I was so excited to be approved for the audio ARC of Not Safe for Working after missing out on the e-book. But I was just as excited to be approved for the audio version. The narrator did an amazing job and had me believing I was listening to a duet rather than one narrator at times. This book checked almost all my boxes for a great read:

Vulnerable MMC
Women in STEM
One Bed
They both fall but he falls hardest
Enemies to Lovers
Protector MMC
Emotional moments

It wasn’t an instant five stars for me because, while it absolutely fired me up and hit a lot of my favorite tropes, I didn’t quite get that one pivotal emotional moment where I fully connected with the characters on a deep level or felt my heart break for them.
I also want to mention that parts of this book were really icky for me at times due to the chauvinistic, gross behavior of certain male characters in the workplace. It was hard to read, and my heart truly hurts for anyone who has experienced similar situations in real life.

About the book:
Engineer Trishara Malik once dreamed of being the first woman of color to smash the glass ceiling at WMC Purcell, but after years of battling privilege and nepotism, she watches her promotion go to her nemesis, Rafe Gallagher, the boss’s son. Burned out and frustrated, Tris gets a last-chance opportunity to attend a leadership retreat in Hawaii. The only catch, Rafe is her co-attendee, and a booking error forces them to share the honeymoon suite. As sparks and tensions fly, Tris starts to see Rafe in a new light and must decide if her biggest rival could actually be the person standing in her corner.

Thank you to Hachette Audio | Forever and NetGalley for the ARC of Not Safe for Working by Nisha J. Tuli.

THIS WAS THE <i>PERFECT</i> ROMCOM. Workplace enemies to lovers who are forced to share a suite when their company books them for a single room for the conference in Hawaii they were selected to attend? There's care-taking and swoony one-liners and lots of spice and he comforts her when there's a tropical storm?? Also some very relevant conversations about DEI in the workplace, particularly in regards to what women of color face in the corporate STEM.

*--Advanced Listening Copy--*

First off, a big thank you to NetGalley for providing me the ability to listen to Not Safe for Work early via an ALC.

Now for my thoughts on this audiobook!

I absolutely loved the narrator for this book. I also loved the premise of this book. I, myself, am a woman engineer and have faced a lot of the atrocities that Trishara faced throughout this book. Nisha's intro to the book was spectacular, especially stating that you may think "there is no way someone would really say/do that" but it surely is the case that there are so many men out there that feel so self righteous, powerful, and untouchable that they say and do the things mentioned in this book.

Now with that behind us, I loved the character development throughout the story for both the FMC and MMC. I love how much of a badass Trishara is!!! We should all aspire to be Trishara in our lives. Bold, fierce, and accepting nothing less than what she deserves. I'm so happy that Trishara and Rafe found their voices and accepted nothing less than they deserved. Rafe following his passion and Trishara calling out WMC and her professional idol were such big empowerment moments.

All that to say, I loved this audiobook. I loved the slow burn romance. I love a good office romance. I love a great enemies-to-lovers story. This book has all the great tropes that make my heart sing.

My only criticism is that I don't feel that Hannah (the ex-girlfriend) needed to have such a big part in their story. I think there was enough character development and plot there for Rafe with his family dramas that Hannah wasn't full necessary. Not every romance novel needs that 3rd act breakup and I think this one could have done without it and been just fine! That's why I've knocked a star off and am rating this a 4/5.

DNF at 50%

Trope after trope after trope. And not in a fun way. I understand what the author was trying to do with the plot but my gosh it just didn’t land. The FMC was so unlikable and her reactions were so out of left field I couldn’t take anymore. And the MMC was so vanilla and bland and his entire persona was his abs and his ex girlfriend. Pass.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

First: Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for this ALC!

I am calling it now this will be the book of the summer! Also, this is an amazing beach read!

You can feel the tension between the MFC and the MMC.

This is very trope filled book and I loved every second! It is also very relatable with females in the workplace. Thank you Nisha for showing the awful things that happen in the workplace but also the good! I was laughing out loud with the amazing banter.

The narrator brought not only the 2 main characters to life but all of the side characters. The raw emotion can be heard and I love that in an audiobook!

Pick this book up! I promise you will not regret it.

Not Safe for Work by Nisha J Tuli is a fun enemies to lovers, forced proximity RomCom. It has a similar STEMmy feel to Ali Hazelwood, and is on par with that quality of writing. I enjoyed the diverse representation and the setting in Hawaii. The story is entertaining. There were a lot of very specific “he looked at me like he was wondering xyz” moments. I liked the amount of spice, though it felt kind of cheesy to me at times. Overall a very enjoyable read. I was not a big fan of the narrator, who took me out of the story a few times with her attempts at male voices.

