Not Safe for Work was a fabulous enemies to lovers forced proximity romance! With heavier relatable themes laced through this story, I devoured this one! The slow burn was drawn out beautifully, the characters were easy to adore, and the location made me want to be laying on a beach somewhere. It was so much fun watching them make each other laugh as they knocked down the walls that separated them. It wasn’t an easy process, but I was completely invested in Trishara and Rafe! I listened to the audiobook and it swept me away. The narrators did such a fabulous job of making me lost within this story. So if you’re looking for a romance that you could binge in a sitting or would be the perfect beach read, this is your book!

I am a huge fan of Nisha’s romantasy series, so when I saw she was coming out with a contemporary romance, I jumped at the chance to read it! She is such a consistently enjoyable writer for me - I know I am always going to have a good time with her books!

In NSFW, we follow Trishara and Rafe, rival engineers (and stupidly attractive humans). Tris is majorly experiencing burnout in her job, having been skipped over for various promotions and opportunities, so she is a bit shocked to learn she was picked for one of two spots from her branch at the company’s leadership retreat in Hawaii. Unsurprising to her though, the boss’ son Rafe is picked for the other spot. She plans to ignore him during her three weeks in paradise, but due to an error they wind up having to share the honeymoon suite, which you guess it, has only one bed. The next three weeks are filled with lectures and team-building exercises, and while they start out at each other’s throats, the more time they spend bonding, the more Tris realizes that Rafe might not be the nemesis she thought he was.

I enjoyed this book so much! I love a good rivals to lovers story, and these two were so fun. They had so much chemistry even with their angst. I loved seeing them go from butting heads to finding comfort in the other person. Tris is such a strong FMC! I loved seeing how smart she was, but also showing that leadership and strength are only possible one way. She knew the mold that people wanted her to fill, but chose to stay true to herself.

Rafe was absolutely delicious! I love a man who is down bad, and he was kneeling for this woman. Rafe is such a gem. He cares so deeply for Tris and when he finally lets it known how bad he wants her, man does he show her! I loved this man so much! I ADORED finding out more about his passions and what he wanted to be doing instead. I love a man with a sweet tooth!

I wish so badly this had been dual POV though, so we could have seen how badly Rafe wanted her as well. We got to see some of his yearning through her perspective, but I just KNOW that man would have been the king of pining if we saw his side.

Nisha did a great job in handling some harsh realities of women in STEM fields as well. Tris dealt with so much discrimination being a woman of color in her office. I am so glad that this was written into the story as it added a lot of depth, along with making me want to punch several people in the face 😅

The setting of this was beautiful as well - who wouldn’t want to go on a three week retreat in paradise? There was even a fun cameo of one of Nisha’s romantasy books!

On an aside - I so badly wished Nisha had picked a different location for Rafe’s bakery. As a Chicagoan, Michigan Ave is for tourists and I wish she had picked a cute neighborhood location instead! I feel like a place like that would thrive in another location. Downtown would ruin that place.

🎧: I really enjoyed the audio on this one! Soneela Nankani did a great job as Tris and I really liked how she reads. Her tone and inflection were really well done to bring Tris to life! I would recommend on audio for sure!

Thank you Forever and Hachette for the arc and alc!

I am a huge fan of Nisha’s romantasy series, so when I saw she was coming out with a contemporary romance, I jumped at the chance to read it! She is such a consistently enjoyable writer for me - I know I am always going to have a good time with her books!

In NSFW, we follow Trishara and Rafe, rival engineers (and stupidly attractive humans). Tris is majorly experiencing burnout in her job, having been skipped over for various promotions and opportunities, so she is a bit shocked to learn she was picked for one of two spots from her branch at the company’s leadership retreat in Hawaii. Unsurprising to her though, the boss’ son Rafe is picked for the other spot. She plans to ignore him during her three weeks in paradise, but due to an error they wind up having to share the honeymoon suite, which you guess it, has only one bed. The next three weeks are filled with lectures and team-building exercises, and while they start out at each other’s throats, the more time they spend bonding, the more Tris realizes that Rafe might not be the nemesis she thought he was.

I enjoyed this book so much! I love a good rivals to lovers story, and these two were so fun. They had so much chemistry even with their angst. I loved seeing them go from butting heads to finding comfort in the other person. Tris is such a strong FMC! I loved seeing how smart she was, but also showing that leadership and strength are only possible one way. She knew the mold that people wanted her to fill, but chose to stay true to herself.

