Review by mcstressy - Not Safe for Work

mcstressy 's review for:

Not Safe for Work by Nisha J. Tuli

3.0

lighthearted fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

LIKED:

I think the beats of this book really worked, it is very technically adept. Structurally it is just really sound and engaging and a quick read.
I like Trishara, I think she is relatable yet flawed and endearing. I understood who she was, what she wanted, etc. It was fun to be in her head.
I got the lust and attraction between the two of them. Did I get the love? No. But I understood why they liked each other at the very least. I do think there could have been a bit more investment into the actual romance of their relationship, but meh.
The third act break-up legitimately worked for me. I like them when they are instigated by external forces and the characters are fighting against it. I just think this one clicked for me.
We love forced proximity. We love a ‘there’s only one bed’. We love forearms. Solid trope-ry.
This title, while not something I would gravitate towards and is a bit cheesy, does work for the story.

LAMENTED:

What. The hell. Was that grand gesture. It was sociopathic. Trying to not spoil too much, but I do not want hundreds, thousands, however many people seeing me at my absolute lowes. All of what was accomplished in the last 5% of this book could have been accomplished (and made me not throw my kindle across the couch in disgust) without it being broadcast. Eesh. I was having a pretty good time with this book up until then.
This book falls into a trap I’ve seen many so-called “enemies-to-lovers” books fall into. They’re not enemies. They do not hate each other, especially him. And her reasons for hating him…don’t exist? She kind of hates him for nepotism but that’s…it. It’s flimsy. I needed there to be more reason for hatred. Because I do think it could have worked. But it was too flimsy for me.
I also just think that Rafe (and his name, oof) were a tad underdeveloped. He didn’t really have any flaws. All of his flaws were external to him, and the one maybe flaw was resolved off the page. We get it, he’s tall, dark, and hot, and that’s all fine. But I needed more.
The whole conference thing was all fine and good, but then there’s the whole competition aspect of trying to get the fellowship or whatever and I’m not sure I believe the trajectory of Tris for that. She messes up a lot and we don’t really see her winning anyone over. I needed more focus on her actually putting in some effort to believe some of the plot choices.
What is going on with the proportions of these characters on the cover? The overall design is pretty, I love the color palette, but…why do they look like that. They have massive heads and snatched waists and they look uncanny valley. I would not reach for this book because of how eerie they look to me.

LONGED FOR:

A different last 5%. Woof.
More attention paid to the work conferences shmoozing or whatever. I think Andy could have been eliminated as a character entirely for the sake of Tris linking up with Diane and working towards climbing the ladder or whatever.
A cover with less oddly proportioned humans.

Will I read the next one? : Maybe. I do think this was overall a successful foray into contemporary romance for Nisha J. Tuli. I am interested to see what she does next in the genre. But genuinely…that ending was just not it for me.

*Thank you to Forever Publishing & NetGalley for providing this ARC!

Content Warnings