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.

3.5⭐️ overall it was a decent read. I had had this on my ARV Shelf for a hot minute and kept picking it up, reading the first chapter and putting it down, rinse and repeat. That’s until the audiobook became available and I jumped at the change to do an immersion read and I’m glad I did as it got me over that hump.

The book is fairly faced paced with a few not so smooth transitions along the way that interior the flow. But that’s the beauty of an audiobook, it keeps going!

The narrator Soneela Nankani did a great job with the material albeit a touch on the slow side. But speeding up the playback rate was easy and didn’t impact the pitch of her voice too much. Had I not been reading along I would have listened at 1.5x speed comfortably. However, I used 2x speed in order to be able to somewhat keep
Up with my reading speed.

My biggest challenge with the book was the constant miscommunication. It just becomes too far fetched. I don’t mind it here and there especially when you can sink into your own world but this type of constant miscommunication was just anger producing.

I enjoyed the setting as well as the representation. I also “liked” the realness of exposing how women, particularly non white women have been treated in the workplace. However, that sub plot definitely overshadowed the romance.


I am thankful to have gotten a complimentary audio ALC from Hachette Audio and The eARC from Forever Publishing through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

I really love me a good back and forth work romance. The smut was top tier. The banter, immaculate. I loved every second of this and I hope Nisha writes more romcoms because she is so good at it!!

I'll be impatiently waiting for her next book now.

This is the bipoc women in stem book I've been waiting for.

True to her brand, Nisha delivers a sexy, page-turning romance, now in rom-com format. Set at a three week company training retreat in Hawaii, the setting is glamorous and immersive with a perfect forced proximity romance (oh no, there's only one room/bed). All that, plus diverse representation and the issues faced by those of marginalized identities.

"There was a time when the idea of smashing through glass in a male-dominated field was thrilling. But over the years, it's just left me as wrung out as a threadbare dishcloth."

Tris's struggle is so very real, and it was immensely cathartic to read how she fights the good fight, messy and uncertain and fierce. Nisha perfectly captures the nuance of Tris's experience and wraps it up with an optimistic ending.

If you're looking for contemporary romance with a strong FMC, look no further! Apparently this is Nisha’s first contemporary romance and she does not disappoint.

It is wonderful and refreshing to see women of colour but also in engineering/STEM represented. Nisha says that this is sort of loosely based on her own personal experiences as a woman in a “man's field”.

This book was spicy and funny although, it was also a little bit predictable-
but also unpredictable! I didnt see the twist- it was so cute and satisfying. I totally recommend if you're looking for a contemporary romance with forced proximity, sharing one room, and enemies to lovers. Such a fun, spicy, unexpected read.


I rated this four and a half stars and I'd say it's a 3 to 4 chili pepper.

🦇 Not Safe For Work Book Review 🦇

❓ What's your favorite book featuring a woman in STEM?

🦇 Engineer Trishara Malik once dreamed of being the first woman of color to smash the glass ceiling at WMC Purcell, but after years of dealing with white male privilege and blatant nepotism, she watches her hard-earned promotion go to her nemesis, Rafe Gallagher—the boss’s son. When she’s chosen to attend WMC's corporate leadership retreat in Hawaii, it’s a dream-like chance to revive her stalled career, until she realizes Rafe is her co-attendee. When they arrive in Maui, a booking error has them stuck sharing the honeymoon suite. As they vie against each other during aptitude tests and team-building exercises, Tris begins to realize Rafe might not be the villain after all. With her dreams at stake, can she learn to trust the man who might have been standing in her corner all along?

💜 SA-WOON. Where can I get a sugar-sweet man like Rafe (with those ARMS) or a sassy smart woman like Tris? Be still, my chaotic bi heart. Let's break it down.

✨ Characters (4/5): Trishara Malik is intelligent, headstrong, done being trampled on by white men (The Khakis) in corporate America, and I am HERE for it. Girl has style, too. And Rafe? Man has all the layers of a multi-tiered cake, but there's hot hot spice hiding under that sugary exterior. Unfortunately, the side characters Tris encounters during their trip are TOO real (they bring the ick, but as Tuli's disclaimer notes, people say and act exactly like that). Loved Tris' ferocity and guardedness given her backstory.

