This is a great rom-com with plenty of banter and chemistry between Tris and Rafe. The tension between these two is so palpable you could cut it with a knife. This is a slow burn… until it’s not. But not only is this a romance, you get chronic illness rep (migraines) and great women in STEM representation. Nisha transported me to Hawaii and this would be a great beach read for the summer.

🎧 I started the audiobook, narrated by Soneela Nankani immediately knew I was going to like it. Trishara’s sass and inner monologue jumped off the pages with the audio. And so does the underlying current of attraction between the main characters. I definitely recommend listening along with your read or grabbing the audio.


Thank you to Hachette Audio for the alc. All opinions are my own.

Tris has all but given up on a chance for advancement in her company so imagine her surprise when she’s one of two chosen for the company’s big leadership retreat in paradise. The only problem is she stuck with her nemesis and nepo hire Rafe. As if that’s not bad enough, a mix up leads them stuck in a room together for the entire multi week trip. Now they have no choice but to find a way to get along or risk their positions in the company. The more time they spend together the more she finds out she knew nothing about Rafe and the harder it becomes to remind herself why she doesn’t get involved with coworkers.

As a woman in STEM who is also living that chronic migraine life, I was very excited to pick this one up. Tris’ struggles both personally and professionally were easily relatable and I think Nisha did a fantastic job portraying the migraine life without making it her entire personality. Most of us take our meds and do what we have to in order to make it through another day of pain. I felt it in my soul when he said that he didn’t like her having to take all that medicine and she said well it’s that or be unable to function.

The gorgeous tropical setting will make this the perfect summer read! I would only caution those who don’t enjoy OW drama that there is a fair amount even though the OW has very little page time. But if that doesn’t bother you and you’re looking for an easy to binge slow burn rivals to lovers workplace romance with a very satisfying HEA then I would recommend picking this one up, especially if you’re an audiobook lover like me.

☀️Not Safe For Work☀️
by: Nisha J. Tuli

Tropes:
🌺 Rivals to Lovers
🌺 Workplace
🌺 Only One Room/Bed
🌺 Slow Burn
🌺 Forced Proximity
🌺 Miscommunication
🌺 Confident FMC (Love to see it)

I really enjoyed this workplace, rivals to lovers rom com! Trishara and Rafe are coworkers that have been butting heads for years. Rafe is the boss’ son, and while he’s a decent worker, doesn’t deserve the promotion he receives. Tris is a more than qualified, woman of color that has worked her ass off and consistently excels at her job, yet gets passed over for every promotion in favor of nepotism, sexism, or racism. Tris and Rafe are selected to go to a 3 week leadership retreat in Hawaii and the tension starts to build as soon as they run into each other in the airport.

While I loved the angst and teasing, and how Rafe and Tris eventually develop their relationship, I think I was more invested in Tris’ professional journey. I could just feel Trishara’s pent up rage throughout this story. She remained confident, competitive, and assertive, but she did sometimes have self doubt creep in due to repeatedly being passed over for a promotion and issues with her ex-boyfriend. I LOVED seeing her standup for herself near the end of the book and *that email* was chef’s kiss! Her confidence is such an amazing attribute and I feel like we don’t always see that in the FMC. I’m happy she eventually got the professional recognition she deserved.

Rafe is a very sexy MMC. He was mysterious and light hearted at times, and then he’d drop a sexy or slightly dominant line out of nowhere. 🔥 I was completely surprised to learn what his “hobby” was. He was full of surprises and I enjoyed him.

4.25⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thoughts on the Audio:
There was one narrator for this audiobook and I feel like she did an incredible job portraying the different characters and making you feel like you have a male and female narrator. Her voice acting as Tris was perfect and it definitely matched the voice, tone and inflection that I would associate with Tris. If you like audiobooks I definitely recommend this one.

This was my first book by Nisha Tuli, and I flew through it—I’m definitely curious to check out more of her work now.

What I loved most was the slow-burn romance between Tris and Rafe—so much tension, chemistry, and payoff. Their dynamic was full of misunderstandings, longing looks, and yes, the beloved only-one-bed trope, all done so well.

But what really stayed with me was the deeper theme: a woman of color fighting to be seen and respected in a male-dominated, predominantly white space. Tris’s struggles felt real, relatable, and powerful. Her strength and voice made me love her even more.

Audio notes: Performed by Soneela Nankaniz. I really enjoyed this audio. While I’ve sometimes found her delivery a bit over-the-top in other titles, she struck a great balance here. Tris and Rafe’s voices felt authentic, and the emotional moments landed perfectly.

Big thanks to NetGalley, Nisha J. Tuli, and Hachette Audio for the early listen. All opinions are my own!

Thank you Nisha, Hachette Audio, and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to review this audiobook before its release for my unbiased review.

