Thank you to @readforeverpub for the eARC - I love being part of the Discover Forever program! Thank you to @hachetteaudio for the gifted audiobook!

I absolutely loved Nisha J. Tuli’s Artifacts of Ouranos series, I read the first three books in quick succession and not so patiently awaited the series finale: Tale of The Heart Queen. I’d be remiss not to say I appreciated the small nod to this series in NSFW!

When I found out that Nisha J. Tuli would be publishing a contemporary romance I was ecstatic! One of my favorite authors writing in one of my fave genres?!

Not Safe For Work was a lot of fun - the setting (gorgeous Hawaii and only one bed?!?) was perfection! I’m not usually one for workplace romance but this taking place away from the work setting and being inspired by Nisha J. Tuli’s own career (and the bullsh*t women face in tech fields in general) made me a fan. I really enjoyed Rafe’s character and I found the chemistry between him and Trishara electric. This was fun, quick read with great tropes. If you loved the Artifacts of Ouranos series (or Nisha J. Tuli’s other books) and/or steamy romance, this is for you!

This was exactly what I needed--a fun, slow burn, steamy summer read that is everything I love about romance. The rivals to lovers aspect had me cheesing to myself for the whole plane ride. I highly enjoyed all the drama that the last 30% provided, because all the corporate people at the FMC's job were something else. Loved that she AND the love interest left that shit behind them. (But the way she did was iconic!)

I also feel like this helped fill a void inside me that The Hating Game left, so this just might be a new comfort read of mine. I have Nisha's fantasy series on my tbr and am super excited to dive in now, and also super excited to see what kind of contemporary romance she comes up with next!

Unfortunately I got halfway through and just wasn’t vibing with the story!

I felt there were too many inconsistencies with the MFC personality. She was set up to be very intelligent but then she focused so much on the looks of our MMC and it all just felt surface level. Also felt like the story lacked depth. This very well may have been a me problem or just a timing problem! I’ve heard great reviews of this author and this book from others!

I love a workplace rival to lovers romance so much! This was one where you can clearly tell they both liked each other before they admitted so they weren’t true rivals BUT it was still really fun. The forced proximity and one bed trope make this a truly enjoyable romance read. The banter and tension was the best!
Trishara was a baddie! It was really sad to see the racism and sexism she faced and to know that real people must deal with that sort of thing constantly. I loved that she defended herself even if it meant she might lose opportunities for it. Rafe was a dream. And he cooks?! Sign me up! I love him.

🎧
Soneela Nankani did an amazing job with the narration! I especially loved the way she brought Tris to life. It was a great audiobook and I highly recommend it!

Trishara and Rafe are workplace enemies, and both are chosen to attend a leadership retreat in Hawaii. A booking mistake puts them in the same room and they end up competing for a spot in an executive training program.

The Hawaii setting was fun. And I loved that the MC is a woman in STEM. (I majored in math and computer science) I usually love enemies to lovers but I didn't really buy the enemies part here. It seemed to be completely in her head. However, I really enjoyed the banter. There were several funny lines. I would read another romcom by Nisha Tuli.

This book was such a fun read! I’m never sure how I feel about workplace romances but this was so well done. Trishara is an engineer who has been looked over for promotions and is felling burnt out when she is sent to a leadership retreat in Maui. Only drawback is that she has to go with her work nemesis, Rafe, who is her boss’s son. Of course when they get there, they discover that they have to share a room due to a booking error (has to be an HR violation right??).

The tension and banter between Rafe and Trishara was so so good! Trishara’s experience shows a really raw look of challenges women face in the workplace and how it’s intensified for women of color. While there are moments where the characters really struggle with miscommunication, I felt like it was easy to overlook. I’m excited to read whatever Nisha Tuli publishes next!

Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this female empowerment story! It was so relatable. Quick, cute read! If you’re looking for banter, this is the book for you. The one bed/one room was mouthwateringly delicious!

