This is astonishingly good. It isn’t always easy or comfortable, but it’s filled with so much heart, and shows a startling breadth of human experience in its pages. Dev believes in Happily Ever After, and produces an alternate reality version of the Bachelor. Charlie doesn’t believe in much, except getting his position back in the tech world he was forced out of after a mental health episode. Watching these two spiral around each other was a joy.

Highlights:
Lots of tropes snuck in here. Just one bed. Practice dating. Forbidden love. Opposites attract. All wrapped up in a dating show and trip around the world.

So much representation wrapped up here. Lots of racial diversity, diverse lgbtq+ identities, neurodiversity (OCD, panic disorder, anxiety disorder, depression), and all of it handled so matter of factor, without making a bid deal about its own importance. Simply a recognition that this is what the world actually looks like, even if the camera shows two pretty, straight, white people.

Charlie and Dev are so wonderful together, wrapping themselves around the others broken bits, holding each other together when it becomes too much. This is a relationship of equals, with each giving and taking, pushing and pulling, and falling despite themselves and the seeming impossibility of their love.

This is one of the best of the year so far for me, and I can’t wait for the rest of the world to read it. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC, all opinions are my own.

Let me start by saying that I was a huge fan of this book. It absolutely gave me those Red, White, and Royal Blue/One to Watch Vibes that I have been looking for ever since finishing those novels. I loved the characters and the storytelling, like nearly everyone else that I have spoken to about it. I absolutely think it is so important to have proper representation for all kinds of characters and stories to be told, and I was so delighted to have the opportunity to read an early copy of this book. With that being said, after reading and being ready to write a five star review and recommend this book to many others, I did take a few minutes to read the reviews others had posted on goodreads, and one did call out rather problematic misrepresentation of Indians/Indian-Americans, so please keep this in mind. I truly loved the story and am eager to see more of the author in the future.

I'm struggling a bit to find the words to do this book justice! It is real, complicated and so incredibly sweet. It showcases mental health and queer themes in an incredibly thoughtful way. I loved everything about The Charm Offensive!

The premise of the plot centers around tech genius Charlie who goes on Ever After, a reality dating show, to rehab his image and get his career back on track. Problem is, Charlie as a contestant is pretty much an immediate disaster that producer Dev is assigned to "handle," if there is any chance to save his beloved show.

I absolutely adored Alison Cochrun's writing and the way she created such deep characters and an engaging storyline. This book melted me in a way that very few romances have, I am pretty sure I literally swooned while reading this! I am hoping there is a Daphne book next but will be reading whatever Alison Cochrun writes going forward. Even her acknowledgments and message to her students hit me! Pre-order this one because it is absolutely fantastic!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced copy of this and the opportunity to share my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ok but this book. THIS BOOK. it was absolutely delightful from start to end. I’m a sucker for the bachelor trope/storyline and this reversal did not disappoint.

Charlie’s anxieties are so well written and explained that even when he’s being “clumsy” and “awkward”, he’s very endearing. As someone who struggles with some of the same, I appreciate that it was taken seriously and not played off for jokes.

and then there’s Dev. Oh, my man Dev. The cutest little hopeless romantic with a fair bit of baggage. It’s possible I related to him even more. He watched Ever After for years before working on the show and he believes in the HEA. He’s helped create it as a handler.

As for the love story? It is such a wonderful slow burn. I won’t spoil any more of the plot though because it’s honestly one of the most enjoyable reads I’ve had in a while!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance reader copy.

“Some things are too spectacular for fear.”

This book is an absolute treasure. From the very beginning, it grabbed a hold of my heart and burrowed in deep. It is raw and poignant, tender and inclusive, witty and laugh out loud funny while also being genuinely deep and nuanced. I loved it so so much.

Charles Winshaw is trying to get his life back. He’s been let go from the tech company he helped found so he agrees to go on Ever After, a reality dating show, to repair his reputation. Problem is, when he gets there the same demons he battled before followed him and he struggles to lean in to the role of leading bachelor. His producer, Dev, has worked on the show for years and is a die hard believer in happily ever afters. As he gets to know Charlie, Dev helps peel back the layers to allow Charlie to open up to someone else and Dev finds himself doing the same. Charlie and Dev find that the chemistry between them is impossible to ignore and have to decide whether to flip the script and be true to the story their writing for themselves.

