3.5

There were many things that Nami expected for her 30th birthday, but being single - having broken up with her cheating fiancee last year - and on the verge of losing her company are not on her list. To top it all off, her high school nemesis Jae Lee works for the big corporation looking to takeover her start-up.

Jae Lee has never met an opponent more cutthroat than Nami. He's looking forward to sparring with her over her company. He never backs down and never loses.

Sparks certainly fly when these two are together but instead of being in animosity, it's from attraction.

I have not read a really good enemies-to-lovers story in ages and The Takeover ticks all the boxes. It's so full of spark between Nami and Jae Lee. I think that Cara Tanamachi did a great job of balancing the history between Jae Lee and Nami with who they are as adults. Their competitiveness stems from high school and Nami being the "hall monitor" to Jae Lee's "valedictorian". He always thought she took rule following to the next level and he constantly beat her at various achievements so she always thought he got everything he wanted. If you look back at their history, you kind of see how they influenced the way they do things in their present jobs.

Clearly, nothing can compare tp these two being playing off of one another so as soon as they are together it's game on.

However, I think the whole idea of focusing on Nami and Jae Lee takes away the focus from Nami's start-up. I almost felt like it was glossed over a bit which is strange because it's the whole reason why these two are brought together in the first place. Clearly, there's a reason why Nami's start-up Toggle needs to be bought, there's a reason why a big company like Rainforest (I do like the cleverly masked references to real big corporations throughout) is circling like sharks but we don't really know the why of it all.

I just wish there was a little more balance between the personal and professional aspects of the story.

This was my first book by Cara Tanamachi, but I'm very interested in her previous book which features Nami's sister, Sora, whom we encounter in this book as well. There were many things that Nami expected for her 30th birthday, but being single - having broken up with her cheating fiancee last year - and on the verge of losing her company are not on her list. To top it all off, her high school nemesis Jae Lee works for the big corporation looking to takeover her start-up.

Jae Lee has never met an opponent more cutthroat than Nami. He's looking forward to sparring with her over her company. He never backs down and never loses.

Sparks certainly fly when these two are together but instead of being in animosity, it's from attraction.

I have not read a really good enemies-to-lovers story in ages and The Takeover ticks all the boxes. It's so full of spark between Nami and Jae Lee. I think that Cara Tanamachi did a great job of balancing the history between Jae Lee and Nami with who they are as adults. Their competitiveness stems from high school and Nami being the "hall monitor" to Jae Lee's "valedictorian". He always thought she took rule following to the next level and he constantly beat her at various achievements so she always thought he got everything he wanted. If you look back at their history, you kind of see how they influenced the way they do things in their present jobs.

Clearly, nothing can compare tp these two being playing off of one another so as soon as they are together it's game on.

However, I think the whole idea of focusing on Nami and Jae Lee takes away the focus from Nami's start-up. I almost felt like it was glossed over a bit which is strange because it's the whole reason why these two are brought together in the first place. Clearly, there's a reason why Nami's start-up Toggle needs to be bought, there's a reason why a big company like Rainforest (I do like the cleverly masked references to real big corporations throughout) is circling like sharks but we don't really know the why of it all.

I just wish there was a little more balance between the personal and professional aspects of the story.

This was my first book by Cara Tanamachi, but I'm very interested in her previous book which features Nami's sister, Sora, whom we encounter in this book as well.

I wasn't able to read this book because life has been extremely busy, so I will rate this 5 stars to compensate. The blurb looked very promising though, and I will read this when I get the chance and I will edit my review

I wanted to like this so bad but honestly it lost me so quickly. I couldn't stand the writing and the characters were so boring to me. I'm sorry.

This was such a cute, lighthearted book. Featuring the enemies to lovers trope. I just loved the banter between the two main characters. Overall a fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the E-ARC. And to RB Media for the ALC.

All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

This was a fun read! I didn't love how the storyline played out, I hated how much the characters just didn't trust each other. I did love the rivals-to-lovers banter between Nami and Jae. Rivals-to-lovers is one of my favorite tropes so I had high hopes for The Takeover. I loved the rivals-to-lovers that Nami and Jae had and loved watching Nami fight for her company. It was a really enjoyable book overall. I just hated the mistrust between Nami and Jae, especially since they had known each other for so long. I felt like they could have still been rivals but had some trust in each other. I didn't love the dynamic with some of the side characters, which I think some were written to be unlikeable. I enjoyed this book, it was a fun read. I would pick up another book by Cara Tanamachi, but don't think I would reread The Takeover.

want to thank the publisher, Net Galley, and the author of an ARC of this fun enemies to lovers romcom. I'm giving this 4.25/5 stars.
This book opens with Nami's company needing a cash infusion from investors to stay afloat. Here comes her old high school rival Jae and the huge corporation that he works for to swoop in and buy the company from her and envelope it into the brand.
From Jae's and Nami's initial reacquaintance, they begin to discover that what they assumed or thought about each other is not all that there is.
I appreciate the depth of the characters and loved watching the two main characters fall in love with each other.

