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. ❤

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.

This book was EVERYTHING. There has been a whole in my heart since I read Red, White and Royal Blue last year, and this book finally filled it. I can't even begin to describe the cuteness. The mental health representation was done so well and the chemistry between Dev and Charlie was perfection. The conversations around accepting oneself and self-care felt so authentic. I wouldn't change a thing about this book. Loved every second of it.

4.5 stars rounded up

Wow! I loved this book! Honestly, Alison Cochrun had me at secret, gay romcom between the star of a Bachelor-esque franchise and his producer. But, she delivered so much more: a satisfying, sexy, and incredibly tender romance between two men struggling with identity and mental health issues that ultimately reads as a rallying cry for self worth and self love.

Dev Deshpande believes in the fairy tale romance that he helps create season after season as a handler on the hit reality series Ever After. Though, after a recent break up with his boyfriend of six years, charming and outgoing Dev is not sure if the fairy tale is for him. Charlie Winshaw, twenty-something tech phenom, is only here to rehabilitate his image after a fall from grace amongst the Silicon Valley elites. Awkward, anxious, and unaccustomed to being in the spotlight, Charlie finds himself unprepared and unable to be the season's perfect "prince." It is up to Dev to coach Charlie through the season and ensure that he walks away having found true love. With one of the show's women, of course...

As an unashamed fan of the Bachelor, I loved the behind-the-scenes view Cochrun gives us of the show everyone loves to hate. She pulls no punches when it comes to the manipulative and exploitative nature of reality TV. From within Ever After's isolated bubble, though, it is Dev and Charlie who find themselves forming a connection built on mutual understanding of what it means to be neurodivergent in an environment designed to stress those struggling with mental illness and questioning their identities. With each other's support and that of the book's cast of amazing, diverse side characters (yas, Parisa and Jules!), Dev and Charlie confront their own flaws and learn to extend care and compassion to themselves.

Cochrun treats sexual identity and mental health with incredible sensitivity, and my criticism of this book is that I wish she could have extended that same consideration to race. Dev is second generation Indian American, but I felt like his race was a relatively superficial choice.

All in all, The Charm Offensive is warm, witty, and will have readers cheering during the final act like any great romcom. Dev and Charlie are so easy to love, and watching them realize this over the course of the book was simply a delight.

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

I rate it 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

The experience of reading The Charm Offensive felt like having a fascinating convo with an old friend by the heart 💜 of a fire. I was so excited when I heard about this book and its premise, and I was even more excited after I finished reading it. Basically the book of my dreams. The perfect ROMCOM.

This book is going to be the winner of best romance and debut novel categories 🏆.
I relate myself with the character in this book like anxiety. I highly recommend this book to every YA reader. The perfect romance between charming Charlie and goofball Dev will keep you all hooked into this book until it's last word.

This debut Novel by Alison Cochrun contains the recent and fascinating traditional blend of romance and you won't stop yourself for falling for it.

Cute sweet and utterly charming. This will undoubtedly be a hit this summer for bookstagram!

Great little story and one that I see most people really connecting. With.

Personally, I would like to see a moment in which I read a romance book and I <i>don't</i> cry. I felt like every interaction our main characters had was so special and pure and intimate without them even touching each other. Charlie and Dev were just so in sync and patient with each other and I really enjoyed how carefully this book moved through the mental health of the characters. It was very tasteful and not romanticized by any means, and definitely makes the reader hopeful that there are people like that that exist out there.

Dev works for Ever After, a bachelor-like dating show with a prince and his princesses, trying to find their future husband/wife. Charlie is looking to clean up his image after a public meltdown and finds himself on the show because what better way to clean up your act than to date multiple women and be completely vulnerable on national television. The thought of all of this makes Charlie want to throw up but Dev is there to manage and assist where he is needed. As Charlie's handler, he is there to make sure everything runs smoothly and coach him where necessary.... which is everywhere. Charlie is a terrible star for the show but Dev will not let him break the show's season. The more time these two spend together, the better they understand each other and thus a friendship begins.

Charlie doesn't know what he wants nor does he know what to expect, but as his time on the show continues, the events that follow are not at all what he would've ever imagined for himself.

Charlie was :') personified I think. I just feel like he was this nervous flower that hadn't bloomed and then all of a sudden HE DID. I WANTED TO WRAP HIM UP IN A BIG HUG THE WHOLE TIME. Him and Dev were just such a rewarding pair of characters to follow and love and I could not have been happier with how this book progressed.

This book has everything I love, and despite that, it fell a bit flat for me. We’ve basically got 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘳 with wonderful, queer themes and exploration of attraction and sexuality.⁣
⁣
I say this like I’ve watched 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘳/𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦 at all since 𝐏𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝗪𝐞𝐛𝐞𝐫’𝐬 season. 🤦🏻‍♀️⁣
⁣
Where 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮 𝘖𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 falls short for me is through an overwhelming focus on the superficial 𝘉𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘳-𝘦𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘦 show, 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳. For too long, I struggled with understanding what the heck the book was about and if it was ever going to head in the direction it was marketed. I think the burn suffers from being just a little bit too slow. 😅⁣
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The end wraps up very nicely, but it didn’t change my mind at all about the other 75% of the book that I trudged through and thought about giving up on a few times.⁣
⁣
Thank you so much to @atriabooks and @netgalley for the digital ARC. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮 𝘖𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 will be available 9/7/21.⁣
⁣
Do you watch 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘳/𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦? If so, what was your favorite season?

The Charm Offensive is a little bit One to Watch and a little bit Boyfriend Material, but where those two books flew by I felt like The Charm Offensive was a little long and needed some editing down. I was rooting for Charlie and Dev and as characters I adored them, but a lot of the where and when just seemed to drag for me. Overall I liked it, I just didn't love it.

alright, first of all - thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

for my review, i am going to list some of the things i loved about this book and what i loved about them.

1) Hardly any cishet characters. I'm so serious about this. Most of the characters you meet and genuinely spend time with in this book are NOT cishet. And that's amazing. Especially considering the reason they're all interacting in the first place - they work on a tv show that has historically been very, very cishet.

2) Diversity amongst the diverse characters. There's a lot of racial diversity, but the author doesn't presume to tell a story that's not hers. I would absolutely listen to reviews from Asian and Black readers when this book comes out, but my first impression was that Alison wrote these characters very well! I adored them all.

3) The discussions about mental health and mental illness!!!!!! Let me put all the exclamation points for this. We have two MCs who deal with mental health issues, and you see them deal with it in different ways. I loved the discussions they had about it. I love that everything wasn't magically fixed at certain points when revelations and breakthroughs occurred because! healing! is! not! linear!

4) Charlie Winshaw - who deals with a big identity crisis in a very public way. Also, I felt very represented by him in a lot of ways?? He was basically my favorite. Even though everyone else was also my favorite.

5) All kinds of ace rep. *whispers* Even with one of our MCs.

Anyway, I highly recommend this book. There's so much more I could say, but I don't want to spoil it. I think some people reading this book might critique it by saying it's trying too hard to be socially aware or diverse or whatever but what they don't get is that diverse people want diverse stories. I wanted THIS story. And I'm so glad it exists.

Also, I want a spin-off of ******'s story after that ending!