ARC REVIEW - Release Date: May 20th, 2025

I have never met a Nisha J. Tuli book I didn't like. I am so used to her fantasy romances, but this contemporary romance took me by total surprise in the best way. This book was amazing. The banter, the rivals to lovers energy, the LONGING AND YEARNING, the attention brought to not only just women in the workplace, but women of color in the workplace. Everything was so beautiful in this book and you just wanted to read another 400 pages about them. It was the perfect setting, the perfect length, the perfect characters, everything.

Tris & Rafe have my whole heart. I cannot wait for everyone to be able to read this so I can YAPP!!!!

Disclaimer: Thank you to Hachette Book Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this Advanced Reader Copy. All opinions are my own.

Wow. Not Safe for Work was everything I wanted and more! As a huge fan of both the rivals-to-lovers trope and the only-one-bed trope, I was absolutely hooked from the first chapter. Nisha J. Tuli masterfully weaves together sharp banter, sizzling tension, and heartwarming moments into a story that had me grinning, swooning, and desperately turning pages to see what trouble Tris and Rafe would get into next.

And let me tell you—this slow burn? Chef’s kiss. Every moment between Tris and Rafe was layered with the kind of tension that makes you want to scream at the characters to just kiss already (but in the best possible way). Their dynamic was the perfect mix of frustration and undeniable chemistry, making every stolen glance and reluctant moment of closeness all the more rewarding. The payoff? Absolutely worth the wait.

Beyond the romance, this book was funny, sweet, and full of hope. Tris is a fantastic protagonist—strong, determined, and wonderfully relatable—and Rafe is the kind of grumpy, guarded love interest who surprises you with just how deep his emotions run. Their journey together felt so natural and satisfying, and I loved every second of it.

This was my first book by Nisha J. Tuli, but it definitely won’t be my last! I’m already making plans to dive into her backlist, because if Not Safe for Work is anything to go by, I have been seriously missing out. If you love workplace romance with razor-sharp wit, undeniable chemistry, and all the best tropes, do yourself a favor and pick this one up.

Unfortunately, when the love interest is an asshole for the first half of the story and the reader doesn’t get his POV to redeem him at all, I cannot route for the couple. So while the idea was great - good ole enemies to lovers at work - I couldn’t get on board with the execution and it overall fell quite flat

Nisha J. Tuli has decided to dive into the world of contemporary romance, and what a great decision it was!

Grab this book for the following:
***Workplace Romance
*** Forced Proximity - one room, one bed
*** Enemies to Lovers
*** Paradise location
*** Plenty of laugh out loud moments

“He’s Lucifer, wearing the disguise of a Ralph Lauren model.” So many funny moments in this book; I really enjoyed the slow burn of this one. They’ve hated each other for a long time….but not really! This was a quick and fun read, and I look forward to more books like this from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC of this novel; all opinions are my own.

What a fun, fast paced enemies to lovers rom com! This was the perfect time to read while I’ve been dreaming of the warm sun and sandy beaches. I’ll definitely be reading Tuli’s backlog of books now!

I really wanted to love this book but it honestly fell a bit flat for me. Was it a fun, quick read? Some good banter and angst with a good payoff? Yeah. It was. But the main characters were acting so childish a lot of the time and it was…. Not my favorite. I have loved most of Nisha J Tuli’s other books. Like a lot. So I will always recommend her as an author. But this one…. 🤷🏻‍♀️.

Review up on Goodreads

This was basically just The Hating Game in Hawaii with BIPOC representation. It was marketed as being women-in-STEM but there was very little mention of what Tris actually does. I really would have liked Rafe's POV.

I discovered Nisha from her fantasy books, particularly the Artefacts of Ouranos series. I’ve read almost all of her books now. I particularly appreciate how she addresses conflicts that arise when a biracial woman in STEM works in a male-dominated office environment. I LOVED the steamy and slow-burn romance in all of her books and this one didn’t disappoint. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am excited if she continues writing in this genre. At this point everything that Nisha writes I will read it! I know I’ll enjoy all of her books if she does.

Thank you, NetGalley and Forever, for providing me with this ARC.

