This book was such a fun read! The rivals-to-lovers setup, the forced proximity, the banter — it had everything I love. Trish is such a strong, driven character, and I really liked that she was in STEM. And Rafe? Yeah, he got on her nerves, but you could tell there was something more under the surface. Once they ended up having to share a room, things really took off.

Their dynamic was super entertaining. They bickered, they flirted, and it was so satisfying to watch it all play out. I also liked that when miscommunication came up, it didn’t drag. Rafe actually explained himself instead of making things worse, which felt refreshing. Trish had a few moments where I was like, “girl, calm down,” but overall I loved her and was rooting for them both.

It gave me a little bit of everything — laughs, tension, sweet moments — and I had such a good time reading it. Solid 4 stars from me!

Not Safe for Work is a fun, tropical enemies-to-lovers setup with some promising elements, but ultimately fell short for me. I appreciated reading about (and related to) Trishara’s experience as a woman of color in a male-dominated field, but struggled to connect with the characters. Their dynamic felt immature and the romance did not feel authentic to me.

This was such a delight to read! I will never say no to a work romance and this delivered on all the delicious tension and banter! I loved that both characters made it seem like they both couldn't stand the other but secretly they had feelings that they tried to deny!

At first you go into this book thinking Rafe is just the cliche CEOs who gets everything handed to him. He appears snobby and aloof but the farther you get into the story you start to learn more about him and come to find that he is actually so sweet and struggling with not actually liking his job. Tris is such a fiery woman and I loved that she never backed down and gave just as good as she got. I related to her character so much with how she struggled with horrible migraines!

This was more than just a steamy romance. It brought attention to the real struggles that not only women in STEM deal with but also being a woman of color. Nisha really did a fantastic job of writing an enjoyable romance full of chemistry and heat but a story that opens your eyes to real life struggles for women.

My first Nisha J Tuli and most definitely not my last!! I will be reading her romantasy series asap!!

NSFW was the perfect summer vibes book. Rivals to lovers, forced proximity, THERES ONLY ONE BED.
On top of that, a female engineer clawing her way through the injustices of simply being a woman of color working in a male dominated field. YUCK.

There was heat, there was tension, will they won't they, banterrrr. My god this book really had it all! It was such a fun read while still showing what it's like for women(women of color specifically) to work in white male centered spaces.

Highly recommend picking up this book if you want a beach read this summer that's also full of female rageeee. LOVE LOVE LOVED.

Thank you Forever for the early ebook!

I love me a SPICY enemies to lovers workplace romance. Throw in a tropical training retreat, only one bed, a storm, lots of female rage against workplace injustices and a MMC who BAKES!! YES! I was so here for this one by a new to me Canadian author. Great on audio narrated by one of my favs, Soneela Nankani and highly recommended for fans of authors like Nisha Sharma or Sajni Patel. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio and digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Being a fan of Nisha’s romantasy works, I was excited to read her debut contemporary romance, and it was everything it claimed to be. This is proof that if Nisha writes it, I’m going to read it, and also a not so silent plea for more!

Trishara is doing her best to advance through the ranks at work, but as a BIPOC female working in a male dominated world, she is finding that dream harder and harder to accomplish. That is, until she is picked to go on the company’s leadership retreat with none other than her workplace rival- and secret crush- Rafe. There’s just one problem- did she really earn this opportunity, or was she simply afforded it to meet a company quota?

I was kicking my feet the entire time at how utterly perfect this book was! The banter and tension was spot on and these characters were so damn likable. I don’t think I stopped smiling the entire time I was reading. Tris was a force and I have definitely added Rafe to my list of top tier book boyfriends. I dare you not to fall for their quirky humor and smoldering chemistry.

I also loved Nisha’s take on the struggles women in STEM face on a daily basis, and how the characters handled it all in the end. In her author’s note, she points out that while some of these events and conversations may seem outlandish or over the top, they did in fact happen and yes, people really have the audacity to think and behave that way.

Thank you to Nisha, Forever, and NG for the advanced copy of this amazing book. I cannot wait to see what Nisha brings us next!