✨ Plot and Pacing (4/5): This book deposits you in Maui like a little vacation from the real world. Despite this being a slow burn, the pacing never stalls; it'll sweep you off your feet as well as Rafe does Tris. Love seeing women crush male-dominated industries, despite the bittersweet reality that we're STILL trying to bust that glass ceiling. Thank you, Tuli, for shining a light on these issues and reminding everyone of something essential: we need to do better.

✨ Romance (5/5): You KNOW I love some sassy banter, and this book DELIVERS. Beyond that, I absolutely loved Rafe's protectiveness (specifically, the tropical storm scene). This slow burn scorches in the best way.

✨ Tone/Prose (2/5): There's some strong figurative and descriptive language at the beginning, but it tapers off too soon.

🦇 Recommended for fans of Sonali Dev and Nisha Sharma.

✨ The Vibes ✨
🌴 Forced Proximity
🌺 Hawaii Retreat
🌴 Only One Bed
🌺 Workplace Rivals to Lovers
🌴 Women in STEM
🌺 Contemporary Romance
🌴 Slow Burn
🌺 Banter
🌴 Women of Color (South Asian FMC)
🌺 Spice

⚠ Trigger Warnings: sexism, racism (including racial microaggressions), nonconsensual touching, mentions of a past incident where an intimate photo was leaked and shared, blackmail

🦇 Major thanks to the author and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #NotSafeForWork

💬 Quotes

He tucks his phone in his back pocket and strides past my cube, throwing me a smirk that conjures up images of fairy tales, villains, and maidens locked in high stone towers.

He’s Lucifer, wearing the disguise of a Ralph Lauren model.

This is the first book I’ve read by Nisha J. Tuli and it was a great time. I enjoyed the romance between the mmc Rafe and fmc Tris. The banter was bantering. It also had some of my favourite tropes. The mutual pining, the slow burn, the forced proximity with only one bed…give me all the tropes! I didn’t feel like it dragged at any point, it was fast-paced and enjoyable. The only thing I didn't love was the storyline with Hannah as I don’t really enjoy OW drama as a trope. Beyond the romance, Not Safe for Work also tackled serious issues faced by women in STEM well, and was empowering to read. Thank you to Netgalley and Forever for this e-arc opportunity! 4.25 stars!

This book has (unsurprisingly) cemented my love for Nisha! I have already read and loved her fantasy work, so I was excited to see what she could do on the contemporary side of things and I am absolutely here for it! (I will even forgive the first chapter henley reference 🙃)

I really enjoyed the forced proximity of the corporate retreat, and thought it was a refreshing change from the usual workplace romance.
The Khakis had me cringing and laughing, because they're so real and also unavoidable. And as a women in the midst of going from one toxic male-dominated field to another, this felt so relatable, but comforting, like complaining with your friends who actually get it.

I loved Trishara's journey through this experience because it felt so real. Too often people put this toxic positivity spin on it, but Nisha did not shy away from the reality of these environments and the effects they have on women, especially women of colour. Tris gets to have all the normal and real emotions and reactions to everything, and Nisha manages to do this without making the story incredibly depressing.

I also really loved that the HEA was not just for Tris and Rafe's relationship (but I won't say more because spoilers). The ending/epilogue made me so happy!

Thanks to Forever and NetGalley for the arc!

This book is hot. Like, sizzling hot. Trishara and Rafe hate each other so good - I was feral from the very beginning. I’m not surprised by Nisha J. Tuli’s writing - her skill knows no bounds. But for this being her first foray outside the romantasy genre? You’d never know it. She slips into contemporary romance like she was born to do it.

I try not to compare books, but this gave me everything I wanted from The Hating Game and didn’t get. Workplace rivals to lovers where she actually hates him. Rafe cataloging every little facet of Trishara - but in a way that feels observant, not stalker-y. Their constant competitions, subtle sabotage, the electric tension of being two brilliant people trying to outdo each other? Absolutely delicious.

And Trishara? She is that girl from page one. She’s smart, sharp, and unapologetically driven. She doesn’t even want this job, but she’s still pouring herself into it and calling out the systemic bullshit around her. Watching her clock the retreat “opportunity” for the performative diversity stunt it was? Iconic. And then demanding every possible benefit out of it? Even better. This book doesn’t forget it’s set in the real world, where workplace challenges hit different when you’re not white and not a man. Trishara navigates that with power and precision, and it adds so much richness to her story. She’s a badass, period.

