When i finished reading this story, I had a huge smile on my face. The smile is still there as I type this thinking about Charlie and Dev. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Oh my God...this book was SO GOOD. It was funny and romantic and so very soft. It was inclusive and educating (but never preachy). The dialogue was hilarious, the love scenes were swoon-worthy, and the grand gesture at the end? No spoilers but my heart was beating so fast in anticipation. I could imagine how the author felt while writing it...to finally be giving the characters (and the readers) the HEA they'd been waiting for. Dev and Charlie might be my favorite romantic couple of the year and this book will undoubtedly be in my top 5.

“It’s the way things are supposed to be. Charlie is their prince, and Daphne is the perfect princess, and this is all how it’s supposed to go. So why does Dev feel like everything is terribly wrong?”

Y’all, this book is SO GOOD!!!

Basic premise: Dev, hopeless romantic & TV producer on the reality dating show “Ever After”, is assigned to coach Charlie, their new bachelor, a mysterious wealthy tech guy who’s anxious and uncomfortable on-camera and off. WILL DEV HELP CHARLIE FIND TRUE LOVE?? In Dev’s words: “I *know* I can make you fall in love.”

Featuring:
- Extremely cute bubbly/controlled pairing
- A disaster gay - scratch that, TWO disaster gays
- Forced proximity
- A dash of fake dating
- A healthy sprinkling of gay panic
- “I will avoid this person I like, that’ll make my feelings go away, right??”
- M I S U N D E R S T A N D I N G S
- Just! Talk to each other already!
- Comforting & supporting each other in hard moments
- Positive & authentic mental health rep
- Learning new things about your sexuality; taking time to figure yourself out; not rushing into labels
- The all-knowing snarky friends (Jules & Parisa)
- All the queer rep: gay, bi, pan, ace, folks who uses they/them pronouns, also loved the sapphic-centric ending
- A script for a queer all-Desi movie based on a Bollywood set and comped to “Jane the Virgin”?? I NEED

This book has all of this and more. It’s such a sweet romance that isn’t afraid to step into the mess and struggle of mental health issues, that shows us how important it is to believe we deserve love and to have love story narratives that represent us & our varied identities. There was so much that I could relate to: Charlie, coming out later in life; Dev, avoiding therapy and hard emotional work; and of course, Charlie’s love of The Expanse series & “puzzing” and Dev’s profound love of cookies.

I’m not even a reality dating show watcher and I loved this book so much. And when the author says in the acknowledgements how much she came into herself & her identity writing it *sobs* I can’t wait for this powerful & romantic story to be out in the world and for more people to read this book that will pull all of your heartstrings.

tl;dr: BE GAY DO THERAPY

Content warnings: mental health symptoms (panic attacks, anxiety intrusive thoughts and compulsions, depression), ableism, homophobia/biphobia

“But burning that bright and that fiercely must be exhausting; no one can sustain it forever.”

There are certain books that are incredibly special and speak to your heart on a deep level. The Charm Offensive is one of them. It has been a long time since I have been this emotionally invested in a couple. I loved Dev and Charlie with all my heart. They were absolutely perfect and their story is one that needs to be told.

Dev, a producer on the reality dating show Ever After, whole heartedly believes in love and happily ever afters. Tech millionaire Charlie is the new love interest on the show, hoping to use his newfound fame to bring him back into the good graces of his company after a breakdown last year. The only issue is that Charlie is awkward and uncomfortable, which makes for horrible TV. Tasked to loosen up Charlie, Dev becomes his handler, anticipating Charlie's needs and comforting him during his panic attacks. The forced proximity leads to sparks flying between the two, forcing Charlie to examine his own sexuality and what he truly wants out of life.

Dev has my heart completely. He is so observant and sweet and oh so adorable. Dev pegs Charlie right away and quickly is able to anticipate his every need. And goodness, Charlie is nerdy and stiff, but underneath loves big and has a heart of gold. I loved that excel spreadsheets, libraries, 1000 piece jigsaw puzzles and 90° angles were what calmed him the most.

