3 to 3.5⭐️

What I liked: it’s a great statement about being a woman in a male dominated field. As a female engineer in the construction industry, I feel like I’ve seen it all and yeah, it’s a lot sometimes. Also corporate life 🤣. The retreat and all the seminars. Hilariously accurate. And our MMC - delicious.

What I wasn’t the biggest fan of: the FMC. She was a bit immature (supposed to be 30) and insufferable at times. Like yes, it’s tough being the one woman for every 10+ dudes in a company or meeting. Yes, there is a lot that’s really not fair about it, but you’re almost 30. May have been less critical of it if she was like just out of college.

What was ok: I received an audiobook ARC from NetGalley and Hatchett audio for an honest review. The narrator was ok but I really feel like this could have benefited from either dual narration or someone with a more distinct “male” voice. The intonations were so similar between both the male and female voices that it just didn’t do some of the story justice.

This was my first book by Nisha J Tuli and I loved it so much!! There was sooo much tension and banter between these two. Mix that in with the forced proximity and workplace rivals? The perfect recipe. Their romance really blossomed when put under pressure.

I loved how this book highlighted the inequality between a white man and everyone else when it comes to the corporate world. And then our FMC had huge decisions to make between keeping a career she’d worked so hard for or selling herself just to progress. It was amazing that the MMC was on her side when it came to all of that.

The narrators were amazing in this as well. They always knew when to emphasize a specific word to get the point across and their sass was felt loud and clear! lol

I loved this so much!! Such a cute romcom!! The audio was so good!! She did an amazing job at bringing the characters to life!

Trishara Malik is one of only a few female engineers at WMC Purcell, and after years of being passed up for promotions because of white male privilege and nepotism, she's feeling burnt out and ready to move on. But in a move to be more inclusive, Tris finds herself as one of the two attendees from her branch of the Chicago office selected for the corporate leadership retreat in Hawaii, which could boost her career and give her a chance at the coveted executive trainee program. The problem? The other attendee is her rival, Rafe Gallagher, the boss's son and the guy who was given the most recent promotion she was passed up for. The other problem? When they arrive at the resort, there's been a mix-up and they're booked to share the honeymoon suite.

I loved this one so much! Tris and Rafe have worked with each other for the past 5 years and have both secretly been attracted to each other so although they've been rivals, their transition to lovers didn't feel entirely out of place. Rafe is such a fun MMC. He proves to Tris that he's not one of the 'khakis,' and there's so much more to him than she ever realized.

Although this was a cute romance with a few spicy scenes, there were also some heavier themes throughout the book. As a woman of color in a white male-dominated company, Tris deals with racism and sexism, including things that are both verbal and physical. While she shouldn't have to deal with any of it, she ultimately handles it like a boss, and comes to realize that she's better than how the company and its executives treat her.

I listened to this one on audio, narrated by Soneela Nankani, and she knocked it out of the park. This is a single-POV story so she had to carry the entire story and all the characters on her own. Her delivery fully brought the characters and the story to life.

Read if you like:
Rivals to lovers
Forced proximity
One bed
Late 20s FMC
STEM romance
Tropical setting
Single-POV

Not Safe for Work by Nisha Tuli is an enemies-to-lovers, slow-burn, forced proximity, workplace romance that was beyond wonderful! Trishara is attempting to break through the glass ceiling as an engineer at WMC, however she has started to lose her will to fight due to nepotism, sexism, and racism. She is suddenly awarded a chance to attend the companies leadership retreat in Hawaii, but of course so it the boss' son, Rafe, her workplace archnemesis. And of course he is gorgeous and there is a mix-up at the hotel leading to only one room with one bed. This book was absolutely fantastic! The sexual tension and banter between Tris and Rafe was perfection. The author did a great job or developing the relationship and slowly showing us who the characters are, what their insecurities are and why, and bringing them together. And of course, once they get together, woah it is steamy!!! Most importantly, The author discusses such important messages about treatment of women in the workplace, especially in fields where women are the minority. Fantastic read that I definitely recommend! Excellent narration was performed by Soneela Nankani.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Audio, and the author for this audio-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 30%. omg there were more tropes than there was a story. the characters were in pushing 30's acting like teenagers. she brushes her hand against his abs and her hand is now throbbing???? be serious lol. love the cover, but this was not it!!!!

I loved every second of this! The writing was so funny and the slow burn romance was perfection! I also love how Nisha was able to highlight what it is like being a woman of color in a male-dominated field. Tris's experiences in the workplace are some that I know a lot of women will connect to and her journey will also inspire other women.

