2 stars ⋆✴︎˚｡⋆

i was super excited for this arc but unfortunately this one just didn’t end up sitting well with me.

just fyi this is going to be a lot

but i really want to talk about the stuff i did like a bit , which was the plot of us following this POC woman in stem, who wants to make moves in her career while also still very much struggling with the aftermath and currently issues of workplace discrimination and how hard it can be to be a woman like her in that environment. also the netgalley narrator Soneela Nankani did such an excellent job of delivering this book

our main characters were not my favourite characters to read or root for. trishara felt very pick me girl and not like the badass woman in stem she’s supposed to be. she’s incredibly immature, i mean demanding things from your boss in order to go on trip is completely unprofessional (although yes i can see how she was just trying to milk the situation to her advantage, still doesn’t make it appropriate). she eavesdrops on rafe’s phone calls multiple times and always depreciates his input into things while still saying how hot he is. (confused much).

don’t even get me started on walking red flag rafe. it’s only really two things he did that instantly gave me the “get away from me right now” ick. firstly not telling your ex point blank that you’re over and never getting back together while pursuing someone else is extremely weird behaviour, i don’t care how long you have known each other. also to show up to trishana’s house after the big blow up “reach out to me when you’ve sorted out the hannah situation” happened, you show up to her door with baked goods while on instagram live???? are you mentally unwell? what happened to a proper private apology? so you love bomb her and put her on the spot by basically telling the world you’re her to win her back. yeah no. 🚩

i also feel like we didn’t get any actual development in the characters.

a lot of the plot was extremely cliche, predictable and unfortunate not very well written in my opinion like there were too many situations where i felt like things happened unnecessarily that could have been easily avoided which just annoyed me. i also really wish their romance had more of an emotional build up and not like “oh i liked you but i thought you hated me” and “oh i liked you but i was too scared to because of what happened last time i was in love. but let’s do this anyway”, they needed proper build up.

3.5⭐ (Rounded up)

I waffled so hard on loving this book and being totally bored with it. I think the positives won out, but not by a wide margin.

Not Safe For Work is about Trishara, the first woman of color in her engineering department. She is constantly dealing with the old boys club in her office and is passed over for a promotion in favor of her boss's son, Rafe. She's finally offered an opportunity when they send her (and Rafe) on a corporate leadership retreat. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending how you look at it, both her and Rafe end up booked in the same room, with only one bed (of course).

Standout likes:
The focus on sexism in the workplace was HEAVY, and is a conversation that needs to be had more often.
The ending?? It was so cute and is probably what kicked up the rating all by itself.

Standout dislikes:
Trishara. Just, as a whole. Especially with Rafe, I couldn't understand how she reacted to certain things.
The other woman drama was a little much sometimes.

The narration was done well done and easy to listen to. Like usual, if I don't specifically notice something, it's safe to say the narrator fit the character.

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio for providing me with this ALC.

I’m going to start off by saying that I enjoyed this book. It was fun and flirty with delicious tension and the most gorgeous scenery. I thought the chemistry between Tris and Rafe was excellent and like how they didn’t just flip the switch from rivals to lovers the minute they landed in Hawaii. This was an excellent slow burn.

As someone who has been living with debilitating migraines for decades, I was very much looking forward to reading this because of the FMC’s chronic pain/headache/migraine rep. Authentic migraine representation is very rare and I appreciate when my own lived experience and true migraines are accurately portrayed on page. Unfortunately, that was not the case in this book. Tris does live with chronic pain and headaches, but what was reflected on page was more in line with tension headaches. I bristled when she would talk about the onset of pain and tension, take her pain meds, and then follow it up with a series of alcoholic beverages - because for me and others I know who live with migraines, alcohol is often a trigger. It was also frustrating that when asked about the cause of her migraines, Tris said she had seen a neurologist, had an MRI, but ultimately didn’t know and it was just something she has to live with. This would have been a great time to talk about triggers - she’s having frequent pain because she’s in a new environment and weather changes can trigger migraines - but the way it was so easily dismissed is maddening because it perpetuates incorrect ideas about migraines which then in turn lead people to say “it’s just a headache.” While I appreciate that the author wanted to bring this representation to the page, it seems that it could have been beneficial to have readers with this lived experience consulted for accuracy. Or just say tension headache/chronic pain rep and not include migraine since this was inaccurate.

