<i>Charlie takes a deep breath and tries to remember the rewards of being brave enough to ask for what you want. "But what if I wanted to try something else?" </i>

The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun is everything I never knew I needed. This book is smart, it's funny, it's emotional, it's beautiful, and it's incredibly incredibly important. I highlighted over 24 passages in this story, and I honestly probably could have highlighted more. Life affirming and absolutely splendid passages about self acceptance, about loving who you are and who you can be, and about just life and romance and dreams. I honestly don't think I'll ever be able to adequately describe how important and perfect this book is to me, so maybe I shouldn't even try, but Charlie and Dev and the rest of the cast were an absolute joy and I will be thinking about them for years to come. The growth we see in all of these characters, and their own emotional journeys, were just moving, and authentic, and so very very real and relatable, that it squeezed my heart.

The Charm Offensive is practically perfect in every way, and I cannot thank Alison Cochrun enough for pouring it out of her brain.

I also am developing a plan to kidnap Charlie, wrap him in bubble wrap, and hide him from the world forever to protect him from everything bad. I love him so so so so so much.

Have I gushed enough? Should I keep going? Look, everyone needs to read this story and maybe I should make it my mission to force it on everyone, because the lessons this sweet queer little romcom about the Bachelor teaches you are innumerable and invaluable and I think everyone could use a big warm hug like this one.

Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for my review copy. It was an absolute joy and privilege to read.

Mostly I just want to tell you to read this book because it’s hard to put into words how amazing it is. Allison Cochran has written something really important here. It’s a romance that we really need in the world today.

Charlie is someone who has struggled with OCD, severe anxiety and panic disorder his whole life. After a crushing blow with work, he decides to make a PR move and go on the show Ever After which is modeled after The Bachelor. As the star of the show he has a handler named Dev who has struggles of his own but buries them so most people don’t really see what’s going on in the background. Part of Dev’s job as Charlie’s handler is to help him navigate dating 12 different women who are the contestants on this bachelor-style show. When he realizes that Charlie is having a tough time with social interactions he decides to take a more personal approach with Charlie and spends more time with him directly coaching him through the process. These two become super close and watching their friendship grow while at the same time realizing things about themselves is really something amazing to see on the page.

Cochran does a better job than any other author I’ve seen in dealing with neurodiversity, sexuality and gender preferences and racial inequalities in such a way that there is acknowledgment of the real struggle these characters do face in society and at the same time the struggle they have with themselves and the acceptance of who they are. This is not just a romance between Charlie and Dev, which by the way is sweet and steamy and fun, but it’s also a book where both Charlie and Dev learn to accept themselves as who they are and even more important to love themselves as who they are and that self-love doesn’t come from another person. Charlie's journey of learning about intimacy is beautifully written. I love that she included discussions of medication and therapy and being brave enough to open yourself up to someone. And while she is dealing with some of these very real and very big issues, this book is so funny. I laughed so many times. The interactions, the contestants, the silly games that they do to compete for Charlie’s love and the trips are all super entertaining and had the pages turning until the very end. I could not put it down.

All in all, this is a super gorgeous book written with wit, honesty and humor. It’s easily one of the best books of the year. I highly highly recommend you read it.

This was indeed charming! It gives the romcom vibes with a lot of laugh out loud moments. The characters are uniquely written, they’re complex. They’re imperfect. There’s miscommunication, overthinking and a lot of heart.
What I didn’t expect from this book was it delves into some deep and serious topics like mental health struggles. It was written with grace though.
I love the representation in sexuality and romantic aspects in this book.
It’s perfect for those who enjoy RWRB and Boyfriend Material. But it’s uniquely charming on its own. 5/5 would recommend and read again.

This story challenges the status quo of reality television.
It challenges the misconceptions, stereotypes, and prejudices the neurotypical cast join the neurodivergent, or those struggle with mental illness of all types.
It challenges what love is, how we find it, and what we d once we have it.

Dev and Charlie are endgame from the first time they meet. Both are a mess but holding themselves together with duct tape and a prayer. They struggle through the entire season of <i>Ever After</i> while coping with their own mental illness and misconceptions about love and their life trajectory.