There is nothing I love more than people who have been through the trenches and decide to take charge of the narrative of their own life. Through the course of the book, we see both Dev and Charlie do exactly that. They each battle their own internalized lies to realize they are worthy of love and acceptance just the way they are (aren’t we all?). Their relationship builds with so much tenderness and intimacy, I felt like I was intruding on a private moment when they were together. Every time Dev tapped the Morse code for “calm” on Charlie’s arm or thigh or back, my heart burst a little bit in my chest.

I cannot believe this is Alison Cochran’s debut novel. It is masterful. And the acknowledgements at the end tie into the story so beautifully - so don’t skip them! I can’t wait to read every single thing she writes in the future.

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

I read this book with my whole heart, feeling every single one of the myriad of emotions in this story. I was enamored by Charlie snd Dev’s story, as they navigated through all of the obstacles that stood in the way of their happily ever after. A Charm Offensive is set amid the backdrop of a reality tv show, bringing with it a unique set of circumstances that added to the conflict and the barriers thar built up between Dev and Charlie. There is a depth to this novel that was staggering at times; I couldn’t shut off my brain or my emotions even when I wasn’t reading the story. And when I WAS reading, the rest of the world disappeared, as I was lost in the love, the tenderness, the insecurities, and the vulnerability of two people trying to find their way to each other.

This was a fun read. Full if wit, charm, and angsty love! It is a fun and unique take on a romcom and I love the inclusiveness of the characters.

I love reality TV, but I have never watched The Bachelor or Bachelorette or any spin offs they have done all for the simple fact that the show does not represent me as gay man. The world is so fascinated by the heteronormative of what true love should be (between a man and a woman) and that the man has got to be the most gorgeous, 6 pack tasty looking piece of meat with great hair and that the woman has to be blond, blue eyed, and be a size 0. Wake up y’all, that’s not realistic and you all know it is. Not to say that you all shouldn’t stop watching it if its your thing. My thing is watching rich women argue of minuscule shit. We all have our guilty pleasures when it comes to TV.

But with all that being said, it was refreshing to read a book that I can relate too. Not so much as the two main characters being sexy fucks that i would jump on a heart beat, but that I can relate to the fact that i struggled with my sexual identity for so long and surpassed my feelings and urges that I had as a teenager. And my struggle with mental health that was brought on by this struggle. And I appreciate Alison for bringing awareness to all of this.

For me, the love story that blooms over the course of 2 months is also relatable. People don’t understand that you can fall in love fast. It is possible. I met my boyfriend online, and within a few weeks I knew I was in love with him. And within 2 months we were living together. And here we are 13 years later.

Anyways, The Charm Offensive is everything I didn’t think I needed and more. One of my favorite RomComs of the year. And one of my favorite reads of the year. Go get this book when it comes out.

Charlie is a brainy, handsome tech guy who is looking to rehab his image when we relents to be the new "prince" on the reality dating tv show Ever After. As his panic disorder comes out, he begins to rely on and get close to his producer handler Dev. Dev, having just gotten out of long relationship, is also dealing with anxiety and depression. This same sex romance set in the background of a straight reality dating show could have been cheesy and overly predictable, but it was not. This book was actually delightful and really dealt with the characters' anxieties and what they felt like were initially mental disabilities in a really balanced and lovely way. The overall theme of this was "you desire love". I loved that the couple, and also their friends, supported their quirks and helped the characters see these traits as assets and part of their personalities.

This was fun, at times steamy but not outrageously so as it was fitting for the storyline, and had a satisfying ending (it is a romance but I wasn't 100% sure how they would stay together in the end.) All in all, this is what romance, and same sex romance especially, should be. I would say it was a blend of Red, White, and Royal Blue mixed with One to Watch and a little The Kiss Quotient.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the advance copy for review. I hope this book gets the attention it desires.

4.5 stars

This was such a beautiful and tender novel. The premise intrigued me right from the start and the fictitious reality dating show Ever After was the perfect backdrop for this adorkable romcom. It allowed favorite tropes like forced proximity, friends to lovers, workplace taboo/forbidden, and even a little fake dating to really shine. The story unfolds following the show’s timeline, and though it does create some very long chapters, everything flowed together wonderfully. It’s hard to believe that this is Alison Cochrun’s debut novel.

The mental health representation, humor, and emotion were balanced so well and I loved how the story explored sexual identity. My heart was bursting with love for Charlie and Dev while I was reading. Every longing glance and brief moment of contact helped fuel the slow burn between them. It was so beautiful how they saw right to the heart of each other and could just be exactly who they were. Their struggles and concerns were relatable and understandable and every hurdle they encountered only made me love them more. So many times I wanted to reach through the pages and give them both a big hug. I appreciated that they didn’t always have all the answers and that they were still working towards being their truest and most healthy selves. I thought the mental health representation was really well done and it was the raw honesty and vulnerability of these characters that truly made this book outstanding.