Together, Charlie and Dev are pure gold. There are so many amazing one-liners and internal thoughts from both main characters and their banter is hilarious. They make me want to go to Lady Gaga night at a gay bar and dance the night away right alongside them. They understand each other, see each other, make each other better, and push each other outside of their comfort zones. Their relationship developed through a slow burn romance until their explosive and epic first kiss. Dev and Charlie are so adorable together, they make my heart gush, and I just loved them.

While I loved Charlie and Dev's relationship, this book tackles sexuality and mental health in a non-taboo way. It's frank and honest. Charlie's journey of self-discovery was absolutely beautiful. He doesn't think he's lovable, because he's never really felt attracted to anyone. As he spends more time with Dev and talks with his best friend, he starts to explore his sexuality and what labels he does or does not want. Never preachy, this book explores sexuality through a unique lens that was well done and emotional.

Both main characters deal with their own mental health struggles and these are discussed openly throughout the book. Shining a huge spotlight on mental health and therapy, there is no judgement and the immediate acceptance of all the characters and their inner most battles made my heart so happy. Cochrun normalizes not having your life figured out.

In addition, I loved the behind the scenes antics to get ratings for the show. They were over the top, but felt super real and I could totally see this happening on set of any current reality dating show. I was obsessed with Charlie's best friend Parisa. She is hilarious and snarky and knows Charlie so well. Parisa helps his exploration without judgement, helps him sift through his emotions and is just there for him. I would LOVE to read a book about her.

Bottom line, this book is amazing and you need to go out and pre-order it immediately. The book started a tad slow for me, but once I got into it, I was invested and fell in love with this sweet couple.

⚠️ CW: general anxiety disorder, panic disorder, OCD, depression

Thank you Atria and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

"The Charm Offensive" is CHARMING. Absolutely one of my favorites this year - Alison Cochrun delivers a perfect romance novel, full of humor and heart with a couple worth rooting for.

As the producer of the reality show "Ever After," Dev believes in fairytales and romance. But after the network receives criticism that the stars are only there to find fame (and not for the right reasons!), the show runner decides to bring in an outsider: Charlie Winshaw, a millionaire tech guru who only agrees to the Prince Charming role to rehab his image. The issue? Charlie doesn't believe in love and thinks the show is fake. He's uncomfortable on camera and the production is quickly falling apart. To help turn things around, Dev is assigned as Charlie's handler to help him find love during the show's nine weeks of filming.

This novel is SO good. Based on the description, I knew it would be something that I would like, but it really surpassed my expectations. In addition to the slow burn romance, it also had a seriousness that I wasn't expecting to add reality to Dev and Charlie's story. The book was so sweet - I found myself smiling throughout - and there is a wonderful depth to it, as well. It's a guilty pleasure without any guilt.

"The Charm Offensive" strikes the perfect balance of playing to the dedicated Bachelor Nation audience while creating its own show structure (such as throwing a ball before the international travel begins) and pointing out the flaws in the reality program (for example, noting that the couples fall in love after spending 10 total hours together). With the new season of The Bachelorette starting a few weeks ago, I found myself missing Dev and Charlie - they were such special characters.

"The Charm Offensive" is a standout. I can't wait to see what Cochrun writes next.

I dare you to read this book and not fall in love with these characters. This book just grabbed and I did not want to let it go.

Charlie and Dev are messy, lovable characters. The best part about them is how relatable they are, and their banter. Fairytale love is a myth, real love is hard and messy. As a reader, this author created characters that you cannot help but root for. Of course they have some internal conflicts (what relationship doesn’t), but I love that they also have an external villain, and not just Charlie and Dev, but many of their friends and co-workers.

Their journey both together and apart is about being their true self, their authentic self. Which includes mental health and dealing with heteronormative world, especially in reality dating tv.

‘“I might be awkward, though,” Charlie warns him.
“You better be awkward. The awkwardness is what does it for me, honestly.”’

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for this free digital copy of The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun.

