One of my favorite queer romances...ever, honestly. Blew me away. So smart and real and just perfect.

This book is an absolute freaking GEM. A hilarious and heartfelt delight from start to finish, and exactly what I needed after over-indulging in mystery/thrillers and tear-jerkers for the past month or so.

I read The Charm Offensive in one day with a huge smile plastered on my face (and the occasional pang in my heart). The representation for anxiety and depression was spot on as we follow Charlie and Dev on a journey to self love and the importance of putting your mental health first, showing up for yourself, being brave and bold and vulnerable, learning how to support someone you love when they’re struggling, and taking a stand for what’s right.

Charlie and Dev have my whole heart and this book has found a home amongst my top romcom reads of all time. These characters were sweet and funny and so incredibly *charming*, I dare you not to fall in love with them. 💛

A fun queer love story for fans of The Bachelor and reality TV! The Charm Offensive follows Charlie, a bumbling techie and Dev, and reality TV producer licking his wounds from a previous breakup. Charlie and Dev along with a diverse and often comical cast of lovable supporting characters learn about themselves, love, being their authentic selves, and loving each other. This book while also being a delightful love story, highlights important social justice issues such as LGBQT+ rights and workplace discrimination.

I really wanted to like this more, but simply couldn’t. I don’t know what it was, honestly. The whole setting and the situations were just odd to me. Maybe just not for me!

I love a romantic comedy, and this one was so fun and heartwarming!! This book that explores love, identity, and the complexities of modern relationships. I also LOVE a reality dating show, so it was fun to read one in book form. It was easy to read, cute, fun, and all of the rom-com adjectives. I definitely recommend!

I'm going to start by saying I have read one other Cochrun before--Kiss Her Once for Me. To be honest, after reading that one I wasn't dying to get my hands on another Cochrun. It was fine, it was cute. But it honestly wasn't super memorable for me. I'm happy to report that I thoroughly enjoyed this one and am excited to pick up Here We Go Again (thanks, NetGalley!)
Dev and Charlie are just the sweetest couple. But more than that, I think the thing I enjoyed was the mental health rep in this book. It doesn't try to hide the "ickiness" of mental health (honestly, this is such a random little thing, but it was honestly so refreshing to see Dev's struggle to get out of bed for days on end--depression isn't glamorous, and I feel like so many authors sort of gloss over some of these finer details).
All in all, I will continue to read Alison Cochrun, and I'm excited to see what she writes next!

| BOOK REVIEW |

Title: The Charm Offensive
Author: Alison Cochrun
Format: 🎧(ARC received from @atriabooks)
Rating: ✩ ✩ ✩

Obstensibly based on The Bachelor, The Charm Offensive is far more than it's basic inspiration. The star of Ever After, Charlie, is an awkward tech guy dealing with some mental health issues. His "handler", Dev, is bought in on the idea that true love can come from Ever After, despite all signs to the contrary. What happens when these two fall for each other?


The characters were messy at times, but in a completely authentic way. Sometimes I wanted to shake Dev! But both Charlie and Dev grew a lot through their journey on the show and I thought that was wonderful.


The only thing I struggled with was the middle of the book- it felt like both Charlie and Dev knew that they liked each other pretty early on, and then the middle felt a little repetitious. I wish the novel had been just a little shorter and more concise- I think that would have made it the perfect length and pace.

Key Points:
• M/M romance
• Reality dating show
• Forbidden romance
• Mental health rep

This book is DELIGHTFUL! The season of gay bachelor that we all want and deserve.

"I'm into puzzing."

As a fan of The Bachelor, I adored The Charm Offensive!!

This is a must read for anyone struggling with mental health or sexuality.

I love books set on reality tv shows and this book as a twist on The Bachelor. It was pretty formulaic but most romcoms are - that can still mean they are top reads but this one was pretty middling. The Indian-American representation felt a little white-washed - though I'm sure there are Indian-Americans who have that same background but with little representation, it seemed an odd choice. i did like the deep conversations about mental health.

Such an enjoyable read!! I really liked this book and was so happy I was given the opportunity to read it here at netgalley. Made me laugh out loud multiple times.

I loved this book so much, every part of it felt so real. I'm a sucker for some reality TV in the first place, so a play on the bachelor was right up my alley. What a gem! The Charm Offensive is romance but so much more. It addresses mental health, morality, self-acceptance, and identity in such a warmhearted way. I loved every bit of it! The Charm Offensive is Dev and Charlie’s fairy tale, somewhat like The Bachelor, with a reality show backdrop called Ever After. It didn’t start out as their love story, though. Dev is the producer of the show, and he’s the one pushing Charlie to open up and find love with the contestants. Little did he know they would fall in love. This one is receiving well-deserved raves. It pulled out every emotion from me, and I loved that. It’s about so much more than the love between Dev and Charlie, though that was beyond fun to watch develop. Alison Cochrun is one to watch, and The Charm Offensive is one to read, savor, and hug!

I really did enjoy this one! Charlie and Dev were precious and I am always here for mental health discussions. Where is the gay Bachelor season we've all been waiting for already?

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

"The Charm Offensive" by Alison Cochrun is a contemporary romance novel that left me feeling somewhat conflicted. While the premise held promise, the initial half of the book failed to fully engage me. However, the story gradually improved, ultimately delivering a heartfelt and satisfying ending that made it worth the read.

In the first half of the book, I found it difficult to fully connect with the characters. Charlie came across as emotionally distant, and Dev's constant effort to make him connect with the contestants on the show felt forced at times. The pacing seemed slow, and the story lacked the spark that I usually expect in a romance novel. However, as the narrative progressed, the characters began to open up to each other, revealing their vulnerabilities and complexities. It was during this part of the book that I began to feel a genuine connection to Dev and Charlie's evolving relationship. Their chemistry became more enjoyable, and I found myself rooting for them to overcome their differences.

I love love love this book! Sometimes romantic comedy/romance genre gets a little repetitive with their tropes and I have been this genre avoiding for awhile. However The Charm Offensive got me out of my slump. Mirroring The Bachelor TV show (called Ever After), the producer of a prickly, resistant Prince Charming and Prince Charming find love. A major theme is characters who have mental health problems which I thought the author did a great job highlighting yet not glamorizing. This is a great m/m read!

This is a book I will likely come back to at a later date as it was currently not for me at the time I decided to read it.

So feet kicking cute!

Thanks to NetGalley / Edelweiss and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for a review.

This book was incredible! I am such a fan of Alison Cochrun and was able to spend time listening to her speak about this and another book. The representation of queer identities and the spectrum spoke to me a lot. I loved the reality TV rep too and it added such a fun flair to the book! The steam was there and the feelings were flowing! Absolutely could not recommend enough.

A fun, meet-cute set in the world of reality TV. Dev is a producer on his favorite reality TV show, Ever After. Charlie is the reluctant genius forced to join the show against his wishes to improve his "image." As the show progresses, Charlie and Dev start to form a bond that turns into something more.

I loved the representation in the book, especially in regards to mental health.

What a fun read full of reality TV, lovable (and not so) characters, and a journey to self-discovery. Another great book by Alison Cochran! Thank you to Netgalley for the review copy.