I was excited to listen/read this book as it seemed really fun story. But I cannot get past the female narrator voice. It’s not her voice but possibly the way it was recorded. It’s very choppy and sounds like a robot. Even when changing the speed it only made it slightly better.

The male narrator is considerably better but not enough to carry the entire book. The male narrator speed also seemed a lot slower than the female. I kept having to adjust the playing speed because it felt different when shifting pov.

I made it to the 10% mark but sadly the audio is distracting it’s driving me nuts and I’m unable to finish listening to it.

Rating: 3.5/5 (rounded down)
Format: ALC - audiobook
Narrators: Donald Chang & Chieko Hidaka (They two were perfect for these characters!)

Random Thoughts While Listening to The Takeover:
-FMC is relatable (love a tech/STEM girlie)
-wait...old school hip hop/rap is early 2000s?! 😩
-her birthday cake sounds delicious!
-ESL (English as a second language) rep!
-ooo yummy ramen 🤤🍜
-uh oh, and THIS is why I don’t like work place romances 😬

I recommend The Takeover if you like the following:
-Childhood enemies to lovers
-Workplace romance
-Asian FMC and MMC
-Witty banter

Please take note of the following TW:
-mention of parent’s death (heart attack)

Thank you Cara Tanamachi, NetGalley, RB Media and Recorded Books for allowing me to listen to this title!

🅑🅞🅞🅚 🅡🅔🅥🅘🅔🅦


the takeover by cara tanamachi

i love a workplace/enemies to lovers romance! so i was very interested in this book. the narrators were great, and I love when a dual pov book has multiple narrators. the banter was top tier and the slow(ish) burn of them realizing they were in love and had been for so long was so so fun. But the third act break up really hit deep. genuinely so hard to put down, i truly loved every moment of this read. nami and jae are such a great duo.

i lived in chicago for 5 years so it was fun to see this was set there, all the little details about the city were so fun for me and reminded me of my time there.


I received an advanced copy of the audiobook through Netgalley in return for an honest review.

This was a cute story. This was a witty rivals-to-lovers to romance book where he (Jae) falls first and she (Nami) just can’t help but be pulled in. The dual perpective story telling gives us good insight into each of the characters and what drives them. The banter between Jae and Nami was fun - and that Ramen scene was laugh out loud. The chemistry between the two was palpable and you couldn’t help but root for them. The sex scenes were tastefully executed. I logged the tech world in the story and that there was a decent representation of women in the field.
I was glad for the dual POV in the read so as not to be in the dark when it came to the driving factor of the third-act break up. When that did come, I was disappointed with Nami’s reaction at the end and how quickly she wrote him off and then the resolution felt too quick. Maybe it’s just me, but if something occurs that is such a major betrayal as to cause a break-up in the first place, then I usually like it to take more that a couple of pages to resolve. I hoped she would be more understanding and they could have worked together to fix things.
I listened to the audiobook for this one and was split on it. While I really enjoyed Jae’s narrator, I struggled with my engagement during the narration of Nami’s part. The narration there fell flat for me.
Many thanks to NeGalley and Recorded Books for a review copy of the audiobook. The opinions expressed are honest and my own.

While I was initially drawn in by the promising premise and the diverse cast, this book ultimately didn't resonate with me. I’m not particularly into overly competitive characters, and this is a central theme in the story. Nami's incessant jealousy and single-minded pursuit of being the best grated on my nerves to the point where I almost considered abandoning the book.

Jae, the other protagonist, was passable but failed to leave a lasting impression.

The entire rivalry between the two main characters felt contrived and silly at times. Almost childish.

The narration, particularly the female voice, was somewhat robotic. And I know this might be a minor detail for most, but the mispronunciation of Danish designer Hans J. Wagner's name, where the W should be pronounced like a V, pulled me out of the book every time. As a designer myself, this made me cringe, HARD.

This book aspired to capture the essence of "The Hating Game," but fell short. Here's the thing, if you are a reader who appreciates intense rivalries in a romantic setting, then this might be right for you, but it wasn't the right fit for me.

