Um! I absolutely devoured this book! Nisha is such an incredible writer and it was so fun to read her romcom debut! I am so thankful to have received an ARC and cannot wait to see what she puts out next.

Rafe and Tris' banter throughout the book had me giggling and kicking my feet. I loved their slow-burn enemies(ish) to lovers romance. Nisha really knows how to write a hot romance, while also tackling tangible issues and meaningful character growth. I loved the realistic depiction of the challenges that women in male-dominated STEM fields face. I love that Tris stands her ground and does what's right, rather than playing the game to advance in her career via questionable choices.

All-in-all, I highly recommend reading this book when it officially releases because it is an easy, addicting read filled with lovable characters that you can't help but root for!

Holy cannoli, this was a ton of fun to read. I think I had every emotion under the sun during my time reading this - happy, sad, angry, in awe, annoyed, I could go on.

Do I have the entirety of the Artefacts of Ouranos series sitting on my tbr? Yep. Did I choose to read my ARC of this first even though it's a completely different vibe to that series? Also yep. I've heard such wonderful things about Nisha J. Tuli's writing, so I was ecstatic to read something from her. And now that I've finished NSFW, I am d y i n g to get going on the romantasy series. It's moving up my tbr list, like, immediately.

NSFW had plenty of great themes and tropes, and I felt like they were tackled incredible well by the author. Tris and Rafe's story was literally like reading a roller coaster. I went from hating him, because of how we see the situation from Tris' POV at the start, to being downright swoony for him. He was perceived as very one-sided, typical work-bro guy until the reader gets little pieces of his personality throughout the story. We get to learn about him as Tris does, and it was fun to read.

Tris is the very definition of a headstrong, kick-ass female lead. She stands up for herself. She challenged people who need to be challenged, and she gave strong voice as a women in STEM. She was quite literally the absolute star of this story. I loved that we got the story from her POV. Her way of approaching some of the tough situation is something to aspire to. Yes, stand up for your self, be your own gosh darn hero. That's how I saw her, anyway. I loved her friendship with Molly, and the new friendships she got to make too.

A couple of the tropes that made me want to read this:
- rivals to lovers
- women of color
- there's only one bed
- STEM setting

So very grateful for my ARC from NetGalley and the publisher, Forever(Grand Central Publishing).

Just finished this book, and let me tell you, it was a 5 star read for me. Trishara is such a baddie! Not only was the spice excellent, but the plot was chef's kiss. I highly recommend it.

I only have one word.. the angst!!!! The angst and banter between these two characters, Rafe and Trishara (Tris) is everything!
A rival to lovers workplace romance that is told in Tris's POV. After getting selected for a three week long leadership seminar in Maui with none other than the boss's son whom she does not get along with, what could possibly go wrong.. other than done forced proximity and one bed action when the honeymoon suite is booked for the pair. So much tension and back and forth commentary between Rafe and Tris. Tris being blinded by her past relationship can't see what's right in front of her with Rafe. The audience sees the change and I swooned when the realization happened for me and not Tris (but it did for all her friends). Of course the slow burn of it all was top tier.
Not only is this a work place romance this also deals with a real world issue, showing how women are treated in male dominated fields being harassed, only being a "pretty face" or only being present to meet a quota.
I also loved that the book Tris was reading was Nisha J Tuli's Romantasy series Artefacts of Ouranos. Loved that little Easter egg.

4.5 stars

If you are a fan of
Ali hazelwood books, the rom-commers, forget me not (Julie Soto) you will definitely like this book!

Forced proximity, rivals to lovers, workplace romance and a diverse cast!


Thank you net galley for a copy of this book to review!

4 ⭐️

Thank you to Forever Publishing & Netgalley for the eARC!!

I really enjoyed this book & I definitely think it will be the romance book of the summer! I think the rivals to lovers / workplace romance aspect of this book was so fun & I loved the banter between Tris and Rafe. So happy I got to read Nisha's first contemporary romance early & will definitely be recommending it to everyone!