The romance was so sweet and the tension was so well done! And Rafe, oh Rafe. Protect this man at all costs. You'll know what I mean once you read this book.

Migraine representation! Although it was not a major theme throughout the book, I did love getting to see Tris handling the day-to-day of migraine and how she overcame it in a work-ish situation. It can be so difficult to live with migraine and do life, but I think Nisha highlighted it very well!

Th audiobook was so well done! The narrator did such a great job of highlighting Nisha's humor and also driving that tension further and further with every page. I loved it!

Wow, i wasnt sure what to expect when i picked up this book and i must say i was impressed. This story was unique it was definitely a slow burn and boy was it a slow burn. But like all good things this story cooked up the love between the two main characters slowly and the outcome was amazing. This story felt mature to me which i loved. I was given the chance to listen to this in audiobook format and the narrator did an excellent job. I loved that the characters were diverse and the reality of the situations she found herself in mimic real life. If you guys are in the market for a book with a good old fashion slow burn and some good corporate derriere kicking this is the book for you!!!

I want to thank @NetGalley and @HachetteAudio for allowing me to listen to story.

SHEEEEEESH. 5 stars!!!!!! this was my kind of BOOK. i loved everything about this and literally had so much fun. i haven’t been able to read in days but today i gulped this baby down like i was drowning and it was my air supply.

AUDIO REVIEW 💫
the audio was SO good. soneela nankani was an amazing narrator. i felt like she embodied tris perfectly. i enjoyed the way her wit really came through in her intonation and how she verbally played into so many facets of trishara’s character. 10/10 hachette audio stays on top!

OVERALL REVIEW 💫
this was enemies to lovers, workplace romance perfection. obsessed doesn’t even begin to describe it. first of all - my girl TRIS is a badass!!!! an iconic woman in stem with a ferocious sense of humor and a passion for challenge. this is the type of woman we need to be aspiring to be like!!!! the fact that she faced obstacle after obstacle because she was a woman and a person of color was so infuriating but also a very accurate {unfortunately} depiction of life. i was so proud of her continuously standing up to bullies and ultimately putting them in their place so she could go on to shine. girl power! second of all - my MANNNN rafe gallagher. y’all. i was melting for this king. he was so down bad and also an absolute lover boy. he went along with their enemies dynamic just so he could get a chance to experience some form of emotion from tris. like… hello?? he was so thoughtful and intentional and i actually love the way the third act issue is done because he recognizes the situation and potential errors and chooses to clear the air and amend it all before hurting anyone. a mature man! love to see it!

the banter between these two was so good. i was locked in from start to finish. literally just from the plane ride i knew their chemistry was gonna be off the charts. also! ONE BED ONLY?! for the whole book?! BOOM SHAKALAKA YES LORDDD 🙌 i was sat. nisha tuli i am forever at your service.

I really liked this book! I have a lot of thoughts lol.

First, I listened to this on audio and the narrator was great. She’s got a nice voice and was easy to listen to, if that makes sense. She did a great job voicing both parts but I definitely think it could’ve benefitted from duet narration.

Secondly, I thought the forced proximity was done so well! However, I don’t know if I’d call this an enemies to lovers. Trishara and Rafe never seemed like they hated each other to me. It did seem like she resented him a little but honestly it just seemed like she resented the whole of her company (which is totally fair, she should lol) but I don’t know if it came across as enemies lol.

Which brings me to the next point.. I loveddd how she did the misogyny and racism in the work place. It didn’t feel super heavy (as it obviously is) and fit into the storyline really well. I was giddy over her email at the end, I was so hype about it!!


Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for providing this ALC in exchange for my honest opinion :)

Nisha has been an auto buy author for me for a while because I love her storytelling style. Something about her writing just scratches that itch for me. After reading Not Safe for Work, I can confirm that her contemporary writing is just as phenomenal!

Have you ever wanted a work place romance but set on vacation? I had never even considered that an option, but it worked so well here. Tris and Rafe are workplace rivals. Tris has worked her butt of to get where she is at at the company, only to lose out on a big promotion to the boss' son, Rafe. As a woman who works in a very male dominated field (as in I am the only female employee at my company), I was able to relate to Tris and her frustrations. It felt so real and at times made me angry at my job too. While Rafe hasn't done anything to hurt Tris, he tends to be the focus of her frustrations because he is the male benefiting in the situation.

