The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun is the queer bachelor rom-com of your dreams. Dev Deshpande is a successful producer on Ever After, a show that manufactures love fit for reality tv. Even getting over the end of a six-year-long relationship with another producer on the show cannot stop him from crafting the perfect love story. They will need the best in the biz if they are going to sell tech superstar, Charlie Winshaw, to the public after his recent PR catastrophe. Charlie is awkward and shy with an 8-pack fueled by anxious situps. Not a natural reality tv star. But, if he wants a job in tech, he needs a complete rebranding, and this show is all he has. As Dev coaches Charlie through the season, their natural friendship eases into something truly extraordinary. Unfortunately, they are currently working for a heteronormative powerhouse that cannot be stopped by unscripted love behind the scenes. Or can it?
Let me get this out of the way. The book delivers on the promise of a Rom-Com. Everyone has a different sense of humor, but I was laughing aloud in public. The internal and character dialogue is uniquely witty and fun with a good mix of physical comedy thrown in to boot. To do so in a book that also tackles complex sexuality, race, harmful workplace dynamics, and the representation of mental health on and off-screen was pleasantly surprising.
Part of the book's success is due to our wonderful leads. Dev is good at his job because of his high emotional intelligence and likability. He is still dealing with a difficult breakup while coming to terms with what he wants from his future and how he wants to handle his depression moving forward. I thought it was nice to see the representation of a character with depression who didn't have a great traumatic past. While those stories are also valuable, experiences like Dev's are important too. Dev could empathize with Charlie and have patience for his anxiety. Taking pauses during filming, allowing Charlie to stop and recalibrate, and talking through what he wants and how those wants change help to build their early relationship. Charlie is a wonderful aspec character who is getting over losing a position at a company based on his technical work. I was delighted to come across a character discovering his place on the asexual spectrum. It helps that Charlie is an adorable tech nerd with a rough childhood who just wants a quiet night in and a puzzle.
Now, the female contestants, show staff, and friends in the novel are all gems. Cochrun has done a great job characterizing people with specific descriptors, gestures, and turns of phrases. I felt like I understood people's relationships and attitudes immediately. The book could have struggled drawing my interest to the female contestants in a storyline where none of the women will end up with our prince. Instead, I was totally committed to seeing the cast work through dates, trials, and unfortunate side conversations. The show draws you in, the cast is fun to read about, and the staff has interesting off-screen dynamics that pull it all together.
So yes, I do in fact love Dev and Charlie. Please give me this season of television. The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun is set to release on September 7, 2021. Thank you, Atria Books via NetGalley for providing the eARC of The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun in exchange for my honest review.

A quick and sweet read that will warm your heart. With great representation of LGBT+ and mental health issues.

Adorable fluff that got me in the feels! The characters were funny and charming and vibrant and the emotional depth in this book was a wonderful surprise. It is simultaneously light-hearted fare with a dose of "things are getting real" and it worked!

Also, and most importantly, THE REPRESENTATION WAS EVERYTHING!!!!!

Thoroughly enjoyable!

Dev is a hopeless romantic. He believes in true love, so it makes sense that he'd work for a reality TV show that tries to find someone their soulmate. He is known for scripting the final confession of love and coaching the women of the show to be their best selves to optimize their chance to fall in love. But their new "Prince" is a nervous wreck. Dev is the only one who can get through to Charles and help him push past his anxiety to meet these women. But like these women, Charles has an ulterior motive for starring on the show. After being fired from his own company, he wants to make himself more marketable. He's not looking for true love, he's looking for a job. Dev and Charlie go on practice dates so Charlie can get the chemistry right on screen, but he realizes he has more chemistry with Dev than any of the women. But Dev is his producer, so they can't ever be together. Right?

This book made me full on SWOON. Dev was such a fun, patient character to his complete opposite: Charlie, who was an anxious, nervous wreck. Their dynamic shouldn't seem like it'll work, but it DOES. Dev is so caring and patient with Charles, never judging. I couldn't help but fall in love with both of them as the book continued. By the end, I couldn't keep the smile off my face ever single time they interacted. In addition to the pure rom-com amazingness that this book was, there were plenty of deep, important conversations about sexuality and mental health. I thought they were done super tastefully and respectfully. It was impossible not to get hooked to this amazing, romantic, hilarious book. Charlie reminded me a lot of Maxon from The Selection in the best way possible, too!

