The hype is real with this one, friends. The book is an absolute joy. I truly enjoyed every single second of it and it was one I found I took my time with and savoured because I wasn’t ready for it to be over.

This book is a true gift.

Things I loved:
-obviously I have to start with Dev and Charlie. I loved them as individuals and I majorly loved them together
-the growth both main character went through
-the focus of mental health - anxiety, depression, panic attacks, OCD - I wish more book featured mental health in the same light this one did
-the reality tv premise - we all know what show it was similar to and I thought the author did a great job of showing some of the awful behind the scenes things that go on and also the importance of diversity and queer representation on these shows
-the chemistry between these two is off the charts. Wow. 🔥

I will admit, I was a bit skeptical going into this one. The premise reminded me of One to Watch, which I didn’t love, but since it was the inaugural pick of Nowhere Bookshop’s Happy Endings Book Club, I was willing to give it a shot and I’m so glad I did. This book was a damn delight! The representation was fantastic without feeling performative, the characters were well developed and lovable, and the story was swoony and great. I absolutely can’t wait to see what else Alison Cochrun comes up with!

The marketing for this is on point -- "One to Watch" but make it gay? Yes, please. Not only does this book center around a "Bachelor" type show, but it has the same emotional impact that resonated with me so much in "One to Watch."

Charlie has signed up to be the latest man looking for love on a "Bachelor" show. He doesn't want to be there, and he doesn't think he'll find love -- he just wants to rehabilitate his reputation so he can return to work in the tech world, where he made a name for himself as a young man. His stunning looks make it seem like he's a perfect fit for the fairy tale-themed show, but Charlie struggles with anxiety and OCD and is completely discomfited on screen. In steps Dev, longtime producer of the show, and he's the best at making the people on the show shine. But Dev has struggles on his own, and a crappy ex-boyfriend who is also on set.

While Dev works to get Charlie comfortable on camera and make sure the season is a success, the pair connect on a personal level. Dev is falling for the beautiful, vulnerable Charlie and Charlie is in turn learning that the reason he hasn't really clicked with any woman before is because he's gay. But he's meant to fall in love and get engaged to one of the woman contestants, so they're burgeoning relationship can't last beyond the final day of filming.

"The Charm Offensive" handles its serious topics so well -- Charlie's OCD, anxiety and panic disorder; Dev's depression and inability to realize he deserves more than he demands; the toxic environment of reality TV and its marginalization of the LGBT community (the show's creator is a real monster where this is concerned).

The resolution to the main romantic dilemma is definite wish-fulfillment (I can't actually see a major network doing what is done in real life) but that doesn't detract from how lovely and perfect it is for the story and the characters. I also really, really love what happens with the frontrunner ladies (I'm a huge sucker for side stories).

This was truly a delight to read, and it was poignant, too. Dev and Charlie have a genuine connection and the moments where they confront their issues separately and together are powerful. Seriously.

| I received an ARC, and this is my honest, freely given review. |

There are not enough words for me to string together in an intelligible way to describe just how much I absolutely adored this book. It was like a warm hug. Or a plate of warm corn bread drizzled with honey.

The friendships, the love, the queerness. Ahhh!!! It was just too damn good!! If you like Bachelor or Bachelorette you would enjoy this book.

Do you have The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun on your radar? If you answered no I strongly encourage you to add it to your TBR pile. I binged this book and loved every moment of it. This is right up there with the best LGBTQ2S+ romances I have read. ⁠
⁠
Some things to note. This book includes:⁠
* meaningful representation⁠
* accurate portrayal of mental health⁠
* a variety of representations: gay, bi, pan, ace, they/them pronouns. ⁠
* consent⁠
* Dealing with coming out⁠
* finding oneself ⁠
And so much more. ⁠
⁠
Truly this book had it all, but in such a natural way. Based on the set of a reality TV series similar to that of the bachelor/bachelorette, with a hint of fairy tales - can a prince find his princess - we are taken on such a journey with Dev and Charlie as they navigate so many things both on a personal level and within the social constructs of society. I laughed out loud. I got emotional. I felt all the feels as this romance progressed. Thank you to Alison Cochrun for this story. Well done!