This was SO GOOD. I finished this in less than a day, I couldn’t put it down. This gave Christina Lauren’s The Paradise Problem x Ali Hazelwood vibes and I loved it!

Absolutely over the top ridiculous premises with some serious hot button controversial topics, but it worked. Somehow it felt real and lighthearted despite the possible pitfalls. Some of the activities on this business retreat felt more appropriate to a romantic reality show than an engineering leadership training conference, but then I remembered some of those crazy (and often inappropriate) team building retreats of the the 1990's and you know what, unlikely, but plausible. Especially given the blatant nepotism and white male privilege rampant in this particular company.

I appreciated that Tuli dealt with these issues in a way that felt very matter of fact and real and it didn't ever get heavy or preachy. It did get deep in spots though and it was pretty awesome watching Tris grow into an even more impressive woman than she started the book as. Not to say she didn't have her broken-I-can't-do-this-anymore moments too - she is human.

The romance - Rafe was an enigma that over the slow burn of the book gradually became a totally different guy from the first impression given. If anything Rafe's growth and changes were far more profound than Tris' but we only kinda see around the edges and have to fill in the blanks because it is all from Tris' perspective. Her rival turned out to be, well, not at all who she thought he was. I think that is part of what made the book work too was seeing how the same pressures that constrained Tris, constrained Rafe as well, even though be all accounts he should have been the anointed one.

I was surprised that I enjoyed this book as much as I did. It had far more depth and nuance than I was expecting from the description. Pacing was right on and the support characters were fabulous.

Over the five years she has worked for her company, engineer Trishara Malik is used to getting passed up for promotions and opportunities. As a woman and a person of color, she knows that she doesn't fit into the the mold of what leadership at her company wants. Trishara is surprised when she is one of two employees chosen to attend a leadership retreat. She wants to make the best of this opportunity, but a booking mix-up lands her in the same suite as her work nemesis - Rafe Gallagher. The forced proximity makes her see that he's not the bad man that she thought he is.

This was a fun story! I read Nisha J. Tuli's fantasy series and I was curious to see what her contemporary romance writing would be like. Tuli has a fun and entertaining style and bit of quirkiness to her characters.

You could cut the tension between Trishara and Rafe with a knife. They had a deep seated hate for each other that built over the last five years. It was crazy how competitive they were and I wonder if that really happens in the corporate world. I liked that Trishara gave it right back to Rafe when he would needle her - the back and forth was popcorn-eating worthy.

This story was a bit of a slow burn because it took a while for Trishara to trust Rafe enough to let him in. She had been burned in the past and she was wary to bring her walls down. When they finally connected on an intimate level, it was steamy!

Pick this one up for an entertaining enemies-to-lovers workplace romance!

Steam level: 🔥🔥🔥
⚠️: sexual harassment

I loved everything this book represented - Asian rep, the female experience in a male dominated industry, micro aggressions towards POC, work trauma.

Like yes this book was sexy and fun but what made me personally enjoy Not Safe for Work was our main girl Trish and what she dealt with throughout her work trip (which was a slice of what she dealt with in the 5 years of working at a white & male dominated industry). You honestly don’t really get much representation on any of this and this made NSFW so special to me.

Also like Rafe was there, he was hawt when they finally stopped being enemies and started their 🥵🌶️ but honestly… our FMC stole the show for me. As she honestly should!

Nisha also ofc wrapped up some of my absolute fave tropes too: workplace rivals to lovers, only one bed/forced proximity, tension, and a slow burn. All wrapped up in a Hawaii setting?! I absolutely ate it down.

This is my first Nisa J. Tuli novel and I absolutely loved it. I loved the slow burn of this enemies to lover novel and the underlying issues that Tuli unpacked. Female MC Tris and male MC Rafe have their own past challenges, current dreams and beliefs, and how they unpack them in the journey the odd's of being in Maui on a work trip. Tris and Rafe have a dynamic of pent up tension and history that they are forced to deal with at the most inconvenient time. I mean also, who would not want to go to Maui for 3 weeks on a work trip and be in any honeymoon suite?!

