Song: “Grow As We Go” by Ben Platt
Emotions in emojis (in no particular order): 😭❤️🥰😱😤😬👀🥺
3 words to describe this book: “Gay”, “Cuteashell”, and “Perfect”

I don’t even think I have the words to describe how much I loved reading this book. Everything about it was absolute perfection. The representation in this book? Perfection. The character development in this book? Perfection. The characters themselves, main and side? Perfection. The storyline? Perfection. The romance? Don’t even get me started. Charlie and Dev’s relationship was the most perfect thing in the world. The way they both respond to each other’s different mental health issues is so adorable and perfect and “adorable” and “perfect” are the only words I can use to describe the two of them.

This book made me think a lot about mental health and the way people with mental illness are treated in this world by society as well as themselves. I know it can be hard, but always remember that you aren’t any less of a person just because you’re different than what society has made us believe is the norm.

This book also deals a lot with characters who are struggling with their sexuality which is just another perfect thing about this book. Reading about Charlie (and another character) learn more and more about who he is was so enjoyable and I definitely cried a few times just because I was so happy for him. Charlie realizing that his true self is the version of himself that everyone is always going to love the most was *chefs kiss* perfection.

This book was so beautiful and real and I adored every second of it, so PREORDER IT NOW PLS

(apparently i did have the words)

I’ve not only watched The Bachelor franchise since day one, but I also taught a college writing course about reality dating shows calls “Will You Accept This Rose?” If I were still teaching it, I’d definitely have my students read this captivating book!

Bachelor-type “Ever After” casts Charles Winshaw, awkward techie, as their new Prince Charming. Dev Deshpande, believer of fairytales, is Charlie’s producer. What happens when they go off script and develop feelings for one another? It no doubt leads to the most dramatic season ever.

Cochrun’s novel is reminiscent of One To Watch and Lifetime’s Unreal, allowing readers to have a behind the scenes peek at an industry ruled by highly produced, manipulated content. I loved that The Charm Offensive wasn’t afraid to take on the sexuality spectrum and mental health. I was smitten by Charlie and Dev and was rooting for their happily ever after. It was steamy, sweet, and completely charming.

The Charm Offensive is a funny and charming romantic comedy. An awkward tech wiz is the bachelor on the reality dating show, Ever After. Charlie is an incredibly good looking man however he doesn't believe in love and only goes on the show as a desperate attempt to rehabilitate his image. He has created a computer company and has taken it to the top with his partner however, the partner is the charming face of the company. Charlie is the computer genius however he is awkward and emotionally closed off. At an important meeting when Charlie was struggling, his partner accused him of being mentally unstable and encouraged the board to remove him from the company he created. His personality issues do not lead to great relationships with the 20 women that are competing for him. Dev Deshpande is the most successful producer on the show, he has always believed in fairy tales and always scripts the perfect love story for his contestants. The show assigns Dev to be Charlie's handler for the show, Dev works closely with Charlie to open up and have a better relationship on the show for the cameras. As a result Charlie begins to realize that he has a better chemistry with Dev than all of the woman, Charlie has not dated much but he thought he was a heterosexual man. Dev is a gay man that has recently had a breakup of a long term relationship however, he know that the show needs Charlie to fall in love with one of the woman, A lot of drama ensues throughout the production of the show, This is a great story of searching for love.

Not very often in the rom-com genre do I find a story that can make me both laugh and cry, even more rare do I find one with a diverse cast and only shows healthy relationships, The Charm Offensive might just be the perfect rom-com.

Dev and Charlie are rich, full characters from the first few pages of being introduced, each dealing with their own struggles. Charlie comes on the show trying to salvage his tech career planning to fake his way through the romance plot line, Dev on the other hand, is a hopeless romantic having loved the show since childhood. Dev is one of the only crew members that believes in the shows goal of finding true love for the contestants.

I read an uncorrected ARC so the quotes I read may not be in the final copy, but it's clear Cochrun was having a lot of fun with the reality TV show concept with the contestants having such respectable careers as "former student" and "professional cat cuddler".

