI, STEM, and a badass! Rage was a model for the he falls first trope and he was in hard! The Maui resort setting was perfect.

This is a great rom-com with plenty of banter and chemistry between Tris and Rafe. The tension between these two is so palpable you could cut it with a knife. This is a slow burn… until it’s not. But not only is this a romance, you get chronic illness rep (migraines) and great women in STEM representation. Nisha transported me to Hawaii and this would be a great beach read for the summer.

Thank you to Forever for the arc!
4.5/5 stars

Tris has all but given up on a chance for advancement in her company so imagine her surprise when she’s one of two chosen for the company’s big leadership retreat in paradise. The only problem is she stuck with her nemesis and nepo hire Rafe. As if that’s not bad enough, a mix up leads them stuck in a room together for the entire multi week trip. Now they have no choice but to find a way to get along or risk their positions in the company. The more time they spend together the more she finds out she knew nothing about Rafe and the harder it becomes to remind herself why she doesn’t get involved with coworkers.

As a woman in STEM who is also living that chronic migraine life, I was very excited to pick this one up. Tris’ struggles both personally and professionally were easily relatable and I think Nisha did a fantastic job portraying the migraine life without making it her entire personality. Most of us take our meds and do what we have to in order to make it through another day of pain. I felt it in my soul when he said that he didn’t like her having to take all that medicine and she said well it’s that or be unable to function.

The gorgeous tropical setting will make this the perfect summer read! I would only caution those who don’t enjoy OW drama that there is a fair amount even though the OW has very little page time. But if that doesn’t bother you and you’re looking for an easy to binge slow burn rivals to lovers workplace romance with a very satisfying HEA then I would recommend picking this one up!

A rivals to lovers in a professional setting, when Tris and Rafe get picked to go on their companies training retreat in Hawaii they’re forced to not only share a room from a booking fluke (hello one bed trope the entiiiiire book!!) but face their own issues they have with their job. I loved seeing Tris warm up to Rafe while simultaneously standing up for herself in her job.

This book is for fans of Ali Hazelwood stem-inist books!

Not Safe for Work by Nisha J. Tuli
Length: 320 pages
Source: NetGalley eARC
Publication date: May 20, 2025

What to expect:
🌺 MF workplace romance
🌺 Rivals to lovers
🌺 Obsessed with each other
🌺 Forced proximity
🌺 Slow burn

Workplace romances aren’t generally my thing, so this is a solid 3-star book for me. The things I tend to like about them—tension, banter, humor—are there. Tris is witty and outspoken, and I appreciate the author’s glimpse into the STEMinist world, especially for a reader like me, who has zero skill sets that would be good for that world. I feel like I can still relate because if you’re female or female-presenting, you’ve probably lived through, at least once, the sexism and chauvinism that Tris faces.

That being said, the book didn’t really hold my attention, and it took me longer than normal to finish it. I found myself constantly taking breaks, starting other books, and generally dragging my feet to keep going with Tris and Rafe. Part of it, I’m sure, is that I don’t normally gravitate to workplace romance, as mentioned. When I do, the workplace tends to be a hockey rink, a music stage, etc. But an equally distracting thing that I think kept me from just blowing through this book in one or two sittings is that as much as Tris and Rafe are a good match, they seem a bit immature at times for two people who are supposed to be in their late 20s. That immaturity makes the "lovable characters" thing harder to digest.

Bottom line: If workplace romance is your thing, or if you’re already a fan of the author, you’ll probably want to pick up this one. I enjoyed the read overall but probably won’t come back for a re-read in the future.

— A

Thanks to NetGalley, Forever, and Nisha J. Tuli for an eARC of this book. All opinions are mine.

Not Safe for Work is a sizzling, slow-burn workplace romance that brings the heat—and the heart. Trishara Malik is a smart, ambitious woman in STEM fighting to break the glass ceiling, only to have the promotion she earned handed to the boss’s infuriatingly charming son, Rafe Gallagher. Cue a forced-proximity work retreat in Hawaii and a one-bed honeymoon suite mix-up, and the tension between these two explodes in the best way.

Enemies to lovers? Check. Grumpy banter? Check. Excellent feminist fire from Tris? Absolutely. And Rafe? He’ll surprise you—in the best way.

Favorite quote: “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.”
And trust me—you’ll notice this book. It’s unputdownable and so much fun!

Thank you to Netgalley for the eARC!

I don’t think this book is for me, I don’t want to bring down the rating so I decided to leave 5 starts.

This was my first book by Nisha Tuli, and I flew through it—I’m definitely curious to check out more of her work now.

What I loved most was the slow-burn romance between Tris and Rafe—so much tension, chemistry, and payoff. Their dynamic was full of misunderstandings, longing looks, and yes, the beloved only-one-bed trope, all done so well.

But what really stayed with me was the deeper theme: a woman of color fighting to be seen and respected in a male-dominated, predominantly white space. Tris’s struggles felt real, relatable, and powerful. Her strength and voice made me love her even more.

Thank you NetGalley, publisher, and Nisha for the eARC!