The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun drew me in right away! As someone who doesn't usually watch reality dating show, I really love reading about them like in One to Watch, If the Shoe fits, and now- The Charm Offensive.
From the cover and description, I was expecting a fluffy M/M romance with laughs. And while there were a few funny moments at the beginning , The Charm Offensive has a lot of more depth and emotion. There is OCD, Anxiety, and Depression representation that felt very real and vulnerable.
I adored reading about Dev and Charlie and the wide cast of diverse characters. The gender, sexuality, and attraction types represented are very inclusive and open. The Charm Offensive is an impressive and unique romance that made me just want to eat cookies with Dev and watch the Expanse with Charlie.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this eARC, thoughts and review are my own!

⭐⭐⭐⭐
This book was a delightful and unexpected surprise. I had not heard of the book when I requested this ARC. My sincere thanks to Atria Books and Netgalley for this charming and funny book.

Charles, a tech millionaire, agrees to go on a reality TV show about finding a wife. Dev, his producer, is tasked with helping Charlie loosen up for the cameras. On the way to this goal, they have fun, open up to each other and fall in love.

There are so many funny moments and just as many sweet ones. The author challenges stereotypes about mental illness and queer identity in a way that is thoughtful, kind and funny.

While there is a diverse cast of characters to be found, I did not always feel it come through in their voices. Other than having an Asian name, or stating a character is Black, there was little of that part of their identity to be found. It's not a failing per se, because there was no stereotyping, but it was a thing I noticed.

In contrast, the handling of mental health and queer identities was so loving and thoughtful, I was not surprised to read the authors note which talked a little of her MH struggles.

I really enjoyed this book and would love to read more from this author.


#NetGalley
#TheCharmOffensive

This book was everything I wanted in a romance: fun premise, great character development, and a happy, yet earned, ending. I especially love the discussion of asexuality and the difference between romantic and sexual attraction.

This was so sweet and fun! Definitely recommend for fans of the Bachelor, One to Watch, and falling in love in general. I loved the world that was created and wish ABC would give it a read :) would love to watch as a movie too.

I loved this book! It was so much more than your typical romcom. It felt so genuine throughout and as the reader you really fall for the characters. Even the side characters were so well developed and well rounded. And the relationships between them were so relatable. Everything about this book felt tangible and real. I also loved the representation in this book! With all different sexualities, races, and ethnicities, it felt a lot more representative of the world today. The Charm Offensive is so sweet and full of heart, I highly recommend for the next time you need a heartwarming romance. 4.5 stars

I requested this kind of on a whim, thinking it might be entertaining, but it exceeded all of my expectations. It's 100% a new favourite and one of my favourite reads of the year so far. I think it's safe to say this is one of the most exciting romcom releases of the year, so get on this!!

The book is compared to RWRB and One to Watch, and normally I'm pretty skeptical of comp titles, but it's exactly right here and perfectly describes the vibe of the book.

I went into this not knowing much, and I was blown away by the mental health rep - Charlie has OCD, anxiety and a panic disorder, and Dev has depression, and it was amazing to see the way they bonded together, learning to understand each other and comforting each other.

At the start of the book, Charlie doesn't yet know he's queer, and he goes through the book questioning but also not really wanting to pick a label since he has so many already. He ends up identifying as gay though, and there's also a lot of discussion of him maybe being on the asexual spectrum, which, as an asexual person, I think was done so well and with so much nuance.

Aside from all the representation, I also just found this an incredibly fun romcom and I absolutely adored the romance. It made me feel so incredibly invested, there was so much yearning and so much angst, but at the same time there were a lot of comforting moments, and I just absolutely adored it.

This definitely gave me Red, White and Royal Blue vibes. The banter and chemistry between Dev and Charlie was very similar to Alex and Henry. The character development for especially Charlie was really well done. The way mental health and neurodivergence is addressed added depth to the story. The romance was adorable and the sex scenes were much more tame then even RWRB. Pretty much off the page. There were definite cheeseball moments. Overall a really fun read about being true to yourself.

