Thank you to Forever Pub and Netgalley for this eARC.

I LOVED Tris and Rafe. On top of the feet-kicking romance and alllllll the angst, I really enjoyed Tuli's writing style. I have not read her romantasy series yet (it is on my TBR), but she absolutely killed it in this contemporary romance debut.

The book also does the important work of shining a light on the egregious workplace behavior so many women in male-dominated fields experience. Especially those issues facing women of color. I highly recommend adding this to your TBR. Publishes on May 20, 2025.

I’m so honored to have gotten the opportunity to read Nisha J. Tuli’s first contemporary romance. I can admit that I didn’t get as much banter as I’ve grown accustomed to from other books by Tuli. However, the self discovery and growth of the female main character was what really drove the story. I do wish we got just a bit more character development from the male main character and had more of an opportunity to get to know some of the side characters but over all I enjoyed the plot and the storyline. In most cases it was believable and definitely give a peek behind the curtain of the intersectionality of being a woman and a person of color.

This is my first read by Nisha J Tuli and is absolutely not my last. Not Safe for Work was a delightful read and a HR nightmare. It balanced on a fine line between lighthearted rom-com and the everyday struggles of a woman of color in STEM, without getting too far to one side or the other. I read a note from the author about how some of the struggles the FMC faces are taken from her own experiences, which makes them all the more frustrating that these types of abhorrent behaviors exist in the workplace and not just in fiction.

Trishara has hit a point in her career where she is no longer attempting to be the star performer. As one of the few women of color, let alone women in her company, time and time again, she has been passed up for promotions and recognition. Only for other subpar performers (predominantly men with some relation to the company’s leadership), are given both recognition and promotions ahead of her. When both she and her primary rival, Rafe, her boss’s son, are selected to attend a three week leadership retreat in Hawaii, she hopes she will finally get the recognition she deserves.

Rafe is… hot. He is also protective, supportive, and full of surprises. When Trishara and Rafe arrive in Hawaii, they find out there was an mistake with the reservation and instead of two rooms, they have been reserved a suite… together… with one bed. Without another option available at the resort, they opt to make it work.

Initial reaction, this would never happen for a work function, and if it did, another solution would be provided. It does make for some good tension though. This book really highlights the struggles of being a woman in STEM, let alone a woman of color, in a company rife with nepotism, bigotry, and sexism. These harder topics are balanced out with a healthy amount of banter and, oh the spicy spice. Trishara also has a backbone. She does not just accept bad behavior and is an HR dream with her documentation of these instances and calling it out in the moment.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I plan to read more from this author and hope she continues to explore rom-coms, along with her celebrated fantasy books. Honestly, I would read other genres by this author. The dialogue is smart, the characters are engaging and relatable, and the storyline is entertaining.

I am thankful to have gotten this ARC for free from Forever (Grand Central Publishing) through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

Trishara has been fighting her entire life to prove herself in a male dominated field, having to ignore sexist comments from co-workers, being continually passed over for promotion and constantly fighting against nepotism.

When given the chance to go on the trip of lifetime and spend 3 week in Hawaii being tested and analyzed for a possibility at a mentorship and leadership, she is excited to get away, and possibly have a chance to move up the corporate ladder.

Everything seems to be going good until she goes to check in at the hotel, and none other than her nemesis Rafe and her are booked in the same suite and no other rooms are available. The drama that follows ...

Thank you to Nisha J. Tuli, Netgalley and Forever publishing for the eArc.

Love love love! I was so excited to see Nisha J Tuli put out a contemporary romcom, because I really enjoyed her romantic fantasies so far. This one lives up to the hype! It’s swoony, funny, hyper sexy, and it has chronic migraine representation which is handled very well. I hope we get more books like this and I hope she keeps writing contemporary. Definitely one of my favorites this year so far.

Nisha J. Tuli is a master at whatever she writes, and her first foray into contemporary romance is no different.

I loved Trish, the unapologetically confident heroine who is stuck in an overly male, overly white corporate job that doesn't appreciate her. And Rafe was a fabulous book boyfriend without those common "alpha male" traits that can be so dislikable.

Would highly recommend to anyone who loves Women in STEM, Workplace Romance, Only One Bed, and Slow Burn romances.

i 10/10 loved this book. it was so amazing and i was obsessed with the entire story. idk what nisha put in it but i could not put it down. tris and rafe were so perfect and i loved every minute of their story. i loved how the plot played out and go tris for standing up for herself. definitely recommend reading this book, you will not be disappointed!

4.5⭐️ BUT ROUNDING UP

After reading Nisha J Tuli’s romantasy books, I already knew she could write an incredible romance & dynamic story, & this was NO exception!!

