Dev is a gay man working on a reality tv show that finds love for straight couples. Charlie is the new guy on the show looking to find love with 20 contestants. The story is about finding your true self amongst turmoil. About looking in the mirror and being totally accepting of the person you see. It includes many moments of levity as well as serious conversations about sexuality and mental health. It is a sweet love story that gets the prince his happily ever after.

Absolutely swept me off my feet. After a reading slump broken only by smutty fantasy, I didn't expect a Bachelor-inspired romance to captivate me quite this heavily, but oh my lanta how naive that was.

I feel like "what if a reality dating competition show cast queer contestants?" is the perennial question. Alison Cochrun tries to answer this question with this sweet romcom that tackles coming out, mental health, and the reality tv industry. at times, the miscommunication seemed unnecessary--I felt like there was a lot of untapped potential struggle between the male love interests and the novel's antagonist, the show's executive producer. but overall this was a fun love story that sprinkled in some realistic conversations around mental health that grounded the story in some reality.

I freaking loved this book! I laughed, I cried, and I couldn't put it down; when I was finished reading it I couldn't stop talking about it (pretty sure the husband was thinking to himself "I get it you liked the book"). Alison Cochrun does a great job of making you want to know even more about each of the characters. I cannot wait to read her next book due in 2022 Kiss Her Once For Me.

This book. This book this book this BOOK. I loved this book so much, I've carried it around so I could take the best photo possible. I also put off my review because when that's done....I've finished the book (if that makes sense). This book made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me message two of my friends at 1am telling them how much I loved it. I gobbled this book up and then wished I could have taken it more slowly. I wish I could to back in time and read it for the first time again.

The mental illness, queer, ace and diversity rep is phenomenal. Cochrun also shows found family in such a beautiful and impactful way. I love this book.

Thank you to Atria Books & Netgalley for a digital arc in exchange for an honest review. I loved it so much I bought it 😂

Dev is someone who believes in "happily ever after" for everyone except for himself. Charlie believes that he has to change himself to work his way back into the tech world's good graces. When Charlie becomes the star of the Bachelor-esque show that Dev is a producer on, everyone thinks he's hopeless. He's not at all the suave and handsome man the cameras want him to be. And Dev is stuck as his handler. As they spend more time together though, Dev and Charlie may just end up with their own version of a fairy tale.

Okay so first of all, I adore every single one of these absolutely beautiful and well-written characters. They're gorgeous. Every one of them. Second of all, THE REPRESENTATION. Ugh. My heart. From all of the queer rep to the mental health rep, this book handled everything with such care and love and respect, that I was blown away. This is how you do representation.

Okay done with my little screaming session about how beautiful this book is. I'll try to be coherent now. Charlie and Dev are so precious, both individually and as a couple. The way they work together and care for each other is absolutely touching. Both characters have very real struggles, and these struggles are not pushed to the side to make room for romance. These struggles are addressed and worked with. An absolutely brilliant pair.

The side characters are all so well-rounded. As a reader, one of the most important things for me in a book are the characters. Honestly, even if the plot had been horrible (it wasn't), these characters would have carried me through the book. They are all fleshed out and we get to see different sides of all of them.

Definitely give this one a read if you enjoy beautiful queer romance!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC!

This book was DARLING. I loved the setting, the way the chapters set up and the characters were amazing. Such a good romance - Bachelor fans and non-fans will love this one.

I cannot even being to describe how much I adored this book. To see such a loving romanticization of choosing love and working to make love work was absolutely breathtaking and perfect. This story tackles the struggles of relationships as portrayed by media, and fits in mental health struggles and support in such a kind and caring way.

I fell in love with all the characters and loved seeing them grow as individuals and a collective.

I cannot wait for more from this author!’

My heart is so full! This book has quickly made it into my top 10 of 2021. Dev and Charlie's love story is so incredibly sweet and heartfelt. As someone that struggles with anxiety and depression, it was so great to read a book that delves deep into how these issues effect relationship and shows that having these issues doesn't make you less worthy of love. It is so honestly and openly discussed. When Charlie goes to Dev when he's hiding in is hotel room struggling with his depression, I FELT that. When Dev was trying to make his therapist laugh, I FELT that. I actually talked to my therapist about it. This book was so well done and that I genuinely feel like I know myself and my anxiety better by reading this book.