Overall, I had a fun time and really enjoyed the narration. I think this will make for an excellent summer or beach read!

Not Safe For Work had me giggling and kicking my feet! The audiobook narration was great and really brought the story to life. Some of my favorite tropes are enemies to lovers, forced proximity, slow burn, and one bed and this had all of the above. I loved the resort meets work conference/trip setting. The tension in this book is amazing and the characters were so well done. The love interest is hot, fit, he bakes, he draws, he has some caveman tendencies, and he is SAFE (iykyk.) I cannot stop thinking about the storm scene, it really warmed my heart. I highly recommend picking this book up! I have had Trial of the Sun Queen on my TBR for so long and now I am definitely going to pick it up as soon as possible!

This was a nice slow burn work enemies to lovers romance. There is some forced proximity as they are stuck in a hotel suite together while on a work related travel. I think Trishara is too indecisive and keeps going back and forth. She claims she doesn't date in the work force, but then does, then doesn't, etc. I thought the chemistry was definitely there between the two characters, but they were both so hot and cold about everything.

I think crashing a wedding was a bit distasteful. Nobody would like their special day ruined by people who shouldn't be there. While they didn't necessarily do anything bad, their reasoning for going was a bit lackluster. Rafe claimed there was free alcohol and music, but the resort offered free alcohol also. There was really no point in them crashing the wedding, they could have found something more fun to do together. When the bride realizes that they aren't actually guests she calls for security to escort them out. Realistically, I have never heard of a wedding having security as this is supposed to be an intimate moment with their closest friends and family.

Rafe was a gentleman and I do believe he had the best interest for Trishara throughout the book. The romance is very slow and there is no spice until the end which is fine, except I didn't find the smut to be all that good. Rafe tells Trishara that he has masturbated so much thinking about her that his hand was raw. I definitely made a funny face listening to that part of the audiobook. Shortly after that Trishara compares him to a horny fourteen year old and that shes think its "cute." I just think that some things could have been worded differently without coming off as a bit cringey.

I think the narration was good overall, but at times things did feel a bit dull. I absolutely love the cover of this book and I think that the characters are absolutely stunning. I enjoyed the ending and the epilogue very much! Thank you to Netgalley, Hachette Audio, and Nisha J. Tuli for an ARC of this audiobook. This review is my own honest opinion.

<b>OMG NISHA YOU QUEEN</b>

I I can honestly say I am obsessed!
So I have literally only read fantasy by Nisha and she can do romance in fantasy flawlessly. When I was given the opportunity to have the arc for he new romance I was a little apprehensive but I enjoyed her other books so i 100% gave it a shot!

Nisha has proved with this book how much of an amazing author she really is she nailed fantasy genre and now romance!

work place romance ✔️
Bosses son ✔️
Enemies to lovers ✔️
One bed ✔️
Fiery FMC ✔️
Hot as Hell MMC ✔️

Oh and did I mention work retreat with one bed (thought I’d add one bed in again just for emphasis) 😂

Tris is of Indian ethnicity and is in the cut throat corporate engineering world of white collar men!
Rafe is the son of her boss. His handed everything on a plate. Rafe Gallagher is her nemesis. Even if he is hot as hell and her ultimate fantasy is to be dragged off to his lair by him.
But <b>NOPE we hate Rafe</b>

That’s until they are forced to share a room due to Belinda mess up! I mean damn Belinda and her can’t be bothered attitude!

One thing leads to another and Tris and Rafe find common ground and naturally become closer not by choice I mean date is literally pushing them together. But as time passes they realise maybe what they thought was hate was just miscommunication!

Nisha wrote this beautiful and I literally enjoyed every second and I for one will be jumping on anything that woman writes!

You was cosy, spice and some questionable work place naughtiness I’m sure any Human Resources would freak out over!
This is for you

Don’t walk run to this for your next read

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you for the arc it was amazing

Thank you NetGalley for the free audio in exchange of an honest review!