Rafe was absolutely delicious! I love a man who is down bad, and he was kneeling for this woman. Rafe is such a gem. He cares so deeply for Tris and when he finally lets it known how bad he wants her, man does he show her! I loved this man so much! I ADORED finding out more about his passions and what he wanted to be doing instead. I love a man with a sweet tooth!

I wish so badly this had been dual POV though, so we could have seen how badly Rafe wanted her as well. We got to see some of his yearning through her perspective, but I just KNOW that man would have been the king of pining if we saw his side.

Nisha did a great job in handling some harsh realities of women in STEM fields as well. Tris dealt with so much discrimination being a woman of color in her office. I am so glad that this was written into the story as it added a lot of depth, along with making me want to punch several people in the face 😅

The setting of this was beautiful as well - who wouldn’t want to go on a three week retreat in paradise? There was even a fun cameo of one of Nisha’s romantasy books!

On an aside - I so badly wished Nisha had picked a different location for Rafe’s bakery. As a Chicagoan, Michigan Ave is for tourists and I wish she had picked a cute neighborhood location instead! I feel like a place like that would thrive in another location. Downtown would ruin that place.

🎧: I really enjoyed the audio on this one! Soneela Nankani did a great job as Tris and I really liked how she reads. Her tone and inflection were really well done to bring Tris to life! I would recommend on audio for sure!

Thank you Forever and Hachette for the alc!

Thank you @NetGalley and @HachetteAudio for the ALC. I loved Tris and Rafe chemistry throughout the book. Tris and Rafe are competing for the same job, but Rafe, the boss son is most likely to win it. Both get thrown together time and time again and Tris might just change her mind about Rafe and her future. The narrators for this book were spot on.

This is a re-read for me but through audiobook.

Narration: 4 ⭐

She does an amazing job and I was sucked into the story once more. I really do love everything about this book. You should pick it up!!

Here is the review from my first read through..

Story: 5⭐
Spice: 2🌶 (This is a slooooowwww burn and so angsty.)

Hands down easy, 5 Stars. It was such an amazing read. It kept me glued to the pages.

Tris is intelligent, beautiful, funny, and sarcastic and works "in a man's world" of engineers. She hates their misogynistic way and wants the company to get with the time.

Rafe is the boss's son, charming, handsome, charismatic, but plays games with Tris. But don't let him fool you. He has a side you would never expect.

After receiving unexpected news in front of the entire staff about being selected to go on a retreat for her company. The duo gets forced into proximity for the duration of the retreat/training. It's all downhill from here folks, the tension and angst, banter, and finally some spice.

ohhhh... and the ending! The big *F-U* I freaking loved it.

It's definitely a must read!

HAPPY RELEASE DAY, NSFW and @nishajtuliwrites!!! Everyone, read this immediately!

The way Tris (Tuli) refers to her work and place of employment, truly hits SO close to home. Maybe too close to home. Tuli discloses before the book that much of writing this title was motivated by her career as an engineer, and while I’m not anything close to an engineer it’s likely why it feels SO real. I was already in a bit of a mood but I very nearly burst into tears listening to NSFW. Soneela Nankani is the perfect narrator for this single POV book as Tris, and I will listen to anything she narrates.

Okay, now on to the romance which tbh that’s why we jumped into this (and I will read anything Nisha J. Tuli writes). This sexy workplace romance is so slow burn you don’t get the spice until nearly 80%. Everything leading up though is PERFECT. The angst, the secrets, the hobbies. Tris is a bad ass FMC and Rafe is such a swoon worthy MMC. Tuli’s entrance into contemporary romance is like watching the scene in Avengers: Endgame when “on your left” happens and Heroes start arriving but really it’s just Tuli coming in and DOMINATING every genre.

this was a fun time - Hating Game vibes in a tropical setting 🏝

Thank you to Forever Publishing & Hachette Audio for the eARC & ALC. All opinions are my own.

✦ tropes & stuff:
🧮 engineers - women in STEM
🏝️ work retreat in Hawaii
✨ rivals to lovers
🔗 forced proximity
🛏️ only one bed/room
🐢 slow burn
💖 single 1st person pov

•┈••✦ review ✦••┈•

⭐️: 4.5/5
🌶️: open door, several descriptive scenes

I really enjoyed listening to this one on audio, and couldn’t put it down! A few small things bothered me a bit, but overall it was a fun read.