The tension, the slow burn, the banter and all with a badass FMC stuck in forced proximity with her work nemesis!!!

The book had me hooked from the very beginning, read it start to finish in one evening. It was craveable and Nisha nailed it with these tropes.

4.5/5 stars


Not Safe for Work by Nisha J. Tuli is a workplace/enemies to lovers romance featuring Trishara Malik and Rafe Gallagher. Tris is one of the few women of color in her white male-dominated career of engineers. She feels stagnant after years of microaggressions and being passed for promotions in favor of mediocre white men. However, she’s (surprisingly) been one of two people chosen to go to a leadership retreat in Hawaii, only for her to quickly figure out that she was chosen as the diverse token meant to make the Chicago branch of her company seem more progressive than they lead on. The other person chosen is Rafe, aka the boss’s son and one of the many men who was promoted over her. Tris and Rafe have been competing with each other for the last five years, only to find themselves sharing a room for the retreat due to a booking error. As their time in Hawaii unfolds, barriers are broken down as Tris learns to let go of her past fears and figure out where she stands within her engineering career.

I adored this book; it honestly might have been one of my slump busters. I read the entirety of this novel in one day, which has become really difficult for me stay focused on one book when reading with my eyes (as opposed to with my ears). But Not Safe for Work had me in a chokehold. This was probably one of the horniest traditionally published contemporary romance books I’ve ever read, and I ate it up. It was also so funny and had me legitimately laughing out loud several times.

Rafe. I love that he has always been in Tris’s corner. Much like how her inner feminist once takes a backseat to allow Rafe to caveman over her and save her from unwanted advances, I— same. LOL While Tris never necessarily *needs* Rafe to step in (nor does she want him to white knight for her), I love how he steps up to defend her and be there for her, <spoiler> especially during that storm— whew <3 </spoiler> But most of all, I love that he learns courage from Tris and ends up taking the necessary steps in order to get out of the life and career he never wanted, not only for Tris’s sake, but really for his own.

Trishara is everything I want to be when I grow up. She is strong, she knows who she is, and when faced with some really awful situations, she stands her ground and makes it possible for future women, and especially women of color, to have hope and take steps towards a better and hopefully more equitable space with more opportunities within engineering careers. I also loved that Tris (albeit very slowly) opens herself up to love despite the lies she tells herself (and the readers). Her timing certainly unravels in the way it’s supposed to, and I loved that her love story happened in the way it did because it gave her the time she needed to heal and be with herself as well as her to know Rafe in their roundabout way.

I have never been (and will likely never be) a woman in STEM. But something about reading women (especially!!! of color!!!) in STEM kicking ass, falling in love, and *being* loved is so special to me.

Nisha J. Tuli has been on my TBR for a hot minute, and reading this book has made me move her fantasy books up to my more immediate TBR. Thank you, Netgalley and Forever, for the ARC!

4.4 ⭐️

Nisha slays contemporary romance. This workplace romance meets Hawaii was unputdownable.

Rafe and Trish had so much sizzling chemistry from their banter to the tension. The slow burn was so worth it. I loved how smart and confident Trish. Rage’s character arc was so unexpected in a good way. The silent observer and admirer that he was. That man can bake! A little rivals to lovers action that was perfection.

Everyone needs to read this.

Rom com
Banter
Tension
Workplace romance
He falls first and harder
STEM
Intelligent FMC
Slow burn to spice

Add this to your TBR. Thank you NetGalley and Nisha.

This book is scorching! A slow-burn, rivals to lovers workplace/paradise/only one bed masterpiece. Nisha J. Tuli’s NSFW needs to be on your summer TBR.

Trishara and Rafe are work rivals at their engineering firm, where there always seems to be some simmering attraction buried underneath the glares and hate. When they are selected to represent their location at a tropical leadership retreat, it’s game on to see who can come out on top. But there’s a room mishap (oops), stolen glances (and touches), and maybe there’s more to each other than they expected…

I inhaled this book, it’s SO good. Romance, real life, and friendship served up in paradise. What more could you want from a book?! I received an advanced reading copy, receipt of which did not impact my review.