And Rafe. Rafe. He’s passionate, infuriating, magnetic - and the way he cares for her is so obvious to everyone but her. The storm scene?? The stairwell?? I have not recovered.

Nisha J. Tuli didn’t just dip a toe into romance, she cannonballed in and made a splash. I need everyone to read this book immediately.

**Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for the e-arc of this book! All thoughts are my own.

I'm sorry but this one was not for me! I got bored :(

Trish actively hates Rafe for like 50% of the book but also is clearly obsessed with him so it was just kinda eh to read? Rafe doesn't like job and but being a nepo baby he still has to work but he as secret deeper passions. When he gets caught drawing beautiful stunning landscapes and portraits its like oh! He wants to be an artist! but jk?? he's actually a super famous baking influencer?? With ton's of followers and yet she's never heard of him? Also, he has a stalker ex thats constantly being used for drama but we never actually see any of that get resolved. He just shows up to grand gesture Trish while being on INSTAGRAM LIVE???

It takes them until at least like 60% of the book to do anything spicy and its brief. I wanted to like this one but alas!!

Upon finishing this book I am indeed due for a tropical vacation with my mans.

This was such a fun enemies to lovers, women in STEM book. Trishara and Rafe are rivals at their company WMC and are flung together during a company retreat to Maui (can you say, only one room?) The setting of this book in Maui was so dreamy and immediately turned up the intensity on the tension between Rafe and Tris.

I loved all the cheesy team building exercises that they were forced into and ultimately took way too seriously just to get under each other’s skin. And the second there was a crack in that disdain shield and Rafe’s desire for Tris began to trickle out, I was hooked. Their chemistry was so palpable and I loved their banter. I also enjoyed as the book went on the depth of both Tris and Rafe’s characters and how they weren’t your typical engineer rivals.

Overall, this was such a fun read and would be the perfect summer romance to take on a beach vacation.

A quick paced, flirty workplace rom-com that features (my favorite) enemies-to-lovers trope. I enjoyed how it tackled diversity and being a woman in corporate America, balancing out the seriousness of that with the fun and sexy dynamic of the romance. Tris and Rafe were amazing characters, and I especially liked the female friendships featured here.

🌸 Trishara is a go-getter and hard worker. I’m glad she stood her ground when her company failed her and realized her worth. You go, girl!

🌸 I think women, specially women of color, will find Trishara’s struggles in a male-dominated field relatable.

🌸 Rafe is sort of a people pleaser especially when it comes to his family. Expected to follow his father’s footsteps and stay in the family business, he couldn’t a actively pursue his own secret passion (which was totally unexpected!)

🌸 Rafe can also be a sweetheart, and you can tell that underneath his rivalry with Trishara is admiration.

🌸 The Hawaii paradise is a pefect setting for their romance! The close proximity forced them to debunk their assumptions about each other and get to know one another on a more personal and intimate level. I enjoyed seeing their relationship grow from rivalry to an unlikely friendship and then to something more.

🌸 This was my first Nisha J Tuli, and it did not disappoint! Love that this was inspired by her early career as an engineer. I can tell this story holds a special place for the author.

✨ Workplace romance
✨ Forced proximity
✨ One bed
✨ South-Asian representation
✨ Women in STEM

thank you to @readforever for the e-arc!

This was my first Nisha Tuli book and I highly enjoyed it!

As a Southeast Asian female in a male dominated field, I could definitely see so many parallels with Tris and my own personal experience. I could even relate to the chronic pain- how we are still forced to grin and bear it like nothing is happening. I love how strong Tris was and that she was a total badass and didn't take bs from those people who attempted to bring her down every step of the way. I was rooting her so much!!

The banter between Tris and Rafe was too fun and I loved how you can totally tell there was some mutual pining going on. This will probably be one of my top reads already, and I've already got my physical copy pre-order!

Thanks so much for the ARC opportunity!!

One thing about Nisha J. Tuli is that she'll write the most tension-filled slowburn!! As someone who has loved Nisha's fantasy books and also reads a ton of contemporary romance, I really think this was a solid contemporary debut. I had a lot of fun squealing at the tension between Rafe and Trisha, especially during any jealousy or forced proximity scene. I also appreciated some of the subplots of the story, including Trisha's chronic migraines, Rafe's inclination towards art and baking, and Trisha's struggle to thrive in a deeply sexist and racist work environment. I could have done without some of the excess other woman drama, but that is a personal preference for me.

