Thank you to Forever & Hachette Audio for the ARC/ALC!

Nisha J Tuli really put the BURN in slow burn in this enemies to lovers, workplace, vacation romance. Trishara’s inner monologue reminded me a lot of Lor from Trial of the Sun Queen - quippy and spicy - and I had such a good time reading Not Safe for Work.

Aside from the romance, Trishara is dealing with the challenges of working in a white male dominated field, and Tuli doesn’t shy away from all of the ways men (and other women!) can make being a BIPOC woman in a STEM field difficult.

🎧 Soneela Nankani is a great match for Tuli’s writing. I loved her narration of the Artefacts of Ouranos, and also loved her performance in Not Safe for Work!

I received the audiobook of Not Safe for Work by Nisha J. Tuli as an advanced listener copy, and while it wasn’t perfect, I still had a great time listening.

The story is about Tris and Rafe, coworkers with a lot of chemistry who end up at a tropical work conference. There’s tons of sexual tension between them, and their flirty banter and fights were fun at first. But after a while, the constant misunderstandings—especially from Tris—started to get frustrating. It felt like she overreacted to everything Rafe did.

Once they finally got together, the spice was really well done and definitely a highlight. But just when Tris started growing and opening up, Rafe started making some questionable choices—like always answering calls from his ex, which made Tris feel insecure. His big secret didn’t quite fit his character, and his refusal to stand up to his parents was disappointing.

Even with these issues, I still enjoyed the book. It was funny, well written, and the romance had a satisfying ending that tied everything up nicely.

If you’re into steamy workplace romances with a tropical twist and some drama along the way, this one is worth checking out!

Ahhh this annoyance to lovers was a readers dream. I loved every single second of it! I loved that it was in single POV, it created so much tension! The way they acted like they hated each other was absolute perfection! And the spice?! SPECTACULAR!
Soneela did such a great job at bringing Trish to life! I loved her narration and her man voice didn’t have me cringing!

Thank you for this advance copy of Not Safe for Work. I am a fan of Nisha’s previous work and was excited to see what she would do in a new genre. I really enjoyed the setting of this book and the banter and thought the chemistry between the two main characters was great.
The narrator really brought this story to life and had me fully immersed in the world. I will be looking for more books narrated by Soneela Nankani.

Not Safe for Work by Nisha J. Tuli is a wildly entertaining listen from start to finish. With sharp writing, irresistible chemistry, and just the right amount of spice, it keeps you hooked throughout. Perfect for fans of smart, steamy stories with a twist.

Omg this audiobook was SOO good! Hooked from the beginning i could not stop. I loooove hate to love especially when they work together.

I really enjoyed the narrator, she did such a good job at being both trish and rafe. you could really feel the emotions. this was my first book by this narrator and i need more of her work!

This went just okay for me. The cover is everything but I kept losing interest. The activities of the conference just felt like filler. I found the MMC intriguing and could see through some of his defenses so I really appreciate that even though this is dislike to lovers neither of them crossed any lines. The MMC is a nepo baby and his dad is awful though but I could sense from the start the MMC was NOT like his dad and didn't want to be. There are such fun tropes in this but they just didn't exactly hit for me, it was too little too late when it came to the romance.

The narrators did an amazing job with the audiobook though! Thank you to Forever for the eARC and Hachette audio for the ALC.

This was my first book by this author and first audiobook by narrator Soneela Nankani. I loved both the story and the narrator!
The FMC and her friends had laughing and the slow burn connection between the FMC and MMC was 🔥🔥 and definitely NSFW. 😉
🎧ALC from NetGalley and Hachette Audio🎧

Super fun from beginning to end! Nisha J Tuli brilliantly balances the absurd with the very real commentary on corporate microagression and toxic work environments, all while delivering on a classic, lovely romance. This is a story about prioritizing what serves you, and that no job is worth your mental health or self-worth.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ // steamy, sharp, and seriously fun

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for an ALC in exchange for an honest review!

Not Safe for Work was the exact romcom escape I needed—forced proximity, one bed, workplace enemies, and a tropical setting?? I was already halfway in love by chapter one. The chemistry was crackling, the banter was top-tier, and the vibes were chef’s kiss all around.

Nisha J. Tuli’s writing is fabulous—funny, flirty, and addictive in that "just one more chapter" way. I flew through this in two days and was fully obsessed with the tension and slow-burn energy. Also? The audiobook was absolute perfection. Excellent narration that totally enhanced the experience.