It was so fun to read an enemies/rivals to lovers story from Nisha J Tuli in a totally different setting!

Trishara and Rafe are hot 🔥🔥🔥

I loved Trishara’s confidence but spent so much of the book wanting her to let her guard down just a little. Appreciated that there were some sweet friendships amongst the women in the book. The workplace setting resonated with me, and it was tough to see the microaggressions and sexism that Tris had to navigate.

Huge thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC.

5 ⭐️

Where do I even begin to express my love for Not Safe for Work by Nisha J. Tuli? This book has officially become one of my favorite romance reads of 2025, and I’m so excited for everyone to read it! I’m a huge fan of Nisha’s writing, and this book delivered everything I needed in a contemporary romance.

In Not Safe for Work, we follow engineer Trishara Malik—who also goes by Tris—who has been working incredibly hard to earn a promotion and the recognition she deserves. Unfortunately, this is challenging in a company with a long-standing culture of nepotism. Tris, a woman of color, has been excelling in her role, but unsurprisingly, she doesn’t receive the recognition she deserves in a workplace that favors white male privilege.

Surprisingly, Tris is shocked when she’s selected to attend her company’s corporate leadership retreat in Hawaii. She’s excited for the opportunity and eager to continue pushing back against the blatant nepotism within the company. What she wasn’t expecting, however, was for her rival and coworker, Rafe Gallagher, to also be selected for the retreat—and she certainly wasn’t expecting them to end up sharing the same room for the entire trip.

Rafe is her true rival, but once they arrive in Hawaii, Tris begins to see other sides of him—especially his lack of interest in the privilege and nepotism within the company.

Have I mentioned how much I love Nisha’s writing? Because this book was EVERYTHING! The tension and banter between Tris and Rafe had me blushing and drooling. Nisha’s ability to write strong female leads and male characters who yearn for them is truly extraordinary. I devoured this book in a single day and am already ready for a re-read! I highly recommend it if you’re looking for your next rivals-to-lovers, forced proximity, workplace romance!

Thank you so much to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC!

I say this with love and light in my heart, every modern non-genre romance book should be 10-15% shorter.
I really liked Not Safe for Work, the characters were flawed and learned that they were the problem, the location was fun, I liked the side characters, and I love a little STEM girly-pop time. BUT all of the arguing between the main characters felt pretty forced and could have been cut down and I think I would have liked it more.
If you're an Ali Hazelwood fan I think you'll like this, and I will definitely be reading more Nisha J. Tuli now.

I’ve loved every book Tuli has written, and Not Safe for Work is no exception. She has been an auto buy author for me since I first read her romantasy series, and I love how seamlessly she was able to transition to contemporary. As a woman working in the STEM industry, this book hit hard for me on a personal level. There are scenes that people may read and think ‘that doesn’t actually happen’ only to learn, yes, yes it does. I appreciate Tuli bringing awareness to the reality of plenty of women in STEM fields. That’s not all, though. The romance is so well done. The chemistry between Tris and Rafe was off the charts. The rivalry between the two brought out their competitive nature and ultimately heightened the romantic tension. While this starts off as a slow burn, once the spark ignites, they are all in. I also loved Rafe’s surprise career passion. I loved the audiobook narration. Nankani absolutely brought Tris’s character to life. You could feel the passion, frustration, excitement, and worry that Tris experienced in Nankani’s narration. I could not stop listening to Nankani’s performance. I can’t wait to see what Tuli releases next.

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️
Kindle Unlimited: No.

I had a great time with this book. I ended up staying up until 2am to finish it. Tris was sassy and funny and imperfect and Rafe was a lot of the same.

They did mess up and apologize to each other a lot, which did get a little old. But other than that, this book was the perfect blend of spice and workplace romance. I loved the addition of the “only one bed” trope and how they challenged each other and grew as people by the end of the book. This book isn’t reinventing the wheel when it comes to enemies to lovers, but it does give a slightly fresh perspective on the trope and isn’t entirely predictable which I liked.

If you’re a fan of The Paradise Problem or Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren and Love On The Brain by Ali Hazelwood, then you’ll probably have a fun time with this book too!