Where this book fell a little short for me was honestly the workplace romance aspect. I know that that is the whole point and the romance sub-genre of this book, but some of the scenes felt so unrealistic and unnatural. I was shocked at the number of times Rafe boldly made comments about Trisha's body, walked around her half naked, got overly possessive about her in front of other colleagues, etc.. Like....someone needs to call HR immediately! I think I would have appreciated more subtle signs of interest or affection between the two leading up to the end of the book, rather than the insta-lust. However, Nisha is known for writing books with high heat and insta-lust vibes, so I don't think other fans of hers will be too surprised. Overall, I think I'd rate this book 4 stars.

ARC review:
3.5 ⭐️ (rounded up on good reads) for Not Safe for Work by Nisha J Tuli

This was a fun rivals to lovers romance, with a beachy setting. Tris is repeatedly and unfairly passed over for a promotion at her office job. She is a woman of color competing in a male dominated field. The boss’s son Rafe has no such issues with moving up. The two are bitter rivals until they are both selected to attend a conference at a beach resort.
I loved that the fmc, Tris was a confident woman who was not afraid to speak up for herself. Rafe was an absolute gem, who was protective and kind. The misunderstanding each others motives was super frustrating. Watching Tris and Rafe compete in silly conference games was funny. While I loved that the fmc was strong, I hated to see her anger aimed in the wrong direction. While there was growth between the Tris and Rafe, I felt like I wanted more of an emotional connection. The physical connection was off the charts though. Overall it was a quick romance that represented a strong woman breaking the glass ceiling that I think is worth the read!
Thanks to Netgalley and Forever for the opportunity to read this e-arc.

Not Safe for Work by Nisha J Tuli releases May 20, 2025

This is my first book by Nisha J. Tuli and I can say it won’t be my last! This was a steamy, slow-burn romance that had me giggling at the banter and how badly they clearly wanted each other haha. Here we follow Trishara(Tris) a determined female engineer who has to navigate the challenges of a traditionally male-dominated industry, and her rivals to lovers dynamic with Rafe, the CEO’s son. All my favorites tropes are here: forced-proximity, one bed/one hotel room, enemies to lovers and were all super well done! What I loved: the authentic depiction of Trisha’s struggles as a BIPOC woman in STEM. She encounters microaggressions, sexism and the pressure to succeed. Rafe had his moments but his character development didn’t feel quite as fleshed out as I would’ve liked although his comebacks and dirty talk were 👩🏻‍🍳 💋

My only gripe is the drama with Rafe’s ex went on a little too long for me but that’s just my personal preference.

All in all, a solid read! Thank you to @nishajtwrites and @readforeverpub for the Arc in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for a digital ARC of Not Safe for Work. I gave this 4 stars, but I think I would round down to 3.75 if I could.

I enjoyed this story. I liked the plot and the characters and the tension/banter was chef's kiss. I can't explain why I'm not rating it higher, but I didn't feel the thing at the end where I have to tell everyone about this book. I don't have any complaints and would read future books from her. I'm also interested in her fantasy now, too.

Nisha J. Tuli's Not Safe for Work marks a compelling shift from her fantasy roots into the realm of contemporary romance, delivering a vibrant, trope-filled workplace rom-com that balances humor with heartfelt social commentary.​

The novel follows Trishara Malik, a sharp-witted, biracial engineer navigating the challenges of being a woman of color in a predominantly male industry. Her professional life takes an unexpected turn when she's paired with her long-time workplace rival, Rafe Gallagher—the charismatic son of the company's CEO—for a leadership retreat in Hawaii. A booking mishap forces them to share a honeymoon suite, setting the stage for a classic enemies-to-lovers narrative infused with forced proximity and simmering tension. ​

Tuli's personal experience in engineering lends authenticity to the narrative, particularly in portraying the subtle and overt instances of sexism and racism Trishara faces. Reviewers have lauded the novel for its realistic depiction of workplace microaggressions and the protagonist's resilience.

Ok this was a fü€%ing delight.
A lemon tart scented balm on a weary soul.
Competitive zingers as years long foreplay?
Indeed, that pleases me.
Arc review: 5 ⭐️