"Not Safe for Work" delivers a breezy, tropical escape with a familiar enemies-to-lovers trope, landing it squarely in the three-star category. Nisha J. Tuli sets up a compelling premise: ambitious engineer Trishara "Tris" Malik, consistently overlooked at her company, finds herself begrudgingly sharing a Hawaiian retreat – and a honeymoon suite! – with her professional nemesis, the privileged Rafe Gallagher.
The initial conflict stemming from workplace politics and perceived unfairness is relatable, and Tris's frustration with the corporate environment resonates. The forced proximity in a picturesque setting naturally creates opportunities for their dynamic to shift, and the author teases the possibility of a deeper connection as they navigate leadership challenges.
However, while the promise of a steamy romance in paradise is present, the development of Tris and Rafe's relationship feels somewhat predictable. The journey from animosity to attraction follows well-trodden paths, and while there are glimpses of Rafe's hidden depths, his transformation from antagonist to potential love interest could have been more nuanced.
Ultimately, "Not Safe for Work" offers an enjoyable, lighthearted read, perfect for a beach vacation (ironically). It hits the expected beats of a rom-com, but readers looking for a truly groundbreaking or deeply complex exploration of workplace dynamics or romantic entanglement might find it falls a little short of a five-star experience. It's a solid, entertaining read that delivers on its core premise, even if it doesn't venture too far outside the genre's comfort zone.

The first half of the book is all miscommunication trope, which I don't like. I'm glad I finished it because the second half was excellent.
Initially, I got vibes similar to the Spanish Love Deception. There are some similarities, but then it takes a different turn. It would have been a solid 5 stars except for the stretched-out miscommunication part.
The narrator, Soneela Nankani, did a phenomenal job. I would love to listen to her narrating other romance books. I rate her 5/5.

📚✨ This book is for you if...
🔥 You love enemies-to-lovers
💼 Can’t resist office drama and forbidden attraction
👩‍💼 Need a fierce, career-driven character
💬 Crave witty banter and steamy moments

This reminded me a lot of The Love Hypothesis. Woman in STEM, dark grumpyish MMC, conference...

I really liked Tris as a main character! She's intelligent and driven, yet knows how to be goofy when the time is right. I liked Rafe a lot as well, but mostly I liked how he was open to listening to Tris and adjust his behaviour and beliefs accordingly. Sigh, if only I could find a real man that does that. The romance was perfectly paced and believable, and the spice well-written and not over-the-top.

I really liked how Tuli dove into the struggles of women, especially women of colour, in (white) male dominated fields. I myself am a woman in STEM and have been lucky enough not to face much of what Tris (and Tuli) have since my branch of STEM is more female domaniated, and also I'm white. I really appreciated getting a look into what some of my STEM sisters may be experiencing. It riles me up and makes me want to smash the patriarchy even harder.

Anyway, this was a quick, fun read that I would recommend to Ali Hazelwood fans!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I think anyone who loves the enemies to lovers trope, will love this book. I did. Plenty of banter and angst in this book. Plus it's set in a workplace. 5 stars

Many thanks to Net Galley and Hachette Audio for an audio ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for a free copy of "Not Safe For Work" for review purposes. All thoughts are my own.
This was incredibly funny. I found myself giggling out loud. It's a really good read to kick off your summer! The narration was exactly how I envisioned Trishara's voice. She also killed it doing Rafe's narration!

So, think dream (work) vacation with your office nemesis, but make him a 10 out of 10. Sprinkle in some forced proximity and a whole lot of tension, and there you have it! This book. 💥
While this is a rom-com, I think it really puts into perspective how women feel in a male-dominated workplace, especially women of color. I love how Trishara "stuck it to the man" and took no shit from those chauvinistic men she called her bosses.
Rafe was a really good man. The biggest green flag. 💗 You should just read and see for yourself.

This was a fun enemies to lovers book that also touched on a lot of social issues. I love that our FMC stayed true to her self and was strong throughout. She worked through some fear and self doubt while still being herself and not changing to fit in.

The narrator was great to listen to! There are parts that had me laughing out loud. When she had to do voices for other characters, her small changes were just enough and it was not over the top or unbelievable. She was perfect for the main character.

Yes! This is exactly what I'm looking for when I want an enemies-to-lovers rom com. I want funny bickering and chemistry-filled flirting. I mean there was a sentiment early on that just tickled me - "I'm not obsessed with Rafe. I'm totally obsessed with Rafe. [...] My obsession was forged in the hell fires of acrimony." This was wonderful. I also liked the "women in the workplace" feminism. It wasn't too heavy handed or overly dramatic. It was a pretty realistic take on what a lot of women face in the business world. But also not in a way that made the book a total downer. Like I don't want to hate men while I'm supposed to be rooting for the FMC to fall in love with one. (I'll stick to hating them when I read the news.)