Tris and Rafe are the two employees that get sent on the three week long corporate retreat, and wouldn't you know it, when they get to the hotel there was a mistake and they have to share a hotel room.

This book was so funny, but it was also so raw and emotional, with a large dose of scorching heat. This is a slow burn in true Nisha fashion, but when the spice hits it is well worth the wait.

I received an advanced listener copy of this book as well as an advanced reader copy. I love switching back and forth based on what I'm busy doing, but also tandem reading. The audiobook was really well done and this narrator did an amazing job. This is single POV so it was one narrator and I feel like she did a great job at differentiating voices. Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley. This book was an absolute joy to read!

What can I say about this book.

Narator Soneela Narration was an absolute masterpiece.. The way she brought Nisha's words to life was incredible. I was in love with the prose but also the magic of the audiobook. Tris is an incredible lead, holding our hand as we walk through what it's like to be a woman of color in a male dominated society. What it's like to be loud and proud as a woman. The frustrations of having to make ourselves feel small because its a boys world and road block after road block after road block. it was definitely a romance but it was also a call out to our society. Women who read this book, don't need our eyes opened to what's going on, we know. What this book does is make us feel seen. AND because it's a romance, its a guarantee HEA meaning in Nisha's world, there is redemption. She gave Trish the words we all want to say because we have not had the ability to say them due to xyz. But they got said here and women all around the world raised our fists in defiance.

I loved it. I love it so much. The romance aspect of it. both characters having unfulfilled dreams and broken hearts and trust. And all in all, we are Tris fans. 100%. I think if you don't like Tris, there needs to be some internal evaluations on why? and maybe realize you have some internal prejudices you might not have realized. I think this book is a must read.

Wow!!! I absolutely devoured this audiobook. Single narration is not my favorite but Soneela did an incredible job! The story, narration and over all production was amazing! I loved the story, it had me crackling, swooning and a bit emotional/ furious at times. I do wish I could have gotten Rafe’s POV, but as is- I still LOVED it! This was a great introduction for me to Nisha Tuli! This was my first book from her and I am excited to read more of her work!

4.5 Stars

Not Safe for Work follows Tris and Rafe as they go on a leadership retreat for their company. While Tris expects their contempt for each other in the office to follow them to Hawaii, and their shared hotel room, they get to know each other better and the walls built between them slowly start falling. As they compete for a special program awarded at the end of the retreat, readers learn alongside Tris that there is more than meets the eye at their company and with Rafe himself.

This book was so good I read it a second time before its publication with an early audiobook copy as well! Soneela Nankani did a great job of bringing Tris and Rafe to life, filling her narration with so much emotion that really made the story jump off the page.

This was a phenomenal read with plenty of heart and humor that left me aching for more contemporary work from Nisha J. Tuli! Tris was a lovely character to follow as she grows throughout the book and Rafe was the classic workplace romance MMC - full of whit, banter, and obviously he rocked the rolled up button down sleeves (every girl's weakness, am I right?). This book is perfect for lovers of The Hating Game and The Unhoneymooners, and will be a perfect beach read this summer!

Wow. Wow. Wow.

This production was amazing!! I've recently gotten into audiobooks and this one blew it out of the park. This story hit so close to home for me. As a female engineer myself, I've experienced similar situations and feelings the main character experienced throughout this book. While Nisha did a great job tackling some seriously real issues for women in STEM, she was able to keep the book fun. I caught myself laughing out loud often. I am so grateful I stumbled across this title and got approved to listen it.

This review will be posted to my IG on release week.

I love The Trial of the Sun Queen and was so excited to read this contemporary romance by Nisha J. Tuli and of course she knocked it out of the park!

Trishara is a engineer at WMC Purcell who finally is getting some recognition for her work and being sent to Hawaii for a 3 week corporate retreat after years of being passed over for promotion. When she arrives she realizes she is stuck sharing a suite with her work nemisis, Rafe, the son of the owner of WMC.

I love how accurately this book dives into workplace drama and specifically the nepotism, unbalanced spending, and the micro and macro aggressions toward women and people of color. I also love Trish and Rafe's romance, slow at first but steamy as they got to know each other better. Gotta love a well executed forced proximity trope, especially in paradise. I also loved the friends and allies Trish had in her corner as she faced so much adversity from people around her. Also I loved the nods to Trial of the Sun Queen!

I found the narration to be well done, although it was fairly slow and I had to listen at a higher speed than I normally would for other books.