My only gripe? There was some late-game miscommunication that felt like it existed just to stir up drama, and it didn’t quite match the otherwise smart, emotionally aware pacing of the rest of the story. But it wasn’t enough to knock me out of the lovefest.

A perfect summer binge with the right amount of spice and heart!

I love when you can tell that an author put so much of themselves into their book. This book had so much HEART. Trishara was so quippy and relatable. I loved her inner monologue and all her reactions to different situations. I especially love a girl with a backbone and Tris was killing it!

Omg Rafe though - swoooooon. Damn he was perfection. I loved how supportive he was of Tris even when he was competing with her. He clearly cared a lot about her even when they argued or fought.

Tris and Rafe did the workplace rivals thing of pranking each other which is a favorite microtrope of mine and I laughed so hard at some of the teasing, jokes, and disasterous incidents.
Then there was the "only one room/suite/bed" trope which fueled the forced proximity on a Hawaiian getaway (aka work trip). When you bottle that much banter and tension into a single room at a tropical destination - you get an explosion of chemistry. I was so invested. The two of them coming together did not disappoint.

I also enjoyed the commentary on double standards, nepotism, and familial conflict that was woven throughout the book. There were characters that represented all sorts of difficulties many of us deal with in life whether that be the nepo baby that took the promotion we deserved or the sleazy guy who ranks women or even parents that want their child to "get a real job". I thought all of the various issues were dealt with so well.

Author green flags: when they specify East Asian instead of just saying Asian for a character.
Of course Nisha being South Asian gets it, but I will always "green flag" that because when did East Asian become the Asian default?

Everything about this book was well done, I couldn't get enough of the Tris and Rafe chemistry and the writing was fantastic!

This is the same narrator Nisha used in The Artefacts of Ouranos and I am SO SO happy about that. Soneela Nankani is such a talented narrator! I listened to her narrate Nisha Sharma's If Shakespeare Was an Aunty series and I also saw that she recently did Gold Coast Dilemma by Nana Malone (another book I loved and will now have to catch the audio of). You may also recognize her from S.A. Chakraborty's Daevabad Trilogy and Sara Desai's books. She truly brings this book to life! I loved everything about her narration from her inflections to the different voices she used for various characters. Nankani's impressive narration mixed with the stellar production quality took this audiobook to the next level!


Thank you so much to Forever and Hachette Audio for the ARC and ALC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

Thanks to Netgallery and Forever Publishing for the e-ARC and ALC of Not Safe for Work by Nisha J. Tuli, in exchange of an honest review.

Summary: Not Safe For Work centers on Trishara Malik, an engineer that has fought for her place in a company that is not deserving of her. Burnt out but hopeful, she's sent to a corporate retreat in Hawaii, only to find herself stuck sharing a suite with Rafe, the boss’s privileged son and nemesis. As they compete for a top executive spot, Tris discovers that Rafe may not be the enemy she thought, forcing her to question old assumptions—and possibly open her heart.

Tropes:
- Workplace romance
- Nemesis to lovers

Review (of story) This is one is HARD for me to review, because I spent a 70% of the book thinking about DNFing. I have to be honest, while I admire Trishara, and really appreciated her as a fmc. Her situation with work was very relatable (female engineer in a male dominant work space) and I appreciate the way that part of the plot was addressed. It was her dynamic with the mmc that really threw me off and made the reading experience not enjoyable. Don't get me wrong, Rafe is just "there" and annoyed me at times too with the whole "ex" situation but their whole relationship felt immature. While I didn't enjoy the romance, the reason I don't give this a lower rating, surprisingly is the spice. The book did an excellent job with the spicy scenes, they were not overwhelmingly long, and for a book with characters that were very obviously attracted to each other from the start, it took a while to get to them. I appreciate that, and they were very well written imo. This book imo needed either dual POV or at least chapters going back to there begins working together. We are thrown to the story already having the fmc obsessed and while the mmc surely is too, we never see it.

This was not a particularly bad time, but it just wasn't great either.

Review (narration): Production and narration was great. The voice actress did a wonderful job as both Tasha and Rafe. I did enjoy the "attitude" she brought to the characters.

Again, thanks to Netgallery and Forever Publishing for the e-ARC and ALC of Not Safe for Work by Nisha J. Tuli, in exchange of an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Forever Publishing for my Earc and my audio arc from Hachette Audio!💕


Trishara is just a Indian girl trying to make it in a world of nepotism in the engineering industry….its hard when one of the managers sons keeps taking all the positions over and over again

Until one day they both get a work trip to Hawaii that hopefully will lead to an executive position at her company….but along the way they have to share a room and fight of the urge to constantly kiss each other since they are mortal enemies 😉

I thought this was a fun lighthearted romcom. It made me giggle out loud multiple times. Rafe was such a comforting possessive hottiee!! And Trishara really learned a lot about her self through the whole process.

