Not Safe For Work

OH MY GOSH I LOVED THIS BOOK! The tension! The banter! The CHEMISTRY. Unreal. I loved Nisha J Tuli's romantasy works and was stoked at the opportunity to read her first contemporary romance and BOY did she deliver.

Trishara sees the writing on the wall for the end of her career at her current engineering firm that prefers promoting based on nepotism and promoting men, when she is astounded to be selected for a 3-week leadership course in Hawaii, with the potential to earn a top stop on a leadership track program. Only drawback? She's attending with the boss's son, her way too attractive nemisis. AND THERE'S ONLY ONE ROOM RESERVED FOR THEM. Don't get too excited though, y'all. Tuli is the QUEEN of slow burn, and it's a hotel suite with a couch (cue eye roll). Even still, Trish and Rafe can only find so much space in their small confines and it does not disappoint.

As a female engineer, there are some very relatable situations and comments that Trish deals with throughout her career and the book. Tuli doesn't hold back on what it can be like for females working in a male dominated field. I appreciate the accurate and honest representation!

Y'all, the audio is SO GOOD! Single POV, single narrator but it still packs a punch and brings the heat. The narrator does a fabulous job bringing Rafe's voice to life and building the chemistry between the two characters. HIGHLY recommend the audio.

Check this one out if you're looking for:
Epic slow burn
Enemies to lovers
Woman in Engineering FMC
Single POV
Only one room / forced proximity
Work place romance

Thank you for this ALC! My opinions are my own. Not Safe For Work is on shelves May 20, 2025!

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ALC!

Okay, this one is a must listen/read for the summer. If you're into forced proximity, enemies/rivals to lovers, and a spicy dynamic pair full of banter, this is it for you. I absolutely loved Trishara, a powerhouse female in the engineering world. As a female lead, she is witty, hella smart, and sticks up for herself in a male dominated world. Will definitely be checking out more from this author

The narrator was amazing, no notes.
Unfortunately this wasn't for me. I usually love the business rivals end up on vacation together trope, but I felt like the setting was barely a backdrop to the story and stayed unimportant, although the setting could've set the mood and been used otherwise. Same went for the one bed trope/shared space, which barely drove them to connect.
Anyway, a few cliches were just too much for even me. The fact that they haven't ever actually been rivals because of course they always loved each other is just too overused. People seeing a new side to somebody they can't stand sounds much more exciting to me. But the only new layer we get of Rafe is that he actually wants to be a baker but he can't because of daddy. Another overused trope, thanks for nothing, especially because it failed to give Rafe layers.
The banter was fine, though I didn't see any chemistry. Their attraction mostly came from how hot they think the other person is, which isn't enough depth for me. The bazillion times Rafe's body and various muscles were described was just too much. We get it, he's hot, okay.
The back and forth between the characters was unbearable. Tris thinks two or three times that she wants to let Rafe in, only to immediately take it back and give a reason why she won't, all while sleeping with him. She isn't wholly to blame tho because Rafe is the king of mixed signals, who won't stop complimenting Tris but also won't stop talking with his ex several times a day. That felt too fuckboyish to me, especially since the compliments/ flirting have been there from the start. We only know from Tris that their dynamic used to be different, and it's special for him to do so, but we never actually see it, so to the reader there is no perceivable growth between the two.
The only interesting thing happening was Tris's superior propositioning her in exchange for a promotion and her female superior not sticking up for her. I think that ARC would've had a lot of promise, but it was completely glossed over, and while Tris left her company with a bang, it didn't feel like a satisfying resolution.

Oh man. I'm usually leery about books that focus on something I may have experienced or witnessed in my professional life. This one hit all the nails right on the head! 

I really enjoyed this story. Soneela Nankani really brought this story to life with her narration. This enemies (but secretly like each other) to lovers is a lot of fun. Definitely some OMG I WANT TO SMACK THEM BOTH moments.

I really enjoyed this. It's a sexy slow burn workplace romance with lots of banter, humor but also important conversations and deep connections. I 'read' it as an audiobook, and I really enjoyed listening to the story and the narrator. The intonation and emotion were on point and made it very pleasant to listen to it.
The author did a good job of putting down a smashing rom com, but also portraying the frustrations of being a woman of colour in a working environment dominated by (white) men.
I loved the main characters, and especially the FMC her confidence and her strength to not only choose herself in the end, but also speak up and make sure people are held accountable. The MC is hot and kind, and a softie for desserts, and is not feared by a confident woman.

Rivals to lovers, workplace (and sort of a holiday romance), forced proximity and a slow burn (but once they burn, boy do they burn)

4.5/5 stars - thank you Hachette Audio at Netgalley for letting me listen to this audiobook.

I devoured this book, the tension and banter were great, love what the author stood for in terms of the topics covered. would definitely recommend

Nisha J. Tuli’s Not safe for work was one of those romance books.