When I say I'm going to have a book hangover, I'M GOING TO HAVE A MASSIVE BOOK HANGOVER FROM THIS BOOK. The Charm Offensive was everything I wanted to read. If you are a fan of The Bachelor meets Red, White and Royal Blue, this book is for you. I appreciated the queer romance on reality TV, the mental health conversation, and so much more. Dev and Charlie had me hooked from their meet cute. I flew through this book. I will definitely be purchasing a finished copy!

5 stars

I have died and gone to m/m romance heaven, and you will, too, when you finish this fantastic debut novel! By the way, in this case, "heaven" consists of imagining yourself in a throuple with these characters. You will be sad to leave them so soon!

_The Charm Offensive_ is set in a _Bachelor_-style reality program, _Ever After_, where Dev is a producer/"handler" and Charlie is the bachelor/prince. Readers get to hear from the joint perspectives of these characters, and especially in a romance, this feature adds so much. Because readers meet Dev first (only by a hair) and learn that he is attempting to manage the recent breakup of his six-year relationship, it's natural to root for him and hope for his happiness. Charlie, however, has chosen to make himself a reality tv star, and this leads to an instant sense of mistrust. To what should be the joy and relief of readers, both characters are clearly flawed but also unwaveringly loveable.

Self-discovery is a critical feature of this work. Both main characters are struggling with mental illness, and they manage their experiences in disparate ways. The portrayals of their experiences and the ways in which others treat them are empowering and realistic, and I expect that many readers will find this aspect both relatable and endearing. Along with their respective mental health struggles, Dev and Charlie are each having to come to terms with what they feel they deserve in terms of intimacy, romance, and attention from others. Cochrun pays keen attention to what constitutes un/healthy relationships and behaviors - both romantically and platonically - and gives various examples of just a few possibilities (while responsibly noting that there are many others from which to choose). Particularly with where one of the main characters lands, this feels like an especially inclusive read on the identity front: one not seen as often and that I appreciate being represented here. Regardless of their own identities, readers will feel either seen or exposed to new possibilities throughout the novel.

I truly LOVED reading this and am dying for a whole series a la Guillory and Hoang. There's a great setup for a future installment here, and I'll be requesting that ASAP if it comes to fruition. Also, we can never have enough Parisa.

This universe, these characters, and this rep are magical, and I can't wait to read anything Cochrun puts out next. I am definitely interested in accepting this tiara and being your ongoing reader, and I have no doubt that folks who pick up this one will clamor to join. Highly recommended!

Dev Deshpande and Charlie Winshaw are two people unlikely to fall in love - especially since Dev is the producer for the reality show where Charlie is meant to find his wife. (I'm not a fan of reality TV and don't watch The Bachelor, but I know enough to be able to draw parallels with what that show does, and what was going on in this book. The behind the scenes mayhem is amazing.)

Dev and Charlie are vulnerable, complicated, funny, and multi-layered characters. The journey is filled with so much heart and tenderness, and they each teach each other - and those in their lives - so much about growth, loyalty, and love!

On top of all that, the underrepresented representation is fantastic in this one: queer, ace, diverse, and mental illness (depression/bipolar/anxiety/panic attacks). Overall, I'd say The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun is a sweet, heartbreaking, and important read!

Thanks Atria for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Dev believes in happily-ever-after even though he works as a producer on a Bachelor-like reality show with a fairy tale theme. The next Prince Charming, Charlie, is a social mess. He's only on the show to prove to investors that he's not a mess of a human being. However, he keeps freezing up on camera and it's up to Dev to get him to relax. The process makes them get to know each other and spend time together. Dev finds out that it's not easy falling in love with a contestant of a dating reality show.

The romance is sweet. My heart melted for Charlie, who has been made to feel like a lesser person because of his anxiety. It helps that the behind the scenes workers are the best support system he can find. Dev works very hard for a job that he blindly doesn't see the problems to. For instance, the show is too heteronormative and too white. The book wonderfully calls attention to these problems. If the Bachelor ended as their version ended, I would watch the show.

