Did this just become one of my favorite reads in 2025? Seriously I want to give it 6 out of 5 ⭐️ This had all the feels, and it had me absolutely hooked from start to finish. As always Nisha is the QUEEN of slow burn, and I seriously was ready to combust. Tris and Rafe’s chemistry is absolute 🔥 They somehow embrace the equivalent of grade schoolers picking on the boy/girl they like, and yet it’s appealing and fun.
This story reminds me a Spanish Love Deception, which is 1000% a good thing because that was the story that made me love Contemporary Romances. As with SLD, Tris is a woman in a male dominated field and unfortunately she deals with the bias and sexism that comes with it. I had no idea before this that Nisha was in STEM originally and her foreword was opening. It’s infuriating and heartbreaking to know this is still a reality for intelligent and driven women, but I love how Trish handles herself in NSFW and I hope there are women are there who are helped by this story.
All around an amazing story and production and I cannot thank Nisha J Tuli, and Forever Publishing enough for the ARC opportunity 🫶🏻

Ok , this book is the first one from this author for me.
The writing was really good and I enjoyed.
The plot was interesting and enjoyable.
Now the interactions of the main couple sometimes was great and sometimes gave me backlash.
Their bickering was cute at times and annoying at others .
But it was entertaining and the audio was really good and helped a lot with the backlash this two were giving me by being stubborn thru the whole book. I really did like that they both found their way to each other and to their real passions at the end of it

I was so looking forward to this one from NJT after DEVOURING Artefacts of Ouranos. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for a chance to read prior to release on 5/20!

We love a good forced proximity romance, and this certainly delivered on that. Tris and Rafe, who have been coworkers for 5 years, are at a company retreat and somehow manage to be put in the same room with, you guessed it, only one bed. They start to open up to each other and have some great relationship growth.

I loved the Hawaii setting and the aforementioned forced proximity. I’m a huge sucker for rivals to lovers so that was fun, too!! As a female engineer, I feel some of Tris’s pains at being a woman in a predominantly male field, so it was refreshing to read!

I didn’t love all the Hannah drama but overall, this was a light cute read.

A great beach read set in a luxury Maui resort that is perfect for anyone who loves a slow burn with forced proximity! After loving Artefacts of Ouranos, I couldn't wait to read Tuli's take on a Rom-Com and it was exactly what I was hoping to read!

DNF at 39%. I’ve enjoyed Nisha J. Tuli’s romantasy books, but I just didn’t click with this one. I liked the intent with Tris and depicting her challenges as a biracial woman in STEM. However, I found the MMC bland and the fixation on how “hot” he was turned me off, especially without an inkling of anything else to latch onto,

Thank you so much to Forever and Netgalley for providing an advanced copy of this book! All thoughts and opinions are still my own.

Nisha J Tuli is quickly becoming one of my favorite romance authors. Her ability to develop characters and build romantic tension is exceptional.

As a woman in engineering there was a lot about this book that hit very close to home. With Nisha's history in the field, she touched on so many common indiscretions in the industry. While there is definitely a lot of blatant depictions in the book, I love how her personal knowledge gave her the ability to include a lot of more subtle or non-obvious hurdles women face in a historical white male field.

On top of that, this was rivals to lovers perfection in my opinion. It had the perfect amount of antagonistic banter, sexual tension, and build up. Nothing was rushed and the pay off was well worth the wait.

At this point I don't know if there's anything this author can't write. I have no idea what she is working on next but I want it immediately.

I adored this book! Not Safe for Work gave me everything I crave in a contemporary romance—real enemies to lovers tension that actually lasts the whole way through, a heroine who’s sharp, talented, and navigating a tough industry, and a hero with layers that unfold so perfectly.

Trishara and Rafe’s chemistry is off the charts, but what really stood out to me was how well Nisha J. Tuli explored what it’s like to be a woman in a male dominated field, and not just that, but a woman of color. Trishara’s struggles were so real and relatable. You could feel the pressure she was under at every turn, and it was infuriating and validating all at once. She’s wildly capable, yet constantly having to prove herself, and that hit hard.

