This book was possibly the most inclusive fiction book I’ve ever read in terms of sexual identity. It had great messages around needing to define sexuality identity (or not). It also included characters with anxiety and depression and tackled the issues in real ways. I love the Bachelor and this was so fun to think about if it really happen on the show. I thought the story flowed really nicely, even though the periods of indecision and back and forth made me want to yell at Dev and Charlie, I understood why they were in there. The book does get pretty steamy, so definitely a reader know thyself situation. I can’t wait to read more from this author!


Disclaimer: I received the ARC from the publisher through Net Galley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster & NetGalley for the eARC of The Charm Offensive!

This was a book that I was not expecting - I received an email with an offer to read it early, but again, knew nothing about it.

I absolutely loved it! The queer representation was phenomenal and especially set in “Ever After” a reality show that mirrors the Bachelor - not a typical population that gets a chance at love. This book also shed a light on mental health and normalized it in a way that many will appreciate given the stigma surrounding mental health struggles.

Fans of reality TV, The Bachelor, the book One To Watch will absolutely adore this book & fall in love with Dev & Charlie like I did.

Having recently read One To Watch, I can't help but compare them. I didn't get sucked into this book like I expected to, but I did have an enjoyable time reading it. Always enjoy seeing the different representation of the full spectrum of the rainbow.

Dev Despande is a hopeless romantic who has been working on Ever After for 6 years as a producer. After ending a long term relationship with another member of the crew, Dev is determined to throw himself into this season’s success even more. Usually assigned to produce the contestants, this year, Dev's acting as Handler for the season's bachelor, Charles Winshaw, which includes sharing the guest house with him.

But when Charles Winshaw, shows up, he’s not what anyone expected. Charles (who goes by Charlie) is anxious, lacking in social skills, and generally unwilling to be touched. Charlie has agreed to come on Ever After in order to try to regain traction in his career after being ousted from his own company in a vote of no confidence due to his mental health. Charlie suffers with OCD, Social Anxiety, and Panic disorder.

In order to help Charlie become more comfortable, Dev suggests that he take Charlie on “practice dates,” so Charlie can practice social skills, human communication, and his on-camera persona. Charlie does become more comfortable with Dev, but still struggles with physical contact with the female contestants. Charlie convinces Dev to let him read his screenplay, a queer rom-com with an all Desi cast, and when Charlie reads it, his feelings start to click into place. Charlie begins to realize that he might not be as straight as he assumed he was.

There's a lot to like about this book, and the number one thing is the representation.

I just read (and loved) "We Can't Keep Meeting Like This," which also depicts a relationship between a person with OCD and a person struggling with depression, so it was nice to see it depicted here in an adult relationship. All of the stars for the conversations around mental health, depiction of therapy, and for reinforcing that healthy relationships require healthy partners, and that includes mental health. Early in the book, I thought that we were going to have Autistic rep in Charlie, and was honestly a little surprised that wasn't the case.

The representation here related to sexuality is unparalleled. There are characters who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, and asexual. There are two characters who discover their queerness throughout the storyline, and discussions about labels, fluidity, and the spectrum of asexuality.

There's also good multi-ethnic representation, too: Jules is Chinese, Dev is Desi/Indian (and his upbringing bucks Desi stereotypes).

Overall, I enjoyed this book, but there were some things about it that weren't the best fit for me. This is a long romance at 368 pages, and the pacing felt a little funky. There were points that felt drawn out or repetitive, but the ending felt a little rushed (especially with the time jump).

I've never really done a deep dive into shows in/like the bachelor universe, so I think that readers who are fans of that brand of reality TV will only love this one more.

I enjoyed this book and it was a quick read. I loved the characters, especially Dylan. I felt like she was very relatable. Hated Nicholas!