Not Safe for Work is ideal for
readers who enjoy witty, tension-filled romantic comedy with workplace rivals and forced proximity set against vibrant background. Their initial rivalry and competition turn into a steamy romance, while also exploring themes of workplace sexism and racism.

Similar to The Spanish Love Deception, but somehow did not hit the same. The characters felt more like caricatures rather than people who could exist in real life.

I really did want to enjoy this STEM romance written by Nisha. I am always on the look out to read more diversely and this one is a BIPOC FMC working in a heavily male dominated field of engineering.

Unfortunately, it felt as if it lacked clear motivation and a clear narrative. The FMC Trishara didn’t feel fully fleshed out and had moments throughout the story that felt disconnected from the person that was described in paragraphs prior. Her desires were heavily steeped in designer brands and status and also cared a lot to accentuate her tiny waist, large behind and breasts. This is so totally fine but I do feel that it doesn’t entirely line up with some other ideals the FMC and the narrative overall, and had and occasionally felt geared to the male gaze.

Rafe was typical and ultimately he didn’t add much value to the romance. There was not a lot of buy in for me with regard to the chemistry between the MC’s.

I very nearly finished but I decided to quit while I was ahead and move on to other books. Thanks to the publisher for the eARC. This one just did not sit right with me in the end.

I really wanted to like this book. The concept was super interesting, and I was hopeful going in, but it just didn’t click with me. It was a weird mix of slowburn and insta-lust, and I didn’t vibe with the main characters at all. They felt immature for their age, and their hot and cold dynamic got old pretty fast. The whole setup was super unrealistic too. I mean, how do two coworkers end up sharing a room with only one bed? That’s not romantic. That’s an HR disaster waiting to happen. And the work retreat honestly felt more like a high school grad trip with how everyone was acting.

One thing I did appreciate was how Trishara stood her ground on the workplace discrimination issue. That was a solid moment, and the ending was also pretty cute.

Thank you, NetGalley and Forever, for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ahhhh I loved this!!! I’m not usually a contemporary romance girl but this was perfection. The relationship between our couple was so much fun. To witness the tension and longing was so delicious and amazing to see their love come to life

Welp, I loved Tris and Rafe's story! A little enemies to lovers, corporate retreat edition. Complete with only one bed and a Maui background, I loved how realistic this book felt, from the workplace politics to conference happenings to expectations in how the game is played. This book gave emphasis to hard things we all know occur in the work place, whether we see them or not. The romance aspect didn't put a bow on it to make everything better but instead we got to watch Tris and Rafe work through these issues all while falling into the sweetest friendship before being overcome eith all the feels!


Thank you Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC in exchange for my review!

I was severely disappointed in this book, in part because I’m a nisha fan but I don’t think contemporary romance is her forte. The characters were flawed to the point of not wanting to root for them, the chemistry was lackluster, and I just wish there was more commentary on race (because women of color face more than just sexism in the workplace.). I’m respectful of the fact that this book was personal to Nisha but it just wasn’t for me.

I had a lot of fun with this one! I went into this a little hesitant after hearing some mixed things but I think the audio and the narrator REALLY shined.

Trishara is a strong but slightly beat down engineer at a company that has super minimal diversity which has been a struggle for herself as a woman of color. When Trisha is surprised by the selection of a spot at the company's large multi-week retreat in Hawaii, she decides to take advantage of it and get the most out of the experience and hopefully gain some advantages from the exclusive trip. Trish's hope at a fun, relaxing trip is dashed when the boss' son Rafe has to share her one-bed suite at the hotel.

The narrator here did soooo good and I was so entertained and captivated throughout, she did an incredible job with Trish and Rafe's voices as well as all the side characters. Although you definitely have to suspend your disbelief on a handful of the workplace aspects, I still had a lot of fun with it. Trish could be a little frustrating because she refused to acknowledge how her relationship with Rafe was evolving when they were stuck together but it was honestly kinda understandable. I also think Nisha portrayed the struggles that Trish experienced really accurately. I'm a woman in a STEM field and although there are about even women to men on my direct team, my field is pretty severely skewed towards men.