Nami Reid wished for something special on her 30th birthday: a soulmate. What did she get instead? Her Hate Mate. Her life seemed to be blowing apart at the seems: her ex-Fiance cheated on her, her relationship with her mom was not great, her start up company needed more money and investors and then Jae Lee shows up.

Jae Lee moved back to Chi-town looking for something different in his life. What exactly was he looking for?… his nemesis from school: Nami Reid. Despite the strong feelings of dislike towards each other, Jae felt like he needed something more fun and banter in his life, which included Nami. The only problem was his company trying to takeover Nami’s company and Nami’s hatred for Jae.

The possible takeover of Nami’s company led to overwhelming pressure to pull away from Jae despite the feelings that were lingering beneath the surface.

This was my first time reading this author and I thought the story was adorable! There was a slow burn to the story and academic rivals/hate mates are my favorite stories to read about. There is some steaminess (maybe a little of spice lurking), but mostly fade to black. I’m looking forward to seeing what this author has in store for us next.

There is that classic saying that there is a fine line between hate and love. Nami and Jae are an example of how fine that line is. Okay, most of the hate is one-sided but it still shows how close those two emotions are. ‘The Takeover’ is a classic enemy-to-lover storyline but the characters that Cara gives us are all so amazing we can’t help but keep reading. From main characters to side characters, I have fallen in love with each one. The office prank that happened was also refreshing to see throughout the book and made me chuckle. That was so great to see how much of a family unit the team at Nami’s company is.

Nami and Jae had the relationship of needing to be better than the other person in high school. This really did make them who they are as adults, and even as adults the support system they ended up seeing was always there for them was nice to see.

Cara did give us the typical third-act break-up, but I think this was done well and something that needed to happen between these two characters to figure out themselves before they found each other again. The break-up wasn’t long and done very well just like the whole book. ‘The Takeover’ gets a solid 4 stars from me and has a little bit of spice. It’s level 2 on the spice scale (but there is a scene that brings tears and more to Nami and Jae as it’s spicy). This book is out now and available to get wherever you get your books. Cara did a great job writing 'The Takeover' and you will want to read this book again right away when you put it down.

An enemies to lovers story. Nami and Jae were rivals in high school, will they continue to clash now he is trying to take over her beloved company. I liked how it was told from both points of view.

I love an enemies-to-lovers story and this was a fun one! With great banter and a lot of chemistry, The Takeover sucked me in, and the interesting cultural aspects gave it unexpected depth. Now excuse me while I go order a spicy ramen...

Thanks to St. Martin's for the copy to review.

In support of the SMP boycott, I will be withholding my review of this title until SMP speaks out. If the boycott is resolved, I will update with a full review.

This story is a fun light romance that doesn't require any thought. Just sit back and enjoy the ride. The trope is enemies-to-lovers although the enemies part happened back in high school and is still playing a prominent role. The characters are a bit immature, but it's easily overlooked and they are rather likeable. It's a quick palette cleanser and an enjoyable way to pass an afternoon.

I wish I had enjoyed this book more! Unfortunately, I don't think I'm the target audience. My main issue being that the characters felt very juvenile and immature, especially for the environment they were in. A major executive of an "Amazon" type company, and the owner of a startup that has enjoy capital to be working in a high-rise in Chicago? It just felt so separate from the characters who in many ways still seemed stuck in high school. I just couldn't get into the flow of the book, and I couldn't find myself rooting for any of the characters to either get what they wanted out of the business deals, or in their relationship. I couldn't see the chemistry or the enemies to lovers blossom in an authentic way. I do think there is some cute banter between Jae and Nami, but the real enemy of the book was the last quarter, and the ending. Perhaps a reader who is younger (more "new adult") would enjoy this. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide my honest review.

This was a fun read from Tanamachi. As much as I love books with heroines who’s interests mirror my own, it’s also fun to read about heroines, like in this novel, who are small or big business owners with corporate goals and dreams. Nami and Jae are thrown together in this enemies to lovers,Chicago-based corporate story. There’s a lot of laughs (see the stolen chair subplot) and lots of girl bosses (in all the good ways).

There’s also really strong character development which is nice to see in an otherwise equal parts serious and light romance.

super cute enemies to lovers, perfect read for a light read. really lovely. thank you st martins press for the arc!

Actual Rating: 2.5

This was a pretty light-hearted and easy read, but even though it has all the right pieces, it doesn’t really fit together that well.

The Takeover is a rivals-to-lovers romance between Sami, a newly single 30-year-old who’s also the CEO of a tech startup, Toggle, that’s about to be bought out, and Jae, her high school nemesis who narrowly beat her out to win valedictorian — still a sore spot. And then it turns out, Jae is representing the company trying to buy her out. Shenanigans ensue.

The character set-up is interesting enough; it shows a nice contrast between Nami and Jae’s lives and their worldviews, and it explains why they clash the way they do. But it never really goes as deep as it could. There’s a little bit about familial pressure, but the arcs feel a little cookie-cutter. It’s hard to get a grasp on what their high school dynamic is really like beyond “academic rivals trope.”