I’m not crying…you’re crying! I just finished The Charm Offensive and I do not say this with any amount of hesitation: go preorder this book, reserve it from your local library, add it to your TBR, plop that sucker onto your Amazon wishlist, do it all.
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This book covers so many topics that are near and dear to my heart. Not only is it a beautifully real and meaningful queer romance it’s also a heartbreakingly gorgeous look at mental health. I read Blade of Secrets recently and that was another book that just tore my heart out. These are the kinds of stories I wish I could have been reading 10 years ago when I was devastating myself emotionally and mentally because I just didn’t understand how to even START working towards a healthy life for myself.
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Dev and Charlie and the struggles they both face in this story build up their romance, sure, but they also examine the things we hide, the way we censor ourselves in order to please the people around us, and ultimately keep ourselves from the love we truly deserve.
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I know I say this a lot but I LOVED these characters. They are beautiful, broken, funny, charming, and so perfectly lovable. If you read this book and can’t find a character that reflects something of yourself back to you I’d be shocked. Our two MC’s are incredible on their own but they’re surrounded by a truly magnificent cast of supporting characters as well.
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At the end of the day I am all in for the queer romances and even more here for characters who are open about their mental health struggles. Who among us couldn’t benefit from being more honest about our mental health needs?! Ughhh this book. Honestly, I have never been happier to give a book 5/5 stars. I’m devastated the book is over. I could have gone on living in this world for 37 more seasons.

I downloaded this book from Netgalley because I was in an MM mood and the cover was cute. I, of course, put off reading it because that's who I am. When I finally picked it up yesterday I was...not impressed to start. Honestly a little bored. I don't watch The Bachelor and was having trouble connecting with the plot and the third person-present tense writing which will never not startle me (seriously, it's so weird to read).

HOWEVER, I pushed through because it seemed like a cute premise. At about 15% I suddenly couldn't put it down!

Dev is gay.

Charlie is... unknown. He considers briefly the thought that he is asexual (and there's a wonderful, open conversation between him and his friend about this possibility that made me feel so recognized and understood as an asexual).

Other characters cover a wealth of the sexual spectrum.

Mental health is discussed a lot.

You get what is basically background knowledge of the drama and toxicity of The Bachelor. I honestly think that the author must have freaking studied news articles or interviewed people or had a background scoop because dayum I believe this is all totally happens.

The Bachelor contestants were an amazing cast.

I don't even know what else to say. It was just a wonderful, heart-wrenching, beautiful story of two very different people learning to open themselves up to love in different ways (and learning to love themselves).

10/10.

5 stars.

What else can I say? Out September 2021. Sorry.

Tech savant Charlie is the newest prince on the fairy-tale themed, Bachelor-like reality dating tv show that Dev is a producer on. But Charlie isn't like the other princes who have been on Ever After before; Charlie is awkward, touch-averse, and has extremely limited experience with dating. Dev, on the other hand, lives for the show: he truly believes in the fairy tale love that "happens" here on the show. When Dev is assigned to be Charlie's handler, the two grow incredibly close-- and it becomes apparent that Charlie is more into princes than princesses. Can these two guys make love work when their relationship doesn't fit the heteronormative standards expected of fairy tale love?

I should have /loved/ this romance. It hits everything that I want: bringing down The Man, bucking heteronormative standards, caring for one another when vulnerable and spiraling, positive mental health representation, a variety of LGBTQIA+-spectrum character, "there's only one bed! oh noes!!!!" trope, freaking fantastic discussion of being on the asexual spectrum, and more. But maybe I just wasn't in the right head space for this book at this moment because it took me two-ish weeks to finish when I should have finished it in days. Work has been stressful, so maybe that has affected my proclivity for picking up a book after coming home in the evening? Either way, I wish I could go back and read it again for the first time when the right headspace does happen because it is definitely a winner.

Diverse/LGBTQIA+:
- Dev is Indian-American, but his family doesn't fit a lot of the strict Indian and/or immigrant family tropes.
- Dev is gay.
- Charlie goes through the gamut of trying different labels as he comes to terms with being demisexual/gray ace. There are AMAZING conversations about being asexual and on the asexual spectrum!!
- Various side characters fill out the LGBTQIA+ spectrum: nonbinary, lesbian, bisexual, etc.

This book just became my favorite read of the year. It's full of representation of all sorts including POC characters, LGBTQ+ characters of various identities, and characters that struggle with mental health. It put a twist on reality TV that made this such an enjoyable read while also seriously addressing mental health issues. This is the sort of book that you won't want to put down.

