A cute tech-y enemies-to-lovers romance. Fun side characters too! I loved the banter between the main characters.

I received an ARC from Netgalley and the publisher!

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for an E-Copy of The Takeover by Cara Tanamachi in exchange of an honest review.

"The Takeover by Cara Tanamachi is a captivating and delightful romance that will have you hooked from the first page. This book seamlessly combines great banter, a rivals-to-lovers trope, and engaging storytelling to create an immersive reading experience. The chemistry between the two main characters, with their intense competition and undeniable attraction, is palpable and keeps you invested in their journey. What sets this book apart is the depth and complexity of the story beyond just the romance. Cara Tanamachi brilliantly explores family dynamics, offering a realistic and nuanced portrayal of relationships. The workplace setting in the tech industry adds an intriguing backdrop and a refreshing element to the story. The side characters are well-developed and add depth to the narrative, making you invested in their outcomes. I highly recommend The Takeover to anyone who enjoys the rivals-to-lovers trope, clever dialogue, dual point of view storytelling, authentic family dynamics, and a captivating workplace setting."

I absolutely loved 'The Takeover' by Cara Tanamachi. The story unfolds in a delightful clash of wits and hearts as Nami and Jae, former academic rivals, find themselves embroiled in a battle of a different kind. Nami, facing a life that hasn't quite gone according to plan, is fiercely protective of her tech company, Toggle, and wary of the impending takeover that threatens it. Jae, her old high school nemesis, reenters her life as an unexpected adversary, reigniting old rivalries and sparking an irresistible chemistry.

Tanamachi's writing captures the essence of their dynamic, infusing it with playful banter that is genuinely enjoyable to read. The employees at Toggle add another layer of charm, injecting humor and camaraderie into the narrative, especially with their amusing antics involving an office chair.

The exploration of jealousy, growth, and self-discovery is expertly woven into the plot, making the characters relatable and endearing. Nami's journey, her frustrations, and her internal battles create a character arc that resonates, showcasing the author's skill in character development.

In 'The Takeover,' Tanamachi creates a narrative that's engaging and heartwarming, proving that sometimes, what you think you hate can surprise you in the most unexpected ways. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a contemporary romance with a dash of rivalry, a sprinkle of humor, and a whole lot of heart.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. Overall I enjoyed this rivals-to-lovers romance. Nami and Jae had believable chemistry and funny banter. This is more me than the book but there were definitely some references to pop culture events/things that went over my head (I am also not as knowledgeable about Star Wars and Star Trek).

This was a hilarious and fun rom-com! I loved Jae and Namy’s love-hate chemistry, and loved that it was such a long-standing feud (not feud). They were absolutely perfect complements to each other.

As someone peripheral to startup world in a niche industry, the corporate buyout component of this book was all too familiar. I loved seeing it come together from both sides, and loved the end result.

Highly recommend if you’re looking for an enemies-to-lovers rom-com. This one left me equal parts cracking up and grinning.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's press for the ARC!

Overall an okay read. A little frustrating that the author has set up the third act conflict at the 50% mark, so the reader is just waiting the whole second half of the book for the other shoe to drop. An understandable third act conflict, but frustrating nonetheless.

This book was so delightful! Nami and Jae were academic rivals in high school and the two haven’t seen each other in years. Until one day, Jae says he’ll be seeing her soon. Turns out, he works for a big business corporation (*coughAmazoncough*) and handles acquisitions of smaller businesses. Nami loves her company Toggle and doesn’t want it to be sold.

These two had some serious chemistry. The banter was so fun to read, and it wasn’t annoying like I’ve read in some other books. I especially enjoyed the various employees at Toggle and their antics involving an office chair.

Thanks as always to NetGalley for the ARC.

I really enjoyed reading this book. it has witty dialogue, is easy to read, and is evenly paced with a good rivals-to-lovers romance. Nami the fmc has a great tech company that is in financial trouble, Jae the mmc is part of a huge corporation named Rainforest that buys smaller companies and changes them. The two were high school rivals and still have some grudges against each other, when Jae comes to take over her company, the two connect despite Nami not wanting to have her company taken over by Rainforest.

The banter and rivalry in this was so good. The romance was sweet, and I liked how it came about. I realized near the end of the book that Rainforest is the Amazon equivalent in this fictional world, and that was very funny to me. There's good and evil themes in relation to cooperation and employee treatment. I thought the ending was good, but it did feel a bit unrealistic just on the quickness Jae turned around and the other perfect ending for the company. The good thing is this is a romance, and anything is possible. Overall a good, diverse and fun romance with humor, heart, takeovers and family drama.

Read if you like:
- Rivals to lovers
- Tech and workplace shenanigans
- Diverse characters
- High school nemesis
- Grey mmc

Thank you SMP for this arc for an honest review.

Nami has her whole life tied up in her tech company. She had a man she was going to marry cheat on her and has lost the few friends she had. The tech company is suffering and will likely be bought by another company. Jae was Nami’s high school nemesis, is very attractive and rich. He has a company in the bidding to take over her company. Jae and Nami were in competition for everything in high school. Jae usually won. He has not had much fun since their barbs and competitive natures in high school. He believes taking over her company would get him out of his boredom and give him a chance to reconnect with Nami. I loved this book. Nami and Jae had such a different perspective on the other back when they were in high school. Nami sees her company as her family. Jae is still out for himself and to stroke his ego. I liked how Jae’s family called him on his work ethic, hoping he could better himself. Nami’s and Jae’s families liked each other and had high hopes for them as a couple. Both Nami and Jae take time to really look at what is important. Great book, lots of humor, and romance.

