"Not Safe for Work" was a super cute rom-com/enemies to lovers book. It highlighted important issues that are occurring in the world while keeping the message wrapped in the romance book formula and it works well!

4.25 ⭐️

A fantastic contemporary romance debut! This is a first for me with this author and I loved it! I think a lot of stories classified as “rom com” forget the com, but NSFW didn’t! This book tackles issues women, specifically BIPOC women, face in STEM jobs. Although Rafe and Tris’ mutual distain for one another is due to miscommunication and getting off on the wrong foot, it’s justified. You can see from Tris’ perspective why she would grow to hate Rafe and forge a sort of rivalry with him at work. I loved everything about this, however the ending felt a little juvenile. OWD is not for me, and it was frustrating to see that although the MMC wasn’t interested in his ex, he wasn’t tying up his issues until it came to a head. Then to announce via live stream his declaration of love without first talking to Tris privately was odd. Even if he walked in, started talking about his feelings, then wanted to “prove how serious he was” by doing the same thing, I think it would’ve made that make a little more sense.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book! I would highly recommend, and I will be reading her fantasy series soon since I enjoyed her writing style!

i love tris and raf, and the girl group of friends. once they started actually communicating, i really enjoyed this as a rom com. i almost didn’t make it though, because at only 260 pages, how did this feel like forever to get through and rushed at the same time? the first half of the book there was so much antagonistic behavior and miscommunication, which I adore in the enemies to lovers workplace trope, but it just felt off to me. too much “tell” and on top of the “show.” forced and in your face, like it had to make a point about misogyny in the workplace. that said, once i got into it (somewhere at 150+ pages), i did not put this down and flew through the rest in one sitting. because the first half was so slow for me, the second half of resolutions and relationship building felt rushed because there just weren’t as many pages left to dedicate to it. at the end of the day, i totally enjoyed the experience, it just felt a little clunky compared to other romcoms with the same type of themes.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was so excited to read Nisha's debut contemporary romance story after being a fan of her fantasy romance books.
What I have learnt after reading this is no matter what the genre, if Nisha writes it, I will read it!!

In this book we have:

✅️ Rivals to lovers
✅️ Workplace romance
✅️ Forced proximity
✅️ FMC in a STEM environment

What could possibly go wrong on a tropical work retreat when you get stuck with your work arch nemesis in the same room? The competitiveness between Trishara and Rafe had me laughing, the constant need to one up the other, and Tris' sarcastic streak speaks to me! Both were just such relatable characters and so well written. I also love how the book also highlights some of the unfortunately common inequalities in stem workplaces, but Tris dealt with it amazingly. This is a must-read!

Thank you to Forever and netgalley for the arc 💚

Not Safe For Work
5/5
Review
Tropes:
Work Place Rivals
One Bed Trope Remixed
Slow Burn Romance
Tension And Competition
Between Rivals
Rep:
Sapphic Rep
Summary:
Tris Works At A Toxic Workplace.
A Work Retreat Is Being Offered To Two Top Performers.
To Triss Surprise, She Is Picked But Her Workplace Rival And Son Of The Boss, Rafe Will Accompany Her.
Will They Survive The Work Trip Without Killing Each Other Or Will Their Unresolved Tensions Get In The Way

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4

I love a good workplace romance and Nisha J. Tuli delivers in this enemies to lovers, all while giving a scathing look at the racism and sexism that proliferates in corporate culture.

WHAT TO EXPECT:
-Enemies to lovers
-Workplace romance
-Destination romance
-Forced proximity
-Sexy red dresses
-An overbooked hotel (!!!)
-Open door romance
-1.5/5 spiciness
-TW racism and sexism on the page

Overall I enjoyed this. The dreamy Hawaiian setting was a blast and I loved the chemistry between Rafe and Tris. I docked a half star because I found that Tris’s dislike of Rafe seems…largely unfounded. It often feel disproportionate to the perceived offense and that took me out of the story a bit. This is an open door romance and I can’t believe I’m saying this but I wish it weren’t. The banter and dialogue are phenomenal and I would have loved to just stay with that!

All in all this is a great beach read, it’s light and quick, and I love any book that goes after corporate BS as effectively as Tuli does in Not Safe for Work.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the Ouranos Series by Nisha and when I found out she was releasing a contemporary romance I immediately added it to my TBR. I was fortunate to get my hands on an ARC. Thank you to Netgalley and Forever. I found this book to be an easy and quick read. It would be perfect poolside. I am a sucker for the only one bed trope and most of the book takes place in Maui. I loved the mention of the Ouranos series in the book!

I am here to say that Nisha can write ANYTHING!

I have been a fan of all her romantasy books, so when I found out she was writing a contemporary romance? I immediately knew I needed to read it!!

Let me say, Nisha is phenomenal in writing not just slow burns, but TENSION 🔥🔥🔥🔥 The tension and angst between the MC’s was palpable and had me binge reading this book!!

If you like an office romance with rivals to lovers then I highly recommend reading NSFW!!

emotional funny lighthearted reflective tense medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0

Thank you to Forever Pub, Netgalley, and Nisha J Tuli for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

What can I say about this book that could possibly do it justice? I absolutely loved it. I loved every moment of reading this book from the tough subject matters that came up, to the gruelingly slow burn, to the tension of the main characters and the stress and angst of the environment. Everything about this book was perfect. It was balanced and engaging, and when it ended, I wanted to re-read it all over again (but I fought the urge). You're going to want to pick this book up, and never put it down. It's a read in one-sitting, ignore your responsibilities, and stay up until morning, kind of read.