From the cover and blurb, I was expecting this to be a light, quick read full of fluff. While there's plenty of fluffy moments and swoony romance, this book goes a lot deeper into issues of mental illness and loving and accepting yourself. Both leads are relatable and engaging, and you'll root for their happily-ever-after from page one!

There are times in every reader’s life when they come across a book that changes them in some fundamental way, that expands their universe and broadens their worldview. For me, ‘The Charm Offensive’ is one of those books.

From the time Dev Deshpande was a little boy, he’s believed in the power of the happily-ever-after. Which makes working as a talent coordinator on the reality dating show, ‘Ever After’ seem very on brand. He helps others find love even though his own love life is in shambles. Enter the newest star of the show, disgraced tech genius Charlie Winshaw. Charlie is in desperate need of a redemption arc, but his stiff, anxious affect is proving to make everyone’s life difficult on set. When Dev is assigned to help Charlie open up, they’ll both discover that sometimes you find love in the most unexpected of places.

Going into this novel, I expected a fun, light-hearted rom-com about a reality dating show. Oh, how I was mistaken… in all the best ways possible. Are there light-hearted moments? Check. Wittiness in spades and laugh-out-loud punchlines? Check, check. But, oh, is this novel so much more.

This is the kind of story that reaches across gender, ethnicity, heteronormativity, neurodivergence, and mental illness boundaries in stunningly beautiful and emotionally searing ways. The love story between Dev and Charlie blooms like a rose, its present thorns just as important as its petals. The reader is introduced to a wealth of characters who have a miscellany of life experiences that all enrich the narrative… these strands, when woven all together, form the most beautiful tapestry.

We need more stories like these. We need more characters like these. We need more narratives that don’t shy away from portraying said characters as flawed people who have struggles; who are so brilliantly and three-dimensionally human. One of the things I love about romance as a genre is that it continually pushes the boundaries of fiction, and isn’t afraid to shy away from reality, all while providing readers with a sense of hope for the future.

And this novel gives me so much hope.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I adored this book! This book took reality TV show dating norms and blew them out the water! Covering mental health topics, anxiety, OCD, and depression in a raw way. The reader is able to empathize with the characters and their mental health struggles. This book highlights the LGBTQ+ community, and shows how, in due time, everyone can find their place and the love they are deserving of in their life. I cannot say enough good things about this book! Cuteness overload!

This book filled all of my dreams of what I hope Bachelor Nation will someday bring to our screens (are you reading this producers?) and it brought such a big smile to my face.

Charlie is casted for a reality TV show, Ever After, to find his princess, but really he is there for reasons that are not about finding love. Dev is one of the producers of the show that unapologetically believes in true love and fairytales (just not for him), and after a turn of events he becomes Charlie’s handler, and starts working with him to try and get him to open up and really connect with the women on the show. Only, Charlie seems to be connecting a lot more to Dev…

This story had amazing representation and themes. Some of my biggest takeaways were that everyone deserves love, you don’t have to fit into a box, self-discovery can be liberating, and that we can work to build our own happily-ever-after. The mental health aspect was amazingly done. The way the de-stigmatization approach was addressed was perfect. I also really appreciated that consent was such a large theme in this book.

I will say that as a cis, white-identifying woman, I learned a lot from this book. I have not read any romances where the main characters identify as anything besides gay, lesbian, bi, or trans, and it was wonderful to see so many others who identify their sexuality in different ways brought to the page, and seeing the sexuality spectrum explored by these characters.

I will just be over here hoping for a sequel that will explore another certain character who was on their own journey for love at the end of this book.

Absolutely fantastic!!! I am in love with this book!!! The characters were fun, entertaining, and I couldn’t stop feeling giddy about their relationships and the bonds that were formed!

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. This book is like a cross between Red, White and Royal Blue and the television show The Bachelor. Charlie is the sexy but awkward bachelor, looking to revitalize his reputation in the tech world. Dating women has never felt natural for him, but his handler Dev tries to coach him through it, until they realize they have feelings for each other. It’s a sweet love story with themes of LGBTQA and mental illness, told in a very sensitive and thoughtful way. I will read more by this author in the future!