I really enjoyed this book! Couldn't put it down! Banter is goals!

I adore workplace romance. As a woman in male industry it's so understandable for me, i really feel it! Trishara is fantastic!
Rafe is a good example of rivals to lovers MC, hit all the ticks! Great plot with this corporate Hawaii escape!

Slow burn was just delicious!

Tropes to be expected:
- slow burn
- workplace
- one bed
- rivals to lovers

Delightful reading, definitely will recommend it in my bookstagram. Perfect book for some tropical escape.

Thoroughly enjoyed this fun workplace romcom which offered an escape from the stress of real life. Rafe is utterly swoon worthy with just a hint of alpha hole while Tris is a fierce woman who won’t back down from her values. Perfect story for readers who enjoy forced proximity and rivals to lovers.

I loved this soooo much! The rivalry, the tension, the slow build of sexual tension! Not to mention the fact that this man is so obviously gone over our FMC and she has absolutely no idea. (one of my fav tropes). And then we get that moment where the tension finally breaks??? Amazing. Of course we end with a HEA that is soooo soooo satisfying.

Tris really is That Girl. I love that though her personal and professional growth she takes no shit from anyone. As a corporate work girlie she gets to do and say all the things I wish I could scream at the top of my lungs some days. Its just as satisfying to live vicariously through her for this as it is the romance.

Also can we talk about the little nod to her fantasy works??? Love that Tris is reading Nisha's other books though out the story!

Cannot recommend this one enough.

I have the biggest giddy grin on my face and it’s way past my bedtime.

Did I just binge read that book in 24hrs? Yes…yes I did! And I have no regrets!

I found Nisha J Tuli through her Artifacts of Ouranos series (which you need to check out) and was fortune to have found out this particular little bundle was in the works.

Think women in STEM, work trip, glitch with the hotel room (one bed kinda thing) and you have the bigger ingredients of what make up Not Safe for Work. Throw in two MCs that aren’t completely what you expect but in the best way possible and you have the perfect recipe for time well spent.

I love Trishara and her back bone, couple that with Rafe and the banter and I could let put it down.

I can’t wait for you to be able to get your hands on this one when it comes out in May!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

🌺Rivals to Lovers

🏝️Workplace Romance

🌺One Bed

🏝️Women in STEM

🌺Chronic Pain Rep

“Maybe the universe wasn’t ready yet. Maybe we needed this place and this moment first.”

I love everything Nisha J. Tuli writes and this may not be a fantasy book but it sure is fantastic! This book follows Tris and Rafe, both employees at the same company. Tris is a woman of color trying to smash the glass ceiling at this company but after years of dealing with sexism, racism, and nepotism she’s finally chosen to attend the corporate leadership retreat in Hawaii. Rafe is the boss’s son and they’ve become enemies over the years of working together and he’s also attending the retreat.

Once they get to Hawaii they run into multiple problems including being stuck in the same room 👀 Years of competition and angst finally explode as they attend team building exercises and share a room. The tension and banter between these two is everything you want and need. Although the book is overall fun and lighthearted it really shows the real life struggle of what women of color in STEM fields deal with.

Also the first kiss scene is perfection, the tension, the buildup, the intensity, and the arguing afterwards 😂 I LOVED IT!

“A break on the rocks. A star dropped from the sky. This. Is. A. Reckoning.”

Overall, this is a fantastic book that a lot of people need to read!

I feel like this could have benefitted from a dual POV. I love workplace romances and a one-bed trope, but this just missed the mark for me. I was all in and then the kendra’s with Rafe’s ex just took me out of the story. She made Rafe seem so cowardly and while I can handle a little other woman drama, this was just too much for me. I’m also not a fan of “It’s always been you” when he had a whole girlfriend he was intimate with and would have eventually married, even if she was just comfortable because they have known each other for so long.

Super cute romance book. I really enjoyed the romance part of the book but I loved how it showed what is like for a female to be in a male dominated field. How the main character feels about her career and the struggles of figuring out when she needs to speak up for herself is very relatable

Not Safe for Work? Not Safe for My Wellbeing.