If you like The Bachelor, stories with POC and LGBTQ+ rep, and lots of slow burn tension, this will be perfect for you!

I absolutely loved this book! It was so sweet and charming and gave you all the feels. For someone that doesn't like or watch The Bachelor / The Bachelorette franchises, I thought the book was so spot-on with depicting how fake and toxic these shows can be.

I adored that the MC was neurodiverse and thought it was so thoughtfully and respectfully written. Like the MC, I too, deal with generalized anxiety and a panic disorder on a daily basis - I thought the author did a phenomenal job accurately portraying what a "day in the life" looks like for people that have these disorders. For an outsider, it's hard to understand these disorders and many people don't try to understand or don't know how to help. I love that the H was very accepting of the MC's disorders. He was kind, didn't judge and truly cared for the MC when he was having his episodes - he spent the time to learn how to support the MC as best as possible.

I also loved that the H was Indian-American. It's hard enough to get South-Asian representation in books as it is, but for him to be queer as well, was absolutely brilliant.

Honestly, I can't find any faults with this book. Cochrun - you truly hit it out of the park with this one. I appreciate you bringing awareness to mental disorders (and destigmatizing the conversation around mental disorders) and including queer representation in the book (and I'm not just talking about the MC and the H!). Brava on your wonderful #OwnVoices debut novel. I can't wait to see what you come out with next!

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 (rounded up to 5).

A huge thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books and Alison Cochrun for providing with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a very sweet and—dare I say it?—charming read! I loved the queer rep as well as the mental health angle, and I thought the portrayals of each MC were mostly realistic and well done. If I had one pet peeve, it was that this book still fell into the trap of the two MCs refusing to discuss their feelings at times, though they did so less than a lot of similar books in the genre. It’s a frustrating aspect of romance books I would like to see dropped, and I did appreciate that the author mostly stopped this in its tracks before it could get too annoying. I also liked the BTS aspect of the reality show. The comparisons to Red White and Royal Blue and One to Watch were very accurate, and this book made me smile a LOT. I would definitely recommend it!

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review! This one was my pleasure for sure!

I was very lucky to get an advance copy of this book through NetGalley, so thank you to them and to the publisher.

I don't even know where to start with how amazing this book is! To see so much representation - queer, race, neurodiversity, mental health - all in one book is amazing enough. But for that book to be laugh out loud funny, fantastically romantic, and tear-jerking, too? I'm already recommending this to friends, and it's not even out for another 3 months! Dev and Charlie are my new OTP. I want to see more more more books like this, and I cannot wait to see what Alison Cochrun does next! Also, like, a movie or Netflix original of this? Please?

This unconventional "Happily Ever After" is one of the best books I've read this year!

This story unfurled in such a natural progression, it felt so real, nothing forced or contrived, which is absolutely counterintuitive for a book centering around a dating show a' la The Bachelor.

Let me preface this by letting you know I absolutely despise the fake crap that is a show wherein people debase themselves to "win" the "love" of a stranger. However, the love that grew between Charlie and Dev was absolutely beautiful and they are so so damn imperfectly perfect!! I love them both so much!

I was struck by how realistically mental illness and neurodiversity was handled, as it is something common (which it SO is), and the notion that seeking professional help is not only accepted, but necessary. That the overall message was that you can be dealing with issues, and still be worthy of all the love in the world. That you need to be healthy for you, before you can be healthy for anyone else.

And the queer rep hit so much of the LQTBQIA+ spectrum. And it was so normative, just a part of these wonderful, multi-faceted characters, not their main, defining trait. And did I mention the racial diversity of the cast? Truly, this book is so deliberately and consciously inclusive, but in a totally organic way that never felt artificial or forced.

I read this book in one sitting, I have already pre-ordered it, and I will be recommending it to everyone I can!

You all know I love anything reality t.v. inspired. "One to Watch" was one of my favorite reads of 2020! So when I was approved for this take on "The Bachelor" franchise, I was all in.

