My 1st DNF in the new year and it's still Jan. I hate that it's for a diverse read -- we absolutely need more diverse stories, characters and authors -- but life's short and the writing was not doing it for me. The attempt to deliver enemies to lovers was juvenile, lacked chemistry and our heroine's POV was a heck of a lot of whining.

I seriously made an attempt, nearing 50% and that's almost 40% more than I should've gone., then skimming through the rest.

The Takeover is such a cute read. It follows Nami as she tries to save her company that is losing funding. A company Rainforest is planning a hostile takeover of her company and is lead by none other than her childhood rival Jae. This book had a great enemies to lovers trope with amazing back and forth banter. The spicy noodle scene alone made this book a 5 star read for me. I will definitely be reading more books from Cara Tanamachi

They say that there is a fine line between love and hate. Nami and Jae It all started in high school. Nami has worked hard for everything and is a rule follower. Jae's family has never wanted for anything. Now Nami's life is spiraling out of control and a cog in that wheel is Jae. He works for a company that raids new start-ups, gut all there value and then throws it away. He comes waltzing in thinking he can do this rather quickly. Little did they know that it was just the beginning. Add in family drama on both sides, and you have a recipe for disaster. Little did Nami know that her work family had had enough. They set in motion the solution for all their problems. With a little help from her work family, her biological family and Jae's, a HEA is achieved.

3.5 rounded up

This was a fun enemies to lovers, dual POV, workplace romance that sees two childhood rivals reunited as one tries to takeover the company of the other. Forced proximity at its best, the sexual tension in this book was top notch and the perfect embodiment of the line between hate and love is a fine one. I enjoyed this a lot and recommend for fans of Sally Thorne's The hating game! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

The title of The Takeover plays into a few different things with the main thing being Nami possibly losing her company: Toggle. The company is struggling and she doesn’t want to sell but most of all, she doesn’t want to sell to Rainforest which is essentially the book’s version of Amazon.

Things get even tenser when she realizes that she’s going to have to deal with Jae, her old high-school rival. The two butted heads back in high school and now, they’re meeting back up again. Of course, time didn’t heal all wounds and Nami can’t seem to stop butting heads with him yet it ends up being Jae’s favorite part.

This book did take me a while to get into but after I did, I ended up really enjoying it. I loved seeing all the character development for Nami and Jae. The two had a lot of thinking to do about themselves, their careers, and their love lives. Of course, those things can get intermixed given the plotline of the story.

Regardless, Cara Tanamachi did an excellent job of showing both the good and bad sides of these characters. They weren’t flawless or perfect, they felt real and I loved them. There is just something so utterly incredible about watching too imperfect people find their perfect relationship.

Whether you’re new to Cara Tanamachi or not, The Takeover is a great book to read to end your January reading or help kickstart your Valentine’s Day reading. Either way, this was a fun one and helped introduce me to an author I know I’ll be revisiting.

The Takeover is a light frenemy to more romance. Nami Reid is Japanese-American and loves her start up app and her employee family group. But without additional funding they are ripe for a takeover. Enter Jae Lee, Korean-American, who works in acquisitions for Rainforest (think evil conglomerate like Amazon). But Jae and Nami have a past having gone to high school together. He wants to push her buttons and provokes her before even meeting up to discuss a purchase.

Honestly, it wasn’t until almost 40 that I started liking the story. The book says they were high school nemesis, but all it tells is that he was incredibly popular and she wasn’t. Her big gripe is that he beat her out to be valedictorian. But I didn’t see them as actively provoking each other in school. So it seems weird and very childish to be provoking and engaging in drinking and food eating challenges now. Also this is a low stakes drama. If she gets bought out she will go away with a lot of money, although the dollar figure is never mentioned. But she does care about her programmers and her clients' data.

The plus side to the story is they are good at banter and they kind of know how stupidly they are behaving. They are also both dealing with families and their expectations. There is some ongoing silliness about a missing chair that actually is pretty funny. And when Nami and Jae finally give into their feelings they can sizzle, at least in the one open door scene. A quick read book and if you’re struggling in the beginning give it a few extra chapters. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review. (3.5 Stars)

This was not my favorite office place romance book. I really liked Nami, she is one of the owners of Toggle. Jae works for The Rainforest and is trying to buy her company. He is specifically wanting to buy hers because he is bored and misses the challenge, she (little miss hall monitor who had so many followers) gave him in high school. They were academic rivals, and she still holds on to losing the Valedictorian to him really close to her chest. We start the book celebrating Namis 30th birthday so it's been around a decade since they saw or talked to each other. The author tries to play this off as romantic but when you start in Jaes POV, he is just the worst. Thinking the worst things but don't worry because he's a feminist and does not like it when other businessmen think women are less than. I just struggled really thinking that Nami would really like Jae. She is accomplished on her own and has people who care about her and have built her up. Falling in love with someone who just uses her for a fun challenge doesn't sit right with me and made me really struggle to like this story.