Forever eARC
This was a fun forced proximity, workplace, enemies to lovers. I adored Tris. She was sassy when needed, vulnerable, and wasn't afraid to self reflect. I always love a book with women in STEM, and I liked how the author explored Tris' environment and her decision on what she was wanting out of her job. There was also lots of fun tension here with Rafe. He was a complicated character that added lots of depth to the budding romance here. This book was fun, and it'll be the perfect book for poolside or beach reading.
The audiobook was done by one of my favorites, Soneela Nankani. She captured all of Tris' emotions so well and brought her to life for me.

Not Safe for Work by Nisha Tuli was an absolute delight! This contemporary romance had everything I love—especially the “there’s only one bed” trope and a perfectly scrumptious slow-burn romance. I was hooked from the beginning and completely charmed by the chemistry between the characters.

What really stood out to me was how Nisha Tuli tackled the challenges women face in male-dominated workplaces. Her portrayal of misogyny and sexual harassment was honest, impactful, and so important. I truly appreciated the way she wove these real-world issues into such an engaging romcom.

Nisha Tuli’s writing continues to impress me, and the audiobook version of this one is fantastic—the narrator brought everything to life so well. I read the ARC and listened to the audiobook, and both experiences were excellent. Huge thanks to NetGalley, Nisha Tuli, and Forever Publishing for the gifted ARC. This one is definitely worth picking up!

This book is Taylor Swift's "The Man" personified. It's a fun and entertaining rivals to lovers romance! Trishara & Rafe wind up stuck sharing a room during their 3 week work conference in Hawaii. They hate each other except, plot twist, they actually don't!

This book had great representation of women in the STEM, diversity, and workplace sexism. I did find their rivalry to be a little too back and forth and slightly immature. But that could be because I was just ready for the slow burn to stop burning because it drags for SO long.

I think they had great chemistry, but both characters had faults I struggled with. Rafe was way too wishy-washy with his ex, and Trishara needed more direction in what she wanted beyond moving past workplace injustice. However, I do like that Trishara stood up for herself in the end but felt conflicted by her email blast. I was proud of her while simultaneously thinking it was immature.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read, with a lot of moments that will make you feel a range of emotions. I'd recommend it for your tbr!


Tags:
-slow burn
-rivals to lovers
-workplace romance
-forced proximity
-one bed
-vacation

Spice: 2.5/5

First person
Single POV

To quote Rafe: 1,000,000/10

This review is for the audiobook so it is for the story but also the production of the audiobook.

The narrator was wonderful, she had multiple lovely feminine voices and a great male interpretation also.

The snark in this book is top shelf, I was smirking and cracking up all the way throughout the story.

All in all I want to go to Maui for a reread.

Aaaahh! After blasting through Nisha’s other series, I was so dang excited to listen to this one! And I wasn’t disappointed! Amazing! Gorgeous! And Soneela Nankani’s performance captured so much emotion, it was incredible! I felt it all through meeee!

Not Safe For Work follows two workplace rival/enemies who are selected to attend a leadership event for three weeks in Maui. But, whoops! The person in charge of booking their hotel booked them a suite. The honeymoon suite. (ONE BED, BABY!) Tensions are high, and so are libidos! Will they make it through the weeks living in such a small space together?! Will the burn be incredibly slow and painful and TORTUROUS?! Well, yes. And the payoff is worth every second of pain!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me the privilege of reading this book early! I love love love it!

I love an enemies to lovers trope. Pair that with forced proximity x2 and witty banter for days, Not Safe for Work by Nisha J. Tuli was a book I couldn't walk away from. Trishara and Rafe find themselves on a three week leadership retreat on Maui (oh darn, what a terrible place to be have to go for a work conference, my work should definitely not take notes). The push and pull banter and the way these two try to constantly one-up each other is so well done. The way they slowly learn that there is more to each other than meets the eye as well is wonderful.

The narration by Soneela Nankani made me literally watch paint dry, I was so engrossed in the story she was bringing to life. Was I meant to be watching paint dry? That's neither here nor there. What DOES matter is that Soneela Nankani brings humor and emotion to the story and draws the listener in from the very beginning through to the end.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 | 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Your honour, they’re down bad for each other but they won’t admit it.

This was such a fun and spicy read, the perfect summer romance that you absolutely have to add to your TBR! The chemistry between these two?? Off the charts. Banter and angst? Through the roof and I was gobbling it all up 😮‍💨

If you also love the ‘when he takes care of her’ trope, you’re going to absolutely adore this. Also, who doesn’t love a man with his secret skill?? Plus the HEA, love that they both achieved their respective dreams with the support of one another and they’re just so sweet 🥹

🗓️ May 20, 2025

Thank you @hachetteaudio for the advanced listener copy!!