I had requested this because I adore Soneela Nankani. Does anyone have a more lyrical, melodic, pretty voice? She was perfect in this. I wasn't familiar with the author, Nisha J. Tuli, before seeing this on NetGalley. From what I can tell, she usually does fantasy romances and that this may be her first contemporary rom com? I hope there are more to come, but I'll definitely be checking out her other books in the meantime.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!

I could not put this book down. I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish it and went into work almost an hour later than normal to make up the sleep. And I have no regrets. This book was SO good and so worth it.

The audiobook was incredibly well done. Soneela Nankani did a great job with the narration. I felt like she really evoked the character of Tris well with her performance. She expressed all the emotional depth Tris experienced throughout the book and had fantastic range and tone. Her vocal changes for various characters were all also well done and never felt overdone or like caricature voices, particularly for her male voices.

I loved Tris. I could relate to Tris. I work in an engineering adjacent field and with engineers, however, we (women) are thankfully much more appreciated here than in Tris’s company. Despite that, I recognize how easily it could be different in such a male-dominated field. I understood how Tris found herself feeling stagnated and uninspired, and how the culture of her company contributed to that. I felt proud of her for recognizing it and realizing she didn’t owe them her continued loyalty simply because they took a chance on her. But I also felt proud of the way she took charge with the opportunity they granted her and found a way to gain from their less-than-genuine motivations for finally recognizing her talents. All this and I haven’t even gotten to the romance of it all yet.

The spark and tension and push-pull between Tris and Rafe was electric. Their dynamic was addictive to me and part of why I couldn’t put the book down. I wanted to see how they were going to face off next and what hidden side of each other that would reveal to them. Everything about their dynamic felt so genuine and authentic, and I couldn’t get enough of the two of them.

Throughout it all, I also loved seeing Tris regain her own spark and the stands she found the strength to take whenever the time came for those moments. I loved her.

Thank you to Forever via NetGalley for the eARC and to Hachette Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5

Absolutely obsessed. The perfect enemies to lovers, one bed, workplace romance. The rampant sexism in the corporate world and how some of this is based off of the author’s real experiences? My jaw was on the floor at some points

Audio Narration: 4/5 Solid narration. The pace at which the narrator speaks is a little on the slow side. 1x sounds slowed down, not a huge deal since speeding up is always an option but ideally 1x would sound/feel a bit more natural. More importantly the pausing feels natural and inflictions aren't overdone. Easy to listen and one I would definitely recommend.

<b>Nisha J Tuli's first contemporary romance and she absolutely nailed it! </b>

I’ve been a fan of the author’s writing since reading the <i>Trial of the Sun Queen</i> in 2023 - <i>“that bitch took my soap”</i> will forever be one of the best opening lines - I was so excited when she announced she was writing a contemporary romance!

<i>Here is what I think you should know…</i>

I had a smile on my face the ENTIRE time I was reading this book (well except for the few shocking moments, Hannah, I’m looking at you, in the bathroom… why are people like that?)!

I read this in a single day - started in the afternoon, hunkered down of the sofa and devoured 70% of it, realized it was time for bed, hopped under the covers and kept on devouring!

Sometimes when I binge a book in a day it tends to drag at some point, usually around the 60% mark as I hit exhaustion, <i>BUT THIS BOOK</i>?
<b>NO LULLS, just perfect pacing from start to finish. </b>

The tension and banter in this book are so top tier! I needed them to kiss already! This is SLLLLLLOOOOOOOWWWW burn and if I’m being completely honest I kinda wanted it to be slightly less so - but i’m a greedy b*tch and wanted as much banging as possible from Nisha J. Tuli, as she writes some of the best spice I've read!

I loved the workplace dynamics and the addition of real-world aspects relating to the struggles of a woman of color in STEM. I’m a sucker for a STEM FMC.

This has some of your favorite tropes/microtropes and its executed with such skill in a way that doesn’t feel overdone.
<i>(skip the next chunk if you think tropes are spoilers…)</i>

Only one bed
Rivals-to-lovers
He takes care of her/makes her feel safe
forbidden love
obsessive and possessive MMC
forced proximity

Oh! I loved the meta nod to Trial of the Sun Queen. It made me giggle!

<i>With all the spectacular this book has to offer there were a few things that weren’t my favorite… </i>

There is a heavy focus on physical attraction in this book and usually this is a huge turnoff for me, but I will say it’s done in a way that doesn’t feel overly lusty - it’s balanced with non-physical attraction and tender moments of getting to know each other. It feels pretty realistic, because you know, sometimes a person is just that f-ing hot. That said it’s still heavy on physical attraction and some may find this skews a bit insta-love. minor spoiler <spoiler>I would have preferred they didn’t say I love you at the end of this book, it’s only been 3 weeks and the story would have been just as strong, perhaps stronger, without those three little words.</spoiler>

Some might also find some of the relationship dynamics and lack of communication at times, frustrating - but again, there has to be drama in a romance to save it from being boring. I just prefer my drama to come from areas not related to lack of communication.