Dev fully believes in fairytale romances—even if they require a little scripting and engineering, like on the reality dating show he produces, Ever After. But his latest star bachelor, tech mogul Charlie, is a unique challenge thanks to his social anxiety and disbelief in true love. As Dev tries to help Charlie charm the other contestants, Charlie realizes that Dev is the person he connects with most.

This book is soooooooo f***ing charming! The love story at its heart is completely adorable and lovely. But even more, it does a fantastic job of discussing mental health, self-care, social stigma around neurodiversity, and heteronormative expectations on relationships and love. I never wanted this book to end, and I can't wait to read what Alison Cochrun writes next!

When the publisher emailed me saying I was preapproved to read The Charm Offensive, I jumped at the chance! It looked so adorable and I couldn't wait to read it. I was definitely not wrong. This was honestly just full of charm and adorableness. It was funny and cute. I felt like I was in a huge hug the entire time reading this. The characters of Dev and Charlie were written so beautifully. They were so realistic and I felt an instant connection to both of them. I also really enjoyed the secondary characters. I honestly can not wait to read more from this author!

How do I talk to you about this book? I just absolutely love this book. Carlie and Dev were amazing main characters and I loved them. They are very complex characters and I loved seeing them slowly open up to each other over the course of the book. Both characters have their own mental health issues and I love how this book dealt with that and how the author didn't back away from letting the two characters be brutally honest about their bad days. I also really liked the side characters. They really ended up rounding out this world and I wouldn't mind spin-offs to this book following some of these side characters. I also really liked the setting of this book. The reality show framing was really interesting to me and I like how it was done. I like how this book critised the world of reality dating shows, the ethics behind it and also the straight white and prettiness of it, without shaming watchers of those shows. I feel like often when reality dating shows are critised it also comes along with a lot of misogyny towards its viewers, but that really wasn't the case in this book.We also travel quite a bit in this book and I really like how this author brought those settings to live. And then of course, I also need to talk about the romance because that was amazing. I really liked how the relationship between Charlie and Dev developed. I also really liked the discussion around sexuality that came with that, especially on Charlie's side. I also believed all the conflict between the two of them was very realistic and I really understood were both characters were coming from. I also just absolutely flew through this book and I will 100% keep my eye on any book Alison Cochrun is coming out with in the future.

Such a cute queer rom com! I adored the characters and how the story line played out! Charlie and dev both felt relatable. I also loved the way the book discussed mental health

3.5 to 4 stars!

Oh my heart, I can’t believe I finally got around to this one! I really enjoyed it and then when Charlie and Dev say such fucking sweet things to one another?? I’M DONE.

Such great queer rep, ace rep, mental health rep and I don’t know how the author did it, but they did.

However, this one has finally cemented my complete dislike with Bachelor type romances. Maybe I just really can’t stand the show, and this story followed it to a T. Obviously, nothing wrong with this, it’s just a me thing.

I absolutely cannot wait for the author’s next book though, it sounds so damn good!!

I can see why this book has gotten a lot of pre-publication buzz - it's very inclusive and diverse cast gives this a definite modern edge. Set against the backdrop of a Bachelor-esque reality TV show, the real sparks fly between producer, Dev, and Charlie, the latest Prince Charming on the Ever After show. While the romance itself follows predictable paths, it's still a sweetly entertaining read. I also appreciated the focus on mental health - from Charlie's OCD and Dev's own battles with depression, this adds a more serious aspect to the story than I initially expected.

I think that this would appeal even more to regular viewers of the genre of romance reality TV shows - they may find those scenes and gimmicks even funnier than I did. There are still some fun and romantic moments for non-fans of those shows (and a surprising amount of vomit, actually) and it's easy to be charmed by both of these heroes. The sexuality spectrum feels well-represented here, but I do wish that some of the supporting characters were developed a bit more. I understand that they aren't the real focus, but I always feel like a strong ensemble cast makes a romance that much stronger. It is still an impressive debut novel and one that I think will be well-received. Plus, I think it will help promote more understanding of the sexuality spectrum and define terms that some readers may be unfamiliar with. I am looking forward to seeing what the author will write next!

4.5 stars rounded up!

This was a spectacular debut novel. The diversity was amazing. We had queer rep, non binary rep, demisexual rep, ace spec rep, not to mention the vast amount of mental health rep and the normalization of therapy.

Was this story rooted in reality? no, of course not. There's no way this would ever fly on a set. But it was a nice fantasy of what everyone WISHES the Bachelor franchise would do.