Review based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.

One of my favorite books of this year! I've always enjoyed Rom-Coms, and I figured one that played on the reality show theme would keep me endlessly entertained. And it sure did. From the first page, Cochrun brought me into the world of Dev Deshpande and Charlie Winshaw, two complicated, multi-layered characters with so much to learn from one another. And I'm most impressed with Cochrun's diverse secondary cast and the inclusion of mental health representation. I saw a lot of my family in this story, and I think other readers will too. I won't give away the details, but trust in this love story. It's a wonderful one.

So, confession time: I am really not into reality dating shows. I have never watched an entire season, and have only watched episodes when forced to by others. (I do confess to occasionally reading recap articles when my Twitter feed implies something crazy happened, because the mystery ends up killing me.)

HOWEVER, this book made me wish that this were a real story, because I would have watched the crap out of it! This is what dating shows should be (seriously, off topic of this story, but could we get some real diversity?)

Dev, a producer on a Bacherlor-type show who actually believes in love and the premise of the show, is a delightfully chaotic character, and I very much want to be his best friend. Charlie, our leading man who is a bit (a lot) of a mess and needs Dev's help to be more likable onscreen, could not be more different from Dev. He's (gasp) not on the show for the right reasons, and is not interested in any of his potential pincesses, much to Dev's exasperation.

Their love story (clearly not a spoiler from the summary) is delightful and fun, while also dealing with some serious issues regarding sexuality and mental health. I loved how amazingly diverse the entire cast of characters were, and was deeply invested in all of them! I would happily read an entire series about everyone finding their true love/happiness, because they're all wonderful (except for the obvious villain).

I know a lot of people tend to sneer at rom-coms, but a) that's crap; they're often wonderfully written and amazing, and b) they can open our eyes to so many different experiences and feel so many emotions. This book manages to make you feel all the feelings along with Dev and Charlie. This was a story that was extremely well done, handling a lot of potentially tough topics very well and with care. Therefore, it really does earn a 5-star rating, and I can't wait for everyone to be able to read it!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an advanced copy of this novel. Can't wait for more from this author!!!

When I received a widget for Charm Offensive, I stuck it in my “not now, later” (i.e., “forget about it”) file. I love the LGBT genre but am not really drawn to rom-coms, which generally don’t hold enough depth for me. I also saw that it was based on a famous reality dating show that I watched faithfully for years before deciding it was kind of fakey. There it sat until I saw the high ratings that kept coming in. That led me to my LGBT-genre-star reviewer Larry’s shelf where I saw 5 stars and his statement “I couldn’t have loved this book more if I tried.” Well, fine. I rescued my widget from the “forget about it” file and dived in. And yeah, I couldn’t have loved this book more if I tried!

After a few pages of setup, I started to smile. Not long afterwards the “laugh out loud” moments started in and then later I ended up teary-eyed. This book really caught me off guard with some serious themes. Rejection, self-doubt, self-identity, mental illness, sexual identity, morality, acceptance, and multiple aspects of love are all there in spades. And, oh my heart! For a debut novel, Ms. Cochrun really knows how to bring out the feelings! What a wonderful character Dev is. He pretty much rescues Charlie’s broken life in this book, and in turn, Charlie rescues Dev. The side characters enhance the story nicely, especially Jules, Parisa, Daphne, and Angie. The plot is much more substantial that I had expected, and the reveal near the end is an unexpected surprise.

What more can I say other than I loved this book and am anxious to see what Ms. Cochrun writes next? I recommend Charm Offensive to anyone interested in a funny yet serious, very human story with a large dose of heart.

I would like to thank Isabel DaSilva of Atria Books, Net Galley, and Alison Cochrun for an ARC of this novel. Opinions stated are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

When someone sells a book as "Red, White & Royal Blue meets One to Watch"... you absolutely go for it. Both of those books were amazing, so The Charm Offensive had a lot to live up to. I can safely say that it was a fantastic read!

