The Takeover by Cara Tanamachi is an engaging audiobook that blends romance, workplace challenges, and technology. Nami, a CEO, faces selling her company to her high-school rival company, leading to unexpected twists.
The dual narration by Jae and Nami, voiced by Donald Chang and Chieko Hidaka, brings the characters to life, adding depth to the story.
The audiobook shines with its humour and tech elements, keeping listeners hooked. The romance between Nami and her rival is a cute and classic enemies-to-lovers.
Overall, the Takeover is a fun listen, appealing to fans of romance (enemies-to-lovers), workplace dramas, and tech enthusiasts. With engaging narration and a charming blend of romance and tech.

Thank you Netgalley and RB Media for the audio ARC of this book.

This is witty and lighthearted “enemies” to lovers work place romance. It’s great - the raman scene especially.

This was just okay for me. I enjoyed the tech aspect, but I didn’t feel invested in the main characters or their chemistry. There were a few funny scenes, but overall I was hoping for more banter and tension. The narrators did a great job telling this story and were easy to listen to.
Thank you RB Media, Recorded Books, for the copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Not my typical read but I enjoyed it. It was a little goofy with the "highschool history" but I was laughing, rolling my eyes, and enjoying the story.

This one good but I don't think I'll be buying it. It wasn't my favorite but definitely a decent read

There is a cultural element of this one that the author did a great job with. I liked that they knew each other a long time, hate each other, and find a way to love each other. The work piece adds an interesting element and also had a very happy ending though.

🌀Synopsis
Naomi’s life is great, she’s great at everything she does - except love. Her fiancé cancelled their engagement but she threw herself into work. She’s got a tech company where everyone is happy and loves their workplace, and her.
When her sister, Sora, announces her engagement Naomi finds herself, once again, wishing for love. What enters her life is not love. It’s pure hatred. Hatred for Jae. Jae who she’s known and hated forever. He’s still overly cool and charming, too. The reason he comes into her life doesn’t help because their company is going to be bought out. Jae doesn’t hate her though and even though he works for a different company he actually wants to help her. He just has to get her to see that and realize that her hatred is actually love.

I really wanted to love this one. I was in the mood for a rom com, but I just did not connect for with the couple. The most important thing for me in a romance is to root for the HEA and I just did not in this one.

It is a lighthearted rom com with some witty banter. Enemies to lovers as these two former high school rivals figure out they just might be the perfect pair.

A more even pace and a little more action instead of explaining would have made this one a home run for me. But that ramen scene was a home run. I was laughing so hard.

Donald Chang and Chieko Hidaka bring Nami and Jae to life. Their voices fit perfectly with what I envisioned.

The narrators of the book did a great job coming up with a variety of voices for MCs as well as the host of side characters. The audio was easy while listening, and easy to understand.

The interplay between the FMC & MMC was excellent, though the whole book felt like it was set in high school with the amount of banter and insults that were thrown around. It became repetitive when discussing the hall monitor and valedictorian aspects of the 2 MC’s. Neither MC seemed to have grown or changed much since high school, resulting in a book that felt more YA/NA than Adult. A lot of interesting family dynamics were at play in the book. Sibling relationships received much attention, but the desires of the parents were often a key focus for the MC.

I enjoyed the multicultural and disability representation, which makes sense in a city like Chicago. The side characters made the whole book, and I too left the book feeling like Toggle was part of my family.

Much appreciation to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

The Takeover
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Cara Tanamachi

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, St. Martins and RB Media and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: 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. 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.

My Thoughts: This was a sweet enemies to lovers romcom that was addictive and hard to put down. Nami realizes that on her milestone birthday, at 30, she is not where she planned to be. Her finance left her. The company she created from the ground up is in jeopardy of losing funding and the possibility of being drowned in corporate sharks. She is also jealous of her sister, who is marrying the man of her dreams, Jack, as they are so happy. Her finance cheated on her with a dancer at his bachelor party, which went viral. She then decided to her energy into her career, which is also slipping away from her. She begins to get cryptic messages on her phone, come to find out, they are from her high school arch nemesis, Jae. The complex events has just drained her. Her one birthday wish is that her soulmate will cross her path. Then as fate would have it, Jae impedes into her life like elephants herding. Will her company survive? Will her relationship with Jae crash and burn, with high school fears creeping in? This follows the tropes of enemies to lovers, work rivalry, and child hood relationship. It has references in the tech world and corporate mergers.

This story is a dual narration by both Jae and Nami. The chemistry and banter starts with spicy, like really spicy ramen, then spins with dancing and tennis matches. I loved the diversity of the characters. The story also tackles great social topics, like the effects of company takeovers/mergers to the employees involved. The tension between Nami and Jae is palpable. The characters were developed well with depth, witty banter, chemistry, diversity, and were intriguing. The supporting characters were perfect in this book and really elevated our MCs. The author’s writing style was complex, swoon-perfect, funny, sweet, and heartwarming. My favorite scene was probably the ramen scene, it really set the pace and tone of the story. The author set a very detailed work environment at Toggle and you could really understand Nami’s passion for it.

I had the pleasure of having both the digital and audio versions of the arc. I preferred the audio version. The narrators were Donald Chang and Chieko Hidaka, whom did a wonderful job at pitch and flow. The voice variation was superb with character distinction being spot on. I was able to listen at 2x speed and had no issues keeping up. This was such a lighthearted endearing read that made me smile, laugh, and smile some more throughout the story. I highly recommend picking up this book today at the bookstore, or your library.