Tropes
* Workplace romance
* Forced Proximity
* Rivals to Lovers
* Slow Burn
* One Bed

5 stars

Not Safe for Work is an incredible romcom debut - I never would have guessed it was her first one. I ADORED it.

The premise is very reminiscent of Ali Hazelwood's STEMinist books mixed with Sally Thorne's The Hating Game. Tuli shows us the best of both worlds with a STEM rivals to lovers workplace romance.

Audiobook specific review: I really enjoyed the narrator overall. She did a good job with different inflections and accents in order to really show the audience the differences in each character. I did have to up my listening speed to 1.7x though because I did feel like the narrator spoke a little slow most of the time. The production quality for the audio was great overall, I have no complaints when it comes to any of the sounds or ease of hearing.

Not Safe for Work dives into all the things that women have to deal with while working in a male dominated industry. She discusses misogyny, sexism, and nepotism often and well (hello Khakis aka mediocre white men). As a fellow woman in STEM - I have to say that she nailed it. The micro-aggressions - assumptions that you'll "clean up" or be the "secretary" for no other reason than being the only woman in the room. The unwanted advances, the "talks" to tell you not to rock the boat or you'll make it worse for yourself. I can tell (unfortunately) that Nisha likely witnessed/experienced many of these things first hand to be able to describe them so perfectly.

The story follows Trishara, an engineer, and while it is most definitely a Romance book, I also feel like it has a lot of "coming of age" moments (except they're adults) with Tris realizing that she CAN have control over many things she thought were out of her reach in both her personal and professional lives.

Rafe and Tris have a lot of physical tension, I didn't feel like they were super emotionally connected a lot of the time though. But they definitely have the physical aspects down to a science. They have a lot of banter between one another that sometimes bordered on unrealistic but this is a Romance, who cares lol.

The main tropes within the book: rivals to lovers, workplace romance, only one bed, forced proximity

Rep within the book: side LGBTQ characters, interracial romance, WOC lead, women in STEM

Trishara Malik is a talented engineer. But after being passed over for promotions she deserved for five years she feels her career has stalled. It is hard being a woman and a person of color in a white male industry. She is shocked when she is chosen to go on a corporate leadership retreat in Hawaii. The other person selected from her office is Rafe Gallagher, the boss’s son. He is the one that got the last promotion that should have been hers. Making matters worse when they arrive at the resort they learn they are sharing a room together.

I was expecting Sally Thorne “Hating Games” vibes or maybe Ali Hazelwood because it is a STEM workplace romance. Neither of those fit. I could believe the misogynist comments that the author says comes from her own personal experiences. But I didn’t believe the romance very much. Some of it was the storyline. Sure there could be a booking error for the room. But even if he didn’t want to room with his father, who is at the hotel, I am sure that one or the other could have roomed with any of the 100 other engineers at the conference. Trishara is supposed to be brilliant and hardworking but at the conference we are shown her behaving immaturely, hating and then immediately lusting for Rafe. He is a little more of a mystery as everything is told from her POV. I won’t spoil the storyline with my reasons for not liking him but there were several. Even though I didn’t love the romance, the story has some good moments and it does get to a HEA. And the fact that she takes control of her choices made me round up my rating.

I listened to the audio book and liked the narration by Soneela Nankani. I also thought the cover was eye catching. Thank you to the Hachette Audio, Forever and NetGalley for the audio book and I am leaving an honest review. (2.5 Stars)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Not Safe for Work by Nisha Tuli delivers a fun, enemies-to-lovers workplace romcom set against a dreamy Hawaiian backdrop. Trishara and Rafe’s dynamic is filled with snark, chemistry, and just enough slow-burn tension to keep you hooked. I really enjoyed their banter and the forced proximity trope, but I did find myself wishing we got more time focused solely on them rather than the side characters and retreat challenges. Also, while Soneela Nankani does a solid job narrating, I kept craving dual narration—because let’s be real, hearing Rafe in all his “smoldering eleven” glory would’ve taken it to another level. Still, a thoroughly enjoyable listen with a lot of charm and heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC!

Very Addicting!

I am so grateful for the advance listener copay of this book. I loved Nisha J. Tuli's romantasy series so I was excited to listen to her 1st contemporary romance book. I was hook right away. I loved the narrator's performance. This audiobook was fantastic but if it was duet it would have been even better. Even though it was just a female narrator she does a great job with the different characters. This book was a enemy to lovers work place romance. It had so much tension and banter with the MMC and FMC. I loved every minute of this book.I can't wait to see what Nisha comes out with next!