✨✨ARC REVIEW✨✨
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️
Spice in chps: 22, 23, 24, & 29

‼️‼️TW|CW‼️‼️
- Revenge porn mentioned
- Sexual harassment in the workplace
- Abuse of power in work place
💕💕Tropes💕💕
- Rivals to Lovers
- Work place romance
- He falls first
- One bed
- Slow burn
- “Fuck it”
❤️❤️Quotes that stole my heart❤️❤️
- “I said that wrong. What I meant was it’s hard to believe you’re an introvert because you shine in every room you enter.”… “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’m so far in over my head that I’m standing at the bottom of the sea.
- “I’m sorry. I keep saying everything wrong around you. What I said there, I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant a guy like that will never appreciate how amazing you are. How smart and funny and bright. A guy like that only wants a notch on his bedpost. He’ll never understand you.”
- I’m tumbling through a black hole that’s sucking me into a void of nothing, but I close my eyes and cannonball straight into its heart. I’ll deal with the fallout later.
✨✨Onto the Review✨✨
Thank you Forever friends Publishing and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book!
The FMC Trishara (Trish) works at WMC Purcell and is their only woman of color, she is getting ready to call it quits after working there for 5 years and getting overlooked time and time again for promotions that she is more than qualified for when she is sent on a work trip to Maui for a leadership retreat.
The MMC Rafe starts out as your regular nepo baby getting everything handed to him in the workplace including being given a promotion that Trish deserves and as a reader I kind of didn’t like him at first in solidarity with Trish. Later in the book you learn that there is more to Rafe and that he doesn’t want everything that his father (a person in corporate at WMC) is pushing him towards and that he would rather be a baker and you feel bad for him and start to love him.
I adored the banter between the characters, beware though this is a slowburn they do not kiss until 60% into the book but it is well earned for both the reader and the characters.
I also enjoyed how Nisha J. Tuli represented a woman in STEM and the issues they might encounter in what is a male dominated field. Nisha writes in a message at the beginning of this book that some of the issues Trish faces in the book is base on some real life experiences the author had which was very sobering to think of.
If you’re looking for a rom-com with a strong willed FMC definitely go pick this book up! “Not Safe to Work” comes out May 20th!

I’m so glad I got to read this after having read this authors fantasy work!
I love when authors branch out to new genres!
The story was fun and engaging.
I love enemies to lovers though I wish all the crappy people got their dues. Alas, powerful people tend to stay powerful 🥴
I loved the main characters, the only thing that killed me was the MMC not putting his foot down with his ex. Come on dude 😂

As a huge fan of Tuli’s Artefacts of Ouranos series, I was so thrilled to receive an arc (these are my own opinions), for her newest book.
Not Safe for Work is a tension filled rom com following two work rivals who suddenly find themselves stuck in the same room for a work retreat.
Trishara is our phenomenal and intelligent FMC who despite being an amazing worker in her field of engineering, is constantly passed over for promotions thanks to the sexist and racist nature of a white male dominated field.
Rafe is her rival, her mortal enemy. He got the position that she had been aiming for, thanks to some good old fashioned nepotism, and they’ve been at each others throats ever since.
When these two end up having to share a room thanks to a “booking mishap”, tensions run high. And it’s beginning to seem that this rivalry is not all it seems to be.
I absolutely adored how this story played out. Some great tension filled moments, sweet gestures and standing up for what you believe in and know is right. Rafe and his forearms can fight for me anytime haha
Overall, I love Tuli’s writing and this book was no exception. She knows how to write a slow burn romance and is definitely an auto buy author for me at this point.

Ok Nisha J Tuli, I see you! 👀 She said I can do more than just fantasy, watch this. And did not disappoint!!

I was already hooked when you hit me with the rivals to lovers… but then you jump started the entire thing with a one bed trope??? I’m sat.

This book was funny, adorable, and had me kicking my feet! The pacing was absolutely perfect, the slow burn took a tiiiiiny bit longer than I would have preferred but was well worth the wait and build up! The spice is mild, but it’s good 😮‍💨

Per usual with contemporary romance, I’m just not a fan of the lack of communication issue in the relationship. I know it’s a common one to write but I’m just still not a fan. But that’s just my preference!

Cannot recommend this cute book enough, it’s such an easy read to just sit down and devour one day!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts are my own and are in no way influenced by early access to this title.

