The Takedown

By: Lily Chu

Narrated by: Phillipa Soo

Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

Dee Kwan’s secrets for a happy life:

• Always remain positive, no matter the cost
• Realize that every setback is a hidden opportunity
• Accept compliments graciously, especially when given by mega-hot rivals
• Never, ever question whether any of these mantras actually work

For Dee Kwan, every day is the perfect day. No, really. She has a house she loves, a job she adores, and a ridiculously attractive “nemesis” who never seems to mind when she wins their favorite online game. How can life possibly get better? (It can’t, obviously. It can only get much, much worse.)

Soon Dee is forced to share her adorably cozy home with her parents and prickly estranged grandmother. Then she’s tossed into the deep end at work, tasked with cleaning up a scandal for the intimidatingly chic luxury fashion firm Celeste. If that weren’t enough, she discovers her hot nemesis works there, too...and Teddy is nothing like the man she thought she knew.

Before she can cry foul, Teddy comes clean about his double life: He’s the heir to the CEO, and he needs her help to make Celeste a better place—for everyone. But that means taking down the old guard—including his father—intent on standing in their way. Now in the center of a dizzying corporate coup, Dee is forced to decide whether she’s ready to stop watching the world through rose-colored glasses and instead face the truth: about herself, about her feelings for Teddy, and about what she’s willing to do to truly make a difference.

©2023 Lily Chu (P)2023 Audible Originals, LLC.

I Love Chu and Soo but…

I am going to probably be in the minority here, but this Chu did not sparkle and fizz like her previous books. The writing is still as capable, but this more than references the culture wars, and ventures into crusade. Fiction is meant to be an escape from real life. It is supposed to be an adventure into fantasy so you can leave the drudgery of reality behind. I don’t want to be lectured by my fiction. Especially my romance fiction that is supposed to have a twist of humor. This is tired, with heavy boots on its feet, and I started to feel exhausted about midway through.

Soo is a favorite narrator. She is able to pull meaning from passages and shine a spotlight on them. I’m not so sure she was feeling this one. Her delivery was as flat and featureless as the inside of a cardboard cereal box. Plus, the many obvious insertions of re-recorded segments bothered me to distraction. I may be wrong here, but do I detect AI? The edited portions sounded robotic and tinny and exactly like Siri and Alexa. They did not sound recorded in a booth but more like digital production.

Other than all that, I liked it enough to finish it. It was a free gift so I can’t complain but it certainly doesn’t compare, in any way, to “The Comeback”.

The best book yet

I really enjoy this author. This is by far the best book she has written yet. I cannot recommend it enough.

Another awesome listen

Great storyline, interesting twists, family angst and I loved the game play and affirmations as background.

Breezy and Light

Well paced narrative with great character development. Walked away feeling good! Look forward to more by author and narrator.

Great cute meet

I enjoyed the story. The fun facts were quite entertaining. I loved how they meet and the characters story line. I didn’t want the book to end. You just don’t know a person fully until you see the family dynamics.

Great story, great narration!

Great, light hearted read with great narration. Really enjoyed the characters and how the story played out. Funny but also inspiring. Definitely recommend!

I couldn’t turn it off! Or put it down if it had been a physical book!!!

Thank you for the entertainment and the daily positive energy. I can’t wait for the next book.

Love Lily Chu’s books

This is the second one I’ve listened to and this one is even better than the first.

Lovely little Listen, while I commute

Thanks Lily Chu! You did it again. Charming, sweet, romantic, and relevant. Loved the tie in with Hanna too!!

Story that address important issues!

This one had more serious undertones and issues brought up than Lily's previous two rom-coms.
Dee works as a consultant for a firm to help them better themselves when it comes to racism and sexism in the workplace. Unfortunately, the company she's brought in to help doesn't want to change and her own boss's want her to keep her head down. But the more and more unethical issues she witnesses, the less she wants to stay quiet.
Teddy, son to the owner of the company, got to know Dee online before they started working together. He is also of mixed ethnicity and agrees that the issues Dee brings up need to be changed. I loved them together. They were both smart and funny and wanted justice.
Only thing is.....when push came to shove, Teddy didn't have Dee's back and that disappointed me a bit.
Other than that, even though this novel wasn't all laughs and sunshine, I thoroughly enjoyed this story and all the real issues it addressed! Also love how it all wrapped up. We know it doesn't always work out that way but I LOVE that in my fantasies, the bad guys gets their comeuppance 😁🤭 hehe