I ADORED this story. It’s pretty unusual for me to completely agree with an FMC’s choices in a novel; I found her very relatable. Trishara is smart and funny and takes no crap from any of the men she interacts with throughout the story. I enjoyed Rafe and the spice was a slowburn but worth it in the end. Soneela did a wonderful job giving Trishara emotion and her intonation and personality really added to the story.

(Also, Chapter 28 had me clapping!)

Expect to enjoy this story if you like:
-Enemies to Lovers
-Forced Proximity
-Banter
-Slow Burn
-One Room + One Bed
-Work Rivals
-Maui Setting
-They are both in STEM
-Southeast Asian FMC
-Lots of funny moments

This is my moment to decide who I am going to be…. -Trishara Malik

Not Safe for Work is for every Corporate America girlie trying to write her own story and perhaps finds herself as a main character in a workplace romance. Set in beautiful Hawaii, the story gives Christina Lauren vibes while addressing serious work topics females sadly often face. I absolutely adored this book and the narration made it where I couldn’t not root for the main characters. Nisha J. Tuli is a new to me author and I can’t wait to read her backlist.
Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Audio for the advance audiobook.

Not Safe for Work is a close proximity, enemies to lovers troupe. I was drawn into the story from the get go. I really liked the FMC and found myself routing for her. The MMC grew on me. Some of the details seemed a little far fetched but, the story was very enjoyable.

I was able to listen to this novel via audio and the narrator, Soneela Nankani, easy to listen to and she changed her voice for various characters. I will definitely look for more of her audiobooks.

Thank you Net Galley, Nisha J. Tuli and Hachette Audio for the opportunity to preview this title. The opinions shared are my own.
Not Safe For Work is now available.

For 5 years Trishara has been passed over for promotion after promotion in favor of the "Corporate Bros." even though she has more than proven herself at the engineering firm she works at. She's about ready to throw in the towel when she's offered a spot at a 3-week training retreat in Maui, the only drawback she has to attend with her office enemy and boss's son: Rafe Gallagher

This is my first book by Nisha Tuli but I sped through this so fast. I now want to see how her other books measure up.

As far as the audio narration goes, I am familiar with this narrator. What I have noticed in the other books I've listened to is a tendency to overexaggerate certain words or phrases of dialogue which I sometimes find unnecessary. I was happy it was not done to excess here. I thought that Tris and Rafe were done quite well. The emotion in the dialogue matched what I would have expected from it.

I loved everything about this read. First and most notably, the relationship between Tris and Rafe was perfection. The slow burn between them, the searing eye glares everything was on point and the emotional payoff was so satisfying. This may have also been helped by the fact that these two clearly have made assumptions about the other that have clouded their initial perceptions. Which, of course, nothing helps break like a case of the only-one-room/bed trope!

What really made the book for me was, I think, the overall commentary about women carving out space in fields normally dominated by men - in this case, a woman of color in a field dominated mainly by white men - and how hard they have to work for even a little of the recognition that seems to be more freely given to those men. We see Tris struggling with this throughout the entire book and it was frustrating but also, unfortunately, relatable. I felt every disappointment and could feel how weary she had become with the constant fight. I felt the truth in the story and seeing Tris not afraid to use her voice and not easily cowed and the way she stands up for herself an tries to call out the the injustices she sees just made me love her all the more.

This book was probably the surprise read of the year so far for me. I was thinking it would be a regular enemies to lovers romance read, but it was so much more than that, and that makes me incredibly happy that it piqued my interested in the first place.

🖤 Forced Proximity
🖤 Women In STEM
🖤 Workplace Romance
🖤 Rivals to Lovers
🖤 Slow Burn
🖤 One Bed

This slow burn, rival to lovers' book, was a fun story. The angst between Rafe and Tris is on another level and you can just feel the sexual tension between the two. Rafe and Tris work together and have been at odds with each other ever since Rafe got the promotion that Tris has been working hard for. Now they are on a work retreat in Hawaii for three weeks and stuck in the same suite with one bed. Tris and Rafe try to get along but there is still some hostility between the two of them until they finally give in and when they do it is glorious. This is the perfect romcom full of swoon-worthy moments.

the narration by by Soneela Nankani was phenomenal. I am a huge fan of her work.

Thank you to the Author Nisha J. Tuli and Netgalley for this ALC.

Not Safe for Work by Nisha J Tuli
Pub Date: 5/20/25
Format: ebook/audio hybrid
Rating: 4.5 stars!

Oooooh this is a slow burn for the corporate girlies who are so sick of men's bullshit in the workplace, but still love a nice rolled sleeve/forearm moment. This is not only a romantic comedy where our FMC Trishara is a woman of color in the corporate world - but also a woman of color working in STEM! Oof. I felt like the office dynamics were captured SO well before the setting of this book moved to the resort/trip part of her journey that I didn't even want to root for Rafe at first. I just wanted her to get out immediately and burn the place to the ground.