4.25 ⭐️ This was a fun, cute read! The story is a work place rivalry romance where the FMC & MMC both are sent on a work retreat… and get stuck in the same room… with one bed…. 😂 though I know this would absolutely never fly in real life it was still a fun time! The FMC is also a woman and person of color in the STEM field and the author does a great job on touching on the racism, sexism and micro aggressions faced in a male dominated field. The FMC also had chronic migraines, it is mentioned a few times but I wish the author did a little bit more with it, it felt more mentioned in passing than showing action. As someone who suffers from chronic migraines, it was nice to see that mentioned in the story! Overall, it was a good time! I laughed out loud at some parts and then was giggling, giddy during the romance!

This was a very fun read! I had only known Nisha from her work in the fantasy romance genre but this was an awesome time! Coming from a background of engineering and being a woman myself, I deeply resonated with Tris’s experiences and it just enhanced the reading experience tremendously for me. I loved the writing style and the pacing as well. I can see this being a huge hit for romance lovers!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. Not Safe for Work by Nisha J. Tuli is a fun and steamy romance that blends workplace dynamics with irresistible chemistry. The story follows two characters who try to keep their growing attraction under control in a professional setting, leading to plenty of tension and humorous moments. Tuli’s writing is engaging, with relatable characters and an enjoyable mix of heat and humor. The plot is quick-paced, with a satisfying blend of romance and drama. Overall, Not Safe for Work is a light and entertaining read perfect for fans of workplace romances with a bit of spice.

If you’ve read anything by Nisha J Tuli, you know she does not disappoint - expect nothing less with Not Safe For Work.

In this velutinous and witty romance debut, Trish - a BIPOC woman disgruntled by her stagnant tech career - wins a coveted spot on an exclusive work retreat at a scenic beach resort. The kicker: her office nemesis is the only other person from her team invited. Forced proximity, competitive tension, and undeniable chemistry keep you turning the pages.

I loved everything about this story. Tuli balances comical prose with the very real frustrations women — especially BIPOC — face workplaces of all kinds, all while delivering a spicy, slow-burn romance. The chemistry between the main characters is palpable, but what stood out most was Trish herself. From the moment I met her, I was rooting for her. Her introspective stream of consciousness shifts effortlessly between vulnerability, sharp humor, and righteous anger — a protean reflection of how so many of us navigate workplaces that weren’t built with us in mind.

Beneath her confidence, though, lies a history of trauma that shaped how she shows up — at work and in relationships. Watching her confront those wounds, unlearn her own self-protective patterns, and rewrite her approach to love made her journey just as rewarding as the romance itself. Some of the microaggressions she faced mirrored my own experiences, making her growth feel even more personal and powerful.

For lovers of Kimberly Lemming’s humor, and Tia Williams’ deep relationships, this is a must-read. It has earned a permanent spot in my beach bag — the perfect vacation companion.

This was so much fun! I could not put it down. I love a good enemies to lovers / rivals to lovers. Throw in a vacation setting and just the tension between Tris and Rafe, this was great!

I loved how this also touched on work place dynamics and what it means for a female person of color in a corporate setting with microaggressions etc. I believe it was based on the authors actual experiences once upon a time. No spoilers but that email that Tris sends? AMAZING. 👏

Fans of Christina Lauren’s The Paradise Problem or Adam and Evie’s Matchmaking Tour by Nora Nguyen will def enjoy this one.

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced readers copy of this book.

This book was a lot of fun and the banter was hilarious! I've read Tuli's two other series and had to be careful not to expect a fantasy story line in this one. It was definitely different but the characters were interesting and fun! The male lead was sweet and unexpected! I enjoyed this book, and it was a fun standalone read!

- Slow Burn
- Only one room
- Enemies to lovers
- Strong female lead

thank you to forever for the e-ARC

3.75 rounded up

this was overall a very enjoyable romcom with some believable and needed commentary on workplace sexism a la ali hazelwood steminist books. a fun concept, relatively likable leads, and not too much of annoying tropes to dissuade my overall enjoyment. the plot was extremely predictable, but this is not really a bad thing in the genre. my gripes are to do with the portrayal of our FMC’s feelings towards her workplace nemesis/love interest. for me, it crossed the line of believability to be consistently told how lust-worthy he was to the extent that our FMC could not control herself or focus. and we got so many descriptions of how he looked and smelled, which for me was a bit much. but I’m not sure this would be a problem for everyone.