Nami and Jae were high school rivals who always brought out the best and worst in each other. Ten years on and Nami is still being led by the same strong sense of right and wrong, which she channels into making a success of the company she started. Jae is still cool, still handsome as hell, and still the devil; a devil who works for the evil company threatening to take over her start-up.

The rivalry between Nami and Jae was so much fun to read because it was never too serious. The attraction, the way he calls her Namby, the banter, it was all top tier. I was literally laughing out loud throughout the entire spicy ramen eating contest scene.

There were also plenty of sweet moments between the rivals turned lovers; I loved the family dynamics that so defined Nami and Jae and their shared history. The biggest obstacle they face is of course the fact that Jae wants to take over her company, but their happy ending was never in doubt.

The Takeover was such a good time and I can’t wait to go back and read Sora’s story.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Takeover is the first book I’ve read by Cara Tanamachi, but it won’t be the last. I loved Asian main characters and their families which is still pretty rare for romances.

Nami Reid and Jae Lee were competitive as hell in high school when Jae seemed to have everything come so easy to him in his charmed like and Nami was the super strict rule follower who didn’t have many friends.

When she finds herself alone at her 30th birthday except for family, her high school loneliness seems to have returned. When her nemesis, Jae Lee comes back into her life with a seeming hostile business takeover offer, will they finally let sparks fly or will Nami’s business go down in flames?

With so many funny moments and simmering tension, with quirky families thrown in, this book will definitely take over your life when you get sucked into the story.

I would love to support your authors, but unfortunately it seems as though St. Martin's Press and Wednesday books would prefer to stay quiet about the vile posts made by your employee. These statements were anti-Palestinian, Islamophobic, Queerphobic, and made even more vile by the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people. Your influencers want to know that St. Martin’s Press is committed to the safety and well being of ALL of their influencers, employees, and authors.

This is not a reflection on the author or the story in any way, shape, or form.

The Takeover was just fantastic, I couldn’t put it down! This is the first book of Cara Tanamachi’s that I’ve read, but I will be sure to pick up every one that come out from now on.

I never shy away from an enemies to lovers story and this one certainly did not disappoint. The banter and flirting made for a great red with some powerful and entertaining characters behind them. Definitely would recommend!

In retrospect, I should have known that there was too much capitalism in the blurb of this book for me to enjoy it. But I didn't know it would be... this much.

Nami is co-CEO of Toggle, an AirBNB-style start-up, that is in financial trouble. They didn't get more funding, so now they have to sell (or something, I can't make myself understand how start-up funding works). The best offer they have is from Rainforest (aka Amazon, which honestly, funny). And who is the VP of acquisitions? Nami's high school rival, Jae.

All of the workplace stuff in this book is garbage. Jae says repeatedly that there are "wolves" and "pigs" and his entire goal is to "be a wolf" and eat the other pigs and not get eaten. Which... is gross and bad. But Nami is the exact opposite, which is also not good. She tells her start-up employees that they are a "family" which is also unhealthy and bad! The way she talks to her employees and about her company has major girlboss vibes. Toggle's workplace is also such a caricature of millennial work culture -- they *have* to have Breakfast Mondays, and they play Frisbee and ping-pong, and on Nami's 30th birthday, her employees throw her a giant birthday party, complete with the banner from The Office and a "you're the world's best boss unironically" mug. Not to mention how much space crypto takes up in this book (any amount of space is too much, but this was a gross amount of crypto -- I frowned so much reading about it).

Also, Jae spends most of the book being an asshole. He's actively mean to Nami (using a mean name from high school for basically the entire book) until all of a sudden he realizes he has feelings for her? It's a poor use of enemies/rivals to lovers -- there's no indication that either of them liked each other, other than their passionate rivalry, which is a lazy use of that trope. And their one-upmanship is unhealthy and at times dangerous (involving burn-your-face-off spicy ramen and 14% ABV beer).

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an eARC of The Takeover in exchange for my honest review.

When your high school nemesis comes back into your life years later only to try and take over your company... but he also seems to want to win your heart. Nami's life is not how she imagined it going, she thought she would be married and living the perfect life with a great job by now... but her fiancee cheated on her, her tech company is about to lose funding, and Nami is feeling so alone. When she gets a text from her old high school nemesis she just knows her life is going to be turned upside down. Jae Lee is egotistical, handsome, wealthy, and bored. When his company is planning a takeover of a start up he is surprised to find that his old high school nemesis works there, the uptight, rule-following, party mood killer, Nami. Nami gets under his skin like no one else, no one else can make him feel excited or even get a fire going in him, no one challenges him like her... and finding out that she's back in his life, he will do anything to be near her again. Nami and Jae can't seem to be in a room without arguing... yet there is something different, there's an undertone of passion between them and both of them can't seem to stop wanting to kiss each other. Yet working on opposing sides, and Nami's beloved company at stake and Jae knowing something... can their relationship survive this company takeover? Nami and Jae felt so immature as individuals, I get being high school rivals and all but come on both of you are grown adults dealing with a company and being in charge of people's jobs and livelihoods but can't stop acting like children. The third act breakup/makeup was meh, I honestly was hoping for a better make up between the two of them after the big breakup. There were some aspects of the book I just didn't vibe with but overall it wasn't a bad read. If you enjoy rival romances then give this a go, maybe you'll have a better time with it than I did.