A truly wonderful book with all the queer representation you can think of. The Charm Offensive not only has a POC main character but almost all side characters are also queer and POCs as well. The romcom romance hits perfectly with Charlie and Dev being wonderfully relatable characters both struggling with mental health issues. The author handles depression, OCD, and anxiety with care and while they are a part of these characters, they do not define them. An absolute joy to read!

as my kids have said many, many a time: this book filled my bucket. spilled it, actually, on multiple occasions, and i literally cannot recommend reading this harder.

while trope-heavy at time, the charm offensive tells an absolutely beautiful story of one dev deshpande (a newly single gay man who grew up believing in happy ever after) and one charlie winshaw (a newly jobless man who grew up believing image is everything). this is the second book i’ve read this year where a love interest pukes on the other as their first meeting but holy hell, does cochran know how to build a universe so comfortable and homey that every other page had me gasping in shock or covering my face in embarrassment. in its best moments, this book is more than dev and charlie’s love story, but an emphatic cry on the fact that love comes in many forms and it is never too late find and better oneself. when charlie tells dev that all he wants is him healthy—not performing in order to make these easier on others—i thought i’d never love a man again but goddamn it.

charlie and dev throughout the book dance to a familiar “will they, won’t they” rhythm, but it didn’t feel so predictable to the point of my not enjoying it. honestly, i spent a good portion of this book thinking the hot mic incident would reoccur, but i can definitely say my anxiety about it lessened as dev and charlie opened up and embraced the things in each other that no one else seemed to accept. it is a bit lop-sided, the give and take between them at first, but i enjoyed seeing a non-perfect romance counterbalancing the glamour and extravagance that the ever after show was suppose to be promoting. i like, more than anything, the small moments of confidence between them, when they show their affection rather than say it. because for both of them, with their backgrounds, it is so much more to give a piece of themselves to the other, rather than just plain words.

this cast of characters is also diverse in a way that doesn’t feel for show necessarily, and though maybe i wish for a few more inherently non-white cultural moments (i do agree with what other readers have said about dev reading white most of the book), i felt pleasantly satisfied seeing cochran’s inclusion of not only racial diversity but romantic and sexuality diversity. one of my favorite moments in this book isn’t even shared between charlie and dev, but charlie and skylar, when she offhandedly calls him son and he feels seen. that feeling charlie has in that moment…it’s almost how i felt reading the entire book. seen, in the sense that cochran also tasks herself with discussing mental health and the way that reality shows oftentimes exploit their talent for a good show. seen, in the sense that when ryan brings up dev’s whole “i’m going to therapy” thing is something he’s said before but hadn’t followed through with. seen, in the sense that these are 28 year olds, figuring out what they want not from each other but themselves and the world around them. and this book is so damn special for the way it just hits all the notes in a way that had me pacing the room during the last arc because i didn’t want it to end but i couldn’t put it down.

overall, i think this could possibly be my favorite read of the year, and i look forward to getting a physical copy to annotate all to hell. i am so so excited to see what cochran puts out next, and so inspired to choose my own happily ever after.

Dev is a producer on Ever After, a reality TV show where a "Prince" or "Princess" meets their perfect match (think The Bachelor). Ever After has become stale and the show has decided to try something new, by bringing in a fresh face to be the Prince. They invite tech wunderkind Charles Winshaw.

At the beginning of filming, they see that something is different about Charles (Charlie). Dev is assigned to be Charlie's personal handler, tasked with making sure he is as charming as the show needs him to be, and less of the anxious, none toucher that he is in real life. In the midst of helping Charles become Prince Charming, Dev and Charlie begin to develop feelings for one another. However, their chemistry means nothing when it comes to Ever After, because Charles is meant to choose one of the women assigned to him by the show. Ever After is not supposed to be about two men falling in love...

This book is incredible and I mean to shout that from the rooftops. The characters, the representation, the depth and development, the talk about mental health, it checks off all the important boxes. It had it all, and it did not feel slow or rushed, the pace was just right. Nothing felt pushed, everything seemed natural and heartfelt. The love story was believable and overwhelmingly lovely.