And the most minor silly thing that drove me nuts about this book is… The obsession with him not smiling at her - it was excessive. but me even mentioning it is just petty so take that as you wish.

🌶️ - Damn this author knows how to write some spice! It’s pretty mild in this though, definitely explicit language but the scenes are all fairly short. Ch 22, 23, 24, 25.

This is a cute workplace romance- enemies to lovers, forced proximity, one bed.

Trishara is an engineer and one of the only women in a male dominated field, her bitter rival at work is Rafe Gallagher, the boss's son. She has been passed over for a promotion 3 times in 5 years. When she is selected for a leadership development program, she is thrilled to spend 3 weeks in Hawaii even though it is work. She is less than thrilled to learn that the other person selected for the program is Rafe. Because she has had difficult and traumatic experiences with workplace romance in the past, she has sworn off getting too personal with anyone in the office.

I really enjoyed the drama and the overall plot of this romance, I felt a lot of chemistry between Tris and Rafe and as she got to know him better it was apparent they were falling for each other. The misogyny in the office was apparent and definitely angering at times, but this met a really satisfying conclusion. The setting of Hawaii was glorious, this book is a lot of my own private fantasies rolled into one- telling off the boss, finally being seen as the leader you are, being desired.

In parts, Tris seemed a little spoiled- you should not even JOKE about burning Louis Vuitton luggage- but overall she was a likeable heroine that was easy to root for. Rafe was not a one dimensional MBA bro, as we learn more about him the reader sees him more clearly as Tris is seeing him more clearly- she has judged him due to her own insecurities and not as things really are. There were several really humorous chapters and definitely some spicy ones.

Audiobook review- all one narrator, this book doesn't switch into Rafe's POV so we have all Tris. I appreciate Hachette audio and in choosing a narrator that has south asian heritage. Her performance was snarky, fun and light hearted. The pacing was perfect for audio.

thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ARC. Book to be published May 20, 2025

This book was genuinely phenomenal! The banter and angst between our two main characters was unmatched, and the enemies to lovers in a workplace romance could not have been better. There is so so so much I could say about this book, but I’ll keep it short for now.

As for the narrator, her inflection and the way she made each character come to life was great.

This was a great workplace rivals to lovers story!

I had so much fun reading about these characters, and having it all set on the backdrop of Hawaii made it all the better.

I really enjoyed Trishara as a character and how she stood up for herself and didn’t take anyone’s shit. Her confidence and strength was incredible. Rafe was a really fun character, and I enjoyed his arc. It was fun to see hints of him always having a thing for her sprinkled throughout the book.

Their relationship progressed nicely, and I liked that they had some big conversations before anything romantic happened.

I had a lot of fun with the audiobook and loved the narrator. She did an excellent job conveying the characters' emotions, and her inflections were nice to listen to.

Soneela does such a phenomenal job of capturing every mood and emotion of Tris and Rafe's journey. I loved it!

I read this partly on Audio and partly the e arc. Soneela Nakani is one of my favourite audiobook narrators and as per usual excellent narration.

Not Safe for Work is Nisha J. Tuli's debut in the Contemporary romance genre, and oh boy was it a solid release. I genuinely enjoyed the story, Trishara was an confident woman who dealt with a lot of Cooperate misogyny and to be honest as someone who also works in the cooperate world there was a lot I can relate too.

Now on to the romance with the CEO's son Rafe and this Enemies to Lovers tension he has with Tris. This romance had two of my favourite tropes. Forced Proximity and One Bed and the spicy was spicing. That being said the romance was slow burn and well paced which I love. I also enjoyed the side characters who were all women, and all women in business supporting one another which honestly we don't see enough it romance these days.

And lastly this has no 3AB! Instead it has we are both adults here, figure your shit out and then once you do then we can move forward. I've started to see this more in books and YES PLEASE! Keep it up!

So Suffice to say Nisha knocked out of the park with this one, and now I look forward to reading her romantasy. Also LOVE that she is Canadian, we need more genre focused Canadian Authors getting some love.

"Not Safe for Work" by Nisha J. Tuli was such an enjoyable surprise! I haven't read very many workplace romances, so I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect going in. However, what really stood out to me — and what made this story work so well — was that it didn’t feel like just a typical workplace romance. The addition of the vacation setting gave it a fresh, relaxed energy that made it feel different and much more dynamic than a standard office love story.