The secondary cast of characters were all equally wonderful and added just the right touch of humor and heart to the story. I would love to see spin off books for each of them, especially Parisa and Jules. As much as I loved The Charm Offensive, I do wish that Dev being Indian American had played a more significant role in the book. There really wasn’t any exploration or discussion about Indian culture or how it might have contributed to his character development. It almost felt like a throwaway mention and besides his name, it was easy to forget that Dev was Indian American at all.

The Charm Offensive is a heartfelt and beautiful celebration of queer joy, queer love, and choosing happily ever after.

CW (from the author’s website, possible spoilers):



-On-page anxiety, panic attacks, and experiences with depression
-Conversations surrounding OCD and mental illness stigmas, including workplace discrimination (off-page, alluded to)
-Drinking and discussions of alcohol dependency
-Familial estrangement and rejection based on mental illness (off-page, alluded to)
-Brief references to homophobia and racism (all challenged)

*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*

The Charm Offensive is a cute mlm rom-com about Dev Deshpande, producer for reality dating show called ‘Ever After’ (very similar to the bachelor) & Charlie Winshaw, ex tech mogul who is trying to break back into the tech world by finding love on a reality dating show.

Charlie struggles with sever anxiety and OCD which makes it difficult for him to connect with contestants on the show, or really just anyone. The thing I appreciated most about this book is how they handled writing characters with mental illnesses such as anxiety, OCD & depression. Cochrun did not write them off as burdens for not being mentally stable, instead allowed the characters to have bad days and surround them with phenomenal side characters that really made the book.

Something that got me stuck a bit while reading was the repetitiveness of the storyline, a good middle chunk of the book was the same thing again and again, it took me a while to get hooked and finally finish. I will say the ending definitely made up for the ‘meh middle’ as I call it.

If you’re a huge fan of the Bachelor & Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston, this book is definitely up your alley. Ever wonder what would happen if instead of falling for any of the girls on the show, the star of a dating show fell for his male producer? Read this book!

What a lovely story!!!!!!!!!!

I loved the behind the scenes vibe of trashy realty tv, i loved charlie, dev, parisa, jules. i loved the self discovery and the representation of sexuality and mental health.

i also really loved the ending, it would be lovely to see daphne’s story!

This book was sheer perfection-the type of book you rush to finish even though you never want it to end, I don't watch dating shows so but thought the book might be cute. I liked the idea of the star falling for his handler rather than the bevy of beauties that are supposed to be vying for his affections. The fact that it was a m/m story added an element of intrigue for me, I wasn't expecting the wonderfully diverse cast and the emphasis on mental health which made this book so refreshing and even more wonderful. As much of those items added immensely to my enjoyment, the fact is that I fell in love with Charlie and Dev before they fell for each other. I laughed with them. I wanted to punch other characters on their behalf. I swooned like crazy with them. And oh man did did my heart ache with them. Reading about them discovering the love they deserved as they discovered that they deserved love at all destroyed my heart and put it back together all at the same time. Just read it already.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review,

Alison Cochrun's "The Charm Offensive" was spectacular. My favorite romance of the year by far. I've already sent out texts demanding that friends read it as soon as possible.

While the plot is fun and engaging, the characters are the real stars of this novel. The neurodivergent, queer, and culturally diverse characters who populate this novel are so genuine and heartfelt. This novel had so much heartwarming representation and placed important focus on mental wellness and healthy relationships. I am already refreshing my screens for Cochrun's next novel; I can't wait!

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

I can’t stop smiling!! Ugh this book was just everything perfect. We follow Charlie, a super hot, super smart, super awkward techy guy who agrees to go on a Bachelor type show called Ever After to rebrand his image after a falling out in his career life. We also follow Dev, a gay, happy ending loving handler for the show Ever After who end up being Charlie’s handler due to his natural ability to charm. Then, enter chaos and drama! But done so wonderfully. I just loved Charlie and Dev, their banter and relationship was just perfection. I loved watching both of them peel back each other’s layers and get to the root of who each other were as people, to see each other at the core. It was truly beautiful, I found myself crying so many times in this book both because of the genuine love and care they had for each other but also for the way the author wrote in the patience and care each character had for each other’s mental illnesses. It’s beautiful seeing them navigate and learn what each other needed at their worst and not be afraid to stay. Ugh so sweet. And mannnn, Charlie’s best friend Parisa is straight fire!