The single POV worked beautifully here. Getting the story solely from Trishara’s perspective let us experience her frustrations, her growth, and ultimately her slow discovery of who Rafe really is beneath the smug facade. It made his character arc even more satisfying once his real self started to shine through.

Also, can we talk about the migraine rep? It was so refreshing to see chronic pain handled with nuance. Trishara’s migraines weren’t just a throwaway detail, they were a part of her daily reality and added so much depth to her character and the challenges she faced.

And the forced proximity in this one?? Chef’s kiss. The whole “only one bed” and being stuck in a hotel suite together absolutely heightened the tension to a delicious level. Every scene between them crackled.

The ending? Perfection. No spoilers, but the way things wrapped up for both Trishara and Rafe was so satisfying and well-earned. It was emotional, empowering, and just… exactly what I wanted.

This was my first book by Nisha J. Tuli (I usually stick to contemporary romance), but now I have to check out her fantasy series. I’m officially a fan!

Also… can we please get a book for Molly? I would love to stay in this world just a little longer. Highly recommend this one, it's a standout in the genre and one I’ll be shouting about for a while!

Thank you to Forever for gifting me a physical ARC and eARC. All opinions are my own.

NSFW was such a fun surprise. Set against the sun-soaked backdrop of a company retreat in Maui, this workplace romance has all the good stuff: tension, banter, and a classic enemies-to-lovers setup.

Tris is guarded, which makes sense after a rough past relationship and a career of being overlooked for less talented (and usually white and male) colleagues. Rafe is gorgeous, mysterious, and always in her space, especially after a hotel mix-up forces them to share a suite. What starts as mutual annoyance slowly turns into something way deeper.

Once they started opening up to each other, I was all in. Their banter was sharp and fun, but the emotional intimacy pulled me in. One of my favorite scenes is when a storm hits the island, and Rafe takes care of Tris. It is so sweet, so sexy, and it perfectly captures that shift from tension to trust.

NSFW was my first time reading this author, but now I want to check out her fantasy books, too. Her writing is super engaging, especially when focused on vulnerability and connection.

If I had one complaint, it would be that both leads leaned a little too hard into the immaturity. It dragged out the tension longer than necessary, and I wished they would talk it out like adults. Tris' friendships were a huge bright spot, and Rafe’s social media presence was hilarious. Those comment sections had me cracking up. I would have loved even more of that.

Overall, this was sexy, sweet, and super-readable. It tackled workplace inequality with just enough weight while keeping things light, heartfelt, and fun.

Thank you to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

First, I'd like to thank the publisher for an ARC of Not Safe For Work!

Second, I'd say the best way to describe this books is EPFIE]S0URWORBOIWNFPOSEJVP[ESI0F-U90RH23IORBQOfhpq2 ]29ru!!!

Following that, I am dead inside (in the best way) after finishing this book. Nisha's fantasy work is god-tier, but her contemporary?? No one else ever needs to write another book, we've found the pinnacle author.

Tris's inner dialogue was SO real & absolutely hilarious. Rafe was infuriatingly gorgeous & tbh a super great MMC. There was never a point where I wanted to reach through the page and punch him in the face, which was SO refreshing. I also LOVED his "other job" and the entire story that went with it. The side characters were refreshing and had just the right amount of support and love without overtaking the story. Per usual, Nisha's writing encapsulated me in a way that I likely won't ever recover from. Tris's trauma and hesitancy was so familiar, it hurt. And watching the Khakis be absolute shitheads was unfortunately too real.

All I'm saying is Diane let me down & I have a new book boyfriend, thank you and goodnight.

Another absolute slam dunk from Nisha J. Tuli for me. This is her first contemporary romance and it DID NOT DISAPPOINT ONE BIT. I'm in love with both Tris and Rafe. This book made me so happy.

Tris's career is stagnant, something she's sort of resigned herself to at this point. Being a woman in engineering (WOMEN IN STEM!!!!), she knows how hard she works and how often she is passed over for promotions she deserves. Including the one that went to her work nemesis and of course company nepo-baby, Rafe. But when she's given the opportunity to attend a leadership conference in Maui for three weeks, even though it's WMC's half-hearted attempt at diversity, she agrees to attend. Except through a stroke of bad luck and apparently a very busy island, she and Rafe are forced to share a room. They're continually thrown together, and the animosity they've always felt towards each other may actually be a mask for some other feeling than loathing.

