I was really looking forward to this book. I feel like romance novels set in tech are a missing niche. I enjoyed the slack-like messages throughout he book and the personalities and hijinks that happen around the office seemed realistic at least in the tech companies I've been introduced to. I just had a difficult time really feeling the enemies to lovers relationship between Nami and Jae. I had difficulty being engaged or drawn into their relationship and where it was going to go.

This one wasn't for me. I didn't find myself rooting for either character and ended up being irritated with them as I kept reading.

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: The Takeover
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: Cara Tanamachi
𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬: 304

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐡𝐚𝐬:
• High School Rivals
• Workplace Romance
• Great Supporting Characters
• Enemies to Lovers
• Family Drama
• Dual POV

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝:
• Fantastic Banter
• The Spicy Ramen eating contest
• Dell’s Missing Chair Memos
• Nami’s protectiveness of her employees

𝐀𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬
Nami just turned 30 and her life is turning upside down. Her (ex)fiancé cheated on her at his bachelor party with a dancer, her company (Toggle) is going under, so her birthday wish is to find her soulmate. What she didn’t expect was to see her high school rival, Jae Lee! Jae is the Vice President at Rainforest, a company known for their ruthless takeovers of companies in trouble. Nami tries everything in her power to save her company without the help of Rainforest.. She doesn’t want them to endure what other companies have since they have a reputation of not treating their employees well. She works closely with Jae to make sure the transition goes smoothly but the lines get blurred along the way.

I really did enjoy this story. I did feel that it started a little on the slow side and then felt rushed at the ending but I loved the chemistry between these MC’s. There were so many cute moments shared between them. It's a quick fun read - definitely recommend!

This book was such a fun read! The tension between Nami and Jae kept me hooked, and their banter was so entertaining. I really enjoyed following Nami as she navigated her personal and professional struggles, and the romance had just the right mix of sparks and sweetness. It’s a perfect pick if you love an engaging enemies-to-lovers story with plenty of heart.

Thank you netgalley and St. Martens Press

This book has been on my Netgalley for a bit and I haven’t picked it up. I haven’t been into romance in a minute, so I’m not the right person to review it anymore.

I loved this book more than I thought i would, going into it mostly blind. I love a fun, quick easy read and this was a great find! I was drawn in easily by the characters, a cute enemies to lovers romance where high school rivals meet up years later. Thanks so much for the copy!

When Nami turns 30, she wishes for her soulmate. She can’t believe she used her wish on something so silly. Especially when life brings back her high school nemesis–Jae. Jae works for Rainforest and is here to negotiate the Rainforest takeover of Nami’s self-made business. The board room isn’t the only place things heat up, though.

It was really hard to get past the unoriginality of the naming conventions, where Rainforest = ‘the big bad company everyone loves to hate’ with bad PR about working conditions; ConnectIn = the novel’s ‘professional connection website’; and Toggle = a chat website that users can break their channels up into subchannels. But under that was a really cute story about doing the right thing and how to live up to parental expectations. And understanding that different people perceive the same situation differently.

I loved the relationship between Nami and Jae. Seeing the billionaire tech company representative crushing on the self-owned small business owner was a fun dynamic that I ended up falling in love with myself. Tanamachi may lose points for naming originality, but she does excellent work at writing a cute love story! Highly recommend this to any romcom lover.

I love the whimsy of The Takeover and the enemies-to-lovers aspect. It's a fun rom-com, and I will look forward to more from this author.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

I liked the set up to this and there was some good dialogue but couldn't get all into it since both leads really frsutrated me

This book is filled with humor, romance, and corporate drama! Nami runs a startup and is in the midst of a corporate buy out, when she discovers her high school nemesis, Jae Lee, is now a ruthless executive looking to purchase her company. The story has several heartfelt moments, with playful banter and an enemies-to-lovers plot line. However, it's heavy on the corporate jargon and a hyperfixation on a stolen chair.

Sincere thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Griffin for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

I wasn’t a huge fan of this book. The characters are ok, but I liked the side characters a little more. The writing wasn’t super great. And the romance wasn’t there for me. In general it felt like nothing really happened in the book. I think the best part was the chair prank.

Would not recommend. I think there are much better books out there.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for providing me this Digital Advanced Readers Copy of the book!

"The Takeover" is a charming and fun enemies-to-lovers story that proves some birthday wishes do come true—just not quite how you expect. The setup starts with a bit of magic when tech founder Nami's 30th birthday wish is for her soulmate. Unfortunately, she instead brings her former high school rival Jae Lee back into her life (and gunning for her company), setting up a satisfying clash of professional ambition and reluctant attraction.

While some elements of the characters' backstories strain credibility for their ages, (doing an undergraduate degree, training for coding, and law school plus starting a tech start up before the age of 30!) the emotional core of the story rings true. What makes this book work is the genuine growth both characters undergo. Their evolution from high school rivals to something more feels earned, with sharp banter giving way to deeper understanding.

The corporate backdrop provides a fresh setting for their second-chance story, and Tanamachi balances the professional and personal stakes well. Watching these former academic competitors learn to appreciate how the other makes them better—and perhaps find even more in the process—makes for an engaging read.

A few narrative bumps aside, this is a warm, witty romance that was hard to put down.

This book was fine but greatly suffered from why too much detail when describing anything. I was barely into the first chapter of the book and the over the top level of description started to be annoying. I like the story but every time the author started describing something I was pulled so far out of the story.

This was super cute and surprising! I got really engrossed in the romance and kept wanting to read. It’s also funny and made me think. Great book.

When you wish upon a star, or er candle, you never know what might happen! Enemies to lovers, capers, family pressure, and more make a delightfully fun story.

[arc review]
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The Takeover releases January 30, 2024

Nami and Jae were each others nemesis in high school. A decade later, during the week of Nami’s 30th birthday, Jae makes a reappearance in her life in a professional capacity when his company tries to acquire her start-up tech company, which happens to be in dire need of funding.

The healthy workplace that Nami has prioritized for her employees is in jeopardy as Jae’s company is known to be cutthroat in their decisions, not batting an eye when it comes to the disposal of long-standing employees for financial success.
Will they be able to reach a middle ground? Or will they be caught in a stalemate?

The main reason why I enjoyed this so much was because Nami and Jae actually felt like true rivals, which is so hard to come across in an enemies-to-lovers book.
The writing was fast-paced and flowed effortlessly; the way they challenged each other was so lively and refreshing, showcasing just how fine the line is between love and hate.

A pivotal turning point in their dynamic was when they challenged each other in the Carolina Reapers ramen, which was hilarious.

Nami once had everything going for her she was getting married head of her tech startup she founded. It wasn’t until her engagement fell apart and the funding falling through at her tech startup that Nami’s world is tipped upside down. When her mother throws her a surprise birthday party with zero friends that nami gets the idea to wish for her sole mate. We then follow the funny enemies to lovers trope.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this digital arc. All opinions are my own.

This book was very cute. The banter between the characters was funny and it was a very relatable hate/love combo. I enjoyed reading this book as it was lighthearted but also funny and intriguing to me. I give it a solid 4 stars! Worth taking a look at!

I wanted to love this one so much but unfortunately it didn’t work for me. I felt as if the ages of the characters were contradicted by their very immature actions (especially from the mmc). Overall a cute (but frustrating) read.

Thank you so much for the complimentary copy.