Thank you for Forever and NetGalley for opportunity to read this eARC! This review is my honest opinion and spoiler-free.

‘I rub my face with my hands and groan. Why are men?’
Yesss, Trishara! I found myself constantly rooting for her during aggravatingly relatable male interactions. Loved the representation of a strong female in the STEM field. Tuli always has a badass lead in her romanatsy series; I’m so glad that translated over to romcom!

The banter was great, the situations so relatable, the spice was on point. The transition from rivals to lovers was a little quick, but that’s pretty typical for the genre.

Overall this was a fun read, great vibes, 4/5 stars!

Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for the gifted eARC! I always appreciate the opportunity to read early. All reviews are always my honest opinion!

Not Safe For Work falls into an overlap of tropes that I’m not usually a fan of - contemporary enemies to lovers and workplace romance. But with all the hype and some trusted friends’ love of Nisha J. Tuli, I picked up this ARC. I am SO glad I did!

The usual pitfalls in these tropes weren’t present, and that was made clear very early on. Our FMC Tris has a number of reasons to be on guard with our MMC Rafe, from past workplace romance-turned-trauma to current workplace micro-aggressions, nepotism, and sexism under Rafe’s father and uncle’s leadership. Rafe, thankfully, is likeable and the conflicts between them definitely seem more like bickering and pranks than anything substantially hurtful. Rafe is a good guy and it shows very early on that regardless of their specific dynamic, he respects Tris and women in general.

Our main point of conflict (Hannah. Rafe’s ex) became something cyclical, as did the general mistrust Tris had towards Rafe even as he started to open up and be vulnerable (often at her request). What I did appreciate was the fact that at every step of the way, Tris would (albeit internally) admit her hypocrisy where necessary and question her own attachment to her grudges. Rafe eventually admits that his own habits of avoiding Hannah, trying to appease people, etc were a problem, but in my opinion it took far too long. These things were the main points that brought down my rating.

What I appreciated though, was the overall story’s look at how women are treated not just in STEM but in corporate America. How even with an older mentor-like woman “supporting” them, women are encouraged to accept certain amounts of mistreatment to “succeed”, and are told to put aside a desire to change the status quo. This paired with the journey that Tris finds herself on, the tug of war between wanting to succeed in a place where she has invested so much time and knowing she deserves better, really spoke to me. Rafe’s role as “one of the good ones” but being unable to fix the issues at play for Tris was also so realistic. I appreciated that there was no magical “fix” for the environment Tris was in, because truly that is the way it is in real life, especially with “DEI” being demonized in American political culture right now. Sometimes the best thing someone can do for their health and safety and success, is leave for somewhere more aligned with their values.

The romance in this story was a bit too fast paced for me, which is a typical issue in Enemies to Lovers in contemporary - the pacing is either too slow and the book too short, or too fast with a third act break up. In this case it was the latter, but I did enjoy the tension and appreciate the specific hang-ups that Tris still had from her last relationship. It did make sense why even when the sexual tension boiled over, she was hesitant, especially with Hannah at play. I just wish there was more book, that the trip truly felt like three weeks of drawn out forced proximity boiling over - at some points it felt a tad rushed.

All in all, I really enjoyed this read, I rated this 4 stars. I can’t wait to pick up more of Nisha J. Tuli’s work, I hope she continues to write more contemporary romance in addition to fantasy!

This was my first book by this author, and I can't wait to dive into more of her work! Her witty banter and hilarious inner dialogue had me laughing out loud multiple times. I love a fierce FMC who stands her ground, and the dynamic between her and the MMC made for some fantastic dialogue. The representation of women in the corporate world was also a highlight—Trishara’s resilience, even in moments of doubt, was truly inspiring. This book had everything I look for in a great rom-com: humor, tension, a solid plot, and a strong, determined heroine.

Enjoyed the MMC. The FMC left a lot to be desired. There was a disconnect between her being presented as a smart, independent, and driven woman, but that didn't show in the characters choices. There were threads completely dropped in the narrative that didn't line up with how I thought the FMC would pursue or investigate them. Couldn't get a grasp on the FMC's race until it was explicitly stated almost at the end of the book, although it's clear she is a Woman of Color throughout and her identity is a main part of the plot. She experiences racism and sexism both at her job, but other than her skin being described as brown and then another character identifying her as Indian very late in the book, her race doesn't play a role in her character development other than how people treat her poorly because of it. Otherwise this was a very slow burn with a lot of tension and the MMC was exceptional.