....However, I guess I'm glad she didn't because this book was so fun! We have forced proximity, rivals to lovers, the one bed trope, and that excellent banter that we have come to love and expect from Tuli! Were moments of this a bit unbelievable? Yes. Did I mind? Absolutely not. I was too invested in their shenanigans to really try to root certain pieces in reality.

The tension in this romantic comedy is delicious and narrator Soneela Nankani really made the audiobook deliver! It had vibes of an old school romcom movie and just absolutely adored this contemporary romance from Tuli. I truly hope we get much more of this genre from her in the future!

Not Safe for Work was the perfect combo of workplace romance, vacation fling, and enemies to lovers. I loved how Trishara and Rafe interacted in the book and how their relationship changed over the course of being in Maui. Overall the setting and side characters really brought the story to life and her friends were so funny. It was great to see how Trish overcame the barriers she was faced with but in a human and reasonable way that was very realistic in my opinion. You really can't go wrong with enemies to lovers in tropical paradise.

4⭐️ 3🌶️ 5🎧 I loved this story and all it represented! The sharing of the trials women of color have in the workplace is so important, and Tris had so much strength through all the BS she had to put up with! Loved the mental health representation as well!

I would have loved this story to be dual POV, I could so clearly tell that Rafe was deep in feelings for Tris and would have loved to see her through his POV. Tris was so blinded to how he felt it was comical and led to the slow burn or all slow burns! The OW drama with Hannah was frustrating, I got his hesitation in the beginning, but when it got more serious with Tris, I feel he should have shut it down hard and quick.

This was my first time listening to Soneela Nankani and thought she did a fantastic job narrating this story! She did such a great job changing her voices for the different characters.

Disclaimer: I received this as an ALC in exchange for an honest review— thank you! 🤗

I honestly don't think I can pinpoint a single thing I disliked about this book. Besides the behavior of other characters but we're supposed to not like them lol I felt the pacing of the story was really good, the "enemies" to lovers was a slooowwwww burn. I am usually more reserved in my reviews for single POV books but I was so captivated by the story that I didn't mind! Rafe was HAWT. Tris was a boss ahh beach. The ending was 😚🤌 *pastry chef's kiss*.

Tropes include...
🌺 Women of color (South Asian FMC)
🌺 STEM setting (engineering!)
🌺 Rivals-to-lovers
🌺 Workplace romance
🌺 Both have been down bad but won't admit it to themselves
🌺 Banter and angst
🌺 Chronic pain rep (migraines/headaches)

I would also recommend the audiobook! The narrator does an amazing job at capturing the personality and attitude of the FMC but also hits the mark for the other characters as well! Pacing was good and their voice was very nice to listen to! 😊

Let me start by expressing how much I loved reading about a woman in STEM. It's not often you find a story centered on women in science, especially women of color. Nisha J. Tuli did a wonderful job creating a strong, intelligent female character while delivering a beautifully romantic story. She never compromised Trishara’s character for the sake of a romantic comedy. This book tackles the challenges of navigating a male-dominated field, and I savored every moment.

The story follows Trishara and Rafe, rivals at the same company. Trishara is burnt out and ready to quit when she's offered a three-week corporate retreat in Maui. Unfortunately, she discovers that Rafe will also be attending—and sharing a room with her. Hilarious banter and shenanigans ensue.

Soneela Nankani did a fantastic job narrating and bringing these characters to life!

Happy pub day!! Not Safe for Work is such a treat for workplace romance lovers (me). It had workplace enemies, a tropical retreat, forced proximity, one bed, and the perfect banter. Plus, one of my favorites, calling them by their last name. Trishara and Rafe were so addicting, I didn’t want to stop listening to this one. Tuli really did an outstanding job mixing the fun romance with the serious workplace issues Trishara was experiencing and I loved that.

Now, I listened to this one and can I just say that made the experience that much better. It felt like I was right alongside Trishara and all of her feelings throughout this whole book. Soneela Nankani was an amazing narrator and managed to showcase the mixed flurry of emotions Trishara experienced throughout this book perfectly no matter how different they were. From fear to lust I believed it all and it made my experience with this so enjoyable.

I think this is a great listen (or read!) if you love workplace romance, main characters who have perfect tension, and a strong FMC who doesn’t shy away from speaking her truth! This was such a fun romance that hit all the right marks!!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for this alc!*

Not Safe for Work is a fun only-one-bed contemporary romance where rival colleagues are both invited to a three week training program for their company in Maui. Tris is shocked to be picked after being passed over multiple times in favor of lesser male coworkers. During the three weeks she experiences racial micro aggressions, misogyny, and a company culture that should make every woman cringe. She also discovers a new side to her coworker, Rafe, and feelings that she has suppressed due to a prior horrible experience with workplace romance surface.
Overall, this was a fun read and it was great seeing Tris recognize her value and stop taking shit from a bunch of shitty men. And Rafe's secret talent...yes. This was exactly what we needed from him!
The narrator for the audiobook was okay...There were times when Tris was standing her ground with her male colleagues and the narrator made her sound whiny rather than strong and empowered which was kind a letdown. She did do a nice job creating unique voices for each of the characters.

