I read this straight through in one sitting. It's the kind of YA book I needed as a teenager, one that doesn't shy away from the messy reality of romance and the struggles of being someone who doesn't fit into the narrow box of the mainstream.

I LOVED this novel!!! It made me laugh AND cry. This is a queer romance, but so much more.

This novel focuses on a reality dating show, Ever After, and the cast and crew. Charlie has been cast as this season's prince, to rehabilitate his image. Dev has been a producer/handler on the show for 6 years. Dev is assigned to handle Charlie, instead of the women, as he usually does. Charlie is OCD and has anxiety, and Dev manages to calm him down and help him appear more relatable. Over the course of filming, the two fall in love.

Full disclosure - I've never been a fan of the Bachelor/ette series, but there was a fictionalized series called UnReal that was the story of the behind the scenes of a reality dating show. Ironically, much like the show in this book, the show on UnReal was called Ever After. Anyway, the romance portion of this novel will feel fairly familiar to anyone who's ever read a romance novel, BUT the CHARACTERS and the writing are what make this book. Dev and Charlie are both so charming in different ways. The supporting characters are equally well-rounded.

Another thing I loved was that both Dev and Charlie had to realize (and then actually attempt to achieve) that you must love and accept yourself before you can find your happily ever after.

"Dev Deshpande has always believed in fairy tales. So it’s no wonder then that he’s spent his career crafting them on the long-running reality dating show Ever After. As the most successful producer in the franchise’s history, Dev always scripts the perfect love story for his contestants, even as his own love life crashes and burns. But then the show casts disgraced tech wunderkind Charlie Winshaw as its star.

Charlie is far from the romantic Prince Charming Ever After expects. He doesn’t believe in true love, and only agreed to the show as a last-ditch effort to rehabilitate his image. In front of the cameras, he’s a stiff, anxious mess with no idea how to date twenty women on national television. Behind the scenes, he’s cold, awkward, and emotionally closed-off.

As Dev fights to get Charlie to connect with the contestants on a whirlwind, worldwide tour, they begin to open up to each other, and Charlie realizes he has better chemistry with Dev than with any of his female co-stars. But even reality TV has a script, and in order to find to happily ever after, they’ll have to reconsider whose love story gets told."

Thanks to NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was incredible

First of all, this book is the perfect mix between a romcom and a book that discusses heavy topics like depression and mental health

Second of all, there was so much representation in this book, like an Indian gay mc with depression and a gay mc with OCD, generalized anxiety and a panic disorder. Those characters made me feel so seen and I fell in love with all of them.

This book blew me away. Alison Cochrun blew me away with this gem of a debut. I am excited to read more books by her! I am speechless, but yet I will continue to gush about this book for this review and to anyone who will listen. This book is funny, loving, tender, beautiful, thoughtful, and many other words I cannot express right now. Experiencing Charlie and Dev find love on the page was a treat, as well as how they work through their sexuality and mental health. I am always looking for queer romance stories to read, recommend, and obsess over, and this book perfectly constructs LGBTQA+ love. The story is also funny, with many scenes making me laugh out loud. I want to live in a world where Ever After shows exist, with real people finding real love. I recommend this book to anyone who loves romantic comedies, queer love stories, and accurate and poignant mental health portrayals on the page.

I loved reading this book! It's about Dev who is a producer of Ever After and gets a new actor Charlie who is trying to rebuild his image but is an anxious mess that doesn't know how to date so Dev decides to help him which leads to some certain feelings. This is probably one of my favorite LGBTQ+ books that I have ever read that deals with mental health and building a proper relationship. It was nice to see a book that deals with finding your true self, panic attacks, and depression in a good way by showing how you can personally try to grow from it and be stronger. This book gave me a warm feeling that I haven't felt for my books in a long time. I just enjoyed the author's writing and can't explain how good it was! It is just amazing with a wonderful storyline, plot structure, pacing, setting, character, and everything else!