💭 what I loved about this one:
- the tension my goodness 😮‍💨
- the treadmill “race” 😅 + all their banter
- Rafe defending Tris & his protective nature
- when the slow burn stops slow burning 🥵
- that f*cking MIC DROP near the end 🎤

🙃 what didn’t quite work for me:
- Trishara talks a lot about sexism and how women are treated in the workplace, and most of her inner dialogue is how hot Rafe is (I realize it’s in her head, but still didn’t feel right)
- the incredible amount of back & forth, especially about Andy (a guy hitting on her)

🎧 audiobook thoughts:
Soneela Nankani did a fantastic job bringing the story to life, I definitely recommend it!

Rating: 4.75 ⭐️
Spice: Open Door, 🌶️ 🌶️
Media: 🎧/ eARC

👷🏻‍♀️This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2025 and @nishajtwrites delivered!

From the first few chapters, I was hooked! So much of what Tris goes through felt like experiences I’ve had in my career as a chemical engineer from the becoming disillusioned to the micro aggressions. I loved how fierce and unapologetic Tris was and said what was on her mind even if it played against her in the corporate setting, a reality that very much exists.

I enjoyed the back and forth between her and Rafe. The denial on her side that she was attracted to him and the slow burn😮‍💨𝗜.𝗔𝗧𝗘.𝗜𝗧.𝗨𝗣.

I switched between ebook and audiobook and the audiobook was very well done. Soneela Nankani did an amazing job capturing Tris and her fierceness, confidence and bravery.

Rafe reminded me of the allies I’ve had in my career who stood up when someone tried to take credit for my work or that made sure my voice was heard. We need more Rafes in the world! He was such a great complement to Tris.

Thank you @nishajtwrites for writing a book that made me feel so seen and reminded me of the value of being 𝓶𝓮 in the STEM corporate world.

Thank you as well to @readforeverpub for this eARC and audiobook.

For anyone feeling disillusioned with the corporate world or my fellow women in STEM, do not miss out on reading this amazing book!

Read if you like:
✖️Women in STEM
➗Enemies to Lovers
➕Workplace Romance
➖One Bed

🟰Blurb: Tris has stopped trying. She keeps getting passed over and slowly her ambitions have been minimized by the culture of her company. Somehow, she ends up being nominated to attend the company retreat to evaluate talent in Hawaii. Seems great, right? Except her workplace nemesis, Rafe, was also nominated. The luck of the draw has these two bunking together. As they get to know each other better, Tris finds that she can’t deny her attraction but is he into her as well and will Tris get the role she wants?

Not Safe for Work by Nisha J. Tuli, thank you @Hachette.Audio for the ALC! The book is out 5/20!

The audiobook is narrated by Soneela Nankani. Good narration and it was entertaining to listen to! I would recommend the audiobook if you like them.

This book was so fun. It’s a workplace rivals romcom. Trishara is excited to be picked to go to a corporate leadership retreat in Hawaii but then that is quickly made stressful when she finds out that the boss’ son Rafe is also attending. Then they find out they are booked in the same hotel room… and it’s the honeymoon suite. Tris and Rafe give us a steamy slow burn, rivals to lovers, forced proximity, vacation romance.

Would I recommend? Yeah, if you are wanting an entertaining good time romcom. If you want serious business and lots of feelings maybe not. But I had a great time.

This was my first book from this author- and I believe it’s her first romance! She has a very popular fantasy series! I loved it! I read/listened to it in a day, it was soooo good! The audio was fantastic!

Do you enjoy books where the MCs work together and get sent to like a tropical place? This is my second book this year that has this setting and I love it!

These two- Trishara and Rafe are so fun! They are rival engineers who are both sent to partake in the company’s leadership retreat in Hawaii. They have to learn to work together, despite not liking each other…. Or do they? The line between hard & love is very thin, especially when their original meeting wasn’t so great, but HE has always liked her. Despite him being the boss’s son and seemingly having everything handed to him. Whereas Trishara has to work twice as hard in a male dominated career, dealing with male privilege and blatant nepotism.

This romance is a slow burn with forced proximity (they have to share a room!) and only one bed… and they don’t like each other… umm perfection!!! I loved it! The chemistry between these two was so good! The slow burn was slow burning and when they finally gave in? 🔥🔥🔥

But what I really loved is how Trishara was able to ride up and stand up for herself and for others after she was passed up for the promotion for a very very disgusting reason (I’m not saying anything due to spoilers!) but trust me, what Trishara does after? Freaking amazing! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

While I haven’t read this author’s fantasy books, I think if you enjoy them, then make sure you read this one! It’s so good! A perfect summer read!