All in all, I really enjoyed this and definitely recommend the audio format for this one!

Thank you Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for the eARC!

This was an enjoyable and sizzling summer read for fans of workplace rivals to lovers, angst, and spice. Reading through Trishara’s POV was very relatable as a woman and POC, my jaw dropped at moments when men have the audacity. I loved the tension, development, and growth between Rafe and Tris. The ending made it all worth it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. When I found out Nisha J Tuli was writing her first contemporary romance I was so excited. I love her fantasy romance books and knew this one was going to be just as great. And I was definitely not wrong. Tris and Rafe's story was totally swoonworthy and I couldn't put the book down. I read the whole thing in one day and it just got better and better each page. I'm a sucker for a workplace rivals to lovers story and this one had everything I love about the trope. Nisha J Tuli has quickly become an auto read author for me and I can't wait to read eveything else she writes.

Trishara is an engineer working for a very large corporation, frustrated that she keeps getting looked over just because she’s a woman. There is a huge opportunity up for grabs for two employees to be sent all expenses paid on a company retreat to Hawaii. Tris had lost her spark a long time ago & had no expectations of getting chosen, so when her name was called as one of the recipients…she was suspicious. It also didn’t help that her mortal work enemy, Rafe, would be the one accompanying her. She had every intention of staying far away from him for the entirety of the retreat & enjoying her time away, but there is a room mixup. Tris & Rafe have to share the only remaining suite left at the resort…which just so happens to also be the honeymoon suite.

One of my favorite tropes 🤭 this book reminded me of The Hating Game which I also loved! While the main draw to this book is definitely for the love story, it touches on some real life issues in the workplace as well. I loved the characters & how they showed development in more ways than one. Looking forward to reading more from this author! 🫶🏻

I really really was looking forward to this and then it fell so flat for me. I've had to sit with it for a couple of days to see if my thoughts would change and if anything I'm more settled in my dislike for this book. I did finish it though - there was enough in the voice and story to keep me to the end!

I was not a huge fan of the STEM representation at all - I am a woman in STEM and this felt like a caricature of real life. It may have been inspired by real life experiences, but something about it was still off for me.
I'm not sure where the romance was in this book because it mostly felt like lust. There were far too many descriptions of this man and in a way that kept pulling me out of the story. I wanted more from the two of them and I don't understand how, without truly knowing her, he was so in love with her so quickly. There was just soooo much left to uncover!
It felt like this book was trying to be too many things at once and I wish it had picked something and followed it all the way through. The chemistry between the two main characters IS great - definitely the highlight of the book for me!

Talk about a perfect beach read! This cute, banter-filled RomCom will definitely get you in the mood for summer. Not only does it have a cute vibe, Not Safe for Work contains real, relatable characters with a impactful underlying message.

Tris is a brilliant engineer in a male dominated field, frequently being passed over for opportunities in favor of less deserving male counterparts. It's a shock when she's nominated as A Rising Star and chosen to represent the company at a corporate leadership retreat in Hawaii. Even if they selected her as a minority staff member to improve the company image, Tris will show her bosses how intelligent and invaluable she really is.

Rafe is a shoo-in for the position of Rising Star as his father and uncle are top executives. He hasn't been the easiest to get along with over the years.

A mix up at the hotel has the clashing duo sharing a one bedroom honeymoon suite. Tensions rise and their agreement to avoid each other during their stay turns to dust.

Fun, flirty, and full of angsty slow burn romance, Not Safe for Work is a perfect read to start your summer TBR!

Tropes:
✨️Workplace Romance
✨️Rivals to Lovers
✨️Tropical Getaway
✨️BIPOC Stem FMC
✨️Banter
✨️Forced Proximity
✨️Slow Burn
✨️One Bed
✨️Spice

Thanks so much for the ARC!