If you enjoyed the movie The Hating Game but on an island work place trip you will love this book!

2.75⭐️, 2.25🌶️

Do you know those rides at the carnival where it’s basically a flat track but then they’re suddenly a U-turn that makes you feel like you’re gonna fall off the ride? Yeah this book reminded me of those. The “Will they won’t they” was played tooooo much and it annoyed me to no end.

Both the the MC’s were cute at times then so frustrating at others. For how often they talked to each other, the communication wasn’t productive. I couldn’t feel the love at all.

RAFE BLOCK GET GD NUMBER. Trish is straight up triggered by the man’s phone.

Not the book for me and I personally don’t recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio for an ALC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you so much to Hachette Audio for the alc, all opinions are my own.

When I saw Ali Hazelwood posting about this I knew I needed to get a copy!

A workplace rivals to lovers romance leaves the office and goes to Hawaii for 3 weeks to attend a leadership retreat. Unfortunately, due to a series of "errors," Tris and Rafe are forced to share the honeymoon suite at the exclusive hotel. There's all of the ups and downs of women in STEM, nepotism, and have a hate crush on your hot coworker.

This was laugh out loud funny, full of amazing banter and tension, and a spectacular clashing.

The narrators did an amazing job bringing the story to life. The emotion in the voices, the pacing, just all of it was great.

Not Safe for Work by Nisha J. Tuli had an intriguing premise — rival engineers forced into close quarters on a tropical retreat? That’s ripe for tension and chemistry! But unfortunately, this one just didn’t land for me.

First, I really struggled with Tris as a protagonist. She was constantly crass in a way that didn’t feel empowering or funny — it just grated on me. Her nonstop degrading commentary about Rafe while simultaneously obsessing over him made the dynamic exhausting rather than engaging. I wanted to root for her, especially as she navigated sexism and burnout in a male-dominated field, but her attitude left me cold.

As for the romance itself, I’m realizing workplace romances just aren’t for me. There’s something about the “we hate each other but we’re also secretly into each other” vibe in an office setting that always feels forced, and this book was no exception. The pacing felt uneven, with tension that never fully built before we were thrown into major emotional shifts.

While I can appreciate what this book was trying to do, it ultimately wasn’t a memorable or satisfying read for me. Fans of workplace rivals-to-lovers might enjoy it more, but it wasn’t my cup of tea.

Absolutely 100% YES. Yes a thousand times over, you need to read this.

This book is top tier workplace rivals to lovers. Just enough realism (from Nisha's own career in engineering) to make it seem so real for the corporate girlies like me, while knowing that a man like Rafe does not exist in real life haha. I am an absolute GONER for just how much Rafe is in DEEP with Tris. The minute the one room / one bed trope raised it's beautiful head I knew I was going to like this. The tension, the banter, the ANGST.

Tris is so relatable for women in the corporate world. Especially a woman of colour, but I believe all women can relate to this on some level. The engineering industry (and schools) are I believe notoriously known for being essentially disgusting frat parties. While I hope that's changed since the many years its been since I went to uni, the way it was depicted in this book was so so relatable. Tris kept getting pushed down and looked over until she eventually just gave up and felt lost. The way that she converts all this energy and comes out as sass and then eventually when she gets pushed a bit too far being able to really stand up for herself is amazing. Tris is what makes this book so relatable and I am SAT for her revenge arc.

Rafe is a bit of a suck (in the best ways). And fighting all of the expectations that comes with the silver spoon he knows he's had his entire life. It's refreshing because he knows he's got it and recognizes that in the various places in his life. It takes him a while to really develop a backbone to stand up for himself with everyone who places the pressures on him to be a certain way, but makes up for it by just how much he worships Tris :).

Overall, I highly recommend this book, I for one devoured it in one sitting. The audio was also bang on (more details on the audio specifically below).

On the audio:
OMFG Soneela Nankani is so good. I don't know how she pulls off the different voices so well. Sometimes when you only have one narrator and they try to do the other gender's voices (or even just other characters) it feels... weird? Did not happen here. It was different enough for me to differentiate the voices while not feeling unreasonably forced into some deeper timbre. The way she narrates kept me engaged throughout this entire listen and I cannot wait to also get the ebook when it comes out so I can highlight the heck out of the bits I liked most!