I am not a fan of reality television, but this book ultimately won me over. The book follows Dev, a talent handler on a bachelor-style show Ever After, and Charlie, the show’s newest Prince Charming. When Charlie’s original handler has a hard time getting Charlie to perform well in front of cameras, Dev is tasked to step in. Charlie is an anxious mess and a bit emotionally closed-off, but as the two spend more time together, they begin to realize that they have better chemistry than Charlie could ever hope to have with the actual contestants on the show.
I absolutely fell in love with Dev and Charlie. Their chemistry and communication from the beginning are exceptional, from how Charlie instantly feels more at ease around Dev to how the Dev takes Charlie’s boundaries and mental health struggles in stride. I was smiling nearly the entire time I was reading and couldn’t help but root for the two of them, however doomed they may have seemed from the start.
One is the depiction of mental health. Alison Cochrun does such a beautiful job at portraying Dev’s depression and Charlie’s anxiety and OCD in a compassionate and nuanced way. I saw a lot of my own struggles in both Charlie and Dev in a way that I don’t encounter a lot, which felt really validating. The resolution also doesn’t imply that their mental health struggles are magically fixed by love, which I see a lot in romance novels and always feels flat and unrealistic.
With its sweet, tension-filled romance, lovable side characters, and variety of representation, The Charm Offensive is a must-read. It has become one of my favorite reads of the year and definitely goes on my list of go-to comfort reads.

Thank you, NetGalley and Atria Books, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Charm Offensive is an honest, sweet, steamy and heartwarming fairy tale of a love story. I loved every second of it and kept rooting for Dev and Charlie to get their HEA!

I'm not a fan of reality shows, but I feel like Dev would be able to talk me around. The belief in true love (but not for me) makes you want to pat his head at times. A very fun read!

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley.

What a delight!! I really enjoyed reading this smart romance that deals with uncovering your sexuality, mental health, and more. And even better, it’s set on a reality dating show. As a fan of the Bachelor franchise, it was really interesting to imagine this happening in real life and to think about the behind the scenes workings of the show. It’s clear the author knows the show well, as there were some funny art imitates life Easter eggs thrown in.

The relationship between the two main characters was complex and developed in a really realistic way. I can’t recommend this enough!

3 - 3.5 stars.

Sweet, steamy, and charming as heck — this book was a lot of fun!

I loved the concept (a “Bachelor” and their producer falling in love) - and the execution was great too! I appreciated the authors efforts to include thoughtful mental illness representation, it added some great depth.

Dev’s Indian identity did feel very much like an afterthought - aside from very vague references to his love of Bollywood, and never seeing rom coms with people who looked like him, I never would have known he was Indian. It felt a bit perfunctory, and I wish we had gotten a bit “more”.

The “villain” at the end of the story, and the way certain parts of the story (with the show, and its creator/Head producer) ended up was a bit too convenient. It made her awful behaviour very conveniently addressed, and the way it was “resolved” was a bit too clean and convenient to be believable. I get that it’s a rom com, and people want a happy ending (in every way), but I felt like this was taking the easy way out, and it bothered me how much of a second thought this whole plot line felt like.

At times a bit unrealistic and predictable (but then again, what rom com isn’t?) - this story takes you on quite a journey - and I was here for it. Overall a lot of fun, and an ultimately enjoyable read!

The Charm Offensive
By Alison Cochrun

There are just some books that bring joy and sunshine to our lives, and this is one of them. I found The Charm Offensive to be inclusive of identity, neurodiversity, mental health, self-acceptance, and so much more.

The Charm Offensive is centered on Dev and Charlie - in the backdrop of a reality TV show called Ever After. Dev believes in true love and has proven to be one of the most successful producer in the franchise's history. The show casts Charlie Winshaw - who is an anxious mess and doesn't believe in true love. Oh my!

This is such a witty story that will have you believing in true love. The sparks do indeed fly in this brilliant romcom - so fun to read and delivers with important underlying themes.