The workplace element added just the right amount of tension and professional stakes, but the vacation vibe opened up the story, giving the characters room to interact outside of their professional roles. It kept things from feeling too confined or repetitive, which can sometimes happen in workplace settings. I loved seeing the characters navigate their work challenges while also letting loose, having fun, and connecting in a more personal way.

The characters themselves were well-drawn and very likable. Their chemistry felt believable, and I found myself genuinely invested in their journey. They had just the right balance of fun banter, emotional depth, and personal growth. Even as someone relatively new to workplace romances, I felt the story struck a perfect tone — it was lighthearted without being shallow, and romantic without feeling overly predictable.

The audiobook version made the experience even better. The narration was engaging and really brought the characters and the setting to life. The narrator captured the humor, tension, and sweetness of the story so well that I found myself smiling often while listening. A great narrator can make all the difference, and this performance definitely elevated the material.

I gave this book four stars because, while I truly enjoyed it, there were a few small areas where I wished for just a little more — particularly some more development for the side characters. However, overall, it was a fantastic listen that kept me entertained from start to finish.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Not Safe for Work by Nisha J. Tuli. Releasing May 20, 2025.

I ate this one up! Not only does it show the continual struggles of women, trying to climb the later, but it shows what happens when you break out of norms, and follow your dreams. The romance between Tris and Rafe was so adorable. I loved that they continued to support each other’s dreams, and were willing to throw away everything to make that happen. This booo made me laugh, swoon, and cheer on the characters!

This book contains tropes such as;
Enemies lovers
Workplace rivals
One hotel room/one bed
Vacation setting

The audiobook was the perfect way to consume this. The narrator was perfect. It was a sooo narration, but worked perfectly! Highly recommend!

I received an advanced listening copy of this audiobook for review. This is my own opinion.

First and foremost, this feels like OG Ali Hazelwood, but with a POC FMC (sorry for all the letters) and some blazing chemistry. This is very much like if you crossed The Hating Game with an Ali-verse book.

Tris is a burnt out engineer in a stagnant job, and when she gets sent on a THREE WEEK TROPICAL CORPORATE RETREAT/TRAINING TRIP??? (I would work there for that, even with the misogyny holy crap—okay probably not but I digress) with her Work Nemesis who also happens to be the son of her boss, there is, naturally, only one room and only one bed. The situation devolves from there into a lot of amusing situations and ton of “he’s so hot—oh no I forgot I hate him—but do I really?” Which honestly has the potential to be SO annoying but never really got to that point for me.

The chemistry between Tris and Rafe was off the charts even in their first scene, and it only ramped up from there. I really enjoyed this one! It’s like the perfect hot summer romance, especially if you like a slow burn because this was way slower than I expected because I fully expected a hate f*ck to get it out of their systems about 30% in.

Also, the second we met Rafe I suspected he was in love with Tris. And I won’t tell you what happens, but I LOVE that in these sorts of workplace romances.

Anyway, definitely recommend for beach/summer reading, or if you’re stuck at home and need a little spice in your life.

Thanks to Hachette Audio for the ALC! The narrator was also really good.

4.5/5

Not Safe For Work by Nisha JTuli
5🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
3🌶🌶🌶

This. Book. Was. AMAZING! The angsty enemies to lovers slow burn story had me absolutely SWOONING!

Our FMC Trishara (Tris) is an engineer navigating her way in the typically male dominated career she's in. After being passed over for multiple promotions she was highly qualified for, she is approaching burnout and has lost her passion for her job. So imagine her surprise when she was selected as one of the two representatives for her Chicago office to attend a three week long leadership retreat in Hawaii!

Sounds great, right? Except that the other person coming on the retreat is her work nemesis, Rafe, the boss's son. Safe is gorgeous, successful, and got the job Tris applied for to lead their team at work. Ever since then, they have been full-on work enemies.

But when they both arrive in Hawaii, they realize that their office secretary booked them to share a room, and not just any room, the honeymoon suite! What ensues is a funny and very steamy slow burn that had me laughing l, and even in my feelings at some point.

This was an amazing read that was guided by the authors personal experience as a woman in the corporate world. The representation from that aspect alone makes this book well worth the read. Everything else is the umbrella in the fancy hawaiian cocktail!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ALC in exchange for my honest review!

I had such a great time with this audiobook! The narrator did a fantastic job bringing the story to life, and the story itself was so warm and enjoyable. I connected with the FMC more than I expected—having worked in environments where I was one of the few women, I really understood how that can weigh on a person. I appreciated not just her growth, but also the growth of her love interests throughout the story. Overall, it was a very cute, feel-good read, and I’m excited to see what else this author has in store!

Thanks to Netgalley and Hachette Audio for the ALC! <3