Not Safe for Work by Nisha J. Tuli (May 20, 2025) Huge thanks to Book Sparks, Hachette Audio and Forever for the gifted print and advanced listening copy of this workplace romance.
Tris knows she’s qualified (more than qualified) but time after time, the opportunities go to underqualified white men in khakis. So when she’s selected for a competitive, career-defining leadership retreat, she’s stunned… until a partner lets it slip: they needed to “diversify the optics.”
To make matters worse, the other attendee from her office is Rafe – the golden boy, nepotism hire, and son of one of the firm’s partners. And thanks to a logistics error (or corporate sabotage?), they’re stuck sharing a one-bedroom suite for three weeks. What starts as mutual annoyance shifts into something messier, deeper, and unexpectedly real. But while their relationship evolves, Tris is still contending with the systemic sexism of her workplace and the big decisions she’ll have to make about her future.
I went back and forth on where to rate this one and actually ended up re-reading big sections of the book as I tried to decide what to do. This book nails so many truths about women in the corporate world: being automatically cast as the notetaker, watching less competent men rise faster, and constantly feeling like you have to prove your worth. Tris is smart, ambitious, and flawed. And while Rafe starts as infuriating, he turns out to have far more depth than expected, his character isn’t just there to prop up Tris’s growth; he’s on a journey of his own.
I liked the rivals-to-lovers tension and the surprising warmth of the found family built among the retreat participants. The setup stretched believability (a one-bed situation at a corporate retreat? Really?). All of the people were drunk and trying to hook up that seemed crazy – but then my husband reminded me about the mandatory three-week training program I had to attend for one of my first jobs – and that’s EXACTLY how people were behaving. The ending absolutely landed for me, and I appreciated how both Tris and Rafe were allowed full arcs of growth, independence, and choice.
🎧 Audiobook Thoughts 🎧Soneela Nankani delivers a strong solo narration, bringing Tris’s inner voice—full of frustration, humor, and growing confidence—to life with clarity and depth. (Runtime 10h 44m)
Book: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Audiobook Performance: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Book Smart Kate 