I have read multiple stories with the Bachelor TV show set up, and to compare The Charm Offensive to any of them only highlights all their flaws in comparison. I kept trying to predict the ending, I know its a rom com, we're getting a happy ending....right? and as I kept trying to guess how we could get to that happy ending, the story kept changing the landscape on me. Nothing ever felt rushed, yet so much happened and there were more twists than I was ever expecting to happen. Somehow in 368 pages the story felt like it could have been 900+ by how invested I was in this world.

Start this book in the morning, you will not want to put it down until you know how it ends and you will lose sleep trying to finish.

This story does deal with mental health.

I give this 3.5 stars.

Charlie is a twitchy Silicon Valley tech genius who goes on a reality romance show to rehabilitate his image. Dev is Charlie's handler, who goes on a charm offensive and takes him on some practice dates to help him settle into being on the show. If you know your tropes at all, you can guess how this goes...

I've been torn about how to review this book. I liked a LOT of things about it, but some things about it really bugged me.

Things I loved: It's both funny and sweet with a lot of touching moments, fun tropes, and a lovely slow burn. I smiled a lot and felt a lot of feelings. I loved the diversity of the cast of characters and the representation of mental health struggles. The plot moves along nicely and has well-managed complexity that balances three layers of action: There's the reality show, with contestants competing and leaving week by week. There's the people making the reality show and their struggles and conflicts. And there's Dev and Charlie's relationship, growing at first without their noticing it and then being kept secret (or so they hope) from the people making the show. Thematically, there's an underlying battle between a starry-eyed vision of romantic love and a more cynical view, a debate within the story about whether that kind of love is even possible. This stuff was all fantastic.

But I also kept finding things that really bugged me and threatened to jolt me out of my enjoyment of the story.

Some of these sticking points were specific to my experience — I happen to live in Silicon Valley, in the same city as Charlie, and I'm familiar with the high tech industry. There were various things about his experience that just didn't hold true to what I know about this milieu, but that won't bother most people.

Some of the other things were more universal, though. Among them: 1. There's a discussion between Charlie and Parisa that makes some very heteronormative assumptions. That makes sense from shy, inexperienced Charlie, but I would expect Parisa, who identifies as queer, to challenge them. 2. There were multiple points where a character with mental health challenges was shown as being able to tolerate something that used to be hard for them, and I often felt that it was being suggested that love or a relationship had just magically healed the issue in a way that I don't think is realistic. 3. There's a character who is initially quite a pill and who transforms into a good guy without the story showing a process or motivation to justify the change. 4. There's a statement about nondiscrimination law (on which some of the plot actually turns) that I don't think is actually true.

None of these things is a dealbreaker; even all of them collectively don't invalidate what is really a lovely book. Seriously, if you like tropey romance, read this — it's a good one that hits all the right beats and is full of heart and well-managed complexity. But I did keep getting jarred away from the story by these missteps. So — a lovely story, but with irritating imperfections.

"You're not obligated to figure it out, or come out, or explain yourself to anyone, ever. But also, labels can be nice sometimes. They can give us a language to understand ourselves and out hearts better. And they can help us find a community and develop a sense of belonging"

I adored this book beyond measure!

Let's just start with all the rep though: Indian-American gay mc with clinical depression, gay mc (possibly on the ace spectrum) with anxiety disorder, OCD and panic disorder, Chinese-American bi character, lesbian character, Black ace biromantic character with anxiety, non-binary queer character, Muslim pansexual side character, Black bisexual character. NO ONE was cishet. Okay that's a joke, but I am so full of love for all of these beautiful queer characters.

This book is about a reality TV show called Ever After. Dev Depshande has been a producer on the show for 6 years and he's put in charge of the new prince, Charles Winshaw, after the other producers struggle to make him fit the mold of the show. Dev believes the show can really help people find love and he works hard to help Charlie open up and work on accepting himself in order to help him find that love. Everything gets a little chaotic from there.

Romance tropes within this book: idiots in love, there's only one bed, fake dating (in a lot of different ways), kind of forced proximity, kind of workplace romance, KIND OF the grumpy characters is only soft for the sunshine character, etc.