This was a quick, fun listen that carried me through a couple days of a long weekend. My favorite elements of this novel were the GENEROUS use of my beloved "only one bed" trope and the great chronic migraine rep. Truly, the conversation Tris and Rafe have when she explains her migraines — do you take meds? yes. are you sure it's migraines? yes. do you know what causes it? kinda but also no — is one I've had basically word for word. While I found some of Tris's internal monologue a little repetitive and saccharine, I enjoyed the corporate BS plot alongside the romance and getting to see Tris's journey to the success she deserves.

This book has everything I love in romance - fun banter, explosive chemistry, the angst, the yearning, forced proximity, a strong female lead, all in a wonderful setting of Hawaii. Trishara and Rafe are an amazing match, I was so happy that they're both equally down bad for each other.

Trishara has quickly made it to my favorite FMCs list. She's a strong character, very smart, sassy, driven, knows how to stand up for herself. She's a woman of color in STEM, which is a representation I need to see more.

Rafe is their boss' son, and also a nephew to the company's owner. In that he's a bit of a nepo baby and obviously has many privilages. Still, engineering makes him miserable. His passion is actually baking. And he's damn good at it. He garnered hundreds of thousands loyal followers. I love a secret softie!

I absolutely loved that the author flipped the gender stereotypes. Tris is determined to climb the career ladder, while Rafe follows his dreams of opening a bakery. I thought it was a really nice touch.

This book definitely lives up to its name, if you know what I mean. There wasn't any spice until 75% in, but once it hit... goddamn 🥵 Immaculate.

The story's big focus is on misogyny and racism in a STEM setting. Author noted that the situations Tris deals with are from her personal experience working in the field in the early 2000s. These are just unacceptable. I honestly hope things are better now... This is why we need feminism.

The audiobook is narrated by Soneela Nankani. I usually go for duet or dual narration, but I think she did a great job with a male voice, it doesn't take away from the audio experience.

Not Safe For Work
Author: Nisha Tuli
Narrator: Soneela Nankani
Trishara Malik and Rafe Gallagher

5 Stars for the audiobook. This was fantastic. This was my first audiobook with the narrator and it will not be my last.

My favorite quote of the book came from Trishara: "We've been talking for a while but I'm out of practice, my vag is so dark and dusty it's layered with cobwebs but I think he's into me. Hope he has a flashlight"

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.

Tris plans to avoid Rafe entirely, but when she arrives in Maui, a booking error has them stuck sharing the honeymoon suite. Rafe is a smoldering ten—okay fine, an eleven—but after years of competition, they can barely stand being in the same time zone. 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?

I had never read this author before but the cover of the book caught my eye. I really liked Nisha's writing style. She was able to write about some heavy topics that included women in Stem to where you personally feel the emotions the character is going through.

The two main characters did start off on the wrong foot and that is what caused their work place rival. It reminded me when you were a kid and a boy would pull your hair to get your attention. That is basically what the two of them would do to each other.

This book is a easy read/listen. I did finish the audiobook within 6hrs. If you are needing a palate cleanser or just a fluffy read this book is for you.

Tropes:
- Workplace Rivals to lover
- Women in Stem
- Forced Proximity
- One Bed
- Slow Burn

Please check content warnings.

I want to thank Nisha Tuli, Hachette Audio, and NetGalley for the ALC of this book exchange for my honest review.

I was so excited to get this ALC, and it was such a great audiobook I could gush about it for hours.

Let’s start off with how captivating I found this story, from the push and pull to the individual main characters themselves. I think there was just he right amount of angst in here to keep me hooked but not hurt my heart lol.

This author did a fantastic job of making a fun, spicy romance that also incorporated more serious workplace issues that people face all the time. Tris was such a layered character who was strong, funny, kind and vulnerable that it was so easy to root for her. I appalled the way this author had her face these workplace challenges and discrimination, it further showcased the importance of Tris’s moral compass.

I am always going to eat up a man obsessed and Rafe DELIVERED. A “he hates me” moment that turns into “I never hated you I actually am obsessed with you” is going to HIT every time for me.

There is so many great aspects of this book, you absolutely should pick it up if you want a workplace to vacation work retreat moment with only one bed EARLY on and with great angst/push&pull as well as banter. Such a great book from start to finish.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ALC of this in exchange for an honest review.