Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of Not Safe For Work!

We’ve got all the ingredients for a swoony workplace enemies-to-lovers romcom:
- A smart, ambitious heroine with a chip on her shoulder (rightfully earned)
- A cocky but secretly sweet love interest (who just happens to be the boss’s son)
- A company retreat in Maui (cue the forced proximity and oops, one bed tropes)

Trishara Malik is easy to root for—she’s competent, frustrated, and deserves more than what her toxic corporate culture dishes out. Rafe Gallagher, on the other hand, had to work a bit harder to win me over. He starts off with big “golden retriever in a suit” energy, but his character development sometimes felt like it was fast-tracked via fruity cocktails and tension-filled glances rather than earned through real accountability.

The setting? Absolutely dreamy. The witty banter? Delightful in bursts. But the shift from enemies to lovers felt more like a jump cut than a satisfying slow burn. I also wanted a bit more depth in the resolution—especially considering the heavy themes around burnout, nepotism, and discrimination.

Still, there’s plenty of charm to enjoy here, and fans of steamy forced proximity and corporate hijinks will have a good time. Just maybe don’t read it in the break room—your coworkers might start asking questions.

Would I recommend it? Sure, if you’re in the mood for something breezy with bite. Just adjust expectations, and maybe have your own tropical drink on standby.

Favorite quote: “I’m not here to play the game—I’m here to break the board.”

Disclaimer: I received a free advance reader copy of Not Safe For Work by Nisha J. Tuli from Forever (Grand Central Publishing) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was admiring Nisha J. Tuli from afar for years, and her fantasy series Artefacts of Ouranos has been long sitting in my TBR. So when I received an ARC copy from NetGalley last week, I was beyond excited to read this book.

However, this ended up being a very different reading experience than I expected. I actually DNFd it after the first two chapters, only to come back to it the next day when I was in a better headspace.

This was my first~ish workplace romance (minus all the Ali Hazelwood work romances, but those are mostly about the science and not so much about the work itself, per se). I kind of set myself up for a loss here, because I apparently just don’t like workplace romances, so although this one wasn’t for me, if you like office romances, it might be for you.

Once I moved past the initial shock of just how much of a workplace romance this was, I was able to enjoy the light moments between the characters and the romance.

Read my full review of Not Safe For Work below.

Overall Impressions ✨
Like I said, I was conflicted about this book the entire time. I wanted to love it because I was so excited about the author, but from the first two chapters, I realized this wasn’t going to be a good time for me. However, I wanted to be able to finish the ARC and focus on the other parts of the book rather than the workplace component, which, at times, was hard to ignore.

That being said, the romance in this book was cute, fluffy, and had some sweet moments. I think some of the characteristics of the characters are exaggerated, for example, the FMC is a bit too good at everything, while the MMC is a prodigy on so many levels it becomes unbelievable. Frankly, a lot in the book felt over-the-top, like a dramatized version of familiar romance tropes, which made it harder to fully buy in.

That said, it almost reads like a script waiting to be turned into a movie, and from that angle, it kind of works. If you go in expecting high drama and glossy characters, you might enjoy it more than I did.

Once I finished the book, I was glad to be introduced to the author, and I still want to check out her fantasy work, but I’m not sure if I would read more workplace romances in general.

Characters👥
The protagonists are cute in this book, but they don’t do anything I haven’t seen before. Trishara is your classic confident, capable lead, she’s great at her job, gorgeous, and her inner monologue is both relatable and funny.

Rafe is a solid MMC. He’s kind, sensitive, and surprisingly deep under all that brooding charisma. He hits all the notes for a swoon-worthy office romance hero, and his chemistry with Trishara has its moments.

I wanted to connect with them more, but both leads felt like slightly polished versions of familiar romance archetypes. It was giving “rom-com energy,” but with characters that felt more like templates from early 2000s movies than fully fleshed-out individuals.

Plot📈
The plot was probably my biggest gripe with this book. It’s marketed as an enemies-to-lovers romance, but honestly… it just doesn’t deliver on that promise. Maybe it’s my growing frustration with how overused the trope has become, but this just didn’t feel like enemies to lovers to me.