This was such a cute book! Alison Cochrun did an absolutely fantastic job of portraying mental health at the forefront and how it affects absolutely everyone. I loved the twist on the typical romantic reality show trope, and what better time to read this queer romance than during #PrideMonth?!

I found this romance to be, well, charming! I couldn't help but root for both Dev and Charlie, especially in the confines of a very heteronormative backdrop. If the real "Bachelor" franchise ended the way this book did, let's just say it would be the most dramatic ending ever.
•••
Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Ok so think the Selection by Kiera Cass but with representation on everything, mental health, lqbtq, and people in general. Ok now imagine it 100 times better than the selection...because it is! This book has everything you could ever need one bed trope it’s there, romance check, diversity done, a love story with a plot that demands you turn the next page... got that to. Charlie is adorable, sweet, and has never been appreciated. Charlie is forced to participate in a show where he has to date women and in the end get engaged to one of them. Charlie is very closed off and keeps quite because he thinks that if he speaks every one will hate him...but what happens when one of the producers of the shows becomes his handler, and then he realizes maybe this won’t be the worst experience of his life. This was a 5/5 star rating for me and I will be recommending it on my social media pages.

This is such an entertaining, fun, and eminently readable book. The writing is breezy but never insipid, the reality show set-up ensures that there was always something interesting going on, and the main characters are both wonderfully drawn and so very lovable, and though I was pulled, in particular, to Charlie, I really liked that we got both his and Dev's POVs. Perhaps most importantly of all, though, is how well-paced this is: there are never any lulls, or overly prolonged moments, but then again, neither is there any skimping on any development of the romance.

There are a few things I wish could've been a bit more fleshed out (like...what exactly did Charlie's company do?), a number of the side characters weren't really well-defined, and there were perhaps a touch too many "you deserve to be loved" speeches (valid, but...in a book I can only stand so many of these in a given chapter), but none of these things really take much away from how enjoyable a read this is. I definitely recommend this book to every romance fan out there.

I absolutely adored this book. I was hooked from page one. I loved the concept, the characters, the discussions around mental illness and sexuality. The main characters and supporting characters were so well written and fully fleshed out. This book was exactly what I needed right now and I'm going to be waiting impatiently for its release day so everyone else can fall in love with Dev and Charlie, just as much as I have.

Sweet story. A queer take on reality shows like The Bachelor with spot on demisexual rep. As an OV demi reviewer, I really appreciated how the rep was handled.

The love story between Dev and Charlie centered on mental health, questioning sexual orientation (for one of them) and finding love unexpectedly.

The Charm Offensive offers an inside look at the manipulative world of reality programming, and how people are typecast into certain roles (villain, virgin, desperate, etc.)

I wanted more about Daphne and her journey (I love a good side character), and I also wanted more from the world travel scenes since most of the reality show filming took place in various countries. I didn’t really feel like I was there with them in South Africa or Germany.

But I really appreciated the deep and thoughtful discussions on mental health, anxiety, OCD, and depression. It was very genuine.

Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC. I look forward to more from Alison Cochrun.

Firstly, I should like to start by thanking NetGalley and Aria Books for providing me with an e-ARC in return for an honest review. Let me say that this is one of the easiest honest reviews I have ever been able to write. Not since Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston have I been so excited to have read a book. The Charm Offensive is definitely top for me of all the books I have read so far in 2021 and I know like Red, Hot and Royal Blue I shall have to reread it.

I think that Alison Cochrun's students have been especially blessed to have had her as their teacher but I think Alison should concentrate on writing.

I don't like retelling stories in my reviews. I like to leave a lot for the reader to experience and find out on their own. To say that I totally loved this book would be an understatement. The story reaches out to so many people and thank you Alison for showing that fantasy endings can and should happen in the LGBTQ community. I am sure fans of the Bachelor and Bachelorette might be a light perturbed but I truly wish that ABC would do LGBTQ versions of their shows. Not only did the book highlight gay and lesbian relationships but it went one step further and tackled in a minor way interracial relationships.
So many other issues were touched up and were done so in a very touching and professional manner. Nobody could ever be offended by the contents of this.

