Thank you Forever Publishing and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review. I really liked the concept of this one and hadn’t read any of Nishas previous works (but heard good things about the romantasy series).

However this did not work for me and fell flat in many parts. I did enjoy the representation of bipoc women in STEM and how we see the toxic, and unfortunately real, dynamic in a male dominated workplace. I was intrigued with Tris and Rafes connection in the beginning, but as I kept reading, I couldn’t understand how we had gotten here. There was too much miscommunication and back and forth between them and became too repetitive. There was hardly any depth between them and didn’t really believe their connection.

Overall, the execution didn’t deliver what I was hoping for.

This was my first novel from Nisha Tuli and I'll definitely be going to read her back list! The writing style was very enjoyable and I liked the storyline. I did think the "enemies" part was a bit overhyped. Rafe and Trishara were workplace rivals at best. However overall, they went from not liking each other (supposedly) to liking each other and it was a perfect palate cleanser read in between heavier content books!

I wanted to love this, but the first half of the book was a bit of a slog unfortunately. I liked the way Tish stood up for herself and the way that part of her story ended, but the dynamic between her and Rafe wasn't great. I think in an enemies to lovers romance there's a very fine line between a playful rivalry and what feels malicious, enhanced when one of them is marginalized and the other holds a significant amount of power. The balance of that dynamic in this one feels off to me, particularly in the first half or so. I also think the book could really have benefited from dual POV. It gets significantly better when they're on the trip, and they grow on me, but the overall messiness of their dynamic (Hannah too) and refusal to communicate even the most basic of things makes it harder to root for them/enjoy the romance.

Oh my god Nisha J Tuli is now an auto buy author for me. I loved her romantasy series Artefacts of Ouranos. Reading Not Safe for Work was just the right amount of yearning, because lets be real Rafe does in fact yearn to be with Trish, that story really sells its self. These people who are rivals and may or may not like each other are forced to be on a work retreat... even better yet they have to share a suite AND there is only one bed.

I love the tropes in this book and the fact that we got it all set in the beautiful Hawaii backdrop, just perfect no notes. Nisha also does a really good job at setting a good pace for the story that makes you yourself yearn for the moment that they do actually get together wink wink. I couldn't have asked for a better book for summer.

I could not put this down! As a female engineer, I related to Tris almost immediately. I loved the way she portrayed Tris’ burnout and feeling stuck in her job. Honestly she was such a badass and loved how she questioned the decision for her being chosen for the retreat. I love how she stood up for Rafe against his dad and her f*ck you email was iconic as hell!

Tris and Rafe had so much tension! I loved them together, they had great banter, but I do wish we saw more of their interactions in the office.

This was such a cute romance, I hope Nisha does more in the future!! I LOVED her writing style.

I was super excited to get to read Nisha J Tuli’s new book since I love her fantasy novels and was super curious about how a contemporary romance would be from her.
I enjoyed this unique look into the engineering world with a fun vacation feeling spin to it. The novel hit the hard topics like sexism and racism in the workplace while also leaving room for a great romance to bloom. I will be honest the fmc was hard for me to like at first but she grew as a character a lot and became a part of both a friend group and relationship I enjoyed reading about. Needless to say I am looking forward to more from Nisha J Tuli’s new book in both the contemporary and fantasy world.

Squealed when she mentioned what was happening in her current read (IYKYK)! There were moments that I loved! The spice was great too. There were just also many moments I was left frustrated that overshadowed their story for me. Especially the constant miscommunication/lack of communication.
And then Trish… for an adult that’s trying to advance at her career, she could be extremely immature. I didn’t understand the pills either. It gave addiction vibes, but also left me wondering if she had an unknown medical condition causing the severe headaches.

Coming May 20, 2025! This delightful little escape is the debut contemporary romance from Nisha J Tuli 💜 The way I devoured this book! The female lead was funny and smart. While the book is a rom-com, it also delves into more serious topics like toxic workplaces and micro-aggressions. Not to spoil anything but there's a letter at the end that is chef's-kiss-perfection!

🌺 Forced Proximity
🌺 Work Place
🌺 One Bed
🌺 Enemies to Lovers
🌺 Slow Burn
🌺 Yearning

Thank you to the author, Forever Publishing, and NetGalley for this e-ARC.

I picked this book up solely for the WOC representation though I'm not biracial. I went into this knowing there would be a good deal of smut which I don't enjoy but I'm not judging that because this was my choice. I didn't find Trishara to be very likeable unfortunately, a lot of interactions involving her felt super immature, especially for her age. Some things felt so off like something a teenager would do, not a grown woman on a work trip. Yes, there's angst and banter and a handful of scenes that I enjoyed, but also there's so much that didn't add up especially when I grabbed this book wanting a touch of reality (and I don't think I was wrong in expecting that.