This book takes place on the set of the show Ever After (basically The Bachelor) and follows Dev, a production assistant and handler, and Charlie, the man giving out tiaras. Dev is in charge of helping Charlie on his journey to love, but when sparks fly between the two men, both of their worlds turn upside-down.

I thought this was going to be a cute romcom so I was surprised that it covered some heavy issues like depression and OCD/anxiety. There were still a lot of funny parts (especially the beginning) and I think Alison Cochrun did a great job of representing mental illness and championing therapy (counselor here! 👋). I loved the representation of different cultures and sexual identities, and the supporting cast was hilarious. ❤

This book really sucked me in. From the very first chapter, I knew I would enjoy reading this book. Both Charlie and Dev were seriously adorable in their interactions with each other. What I enjoyed most was their character development - especially Charlie's character development. The author has done an amazing job in keeping readers connected with the characters. There were times when you just want to smile and parts where you just want to cry. The ending was a little bit unexpected.

Simply put, this is an amazing story and you should definitely read it. I have no doubts that you would find it as enjoyable as I did.

An absolute and utter delight from start to finish. Hilarious, heartwarming, and very real. I loved every moment of this and am ready to read it again immediately.

TW: depression, homophobia, OCD, anxiety, ableism

Rep: gay indian-american MC, aspec MC, neurodivergent MC, bi SC, lesbian SC, aspec SCs, asian SC, Black SC, pan SC, gay SC, trans SC

I don’t watch reality TV. Especially not dating shows. I never did and so it took me a little while to get into this book to be honest.
But this book showed me exactly WHY I don’t watch them.

This book contains and combines so many amazing messages.
Charlie Winshaw, a multi million dollar tech genius, decides to star as the new Prince Charming in a reality TV dating show to improve his public image after a little…”incident” at his software company.
But Charlie is neurodivergent, he has OCD, anxiety and in general hasn’t ever really felt sexual attraction for anyone (so far). So nothing goes as he or the show’s producers have planned.
Dev Deshpande, one of the shows producers is assigned to make Charlie camera ready.
But Dev does his job a little too well, tries to really listen to and understand Charlie and his needs…and everything gets even more wrong, at least for the plans of show.

It’s not often that you read a romance book, where mental health is a huge theme. This book has both MCs which struggle with their mental health. Depression, anxiety and self worth are a big theme in this one and I absolutely loved it. I could relate so much to both Dev and Charlie.
Dev is constantly overworking himself and falling into a hole right after, completely burned out. He only cares for others needs, but doesn’t take good care of himself. In a society where a lot of your worth is linked to your work and productivity it was very refreshing to read about this, especially in a romance.
Charlie with his panic attacks, OCD and general anxiety who never got any support from his family and who’s colleagues evade him has a lot of internalised problems with his self worth.
Both MCs struggle with self worth, they both don’t believe they deserve love due to their mental issues. Both of them try to fit in and hide their problems to the point where they don’t show anyone their real selfs.
I loved both of them a lot, and I also loved them together. They complimented each other so well and helped the other grow a lot. I just wanted to hug them tight (with permission and a lot of disinfectant).

Mental health issues aren’t really a big theme in TV shows or movies, especially not romances. It’s also all very white, cis, heteronormative.
The dating show in this is no different. Everything is scripted, nothing is real.
The showrunner is a horrible person, who wants to sell exactly that.
It just doesn’t work with Charlie as their star.
Charlie is not only neurodivergent but also not straight as he himself starts to figure out during the course of the show.
Charlie is already 28 and I can’t even begin to describe how much I loved seeing a man figuring out himself and his sexuality in his adulthood.
If you’re successful, rich and fit society’s idea of beauty everyone assumes you’ve got it all figured out. Of course you will have no problems finding love. Nobody ever wonders about your mental state.
This book showed perfectly how it’s not always how it seems on the outside.

I also loved the aspec rep in this so so much. Not only is Charlie aspec, but one of the side characters is also asexual and sex repulsed.
There are so many different ways to be asexual, it’s a wide spectrum and it was explained and handled so well in this book.

