This was a fun book to read. Nami and Jae are enemies who become lovers. The story is filled with sharp and witty dialogue. The story is told from both their perspectives and focuses on their family dynamics and work ethics. The plot is well developed and is easy to understand as the reader follows the developing relationship between Nami and Jae. Readers will love the wonderful variety of characters throughout the story and certainly find their favorite amongst them. Overall this is a truly wonderful story.

This book begins with Nami lamenting that her company, Toggle, is her life. She is a devoted boss and is blindsided when it appears that there is going to be a hostile takeover. The fact that it's her high school nemesis, Jae, makes her even madder. To say she is competitive and a bit petty is an understatement. She thinks Jae is arrogant, but seems to gloss over her own inability to see herself the way everyone else does. She was a hall monitor in high school and was known to wield a detention slip like it was a cloak of honor. Jae is quite successful, but bored with his work. He sees an opportunity to take on Toggle and see if there is still a spark with Nami. Things do seem to come around for them. The book was well paced and I did like the characters for the most part. I am not a fan of the theme that the man was 100% wrong when there is a misunderstanding. Nami needed to own her part in their lack of communicating to resolve their issues. I did like the book and found it to be interesting. I did want more of an epilogue though.

This was a decent book. The characters were well drawn and the plot didn't get overly dramatic. However, the plot did drag in the latter quarter of the book. The multicultural characters and references will enchant a lot of readers.

I FREAKING LOVED this!! I loved the competitive banter btwn Jae and Nami and it truly captures what growing up with a nemesis is like. I honestly could not put this down and it DELIVERED. You learn so much about each of these characters to the point you find them rooting for them...and for whomever stole Dell's chair. Hahaha, this kept me in laughter with the antics of the office family and the family dynamics. I highly recco this book, 100/10!!

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this read quite a bit. At first, I was worried it would be a little too cheesy but I kinda fell in love. It was a quick easy read - enemies to lovers in the corporate world.

I think the characters were cute and fun to read their POVs for the most part. They had a great back and forth banter and while I don’t get the headers of the internal chat, it was a funny side story going on.

Overall it was absolutely worth the read and I’d recommend picking it up if you want a light, campy, rom com.

You have to appreciate a book where Star Trek references come before Star Wars references 😊

I love enemies to lovers. It’s one of my absolute favorite tropes. I love the main character banter that comes along with this trope and Nami and Jae have GREAT banter! Whether in text messages, or through ConnectIn declines, I had many moments where I was simply smiling with glee at the interactions between these two.

I also enjoy a good workplace story. I appreciated Nami’s struggle and advocacy to maintain what’s important for her employees & customers amidst the challenges of a potential company acquisition.

Thank you to the St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

This was a fun read - just what I needed as an escape at a busy time. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys enemies to lovers romance. It didn't necessarily take me to places I've never been, but it was a solid, satisfying story.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for allowing me to read the digital ARC in advance of publication.

"The Takeover" by Cara Tanamachi offers a blend of romance, rivalry, and redemption that keeps the reader engaged, but it falls short of reaching its full potential. The premise of a hate mate turning into a potential soulmate is intriguing, and Tanamachi skillfully develops the chemistry between Nami and Jae.

The characters are well-crafted, with Nami's frustration and Jae's charm adding depth to their dynamic. The supporting characters, especially those in the tech company, contribute to the story's charm. Incorporating tech elements adds a contemporary touch, though some readers may find certain technical aspects a bit overwhelming.

The pacing, however, is a noticeable flaw. The story's resolution feels rushed, especially towards the end, where significant conflicts are resolved too conveniently. The repetitive nature of Nami's internal reflections detracts from the overall narrative, making the emotional journey seem less authentic.

Despite these shortcomings, "The Takeover" has its merits. The banter between Nami and Jae is sharp and entertaining, providing moments of humor throughout the book. Tanamachi's exploration of rivalry turning into unexpected passion is a refreshing take on the enemies-to-lovers trope.

In conclusion, "The Takeover" is a light and enjoyable read, perfect for those seeking a quick romantic escape. While it falls short of being a standout in the genre, it offers a satisfying story with likable characters. With a more balanced pace and a deeper exploration of emotional conflicts, it could have been a four-star gem.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review

Well what a cute, easy read this was. Take two rivals,throw them head to head and watch love bloom. This author aims to show a lot of representation in the book and did it well. Lots of nerdy, cute romance and the chair drama...loved it! I quite liked this and would love to get the chance to read/listen to it in a audiobook form

I love a purple cartoon cover. It really made me think about what the book was going to be about and then the characters kept me reading from page one I loved it.

The Takeover is a quick and easy read. I found the plot to be enjoyable and entertaining. I really liked the tension and enemies-to-lovers vibe from Jae and Nami. If I had to make any complaints about this story it would be that I felt like it was a bit repetitive at times, especially when it came to Nami's job. My other issue with this story was the pacing at the end. Throughout the story, The Takeover maintained a good pace, but towards the end, it was like it hit hyper-speed and ended up feeling far too rushed.

Overall, I think this book will be a hit for some and a miss for others. For me, it was it was an ok read.

3.5 stars!!

This is a fun enemies-to-lovers story set in Chicago (the best city in the country tysm) following Nami, the co-founder of an Airbnb the holiday style tech company and Jae, her high school rival turned Amazon-esque go of acquisitions trying to buy her company!

This was so adorable, full of witty hate/love banter, nerdy references, a subplot about a 12,000 dollar chair, a diverse cast of characters, and ramen from hell!