4.5 This was a great read. Nisha J Tuli can definitely write an amazing rom-com. She is so good at the slow burn and the banter was excellent. Also, finally some love for forearms!! I loved the vacation setting and even though it was predictable (like most rom-coms) I did enjoy the badass FMC and her courage she showed.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. This was a fun, giggle worthy romance that was filled with enemies to lovers, and was such a devour-able little read.

Trishara has been passed over for every promotion she's applied for at her engineering company for the last five years. The major last straw was when her sworn enemy and son of the boss, Rafe Gallagher, was given the promotion she was sure she deserved. From day one, Rafe and Trish have been at each other's throats, their rivalry growing to full on hate. When the company announces a three-week training retreat for two of their most promising employees, Tris is sure Rafe and his cousin will win the coveted spot and is absolutely floored when her name is announced alongside Rafe's. And when they arrive in Maui, Tris and Rafe find themselves unfortunately sharing a honeymoon suite with only one bed.

This is my first Nisha J. Tuli book, though I've been interested in picking up her romantasy novels. Tuli fits easily into the rom-com genre; NSFW is a fun, light read with an entertaining premise. Who doesn't love the "only one bed trope" combined with the banter of enemies-to-lovers? I flew through this book mostly in one day and thoroughly enjoyed the ride. Tris is a endearing character who pushes through the challenges presented to her and stands up for herself, while also enduring her own fears. The book tackles important topics like racism and microaggressions, misogyny, nepotism, and sexual harassment in the workplace. It also makes a statement about the upheaval of the status quo in corporations. The romance is spicy amped up by all the enemies-to-lovers tension. I echo other reviewers when I say that Rafe could've been fleshed out more personality-wise, because we don't get to really know him outside of his role in his family and work and his secret hobby.

The book itself is fun but light on the plot. The majority of the book is spent on the retreat and our main characters enduring their forced proximity. The conflict simmers but doesn't come to a head until about 90% in - maybe two chapters from the end of the book. So be aware that this is a romance heavy romp meant to be taken lightly.

Overall I enjoyed the read and look forward to picking up more Tuli novels in the future. Thank you to Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for my arc!

3.75 stars rounded up

Nisha hits it out of the park again!! At this point, I will happily devour anything she writes because she can do no wrong. I can’t wait to get a trophy for my shelf ☺️

NSFW is a must read romance that incorporates heavier themes of harassment and micro-aggressions in the workplace. It’s perfectly paced and I was able to read surprisingly fast for someone with a 3 week old newborn. I also loved the subtle nod to her romantasy series in this book!

(fwiw it took me more time to make this post than it did to read the book seeing as my newborn is now 4.5 weeks old 😅)

Tropes:
🩷 Rivals to lovers
💻 Workplace romance
🛏️ Only one bed + forced proximity

Pub date May 20, 2025. Thank you to Nisha’s assistant, Dana, for blessing my inbox with this ARC and thank you to Forever and NetGalley as well!

4.5 stars!
I have read several fantasy books by Nisha J. Tuli and I am a big fan so I was excited to give this romance a shot. She never fails to get me laughing out loud with her hilarious writing.

There was so much to love with this one. Some of my favorite tropes included are rival coworkers to lovers, slowburn, forced proximity, and one hotel/bed(always a big fan of this one)!

I really loved the FMC and MMC. Trishara, our biracial FMC, has had to put up with a lot of workplace bullshit that has worn her down over the last 5 years. Through a workplace retreat, she starts to find herself again and figure out what she wants moving forward. Her inner dialogue had me laughing out loud SO hard. Rafe, our MMC, is the boss’s son and has struggled to stand up to his dad and follow his own passion.
Three weeks in Maui brings a lot of fun, friendship, flirting, and growth for both Tris and Rafe. The tension and banter is so well written! I got frustrated with the miscommunication at times, because they were both on the same page but second guessing it. But the ending pulled it all together in a scream-worthy way!!

I also LOVED that Tris was reading about a certain broody fae prince that we know and love! This little addition made me so happy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Grand Central Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.