This book is written by both Dev and Charlie's pov which is great because I enjoyed both characters a lot and it was nice to get a feeling of both of them. Dev cares so much about his show but is also dealing with depression and learns to heal by getting help from Charlie. Then there is Charlie who deals with panic attacks and is trying to find his true self with the help of Dev. Both characters have developed a lot in this book and I just enjoyed seeing the growth! I also loved the side characters who brought humor into this book! There are also friends to lovers romance which is usually my least favorite trope but this made me rethink it.

The ending was well done and I just overall enjoyed this book. Everything was just perfect with this book and I will for sure be reading more from this author in the future! I totally recommend reading this book if you need a good lgbtq+ book that deals with mental health and relationships!

Ever After....the reality show that brings together a prince and his princess. It is true love found in a reality show. Dev is a producer that has been with the show since the beginning. Watching countless princes' find their happily ever after. Dev would love to find his prince but he always seems to fall flat. He dated Ryan for almost 6 years before that gave way. Dev just keeps on looking. Love always has a way of showing up when you least expect it.
Ever After newest prince is Charlie, a heart throb with a tech background. He is everything a woman could ever want, beauty, brains, and a HUGE bank account. The problem is, he has worked so hard getting ahead in the tech world, he hasn't dated much at all. Dev has a lot of work to do here to get Charlie prepared for reality show dating. Except Dev finds it very distracting working with such a beautiful man. Biggest work crush ever!
I found The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun one of the best love stories I have read in a long time! I was definitely rooting for Dev and Charlie from the beginning!! Cochrun writes a very enjoyable story that keeps you engaged from page one. Even if you have never watched one of the reality dating shows, you'll still enjoy the behind the scenes take of Ever After. I will definitely recommend The Charm Offensive to others and will be looking for future work by Alison Cochrun. Special thanks to NetGalley, Alison Cochrun, and Atria Books publishing for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. 5 stars for me.

This book gave me "The Bachelor" Vibes but even BETTER! We meet Dev who is a producer, a huge group of amazing coworkers who are all part of the "Ever After" family, then we meet Charlie, the gorgeous "Prince", OH GOODNESS I knew this was going to be so GOOD!!!!!

I hate "The Bachelor" so when I started the book it gave me those vibes, but the characters were soo funny, I had to hold back while reading this from time to time. Lots of behind the scenes, and of course we all know these reality matchmaking shows are all fake, but I loved it, did I mention how much I loved this book?

Charlie is very different, and the whole production team have their hands full, Dev has so much faith that he will help Charlie find love., but when Dev finds out that Charlie has other motives to why he's even in the show and also reveals a lot of his own issues, Dev is really THERE for him, Dev actually SEES Charlie for who he is and Charlie for the first time is seeing his own worth.

Topics like mental health, love, and living your truth, stepping away from the norms of society and doing YOU. WOW! Thanks Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Honestly, I came here to be delighted, and THE CHARM OFFENSIVE did not disappoint. Alison Cochrun’s debut is a really lovely and thoughtful little romance, centered on a reality star who falls in love with the show’s producer. There’s so much exploration of mental health in really considerate ways, and most characters are LGBTQIA. There’s nothing to not love!

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC.

UPDATED: I included THE CHARM OFFENSIVE in my summer preview for Book and Film Globe: https://bookandfilmglobe.com/fiction/eight-books-to-take-you-into-fall/

DEVOURED this book in three days (currently moving and have two kids, so this is a quick timeline for me)!!! Charlie and Dev's love story is one for the ages. A queer rom-com set in what we can assume to be a "Bachelor-esque" setting where the main star of the show falls in love with a producer - I mean, COME ON!

I appreciated how the author incorporated what I like to call "little essays on life's troubles" concerning depression, anxiety, and finding one's self in a confusing world. It not only offered insight into each character's development, but also showed how these mental health journeys can differ from person to person. In the world of romance literature, a lot of the storylines can feel over-fabricated, so it was refreshing to read one that felt grounded in reality by having characters going through real and major life events. But, since it is romance, it was nice to have a happy ending to look forward to. Would highly recommend to anyone who was a fan of Red, White and Royal Blue.