The story arc itself is fine. I liked the forced proximity setup with the one-bedroom trope, and I appreciated how Rafe developed more emotional depth as the story progressed, even if it did start to feel a little unrealistic that he’s apparently great at everything.

The workplace backdrop was forgettable to me, which is part of why the story didn’t fully land. There were also a couple of plot threads that were introduced and then completely dropped by the end, like how Trishara suffers from headaches throughout the book, and it’s sort of addressed but never resolved. It left me wondering why some of those elements were included in the first place.

I have some comments about certain tropes this book tackles -- but I can't do spoiler blocks in NetGalley even though they do not actually impact the plot but my commentary is available on the GR review and blog post in spoiler blocks for the tropes as well since some readers don't even want to know about the tropes!

Writing Style ✍️
Despite my qualms with the rest of the book, I really enjoyed the writing style. The banter is funny, the inner monologues are light, and the spicy chapters are well done. The dirty talk is top-notch, if that’s a selling point for you, you’ll be well fed.

That said, the characters do act a bit like horny college students despite being full-fledged adults, which occasionally pulled me out of the moment.

Still, the writing was the best part of the book for me, and although I wasn’t the biggest fan of this particular story, it definitely made me excited to check out Nisha J. Tuli’s fantasy romances.

Closing Thoughts 🧃
Nisha J. Tuli delivers a solid contemporary romance if you enjoy office romances and exaggerated rom-com characters. I was looking for something a bit more refreshing and original that would keep me hooked, but after having so many romance books under my belt, this one didn’t quite stand out from the crowd.

If you’re already a Nisha J. Tuli fan, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this read, and it definitely deserves a spot on your shelf for the cute cover alone!

Although I’m probably done with workplace romances for a long, long time, I’m still looking forward to reading her other work, which should tell you everything you need to know about whether or not this one’s for you.

Thank you to Forever for the advance reader copy and to Hachette Audio for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own.

This book was delightful! As the title suggests, it's a workplace romance with great steam. I love workplace romances because they frequently bring together rivals, a bit of forbidden or taboo elements, and of course, forced proximity. This book does all of those with a special emphasis on the forced proximity. Tris and Rafe are picked as the two representatives of their company to spend three weeks at a corporate training on Maui. And they cannot escape each other, no matter how much she wants to.

The book did an incredibly great job highlighting the sexism women continue to face in the workplace, and how that can further intersect with racism as well. Tris is an absolutely brilliant engineer, and it's written so well from the author's own experience. It starts with a note that yes, these acts of discrimination really do happen. I had no trouble believing it, having seen far too many myself.

I really liked the first person POV here. It worked so well to be wondering what Rafe was up to right along with Tris. The team building antics had me laughing out loud, and the pacing of their relationship development was so well done. They have amazing chemistry, and this one is a slow burn.

I can't wait to listen and read again and already have the pre-order in with Nisha's chosen store, so I get all the fun pre-order goodies.

4.5 stars rounded up.

As a woman who works in STEM, I will always support authors that bring the struggles women in STEM face to the forefront. NSFW is Nisha’s first publication in the contemporary romance genre after previously publishing fantasy novels (which are hands down incredible). I didn’t know what to expect but it turns out I love anything Nisha writes regardless of genre.

NSFW is a rivals to lovers, workplace romance between Trishara and Rafe. Once the two rivals win places on a company-wide conference and retreat they have to learn to work together and exist in each other’s space due to a mishap with the hotel booking.

Nisha does an incredible job at writing a lighthearted contemporary romance whilst covering some very important topics including both gender and racial inequality in STEM.

This was really good, Rafe and Tris were really cute together, and had a nice amount of spice while still having a plot line!

The pros in this book definitely outweighed the cons. Starting with the representation of women in the workplace, especially a male dominated workplace. I also really liked that Tris was unwilling to let herself be treated poorly, at work or in her personal life. Rafe was so cute with the thunderstorm and so protective against Andy, and I loved that he continually stood up for women- a feminist man! We love it!! And then he quit his job to become a successful baker, everything’s coming up Rafe!