There aren’t a lot of sex scenes in this one, but the few that were there were so beautifully written. There’s always (verbal) consent, asking for permission, listening to the others needs and limits.

As this book talks a lot about mental health, therapy is also a big theme. It’s a very important aspect if you struggle with your mental health to seek help when you need it and often it needs the help of a professional.
I loved how it was shown that it’s okay to struggle and it’s okay to need help and it’s GOOD to seek help!
I’m of the opinion that everyone can use therapy. We all have problems, no matter how small. There’s no shame in sometimes needing help. We all can’t do everything by ourselves. We need a good support system, no matter if it’s our family, friends or professional help.

All in all I absolutely loved how queer and diverse the cast of this book was, the mental health and aspec rep was exceptional. Even the side characters were so elaborate and had a lot of depth.
Once I was in, I wasn’t able to put it down until 3 in the morning where I just sobbed my way through the last few chapters.
For me personally a few scenes in this were a little too overdramatic and I think in reality a few things could have been solved a lot easier and differently. Also I am not a fan of these “x months later” scenes.
But it’s a book after all and a little drama is what most people want in a good story.
And it was an amazing story, I would 100% recommend reading it!

Review posted on GoodReads (July 23, 2021)
Review linked.

5/5 stars!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for sending me an E-ARC of this book for an honest review.

Content Warnings include: Depictions of Depression, Depictions of OCD and Anxiety, Racism, and homophobia.

I heard so many amazing things about this book before I started reading it, so I was super excited to get the chance to sit down and read an early copy. It took me a few chapters to get into the book but once we met Charlie and got into the story, I could not put this book down. I read it in one sitting while I was on a seven hour train and cried and laughed in front of everyone.

This book was an EMOTIONAL ride. I loved Charlie and Dev’s love story so so much. It was so beautiful to read about their journey. I loved their characters so so much. The way that Alison Cochrun discussed mental health in this book was beautiful and really well done. I loved all of the characters, and I really really hope that Alison Cochrun continues in this world and writes more stories with the characters that she created.

I really recommend this book if you love adult romance!

Thanks for reading!
Caden

One of the best romances I’ve read in 2021 so far! I just loved everything about it. It follows producer Dev and reality tv star of America’s beloved dating show, Charlie. Dev’s supposed to be helping Charlie find love not falling for the talent, right? Charlie’s supposed to be preparing his reputation by pretending to be in love on national television but one handsome producer is ruining his plan. Not a problem. Right?! I can’t speak for those with anxiety, OCD, and depression but I really appreciated the representation in this story. None of these disorders defines who you are and if someone isn’t willing to love every single aspect of you then they don’t deserve you. I also appreciated the message that there’s nothing wrong with seeing a therapist which is important because the stigma remains so prominent throughout many societies. I also love the diversity of queerness. Queer isn’t just white, and this book definitely showed that. Also shoutout all you reality tv show lovers, this book is for you. I’m going to need time to recover from this book and also I need more stories of my sweet cinnamon roll boys, Dev and Charlie.

The Charm Offensive was written especially for me and you’ll never be able to convince me otherwise. This is the hill I will die on. Okay, okay. Fine. If you love The Bachelor/Bachelorette, reality TV, romance and Happily-Ever-After love stories, this novel is for you, too. I’m learning to share my toys. It’s a work in progress.

Alison Cochran seems to have sifted through the corners of my soul, distilled the contents down, and compiled all portions into a perfect love story. The Charm Offensive is everything I want in a romantic comedy: witty banter dialogue, awkward but mostly realistic scenarios, seriously flirting, and tension.

The Charm Offensive also has so many elements I didn’t know I needed until I read them: personal growth, mental health awareness, self care, exhibiting how to overcome internal struggle and how to choose ourselves at the end of the day. A love story doesn’t have to be a romantic love story (although this one has it!), it can be platonic love and self-love, too, and matter just as much, if not more.

I loved this novel and will be recommending it to every single person I know from now on.