The Takeover

I loved this book even more than I thought i would! I was looking for a fun, quick easy read and this was a great find! I was drawn in easily by the characters, a cute enemies to lovers romance where high school rivals meet up years later. Insert insanely hot ramen, and maybe feelings can change.. Cute, fun read. Definitely recommend!

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.

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!

Nami is a CEO of a tech company, and Jae is the high school nemesis that she loved to hate. Now Jae is back in town working for the hated huge corporation and trying to buyout Nami's company. But when sparks fly between the two, can Jae figure out how to preserve Nami's company and her affections? Loved the Nami and Jae story! Also loved the supporting characters and the setting in Chicago!

I took a chance with this book since I had never read this author before, but I fell in love with the story, plot, and characters. Tanamachi crafts awesome characters that are culturally diverse which she artfully blends into a fun and welcoming office setting. A place you wish you could work! Full of pranks, funny, loving characters, and the occasional nerve-wracking moments when corporate take-overs are looming.

She also has characters you want to hate, but just can’t as they continue to grow on you as the two main characters find their hate relationships might not be hate after all. Their chemistry was steamy and oh, so swoony!

The Takeover is everything and more! I fell in love with the writing and the wicked ways of the corporate world as told by this talented author. The nods to some real-life corporate giants is thinly veiled and well-spoken!

For a fun and contagious read you have to check out this book! I’m gushing!

I am always up for an enemies to lovers office romance, espcially when it is a high school rival that comes back into their lives. Most of the time, the teasing and taunting was because they had feelings for one another but didn't know how to process it back then.
Nami needs funding for her dream company. She loves what she does, loves her company and the people that work there are like family. The last thing she wants to do is sell. When Rainforest comes in offering to buy and the one running the deal is none other than Jae her HS nemesis, she pushes back harder than ever.
Jae isn't challenged in life. He has joined a huge company and basically thinks a machine could do his job. He hears that her company is struggling and jumps at the chance to see her again. Only, he doesn't expect to catch feelings for this fierce girl he thought he hated.
There are sparks right at the get go, and Jae is feeling pressure from his family to settle down, but what he doesn't realize is the reason why he never has found someone he wanted to be with. No one challenged him like Nami and he is out to prove that they have more together than just some witty banter. I could really feel the chemistry between these two and it just made the book all the better. 4.5 stars.
Thank you to St. Martin's, Netgalley and Cara Tanamachi for an early copy.

Perfect for fans of enemies to lovers and childhood rivals.

Nami is contacted by her high school enemy, Jae. She must protect her company from being taken over by the company Jae works for. But their relationship changes as the hateful passion turns into something different.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. I enjoyed reading it. It had some tropes that I really liked including enemies to lovers and academic rivals. I really liked the characters and the banter between them. This book did not feel fast paced, although it is shorter than I am used to which is good. I would recommend this book to other people.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

It's a 5-star review! Enemies-to-lovers, my favorite. The Chicago skyline, Boss Ladies, ramen.
Cara Tanamachi's THE TAKEOVER is filled with heart for the modern reader, a bright workplace for the GEN-Z'er in all of us that rises to push back on Big Corporate, and a full cast of characters so meticulously written that I'd know was speaking even if I didn't know their name.

Nami and Jae were high school frenemies and rivals when they cross paths again as Nami's own company is on the brink of being bought out by Rainforest, an Amazon equivilent, Jae works for. Professional and personal tensions escalate in this perfectly paced, witty romcom.
Perfect for those who love enemies-to-lovers, workplace romances, complicated family dynamics, and quick reads.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/St. Martin’s Griffin for providing me with a digital review copy in exchange for my candid thoughts.

This was a cute, light, and funny read! You really enjoyed the characters dynamics and their story. I also really enjoy dual POV romance novels, I feel like it adds to the depth of their stories in a way that single POV cannot. I really, really liked the cold open, with the hating birthdays page. That got me interested!

This enemies-to-lovers novel was super cute and a lot of fun. And oh my god, hot ramen scene! lol
I loved every moment of it and definitely will recommend it to my friends to read it.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC.

Thanks to st Martin for this amazing rom com, loved every minute of it , the story the characters and the whole setting of the book. Definitely one to watch out for

Nami has just turned 30, and she's being reminded every time she turns around that her life is NOT going as she planned. Her engagement is off, her startup (her pride and joy!) is about to lose funding, and she really wants to be happy for her sister, who's getting married, but she's fighting back jealousy. So her birthday wish is to find her soulmate, only the universe sends her her old nemesis Jae.

The chemistry and the banter between Nami and Jae is delightfully fun! The main characters and many side characters are beautifully written and well-developed. This was a really fun story to read. [I also really enjoyed the underlying conversation about the dangers of corporate America, but that's just me!] This is a gem if you love the enemies to lovers trope! 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

From the moment I started reading The takeover, I knew this is going to be another 5 stars read for me. I loved how this book left me feeling so many different emotions. I giggled, cried happy tears and smiled a lot. Definitely loved reading it.

Loved this so much!! Thanks @netgalley for the chance to review The Takeover by Cara Tanamachi. Nami’s business was in trouble, and her arch nemesis from high school is planning to take over. Jae’s super handsome now, but still causing trouble for “by the book” Nami. Super cute, slightly sexy, and rather funny, this was definitely a winner!

This book is the perfect friends to lovers story, Nami is a workaholic who loves her company and wants nothing more than to save her “family” from going under. Although the company doesn’t appear to have another way out Nami is hoping to find a way to save them. Enter Jae, the valedictorian who made Nami’s high school experience a nightmare. Jae and Nami are no strangers to battle each other however this is not what Nami expected. She wants to save her company but is Jae the only person who can help? Nami isn’t willing to give up her life long battle with Jae so easily. Will Jae be enough to save her company? Will Nami be able to able to find a way to work with Jae or will it be too late to rewrite the past?

I absolutely loved this book! It has a little bit of everything, enemies to lovers, forced proximity and I love the modern aspect of the tech company. It is easy to read and even easier to fall in love with. I blew through this book because I just couldn’t put it down. Also I could not get over the office chair being taken for ransom and the ramen eating scene. I reread that chapter twice because it was so believable and I loved how relatable the characters were. Highly recommend, I’ll be buying the authors other books!

Pick this one up when you are craving an early 2000s rom com fix! I mean this in the best way possible too...you know exactly what you're getting, you'll leave happy and satisfied and you'll laugh along the way!