The cons: Rafe’s main flaw was Hannah, who he continually told no and their relationship was over, but still showed up anyway. However, it seemed like Tris was the one continually having something go wrong. Men can get headaches too, or they can be afraid of tropical storms! And one of my biggest pet peeves, is a powerful woman sacrificing other women for herself. Does it happen in real life? Absolutely. But I think I can count on one hand the number of books I’ve read that the powerful woman actually defends the up and coming women, not just throwing them under the bus because “that’s just the way it is.” Suck it Diane. I think that’s the thing that knocked it down from a 4.5 to a 4. Let’s strive to be better, or at least let me read about it in a fictional world.

4.5/5
All this has proved is that if Nisha Tuli writes it, I’m going to read it. Work place rivals to lovers, forced proximity, banter, and tension all while tastefully tackling heavier issues such as workplace discrimination, racism, and sexual harassment.

3.5 stars

What to Expect
- Enemies / rivals to lovers in a workplace romance
- Women in STEM rep
- South Asian FMC rep
- Beautiful backdrop: Hawaii
- Chronic pain rep: headaches / migraines
- Only one room / bed with forced proximity

I liked Nisha’s fantasy series The Artefacts of Ouranos, so I was excited to read this book, especially because the cover is absolutely gorgeous. Everything about is eye-catching and that DRESS!

What I Liked
- Women in STEM rep! As a woman in STEM, I love the callouts to the blatant and casual misogyny and sexism that is rampant in STEM. I would love to see more books about women in STEM.
- Fast read, palette cleanser
- Loved the subtle nod to her fantasy series in the book
- Soneela Nankani did a great job with the narration

What I Didn’t Like
- I didn’t love Rafe. I think the story would have benefited from getting some chapters from his POV as he came across as very one-dimensional ‘hot guy’.
- Very shallow / looks based relationship. I’m all about a book that has steam and yearning but most of Trishara’s inner dialogue about Rafe and interactions shared between the two MCs were based solely in sexual attraction and not much else.
- The title is very apt as the amount of HR violations in this book is staggering.

Thank you to Nisha J Tuli, Forever (Grand Central Publishing) | Forever, and to NetGalley for providing an ebook in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 ⭐

Trishana Malik's career has tragically been defined not by her skillset, but by blatant sexism and nepotism. As she is continually passed over for promotions and awards, she is shocked to learn she is one of two individuals selected for a corporate leadership training in Hawaii. The retreat sounds like a perfect vacation, until Tris learns that Rafe Gallagher, the bosses' son and her rival, earns the second position. On top of enduring weeks of training together, a booking snafu forces them to share a honeymoon suite. Will all this forced proximity end in disaster or a heated love affair?

I, like Tris, am a female engineer and I sadly have endured many of the same experiences she has faced in the workplace. I once had to keep records of every sexist thing that was spewed my way, and I too sent the file to HR when I quit. LADIES, LIKE THIS STORY REITERATES, PLEASE KEEP NOTES OF EVERYTHING. If you feel that you should be taking notes, your gut is correct. I hope that other women who read Tris' story feel the courage to speak up for themselves instead of pretending it never happened. It is scary, but I promise your happiness and well being is worth it. With that being said, I connected extremely well with Tris and felt beyond protective of her throughout this story. There were moments where I felt her behavior was a bit childish, but I too have made rash judgements of people based on first interactions. At the end of the day, I love that Tris was able to make the best decisions for herself and to see her finally earning the promotions she deserved from the start.

I enjoyed the competitive rivalry between Rafe and Tris because I am a sucker for rivals to lovers/enemies to lovers in books. The pining and stolen glances were electric and had me wanting more from the start. I wish we had seen even more of their relationship before the trip to Hawaii since near the end of the story, Rafe shares his side of events but I wish we had just seen it from the start. When Tris admitted she was falling in love with Rafe I was not convinced as I felt it was extremely early in their relationship to be feeling that way. I know they have been around each other for 5 years and the yearning was disguised as hatred, but to me the proposal seemed so soon.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story as this perfect for those that love:
✨ forced proximity
✨ rivals to lovers
✨ rom-coms
✨ workplace romance (engineer FMC/MMC)
✨ women empowerment
✨ beach reads

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Let me begin by saying the things I enjoyed about this book: that cover? Beautiful. It was a quick read and the setting of Hawaii made for a good backdrop.