I'm very excited to see what Alison will do in the future and will definitely be reading more from this author!

4.5 stars rounded up!

This was a spectacular debut novel. The diversity was amazing. We had queer rep, non binary rep, demisexual rep, ace spec rep, not to mention the vast amount of mental health rep and the normalization of therapy.

Was this story rooted in reality? no, of course not. There's no way this would ever fly on a set. But it was a nice fantasy of what everyone WISHES the Bachelor franchise would do.

I'm very excited to see what Alison will do in the future and will definitely be reading more from this author!

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book. Sorry it came out before I could finish it,
I really enjoyed this book and the love story portrayed but I had trouble connecting with the characters. I found the writing style to be a bit disjointed and clumsy at times. I do however really appreciate the diversity in this book and I think everyone can relate to a character in these pages. I would recommend this as a cute romance book, but definitely not for readers who prefer a more realistic story. 2.8/5

This is an incredibly sweet, closed-door, gay romance about a man who is the lead on a Bachelor-esque show. Charlie, who has severe OCD, is trying to use the tv show to help rehabilitate his image, so he can get back to his tech business.

He has 20 beautiful women to choose between... but he’s falling for an awkward producer named Dev. The blurb describes it as “Red, White, and Royal Blue meets One to Watch”, and that’s very accurate!

Rainbows and Sunshine
October 16, 2021

I absolutely loved this book! A twist on the TV reality show trope and I highly enjoyed every second of the book.

I loved the mental health rep and the queer side characters. It takes about anxiety, OCD, depression and also about asexuality. Dev and Charlie have great chemistry from the beginning and I loved seeing them slowly open up and fall for each other.

Both the characters are real and flawed but perfect together. All I wanted was for Dev to finally get the Happily Ever After he deserves and I was incredibly happy by the end of the novel. And Charlie completely stole my heart. He was so adorable, especially when Dev makes him blush.

Highly recommend this book to everyone looking for queer take on the dating reality shows with a swoony romance, only one bed, over-the-top romantic gestures and more. That ending was absolutely perfect!

*ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review

I don't watch real life dating reality TV shows, but I love reading about them. In The Charm Offensive, Charlie goes on a Bachelor-type TV show in an attempt to regain employment in the tech industry. He's not into the show at all, but thinks it can help with his image. His producer Dev is a huge believer in both the show and in love as a fairy tale. While Dev tries to get Charlie more comfortable in front of the cameras, they start to develop feelings. There's a lot of pining in this book (my favorite!), as the two deny how they really feel for each other. I really liked how their relationship developed, and loved the side characters (including the TV show's crew and contestants) and the behind the scenes aspect of the book. I also really loved the way Cochrun handled serious mental health issues in this book. This one was funny, sweet, and charming - recommended!

I will not be giving feedback on this book. I started it, and was not in the right mindset for reading it. When/if I do pick it up again, I will definitely leave a thoughtful review.

This was a lot of fun. I don't watch The Bachelor (I maybe did for like a season or two there at the beginning? Maybe?) but I absolutely loved this book. I love when a book deals with mental health in a way that is organic and not just like, 'he had a panic attack once and then he fell in love and he was cured' and thankfully, this book does the former instead of the latter. I loved the side characters (this is my official petition for a spin-off about Jules and Parisa k, thanks) and the plot of the story was a lot of fun. I enjoyed seeing the evolution of Charlie and Dev's relationships not only with each other but with themselves as the story unfolded.

Thank you so much @AtriaBooks & @NetGalley for gifting me this physical ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 07 September 2021)

SYNOPSIS | Dev is a believer of true love & has worked as a producer on the set of a bachelor-style reality tv show for many years (Ever After). This year, the prince of the show is a rich tech nerd in need of an image reboot (Charlie). Dev is tasked with helping him get comfortable on camera to make this the best season yet except Charlie doesn't fall of any of the female contestants... he falls for Dev.

WHAT I LIKED:
- a whole host of topics are covered including LGBTQ+ representation on main stream media, anxiety, mental health, depression & therapy
- the behind the scenes into the chaos of filming a reality tv show
- the slowly creeping up on you romance was very sweet
- the overarching vibe of every person, no matter what they are dealing with, is worthy of love

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- closed door romance
- I kept forgetting that Dev was Indian