Dev is likeable, he is kind, he wants so much to believe in love and the show that he looks past the negative connotations and the evident lack of sympathy for the Prince or the contestants for the Prince's heart. He is a "hopeless" romantic, but he does not believe he deserves love for himself. He is flawed, thinking little of his own mental health and how it effects himself and those around him.

Charlie, or Charles on the show, agreed to come on the show in order to refresh his reputation. He was voted out of his own company, WinHan, by his best friend and their board. He feels he needs to work, work being the only calming thing in his life, the only thing he can control. So, he did not come on Ever After with the belief he would fall in love. But, when he meets Dev, he begins to see that maybe he was wrong, maybe work had become a crutch for him and it was holding him back from actually living his life.

Dev and Charlie are so stinking adorable together. Charlie feels calm around Dev, allows him to touch him, to help him, to guide him. He trusts Dev. Dev thinks Charlie is strange at first, but right away works his magic in calming him. He also goes above and beyond in trying to understand Charlie's triggers and how to soothe him. He does not push Charlie, but rather asks Charlie what he needs or how he can help him get to where he needs to be comfortable touching others. Dev and Charlie understand each other because they both deal with their own mental health struggles.

The book shines a light on the business of reality TV. How staged and mentally exhausting it is for the contestants, the lead, the people who are in the background. The book talks frankly about mental health and how it is treated, the stigma surrounding it. Charlie's OCD has been used against him, pushing others to fear and distrust him because he hides it out of shame. Dev's depression is ignored by all those who work with him, and he clearly works very hard to be fun Dev all the time, at the expense of himself.

This book pushes the reader to see how ridiculous it is that people feel ashamed about talking about their mental health. There should be no shame in telling others that you suffer, or that you need help. We often hide our pain and it sends us into spirals, which often isolate a person even more. If mental health was more talked about, people would be more comfortable to share and could then seek the help they need. As well, companies and the tv and movie industry need to be held accountable for the treatment of those who have mental health issues. This book also highlights the importance of self care, if we do not focus on taking care of ourselves and our own mental health, even the most perfect relationship will not last.

Tons of representation as well. Many of those working on the set of Ever After are part of the LGBTQIA+ community. They are a tight knit family and fight for each other, even if it means going against a cruel boss. Charlie also has an incredible friend in his corner, his agent, who fights for him, clearly loves him, and would kill anyone who hurts him.

A beautiful book in every way. Honestly, read this book and fall in love!

Received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a review!!

My coworker brought this book to my attention so when I saw it on my netgalley homepage I decided it was a sign and requested it.

I’m so glad I did.

For one thing, the mental health rep really resonated with me as someone who’s struggled with very severe anxiety. There’s a recurring quote in which the characters tell each other more or less that they don’t love one another in spite of their mental illness, they love all of each other and I didn’t realize how badly I needed to hear that in a genre that builds itself around guaranteed happiness.

The main thing that I loved about this book is the asexual rep. I’m demisexual and never in a million years did I think I would see demisexuality in a romance novel, let alone demisexuality and the asexuality spectrum explained not as a joke but completely in earnest. I never thought I would see a demisexual character in a romance novel, let alone one who’s treated repeatedly as desirable! Okay, the character admits he’s not sure if he’s demi or grey ace but he’s pretty sure he’s somewhere on the ace spectrum and his love interest is so accepting and understanding, and that seems like a mighty low bar but good god it had me tearing up because the crisis Charlie goes through about his asexuality potentially being a problem for his partner was too real, and to see my own fears addressed and put at ease? Yeah okay I was crying while reading this on my break at work because…mood.

The only thing that prevents me from giving this five stars is, and I know this is gonna sound awful, I kept forgetting Dev was Indian. Him being Indian felt very much like Hamilton casting, a person of color in a role written as a white person because it just…didn’t feel like a factor of his identity? I’m probably not explaining this well and I’m sorry if I’m not, I’m white so there are reviewers of color who can probably sum this up better than I can, I just wanted to put it out there because I didn’t want people to go into it expecting one kind of rep and getting their hopes up wrong, especially when the ace and neurodivergent rep was so thorough and well done that this felt a little hollow.