Tuli really intertwined and unpacking racism, sexism, and misogyny into Trish and her character and as a reader I appreciated tying in this dynamic that women in the workforce deal with, making it realistic to our world.

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and Nisa J. Tuli for this ARC. It was a quick read and I think that if you're seeking for a slow burn, enemies to lovers, and strong female MC this will be a wonderful read for you, too!

This book doesn’t just serve up a sizzling workplace romcom, it dives headfirst into the messy realities of corporate inequality, especially for women of color. Trishara, our engineer FMC, isn’t just fighting for a promotion; she’s battling an entire system built to reward privilege over merit.
What makes this book stand out is how effortlessly Tulli blends sharp social commentary with laugh-out-loud moments and top-tier banter. The power plays, the corporate politics, the team-building exercises that are definitely designed to cause chaos, was all very fun. But underneath it, there’s real weight to Tris’s journey. Her frustration, her exhaustion, her fire, they all ring true. And watching her slowly realize that Rafe might not be the enemy after all? Absolutely worth the ride.

If you love a romance with bite, a heroine who refuses to shrink herself, and a hero who has to work damn hard to prove he’s worth her time, this book is a must-read. I loved the tropical setting and forced proximity, Tris being stuck in the honeymoon suite with her workplace nemesis was pretty funny. All this with an underlying commentary on some terrible things that corporate men will sometimes do to women in the workplace made the book a really good read.

Not Safe For Work is unputdownable!! I devoured this passionate contemporary romance and loved Nishas debut in the genre!! Highly recommend.

I’ve been a huge fan of all of Nishas books for almost two years now, and after killing it in the fantasy romance genre, it’s no surprise she stole my heart with Tris and Rafe!

Nishas letter introducing the story and sharing that she used her own experiences to speak of the racism, sexism, and non-consensual touching was really impactful. As a female engineer who has also worked in a “boys club” environment, I deeply related to so much of what Trishara goes through in the story. As a white female, I couldn’t relate to the racism Trishara experienced as a person of colour, but I believed it and appreciated her point of view and experiences.

NSFW has some of my favourite tropes: enemies to lovers, only one bed, workplace romance, and forced proximity to name a few. 💜

Thanks to Forever and NetGalley for the arc. All thoughts and opinions are mine!

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and Forever publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Tropes:
- Rivals to lovers
- Workplace romance
- Women in STEM
- Only one bed
- Slow burn
Now listen. I’ve always loved me some Nisha J. Tuli writing and I did love this in a far different way than her romantasy works.
Nisha has always written complex characters, especially with her FMCs. Trish has trauma. Do you hear me? TRISH HAS TRAUMA. Of course she wants to lean into these feelings with Rafe but her trauma from a previous entanglement mentally stops her from doing so. Hence we get the ‘will they, won’t they’ vibes.
I liked Rafe but I feel like he could’ve been a stronger MMC. He’s just kind of quiet and broody but not in the sexual tension way. Do I think he’s enamored with Trish? 100% yes. I just like my MMCs to be a little more vocal about their pining. We get there eventually though! At least he’s got a filthy mouth 🥵
Personally, I really appreciate the way Nisha went about writing misogyny, racism, and micro aggressions into the story. It was believable in my experience. I don’t think that any woman in any corporate job hasn’t experienced or heard these kinds of things being said and done. It was so cathartic to see Trish not put up with any of it and really stand her ground.
All around I know this book won’t be for everyone because it does require a bit more awareness than most romance/romance-com books.

Did one of my favorite romantasy authors just become one of my favorite rom‑com/contemporary romance authors? I think they did because I had a BLAST reading this book.

What you get if you read this book: workplace besties, rivals-to-lovers, a SLOW burn that’s well worth the wait, all the angst and tension you could ever wish for, a golden retriever MMC who knows how to turn up the heat, and a strong, independent female lead carving her place out in a male‑dominated field—and so much more. I could go on forever.