I love discovering new-to-me authors, and Cara Tanamachi exceeded my expectations. Nami and Jae are former high school academic rivals who reconnect when Jae’s Amazon-like conglomerate engages in a leveraged buyout of Nami’s airBNB-type startup, which is her loyal employee-driven baby. Nami and Jae’s ultracompetitive natures give way to searing hot mutual attraction, complicating the direction and purpose of the takeover.
Add in co-conspiring Asian families and quirky development teams, and this book is a delightful, fast read that I relished.
Now to tackle Ms Tanamachi’s backlist.
Thank you NetGalley for the Advamce Reader Copy; I’m happy to provide this honest review.

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for an advanced reader copy of this book.

This was a cute friends to enemies story. The characters and their family relationships were all very relatable. I especially liked the Star Wars and Star Trek references.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc.

If you enjoy enemies to lovers, and office romance- this is a book you will enjoy. I was not a huge fan of the dynamic between the two characters but overall thought it was a cute read.

Office/workplace/corporate enemies-to-lovers is officially my favorite, especially when it’s done well. Add in the fact that the enemies are former high school rivals and this book ticked every box for me.

Nami’s tech company she helped co-found is about to lose all its funding when a corporate powerhouse swoops in with a potential offer. Leading the charge is an unwelcome blast from Nami’s high school past in the form of her nemesis, Jae. Not only does she not trust his company to preserve the community and culture she’s created with her team, she doesn’t want to give Jae the win over her. As he tries to change her mind, they find there might be more than hate and competition fueling the fire between them.

We first met Nami in ‘The Second You’re Single’ (which I admittedly did not love) and I really enjoyed getting to know her better and learn who she was in this book. She has a lot of depth to her character. I admired her genuine care for not only her company but also her employees and the workplace environment.

Jae was his own complex character and a compelling, worthy adversary and eventual partner for Nami. Their chemistry was palpable, and I loved seeing them face off and challenge each other. They both had family dynamics that had their different intricacies as well, and I appreciated that there were instances that showed how they offered support to each other in navigating those.

This book was an absolute win for me with humor, heat, and heart. I enjoyed every minute spent reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/St. Martin’s Griffin for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unputdownable, addictive romance alert! As an avid enthusiast of the enemies-to-lovers trope, this book checked all the boxes and then some, surpassing my expectations by earning a resounding five stars — a rating filled with the essence of hellishly spicy ramen, mischief, immaturity, and yet, a captivatingly competitive sense of humor that kept me thoroughly entertained!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
This was a fun and quirky romance novel. A fairly easy read, the characters weren't hard to love I kind of wanted to date Jae Lee myself), and you can't beat a good enemies to lovers trope.
Tloved the diversity of this book, the characters, the smart as hell
FMC, and the MMC willing to let her do her thing.
A little predictable maybe, but still a delicious and fun read!

This was a sweet little love story with a moral compass check sub-narrative. A quick and easy read and fast paced -- which maybe a little too fast overall. It was fun to see the obvious connection the author made to real life and actual business dynamics (Amazon/Bezos VS Musk/Tesla/Space X -- a clever touch. This is for you if you like rivals to lovers, multicultural couples and can relate to parental expectations and pressure to live up to their standards.

okay i think this book was not for me. if you feel sympathy for a) a vp of mergers and acquisitions at an amazon-ish company, b) a founder of an airbnb-style tech startup, and c) high achievers who are still angry about slights like who was salutatorian versus valedictorian in high school, this book might be exactly up your alley. i saw the cover and was like, "wow, this looks like two people who really dislike each other, both pretty corporate, with the dude mansplaining to the woman. but probably that art doesn't really represent the book! i'll request an ARC of it anyway!" spoiler alert: the cover, as professionally selected by the publisher, indeed does depict what happens inside the book. TRULY WHEN WILL I EVER LEARN???

as mentioned, this was a netgalley arc, and you won't be surprised to know that this is an unbiased review (IN SOME WAYS. unbiased in favor of the book bc of getting it for free--biased against the book because i am a feminist anticapitalist).

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Takeover features Nami, a driven entrepreneur focused on keeping her company good, not evil, while birthday wishing for a soulmate. Her arch nemesis from high school, Jae, just so happens to scoot his way back into Nami’s life to help facilitate a takeover of her company. Their banter is back and forth with that enemies to friends vibe.

4 stars.

2.75 out of 5. This book was not memorable. You mix in kind of absurd business settings with a romance that I wasn't fully on board with and you loose me halfway through. Some points to the creatively no creative way the company's names were done. Rainforest was quite on the nose, like you know you were dealing with Amazon without saying the name outright, props. I also feels this falls into the enemies to lovers category which is not really enemies, but you were teenager and didn't know how to act so you bully those you love to lovers. It looses some of its impact.

The Take Over, by Cara Tanamachi, is a quick, fun read. This enemies-to-lovers novel is peppered with wit and banter that will have you laughing out loud.
Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for allowing me to read and review this ARC ebook.