There is so much to appreciate about this book. I would say it almost ends up on the side of too sappy, but what else should a romance be? It has my whole heart. There's in-depth plotline about mental health, mental illness, trauma, learning to accept romantic and platonic love, caring about yourself enough to work to be healthy. I appreciated that the mental health issues contained in those book didn't just feel like a plot-device that was quickly dealt with. I really, as the reader, felt seen in these queer characters.

I also trul.y enjoyed how the book was laid out. Each section was an episode of the show and I think this is another book that could easily transition into a movie!

All in all this was a gorgeous debut and I can't wait for more from Alison Cochrun! I would recommend to EVERYONE!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for my ARC!

“The Charm Offensive” is the upcoming debut novel from author Alison Cochrun, and I became interested in reading it after seeing the cover and reading the synopsis, so I’m humbled and so incredibly grateful to Atria Books, Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read the book early, in exchange for an honest review.

Since he was 10 years old, Dev has always loved happy-ever-afters. They are so incredibly magical, and they’re one of the reasons that Dev loves his job as a producer on the hit reality TV dating series, “Ever After.” His own love-life however is a bit less picturesque, and to make matters worse, he has to continue working with his ex-boyfriend and fellow “Ever After” producer Ryan, after the recent, messy end to their 6-year relationship.

Charles “Charlie” Winshaw is a socially awkward tech genius who comes to “Ever After” in a bid to restore his reputation and repair his image. He has no illusions about falling in love or having a happy ever after, he just wants his career back.

But when Dev and Charlie start going on “Practice Dates” in between filming, in order to get Charlie to feel comfortable in front of the camera on his real dates with the 20 women who are vying for his heart, they find themselves inexplicably drawn to each other, and suddenly their “Practice Dates” start to feel much more real. But how can you have a happy ever after when your love story breaks all the rules?

Okay, I literally JUST finished this book, and my heart is SO INCREDIBLY FULL! I absolutely LOVED this book, and Dev and Charlie are both so precious and lovely and they need to be protected at all costs!

This is considered a rom-com, and it is laugh out loud funny on multiple occasions but there’s so much more beneath the “rom-com” surface, and that truly helps to elevate this book beyond your typical romance or rom-com story.

To start with, Dev and Charlie are beautifully nuanced, fully three-dimensional characters. They have depth, and layers and they felt so incredibly real that I almost forgot that they were both fictional. Their chemistry is off the charts, and their relationship is so genuine and supportive, flaws and all. The mental health rep for depression, OCD, and anxiety was handled with such care and realism, and Charlie’s journey of self-love, and self-discovery, as well as Dev’s journey in self-care and emotional health were beautiful to read.

I also loved how Alison Cochrun was able to take the traditional conventions and tropes of a reality TV dating show, and flip them entirely on their head, And the sexy scenes in this book were ACTUALLY SEXY, without being too over-the-top or unrealistic, which I appreciated. Overall, I’d say the balance between the romance, relationship development, and sexy scenes was pitch-perfect, and as I said, the book made my heart feel so incredibly full.

This is a brilliant book, and definitely one of the best that I’ve read this year. “The Charm Offensive” is scheduled for publication on September 7, 2021 from Atria Books, and I’ve already pre-ordered my final copy (I literally took one break from reading this book, to pre-order it) and if anything I said in this review resonates with you on any level, I HIGHLY AND WHOLEHEARTEDLY recommend that you support this incredible release from a debut author, and purchase yourself a copy as well! Trust me when I say, it’s NOT to be missed!

Thanks again to Atria Books, Simon and Schuster, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book early!