The Charm Offensive was everything I could've wanted and more in a book! From Charlie and Dev's relationship, the discussions of mental health, and the wonderful cast of side characters, there is so much to love about this book. It was an incredibly debut book and I will eagerly be anticipating Alison Cochrun's next book.

As someone who has watched way too many seasons of The Bachelor and Bachelorette, I loved how this book even though it was fictional, gave you a behind the scenes look at what goes on with reality TV, and I'm going to bet it was very accurate in its depictions. We always hear about producer manipulation, scenes being spliced together to change the narrative, and the contestants and lead not having a say in how things go. As Charlie struggled with not only his sexuality and his feelings for Dev, but also how the show was making him feel, I just wanted to go through the book and hug him. I absolutely loved his arc throughout the book, he started as someone who wasn't sure of himself and to watch himself evolve, even if it meant saying goodbye to the person who helped him get there, had me smiling and crying during reading. Dev captured my heart as well as he not only knew exactly how to help Charlie through his panic attacks, stood by his side when he needed it, and wasn't afraid to stand up for Charlie on multiple occasions. They were a perfect pairing and so easy to fall in love with.

The discussions on sexuality and mental health are incredible in this book. It is so important to see these topics covered in books today and Cochrun did a stellar job with the raw and honest conversations that the characters had and built a great support system of characters who were all there for each other. The Charm Offensive was such an enjoyable read that covered such important topics and I cannot recommend it enough!

I came into this book with very high expectations. I was not disappointed!

The Bachelor/Bachelorette isn't a show I normally watch, but I love reading Rom-Coms about them. I really enjoyed One to Watch also.

I loved the characters and representation. The Charm Offensive is a quick, easy and enjoyable read. I will be purchasing this book!

I received an e-arc, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this book so much. Sure it's a contemporary romance and it follows the usual plot lines in terms of romance, but it dives deeper and has more to offer than most. There is so much sexual representation here and I'm here for it. Also, the emphasis on mental health and that you're worthy of love no matter what you're struggling with. There are just so many feels here.

This is a wonderful book for anyone who likes the Bachelor/Bachelorette or any other reality dating show. I adored Dev and Charlie - they both were just so damn endearing. I also really loved the discussion on mental health that ran throughout the entire book.

"I don't think that happily ever after is something that happens to you, Dev. I think it's something you choose to do for yourself."

The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun is a romantic comedy that brings a fairy tale believing TV producer together with his worst nightmare, a tech genius who doesn’t believe in love and is about to star on a reality dating show. Dev Deshpande loves his job on Ever After where he helps people meet their true love in a fairy tale setting. He is given the job of keeping Charlie Winshaw in line after the show gets off to a rocky start. Charlie is trying to rebuild his image and get back to work. When his publicist and best friend convinces him to do the show he hopes he can make it through it unscathed and with no panic attacks. This goes down hill quickly and he finds the only bright spot is his producer and handler Dev. Dev gets Charlie to open up to him and they “practice” dating so Charlie can look more comfortable on air. But practice leads to so much more and then men are faced with the question of can their lives work together outside the bubble of Ever After.

Charlie Winshaw broke my heart and put it back together again throughout this book. He was so painfully awkward yet so sweet that even when he did the wrong thing I just wanted to hug him. He is honest with Dev from the start about his struggles with mental illness and although Dev strives to push him outside of his comfort zone he still respects that there are boundaries with Charlie that shouldn’t be crossed. Intimacy between Charlie and Dev wasn’t just about bedroom antics but so much more with snuggling and little kind things they would do for each other.

Dev Deshpande loves his job and helping the men and women on the show find love. He believes in love and ends up believing that with his help he can help Charlie find love with one of the contestants. This job becomes so much more difficult as he falls hard for Charlie and deals with the repercussions on his mental health of watching Charlie romance the ladies. Dev makes the tough choices that lead to hurting each other over and over which as much as I cringed with sadness I understood.

This book highlights mental illness in so many different ways and brings to light the fact that it’s not always pretty and can be hard to read. There is also so much LGBTQIA+ representation among the characters and Charlie works through where he falls on the queer spectrum. With a great collection of side characters supporting Charlie and Dev through their trials and tribulations as the reader you wish you could be friends with them all. Overall I enjoyed the way the book was broken into the weeks of filming and the small sections of filming script (I’m a big fan of mixed media within books).

5 stars for Charlie and Dev opening up and embracing who they are and each other in this sweet romantic comedy.