Overall a really touching, lovely book, I’m absolutely gonna pick up a copy come September!

“I don’t know if the specific label is important to me.”

“It doesn’t have to be,” she says, “and you’re not obligated to figure it out, or come out, or explain yourself to anyone, ever.”

—————————

For Pride Month, I wanted to challenge myself to read something out of my comfort zone. Generally when I come across a queer love story it’s baked into a larger story. Other than Red, White and Royal Blue I hadn’t read a queer focused contemporary romance and I had the perfect ARC waiting for me on Netgalley.

The Charm Offensive is a twist on the Bachelor trope, which of course is my jam, and frankly if they ever had a season like this on the real show it would be amazing. Charlie who is your typical gorgeous tech company owner goes on the show to polish up his image after a work breakdown. As the season progresses he begins to reveal his truths to his handler Dev, he’s not as put together as he appears. Dev is an openly gay producer who also struggles with his mental health. The two form a bond that changes them both forever.

This story is exactly what this world needs right now to help build empathy and understanding. It illustrates the challenges trying to fit into the heteronormative expectations of love and societal norms of mental health. I adored how the story played out and would love to see more stories where characters truly lay themselves bare and yet their evolution is not perfect.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this novel. All opinions above are my own.

My heart is so full after reading this book. While I’m not a Bachelor Nation fan, reading One to Watch last summer proved I can love a reality dating show book without actually watching the shows.

Dev and Charlie are perfectly imperfect main characters that you can’t help but root for. They are raw and real as they struggle with identity, mental health, and loving themselves. From the moment we met Charlie my heart squeezed as he struggled with his anxiety and Dev helped alleviate his discomfort.

The story is so tender and I felt like I was experiencing the vulnerability and intimacy alongside our leads. It highlights the toxicity of reality television, the sexiness of consent, and learning to trust someone with every part of yourself. And I loved the diverse and supportive cast of secondary characters.

I could keep gushing but instead I’ll just say pre-order this book so you can read this beautiful story when it publishes September 7.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

I felt so honored to be able to read The Charm Offensive. I have to say out of all the books I’ve read this year (which is a lot) this is one of the 5 books I’ve given a perfect rating. The writing style is addictive. I could not put it down and ended up finishing it in a day!! The way Ms. Cochrun wrote about Charlie’s OCD and anxiety was so realistic and made it really easy to relate to him. It was so nice to be able to read about someone that deals with anxiety. Dev’s depression was so well written. I knew from the first chapter alone that Charlie and Dev were perfect for each other. I really loved Jules and thought she was such a good friend. The Charm Offensive is pure perfection and I can’t wait to have a physical copy on my shelf.

Of course there has to be an M/M romance that takes place on a Bachelor-type show with an MC who falls in love with his male producer instead of one of the female contestants. I'm surprised nobody has written this story before (I imagine there's plenty of fan-fiction over on AO3). I'm not a dating reality show fan, but The Charm Offensive was vastly enjoyable, even if it made me uncomfortable at times.

Charlie is a handsome yet socially awkward tech millionaire who comes on Ever After to salvage his reputation after a mysterious parting of the ways with the company he co-founded. And Dev is the handler/producer who loves the fairy tale aspect of his show, even though he knows there is little chance that the contestants will have a real, long-term happily ever after. When Charlie turns out to be a disaster in front of the cameras, it's Dev's job to work closely with him and turn him into good reality TV material. But of course the more time they spend together, the more the two men start realizing they are in dangerous territory if they act on their attraction. Charlie signed a contract agreeing to become engaged to one of the contestants, and he needs to look good to salvage his career. And Dev would get fired from his dream job if anyone caught him kissing the prince.

Alison Cochrun's writing style reminded me of Casey McQuiston's Red, White & Royal Blue, a combination of humor, intense emotions, and witty dialogue. Her characters have diverse ethnic backgrounds and are on varying places on the LGBTQIA+ spectrum, so there's lots of interesting queer representation. She also shines a light on how it feels to live with a mental illness like anxiety, depression or OCD, and thankfully this is not one of those ridiculous romances that pretends that love will cure all ills. I was a little uncomfortable about the fact that Charlie and Dev's burgeoning relationship happened at the expense of the female contestants ( several of whom have interesting but minor arcs) but a late plot development cleverly allayed most of my concerns.