Thank you NetGalley for the audio ARC

2 ⭐️ ⭐️

The audio was fine. I enjoyed the narrator and feel like they did a good job embodying both characters. The book tho meh. It was just ok. Nothing exciting. There are much better written books and plots out there.

“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.”

I freaking love a work romance and even more when they pull the “let’s take this to a resort” card so the tension follows into a whole new setting. I AM HEEEERE FOR IT. And this one delivered.

I had the chance to listen to the audiobook while reading the eARC, and let me tell you: Soneela Nankani SLAYED. She made me feel like I was watching a full-on rom-com. The vibes were immaculate. Every bit of sarcasm, every ounce of anger, and every moment of pouting was perfectly brought to life through her voice. I could feel exactly what Trishara (the FMC) was going through tbh AUDIOBOOK?? NO NOTES 😮‍💨🔥 I enjoyed the way Trishara would just oogle him all the time but then be like "I wasn't staring" because ladies and gentlement that's me lol

Now let’s talk about the book itself. Trishara noticing how her company consistently favors white men over qualified women and POC it hit hard. As someone who has worked in corporate as a women and hispanic (where english is my second language), this reality felt all too familiar. The rom-com undertone brought humor, but underneath all that? There were so many moments it made me want to scream “YEAH, F**K YOU KHAKIS!!” at the top of my lungs.

I adored Trishara. In the workplace, she’s seen as “too bold,” “too loud,” someone who needs to “tone it down” but honestly, she’s a queen 💅✨ I would die for a work bestie like her. At the start, you can see her light has been dimmed, and watching her rediscover her fire was EVERYTHING. I rooted for her so hard ❗❗

AND THE ROMANCEEE okay, you don’t understand. I already love a workplace setting, but take them out of the office and drop them in a resort?? You know things are about to pop off. And boy, did they. Their enemies-to-lovers banter was gold. It started off as harmless sarcasm… then someone would cross that blurry line into flirt territory… and suddenly the air was thick with tension. MAMAAAAA I COULD NOT STOP READING 😏

I enjoyed that not only was Trishara having issues with her job, but Rafe as well so it wasn't as one sided as you thought (even though Tris is obviously a different level in the work climate) still you can also feel for him. At the end both character development makes you want to stand up and applaud like YES YOU BOTH ARE DOING AMAZING.

I recommend this book if you ever worked in corporate you would just get it!!! Period.

Why wasn't it a 5 star for me? Well please take this with a grain of salt, but Trishara was describing Rafe smile in every other chapter and.. I swear I was about to break his smile so she could stop talking about it asdvbgfrd

tropes:
🌺 enemies to lovers
🌺 work place romance
🌺 first single POV
🌺 only one bed
🌺 forced proximity

Thank you Forever Publishing for my eARC and Hachette Audio for my ALC

This story is something special. It captures so much of the female experience in the cutthroat corporate world. This is my first Nisha J Tuli book & definitely won't be my last. Her writing weaves together the frustration & rawness of the FMC Trishara's struggles at work with this fun, tension-filled romance in a corporate Hawaiian retreat setting. The inner dialogue is perfection, the slow burn is delicious & angsty & I love the underlying messaging of standing up for yourself despite the hurdles you face.

This story revolves around Trishana, 5 years into working for the same engineering firm & has just accepted the status quo. She's been passed over for promotions & recognitions, deals with inappropriate behavior, not only because she's a woman but a person of color in a white man's world. But when she finally has the opportunity to attend a leadership summit, she's hopeful she's going to get the recognition she deserves. Except she has to go with the boss's son & her work rival/secret crush, Rafe.

This is a forced proximity, one-bed situation with an enemies-to-lovers vibe. There are also a lot of misunderstandings between Rafe & Trish that get unraveled as they finally spend time together. This is a slow burn at its finest. I love how this is all from Trish's perspective, but you still get an understanding of Rafe & who he truly is. There are a lot of fun moments, especially in the retreat setting (think beaches, late night adventures & a storm where he comforts her). Rafe & Trish having to share a room forces the tension to continue to build in a way that when it explodes, get ready. Rafe does not disappoint (hello dirty talking MMC!).

This story follows Trish on a journey of self-discovery that any female can relate to. Add in the steamy romance—it's an absolute banger! 🎧 Listening to this audio performed by Soneela Nankani brought this story to life, really capturing Trish's highs, lows, and spiraling moments.

📎 Workplace Romance
❣️ Boss's Son
💖 Enemies to Lovers
🛏️ One Bed
💋 Forced Proximity
🌺 Hawaiian Setting
☝🏻 Single FMC POV