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I'm a sucker for a good enemies to lovers and this one delivered. It was also funny! I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced electronic copy in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to like it, but unfortunately, this story was not for me.

I found the characters immature, and the setting a bit unrealistic. Just taking a tour of the office space, I saw half a dozen things this bright entrepreneur could temporarily cut to put her finances in a better standing? I found the lack of actual business sense, in a book about a business acquisition, frustrating.

If you can suspend business belief, and like a slightly irrational “I hate you passionately though I haven’t seen you in over a decade” enemies to lovers, than this may be more up your alley?

Thanks SMP for the ARC for my honest review:

"The Takeover" by Cara Tanamachi offers readers a captivating blend of rivalry and romance that keeps you hooked throughout the story. Nami's journey as she navigates the unexpected twists and turns of her life, including the reappearance of her high school nemesis, Jae Lee, is both entertaining and heartwarming. The witty banter and sharp exchanges between Nami and Jae add depth to their characters and make their interactions all the more enjoyable to follow.

It successfully delivers a compelling narrative with a satisfying blend of tension, humor, and chemistry between the main characters. If you're looking for a book that offers a fun and engaging reading experience. The start was really hard to get into but the ending was much better and quicker paced. 3.5 stars but rounding to 4.

Rating: 4.5/5⭐

I saw the cover for this book on NetGallery, read the synopsis and took a chance with it and I’m glad I did! This is a really cute, funny, easy to read rivals to lovers, workplace romance and as someone who loves rivals to lovers, this book was perfect for me. This was also a very refreshing read for me since I had been reading a lot of historical and fantasy before this.

Some of my favorite parts and things I enjoyed:
🍜 The banter and chemistry between Nami and Jae was SO good!!
🍜 How down bad Jae is for Nami, I loved that his POV was usually full of him thinking about how in love with Nami he is, even e̶s̶p̶e̶c̶i̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ when she was glaring at him
🍜 The Wegner swivel chair drama, whenever it was mentioned it made me laugh so hard, but seriously, who pays that much for a CHAIR? (Approximately $13k CAD from my research)
🍜 The ramen off and the post ramen off! It was hilarious and totally unexpected, it honestly might have been my favorite part of the entire book (it is also why I’m using the emoji I am)
🍜 The ending of the novel, which was super duper cute and totally fit the characters personalities

I totally got butterflies while reading this book although there was one small thing that kept this book from being a 5 star read for me. Mainly, I was unsatisfied with Toggle’s ending and it just didn’t feel right to me. I did kind of expect it since it was foreshadowed but still, I wish Toggle's ending was a little different.

Overall this book was a lot of fun to read and is the perfect read for someone who enjoys a workplace, rivals to lovers romance with a lot of funny banter. I look forward to the book’s release on January 30, 2024.

Thank you NetGallery and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC.

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Romance, Contemporary Romance
Spice Level: High (on page sex scene)
Representation: Racially diverse characters, including the main characters, and varying ages (I love interfering grandmas.)

This book was a light-hearted, fun romance. I thought this might have more magical realism from the description, but it really didn't have that—it's a straight-up romance without magic.

I enjoyed the ins and outs of "Rainforest" aka "Amazon", how our main couple challenged each other, and NDAs. There's a lot of reasons we can't always say everything that's going on in business. This book was great to showcase so much of modern living. I also loved Nami's team and the lengths they would go to with their white board questions and harassing a stick-in-the-mud.

I think Nami and Jae were more surprised than anyone with their budding romance. Of course, there are problems—but instead of a silly misunderstanding, they're fighting their way through lies. I think I prefer books with lies.

I recommend this book for romance readers, especially those who want some spice (which I have to skip because I'm me).

Happy reading!

An enemies to lovers romance- and a corporate tale. Name and Jae competed all through high school and she's always resented the fact that he beat her out for GPA. Now, she's struggling to keep her tech company afloat and Jae works for the firm that wants to buy it out. Can their spicy rivalry change to love? Of course it can and will but this also sees a growth of respect between the two. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Good characters and zippy dialogue make this a good read.

The Takeover by Cara Tanamachi is a fun, banter-filled workplace romance.

Nami has built Toggle from the ground up, along with her friend Imani. But now, the company is at risk of being sold.

Enter Jae, her high school nemesis who works at Rainforest (a play on Amazon and Elon Musk). He’s leading the charge to acquire Toggle—and, selfishly, he’s interested in the company because he misses the competition with Nami from his teen years.

I appreciated the diversity representation (LGBTQ+ and disability) in this book, along with the stories of their immigrant and working class parents. However, I didn’t love that Nami drank the corporate Kool-Aid—though I appreciated her drive and ambition.

Jae was misguided at points, but I also thought he was more relatable than Nami.

Read if you like:
🩵 Enemies to lovers
🩵 Workplace romance
🩵 Banter, banter, banter

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an eARC of The Takeover! Be sure to read it when it’s released on 1/30/24.