I loved the representation of Tris as a woman in STEM right away & just the representation of how so many women, especially WOC, get lost in the boys club of these corporate companies. I LOVED how she advocated for herself

And don’t even get me started on Rafe 😍 I loved how he had so many soft parts to his personality & how we learned about him throughout the story. Him & Trishara are truly the perfect match 😍

& I loved the ending so much 😭😭💗

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy!!!

This is a cozy but steamy work retreat romance, and you feel on a journey with the characters from the airport to the retreat! Grab your champagne and spicy romance book. I saw that reference to Rule of the Aurora King, Nisha!!! 🥵

The banter between Tris and Rafe is fresh, steamy and full of that Nisha “when will they” tension that’s agonizing in the best way lol.

Tris felt connectable and real. Her love for food, wine, workouts, and friendship felt wholesome. Despite being a cozy, getaway romance it was also really refreshing to see this book take on racial and gender inequities and harm in the workplace. This book felt like a spicy, rivals to lovers as well as a warm hug. Highly recommend!

While themes in the story are serious, the author balances it all with a deft hand that makes this a fun, insightful and at times even giddy read. Highly recommend.

Trishara is a lead engineer at her firm, but after years of being beaten down by blatant nepotism and sexism that get in the way of any chance of being promoted or feeling safe at work, she has given up on hope for a successful professional life. She also gave up on her personal one after a horrific experience at her last job.

Rafe is her gorgeous co-lead engineer and the boss’s son, someone she mentally pushed away the day their eyes first met and has been her personal nemesis ever since. He has one of the many promotions she was more qualified for, and is expected to be handed all future opportunities as well.

So of course they end up on a 3-week work retreat together, cornered into sharing a suite.

I couldn’t put this book down.

It honestly shows the bs that women (particularly women of color) have to deal with in the misogynistic, biased corporate world, and how it affects everything from their personal and professional life to their physical and mental wellbeing.

Want to know why DEI initiatives are so important, and the difference between having a policy versus making it a part of the corporate culture? Read this.

Seeing these two characters become closer, letting down walls to show who they are apart from the weight of expectations (familial, career) and exhausting road blocks (white male privilege, biases) is moving, hopeful, funny and steamy.

Read content warnings.

Read if you like:
Contemporary romance
Stories by and about women of color
Forced proximity
Forearms
Tropical vacation setting
Coworker slow-burn love stories
Great clothes
Strong women speaking up
Delicious food
Open-door spice

I was impatient so read an ARC via NetGalley. Publishes 5/20/25.

Thank you for the opportunity to read "Not Safe for Work" by Nisha J. Tuli
I was introduced to Nisha through her fantasy books.
This was a refreshing change. I do like a contemporary romance.
i love the interaction between Rafe and Trishara. the spice was great. I love the way Rafe was drawn to her from the beginning.
Trishara was just how I imagine a woman in the corporate world sees things, and I would like that to change.
Nisha, darling, you are the best!

I love everything Nisha writes! This was such a funny and sexy romance story. I loved Trishara and she is so relatable. Especially with the headaches and listening to Exile on repeat for two hours. Rafe is such a great character that has me swooning. The spice is so good and I know Nisha always writes amazing spice. The story isn’t too long either which I was easily able to read in one sitting! Loved it

I adore Nisha J. Tuli’s fantasy series, Artefacts of Ouranos, and was delighted to receive an arc of her first contemporary romance! While this didn't hit like her fantasy novels for me, it was still an enjoyable read.

Tris is an intelligent, feisty, witty, and caring woman working in STEM, a field (and office) dominated by white men. Her opportunities have been limited due to the blatant racism and sexism prevalent in the field. She lost out on a promotion to Rafe, the son of the boss. Nepotism, anyone?? The book opens with Tris being accepted into an exclusive training program for her company and it’s made clear it’s to diversify the company and tick a box. Of course, Rafe is the other pick, and the two are off to Hawaii together to participate in weeks of corporate training with other top company leaders from across the country. With a one bed trope, work adversaries, enemies to lovers, and tons of spice, this was a good read.

I appreciated the messages highlighting the inequity women and BIPOC face daily. This is definitely something that is a relevant issue, especially in our current climate. I also appreciated that Tris suffered from migraines and that chronic pain/illness was represented very well here.

While I loved many aspects of this book, I really didn’t find myself all that invested in the romance or even the MCs individual stories. The romance is very much a Tuli romance, and for whatever reason, I love it in a fantasy but struggled with the transition to a contemporary setting. The enemies to lovers aspect just felt too forced? There wasn’t any real reason for them to be enemies, or maybe it was because we’re just told their enemies/adversaries and not shown. There was a weird love triangle/square thing going on that added nothing to the plot, the banter between the two MCs was good but also kept leading to miscommunication that aggravated me. I did enjoy the last third of the book but the first two thirds were a struggle for me to get into. I still recommend this for fans of contemporary romance, office romance, and dislike/enemies to lovers, but it didn’t end up being a love for me.

