Life's too short to read books with bad narrartors.



DNF @ 15%. Could not stand the FMC narrator.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately after many months of trying I just couldn’t get into this book.

Thanks to RB Media for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.


Enemies to lovers with a workplace theme? Sounds like a perfect treat, right? I needed a juicy, fun romance story which is why I decided to take myself on a journey with Cara Tanamachi's novel. Is this my new to-go comfort book?

-what is it about-

Nami celebrates her 30th birthday. The festive mood should make her proud and full of happiness for the recognition of her achievements. However, the celebration turns sour as everything goes wrong in her life. Her fiance called off the engagement, the tech company is in ruin, and her sister will marry her dreamy partner. And to make things worse, her high school nemesis wants to take over her start-up. Nami decides it's time to fight for everything but she might lose her head or heart in the process...


-what I loved?-

-> The writing style was pretty basic, therefore I could get into the storyline with ease. The fun and light vibes also helped!
-> Side characters saved some crucial situations that happened in this story! I hoped that Cara Tanamchi would expand their impact on various aspects of Nami and Jae's lives!



-what did I not love?-

→ As a huge enemies-to-lovers trope fan, I expected this novel to have a better-expanded love storyline. I think everything happened too quickly as there was no visible process of Nami and Jae's relationship. The initial rivalry and ironic conversations turned into nothing that captivating.
→ All themes connected to workplace romance were pretty dull. I wanted the relationship to expand as everything connected to it eventually lacked emotions. I think the fault may be with the simple solutions to the rivalry and past events between the main characters.


rating: 2/5 ✮✮
genre: Contemporary
themes: workplace romance, rivalry, enemies to lovers, modern start-ups

When starting The Takeover I had high expectations, unfortunately this one was just not for me, I ended up DNF’ing 10% into the audiobook. Enemies to Lovers/Rivals to Lovers is one of my favorite tropes, but I couldn’t get past the MMC being the way he was. I also felt that the narration lacked just a bit so I didn’t get into it very well.

Thank you NetGalley and RB Media for this audio advanced copy for an honest review.

I am obsessed with high school rivals turned into lovers as adult. I like the growth of people from their teenage years and getting to know each other as adults. I screamed. I squealed. I loved this.

I got an alc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I never listened to it because my NetGalley app wasn't working properly. So I had to uninstall it and then all but two of my audio books were gone.

Plot: .5
Writing: .5
Worldbuilding: .5
Characters: .5
Themes: .5
2.5/5

Spice: 1.5/5
Audiobook: 3/5

Despite the MCs being in their 30's, they read a lot more like they were in their early 20's. I did not find myself super invested in the characters or the plot. The whole takeover plot point is similar to an Ali Hazelwood book and I felt like it wasn't done as well as Ali's was. There is a tiny bit of spice...and maybe it was the narrators but it didn't seem that spicy at all.

I didn't love these narrators. They were ok, hence the 3/5 rating. There's nothing actually wrong with them, it's not like this was a bad production at all, I just didn't vibe with them. Especially the female narrator.

You can't win them all. I really wanted to like this one more than I did. Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for an ALC of The Takeover in exchange for my honest review.

Ohhh this just wasn't for me. Fell a little flat. I love a rom com that immediately pulls you in, especially on audiobook, and this just wasn't that for me. Thank you though!

*The Takeover* offers an intriguing premise where a wish for a soulmate lands Nami with her high school nemesis, Jae Lee, who is now plotting a takeover of her tech company. The story explores their rivalry and budding romance against a backdrop of personal and professional challenges.

While the concept had potential and the romance was mildly engaging, the overall execution left me wanting more. The rivalry between Nami and Jae was expectedly sharp and entertaining at times, but the narrative failed to fully captivate me. The character dynamics and their evolving relationship didn't quite hit the mark, and I found myself less invested as the story progressed.

Ultimately, while the premise was promising and the romance had its moments, the book didn’t fully engage me or maintain my interest. It was an okay read but didn't leave a lasting impression.

The Takeover offers an enjoyable enemies-to-lovers story with plenty of witty banter and a dose of workplace drama. Nami's journey from frustration to finding unexpected love with her high school rival, Jae, is entertaining, and the chemistry between the characters is palpable.

However, I found the plot to be somewhat predictable, following familiar rom-com tropes. While the characters are likable and the writing is engaging, the story doesn’t break new ground in the genre.

Really sweet romance. I love the main characters’ energies. They felt really compatible, and the non-romantic storyline was also interesting.

Unfortunately this was not a good audio listening experience for me to get a good understanding of the feel for the book or to connect with the characters. I will have to try this in print or something else from the author next time!

I enjoyed the premise of this one but I honestly couldn’t connect with the story or the characters. I don’t want to say anything bad about it, it just wasn’t for me.

AAHH I wish I loved this book more! Theres nothing I love more than an enemies/rivals-to-lovers, workplace romance WITH dual POV. BUT I couldn't handle the MMC's POV, within his first chapter I got the instant ick and I unfortunately couldn't get over it!

Thank you NetGalley and RB Media for an advanced audio copy for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book had me giggling! The antics between these two were hilarious and I loved the hate mate angle for this book. The ending was so sweet and adorable and made this journey so worth it. I really enjoyed this read.

3.5⭐️

I have always enjoyed an enemies-to-lovers romance, and this was such a cute story that includes a workplace romance in the tech world. I loved the cast of diverse characters, and the narration was great!

WHAT TO EXPECT
-enemies to lovers
-dual POV
-workplace romance
-dual narration performance

*many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

The lead characters I actually quite liked and but the story and plot and how it played out wasn't for me.

he Takeover By: Cara Tanamachi 💻

Imagine if your old high school rival comes back into your life forcing you to go head-to-head on literally everything -- like who could finish a bowl of the spiciest ramen ever. I was definitely intrigued by Nami and Jae's relationship and it was fun to watch their relationship develop throughout the book

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ -NetGalley ARC Audiobook 🎧

On Nami's 30th birthday, she’s reminded at every turn that her life isn’t what she planned. She’s always excelled at everything – until now. Her fiancé blew up their engagement. Her pride and joy, the tech company she helped to found, is about to lose funding. And her sister, Sora, is getting married to the man of her dreams, Jack, and instead of being happy for her, as she knows she ought to be, she’s fighting off jealousy. Frustrated with her life, she makes a wish on a birthday candle to find her soulmate. Instead, the universe delivers her hate mate, Nami’s old high school nemesis, Jae Lee, the most popular kid from high school, who also narrowly beat her out for valedictorian. More than a decade later, Jae is still as effortlessly cool, charming, and stylish as ever, and, to make matters worse, is planning a hostile take-over of her start-up…and her heart.

This enemies to lovers book is full of witty banter, family drama and workplace humor. The memos about Dells expensive desk chair had me laughing as did the spicy ramen chapter. I thought the story read smoothly and the characters were entertaining. I didn’t like the narrator so my only complaint is I should have read this instead of listening to it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Recorded Books/RB Media for the chance to read this book. All thoughts are my own.

This was a decent romance when it came to plot and characters, but overall I found The Takeover a little underwhelming and forgettable. I will probably read further books by the author though.