I absolutely love this author! Her books are easy to read and always captivating from the very first page. Not Safe For Work was so fun with the setting, rivals to lovers, and women in stem vibes. She executed it beautifully. The only reason it wasn’t a 5 star for me is that there was some moments where the banter got a little cringey and I also wished that Rafe had a bit more depth. This could’ve been solved by writing a dual POV, but aside from that I really enjoyed this one!

I giggled, I swooned, I cheered, and I loved this book so much! Nisha J. Tuli definitely has a future in romance, not just romantasy.

Tris was strong-willed and her journey to confidence in a male-dominated profession was so inspiring as a fellow woman in STEM. She never dimmed her light for the (total asshole) men around her, and took every advantage she could in a move that seriously had me wondering if I could ever convince a company to fund some designer luggage for me.

Rafe was quiet but steady; the way he always stood up for Tris and what was fair had me kicking my feet and falling for him so fast. I really liked seeing him on his own journey to confidence alongside Tris, because we don’t see MMCs trying to grow nearly enough. I would’ve killed for a couple chapters from his POV during his pining time (trivia night, please I am begging you!!), because the man had it bad.

There was a little bit of spice - just enough to leave me wanting more but also satisfied in the way it was woven into the story.

Soneela Nankani was great on the audiobook narration. She gave Tris the perfect amount of sass, emotion, and f*ck you attitude when it was called for. The production was flawless.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Hachette Audio, and Forever for the ARC of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review. I’ll be buying this one for rereads without a doubt.

4/5 stars!

I want to thank Netgalley and Forever for an e-arc as well as the acl edition of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I am a sucker for any enemies to lovers work place romances since I watched Set It Up and this book scratched that ich I've had since. Tish was a delight and being in her head was so nice. The tension was wall climbing and the smut was really good. Rafe was really cute and I am a sucker for the microtrope that takes place in this book... idk if it a spoiler but it is one of my favorites...

This book taking place in Hawaii was so amazing! I need to book a flight with my work enemy on a company retreat immediately!

I also really enjoyed a headstrong bipoc fmc!!! this touches on actual things that go on in the workplace and targeting women especially women of color!!! and it was done with grace. I really enjoyed getting an advanced copy of this book and i am looking forward to a paperback to annotate.

To add the ALC!! was amazing and just as fantastic as the book. Perfect!!!! Read for Summer!!!!

This was a fun little palette cleanser of a read. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was absolutely amazing!

What I enjoyed about the book:
I loved the setting and the vacation vibes which makes this the perfect beach read.
Only one bed!!!
Enemies to lovers!!
The steamy parts!

Based on the title of the book I was expecting more spicy scenes. While there were few it was still perfectly spicy!

Overall a great read! I highly recommend the audiobook as the narrator did an amazing job depicting the characters emotions.

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ARC/ALC in exchange for my honest review.

I was super fortunate to read the e-arc and also get to experience the ALC of Not Safe for Work. So in this review I'm sharing my OG book review as well as audio thoughts. Thank you so so much Hachette audio and Forever for the opportunity to listen to the ALC!

I am a multi media girly and I LOVE mixing audio/book while reading so I consume a a lot of audiobooks in my day to day lol. A narrator can also easily make or break a listening experience for me. We all have preferences and not every narrator is going to click but I actually have listened to Soneela Nankani in a few different books and loved her! She also did the audio for Nisha J. Tuli's Artefacts of Ouranos series and I really enjoyed it, so I had a feeling NSFW would be just as good (it is, and I actually think I enjoyed her in a contemporary setting just as much, if not more).

I had a fantastic time with Not Safe for Work. It's an easy read in the best way - bingeable, relatable (sometimes unfortunately), and full of tension that keeps you hooked. I inhaled this within 24 hours and was super excited to do another listen!

Nisha found a great balance of career and romance which can be a tricky thing. I work in a very male dominated field as well and some of Nisha's points really hit home. Strides have been made but there is still a long way to go and I really appreciated that our FMC held her ground and stood up for herself and others.

After reading this author's fantasy books I had a strong feeling that I would really appreciate her writing in a romcom setting and was really not disappointed. Ultimately I really enjoyed this and would highly recommend picking this up for the warm weather season when it releases in May (or anytime of course, but I love reading with the season lol).