Rating: 3.5/5

Thank you Nisha J. Tuli and Forever for an ARC of this book via NetGalley.

I really wanted to love this book but I didn’t quite get there. That said, I think it has enough potential that if it sounds at all interesting to you, I would still encourage you to go ahead and give it a try!

Right off the bat, this gave me Hating Game vibes and I *loved* The Hating Game. Cue my excitement for this book. I loved Tris. I loved her strength in fighting for herself but I also felt her exhaustion after years of settling at the only job she could get (and I am still LIVID on her behalf at what happened). Now presented with a long overdue opportunity to advance her career, should she take full advantage of it or should she pivot? I wish the story explored this conundrum further. The story took place during a retreat that could lead to an even greater opportunity and while we did see her strive for that coveted opening, it never felt like the focus of her story even tho it should have been. The retreat activities meant to demonstrate this felt short and fleeting, and provided little insight into the struggles she had to navigate as a woman in a male-dominated field. To be clear, we did see some of it and she did share her past experiences with us (which I appreciated) but the activities seemed more to move the story in time rather than to deepen our understanding. And that critical decision she had to make? To continue or change course? We didn’t even get an inkling the latter was on the table until the last hour so it felt unnecessarily sudden. And the events that led up to and including the critical point could have been so much more powerful had it been more developed prior to. As it was, it felt like it was included last minute to force a slowing plot to move along.

Rafe was also presented as a character with a lot of potential but unfortunately felt underdeveloped. He faced familial struggles that bled into his professional discontent but bc we only saw what Tris saw and he didn’t share much beyond feeling stymied, we didn’t see him make progress in addressing any of his issues. And when he finally did, it happened off-page and was briefly mentioned towards the ends as the book wrapped up. As a result, his personal journey felt rushed. Were we happy he finally did something for himself? Sure. But we didn’t get to share in that emotional victory bc we weren’t with him in any of it.

Unfortunately, I also found the connection between Tris and Rafe underwhelming. We *do* get a few heart-to-hearts and I LOVED those moments bc they felt real and intimate. But their interactions before they got together felt a little repetitive, namely the ones stoking Rafe’s jealousy. And when they finally decided to try, I understood Tris’ reservations but the way her insecurity was triggered also felt repetitive (as in the how, not her feeling insecure in and of itself). It felt like it relied on Rafe and his ex which, as a plot line, felt unnecessarily long. And it’s not that I thought Rafe should have been able to resolve the conflict quickly (communication is hard, I know that), but it recycled what felt like a single tactic to stay relevant throughout most of the story and at that point, with only Tris’ POV and no further insight, it started to feel stale. And in all honesty, I think I needed more from Tris and Rafe to fully believe their romance. I didn’t necessarily doubt them but I also wasn’t fully invested.

On the whole, I think this book had a lot of potential and while it fell short for me, I *do* think this book will be right for someone.

CN: open-door romance, sexism and racial microaggressions, nonconsensual touching, recounting of an incident involving the sharing of an intimate image from a past relationship

NISHAAAAA 🥵 dipping her toes in the realm of contemporary romance and boy she did not disappoint. I love everything she writes so I’m not surprised but I genuinely loved this.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hackett Book Group for the this ARC. The experiences shared in this book really resonated with me, as I’m sure they do with most women who have worked in male dominated fields. It was handled well and wasn’t over done. Not being able to relate to your coworkers while they make no effort to relate to you is a scar for me, so my rating does not reflect how I feel about the quality of this book, it was just very triggering.

4.5 stars. Not Safe for Work is a contemporary workplace romance about Tishara and Rafe who appear to be enemies at work but things change at a leadership retreat. Tishara always said she hated Rafe especially since he's the boss's son who is clearly favored for promotions, etc. They are both chosen for a leadership retreat and are accidentally booked in the same suite. Over the course of 3 weeks, they spend more and more time together forcing them to face their true feelings.

I really loved this book! I've enjoyed the Trial is the Sun King series so I assumed I would enjoy a contemporary romance by the author as well. I think it acurately portrayed how women and BIPOC can be treated in the workplace. The tension between the MCs was great and I loved his protectiveness of her. Highly recommend!

Thank you to Forever - Grand City Publishing for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Not Safe for Work by Nisha J. Tuli is a masterpiece rivals to lovers workplace romance filled with bickering and banter and swoon!