Now, unfortunately, for the things that missed for me: I pretty strongly disliked the FMC (which was tough since the entire book is from her POV). I found the MCs read as fairly immature for two people in their late 20s/early 30s.

More details with some spoilers can be found on my goodreads review. At the end, I’d rate this 2.75 stars. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this early for an honest review.

3.5 stars.
I thought this was a fun little rom-com with a “fight the patriarchy” twist. Two engineers meet, get off on the wrong foot but have instant chemistry, spend 5 years pretend loathing each other, and courtesy of some forced proximity, finally figure out they belong together.

Did I get a little annoyed with Trishara’s repetitive inner voice? YES. Was I annoyed with Rafe’s constant lack of communication? YES. But minor annoyances, all things considered. I loved Trishara’s “take no shit” attitude and I thought the subtext about women in STEM not getting their dues was 🤌.

Recommend!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Not Safe for Work by Nisha J Tuli
4.75⭐️
🌶️✅, several explicit scenes

I unabashedly adored Tuli’s Artefacts of Ouranos series, so I was excited for her jump over to contemporary romance. And phewwwwy, did she deliver!! (Plus, the early cameo of Rule of the Aurora King was delightful!) I devoured this book in one day flat and thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish!

All of the pining, banter, adoration, and spice I’ve come to love in Tuli’s fantasy novels continue to make me giggle, swoon, and sweatttt in NSFW. Tris is a phenomenal fmc; Yes, she’s confident and a total badass when standing up for herself and the people she cares about, but she also has realistic insecurities and fears that sometimes trip her up. And Rafe is the self-aware cinnamon roll of book lovers’ dreams! A man who sticks up for women, knows when to apologize, and can make a killer dessert? Yeah, 10/10 no notes!

As someone who has been dealing with chronic migraines for 2 decades and counting, I appreciated some of Tris’s conversation about her migraines. It’s not a major part of the story (and sometimes felt clunky in the way it was thrown in, imo) but her conversation with Rafe about her condition was deeply relatable.

I highly recommend this book for all the romcom lovers out there! You will *especially* love this book if you enjoy:
*Ali Hazelwood’s women in stem
*Rivals to lovers
*Women standing up to gross, sexist men
*One bed!
*Fighting as flirting
*He calms her when she’s panicking
*Dessert

Thank you to Forever for the advanced copy!

As someone who absolutely LOVES workplace romance AND forced proximity, I was so excited when hearing about Not Safe for Work. This book follows Trishara. who is a talented engineer at WMC who keeps getting passed over time and time again for well deserved promotions. She's selected to attend a leadership retreat in Maui alongside other colleagues, including Rafe who is her bosses son & work nemesis. After a mix up puts them in the same room with only one bed....you can imagine where things go from here!

One thing that I loved that this book did so well was highlight the struggle women experience in the workplace especially when it comes to getting recognition in comparison to their male counterparts. Trishara was the perfect FMC to have for this story - I absolutely loved how strong of a character she was with so much depth. She didn't sit back and accept the unacceptable behavior from the men around her and wasn't afraid to call it out.

As for our MMC, I enjoyed Rafe's character overall and liked that he was protective of Trishara. The only thing I wish we got more of was depth in his character and a bit more background. Otherwise I really enjoyed his chemistry with Trishara and overall storyline!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I always love a good slow-burn workplace romance! We got enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, and the one-bed scenario. Love that Trishara is such a determined woman in STEM! Give me all the banter and tension builds! I 1000% appreciate Trishara’s resilience and authenticity! Keep writing these fantastic stories Nisha! 

Rafe and Tris were perfection! Nisha really outdid herself stepping into contemporary romance and I'm begging for more. The tension, yearning and spicing between these characters was sook hot. Couldn't put the book down. Give me more!!!
Thanks for the arc!