Dev and Charlie's relationships isn't pretty. It's riddled with miscommunication, missteps of massive proportion, and heartbreak. And while they do eventually find their own happily ever after, the mess in the middle is reminiscent of real life. Yes, reality TV tends to be the furthest thing from reality. And their story shows that the script never measures up.

I love the difficult, painful portrayal of mental illness. There's a tendency in media to paint it as something pseudo-positive, like all the "benefits" of a mental illness (intense periods of focus, awareness of situations, etc.) outweigh the crippling negatives. Most media don't bother combining the two to show an accurate, real life depiction. Not this story. This story goes into the dark, painful parts of depression, anxiety, and OCD. Nearly every character has a therapist; many are on meds. They don't shy away, though they do share their struggles at consistent therapy. Positive coping strategies are stressed, even if the characters struggle to follow their own advice.

But we also NEED to talk about the vast array of sexualities present! Yes, the "big ones" are covered: gay, pan, lesbian. But we also have a BIROMANTIC character! And Charlie comes to realize that he may fall somewhere on the asexual spectrum, though he struggles with which one best fits him. Having exposure is important. It's gives us a mirror, offers us the language to help define ourselves. Several characters have multiple conversations about sexuality (including more than one about asexuality). As someone who identifies as asexual and so very rarely sees myself mirrored accurately or at all in literature, I found myself amazed. The "coming out" conversation between Dev and Charlie? Incredible. Coming out anytime is fine; never coming out is fine. Age doesn't matter because sexuality is a spectrum. I hope someone somewhere finds this book, reads it, and discovers the language they need to identify themselves.

I will say it took me a while to get into this book based solely on my prejudice for love-themed reality shows. Other books have left me disappointed in the past; I'm also not a fan of The Bachelor(ette). So why did I pick this up? Because I hoped it would flip the script and rewrite my appreciation for love stories.

And man did it deliver.

The Charm Offensive, by Alison Cochrun, is exactly what it says -- charming. This book is fun and flirty, making me laugh out loud and audibly "aww" on more than one occasion. It also tackles some very heavy issues, including OCD, anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues with grace and deftness. The characters are fully fleshed out, even down to the smallest side characters, and to say there is great representation is way underselling it -- this book is full of queer people of color living full and entirely realized lives.

If you loved Boyfriend Material and Red, White & Royal Blue, then The Charm Offensive is sure to be your next favorite.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Charm Offensive is a book that I wanted to take a chance on given the blurb. I am SO glad I did, as this is definitely one of the best books I've read this year. I was drawn in from the beginning by its beauty, awkwardness and heart.

Charles "Charlie" Winshaw is Prince Charming, the lead on Ever After, which is a Bachelor-style reality show. He's brilliant, awkward and gorgeous, which makes him the perfect lead. Dev Deshpande becomes Charlie's handler on set and Dev has always been a romantic at heart, so his position on the staff of the show feels like the perfect match for him.

Both Charlie and Dev have their own issues they are dealing with. Neither of them has really ever been vulnerable enough with others to open up, but that changes when they begin to open up to one another. They both are struggling in different ways and we learn through these two amazing characters that taking care of ourselves (both physically and mentally) and leaning on those who care about us is a must even if it is difficult. It also shows that you have to learn to love yourself along your journey.

Alison Cochrun did a an amazing job with this novel. I not only enjoyed Charlie and Dev and all that developed between the two of them, but the cast of characters who supported them were equally as endearing, unique and diverse. I really appreciated the focus on mental health in this book as well. It's not talked about nearly enough and it is so important. I highly recommend this book!

**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

This book was really sweet and the characters were really likeable and well written. I enjoyed the story and it did make me smile a lot while reading it.

However I did have some issues getting through the book, but a lot of them were were just due to me being me and not necessarily the book's fault.

One of the bigger issues was that I could not suspend my belief and believe that a wildly successful tech bro would ever join a dating show and I felt like reasoning made so little sense too. Like he’s joining because he wants to improve his reputation, but I don’t understand how a dating show is supposed to do rehabilitate that. (Also I feel like reality tv celebrities aren't known for their good reputations) I really had to push myself to get over that, and tell myself its fine, its just a story.