A predictably horny , sometimes funny, American humour™ (derogatory) enemies to lovers concoction . Sprinkled with characters as mature and complex as Sally Thorne’s leads from The Hating Game.

While I appreciated its attempts to address sexism , racism and nepotism in STEM , it merely gestured to them. There was no bite to the conflict between Rafe and Trish’s places in the system.

But I knew it was never going to be that . Again , this was one of those romance books . Nothing more than an easy , mindless listen.

Enjoyed Soneela Nankani’s narration ! Thank you Hachette audio for the ALC

ALC Review
Book: Not Safe for Work
Author: Nisha J. Tuli
Release Date: May 20, 2025

This was my first read from Nisha J. Tuli, and while I was really excited going in, unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me. The book is pitched as an enemies-to-lovers romance, but it felt more like straight-up denial and hostility than actual tension or chemistry.

The audiobook narration by Soneela Nankani was very good, considering she was narrating alone—she’s a new-to-me narrator. Her pacing was just quite slow, and I had to bump the speed up to 1.3x just to stay engaged. I also really wish the book had been in dual POV, both in the writing and narration, as it would’ve added more depth and helped balance the story.

Now to the book: Tris, the FMC, was incredibly frustrating with all her insecurities. She was constantly snappy, grumpy, and jumping to conclusions, misunderstanding conversations —especially toward Rafe. Meanwhile, he was consistently kind, helpful, and even protective of her. The imbalance made it hard to root for the pairing. Tris’s inner monologue was all about Rafe, yet her outward behavior didn’t match that at all. If she were a real person, I’d honestly suggest anger management.

My issue with books like this or these kind of FMCs who should come off strong and feisty, is that while they’re fiction, they’re grounded so closely in real life that the unrealistic moments—especially the ones that feel overly dramatic or just plain illogical—stand out so much that they lose me.

I also struggled with how much of the book was focused on the retreat—about 70% of the story—and it dragged for me. It was overly detailed, and I came very close to DNF’ing. The last 30% picked up enough to keep me going, and I did enjoy the Hawaiian backdrop—it added a nice layer to the setting.

Thank you for the early listen in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
I loved this book more than I thought I would! The tension was absolutely delicious, the slow burn was perfection, and the spice? Just right. The narrators did such an amazing job—they brought the characters and story to life beautifully.
Beyond the romance (which was super cute), the book touches on some serious issues, especially what it’s like to be a woman navigating a professional environment. I really appreciated how it gave a voice to those experiences in a real and empowering way.
This was my first Nisha J. Tuli book, but definitely not my last. I’ll be checking out more of her work ASAP!

Rating: 5⭐️/5

Such a great romance. I thought Rafe was the perfect aloof, sexy male co-worker/boss while Trishara was a fierce and witty FMC taking on the patriarchy of her outdated engineering corporation.

If you love one bed/one room, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, and a slow burn, this rom-com is for you!

For the audiobook specifically, the narrator was great and I think her cadence was perfect!

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I knew Nisha could write romatnasy…. but wow is contemporary romance HER GENRE!!! A swoony, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, slow-burn absolute BANGER by Nisha J Tuli!

Trishara is at her wits end with being a woman of color in engineering after endless racism, sexism, and male privilege/nepotism. Rafe, the bosses son, is her nemeses, who earned the promotion she deserved. To Tris’ surprise, she is selected to go on the corporate leadership trip to Hawaii. 3 weeks in paradise, a revival for her career, and… 3 weeks with Rafe, and not only that but they are stuck sharing the honeymoon suite.

Rafe was charming, characteristic, sexy, and the best book boyfriend for everyone to obsess over! Tris was genuine, authentic, strong, hilarious, and so relatable. Their chemistry and angst was INSANE, and this was beyond bingable and fun.

Lighthearted, interesting, humorous, sexy, great banter, and beyond cute. Love the STEM romance aspect as well as the only one room/one bed. Highly recommend and excited to see where Nisha goes with more contemporary romance!!!

The audiobook truly brought the book to life and I really enjoyed the narrator!

Not Safe for Work was such a truly delightful read. As a woman in the corporate world who has experienced the favoritism of men over women in the workplace, it was so refreshing to see such a strong female character. It didn’t feel like it was an over the top, in your face feminist story, but instead one that shines the light on an intelligent and strong woman lead. Mixed with comedic undertones, this book hit all the marks.

Trishara, a young engineer, has been working at WMC Purcell for five years when she is selected for a three-week leadership retreat in Hawaii. The downside, attending with her is Rafe, her archrival who she lost out on a promotion to because….he is the boss’ son. Sure she will be able to avoid him, Tris is looking forward to the opportunity and hoping to claim one of the coveted spots in the New York office that will be awarded at the end of the retreat. What she wasn’t prepared for was that there was a mix up with the hotel reservation and she and Rafe would find themselves sharing a one-bedroom suite with one bed! Will the two be able to co-exist and will Rafe turn out to be the entitled, smug, arrogant man she has always thought him to be?