Is Nisha J. Tuli’s latest a masterclass in sizzle? Yes. Does this book also get super real about serious issues like sexual harassment in the workplace? You bet. Are those themes dually worked into a somewhat lighthearted story? Also yeah.

NOT SAFE FOR WORK is my pick for one of the romances to watch this summer.

I really enjoyed this enemies to lovers, forced proximity romance! Tris cracked me up! I love how she stood up for herself & others throughout the book. Rafe is a hot grump, who doesn’t love that in an MMC?

The book touches on sexism, racism & the struggles women & LGBTQ+ people deal with in male dominated fields. I think Nisha J Tuli did a wonderful job touching on these issues.

This was a fun read & I loved it!

3.75/5

This was my first Nisha J. Tuli book and it totally delivered! Not Safe for Work was such a fun, fast-paced read with a slow burn that had me hooked. Trishara and Rafe’s chemistry was 🔥—their banter was playful and had me laughing out loud more than once. And that epilogue? So cute!

I really appreciated how the story tackled the challenges women face in male-dominated fields, especially with Tris being a woman of color in STEM. She held her own and didn’t take anyone’s nonsense, which made me love her even more.

That said, the characters felt a little immature at times, and I wish we got more emotional depth, especially from Tris. Rafe was sweet, funny, and had some surprisingly fun hobbies, but I think a dual POV would’ve helped us connect with him more.

Still, this was such a cute read overall. If you’re into witty workplace rom-coms with sass, slow-burn romance, and a strong female lead, definitely give this one a shot!

ALC Review:
As for the ALC, I was obsessed with the narrator’s deep, rich voice, it gave the story so much more dimension. She really brought the characters to life and had me totally hooked the whole way through. Her performance made the audiobook feel incredibly immersive!

Thank you Forever Pub for the eARC and Hachette for the ALC via Netgalley!

From the first sentence, Not Safe For Work had me laughing and completely hooked. Trishara Malik is fierce, funny and so relatable in her ambition and frustration. Rafe Gallagher? Golden, nepo boy: with a complicated reputation, and the very last person Tris wants to be stuck on a tropical leadership retreat with.
Their dynamic is classic enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, filled with the back and forth of will they or won’t they!

There’s a honeymoon suite mix-up (yes, really) biting humor between the two, and a slow-burn, tension filled romance that had me yelling just kiss already! I loved seeing Tris come into her power and the many layers there were of Rafe, the soft artsy side had me swooning!

The friendships were so fun in this book, the hilarious wedding crashing, and the MACARONS. The ending was so satisfying and the grand finale absolutely delivers!

If you love enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, sharp workplace dynamics, and a heroine who refuses to settle for less than she deserves, Not Safe for Work is your next must-read.

As some of you who've been following me know, I love Nisha Tuli's Artefacts of Ouranos series, so I was excited to be selected to read this non-fantasy romance novel.

Trishara is selected to attend a prestigious work leadership retreat with her work rival & boss' son, Rafe. As a joke from the universe (and salty receptionist with her company), the two end up in a one-bed honeymoon suite for the two week retreat in Hawaii.

One of my favorite things about the author is how she writes chemistry and slow-burn buildup between her main characters. This book did not disappoint in that department! I also appreciated Trishara's character growth as she dealt with being a woman in STEM. This was a very steamy and cute love story for fans of enemies to lovers and one bed tropes! I would definitely recommend!

4.5 stars!!!!

hot & fun 🤩 as someone who had a love hate relationship with nisha's fantasy series, i TRULY loved this contemporary romance!!!! i was really enjoying the dynamic between rafe & trishara !!! their banter & push and pull was hoooottttt. and honestly loved the set up of this book: a workplace romance + forced proximity + only one room/bed + a free trip to hawaii (sign me up pls) NOT TO MENTION !!!! THE JEALOUSY & PROTECTIVE SCENES 🫠 they took me out

such an enjoyable read & perfect for the summer !

thank you Forever for the arc! this is my honest review.