4.5⭐️ aw that was so good

I freaking loved this almost had me crying lolol

Gosh I wish we got his POV that’s definitely what would’ve made this a 5 for me but it was still a great read!!

Such a cute story, work rivals, to lovers, lots of forced proximity which honestly i probably didn’t care for that trope until this! Like it was so well done I was eating it up!!!

The spice was just right, the tension, the banter, holy fuck I was so in this story.

I’m not gonna lie at first I wasn’t sure if i was gonna like it or care but it really grew on me I loved the side characters and tris’s growth and even rafe’s

Ugh what a great story 🥹

Thank you to NetGalley for the EARC for an exchange of an honest review. All thoughts are 100%my own !

Book Recap: Trishara Malik feels stuck in her career. Being a woman of color working as an engineer at WMC Purcell has kept her shooting for the stars and in the same role for years, but that might be about to change. When Tris gets selected to attend the WMC’s corporate leadership retreat in Hawaii, she also has a chance to secure a spot in an executive training program. The only downside? She has to attend the retreat with her work nemesis, Rafe Gallagher…who she happens to have a crush on.

Top Tropes:
📐 STEM Workplace Romance
🛏️ Only One Bed
🔥 Enemies-to-Lovers

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️(several open door scenes, romance is the primary plot; however, spice is limited)

Let’s Talk About It…
This was my first Nisha J. Tuli book (Yes, I know I’m late to the game…) and let me tell you it did not disappoint. As a woman working in STEM, I found this book relatable from the moment I read the author’s note. Tris is an incredibly talented and hardworking employee who has been overlooked for years. This is, unfortunately, a common experience for women in STEM fields, especially those of color. Thankfully, I don’t relate to everything that Tris experienced in this book, but some of her encounters felt very close to home. I appreciated that the author took on these difficult topics head on and gave us a FMC that didn’t back down from what was right for her.
The romance in this book was perfect. I loved the banter between Rafe and Tris. I neglected more adult responsibilities than I care to admit so I could finish this book. I couldn’t put it down. I loved the added element of Tris and Rafe both having other relationships competing for their attention.
I won’t spoil the ending, but let’s just say I think there couldn’t have been a better ending to this love story!

“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”

Not Safe for Work is your next must-pack-for-the-beach read!! Trishara is a woman in STEM trying to thrive in a white male–dominated world, and her so-called "reward" for all her hard work? A leadership retreat… with her ultimate nemesis (and boss’s son👀) Rafe Gallagher.

I was cackling at Tris’s one-liners, swooning over Rafe’s secret sketchbook sketches, and utterly here for EVERY steamy, tension-so-thick moment. This was such a thoughtful representation of a woman of color in STEM while serving up the perfect blend of humor, heart, and spice!

Read if you like:
💼 Workplace rivals to lovers
🛏️ Forced proximity (helloooo honeymoon suite)
💻 Strong women in STEM
🌺 Tropical escapades
💪 Sexy forearms

My rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️.5

First, I wanna say that the cover for Not Safe for Work pops! This book had a lot of really good things going for it. I love representation of women in STEM and South Asian representation. I really enjoyed the FMC. She was a force to be reckoned with and sometimes I didn’t feel like the MMC was good enough for her. Overall, I I continue to enjoy Nisha J Tuli’s writing and really enjoyed this romance!

Thank you #Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

So Nisha J Tuli is gifted. I've read her romantasy/fantasy and now I've read her contemporary romance, and she is just so good at keeping you hooked and entertained. NSFW had me riled up, happy, frustrated, excited, and relieved by the end of it.

Trishara was a great leading lady with a character arc that I appreciated. Her hate-fatuation with Rafe was relatable and I liked how the story addressed how her own preconceptions created a nemesis in him, rather than them being true enemies. Trish throughout the whole book was very cheer-on-able, and hey, she's a woman in STEM as well for those of you who want more of those romances!

The audio was great and the narrator knocked Trishara's personality out of the park.

Thank you to Forever Publishing & Hachette Audio and Netgalley for the e-ARC and e-ALC!