Thanks to the publisher for the complimentary arc. All opinions are my own.

I really wanted to like this book but parts of the FMC’s struggles as a female in STEM hit too close to home (especially given the political climate) so be mindful of your wellbeing before reading

Really loved this book! I fell in love with Tris and Rafe. Really enjoyed their story and personalities. Once I started to read I could not put the book down. I love Nisha's fantasy writing and definitely her contemporary also.

Nisha really blew her first Contemporary Romance out of the water!
This books has work place rivals to lovers, banter, and a smart older than 16 year old female main character. I loved this book and can't wait to see what else she does!

Nisha J. Tuli’s first contemporary romance is a total win! Known for her fantasy novels (hello, Trial of the Sun Queen), she proves she can master any genre with this sharp, heartfelt rom-com. *Not Safe For Work* is a delightful mix of workplace tension, slow-burn romance, and real-world struggles that kept me glued to the page.

The story centers on Trishara Malik, a talented engineer whose career hits a snag when her promotion goes to Rafe Gallagher, the boss’s son and her longtime rival. When Tris is chosen for a leadership retreat in Hawaii, it’s her shot to turn things around—until she discovers Rafe is her co-attendee. Forced to share a honeymoon suite, their icy rivalry begins to thaw, sparking a connection that’s equal parts frustrating and irresistible.

Tuli’s writing is crisp and engaging, with perfect pacing that never lets up. The banter between Tris and Rafe is razor-sharp, and their slow-burn romance is both maddening and utterly satisfying. While I wished they’d kiss sooner (I’m impatient like that), the buildup made their eventual chemistry all the more rewarding.

I couldn’t stop smiling while reading this, except for a few jaw-dropping moments that kept things exciting. Tuli’s wit and charm shine through, making *Not Safe For Work* a must-read for anyone who loves smart, swoony romances. I’m already hoping for more from her in this genre—she’s absolutely nailed it!

This is a great book for contemporary romance/workplace rivals readers. We’ve got great banter, a nice slow burn, a little bit of found family even. Our main character Tris is a great FMC-smart, knows her worth, and, though it sometimes took a little prodding, doesn’t take sh*t from people. Our MMC on the other hand could use some work. He’s like….a puppy-trained up by his dad to be a certain way, but very protective of the people he claims as his, and will lash out to protect them, but at the end of the day he still tucks tail when his dad calls. At times he can come across as a bit one dimensional-he’s there to be pretty, not think. And his whole thing with his ex could have been explained a little more, I feel like there was too much of it as a plot point to make Tris doubt herself and compare herself, but then not enough explanation of what was going on. Overall, really enjoyable book, and should be perfect for fans of contemporary romance.

Snark, sizzle, banter - enemies to lovers with quite the rocky road full of fun banter, steamy thoughts, longing, insecurity, and maybe a bit of corporate rivalry, or not! Life for women in good ole boy male dominated fields is spot on, and unfortunately hasn't changed much - bullying is tolerated because the bullies are in charge, or are the toadies. Sometimes have to say 'enough' and take that chance!

**3.5**

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.**

This is my first Nisha J. Tuli book and while it has its flaws, it is a solid romance that I enjoyed. I really liked the main characters and found Trishara to be a delight. She felt very real and like someone I would know or want to know in real life. The writing is very accessible and easy to digest. Tuli does a great job with the chemistry between the two characters. It is electric and you feel it.

I will say the book does spins its wheels when it comes to the romance. It is very, very obvious that Trishara likes Rafe and vice versa, but the constant denial and push/pull did get tiresome. It created excellent tension between the two of them, but it did get a bit old after awhile. There needed to be more conflict in relation to their romance.

One of the positives of the book which is also a bit of a disappointment for me is the migraine/headache rep. One of the reasons I put this at the top of my tbr was because the FMC has chronic headaches which I LOVED. I have chronic migraine syndrome and it sucks. It affects every aspect of my life so I am always happy when I find a book where one of the main characters has migraines. You definitely are aware that Trishara has chronic headaches, but it feels more like an after-thought. This fault lies with me in terms of my expectations, but I thought it would be a bit more prominent since I saw the author mentioned it on Threads, but Trishara's headache are only mentioned a couple times and that's it. It feels like unless you have a chronic headache or migraine condition then you wouldn't necessarily pick up on it.

All in all, I think this is a very enjoyable and solid contemporary romance that I think a lot of people would enjoy. I am very interested in reading more contemporary romance from Tuli and will definitely check out her fantasy romances.