4.5⭐️
This was such a fun slow burn romance! I have heard so much about Nisha from her fantasy series but have never read them so I was excited to see how she moved into romance. I loved the tie between the rom-com feels and STEM moments (very Ali Hazelwood coded we love!!). I read this as an e-ARC last month and loved it so much that I had to request the ALC!! Soneela Nankani did a fantastic job with this audiobook!! Her narrates these characters and stories with passion, emotion, and heart!

Tris is an engineer working in a male dominated field and is often working against the male prejudice in her workplace. She gets invited to a company training retreat where she ends up having to share a room with the CEO’s son, Rafe, our MMC. I LOVED the dynamic between Tris and Rafe in this. The tension and banter between them was apparent from the very beginning and only got better as the book went on. I liked that Nisha handled harder topics and moments in this but balanced it with humor. Tris did read a bit immature at times with her behavior but nowhere enough that I didn’t like her character. Tris is such a strong badass FMC and I loved seeing her learn to stand up for herself and demand her worth by the end! The ending of this book was SOO cute and had me grinning ear to ear. I will definitely be checking Nisha’s fantasy series out now because I loved her writing! Overall, this was such a fun cute read!!

Thank you endlessly to Hachette Audio for the ALC! 🤎

This enemies-to-lovers workplace romcom hit all the right notes for me thanks to the narrator. The story follows Trishara Malik, a brilliant engineer with a well-earned chip on her shoulder, and Rafe Gallagher, her workplace rival with a last name that opens doors. Thrown together on a tropical leadership retreat—and forced to share the honeymoon suite—sparks fly in all the best ways.

I’ll be honest: if I’d read this in print, I might’ve DNF’d. The pacing dragged a bit in the middle, and some of the workplace drama felt predictable. But the audiobook completely elevated the experience. The narrator brought so much warmth and dimension to Tris’s perspective, making her inner monologue feel raw, funny, and real. She also nailed the tension and chemistry between Tris and Rafe, making their slow-burn romance really satisfying to listen to.

If you’re on the fence, I highly recommend going the audiobook route—it made all the difference for me. Perfect for fans of smart, snarky heroines, corporate drama, and steamy tropical tension.

This book was everything I needed. As a woman in engineering I have never felt so see. Thankfully the gender split is not as bad as it was depicted in this book but a lot of the other things our main character experienced are still common seen. Aside from that this enemy’s to lovers romance is one you will not want to miss. The banter between the two main characters had me smiling and laughing out loud all the way to the end. I can easily see this book becoming the romance of the summer.

Wow. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this ALC and review in advance of this books release! The plot, the character development, the all too familiar work environment… I absolutely ate this book right up! I love that the author pulled from her personal life for this book, it made it even more special!
Slow burn, good spice, hea… what more could anyone want?! Definitely add this book to your TBR!

Not Safe for Work delivers exactly what the title promises: a sizzling, high-chemistry romance with a bold edge and plenty of steam. I listened to the audiobook, and the narrators did a fantastic job bringing the tension, banter, and heat to life—it made the story fly by.

The FMC was fun, fierce, and relatable, with just the right amount of vulnerability under the surface. Her voice felt fresh and authentic. The MMC? Total book boyfriend material—charming, a little cocky, but genuinely swoon-worthy beneath the confidence.

There’s a great mix of workplace tension, witty dialogue, and NSFW scenes that don’t hold back. It’s sexy, playful, and layered with emotional moments that sneak up on you.

If you’re into audiobooks with excellent narration, high heat, and characters who feel like real people navigating messy, magnetic attraction—this one’s worth a listen.

Not Safe for Work by Nisha J. Tuli completely blew me away! This book is the perfect mix of witty banter, slow-burn tension, and empowering commentary on what it means to be a woman—especially a woman of color in a male dominated industry.

Trishara is the kind of heroine I root for brilliant, bold, and beautifully flawed. Watching her fight for her place in a company that keeps underestimating her was empowering. And then there’s Rafe the CEO’s son and the infuriatingly hot new VP. Their dynamic? Off. The. Charts. From snarky office showdowns to forced proximity in a Hawaiian honeymoon suite, the chemistry simmers until it boils over in the best way.

I absolutely adored this fun rom com! There was a lot of great messages present throughout book about being a woman in the working world but it wasn’t thrown in your face. Tris has been an engineer at the same company for five years without being promoted once and passed over several times. After a bad personal experience at her previous job Tris promised herself she wouldn’t become romantically involved at work again. When she gets the opportunity to attend her company’s corporate leadership retreat she throws herself at the opportunity, what she wasn’t expecting was to be forced to be roommates with the boss’ son and her secrete crush. I was able to do this book as an audiobook and the narrator was fantastic!