Another book that has me saying ‘I can’t believe this is a debut!’

The Charm Offensive is such a sweet book. I loved Charlie and Dev and the way their relationship developed. I also loved the open discussions about mental health and it’s importance. The behind the scenes editing of the Ever After show, and the way the characters were manipulated so that what they did and said fit the show’s narrative added another enjoyable layer.

The only reason this is 4⭐️ And not 5⭐️ Is that I predicted the ending almost exactly from about half way through. I love romances, I read them for the happy ever after that I know is coming - but I still like to be a little uncertain as to how they will get there.

I highly recommend this to fans of romance and am so looking forward to Cochrun’s next novel.

Thank you Atria Books for my gifted eARC

If you love reality dating shows!
If you DON'T give a flying fig about reality dating shows!
If you love (or are) a human with anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, who is neurodivergent, or a person who feels things deeply. (🙋‍♀️Me too!)
If you love slow burn, sexy, queer romances.

Basically, unless you are a crotchety hater who hates love, joy, and gloriously well-deserved happy endings, then you should read this perfect book.

I have zero negative things to say. It's perfect. Truly a masterpiece that will become a favorite book for so many. It is unbelievably moving! It's so sexy! Alison Cochrun has created characters that felt achingly real.

Charles Winshaw is a gorgeous, awkward, severely anxious man who is cast as the star on a reality dating show in hopes of improving his reputation in the tech industry. Dev Deshpande is a producer on this show and his "handler." Basically, Charles (Sweet, precious Charlie!) comes on the show and is so very unprepared for the reality of it-- would rather not be touched, definitely not kissed, can't seem to make his face relax or look happy, vomits when nervous, and drives the crew and producers bananas. Dev sincerely believes that if he can help Charlie loosen up and practice dating, he can help him find love with one of the contestants. Of course, the more time they spend "practicing" for the show, the more real the feelings between Charlie and Dev become.

Things. Get. Intense. It is absolutely beautiful to watch how these characters open up and begin to understand each other and themselves. There is a strong theme of worthiness that is so well done. Charlie is worthy of love. Dev is worthy of love.

The difficulties Charlie goes through trying to prove himself are so obvious to everyone, but Dev's journey to embrace himself is private and hidden away. It's so easy for them to understand the other, and yet that isn't a magical solution to their problems. It takes personal work--not just passion, friendship, and love to find their individual paths to happiness and mental health.

This is a book I will read and reread. I will buy multiple copies so I can share it! I am The Charm Offensive's biggest fan. Okay fine we can all be The Charm Offensive's biggest fan together!

Thank you so much Netgalley and Atria Books for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is hands down one of the best romances that I've read this year! I love everything about this novel. The queer representation was fantastic. And what struck me most was the focus on mental health and neurodiversity. The characters felt real and I connected to them so quickly. The format is great and I loved the humor throughout as well.

Trigger Warnings: Depression, break-up, Anxiety, panic attacks, OCD, mental health stigmas, alcohol, alcohol dependency, familial estrangement and rejection, homophobia, racism, vomit, cursing, violence, therapy, sex

Representation: Indian, Mental health, Gay, Queer, Black, Biracial, Bisexual, Pansexual, Chinese, Asexual, Biromantic, Demisexual, Lesbian

The Charm Offensive is an adult contemporary romance that follows the filming of the reality tv show, Ever After. Dev, a true romantic, has been working on the show for 6 years and this season has a role shift when he is assigned to work with the prince. Charlie, this season’s prince, is quite different than the previous contestants and is actually looking for love at all.

This eARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Oh how I loved this book! The raw honesty, the detailed look at depression and other mental health issues, love being accepting of flaws!! I cannot say enough good things about it!

This book is a contemporary romance novel. As far as the romance, *chef’s kiss.* We have two characters go both feel they aren’t deserving of love or a happy ending. This was completely relatable and felt so sincere. Despite the events occurring on a set for a reality tv show, I think anyone who has ever felt less than deserving, can see themselves in these characters.