❀ Workplace Rivals to Lovers
❀ BIPOC women in STEM
❀ Hawaii Setting (Workplace related)
❀ Tons of yearning - lots of angst
❀ Forced Proximity
❀ Forearms for days (Trishara I feel you girl, I also love forearms)
❀ Vulnerable moments

I never like to give away much in an arc review but I loved so many moments in this book and I will definitely be annotating the heck out of my copy in May!! Thank you so much again to Forever and Hachette audio for the ALC! As always, all opinions are my own. :)

Imagine being selected to go on three week work leadership retreat with your with nemesis, only to find out that not only is he going along that trip, but he is on the same flight, your seatmate and sharing the honeymoon suite with you. They fight at each step of the way as the animosity and sexual tension amps up during each workshop and activity. Important topics are discussed such as workplace diversity, and sexual harassment in the workplace.

"Not Safe for Work" by Nisha J. Tuli

Omg it was so swoony!!!

I loved both characters and the way the narrator brought them to life.

It's steamy (though slow burn, the tension is through the roof!), office romance that doesn't happen in the office, but on Maui, where both our leads take part in work related trip and training.

I love the arc of the story, that there was a sparkle in the past, but it was wrong time. Has the right one finally come? And why are they enemies? (I wouldn't call it enemies to lovers though).

I love Rafe character, how calm he is and easy to rely on. From the start I knew I would love him 😆 Trishara has a hard past which doesn't let her trust men. I loved watching how Rafe would slip past her defences.

The setting, the story, the characters, the steam and the narrator. I loved everything! The only thing that I can say was not needed is that Rafe had 2 things he excelled at. I get that it was needed for the story but... One would suffice.

Overall I can't wait for more Nisha's romances!

Thank you @netgalley and @hachetteaudio for ALC!

I have read a fantasy by Nisha J Tuli before so this was my first contemporary and I believe her debut into it as well. And I have to say SO MUCH LOVE.

I certainly think this ranks up there with my love for Ali Hazelwood and Emily Henry and I will be a go to author for me in contemporary as well as fantasy 😍

The narrator chosen here was absolutely perfect too, she certainly kept it fun and engaging and I had little trouble distinguishing the characters. I was hooked by her performance as well as the writing. From fun banter to giggling and finding myself grinning like a fool. While there were times I wanted to shake the characters a bit or smoosh them together, it was overall a great read that I would recommend to anyone that loves rom coms. Hate to love, forced proximity, steamy scenes 🔥 it has lots of things that I love about it. Despite the fun way the book is done, we still see the micro racism that the FMC has to go through and it certainly still puts a lot of reality into this novel and story. I loved the way that she grew and navigated it and thought it was so well done.

Thank you for the ALC and letting me have the opportunity to listen and review Not Safe For Work early.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the advanced audiobook.

When Trishara Malik is chosen as one of two people from her company to attend a 3-week leadership retreat in Hawaii, she's more shocked than anyone else. In the 5 years that she's been an engineer at her company she's been passed over for every promotion that she's applied for. Once she finds out that the company has chosen her because they've been reprimanded for not having a more diverse group on the pathway to leadership opportunities, she takes advantage (asking for them to pay for her luggage is amazing!). The only downside to spending 3 weeks in Hawaii is that she has to do it--and stay in the same room--with the boss's son, and her arch nemesis, Rafe. Once Tris and Rafe are forced together, the enemies realize they may have more in common than they thought and perhaps they're actually right for each other?

Overall, this was a fun, steamy romance that hit on lots of juicy tropes: enemies-to-lovers, one bed, forced proximity. The narrator for the audiobook was great in holding my attention and differentiating character voices. My only quibble with this story was that for someone who's supposed to be an engineer, and a book set partially in a tech company, there wasn't much in the way of actually seeing how Tris is so good at her engineering job that she should've gotten any of the promotions she applied for--but that's a small thing amidst an otherwise successful book.