I LOVE A SLOW BURN AND NISHA WRITES IT SO WELL. From the start, we learn that Tris is wildly attracted to Rafe but they can't help annoying and jabbing at each other (hot, imo). I love how throughout the story, we're given these little snippets of soft tender moments where their true emotions come through. And also the spice was *chef's kiss*.

I think the experience of being a woman in a male dominated field was also accurately represented here, and I know that in the author's note, Tuli mentions drawing from her own experience. I felt uncomfortable with the way that Tris was treated by some of the men at WMC, and unfortunately it's a reality that so many women face every single day.

I enjoyed this so much, and while it's a different type of genre than her previous books, Tuli's writing is still so enjoyable and she KNOWS how to tell a story. 5 stars, would like some more please!!!

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

🌟 4.5/5
🌶 R

What you get:
📍Hawaii
• Enemies/Rivals to lovers
• Forced Proximity
• One bed
• Office romance
• Secret crushes
• BIPOC FMC
• Women in STEM
• He takes care of her and bakes
• Slow burn
• Sizzling chemistry and banter
• LGBTQ supporting characters

TW:
• Sexism
• Racism
• Toxic work place
• Sexual harassment
• Guys that give you the ick

●

Tris and Rafe work together at an engineering firm and have always butted heads. They find themselves nominated to go on a three week seminar in Hawaii as the representatives for their office.

A booking mistake lands them in a suite with one bed (and a couch).

This was my first book from Nisha J. Tuli, and I was hooked. A rivals to lovers trope can go either way if not written correctly, but this was *chef's kiss*.

I loved their banter from the beginning. The saying, "There's a thing line between love and hate," is 💯 captured in this story. You can tell they liked each other even if they didn't know it yet. It was a slow burn that you knew was going to light up a blazing fire at the end.

Throughout the book, you can see they start softening towards each other, with their real feelings starting to show. It made the spicy scenes meaningful. I tend to lean towards less spice if the spice adds nothing to the plot, but these just fueled their chemistry.

The book also addresses problematic issues for females and BIPOC employees in a predominantly male (and white) industries/companies. I was intrigued to see how the author was going to play this out, and was happy to what she did with it. It's the reality for many people and it was addressed in, what I could say, was an empowering way. Does everyone have the luxury to address the issues like Tris did? Probably not, but do most people wish they could do what she did? Most likely.

PS: Someone call Netlfix and get Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and Noah Centineo signed up for the movie adaptation.

●

What could've been better:
• I was expecting more about her chronic headaches based on earlier promos. It didn't affect the book, but as someone who has chronic pain, it's what attracted me to this ARC.
• I'm not a fan of why Tris left her last job. Sharing a private pic is so risky and I expected more from her. It's not her fault it was shared, but her character doesn't seem the type to let herself get photographed in a compromising position.
• The realist in me couldn't wrap my head around why they didn't get a pull-out cot for their giant suite or that the hotel didnt offer one. 🤣 I would've accepted the "All our cots have been reserved."

This is an absolute home run! Nisha J. Tuli’s adult romance debut is everything I hoped for. The characters are stunningly written with both MCs experiencing unrequited yearning for each other that had my heart in knots. They also demonstrate beautiful vulnerability. Their chemistry is explosive. I also found the way this story highlighted the experience of a BIPOC woman in STEM navigating a highly and toxically male dominated industry incredibly empowering (especially as a woman in STEM myself). Every little detail of this book was just perfection. I’m so excited Tuli took this genre leap and I hope we get more in this space.

Highlights:
✨Rivals to Lovers
✨Forced Proximity
✨BIPOC Woman in STEM
✨ONLY ONE BED!!!!
✨Workplace Romance

Favorite Quotes: “You’re allowed to have misgivings about the circumstances of your life, regardless of how they might seem to others.”

“I should be furious at Rafe and his caveman antics, but my inner feminist is taking a nap. She understands that sometimes you need to counter one point of male nonsense with another.”

Side call out to Tris the FMC reading Romantasy about a broody fae prince!! Absolute perfection.

Thank you to the author, Forever Pub, and NetGalley for the advanced copy. My opinions are my own.