.Enemies to lovers
.Highschool nemesis
.Workplace
.Diverse characters
.Caretaking

Thank you to NetGalley, Cara Tanamachi, and RB Media for sharing this audiobook with me in exchange for my honest review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Friends, I'm sad to say this enemies to lovers book was just not for me. I'm usually a big fan of these books, but this one felt too familiar, and a bit forced.

2.5 STARS

I loved the book.
I'm super happy I picked it up.

The characters have had a rivalry since they were teenagers, and although they remain competitive, they see it as a good thing, and their relationship begins from then on.
I loved the way we were introduced into the lives of the characters and it was fantastic how they were reconnecting, still having the rivalry from the past, but the feelings of teenage years, which had not been identified, starting to emerge.
I really liked the adult way in which they deal with and talk about things, and they see the past as the past, and even with sweetness, and that's why they let the youthfulness of the past enter and do things like bets on eating spicy food.
Was so fun.
I really loved the development of the book and the characters. It was something superb.
The Asian culture and the representation of different characters were felt, and it was really a great touch.

The narrators did an excellent job, I loved the voices and felt the characters through them. They involved me in the story and made me experience what the characters were going through.

I really loved the book.
Highly recommended for those who love rivalry between characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Griffin for an arc!
⭐⭐⭐/5

On Nami's 30th birthday, she’s reminded at every turn that her life isn’t what she planned. 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. sharp elbows and even sharper banter as the two go head-to-head to see who’ll win this time. But when their rivalry ignites a different kind of passion, Nami starts to realize that it's not just her company that's in danger of being taken over, but her heart as well.

This was a quick and easy romantic read! The characters were likable. This book is a nice, quick, lighthearted read!

Publication date: January 30, 2024

This was such a great romance. I really enjoyed the narrator and I finished this book in one day. Five stars!

The Takeover by Cara Tanamachi was a cute enemies-to-lovers rom-com. The protagonist was Nami whose archnemesis in school was Jae. Jae came back into her life after her 30th birthday, as the company that he worked for was in negotiations to buy out the company that she owned with two other stakeholders. She despised that company, a thinly veiled indictment of corporate practices of the synonym for “Rainforest” that we all know and love. Nami’s true aim was to better the lives of all around her, and “Rainforest” was known for hostile takeovers that ended in complete dismantling of that acquisition. Nami did not want this to happen to her coworkers, whom she saw as her chosen family.

Through twists and turns, featuring Carolina Reapers, 13% ABV cask ale, tennis serves, and amazing boy band moves, Nami and Jae begin to see the Pride and Prejudice-ness of their former assumptions about the other. Slowly, the ice wall begins to melt.

This book was so cute and suuuuper funny, especially the bits about the Wegner Swivel!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and RB Media for the audio ARC!

The Takeover was sadly a disappointment for me. I love any kind of romantic comedy so I was excited for this but I failed to like or connect with either of the two main characters, Nami and Jae.

Nami is the CEO of a start-up that is unfortunately failing and is not able to get funding. They are looking to be acquired by a big company that Jae works for. Nami and Jae were old school rivals and now they are on opposite sides of a business deal. Nami doesn’t want to sell and Jae wants nothing more than to buy out companies like Nami’s.

They both are just too much of a business stereotype that I couldn’t get attached to either one of them. Nami treats her employees like they are family and Jae calls himself a wolf and wants to eat small businesses. It was just too annoying for me.

Jae and Nami hate each other and are horrible to each other until they are not. There was no transition from enemies to lovers it just happened and was not all that believable.

The book did have a lot of redeeming qualities to make it worth finishing but not connecting with either of the main characters made it a little rough for me.

3.5 stars - A charming enemies to lovers story! The level of genuine hatred that Nami has for Jae almost turned me off the story and made it hard to like him through the first half of the book, but I'm glad I pressed on.

The rivalry started in school, but now their job paths have crossed and they are forced by family to get to know one another again without any prejudices.

Nami's co-workers and the entire work environment made my nerd-heart so happy, and I especially loved all of the Star Trek references throughout the story as well.