The Charm Offensive takes the show The Bachelor and twists the storyline so that instead of falling in love with one of the many women he’s dating, the lead falls in love with his male producer instead. I love books that provide a behind-the-scenes look at “reality” shows, so I knew this one would be right up my alley.
I absolutely adored both of these main characters. Dev and Charlie were the sweetest couple, and although neither of them are perfect, they have an uncommon ability to provide each other peace. I’m usually not into insta-love, but I thought it was so well done in this case. The characters really seemed to have a true emotional connection, and it worked well for me. I couldn’t wait to see how Dev and Charlie’s romance would play out in terms of the TV show.
I loved how bluntly this book addresses mental health. It’s actually pretty much the main focus of the book, and sometimes even the romance takes a back seat to the mental health storyline. One main character suffers from clinical depression, and the other suffers from severe anxiety. There was also an abundance of representation of different genders, races, identities, and invisible illnesses in all of the side characters.
If The Bachelor is your guilty pleasure but you want to imagine a more interesting and adorable plot, The Charm Offensive is for you!

Give me all the queer Bachelor/Bachelorette books FOREVER if they are as good as this one!

Dev is a tv producer for Ever After - a nod to the Bachelor/ette franchise - and is the handler for their star, Charlie. Unlike previous stars, Charlie is stiff, awkward and nearly mute for the first episode of filming and Dev is tasked with crafting him into the perfect Prince Charming. Dev works so hard to get Charlie to open up to the ladies that they end up forming a connection that might be stronger than the both of them could have imagined.

The Charm Offensive was such a great end-of-summer read that totally warmed my heart. The characters were written with such depth and charm that it was hard for me not to fall in love with them! Both characters have complex mental health histories that Cochran explored with care and accuracy and it was refreshing to see that featured so prominently in this book.

My only qualm is with the editing - the chapters were incredibly long (as if it was the day of filming), but that's a small nit-picky personal thing.

Overall, a refreshing, contemporary romance that features complex characters that will make you believe in love again.

Thank you to Net Galley and Atria Books for the Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.
5/5 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A queer romance based on The Bachelor?!? The second I heard about this book I was sure it was going to be a good one and I'm so glad that I was so right!!

The Charm Offensive follows Dev, a 6-year producer on Ever After, a Bachelor-esque reality dating show, and in the latest season, he's tasked with taking care of the lead, Charlie Winshaw, a not quite there for the right reasons and a not really so charming Prince Charming. As Dev works to make Charlie more likeable to the both the women on the show and to the viewing public, he slowly starts to develop feelings for Charlie. And maybe, just maybe, Charlie is starting to figure out some things of his own.

The Charm Offensive made me feel ALL the feels! This book tackles it all - mental health, queer relationships, sexuality, family acceptance, and the love at the center of everything. Also there was so much diversity in this one - from race to queer identity - and it was so well done. The rawness of this story and its characters wowed me completely and I will forever read absolutely anything and everything that Cochrun writes. And if she wants to throw some cameos from Charm into her next book, I don't think anyone would be mad about that.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for my early copy!

5/5⭐️ The Charm Offensive by: Alison Cochrun (book 94 of 2021)

Thank you @netgalley and @atriabooks for the e-arc!

I haven’t read a romcom this good in ages!! Right off the bat, Dev and Charlie were two protagonists I could root for. I loved that we got to read from both of their perspectives. It was so interesting to see what each of them were thinking and dealing with as their relationship progressed. The topic of mental health was discussed so well in this book. I think Cochrun did such a great job writing about their individual mental health and not glossing over a difficult topic. The supporting characters were also great and I think Parisa was my favorite besides the two main characters. I love watching the Bachelor franchise and so the setting of a dating reality show was fun to read. Overall, I think this might be one of my favorite contemporary romances I’ve read in a long time (maybe ever?)! I highly recommend this book to everyone, especially those who love reality than dating shows!

Are you a fan of The Bachelor/The Bachelorette?

I have loved watching it over the years, so when I saw The Charm Offensive was coming out in September and features a National dating show style love story I immediately added it to my TBR!

In a last ditch effort to remedy his image, tech guru Charlie is dating 20 women on national television. He is giving producer Dev a run for his money though because he not only doesn’t believe in true love, he is stiff and awkward on camera. Things get a little bit more complicated when Charlie realizes he has more sparks with Dev off screen than with any of the girls on screen. Dev’s job is to help showcase love stories on TV - but what love story will it be?