I adored the FMC, Tris, in particular. She was feisty, strong‑willed, independent, smart, and self‑aware, and she allowed herself to be vulnerable. I also loved how Tuli showed the challenges of being a woman in a male‑dominated field—something that’s still all too relevant today. Tris was never afraid to call out the men in her life who treated her as less than just because of her gender, and I really loved that. I also appreciated how Tuli depicted the kind of behavior in STEM careers that can completely upend a woman’s life, affecting her both physically and emotionally. And back to the lighthearted fun: Tris and Rafe’s banter had me chuckling constantly, and even when their stubbornness drove me crazy, I couldn’t help but root for them.

I also really liked the MMC. There was one aspect of his recent past that was following him around that I really did not love, but I think it led to some important growing pains for both characters—and they came out better for it, in my opinion.

Additionally, I don’t know what it was about the workplace vacation setting, conflicts, or circumstances that had me so into this read, but whatever it was, I ate it up.

Overall, this story was super cute, spicy, and fun. It had relatable characters with depth and the ability to bring out your feels, and it kept me turning pages from start to finish. This book has solidly confirmed my love and adoration for Tuli’s writing and has basically guaranteed that I’m going to pick up anything she writes. 😂🤌🏻

Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the opportunity to read and e-ARC of "Not Safe for Work by Nisha J. Tuli, publishing May 20, 2025.

You NEED to read this when it comes out. I was so into this story and read it so fast.
Key things to note:

ONE BED.
Work retreat to Hawaii
Rivals to lovers
DRAMA
COMEDY
ROMANCE
Women in STEM
South Asian representation
chronic pain representation

I really enjoyed this book so much and can't wait for it to be out in the world for everyone to check out!

I enjoyed this! Tris and Rafe had great chemistry and I loved the forced proximity of the shared hotel room. However, the progression of their relationship felt really fast and lacked emotional depth. I found myself missing the slow burn of them coming to really understand each other. There were glimpses, but a lot of the connection felt surface level. Still a great time!

I wanted to love this one so bad, especially with the representation of a southeast asian woman in STEM but everything about it fell incredibly flat. Trishara's immaturity got old fast and nothing new was done with the tropes (enemies to lovers, one bed) that I felt bored throughout the majority of this book.

Rafe and Trishara's romance came out of nowhere and felt like whip lash.

Absolutely fantastic! As the first dabble in contemporary romance, Nisha killed it. The way she writes complex characters makeS her stories so easy to get lost in.

Trishara is a constantly looked over employee, at a company where your name opens doors, even if you aren't qualified. Rafe is the boss's son, and someone Tris has seemed off limits and her nemesis. After dealing with the absolute lowest of the low of the men available, Tris is uninterested in any inter-company dating - even if Rafe is a "twelve out of ten". Then they are thrust together, with one bed, and they figure out the animosity is mostly misunderstanding.

I appreciated the soft, caring side of Rafe in contrast to the ever-vigilant "protect my heart at all costs" of Tris. And the BANTER 🤌🏼 Nisha's ability to write banter is top tier.

If she writes it, I will read it.

I did also love the hat tip to the revenge blowjob 😍 I'm obsessed with the Artefacts of Ouranos series so I loved seeing that.

*Thank you Forever for remembering how much I love her writing and allowing me the opportunity to read early*

thank you netgalley for the arc of this book. i saw a few of my fave authors recommending it, so i’m so glad i was able to read it early!

i was thoroughly entertained while reading this!! workplace enemies to lovers will always be DELISH!! the tension, the forced proximity, and the eventual softening that gets me every time. and tris and rafe?? they delivered on ALL fronts. the banter? electric. the tension? perfectly unbearable. every interaction had me grinning.

also, i love seeing trishara being this badass engineer in a heavily male-dominated field and truly not taking shit from anyone. she knows her worth, she knows she’s better than the men who underestimate her, and she proves it every time. it was so satisfying watching her put people in their place while still being vulnerable in the moments that mattered.

and sweet angel rafe. rafe needs to be protected at all costs. the way he sees tris, respects her, and supports her even when they’re at odds? ugh my heart!

overall, this was such a fun, satisfying read. the romance was top-tier, the characters were so fun, and i didn’t want it to end. highly recommend!!