4 stars.

"Not Safe for Work" by Nisha J. Tuli is going to be an instant classic, quote me on that! It is a workplace rivals/enemies-to-lovers/forced proximity/only one bed rom-com full of amazing banter, an excellent story, and fabulous characters. I loved Trishara and Rafe so, so much! Trishara is such a bad@$$ woman in STEM, and Rafe is top-tier book boyfriend material with his smouldering gaze and incredible arms (Tris's thoughts, not mine!) Trishara has faced a lot of sexism, racism, and microaggressions in the workplace, and the way she handles it in the end will have readers cheering. I really enjoyed Tuli's commentary on all of this, but I don't want to give too much away. Rafe is more than meets the eye. He might be a nepo-baby, but he's got a lot of ambition beyond the office where he and Tris work... where his father is boss. Nisha J. Tuli has created two absolutely wonderful personalities that readers can root for from start to finish. The chemistry between them is electric, and even when they are fighting, you cannot deny that there is a spark between them. Tris has had a bad experience with a workplace romance in the past, so she is more than hesitant to begin anything serious with Rafe. Her apprehension is a source of strife between them, as is Rafe's father's insistence that he be promoted for everything and anything at work, even if he hasn't necessarily earned it. There is quite a bit of excellently written spice to gobble up! I also enjoyed Soneela Nankani's audiobook narration. She brings these characters to life in a vibrant, fantastic way. I have always loved her narration style. She has excellent pacing and diction, and you can really feel the emotions with every word she speaks. All in all, this is a terrific book, and I really hope you read it!

Thank you to NetGalley, Nisha J. Tuli, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

I am not in the business world but I felt so inspired by Tris and her desire to make things equitable at her workplace. There were a couple characters in this story that I absolutely wanted to dropkick into the sun. Honestly though, Tris handled each one like the badass she is.

I loved that Rafe was so gone for her and wasn’t a total numpty to the things that weren’t right both at work and in their relationship. The forced proximity was great and I love a “comfort them when they’re scared” moment. These two were HAWT.

This one was single POV and I honestly loved being in Trishara’s head. She was witty and strong and I chuckled at all the times she begrudgingly admitted how hot Rafe was.

Looking forward to more from this author!

(4.5 rounded up!)

Not Safe for Work follows Trishara who works at a male driven company. Her company lacks diversity and she has been passed over for promotions time and again. This year she is shocked to learn that she is chosen for 1 of 2 spots for her company's leader retreat, the other spot taken by her work rival, Rafe, wgo also ha0pens to be the boss' son. A scheduling mixup has them sharing a room with conveniently only 1 bed. Tris and Rafe become closer and sparks fly.

I loved this book. The autgor writes some wonderful, strong FMCs who have hard exteriors and soft gooey centers. I love the way she makes Tris someone who stands up for what she believes in (and maybe gets some awesome luggage on the side). She won't compromise herself or her morals to get ahead in the male driven world and she is not against calling out BS when she sees it.

Rafe is another swoony MMC. He loves to challenge Tris and their arguments get tense! The chemistry between these two characters just leaps right off the page. I caught myself smiling like a fool so many times while reading this and I am not an expressive reader. The chemistry, banter, and attraction were so well done. This was a wonderful, fun tropical romance. I highly recommend if you like rivals to lovers, forced proximity, only one bed, and a bad@$$ FMC.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc of this book. This book is absolutely amazing, and so refreshing to have a mfc that isn’t financially struggling living with their parents while everyone harps on her. The mfc of this book is amazing but shy but watched her nemesis at work and the banter in this book is perfect. She works hard for to get promoted at work after being passed up multiple times she finally gets a chance to go to a work trip to advance her career, but there was a mistake in scheduling for hotel rooms and she gets roomed with her work rival and bosses son. They slowly grow together and decide that they have a work trip fling, but he wants more, but since her previously relationship was a workplace romance she decides she doesn’t want to go down that road again.
After there relationship starts to heat up she finds out that he wants more than anything to become a baker and has a huge following online, but his family thinks his “hobby” is a waste of time and force him into his father’s business, but she encourages his passion for food.
She finally gets break and invite to interview for a promotional program when she shows up early the guy there decides the only way he’ll let her advance is if she does something for him. She decided that she’s not letting happen again and quits when the head woman shows up and says to just let it happen and turns a blind eye, she goes home and emails the company calling out all the gatemen that she has endured the last 5 years.