Another thing that didn't make sense to me was Charlie’s career. His OCD and anxiety seem quite debilitating to his life, and so I don’t know how he would ever agree to join a dating show. Also how was he able to create and run a big tech business. Maybe I was overthinking it, but starting a business is so hard and to be successful like you have to have good interpersonal skills and you have to talk so much to pitch yourself and Charlie doesn’t really have those skills. Like at CTO level of a huge business you’re not just working on code anymore, you’re dealing with like the business side of things and with like managing employees and stuff. I feel like it would make more sense if he had another position within the company. I feel like this would make more sense too because he says he had so many breakdowns at his job so why would he want that job because it sounds like a terrible job.

Also yes his colleagues seem like huge jerks no matter what, but from their POV Charlie probably seems undependable and hard to work with? If they knew the truth maybe they would be more understanding?? Maybe not?

Also if it was his company how were they able to vote him out? I know I don't understand what corporations are but, I would have appreciated a little more explanation.

What is the Winshaw foundation, they mentioned it at the beginning and brought it up at the end but I’m still confused as to what Charlie does there?

I feel like maybe I just got caught up in the details, but it did stop me from fully getting into the story.

In addition to that it took me a while to warm up to Charlie, because I just felt frustrated by him sometimes. But you knew he wouldn't mean to be and then I would feel kind of bad.

Going into this I was expecting something lighthearted and fun and cute, and for the most part it was, but it definitely had it's heavier moments, especially in dealing with mental health. Maybe reading it again knowing what it was about, I would feel differently, but I didn’t wanna read something sad or heavy at the time. And even though this has the typical happy rom com ending, I still felt somewhat sad after finishing the book. I know that these are real issues, and I do think its good to see them in the stories we read, but I didn’t wanna read about them. Sometimes it would feel like a lot and I would have to take a break from the book, b/c I just didn't want to keep reading.

Despite all of my personal issues and feelings I still feel like it was a good book that's pretty enjoyable.

Dev believes in fairytales and happy ever afters which is why he is producer on the hit reality show Ever After. But now they've decided he'll be the handler for this year's Prince.

Charlie is a tech whiz, multi millionaire who knows that love is not in the cards for him because he's awkward, different and doesn't always catch on to social cues.

With that aside Charlie is set to be the next Ever After Prince that is if he doesn’t puke on the Princesses, say the wrong thing or fall in love with his handler Dev.

This book incorporated so many things that we all need to be open about and talking about; depression, anxiety, sexuality, and how we fit into this world. Dev and Charlie both had so much working against them. They truly needed to go through a journey self discovery and self acceptance to find each other at the end of it all.

I absolutely fell in love with these two and the beautiful story they shared. A top read of 2021!!

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC. Voluntarily reviewed

I loved this romance that seems loosely based on the the tv series the Bachelor. Dev is a producer on the long-running television show Ever After where he crafts love stories to get people to fall in love.

When the show casts Charlie as the Prince Charming, Dev will have to put in more work than he bargained for. Charlie is only on the show to restore his image so he can go back to work and he certainly does not believe in true love. As Dev tires to coach Charlie in ways to connect with the contestants, Dev and Charlie realize they might have more chemistry than any of the contestants. This is such a great romance. It will leave you smiling.

Thank you to Atria for my copy of this book. All opinions are my own

I don’t watch The Bachelor, but I watched Lifetime’s Unreal, and this book felt like that with a huge side of adorable rom-com.

Dev works as a producer for a Bachelor-esque reality TV show, and Charlie is the star. Dev loves love. Charlie just wants to rebuild his career. Guess what happens when Dev is assigned to be Charlie’s handler?

The Charm Offensive does a wonderful job of exploring what “being here for the right reasons” means and of breaking down the idea of love peddled by so many reality TV shows. The plot felt fairly predictable, but honestly, that certainty is a big part of why rom-coms are so great. It was funny, diverse, and a little sappy. So good.