The banter. The tension. The spice. *chef's kiss* truly amazing.
The perfect workplace romance. The tension between the main characters had me on the edge of my seat. This was a SLOW BURN. I love my slow burns and I ATE THIS UP.

Our main characters are both selected to attend a workplace conference for top aspiring leaders in their company for 3 weeks in Hawaii. Our MMC, Rafe, is the boss's son and our FMC, Tris, is a biracial woman in a STEM field so there are major tensions building between them as Tris has been passed up for many promotions previously over the years. Tris has been trying to avoid Rafe but after a mix up, they end up having to share a suite at the hotel together. There are many tropes in this book but it is sooo well done, you don't even know you're reading them because you will be having such a good time. I could relate to Tris so much just being a woman in a STEM field myself. And the ending with Rafe being a pastry chef was actually the CUTEST thing ever and I'm obsessed.

Tropes:
Rivals to Lovers
One Bed
Workplace romance
forced proximity

I had SUCH a fun time reading this book!! I saw the ARC available on NetGalley and I loved the synopsis so figured I would try it out...I did not realized that Nisha J. Tuli also wrote Trial of the Sun Queen which has been on my TBR for years and I will definitely be picking up sooner rather than later because this writing was amazing.

I would have finished this book in one sitting but I made myself put it down multiple times to try to savor it LOL.

Thank you to NetGalley and Nisha J. Tuli for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Cute read, will be looking at other books done by this author! Really cute idea behind it, enjoyed the workplace enemy romance

This was such a cute fun book that gave off the same fun vibes as The Hating Game by Sally Thorne. Engineer Trishara Malik has been under appreciated and overworked at WMC Purcell for the last five years. After her well earned promotion is given to her workplace nemesis, Rafe Gallagher - the boss's son, she stops trying and starts accepting that the career she's in is going to be full of nepotism and white male privilege. To her astonishment, she's selected to attend WMC's corporate leadership retreat in Hawaii. Three weeks in a tropical paradise, the chance to compete for a spot in the executive training program, what can go wrong?

You guessed it folks. Rafe is the other person who has nominated to go from her branch. In true romancelandia fashion, when they get to Hawaii they discover a booking error has them staying in not only the same suite, but in the HONEYMOON SUITE. Chaos ensues.

This was fun! I genuinely enjoyed it. It just didn't stand out all that much for me. It felt like the book either should have been longer, or less issues should have been tackled. There was just so much going on for these characters that didn't have a clear resolution at the end, but the book can only be so long. Chronic migraines and systematic sexist/racism aren't things that can be solved within a three week romance novel, but I would have liked to see some repercussions for those who were blatantly in the wrong.

So much of this book was taken up by describing how hot the characters are or the exact outfit that the FMC was wearing, but not enough to the actual feelings of the characters. I know they're hot & wearing stylish clothes, but I want more than that lol. The old adage "show don't tell" comes to mind. So much of the tension was told rather than shown, I feel like it undermined the love story a little bit.

Although this was a fun read, it was missing something for me to rate it higher than average. I think others would really love this one, but it just wasn't for me.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Forever for giving me an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

NISHAAAAA! You did not disappoint girl! I have been waiting for this one since I heard you talking about it last year at a book signing you did. I am so over the moon to have been asked to ARC read this. You stepped out of the fantasy realm and did AMAZING! I'm so glad to have followed you over. The fmc & mmc are a delight! Ooooobssesed with his love for her and how he has shown it since forever. The ending?! CHEFS KISS! Dare I say I want more somewhere, someway though? BTW The "khakis" had me on the floor LOL BRAVE NISHA!!!!!!

Three weeks in Hawaii, paid for by work, and a handsome travel buddy. What could go wrong? When Tris has to take the trip with her work nemesis, Rafe, she is hesitant to even go because of the office politics at play. They have some incredible banter as they navigate whether they hate each other or actually hate to be apart.
Nisha J. Tuli has written some phenomenal romantasy and her foray into rom-com territory did not disappoint. The depth of these characters immerses the reader in the story. She tackles topics such as being a woman in STEM, chronic pain, and microaggressions so beautifully and it is a window into experiences some may not have even thought about.
Thank you to Forever Publishers for this fun ARC through @NetGalley!