I absolutely loved this book. It is my first read by this author and will not be my last. I loved this story for the romance but another thing I loved about this book was Trishara. As a woman that works in the STEM field, I cannot emphasis enough how realistic and harsh that workplace is. As a woman, you always have to work harder and better and with a smile on your face and it is so hard when you're smarter, harder working and a man takes your place anyways dealing with white privilege, nepotism and that is exactly what Trishara faces and seeing her have to grin and bare it, I felt a connection to her and we meet her nemesis Rafe, on the surface the hate is mutual and they bicker and banter and argue but we can see as readers how much he admires her and has feelings for her so when they are stuck together in Hawaii, well that just makes it all better. I loved seeing how he acknowledges her and validates her and thinks the world of her while having a secret of his own and how they make it work. Their chemistry? off the charts. I love them as a couple so much and seeing how things end felt perfect, justified and so romantic. I cannot emphasis enough how people need to read it! ITS SO GOOD!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever publishing for the advanced copy!

I really enjoyed this book and finished it in just a few hours. The pining, the yearning, the ONLY ONE BED was the perfect recipe for an easy to read romance. The characters both grew as people throughout the book and I love it when women take ZERO shit like Tris.

I am a fan of Nisha and have read her other books. I loved this one as much as her romantasy novels. She’s becoming a must read for me.

I have heard great things about Nisha J. Tulli and her romantasy books. Not being that much of a romantasy reader myself, I jumped of this chance to read her first contemporary romance to see why people love her books.
When it comes to the writing itself, I enjoyed it. However, being in the brain of the FMC was exhausting. She struggled a lot with her feelings, and lashed out a couple of times bc she was suspicious about everything coming out of the MMC's mouth. I also found the reason for the MMC <spoiler>answering calls from his ex</spoiler> flimsy at best. Boundaries, do you know her?
I wish I had loved this more. It wasn't bad, but I felt so drained from the FMC's pov of the story, that it took over the good things.
Loved the corporate girlie rep, and the difficulties women face in that world, especially woman of color.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to Forever for the ARC of this book! This one was an absolute blast and I read it basically in one sitting. I was immediately drawn into the story and the main character was super likeable. The book follows Tris, who is an engineer in a male dominated field. When she is given the opportunity to go on a company sponsored work retreat in Hawaii, she is initially frustrated because she has been passed over for multiple promotions. She decides to make the most of the experience anyways and finds herself immediately in the orbit of Rafe, her coworker and work nemesis. This book was a super fun enemies to lovers story line and I loved reading about Rafe and Tris finding their way to each other. This was the perfect rom com with just the right amount of depth. I will definitely look for more romances from her in the future. An easy five star read! Loved it!

There is so much to love about this book!! Tris and Rafe are rivals at work, but are forced to go to a tropical company leadership training together…. But their assistant accidentally only books one room. Plus there’s tons of competitions throughout this leadership training to earn a coveted spot in the company… que the chaos. I loved the beach vibe and the fancy hotel suite vibe!

I think anyone who’s ever been wronged at work will EAT THIS UP. Let’s just say there’s a little email at the end in which grievances are aired…. And it’s epic!

🏝️ workplace
🏝️ rivals to lovers
🏝️ woman in STEM x boss’s son
🏝️ forced proximity
🏝️ only one bed

There were so many funny parts that left me with a smirk!
➡️ “I know it’s childish, but I mouth the words I hate you as I exit the bar and return to my room.”
➡️ “Squeezing my hands, I force myself to look into the sun’s blinding light. Maybe if I fry my retinas, Rafe won’t be such a distraction.”

There were also swoony parts that left me with heart eyes!
😍 “I want someone who makes me feel a little like I’m...burning in the best kind of way.”
😍 “Ships sink. Tornadoes spin. Volcanoes erupt. No one has ever kissed me like this.”

This is a cute and fun work place romance. The characters are ok, but the banter is good and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

DNF at 48%

This book is the reason I loathe contemporary romance but I saw some people saying such good things I decided to give it a go. I should have just stuck to my preconceived notions.

Tris is the worst character I have ever read about. She thinks so highly of herself and believes she deserves the things she said she’s worked for but I see no evidence to support it. All I see is her hating those around her, thinking she is better than them but acting less than them.
Yes, she is in a male dominated field and yes, they are highly misogynistic but her reactions to her situation makes her seem like a whiny baby.

Throw in her feelings for Rafe and she is just acting like a damn child. I see that he is poking at her and that he enjoys it but she just comes off as hostile. Then when she wants to be nice and he responds in kind she gets angry and suspicious of him.

They had a nice moment up until that 48% mark and then her attitude ruins it again. I had to stop for peace of mind. I’ll skip to the end to see how it all plays out but I won’t keep reading this.