Trishara "Trish" swore off men years ago, she can no longer trust them after an incident with her ex-boyfriend forced her to leave her job.
Since then, in the half decade that Trish has been working for WMC she has been passed over on multiple times on promotions, for men who are less qualified than her. "Little by little each of these insults chipped pieces of me away." She is burning out, losing her ambition, and no longer trying to excel.

That's when Trish finds out that she was one of the two employees selected to go to a 3 week training event for work at tropical resort in Hawaii. The catch? The other coworker selected was the boss's son, Rafe- the drop-dead gorgeous man whose smile knocks people senseless- The man whose been her rival ever since he got Trish's dream promotion that she worked hard for and deserved.


"You're almost as smart as everyone pretends you are Rafe."

"I was just getting to the part where the main character was about to give a revenge blowjob to the hot fae prince who kidnapped her, but there's no way I'm telling Rafe that."

"It's hard to believe you're an introvert because you shine in every room you enter. - There's nothing unmissable about you; That's all an act, there isn't anywhere you could go where everyone wouldn't notice you."

- Boss's Son
- Workplace Romance
- Tropical Paradise
- Enemies to Lovers
- Forced Proximity
- One Bed

I was SO excited to receive this ALC, and it did not disappoint. Not Safe for Work is filled with spice and gives you the feels.
I like how this book broaches topics like sexism, racism, and nepotism in the workplace, and brings to light not accepting less than deserve and not diminishing your self-worth for a job.

The audiobook's narrator Soneela Nankani was excellently chosen. Her voice was perfect in all aspects of this book, from the banter to the spicy scenes to portraying the character's humor, she was on point. Her pace was pretty good, I did have to listen to the story at a faster speed than normal for it to sound right to me, but that might just be a me thing.
I highly would recommend listening to this audiobook it will make Not Safe for Work an even more enjoyable experience. I cannot wait to listen to more audiobooks from this narrator and publisher.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for this Audiobook ARC.

The audio is fantastic. The narration is by Soneela Nankani. She did such a fabulous job. I am sure I enjoyed this more because I listened to it. Nankani captured so many emotions. She caught the frustration, anger, and so many nuances. I was able to clearly tell the changes in characters and didn't even question it. It was such a smooth and fast paced listen.

I highly recommend the audiobook if you are interested in this story.

I am so in love with this book! You HAVE to read it.

Long story short: Trishara and Rave went to teambuilding but, unexpectedly, ended up in 'newly married', one bed, romantice, suite. And they hate each other, too.

This seems like a cliché story, but Nuri gave the characters unexpected hobbies and a back-up story, so it ended up refreshing.

I love many things about this book: a strong woman who stands up for herself, a man who follows his dream despite what his father wants, the 'he falls first' trope, he LOVES to cook and so many more.

The narrator was great, too. I didn't have a problem understanding which voice is whose nor did I find it strange when she changed her voice through book.

So, thumbs up, read this one!

“𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆’𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒖𝒏𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕’𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝑰 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒕. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒈𝒐 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖.”

Not Safe for Work by Nisha J. Tuli, narrated by Soneela Nankani (who did amazing!) had such a vibe, a sharp, slow-burn workplace rom-com infused with empowering POC girl boss energy.

Trish is a standout FMC: smart, bold, and done with the BS. I loved how unapologetically she stood up for herself and demanded answers when needed. She's the backbone of the story, and her presence really carried the narrative in the best way.

Rafe was interesting. He’s a solid MMC, though I wish he had a bit more depth. The whole baking thing felt like it came out of nowhere; it could’ve been a more impactful reveal if there had been a few subtle hints leading up to it. Still, he had his charm.

The slow burn was real in this one. With Trish and Rafe working together, she initially saw him as a rival, just another privileged guy riding on his father’s coattails. She assumed he hadn’t earned his position. But during a retreat/work trip, we see her perspective shift as she discovers he’s not avoiding her because he doubts her talent, he’s avoiding her because he likes her (of course!). Also, she learns that he doesn't even want to be there.

The book also touched on some deeper themes like racism and workplace inequality. I thought the author handled those moments thoughtfully, especially in showing how Trish internalized and navigated the dynamics at her company. While I can’t speak to the POC experience, as a woman in a male-dominated workplace, I really resonated with many of her feelings.

Overall, I really enjoyed it and gave it 4 1/2 Stars, rounded up to 5.