I cannot recommend this book enough, and I was hooked from page one. This book has easily made my top 5 for the year and will definitely be rereading this book as a favorite comfort read.

“Trishara Malik, you will not throw your life away over a man.”

☆☆☆

I just finished reading Not Safe for Work by Nisha J. Tuli, and this is her first contemporary romance novel!

This book follows along Trishara and Rafe, who are both engineers for WMC and workplace rivals, who end up getting stuck in the same hotel suite on a work trip. Not just any work trip, though, but WMC's Rising Stars Leadership Retreat in Hawai'i.

Rafe was an obvious choice to go, as he's the "swaggering crown prince" of WMC, but Tris is shocked to hear her name called as the other engineer invited to go. Being stuck in a suite with a senior VP's son? ...awkward.

This book started off so strong with Tris being a total badass! She's snarky, sarcastic, and ruthless in her pursuit to make it to the top. As the book progressed, I found myself liking it less. Especially with how petty and mean she could be to Rafe sometimes. Sometimes, it was cute, but mostly, it was just a little immature.

It is such a switch from her normal romantasy books, and unfortunately, I just couldn't get invested in this one. I wanted to love it like I loved the Artefacts of Ouranos series and the Nightfire Quartet series, but this one just seemed to lack... something.

I do love how Tuli speaks out on the inequality and sexism against women in a male-dominated field, and it's not nearly talked about as much as it should be! Also, the last email she sends near the end is amazing, and the book is worth reading just for that!

Some of the tropes:
// Enemies to Lovers
// Hawai'i setting
// Women in STEM
// Forced proximity
// Workplace rivals
// Only one bed
// Some miscommunication

This book gets released on May 20th, and is available for pre-order now!

Thank you to the publisher, NetGalley, and the author for the opportunity to read this ARC. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.

This is a fast paced summer rom-com that you’ll definitely want to pick up! I enjoyed the setting and characters so much! Rafe and Tris are absolutely adorable. The story also talks about the problems with women and diversity in STEM positions, a problem that should have been fixed years ago. Watching Tris stand up for herself was inspiring.

Read if you like: forced proximity, only one bed, and workplace romance

I don't think I've read another book as fast as I did this one since I started the Artefacts of Ouranos series (also by Nisha). I could not put it down and was sucked into Trishara's story from the first page.

I love that this story was partially based on real life situations from Nisha's life. Being a woman in any industry is insanely difficult but being a woman of color makes it all that much more difficult. It was very inspiring to see her journey and all of the hardships women (especially women of color) are facing everyday but nobody wants to talk about it. I'm so glad she stuck with her career goals and was able to make a name for herself. Tris' character growth was so great and I loved watching her grow into herself and learn what she wanted out of life and how to get there.

I also love Rafe. That's it. Rafe is the perfect fictional man and I have no notes. And the fact that he bakes makes him that much better.

I am a HUGE angst and enemies to lovers girlie and this book did not disappoint. I remember there being several chapters I told a friend of mine that if they didn't do SOMETHING soon I might die. And once things started happening, they didn't stop (and I don't blame them one bit).

I'm also a sucker for a cutesy HEA and Nisha did not disappoint on that aspect either. And I love that it was an HEA for both Tris and Rafe separately in their careers and together in their relationship. That plus the HEA for Lan and Gabrielle put a nice little bow on the absolute gift this book was.

Not Safe for Work features overqualified, underdignified engineer Tris slogging her early career as the only woman of color in her workspace. She is SHOCKED when picked for a three week development meeting in Maui--even though her office crush and resident nepo baby Rafe (daddy's the boss) will be going along as well.

The banter/wit is on point and the spice is spicing. The premise was completely unbelievable--I mean, would an admin really book the two in a honeymoon suite together for three weeks? But, the microagressions toward race and sex were completely on point and led to the humor for me.

This was a cute, light fun read that I absolutely enjoyed! Thank you to Netgalley and Forever Publishing for an advanced copy.