Not Safe for Work is out May 20, 2025

Tris was too whiny in my opinion and her hatred/jealousy of Rafe was sending too many mixed signals. I was super proud of Tris for demanding the truth from her superiors if she deserved those prior promotions that she was passed over for and then demanded to get first class flight tickets and a raise, however I thought the new luggage was unnecessary, and she would've gotten the raise if not demanding the luggage to be a business expense. I think it had a lot of potential and I like the workplace romance/rivals to lovers trope, I just don't think this was for me.

I have to start by saying that I love reading about women in STEM! Trishara (Tris), the FMC, is an engineer, and this book dives deep into the difficulties and misogyny that often goes along with being a woman (particularly a POC) in that profession. Tris also dealing with chronic pain (headaches/migraines) just felt so real.

I loved the dynamic between Rafe & Tris. The banter. The TENSION!! The yearning. Omg, these two... you can cut the tension with a knife! It's a slow-burn workplace, rivals to lovers romance with forced proximity & only one bed. And when that slow burn finally ignites? It blazes 🔥🔥 All set with a tropical Hawaiian backdrop for the story.

The narration was excellent! I've listened to other books narrated by Soneela Nankani and loved those audiobooks, and this one is no different! She did so well in this one that you can feel all the emotions and subtle mood shifts throughout the story. Each character has their own distinct voice, and she does a great job with both female & male characters.

No matter how you consume your books, I highly recommend Not Safe for Work!

🗓 Pub date: May 20, 20205

Thank you so much Hachette Audio via NetGalley for the ALC!

Thank you forever, hachette and netgalley for my #gifted copies of this book. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book. The representation. The problems so many women face. I think this was so well done to showcase so much of that. I loved that she was a fellow woman in STEM.

Y’all know I love a good enemies-to-lovers. The banter, the tension. Give it all to me. I loved Rafe and Trishara. They were flirty and fun and the tension between these two could be cut with a knife. I also really enjoyed the slow burn here!

Favorite quotes:
“I want someone who makes me feel a little like I’m...burning in the best kind of way”

“Maybe the universe wasn’t ready yet. Maybe we needed this place and this moment first.”

🎧 I listened to this one and Soneela Nankani was perfect as Trishara.

This one is out May 20th and should definitely be on your radar!

Not Safe for work by Nisha J. Tuli is a steamy workplace rom-com about two rivals stuck together on a corporate retreat. What starts as tension slowly turns into unexpected chemistry. The novel delves into themes of workplace inequality, the experiences of women of color in STEM, and the complexities of personal and professional relationships.

This was a fun read and had me staying up past my bedtime because the enemies started lover-ing!! Enemies to lovers is my favorite trope and this did not disappoint. I loved the personality of Tris and how the author realistically portrayed struggles of being a BIPOC woman in a male dominated field. Race’s dirty talk and subtle actions showing his interest were irresistibly charming.

The audiobook, narrated by Soneela Nankani, enhances the experience with a dynamic, engaging performance. A fun, thoughtful read that kept me hooked from start to finish.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for granting me a complimentary advanced reader copy of the audiobook. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and based off of this draft; the final publication may be different. Expected publication date is May 20, 2025.

rivals to lovers, workplace romance with the most delicious tension and angst???? SIGN ME UPPPPP!!!!!!! 🤸🏻‍♀️🩷

this book was sooooo freaking FUN!!! I feel like that is the best way to describe it. It really has the perfect balance between an intriguing plot line that addresses important issues, a dreamy beach setting, two HOT characters with relatable backgrounds and personalities, and side characters you can’t help but fall in love with.

I love Tris so so so much. She was strong yet vulnerable but also, funny as hell??? MY GIRL!!!! and Rafe??? I NEED HIM!!!! Truly the perfect balance and also match for Tris’ strong personality. They were perfect perfect perfect <3

The audiobook!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you Netgalley and Hachette for the ALC because I truly ate this up. The narrator’s voice is perfect and exactly what I imagined Tris to sound like. The narrator also did the voice of Rafe and the other side characters so fun and I never once got lost on who was saying was. If you like to play your audios at 2x or more, this one is PERF!!!! I had it at 2x the entire time and it still sounded perfect.

Overall, the perfect summer book!!! Begging you to pick it up!!!