Wow. Wow. Wow.

This production was amazing!! I've recently gotten into audiobooks and this one blew it out of the park. This story hit so close to home for me. As a female engineer myself, I've experienced similar situations and feelings the main character experienced throughout this book. While Nisha did a great job tackling some seriously real issues for women in STEM, she was able to keep the book fun. I caught myself laughing out loud often. I am so grateful I stumbled across this title and got approved to listen it.

This review will be posted to my IG on release week.

I love The Trial of the Sun Queen and was so excited to read this contemporary romance by Nisha J. Tuli and of course she knocked it out of the park!

Trishara is a engineer at WMC Purcell who finally is getting some recognition for her work and being sent to Hawaii for a 3 week corporate retreat after years of being passed over for promotion. When she arrives she realizes she is stuck sharing a suite with her work nemisis, Rafe, the son of the owner of WMC.

I love how accurately this book dives into workplace drama and specifically the nepotism, unbalanced spending, and the micro and macro aggressions toward women and people of color. I also love Trish and Rafe's romance, slow at first but steamy as they got to know each other better. Gotta love a well executed forced proximity trope, especially in paradise. I also loved the friends and allies Trish had in her corner as she faced so much adversity from people around her. Also I loved the nods to Trial of the Sun Queen!

I found the narration to be well done, although it was fairly slow and I had to listen at a higher speed than I normally would for other books.

Tropes
* Workplace romance
* Forced Proximity
* Rivals to Lovers
* Slow Burn
* One Bed

5 stars

Not Safe for Work is an incredible romcom debut - I never would have guessed it was her first one. I ADORED it.

The premise is very reminiscent of Ali Hazelwood's STEMinist books mixed with Sally Thorne's The Hating Game. Tuli shows us the best of both worlds with a STEM rivals to lovers workplace romance.

Audiobook specific review: I really enjoyed the narrator overall. She did a good job with different inflections and accents in order to really show the audience the differences in each character. I did have to up my listening speed to 1.7x though because I did feel like the narrator spoke a little slow most of the time. The production quality for the audio was great overall, I have no complaints when it comes to any of the sounds or ease of hearing.

Not Safe for Work dives into all the things that women have to deal with while working in a male dominated industry. She discusses misogyny, sexism, and nepotism often and well (hello Khakis aka mediocre white men). As a fellow woman in STEM - I have to say that she nailed it. The micro-aggressions - assumptions that you'll "clean up" or be the "secretary" for no other reason than being the only woman in the room. The unwanted advances, the "talks" to tell you not to rock the boat or you'll make it worse for yourself. I can tell (unfortunately) that Nisha likely witnessed/experienced many of these things first hand to be able to describe them so perfectly.

The story follows Trishara, an engineer, and while it is most definitely a Romance book, I also feel like it has a lot of "coming of age" moments (except they're adults) with Tris realizing that she CAN have control over many things she thought were out of her reach in both her personal and professional lives.

Rafe and Tris have a lot of physical tension, I didn't feel like they were super emotionally connected a lot of the time though. But they definitely have the physical aspects down to a science. They have a lot of banter between one another that sometimes bordered on unrealistic but this is a Romance, who cares lol.

The main tropes within the book: rivals to lovers, workplace romance, only one bed, forced proximity

Rep within the book: side LGBTQ characters, interracial romance, WOC lead, women in STEM

Trishara Malik is a talented engineer. But after being passed over for promotions she deserved for five years she feels her career has stalled. It is hard being a woman and a person of color in a white male industry. She is shocked when she is chosen to go on a corporate leadership retreat in Hawaii. The other person selected from her office is Rafe Gallagher, the boss’s son. He is the one that got the last promotion that should have been hers. Making matters worse when they arrive at the resort they learn they are sharing a room together.

I was expecting Sally Thorne “Hating Games” vibes or maybe Ali Hazelwood because it is a STEM workplace romance. Neither of those fit. I could believe the misogynist comments that the author says comes from her own personal experiences. But I didn’t believe the romance very much. Some of it was the storyline. Sure there could be a booking error for the room. But even if he didn’t want to room with his father, who is at the hotel, I am sure that one or the other could have roomed with any of the 100 other engineers at the conference. Trishara is supposed to be brilliant and hardworking but at the conference we are shown her behaving immaturely, hating and then immediately lusting for Rafe. He is a little more of a mystery as everything is told from her POV. I won’t spoil the storyline with my reasons for not liking him but there were several. Even though I didn’t love the romance, the story has some good moments and it does get to a HEA. And the fact that she takes control of her choices made me round up my rating.