Enemies to maybe colleagues to lovers? Yes, please. I enjoyed the Takeover, a Chicago-based corporate takeover novel featuring Nami, a newly 30 year old tech company partner who wishes for her soulmate - and instead Jae, her old HS nemesis, shows back up in her life as the acquisitions person for "Rainforest" and making a bid for her company. I thought this was a cute one and enjoyed the back-and-forth that Nami and Jae seemed to specialize in together. The audiobook was narrated by Donald Chang, Chieko Hidaka & was well-done. It helped my recent flight go by quickly! I received an advanced listening copy, receipt of which did not impact my review.

The Takeover was a fun enemies to lovers story with a literal spicy scene featuring ramen. Both Nami and Jae were determined to best each other in the scene and throughout the book. 
As Nami approaches 30, old high school nemesis Jae appears in her life through a business capacity. Jae's company is looking to acquire Nami's struggling company, but Nami looks for any other possible option. The two spend time together for work and sparks fly. The challenges described by Nami about being a woman in a male dominated industry were believable. The rivals to lovers trope worked because of their deep history and family connections. This is a fun read/listen that flew by.

A lighthearted enemies to lovers romance, Cara Tanamachi's The Takeover is a good choice for when you want a low angst, cute story.

The audio version is performed by Donald Chang and Chieko Hidaka.

"The Takeover" by Cara Tanamachi explores the unexpected turns life can take when seeking a soulmate. Nami's 30th birthday becomes a catalyst for a series of challenges – a broken engagement, impending loss of funding for her tech company, and jealousy over her sister's impending marriage. In a whimsical twist, Nami's wish for a soulmate manifests as her high school nemesis, Jae Lee.

I rated "The Takeover" 2 stars because, while the premise holds promise, the execution falls short. The rivalry between Nami and Jae is rife with banter, but the characters lack depth, making it challenging to invest in their connection. The plot's predictability and reliance on high school stereotypes contribute to a lack of originality.

Despite moments of sharp dialogue, the narrative struggles to strike a balance between romantic tension and character development. The hostile takeover plot feels forced, and the resolution is rushed. "The Takeover" may appeal to those seeking a light and formulaic enemies-to-lovers romance, but for readers craving depth and nuance, the novel may not fully satisfy.

The Takeover is a classic enemy to lovers. Nami finds herself in the predicament of having her beloved tech company taken over by Jae Lee her childhood rival. All through high school they were pitted against each other and now he is taking over her company. The question is their rivalry one born of love or hate? Is Jae Lee trying to show her he cares by saving her company or is he just trying to take her down?

The Takeover was the first time I was introduced to this author and I enjoyed it. It was relatable as a child of immigrant parents and the huge expectation of being successful. I enjoyed this reverse grumpy sunshine romance. The moment where the person you hated in high school is now trying to takeover your company as an adult. It leaves for cute arguments that leads to a beautiful romance. I would definitely recommend this book and would read more by this author.

Thank you Netgalley and RB Media for the audio ARC of this book.

I could not finish this book, the narrator's voice was not for me. She spoke very slow and after an hour I just had to quit.

I am usually not one to DNF books, but unfortunately this audiobook was difficult for me to get through due to the narration style (too slow) and just not clicking with the narrator's intonation and reading style. I attempted to listen at 1.5x speed to see if this helped with the slow reading, but unfortunately I still found it too challenging to get through.

I found some of the writing clumsy and a little cringy, though I would be willing to give it a try in written format to see if I like the storyline any better, as I've enjoyed stories by similar authors, and have seen some good reviews of the physical book on Goodreads.

Overall, the audiobook production didn't come across very well and felt like perhaps production was a little rushed.

This book was Meh for me.

This type of MC is over done and I found myself skimming. A Lot. Honestly if it hadn't been audiobook I probably would have DNF'd.

It was a fine book and some people will probably love it but for me I just couldn't get into it.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to and review.

30 going on 13. Yeah, sadly that is not a typo. These are 30 year olds who were rivals in high school. Apparently the high school antics did not stop at graduation. 

Nami was a childish, people pleaser who was part owner in a tech type company and really just bragged about what a great boss she was. She grew up with nothing special so she judged anyone who had more than her. 

Jae grew up with money and his sole purpose in life was to make as much money as he could. He referred to himself as a wolf in business. He works for an acquisitions company and is brought in to buy Nami's  failing company. His father was a jerk though! 

Some parts were funny, especially a spicy ramen scene,  but overall it felt forced- with tropes, chemistry and even diversity. The first 10% of the book was filled with explaining the different races, ethnicities, cultures and even some disabilities. It felt forced to me. 

THEN BAM- a 3rd act conflict as if it wasn't already conflicting. Two supposedly intelligent people behave like this. ugh. Frustrating from start to finish. 
The narrators definitely did not talk at the same speed either. 

Thank you netgalley for the advanced audio copy. I voluntarily listened to audiobook and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Enemies to lovers, check! So much fun banter with a lot of healing for the main characters! Also a little peak into workplace cultures that everyone wishes they had! Naomi’s passion for her work and team was lovely! Add in Jae and their dynamic made it a really fun listen! Thanks NetGalley for the listen!