I will also be posting a review release week on my Instagram @story.time.sarah

A workplace romance from Nisha J. Tuli?! I was intrigued! I loved her Artefacts of Ouranos series so I was really excited to give this one a try. Side note - there’s a little mention/easter egg of the Rule of the Aurora King in NSFW 👀 guess which scene lol

Anyway back to NSFW thoughts -
Tris, our FMC, has dealt with a lot of shit being a woman in a male dominated field. I appreciated her strength, not playing the man’s game, and trying to make things better for future females in the field. Would love to see this in more romcoms. I definitely resonated with her at times - feeling like conquering the corporate world to feeling deflated about it all.

Rafe, our MMC, is hot with a dirty mouth! I liked that we got glimpses into his passions outside of work and insight into his family drama. But I still felt like I wanted more from him!

The spice was hitting and I felt chemistry between Tris & Rafe. We did have to wait for it as this one ended up being more of a slow burn. The wait was worth it though. I was a bit frustrated with one of the conflicts in the book aka Rafe still in contact with his ex. And did feel like the resolution was very quick at the end. The epilogue was cute though!! I also enjoyed the narrators of the audiobook!

Great narrator that truly brought the FMC and her experience to life!

I love office romance trope! This book truly delivered such a vivacious and bad ass FMC. She knows her stuff and is so dang relatable!
One of my fav parts of a well written office romance are the zooming in to the office culture. It is so important to understand the stakes of each person involved. For me, this book covered the office culture perfect. The more I got to know the office jerk, the work wife, the work crush, and then all other cast members, it felt so easy to feel what the FMC was going through.

I love the female empowerment in this book too! The tension leading to the steam was also so well done! Will be recommending this book to friends!

Rival engineers Trishara and Rafe find themselves in close proximity on a tropical company retreat that challenges their assumptions.

I really enjoyed this one, especially the audiobook narration by Soneela Nankani. The book delivers all the fun romcom vibes with sarcasm, banter, flirtation, and tension, while also tackling mistreatment in the workplace as Trishara is trying to succeed in a male-dominated field. I loved the Maui setting as our leads are stuck sharing the honeymoon suite.

It's an easy read I'd recommend picking up if you're enjoy:
- Workplace romance
- Forced proximity
- Slow burn
- Women in STEM

Thanks Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the gifted copy.

I’ve only read physical or ebook editions of Nisha J. Tuli’s books before and it’s been an absolute delight listening to Not Safe for Work. Soneela has done a fantastic job (not that I’m surprised at all, I’ve loved every book I’ve listened to that she narrates). I already knew I was going to enjoy NSFW because Nisha’s romantasies are my favorites but her contemporary is just as sexy and fun. She loves a slow burn and Tris and Rafe are no different. Listening to their chemistry explode had me fanning myself at work. And their banter? Giggling, kicking my feet experiencing them try to resist their attraction.

I adored this story! Trishara was such a bad ass and I enjoyed watching the relationship between her and Rafe. I enjoyed each and every trope, the representation, and the conclusion. Loved how Trishara resolved her issues and the HEA was adorable!
Thank you to Netgalley, Nisha Tuli and the publisher for the chance to read this early!

Not Safe for Work is a laugh out loud funny romcom about being stuck with your work rival on a tropical vacation. Trishara Malik is an engineer working in a male dominated field and once dreamed of being the first woman of color to break through the glass ceiling at her company. But after years of being passed over for promotions, witnessing white male privilege, and seeing the company’s blatant nepotism, she’s ready to give up. But then she’s chosen to attend the corporate leadership retreat in Hawaii and she starts to hope again.

There’s just one huge catch, she has to go with Rafe Gallagher, the boss’s son, her work nemesis, and an unfairly attractive jerk. She plans to ignore him for three weeks, but there’s only one hotel room and they keep getting put together during team building exercises. As they spend more time together, Trishara realizes that she misjudged Rafe and comes to realize what a great guy he is.

This book has romance, humor, a fun setting, and it tackles the challenges women face in male-dominated workplaces by portraying the misogyny, sexual harassment, and racism against women and especially women of color. It was a very honest, impactful book, and I think it’s an important read.

The audio is very well done and Soneela Nankani voiced Trishara perfectly. She made the book so entertaining to listen to, and really embodied all of the sarcasm, anger, banter, and flirting that exists between Trishara and Rafe. I had a blast listening to it.

Thank you to Hachette Audio, Forever, Grand Central Publishing, Hachette Book Group, Nisha J. Tuli, and NetGalley for the ARC and ALC.

📔Not Safe for Work
✏️ Nisha J. Tuli
📆 May 20, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

READ IF YOU LIKE:
🏝️work rivals
🏝️she hates him
🏝️forced proximity
🏝️only one hotel room
🏝️tropical company retreat
🏝️banter