The banter between Tris and Rafe is delightful and the two have quite a lot of chemistry. This story held my attention from beginning to end. Speaking of the end, it could not have been more perfect for me, complete with a mic drop moment that made me cheer.

I listed to the audio version of this book and have to say that the narrator, Soneela Nankani did a tremendous job brining this story to life. You can feel every bit of emotion in her voice, from amusement to sarcasm and anger and picture every eye roll.

A big thank you to Hachette Audio for the ALC of this book. It was such a treat!

4.25 ⭐️ This book was soooo good! I love the FMC so much, she is amazing and the MMC just ugh he ends up being *chefs kiss* lol!

I thought this was dual narration….that is how AMAZING the narrator did- i told my friends it’s dual narrators and so good! One of my friends corrected me but my god the narrator truly did such a wonderful job that I thought it was 2 people…the production was done so well! I could feel the emotions through the narrators and they did such a good job projecting/along with the authors descriptions that I could picture things so clearly!

This is not just a romance, but there is so much yearning, tension and quotable quotes in this one! Along with all of the swoon worthiness, feet kicking moments and giggles there were also much deeper topics that were done so well! I don’t want to dive too far into them but if you love seeing an FMC realize she really is a strong ass btch like she thought then i’d read this! Also great women in stem rep!

This was such a fun spicy work romance!! I loved the light she put on women in a male work place and the strength she made her have. I loved the slow burn spicy relationship they had! I absolutely enjoyed this book so much!! I was we had gotten at least one of his pov!

Love Nisha's fantasy works so was excited to dive into her first romance book. It shouldn't surprise anyone that she can write romance as well! This was a really fun enemies to lovers workplace romance and had the perfect amount of tension and spice! The narrator did a fabulous job bringing this story to life!

This was an adorable story. Just the right bit of spicy. The audiobook narrator was quite good. 3.75 stars.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGallery for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.25 Stars. I was lucky enough to get an E-arc of this through NetGalley and I absolutely loved it. The tension between our two main characters was immaculate, and it was built up to the point that it was almost excruciating. And when things finally bubbled over, it was 100% worth the wait. As for the main plot itself, I thought that was actually really well done when it came to the struggles so many women in the workforce face everyday. It was still really challenging in some ways to see the absolute worst parts of corporate America depicted on the page and know that this is unfortunately real life for so many women. Overall I had a really good time reading this and I thought that the story was both fun and fluffy and spicy while also being a pretty poignant commentary on Corporate America today.

I loved this one so much!! Workplace enemies to lovers, sign me up! And Tuli's debut romance? I hope she writes more romances because I am not a fantasy gal and want more! Trishara and Rafe have great chemistry, and Soneela Nankani was a great narrator choice for this audio.

Thank you Hachette Audio for the ALC and Forever for the ARC.

Not Safe for Work had me hooked with its promise of a feminist workplace romcom—burnout, glass ceilings, and a fierce woman of color navigating corporate nonsense? Yes, please. And while it delivered plenty of witty banter, tropical tension, and forced proximity drama, there was one major sticking point for me: the love interest.

Trishara Malik is smart, driven, and totally done with the boys’ club at her tech company. Watching her advocate for herself and call out the systemic bias was satisfying, and I appreciated the way Nisha Tuli highlighted the very real challenges women—and especially women of color—face in male-dominated fields. That part felt raw and real. But, here’s where the book lost me a bit: Trishara falls for a guy who embodies everything she’s fighting against. Rafe Gallagher is the boss’s son. He benefitted from nepotism. He’s cocky and privileged and, let’s be honest, kind of the poster child for toxic workplace dynamics. Sure, we see some layers to him eventually—he bakes, he paints, he’s surprisingly sensitive—but that shift felt too convenient. It’s hard to reconcile her anger at the system with her falling for the system’s golden boy. That disconnect dulled the impact of an otherwise empowering story.

The romance structure is solid—Hawaii retreat, one bed, enemies-to-lovers with heat—and the writing flows easily. The tension between Trish and Rafe has its moments, and the corporate takedown near the end? Chef’s kiss. But I wish the romance had aligned better with the book’s core message about empowerment, not compromise.

The narrator, Soneela Nankani, did an incredible job and I would love to listen to another book narrated by her in the future.

This one was so fun!!

Tropes:
-miscommunication
-Rivals to lovers
-coworkers
-one bed
-slowburn
-LOTS of funny banter

When two coworkers go on a business trip, their attraction to each other starts to intensify! Doesn’t help that they have to share a room together …. And there’s only ONE BED 👀
The banter the mmc and fmc had was so funny and the sexual tension they had was 🫠🔥
This is a perfect steamy and fun book to read especially for the summer ! 😍♥️