This was a very quick and cute romance read. It had cute banter, quirky elements, and secondary storylines that added human qualities. I wasn't in love with either main character, but I also couldn't tell you what I didn't like about them. Beyond their current jobs and a small history of their high school interactions, there was little detail about who these people were. Other characters in the book had small things that made me love them (think the chair war, lotr and startrek, prom wedding), but the main characters were just lovers/enemies without substance. I appreciated how quickly the story started and it didn't have a huge twist or falling out in the third act. My biggest complaint about the book was the repetition (hall monitor, we hate/welove, evil jobs, lake michigan). As a Chicago native I was disappointed the only two landmarks mentioned on repeat were the Lake and the Loop. It was very enjoyable overall and I would recommend it to others.


I read the audiobook and I would not recommend that route. Both narrators used pacing and intonation that aged the characters and made them unlikable. Some of the generational phrasing and pronunciation was off. I think a digital or physical copy might have been a better route for me.

Big thanks to the author and NetGalley for this ARC! I look forward to more from this author in the future.

#NetGalley #TheTakeover

This book was so embarrassingly cringe. If you are an older millennial, maybe you’ll like this more than I did. However, I am only 3 years younger than the FMC, and I found her cheugy-ness to be off the charts insufferable. There was no point where I found myself wondering what would happen next. This book was so predictable it was boring. The fake companies meant to mirror real life companies were painful (Rainforest = Amazon, etc).

I honestly considered DNFing when I was less than 2% in, but since it was short, I gave it a chance. Maybe I shouldn’t have.

This book earns 2 stars rather than one because the writing was still well done, despite hating almost everything that was written. If you enjoyed The Hating Game by Sally Thorne, you might like this book as well.

As far as the audiobook goes, the female narrator was echoey. The male narrator made some interesting choices when it came to the ~hot and heavy~ scene (was the “sexy” whispering necessary??).

I am so thankful to be given advanced copies in exchange for honest reviews; I am sorry that sometimes I have to actually be very honest. Thank you to RB Media and Netgalley for this advanced copy.

Never wish for what you want for you just might get it should be the tagline for this book. This was mostly a fun enemies to lovers listen that is filled with humor and wit as well as the anticipated happily ever after. I loved that Nami (female main character) was portrayed as a strong smart woman in a leadership position in positive manner. The writing was riotous and often had me cracking up. Enter or rather, reenter Jae her high school nemesis. The snark flies and the chemistry sizzles. Along with a great supporting cast and wonderful narration it was an enjoyable listen. The reason I rated didn’t rate higher was that I was somewhat bothered how quickly the book wrapped up. It went from total devastating betrayal to forgiveness and HEA in a few scant minutes (audiobook so probably a few paragraphs in the physical book). Would have liked more about that part of Nami and Jae’s story.

Tried to give this a really fair shake, but the ebook version has no quotation marks, making it incredible difficult to read, and the audiobook was also difficult to follow. I'll try this one again when it's out in print! I really do love the premise!

This was just arlight to me. Very average, but nothing I absolutely HATED, and nothing I absolutely loved. In a romance read, I need to fall in love with the characters, and unfortunately, here I just didn't do that.

What I will say worked well was the banter between the two main characters, but I still didn't see them as a romantic couple. I did appreciate that the female main character is the boss of a tech company. I love when authors give women powerful positions.

Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this arc in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I tried to give this book a chance. To understand and relate to the characters. It’s a mix of the writing and the story I found the characters to be absolutely unbearable.

Alas, not quite a new favourite, but a very solid romcom nevertheless (with outstanding audio narration!). I think people that liked the dynamic of You've Got Mail (alas, indeed, without eponymous mail element), or have a keenness for rivals to lovers as a trope, you're very likely going to enjoy this book. Banter and tension? The Takeover is your book, as the way the two protagonists hold their own against one another and push each other's buttons in a way that only true equals can is exemplary.
A very solid, fun read to pass the time!

I thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook of the Takeover by Cara Tanamachi, advanced copy courtesy of RB Media via NetGalley. It's a heartwarming and funny tale featuring Nami and Jae Lee, skillfully brought to life by the talented voice actors. The characters, once high school rivals, get thrust back together through work, and the banter ensues. These two have a competitive nature that drives the plot. The well-rounded story evokes such a wide range of emotions, and the side story involving Del's chair was everything I didn’t know I needed. Overall, a delightful and easy-to-love listening experience.