The book also took on a ginormous helping of mental health. The experiences that the characters had felt completely true and sometimes too familiar. While I’ve never dealt with OCD myself, I felt Charlie’s experience was still relatable and honest. I think the author did an amazing job of depicting the range of experiences that can occur with mental health and I loved seeing the very bad days. The use of Fun Dev was so raw and real, it allows for the readers to rethink how they approach one another and themselves.

Overall, this book is a 10 out of 10! It included so many laugh out loud moments, as well as brutal honesty and the true meaning of loving one another. Of course there were some cheesy moments (it is set on a reality dating show, after all). The depth this book has though, it’s almost impossible to describe. Plus, any HEA fans still get the ooey gooey romance and love scenes. For the characters, everyone was fully developed and layered. I loved learning more about the side characters through their interactions with our main cast. I loved how each character was able to share their sexuality, as well as their experiences with mental health and therapy. All of these interactions normalized these topics that have been taboo for way too long.

I don't know where to start with how much I loved The Charm Offensive. Alison Cochrun's debut novel is incredible and powerful in the way that it discusses mental health and queerness.

CW: obsessive-compulsive disorder, severe anxiety, severe depression, biphobia, queerphobia, misogyny, dismissiveness of mental health

Dev and Charlie were a couple that I found myself invested in wholeheartedly. I loved the two of them together and how they were able to bring out the best in each other. They understand each other and are willing to push themselves outside of their comfort zones to make the other happy. This was a slow-burn romance that just made sense with who the two characters are.

I loved the way that mental health and queerness/sexuality were discussed in this book. Cochrun shed light on the side of depression and anxiety that we often don't see, the not so pretty side. I found it to be relatable and beautiful. I loved that both Charlie and Dev learned to love the parts of themselves that were hard to love. I also appreciated the way that therapy was normalized.

This book is a must-read for anyone struggling with their mental health or sexuality. Please just read this book you will not regret it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun was a delightful look behind the scenes of a Bacheloresque reality dating show called Ever After. Producer Dev is fresh off a breakup with the show's now promoted Executive Producer when he is promoted to the Prince's Handler. This means making the season's Prince, tech millionaire hottie Charlie, look likeable on camera and find love. Things go off the rails when Dev and Charlie have more chemistry than any of the conestants. Will this season end in heartbreak or will there be a happily ever after for them?

This book was sweet, spicy and so funny! I loved Cochrun's writing and seeing neurodiviersity and in the main characters. This is sure to be a be best seller and for good reason, suggest for your Bachelor-loving Book Clubs now!

Charlie just wants to reclaim his CTO position of WinHan, but in order to gain respect after being fired of having OCD (ridiculous), he is roped into being the Prince in a reality dating show, Ever After. Dev is assigned to be Charlie’s handler, his coach for the show, but what happens when Dev begins to feel something else the more time he spends with Charlie?

THE CHARM OFFENSIVE was offensively charming! A stunning debut that explored sexuality, coming out, mental health issues, and of course, romance and humor, all mangled under the guise of a heteronormative reality dating show. Cochrun’s narration made me feel I was part of the story, and I loved the chemistry and romantic development between Charlie and Dev.

I definitely recommend to fans of RED, WHITE, & ROYAL BLUE.

Loved this one! It was so fun. Perfect for Bachelor fans, so many references and connections BUT a totally fresh take. The relationships are well written and authentic. This was one I looked forward to coming home to each night.

You know when you’re hanging out with your best friend, having the time of your life, understanding each other completely & not a single worry enters your mind? That’s how reading this book feels.

It’s primarily a romance. You shouldn’t be expecting groundbreaking plot-twists or action scenes that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Instead, what you get are two wonderful main characters just doing their best to live life, who also happen to fall in love. Now, here’s the kicker. Romances don’t actually work if the protagonists aren’t incredibly well fleshed out, if they aren’t basically real people put on paper. Luckily, though, this is definitely a romance.

There’s also something to be said about keeping the readers interested in the book without all those Big Events and with a simple story-line instead. Well, as simple as a dating reality show & all its backstage drama can provide.

