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.

If it’s enemies to lovers, I’ll definitely read it and The Takeover was a great book in this trope! The chemistry and banter between Nami and Jae was perfect, but I also loved how strong Nami was and was rooting for her the whole time.

I liked the concept of this book in theory, that everything in your life is going wrong and to top it off, your childhood rival comes into your life when you’re having the worst time and it leads to witty moments. I just don’t think this book is for me, I wasn’t really enjoying it as much as I could’ve!

This one was funny, a little bit cheesy, and had a lot of heart. It’s obvious the companies that inspired each of the companies featured in the novel.

The childhood enemies to lovers thing was cute, and the spicy ramen scene had me cracking up laughing. Jae and Nami’s first and second kisses were also *chef’s kiss* amazing. I laughed quite a bit throughout with the teasing in this novel, and that grandma was a hoot. The grand gesture at the end was really sweet.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ahh, I absolutely loved this book! I could not put it down honestly. I was hooked from the beginning.

The enemies to lovers/high school rivals was spot on!
The banter was so good and I genuinely laughed out loud at times.
Jae and Nami were such great characters and I loved how they made each other better.

I would definitely recommend this to others especially fans of romance and enemies to lovers.

I seriously could not put this book down. From the witty banter of a stolen office chair to the enemies to lovers trope. This book is perfection!! Please everyone read when it comes out this month!!

Did I read a different book than everyone else? Because that was… just, not good.

Even if you can get past the <i>wildly</i> unethical behavior both Jae and Nami display in getting involved while Jae is attempting an acquisition of Nami’s company, even if you ignore the fact that at no point do we see a version of Nami that seems capable of successfully building and running a business, even if you dismiss the outrageously sketchy way Imani keeps Nami out of the loop on her funding conversations as they try to save their company, even if you believe that two women of color who co-found a tech startup would put up with the walking lawsuit that is Dell, even if you don’t mind that this book apparently has a hard-on for crypto…

… the relationship between Nami and Jae is still incredibly immature, dominated by ‘witty’ banter that’s actually just juvenile insults and the inability to get past their high school rivalry (despite both being ostensibly very successful adults long-past graduation). He calls her an insulting nickname, in <i>business meetings</i>, and she never corrects him? He seriously thinks he can waltz back into her life and attempt a hostile takeover of her company, and she’ll be glad to see him? The only good thing I can say about these two is that at least they’re together so they don’t inflict themselves on anyone else.

I would say this book just wasn’t for me, but I’m sort of shocked it’s for anyone.

<i>Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.</i>

"The Takeover" is an enjoyable romantic comedy set in a workplace that is sure to make you laugh. The story follows Nami, one of the three partners of a business called Toggle, which is failing and needs to be bought. However, Nami doesn't want to sell it to anyone who won't keep its integrity intact. Enter Jae, the VP of acquisition at Rainforest, a mega-company that buys out tech companies and mines user data. Jae is also Nami's high school nemesis, and she is determined not to let him win Toggle.

Nami and Jae's relationship develops from enemies to lovers in a hate-to-love-you kind of way. It is a short book, so there's no slow burn, but there is an attraction on both sides. The banter between these two characters is amazing, and I love the quips and barbs that they throw at each other. Nami and Jae are a perfect match, with Nami being sweet, honest, a rule-follower, and obsessed with work, while Jae is morally grey, family-motivated, and also obsessed with work. We get a glimpse into each of their family dynamics and learn that they have a lot in common, and both undergo some personal growth throughout the story. I also enjoyed the chair drama that unfolds at the beginning of each chapter. The only thing I didn't enjoy was the repetitive mentions of Jae's chest and his height, which seemed to occur in just about every interaction between the two. Overall, it was a quick and fun workplace drama that had me laughing out loud.