MIGRAINE REPRESENTATION I felt so seen! I enjoyed this book, I love a rivals to lovers and this delivered it in the way I love best... two people who are actually insanely attracted to one another! Nisha also did such a beautiful job of highlighting the difficulties woman often face in the workplace, especially woman of color!! I appreciated how she was able to weave elements like that into the story while it still also remained feeling lighthearted and fun to read! Am looking forward to rereading by the beach this summer!

One of the best romcom's I've read in a while. If you loved the Spanish Love Deception but wanted more? You'll love Not Safe for Work by Nisha J Tuli.

I loved this! I think this would be the perfect book to read on a tropical summer vacation! It was short and sweet all wrapped up in a nice romantic bow. I thought Tris was a good character, she was laugh out loud funny and confident in herself! Rafe was a standard male main character, I enjoyed his banter! I wish we got some scenes from his pov so we could understand his motivations and personality, and his relationships with his father and his ex a bit more. I thought some of his hobbies came out of left field, but that was okay! It was too short for any crazy development or plot, but for a fun, spicy summer romance read by the water, it was perfect!

Nisha J. Tuli never disappoints. It was a fast read with a slow burn. The tension and banter in the book were great, I loved the real world aspects relating to the struggles of women. The ending of the book was excellent.

4 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and Nisha J. Tuli for providing me this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts! My first read from Nisha J. Tuli and I am obsessed! An easy read in the best way possible, it had me intrigued very quickly. It talked about issues that are present in real workplaces and unfortunately, in everyday situations (racism and sexism). Their fights were kind of childish to me but other than that, it was a good read!


Tropes:
- Rivals to Lovers
- Forced proximity
- Workplace Romance
- One Bed

🔉Thank you to Nisha J. Tuli, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and NetGalley for this arc of Not Safe for Work out May 20, 2025!

📜Quick Summary: Trishara is one of the only female engineers at WMC Purcell, a company based in Chicago. After being turned down multiple times for promotions, she’s had enough with the company. But then she gets chosen to go on the company’s leadership retreat. The catch? She has to go with Rafe, the owner’s son and well, someone she just can’t stand. With a traumatizing past relationship, Tris knows she has to keep her walls up and not let anyone interfere with what she’s worked so hard for. But will Rafe and Tris be able to work together while on this trip? Or will things take a different turn?

❣️Initial Feels: I am loving the characters and am impatiently waiting for the spice to kick off with these two!

👀Trigger Warnings: unfair work setting, toxic (past) relationship

🌶️Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

📖Read if you want: spicy scenes, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, workplace romance

🙋🏼‍♀️Moving Character: Tris was such a strong character. I loved her banter, I loved her steadfast view on her strengths and her worth, and I loved her journey in a career mostly dominated by men. She also held strong in her views on workplace romances…until, well…you’ll have to read it to find out! But overall, she stood up for herself and made known that she was not someone to mess with!

🗨️Thoughtful Words: “My future stretches before me, but the road I’m traveling is blank.”

💡Final Sentiments: Make sure to read the author’s note to fully understand her deep connection with being a woman in an engineering, male dominated field. I really enjoyed this novel! I love an enemies to lovers, slow burn romance kinda novel, and Tuli did not disappoint! Once the romance started spicing, it got SPICY! Not only that, but there was a lot of depth to these characters and their beliefs. She dug into Rafe and Tris and made them truly think about what was important not only in their careers, but important to their well being as a person. I loved that Rafe opened up and was emotional with Tris and not embarrassed to show his true feelings. Overall, an enjoyable, hot read!

🌟Overall Rating: 4.5 stars

This novel was provided by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

Not Safe For Work

I rarely say this about a romance but it could have been longer, OR the beginning shorter with more time for their relationship to grow. It felt like enemies to lovers to in love hit so fast my head was spinning. There’s also some solid friends in this book I would have loved more from.

The MMC was a bit of a walking red flag, in my opinion. But the main FMC was likeable, powerful and her confidence was amazing! She felt real, and I enjoyed her a lot.

The last 15% the book really picked up and it became a smoother read.

This was a fresh fun read! A real divergence from some other heavier titles but it was a great way to spend a rainy weekend!

Rivals on a retreat? What could go...right? I absolutely loved Not Safe for Work by Nisha J. Tuli! I will be looking forward to reading more by this author!

Wow. Wow. Wow. I adored this. I read it in a day. This is my first Nisha novel, but I will be coming back for more like a feral cat at a restaurant dumpster. The banter? PEAK. The tension? I can’t even describe. And HE PINES FIRST?? Just take my wallet, Nisha, you earned it. Great tropes. Great writing. Steamy as heck. It’s at 12/10 for me.

As someone who is a big fan of Nisha's fantasy writings, I was really curious if she would crossover to romcoms successfully. And I'm happy to say, she did. "Not Safe For Work" is about two rival engineers who get stuck doing the one room trope during a conference in Hawaii. It was cute, it was funny, and it's a perfect beach read this summer. I felt a chemistry between our two main characters and ended up reading this book quite quickly. Also love any book with women in STEM. I hope Nisha writes more romcoms in the future, they will be automatic buys from me.