I found it charming, provocative, and I didn't want to put it down. Usually we tell people to "not quit their day jobs" but I would say to Alison " please oh please quit your day job". I cannot wait to read this again and for your next book.

This is a must read for lovers of reality and fantasy television, LGBTQ relationships and romances that are not typical or predictable. Was a very easy 5 stars to give.

Excuse the obvious reference but this was very charming. There have been many books compared to Red, White, and Royal Blue but this is the first one that I have found that actually fits the bill. Cochrun's writing is smooth and dynamic, making this a quick, fun read that causes a whirlwind of emotions, from giggling to crying. I am excited to both own this book and to purchase it for my library's collection.

Listen, the whole ‘reality dating show’ concept of this story is cheesy as hell and exactly why I’m so picky about reading contemporary romance. But I freakin loved this book! Dev and Charlie are so stinking adorable and precious and there were moments that kicked me square in the feels. And that automatically deserves brownie points.

I loved how Dev was so in-tune with Charlie from the get go, and it made their love story that much more emotional to me. Not only that but I feel like I also discovered a lot about myself. Not just through Charlie, but the side characters had their own backstories that really hit close to home.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄:  𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 dating show 'Prince' goes off script and falls for his producer. 

(PUB DATE 9.7)  Thanks to @atriabooks, @simonandshuchster and @Netgalley for the free copy of the delightful queer rom/com 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐌 𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐕𝐄 from debut author Alison Cochrun. 

I'd describe this as a 'Romance with Heft'. It blends the swoony elements of charming levity that I enjoy in a romance but it also had deeper, thought provoking layers. Both Dev and Charlie have some 'baggage'. I love how Cochrun built their independent journeys into a shared experience. I appreciated how their relationship was handled with tenderness, vulnerability and honest communication.

It made me laugh on more than one occasion. But I also felt the characters struggle smack dab in the middle of my heart a time or two as well. But even more than that, the way the author handled mental health felt genuine.

The 𝐑𝐄𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 in this book was far reaching. LGBTQ+: queer, bisexual, demisexual and pansexual.   Mental health rep included OCD, depression, high level anxiety and panic attacks. Diversity: Indian-American,, Chinese-American, Black and Muslim characters.

This was ridiculously cute (also made me cry twice) and I loved it so much. The billing of "Red, White & Royal Blue meets One to Watch" is very accurate.

I am s0 deep in the Bachelor Nation pit that I knew I would like the premise of this one and Cochrun delivered. This novel is funny, charming, heartwarming, emotional, and so delightfully queer. I cannot wait to read more from her.

I adored both Charlie and Dev's journeys and seeing them together was too cute. I loved the plot of Charlie figuring out his identity and the conversations related to asexuality/demisexuality.

I do want to note that the author seems to be white and one of the POVs is Dev, who is Indian American. I don't think this is great, but am planning to do some research and see if they used sensitivity readers etc to shape the character. I will update here when I learn more.

I loved this book! The book handled the main characters' mental health with care and without judgment, and I really appreciate when books/media work to destigmatize mental health and seeking therapy. Likewise, when characters question/being to understand their sexuality, it's done thoughtfully. The book was described as being for fans of Red White and Royal Blue, and One To Watch, and I couldn't think of two better books to compare it to (having enjoyed both of those immensely). The characters were all diverse without it being forced, and the secondary and tertiary characters ran the gamut in terms of gender and sexuality, which is always a delight to see in literature. This book is good for fans of romance, a certain reality show, or just fun beach reads.

The Charm Offensive is a sweet romance with a fun premise. I loved the mental health, sexuality, and gender representation. The main characters are Charlie, the star of a long-running heterosexual reality dating show and his producer/handler, Dev. Charlie, who has an anxiety disorder, OCD, and is on the ace spectrum, needs a lot of coaching in order to act “naturally” on his televised dates with the show’s contestants. As Dev gets him to open up and as the two go on “practice dates” they fall for each other for real.

I rated this book four stars instead of five because I found it a little hard to get into. Charlie is doing the show because he wants to work “in tech” again and imagines the show will improve his image. “In tech” felt like a very broad goal and it took a long time to discover how he got shut out of an entire global industry. After pushing through the first fifty pages or so I really got into it and was routing for Charlie and Dev the rest of the way.