Thanks to Cara Tanamachi and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Quick and easy true enemies to lovers workplace romance. Nami runs a high tech company named Toggle which is in financial trouble. Her high school nemesis Jae works for Rainforest which wants to buy Nami's company.
Told in two points of view this quick read is good for anyone looking for a book that's lighthearted with likeable characters.
Looking forward to reading more by the author.
Thank you to Cara Tanamachi, St-Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

love when books aren’t fast paced in the sense that the sequence of events are rushed and the things happening aren’t believable

I have read a lot of relatable books so far this year but I’d like to proudly say that this book so far has been the best out of all of them

Is it soulmates or is it magic? That’s the dilemma

In my opinion, soulmates exist. They come in many forms. They come as people who should’ve been in your life but it’s time for them to leave and it comes as people who should be in your life and they just stay

This book was the exact definition of that. The buildup throughout the chapters was great

I loved the way the author introduced each chapter with a little something cute at the beginning. I loved the way she phrased expressions and metaphors and just her style of writing is remarkable

Best part tho??? The women. The women in this book are boss ladies. Who wouldn’t love that? A woman who started and owned her own company? Feared yet respected by everyone? Funny yet strict? Competitive and challenging and relentless??? Yessssss 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 All in for it !!!!!

Very highly recommended🤍

If you liked Love Interest by Clare Gilmore, then The Takeover needs to be on your to-read list! Nami and Jae are high school rivals who reunite when Jae’s company Rainforest (read: Amazon) looks to acquire Toggle, Nami’s tech startup that is struggling. Jae represents big corporation and everything Nami doesn’t want for her family-like business, and while she’s determined to stop her partners from selling, she can’t help reengaging with Jae as their competitive streaks flare up.

Enemies-to-lovers is probably my favorite romance trope and this one is great. Both Nami and Jae toe the line of insults and flirting and they soon fall for each other. Nami was a strong, intelligent, woman with great convictions. Jae was a confident, smart man who had a humorous side that made me laugh. Together their chemistry was so fun to read.

I really don't like being mean or judgmental, but here we go. I was hopeful that this would be a fun romance.
Our main character makes that impossible with what I have read. The main character is thirty, however, she thinks and acts like someone who is twenty. The POV reads like a fresh out of college kid at their first job. The inner thoughts of the main character are so cringy. The dialogue between her and her collogues/employees are cringy, and they don't act the way adults do in real life. I was so looking forward to this, as the description and cover are promising, but I couldn't get into it.

I was a little nervous picking this up because I have been reading fantasy a lot lately, and I haven't been in a romcom mood, but I'm glad that I read this one. The Takeover was such a fun romcom!
When it first mentioned the pandemic, I almost DNFd it right then and there, but I decided to give it a chance. I'm so glad that I did! It ended up only mentioning that the pandemic happened to set up the premise of her company not doing so well as a consequence of the pandemic. It wasn't mentioned after that, which for me was a relief, because I don't  think I'm ever going to be in a place where I want to consume fiction that incorporates the pandemic. I lived it and don't want my escape from the world to remind me of that fever dream. 

I will say that at times, it felt a little cheesy, but I love cheese in my romance, so that didn't bother me at all. The real star of this book was the chemistry between the main character and the love interest. I cannot explain how giggly this book made me. The banter was witty, their transition from rivals to lovers was very believable, and it made me want what they had.

A fun little touch throughout the book was also the excerpt  from the "Toggle internal chat". It was so funny seeing the pranks her employees were pulling on Dell and I'm glad we got a resolution of that in the second epilogue.
I honestly forgot how fun reading romcoms is. I'm excited to pick up another as my next read!


[Disclaimer: I was given this eARC by St. Martin's Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!]

This has rivals to lovers, hate-love, great banter, and a diverse cast. So I wish that I liked it more. But a few things really irked me.

This has two points-of-view, Nami, a woman who is running a tech-app company that is going through financial difficulties, and Jae, her former high school nemesis who beat her out for valedictorian and who now works for "Rainforest" (LOL) the giant tech company that is gobbling up companies and spitting out people and parts for quick cash. Get it? Rainforest? Anyway. The two are reunited when Jae targets Nami's company for a takeover. But Nami genuinely loves her company, and the people who work there, and she knows that Rainforest would leave them out in the cold. So she vows to fight back, even as the two are back at each other's throats with their old competitiveness, and the hate-hate might be more like hate-love or more.

Things that are causing me to give it a lower rating (I am only providing a couple, but I probably could go on): (1) while complaining about the misogyny that she faces from one of the other male partners at her company, Nami's company is nevertheless resuced because of...you guessed it...Jae! Not her, nothing at all that she did. But she "encouraged" Jae to be better, instead of Jae idk coming to that on his own. Which brings me to number (2)...I'm supposed to root for the guy who at the beginning says things like "And before you get on me about being a wolf, there are just two kinds of people in this world: wolves and pigs. I'm not going to apologize for being higher on the food chain" (okay a-hole) and "I got his name wrong on purpose. It's my way of keeping him off balance. After all, wolves don't need to know piggy names." Honestly? Screw this guy. Nami deserves better. We all deserve better love interests!!!!!

Unfortunately this book was a DNF for me within the first few chapters. The MMC didn't treat people in a way I wanted to experience for a whole book. This is my second DNF from Cara Tanamachi so I think it's more my reading taste and her writing style just don't jive unfortunately.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.

Overall, this was a solid 4-stars for me. It was easy to read, the banter was fun between the main characters, and I love the geeky tech speak littered throughout as someone who works in corporate tech.

I thought the main characters could have used slightly more depth, and the end was a little too “wrap it up with a pretty bow,” but I still enjoyed it none the less. Would recommend if you’re looking for a quick, feel-good romcom.