The magic, I think, hides in the fact that the characters grow. They do feel like actual people; they have flaws, they make mistakes, they make bad choices. But they learn from all of that – and the narrative shows it. They learn by themselves or with a a help of a friend or, indeed, the person they love. It’s never portrayed to imply that it’s love that allows them to change for the better. The Charm Offensive is very clear that love doesn’t fix a person. It can only make them feel seen & understood. Which is an idea even more important in a book like this, where both the main characters struggle with mental illnesses.

The side characters form a beautiful found family, always there ready to support. All of them made even more beautiful by the fact that basically not a single one of them is cishet… We can have that sometimes in books, as a treat! Not only is it obviously believable, but it also gifts the reader this feeling of absolute comfort and a safe space. It’s a book for us and we can tell.

All in all, The Charm Offensive is charming in every way possible. A perfect read for a slightly chilly autumn day. Or really any day when you need some extra love in your life, with a side of fluff.

Ohmygosh, this was the best thing ever, and I am so completely obsessed. This is the book I've been wanting for forever. This is a book about a reality dating show that's going to get taken over by the queen community, and it's about two incredible characters both dealing with mental health issues, both of them unsure if anyone could ever really accept those parts of them. I really loved how well this book handled the mental health rep and just seeing those parts of them being so intrinsically a part of them and talked about throughout the book just made me so happy and feel all the feels.

I really adored Dev and how he truly believed in love, how he believed in the show and that they were creating real love stories. I loved how much of a romantic he was and how he wanted that romance and perfect love story for himself. It killed me how because he was brown and queer, he never would see himself on a show like that, how the world made him feel like people like him didn't deserve that perfect love story. I died over the script he was writing and how he didn't think anyone would ever like it or want to do anything with it because it was about two brown guys. I died over his depression and how he always tried to be "Fun Dev" to make everyone around him happy, how he was always trying to be the happy, fun version of himself for everyone else and never completely took care of himself.

I loved Charlie so dang much. He was a sweetheart, and I adored everything about him. It killed me how so many people in life made him feel like there was something wrong with him and he didn't deserve the same thing everyone else around him did. I liked how he knew himself, and what he needed. I liked how great Dev was with him, how he set him at ease, and how Charlie was figuring out his sexuality as he realized he was feeling feels for the first time around Dev. I really adored his friendship with Parisa and how she was always there for him and knew what he needed, sometimes even better than he did.

I really loved the slow progression of Dev and Charlie's relationship, how they became friends first, how Dev understood him in a way no one other than Parisa ever had before. I love how Dev never let Charlie feel bad about his OCD and social anxiety. I love how Dev figured out Charlie's triggers and coping mechanisms and always knew exactly what he did and didn't want and need. I loved how Charlie found out about Dev's clinical depression and was there for him, letting him know it didn't change anything, that he didn't need him to be Fun Dev all the time, that he would support him through it all. I just really loved how these two were always there for each other in all the ways they each needed. And I also just loved that they asked each other what the other needed, that they never assumed anything. They were just so incredible and perfect.

I really loved the people around them who supported them. I loved how Jules was there for Dev when he got into his funks, how Parisa was Charlie's best friend and always knew how to help him, how Skylar saw everything and helped them both when she could, how even Ryan was there for them. I loved this queer, diverse group of friends and everything about them. Also, Daphne was so great and I loved how she figured herself out over the course of the show. She was so sweet, and I'm so glad she gets to be herself, finally.

And the way the show came together kind of killed me and made my life. I love how they told the story the world needed, how nothing ever goes the way you expect, how there are more stories to tell than the typical ones, how everyone deserves love, even the ones who have never been in front of the camera before. I just loved everything about how that went down and how Dev took the time he needed to be healthy for himself and how Charlie gave him that space, and how they came back together and ugh, everything about this book was just so amazing and I loved every moment of it.

I loved the characters and this was a very cute romance. I've never personally been much of a fan of reality TV, but it made for a very fun setting with lots of room for misadventures. I also really appreciated the way mental illness was handled and thought it was a good depiction of struggles many of us can understand.