This was just a delight! I enjoyed it so much. It was incredibly charming and the perfect read at the end of a stressful week.

I honestly wasn't sure about reading and reviewing The Charm Offensive because I have never been a fan of reality TV shows unless it's cooking/baking ones, so I didn't know if a book about a reality dating show (like The Bachelor...) would hold my attention at all even though I love rom-coms, but boy was I wrong! Alison Cochrun's debut novel is so amazing! I read it and loved it so much. Trust me, if you love The Bachelor, you'll love this or if you're like me and aren't a fan of those types of shows, this book will still steal your heart!

Ever After is a widely popular reality dating show, and Dev is the show's producer. He strongly believes in the romance of fairy tale true love even though the 6-year relationship that he thought was his own happily ever after just blew up, and he's still got to work with his ex, Ryan. Still, his job is to make sure that this season's Prince Charming, Charlie, a tech millionaire who is only on the show to reboot his image and get hired again, finds his true love.

Charlie not only doesn't believe in true love but doesn't want to be on the show. Although he's the perfect looking prince--gorgeous, debonair, suave, he's just awful in front of the cameras and acts terrified with the women. Dev is assigned as his handler to help him learn how to act in front of the camera, loosen up, and act around the women and as they spend time together, Dev realizes that Charlie struggles with severe anxiety, panic attacks, and OCD and these struggles are why Charlie is stiff and awkward when the cameras are rolling. When they're together, Charlie is completely different and able to be himself with Dev.

The connection between the two is fantastic--Charlie has zero chemistry with any of the women he's supposed to pick at the end of the show's season as his princess, and he is finally able to admit to himself and Dev that he's never had a real relationship with anyone or explored his sexuality. Meanwhile, Dev is there for Charlie, being sweet, amazing, supportive, what he calls "Fun Dev" while struggling with his own depression that he wants no one to see. I loved these characters and how their relationship developed. The writing was excellent.

So, this book is way deeper than I expected when I started it! Yes, it's definitely a romance. It's got wonderful, fun flirty moments that had me smiling, hot, sexy scenes that were just wow, romantic scenes that made me tear up, but it had so many emotionally heavy scenes that broke my heart and made me ugly cry. I have severe generalized anxiety disorder, panic attacks, and have suffered from depression, so I felt so seen by the author in the scenes that she wrote about both anxiety and depression, She did an excellent job writing about it, and I applaud her for doing so.

I love this, but I think I already said that. If you were a huge fan of the book Red, White, and Royal Blue like I am, then I think you will too!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

-Review posted to NetGalley, Goodreads, and Twitter on 9/4/21 and will post to Amazon and B&N on publication day.

My rating: I loved it! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to Atria Books for the e-arc!

SUMMARY:
Dev works as a producer for a bachelor-like show- Ever After - and this season his job is to handle the prince- a difficult tech-geek named Charlie. He will be successful when Charlie finds love and proposes to a princess at the end of the season. Dev and Charlie grow closer as the season goes on, and Dev sees a different Charlie when he's not in front of the cameras. Pretty soon, Dev and Charlie realize there's more between them than any of the princesses on the show.

MY THOUGHTS:
👑 I loved the representation in this book! There was all sorts of LGBTQ+ identifying people, many "labels" that I hadn't seen represented before.
👑 This book reminded me of Red, White, & Royal Blue in all the ways that I loved!
👑 The author's note! I don't know how I never read them until recently, but they give me all the feels and make the book that much more special to me. Alison, thank you for sharing it with us!
👑 All of the characters were amazing... but a few favorites... I could relate to Dev, adored Charlie, and admired the badass Parisa!

Such a fun book, but meaningful and real at the same time. I hope to see this around Boostagram more because it deserves all of the praise and publicity!