I listened to the audio book and liked the narration by Soneela Nankani. I also thought the cover was eye catching. Thank you to the Hachette Audio, Forever and NetGalley for the audio book and I am leaving an honest review. (2.5 Stars)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Not Safe for Work by Nisha Tuli delivers a fun, enemies-to-lovers workplace romcom set against a dreamy Hawaiian backdrop. Trishara and Rafe’s dynamic is filled with snark, chemistry, and just enough slow-burn tension to keep you hooked. I really enjoyed their banter and the forced proximity trope, but I did find myself wishing we got more time focused solely on them rather than the side characters and retreat challenges. Also, while Soneela Nankani does a solid job narrating, I kept craving dual narration—because let’s be real, hearing Rafe in all his “smoldering eleven” glory would’ve taken it to another level. Still, a thoroughly enjoyable listen with a lot of charm and heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC!

Very Addicting!

I am so grateful for the advance listener copay of this book. I loved Nisha J. Tuli's romantasy series so I was excited to listen to her 1st contemporary romance book. I was hook right away. I loved the narrator's performance. This audiobook was fantastic but if it was duet it would have been even better. Even though it was just a female narrator she does a great job with the different characters. This book was a enemy to lovers work place romance. It had so much tension and banter with the MMC and FMC. I loved every minute of this book.I can't wait to see what Nisha comes out with next!

This was a very enjoyable listen! I binged it in one afternoon and loved every minute! I can definitely see me listening to this again.

I also really enjoyed this story. There was a perfect amount of tension, banter and spice.

Thank you NetGalley & Forever for allowing me to read this ARC.
Not Safe for Work will be published on May 20th. Full disclaimer, I have never read a book by Nisha J. Tuli as Romance and Thriller are my main genres. But I was really curious about this one since it's bee hyped by author Julie Soto on Instagram and got a blurb by Abby Jimenez. Trishara Malik is determined to prove herself at a corporate retreat in Hawaii, but her plans are derailed when she’s forced to share a honeymoon suite with her workplace rival, Rafe Gallagher. As they compete for a coveted executive training spot, Tris starts to see a different side of Rafe—one that challenges everything she believed about him. With her career and heart on the line, she must decide if he’s truly her enemy or something much more.
I really wanted to love this one, but it fell flat for me. It leaned too heavily on tropes—the broody hero, the one-bed situation—without bringing anything fresh. Since we only get the FMC’s POV, the MMC’s thoughts and feelings remain a mystery, making it harder to connect with their dynamic.
Narration: Soneela Nankani
Listening speed: 2X
I absolutely loved the narrator’s deep, rich voice—it added so much depth to the story. She brought the characters to life and kept me completely hooked from start to finish. Her performance made the listening experience truly immersive!

Thank you netgalley, forever and Hachette Audio for the free e-arc and alc. My opinions are being left voluntarily. This is my first Nisha tuili book and it won't be my last. I loved the character development I loved the chemistry I loved the engineering references and femmes in male places / spaces is a favorite to read. Shows strength and smarts. I didn't love the 3rd act breakup up and the lack of communication before hopping into bed or after... I will read the authors backlist immediately.

I also loved the narration I can listen to their voices all day.

4.5/5☆

Not Safe for Work is a romcom and women’s fiction told in single point of view from the female main character’s perspective.

Trishara is a hard working engineer who has been passed up for a promotion she earned, losing to her enemy, Rafe, who is the son of her boss. Since then, she’s struggled to find her drive if success is only granted through nepotism, in a system that favors white men. The new cynic in her is shocked to find she was one of two selected from her office for a company wide retreat in Hawaii—along with her enemy, Rafe. She swears she’ll make the most out of the retreat, as long as she can avoid Rafe. But forced proximity brings them together, and she’s forced to explore what really lies between them.

I really enjoyed this story. I thought the romance was well written and plotted. In a storyline we are all familiar with, this story brought new perspectives, some moments that caused me to gasp, and lots of spice.

I listened to the audiobook version of this story, which was well done. The narrator, Soneela Nankani, brought this story to life with lots of emotion and energy. I listened to the audiobook at 1.75x speed (my normal audiobook listening speed is 1.75x).

I recommend this story, and especially the audiobook, for those looking for a fun romcom that tackles real issues and offers fresh perspectives.

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio for this advanced listening copy.

I have once again been blessed by Nisha and her Publishing team. It is a great honour to be approved for ARC’s by your favourite authors and Nisha is one of mine. I was unbelievably excited when I received a review copy of the epub for NSFW, and I absolutely devoured the book. It was such a fun and inspiring read for me, and as a women in a male dominated field I really felt it was an accurate representation.

So when I saw NSFW audio ARC’s available for application, I immediately jumped on the apply button. Surely I couldn’t be so lucky as to get both, but I was. It was everything I hoped for, Soneela Nankani was the perfect voice for Trishara. Soneela Nankani gave us every emotion we needed and then some. This will they/wont they office love story is absolutely delicious. Nisha, gave us the perfect amount of spice, adding to the intimacy level without taking away from the plot.

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