I can't say this book made me want to catch up on past seasons of The Bachelor, but it did provide a nice swoon-worthy finale and a happily ever after that is much more believable in a romance novel than on TV.

ARC received from Net Galley in exchange for objective review

I enjoyed the hell outta this book. It’s so unique and consistently hilarious with wonderful MCs, but it’s also deeply emotional and heartwarming and angtsy and swoony and sweet. It’s absolutely one of my fave reads of the year.

There are so many things I love about this book:
• MCs Charles and Dev are adorable and wonderful
• The humor - I laughed my ass off. This had me LOLing on like the second or third page and then every few paragraphs thereafter
• The unique premise/setting - the Bachelor-type TV show where Dev works as a producer and Charlie is the “prince” looking for love is really fun and outside-the-box
• The fantastically diverse cast - we get characters of many ethnicities and sexualities represented here and it’s beautiful
• The spotlight it shines on mental health - depression, panic attacks, severe anxiety, OCD and mental health stigma are highlighted and handled in an authentic and sensitive manner

One of my favorite aspects of Dev & Charlie’s relationship is whenever Dev comes to a realization about Charlie’s needs, he doesn’t dismiss him or judge him (like when Charlie voiced a concern about people touching him without permission). Every time Dev learns something new about him, he immediately changes his behavior where necessary so Charlie will feel more comfortable. Looking out for Charlie’s mental and emotional well-being (and preventing any anxiety triggers for him) became second nature for Dev. I loved that. 🥺🥰

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing the ARC.

This book was absolutely adorable. It had similar vibes to RWRB and it was just fantastic to read. I loved reading every second of this book and think it will become a "it's gay and it slaps" type book. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! #NetGalley #TheCharmOffensive

I absolutely adored this book. It’s a heartwarming rom-com with an amazing, diverse cast of characters that will have you laughing in the first 20 pages. It deals with mental health, sexuality and identity, workplace discrimination and so much more. I loved reading along as Dev and Charlie both went through an intense period of growth and I was really touched by the loyal friendships (the supporting characters really stood out in this!).

If you loved One to Watch, you’re sick of how heteronormative The Bachelor franchise is or you’re a sucker for good banter, you need to get this book when it’s released!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Read this if you: like watching the bachelor/ette, liked One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London, crave books that talk about mental health and have great representation.

This book focuses on Dev, a producer for Ever After, and Charlie (basically the bachelor). They are opposites in how they think about love. Dev is a hopeless romantic who just wants everyone to have a fairytale ending. Charlie doesn’t believe he is worth of love and just wants to repair his reputation so he can go back to working at his Silicon Valley tech job.

Read this book! I laughed and I cried and I smiled so much!

Oh boy, Dev you sweet idiot. You sweet sweet idiot. I do feel like in a lot of romances there is at least one sweet idiot.

I really love a Bachelor "retelling"/AU. I don't even watch the who but I really like the concept of it in my romance reading. It can either go really well or really poorly and The Charm Offensive hits all the sweet spots.

I really loved our Prince/Bachelor Charlie. He was flawed and sweet and really grew throughout the book. I loved his handler (our other main character) Dev. He is also flawed and sweet and is just trying so hard to keep it all together.

This book isn't just sunshine and rainbows. Both of our main characters are dealing with their mental health. I feel like the author did a great job of showing how people deal with their mental health in very different ways, how some in the world view them and how they view themselves.

Of course there is a third act break-up and yes it can be worked out by actually talking but like I said at the beginning Dev is a sweet idiot. I really like how it played out and it felt right for the story.

I really really loved this book. My favorite romance of the year so far!

I also recommend reading the acknowledgements from the author at the end. It's very sweet and she talks about coming to terms with her own sexuality while writing this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC of The Charm Offensive in exchange for an honest review.