Ahhhh I loved this!! This was so well done and so sensitive to those with mental health illness.⁣
⁣
This was an amazing LGBTQ romantic comedy with “Bachelor” reality tv show vibes in a show called “Ever After”. With an amazing cast of accepting friends that was such a joy to read.⁣
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Dev is a handler for the “prince” of the show Charlie, and his job is to make sure Charlie is always comfortable when going on dates and quests. Dev is obsessed with happily ever afters, but also deals with depression and even a bit of mania. Charlie is a tech millionaire who is awkward and anxious and deals with OCD and panic disorders and anxiety. These two form a close bond as Dev learns what Charlie needs when he starts to spiral and Charlie is there for Dev when he does too.⁣
⁣
The author was so gentle about dealing with mental health, was so open and real about how important it is to be who you are and to accept who you are, and created such a heartwarming story. ⁣
⁣
If you love reality tv shows, picturesque places, and good banter this is for you!⁣
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
Thank you @atriabooks for an ARC for an honest review. #bookstagram #books #thecharmoffensive #romance #romcom

Big time swoon vibes for this one!!

I’ve seen tons of great reviews for this book ahead of its pub date on the 7th and I was really excited to read it! The whole concept of turning a show like The Bachelor on its head by subverting the heteronormative bull crap was super intriguing. Charlie and Dev both had very serious mental illnesses and the openness which with they were discussed was very lovely.

If you’re looking for a sweet and spicy, queer rom com I would definitely say to pick this one up!!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

The Charm Offensive is a cute deconstruction of the incredibly straight world of reality TV dating shows, a la The Bachelor franchise. I love how it explores the ins and outs of that realm in a tongue-in-cheek way, from the questions of who’s genuinely in it to find love vs. doing it for fame/money to the way the film crew is essentially projecting an image with editing choices made to the footage.

The leads are both incredible. I loved that both Charlie and Dev deal with mental health issues that are addressed on-page and depicted compassionately. I appreciate the way it straddles that line between showing that both are deserving of love despite the way their past experiences may have impacted them, while also showing that it’s not the ultimate fix for their issues.

I also love the supporting cast, especially in how queer it was, which I didn’t expect going in based on the premise. There’s one supporting character who ends up as the lead for the new, more queer-friendly version of Ever After, and I’d love a follow up to see how that plays out!

This book is delightful, a perfect balance of lighthearted and emotionally moving. Fans of The Bachelor and/or LGBTQ+ romance will adore this book!

The Charm Offensive is a LGBTQ+ romance novel that explores behind the scenes on a dating reality show similar to The Bachelor, mental health effects, friendships, and finding identity. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this one! I could definitely see this become a movie or a limited TV series. I really loved the diverse representation and various sexual identities in this book. It’s definitely a combination of One to Watch and Red, White & Royal Blue. Definitely recommend picking this one up if you love romance books!

I liked this book a lot. The characters were wonderful and I love how inclusive and diverse the author made each each character in the book.

I watched The Bachelor for so long. So the aspect of this being a show like that where contestants come on to find love.

The author does a wonderful job representing those with mental illnesses and trying to take away some of the stigmatism against therapy. As a person who suffers from anxiety/depression I think the author wrote about it very sincerely and in a positive way.

✨ The Title/Cover Draw:
I have been all about reality dating show books lately. Thanks to @Netgalley and @atriabooks for allowing me to read this ahead of publication.

💜 What I liked:
The relationship between Charlie and Dev was so beautiful. The author really writes honestly, allowing the characters to go on a journey of who they are - both separately and together. This is also true of other people in the book, and they care for each other, growing as a community. It really touched me.

😱 What I didn’t like:
There were a few laggy moments, but really that was it.

🚦 My face at the end: 😿

💭 5 Reasons to Read:
1. Supportive community
2. Discovered vulnerability
3. Honest view of human feelings
4. Unique POV
5. Reality dating show



🕧 Mini-Summary:
Charlie goes onto a reality dating show to improve his image. He meets Dev, a producer who believes in fairytale romance.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Received from Netgalley.

I was provided a digital ARC of The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun in exchange for my honest review/feedback. A fun rom-com, but also so much more! I generally enjoy books that explore the effects of mental illness and family trauma on relationships, and this title does not disappoint. Well paced, with enough romantic teasers to keep the hope alive. Also, more vomiting than I'm accustomed to, but its somehow kind of funny? If you're a fan of LGBTQ romance or reality dating shows, definitely pick this up!