***Thank You Net-galley for this arc***

This is one of my favorite books of the year. I can't wait to buy this when it comes out. I have never read a romance like this, which is based around a reality show. All characters in the book were done well, even the bad ones. You will know what I am talking about once you read it.
Dev Deshpande was a character I didn't expect. An Indian American gay character working on a Reality Tv show set with clinical depression and pure belief in fairy tales. Yes, that is all Dev and I loved him from page one.
Charlies was so endearing as Prince charming, the love interest with OCD and severe anxiety. And a badass agent to represent him.
The best part of this book was two characters with Mental Illness done well. They are not flawed because mental illness is not a flaw. They were just two boys who met under hilarious circumstances and found to love each other just the way they are.
I will not stop talking about this book until I get my hands on it and then talk more with spoilers.

Billing this rom-com as reminiscent of Red, White, and Royal Blue and One to Watch is the PERFECT way to describe it - I loved both of those books, and this book is basically like their love child. I'm a big fan of The Bachelor (watch it religiously), so any behind-the-scenes look at a show like it is perfect to me. It's particularly interesting to read this story and think about how everything was handled, now that a past Bachelor has come out as gay a few years after being on the show. It really made me think about what, if anything, was done about the real-life situation. I was very pleased with how the author handled Charlie's OCD - from his perspective, from Dev's perspective, and from the show's perspective. It felt very real to life and similar to how The Bachelor would (and probably has) handled such things.

As for the love story aspect of it? Perfect. Dev and Charlie are fantastic characters that both struggle with different mental health issues but have wonderful support systems. All of the side characters were equally fantastic. I can't recommend this story enough!

This book was an exceptional journey that brought hope and happiness to my jaded heart. I tend to steer clear of romance novels, but this one caught my eye and after reading it, it proved to be incredible. Dev is a producer on a reality tv dating show with a fairy tale theme. The setting is castle like and the main contestant is called a Prince. Dev loves that part of his job is making happily ever after happen, even if his own life is sorely lacking in romance or fairy tales. However this season, Dev and Charlie (the Prince for the season) seem to be getting closer than can be expected, and Dev doesn't know how to handle it.

This story is perfect for those of us who enjoyed Red, White, and Royal Blue. The settings were very well done, and this book was practically an armchair trip around the world. The characters are distinct and colorful, mental health is dealt with in a beautiful and understanding way, and the writing is so good. My jaded self absolutely cried during this beautiful novel.

As someone who has spent the past couple years watching recent seasons of the Bachelor/Bachelorette and wanting to finally see a queer romance blossom between two contestants (or even to have an openly queer lead)... this book is exactly the story I needed. I could not put this cute rom-com down. I needed to know what happened next, how things between Charlie and Dev grew deeper, and wanting desperately for them to achieve the Happily Ever After they deserved.

I haven't been this in love with a rom-com book since Red, White, and Royal Blue. It made me smile, it made me laugh, it made me want to reach into the book and shake the characters. I was absolutely invested in this story and these characters.

Also... after the ending with a certain character, I would love a sequel for her.

Oh my heart. I can’t remember that last time I read a book and was quite so invested in what happened. I devoured the whole thing in two days. This involved volunteering for midnight feeds with the baby because I was still awake reading. So if you think you're not the right audience for a gay rom com, you might be wrong.

This is (another) book about a fictional version of The Bachelor. But what would happen if the bachelor fell in love with one of the producers instead of a bachelorette? We get to know Dev, the out going producer and talent handler on a reality TV show, Ever After. He gets pulled into manage the newest prince, Charlie, who is an awkward, OCD, former high profile tech worker who is trying to repair his public image - and this whole thing was his best friend / agent’s idea. Not only do they have to figure out what this means for them but they need to figure out how - and if - they want to make this work.

I enjoy rom com books any but this one was particularly amazing. It lifts up queer voices, has really great, complex characters, and tackles the realities of mental health. And it’s just plain enduring.

Big thanks to the publisher, Alison Cochrun for writing this gem and #NetGalley for the ARC.