I really wish this book was braver with the backstories and emotional impact of pressure, because without it the tension between Nami and Jae feels kind of low stakes. Their “rivalry,” even as adults, consists of seeing who can eat spicier ramen, who can drink more…and while all this is fun and definitely puts the com in rom-com, it starts feeling repetitively juvenile.

Other than that, I didn’t really click with either of the main characters. I don’t want to be political (and didn’t read this book with the intention of being so, obviously) but throughout the book, the vibe of both workplaces was kind of uncomfortable. Jae’s is sort of a cartoonish evil corporate perspective, while Nami’s is so over-the-top with the “I love Toggle, Toggle is my life, we’re a family, my employees are everything” that is also feels cartoonishly overbearing. Maybe I read this at the wrong part in my life — when I was in the middle of the horrible, mind-numbing process that is job-hunting and hearing that “we’re a family” is a red flag — but whatever the reason, I found myself thinking that I would definitely not want to work for either of these companies or bosses. In terms of political theory (lol), however, I do like the way the story goes, although it’s not all that surprising.

The romantic development, like I said, is decently fun with the banter and the more serious company backdrop situation going on, but I think it’s one of those where I wish we had more communication and slow development, rather than having the leads come together with zany antics and inexplicable attraction. They also fall victim to a few tropes that I don’t really enjoy (I would’ve rated this a 3 star before the break-up), so overall I found the romance also fell flat, except for a few fun scenes.

The side characters also add to the story well; while the cartoon-iness of the workplace settings didn’t really work for me, I think some side characters that were in these places did. It’s a case of showing not telling being successful — showing how someone is frustrating to work with or showing the Toggle group chat about stealing a fancy chair from that person — both of those are relatable and make me feel a lot more engaged rather than simply hearing narration describing what the environment is like.

Overall, I think I really like the premise here but it didn’t really work for me. I think it really just needed a more mature voice to really tug at my heartstrings.

I just finished The Takeover by Cara Tanamachi and here are my thoughts.

Nami has just turned 30 and her life isn’t what she was expecting. She is feeling the loneliness of being alone after her fiance cheated on her and the company she started is in trouble. Her sister is getting married and it’s showing Nami just how far behind her life has gotten behind. When she wishes on a birthday candle for a soul mate, her wish drops her nemesis from high school back into her life…

Jae Lee. Beat her out for valedictorian was just the icing on her hate cake. He is the lead shark in the hostile takeover of her company and neither of them like to lose. Problem is, there is a very fine line between love and hate….

When I read the synopsis for the book I was like, meh, sure why not! It sounded ok…. IT WAS BRILLIANT!! This book took my expectations and launched it to jupiter. It was well written, funny and so entertaining I finished it within an evening. Couldn’t put it down. It was genius. I was chuckling. I was tearing up. I was on the emotional rollercoaster of a lifetime and the ending was pure magic!

I love books with really good banter between characters and Jae was amazing as far as lead men go. Yes, he had his moments of being a bit of a butthole but Nami wasn’t exactly a peach sometimes either. I’m a hopeless romantic and watching people fall in love is my jam… This book gave it to me in spades. Nami is scrappy and fierce. We get to see from both hers and Jae’s POV. It made for a really well rounded read. The business takeover was a really fun plot and I liked that it all worked out in the end.

I am a huge fan of weddings and Nami’s sister throws my kind of wedding!!

As far as rom-coms go this one is in my top 5.

5 stars.

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for my gifted copy

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This book was a classic enemies to lovers read. I really liked the way both of the main characters families were also tied into this workplace romance🥰

Oh my word, this was so good!! Normally, I’m not a huge fan of enemies to lovers trope…but this one was different. It was filled with second chances and understanding past misconceptions. I loved the dual POV and the characters are great. Such an amazing book!

This is a difficult review for me to write because The Takeover doesn’t necessary break the genre or do anything particularly extraordinary BUT it is also nonstop fun and I genuinely think I appreciate that more. Could I predict exactly where the story was going? Yes, it’s a romance! Did I giggle all the way to the end? Yes - and *that* was a surprise!

I was torn for awhile because the humor did feel a bit (cringe?) heavyhanded at first. There was a surplus of meta and techy/nerd jokes which I could criticize - and in other contexts would have - but I found myself leaning into it about halfway through the book. I was excited to keep reading, not because I needed to know what happened - but rather because these characters created a cozy space that I enjoyed being in alongside them.

I think the main duo being old academic rivals put a unique twist on the “enemies” archetype and brought it into a more plausible realm. I also appreciated the tackling of some heavier themes: both the morality of big corporations/working for them, and familial expectations - and how those expectations may change as one grow’s older and dynamics are altered.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advance reader’s cooy in exchange for my thoughts. It’s a quick and easy read, and I ended up having a great time. Overall, it’s an experience I wouldn’t change… even for a Wegner Swivel chair (iykyk).