Charming, poignant, and a romantic read with MCs you grow to love. Charlie is a tech whiz on a dating show, but instead of his possible female dates, he falls for Dev, the show’s gay producer.

The warm and compelling narrative covers so much more than their touching romance. We get to see the characters struggle with mental health issues, described in such an authentic way that any reader so impacted will instantly relate. Highly recommended for lovers of rom coms, LGBTQ fiction, and novels that include REAL discussions of mental health.

5 of 5 Stars
Pub Date 07 Sep 2021
#TheCharmOffensive #NetGalley

Thanks to the author, Atria Books, and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.

Reasons I love this book: Number one: queer, number two: relatable characters, number three: the characters had real issues, number four: they dealt with their issues. This was a super enjoyable book and so well written. I love this author's voice and style. I cannot wait to read more by this author. I highly recommend this book. It has ups and downs, laugh out loud moments, sad parts, and great supporting characters. I would love to see more stories with parisa or Jules.

This book was a slow start. I'm not sure why, but I had a hard time getting into it. Yet I couldn't get it out of my head and I found myself picking it up once again and really falling for the characters. I loved seeing that depiction of mental health and seeing it talked about in a healthy way and seeing the characters grow and get help with their issues. I have to say, I cried for the last quarter of the book. Dev broke my heart and I just wanted to hug him. Charlie grew so much!
This was definitely a rom-com but definitely one that was truly enjoyed and I will probably read again.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

In Alison Cochrun's "The Charm Offensive", we meet Dev, a producer on a popular reality show that helps one lucky contestant find love. The contestant for the current season of 'Ever After'? Charlie. With Dev's job now involving minding Charlie, the two find out there is so much more to the other and sparks fly -- all while Charlie is still trying to find love onscreen.

Can I just say that I absolutely LOVED this book from the first page. Seriously. The first few paragraphs had me hooked because of how easily this seemed like a romantic comedy -- meaning, I could SEE it all playing out in my head like I was laying in bed watching a movie that I KNOW is going to make me squeal, laugh, and FEEL things. "The Charm Offensive" did not disappoint in any of those departments.

Also, let me say a huge THANK YOU to Alison Cochrun for writing such a DIVERSE and INCLUSIVE book. Not only did the author provide representation through different POCs, LGBTQ, but was also tackled mental health issues in a way that did not serve as a stagnant plot device.

I truly, truly enjoyed this book and recommend it to everyone!

This book was so incredibly sweet! <3 If you like any of Casey McQuiston's books then I highly recommend checking this one out. The story has so much representation for the LGBTAQ community, as well as POC representation. To top off the cake with a cherry, it ALSO has mental health representation and delves into what it is like to experience GAD, panic attacks, and OCD.

The characters are all unique in their own way and the romance was believable, at least in my opinion. The banter was delightful. The chemistry between the main characters was *chef's kiss* and the pacing for the book felt just right. I'm really hoping some of the side characters get their own books in the future.

Thank you to Atria Books & NetGalley for the eARC of The Charm Offensive!

This book is about Dev, a producer on the hit TV show Ever After. He's put in charge of the lead of the reality show, Charlie. Through the show's progression, Dev learns a lot about Charlie that Charlie doesn't want shown on screen. Charlie also begins to learn about the things Dev would rather keep behind the scenes. When Charlie and Dev become more than friends, they will have to figure out how to keep Charlie's romances alive on screen.

I thought this book was a cute, quick read that served as an alternate reality to the show The Bachelor. At times, the fake and real shows were very similar that it honestly felt like I was reading a season of The Bachelor. I really liked that the book discussed the behind-the-scenes of the show since it always seems like a mystery how they film them. Even though this is fiction, it seems pretty realistic to what goes down off-screen.

The book was very diverse and included a lot of POCs with all different sexualities. This is one of the most diverse books I've ever read and I really liked that it reflected the real world in that way.

Charlie has OCD in the book and I feel like that was presented well in the first few chapters of the book. There were times in the middle where I felt Charlie's OCD was ignored, but I was glad that it was something that was continuously brought up in a way that also explained the thought process to readers who might not have OCD or know what it is. This book definitely goes into a lot deeper places than expected when just looking at the cover and reading the short summary accompanying it.

The book is told from both Charlie and Dev's perspectives and I felt they were somewhat similar and would get mixed up in who's eyes I was supposed to be seeing the world from in a specific chapter.

I'm giving this 4/5 stars because I felt it dragged in places and the similar perspectives really took away from my reading experience. This is a great book for anyone in Bachelor Nation, and I hope to see a season like this on-screen one day.

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.

thank you so much to netgalley and atria books for this e-arc in exchange for a review!
*Disclaimer: these are my personal opinions*

this book definitely gave me similar vibes to Red White and Royal Blue. But this book focusef more on mental health and sexuality. what i loved about this was how it explained the different sexualities, specifically asexuality, because it is not talked about enough. So many people have no idea all the different sexualities there are or they feel they HAVE to label themselves when they dont. The representation in this book was absolutely incredible. i dont know much about OCD so i dont want to say anything about the rep in this book, i think people with OCD should be the ones to talk about that. But the panic disorder rep i do know about and think the book captured the essence of the feeling of a panic attack and the generalized anxiety pretty well. This book was absolutely adorable and so cute! so much serotonin and it gave me all the butterflies!
Now, my issues with this book are simple. I feel the pacing was a little strange. the first half of the book felt a little slow but i like how it was focused more on the mental health aspect. but towards the middle, it seems like they forgot about henrys mental illnesses in favor of him discovering his sexuality when i dont think thats realistic? i think it wouldve been nice to see him trying to balance BOTH with Dev. i also feel that Devs depressionbwas also put on the back burner for a hot second like i almost forgot about it? and then the ending did feel a little rushed as well. one minute they were fine and happy and the next everything was a mess? which again the pacing just wasnt for me, or maybe the author wanted to convey the urgency in reality television. Overall i think this is an adorable read if you want some orientation into sexuality and mental health as well as just a cute queer read:) A good debut novel for Allison Cochrun! i would also love a novel about parisa and jules please!