The Charm Offensive is cute, and while I would say the quality of writing is on par with many other books in this genre (i.e. more of a 3.5, upper-middling), there are so many 'issues' that are touched upon here, and in a non-gratuitious or didactic way, that it elevates the book as a whole.
Okay, but what does that mean?
I mean we have not just LGBTQ+ characters, but also real conflict, philosophical debate, inner turmoil. Who am I? What or who do I like? How do I label myself? Do I even need to label myself? Are there benefits to this labelling, or is it just another constricting box?
Nothing here is black and white; it's all just as messy as the reality show that functions as the background of the story, and I think that's great.
I'm also really glad the author didn't overplay the reality show thing. It would've been easy to spend countless pages describing all of the wacky contestants, the drama, and producer-created obstacles, and while there is some of that, we never get lost in it because Cochrun knows that's not the heart of the story. Sure, most readers will come for that, but they're staying for the relationships and getting some much-needed sexual spectrum medicine.
Also, I should mention, I don't watch The Bachelor and I'm not a purveyor of LGBTQ+ fiction, so this isn't actually the kind of book I'd usually seek out. My liking it is a testament to the author's capable storytelling, as she navigates this heavily-tread genre.

From the first paragraph, I knew this book would be a good one. I immersed myself into the book from the first chapter and I cannot say enough good things about this book! Honestly amazing! The writing is incredible and the plot is just one to die for. I am absolutely obsessed with this book. My favorite part would have to be the character development throughout the book. Character development is something I look forward to and this book did not disappoint.

As always big thanks to NetGalley for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review and also big thanks to both Atria Books and Alison Cochrun.

I could not put this book down! The characters and the romance stole my heart and I wanted and needed more of them. Charlie and his journey of self-discovery and Dev with seeing the importance of self-care and love just made me want to smile and cry and laugh. It was just so good and felt so real to me as a queer person to read. The fact that it wasn't a black and white word of straight and gay, but showing the complexity of sexuality and how there is so much more to the world of romance and sexual identity.

I believed that Charlie and Dev would be drawn to one another and I wanted to see them on dates and watching Sci-Fi shows and do puzzles forever. I want to re-read it again for the first time and just tell everyone to read it to see the warmth and love found within.

Also big plus for Ace rep!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC for an exchange for an honest review.

I thought it was sweet and lovely story. Enjoyed it.

A lot of people think rom com books are predictable. And in a sense, I guess they are. Two people, who wouldn't ordinarily, against all odds, come together in the end. What differs between other love stories and The Charm Offensive is what happens on the road that leads to the grand finale. There's difficult conversations about mental illness and sexuality and the nuances surrounding them. The characters are flawed, yet lovable. And Alison Cochrun did a great job of keeping me on my toes the entire read. This is more than a love story. It's a queer love story in a not very queer-friendly place. And in order to make strides for the LGBT community, stories like these need to be shared, shouted from the rooftops.

Oh my god, this is such a fairy tale. But getting your own fairy tale ending is not easy. I loved how Dev and Charlie overcame all their problems and grew together. I loved all the side characters and their individual parts in making this story. This was such a cute amazing romance.


Thank you NetGalley for giving me this arc in exchange of an honest review.

Do you love The Bachelor? Well, then you're in for an actual treat with this one. Charlie is trying to reboot his image and decides to become Prince Charming on Ever After. What will happen when he starts a frienship with his producer Dev? You'll need to read this book to find out. I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline, the banter and the characters in The Charm Offensive. I would recommend this book to anyone who will let me talk their ear off!

Yes what an amazing and wonderful story of love! On a side note, I love the bachelor franchise and I watch every Monday night like so many others out there. To have a love story with the theme like the bachelor show was cute. It’s about time there is a queer bachelor or bachelorette. Hopefully producers will read this book.

Now the story was about Charles who was the prince looking for his lovely princess but has a couple of anxieties that he was working on. Dev was his handler on the franchise and supported him throughout the stressful process of dating 16 ladies. Dev has his own issues that he needed to work on but delayed as much as he could.

I loved the way the author handled mental health and self care. And it was important to show Charles figuring and discovering his own sexuality. The romance between them was slow, adorable, and sweet. Charles was someone you wanted to hug as he managed his way through the crazy setups the producers threw at him. I cheered and hoped for the best between these two great guys. Their friends that helped and supported them were great though Maureen was horrible and I cannot believe anyone can be so unfeeling. I did feel tiny bit sad for those girls who were hoping for love and I can imagine in real life that it can be hard to be rejected.

Overall, it was an amazing journey of love, self awareness, loving oneself and others, and self healing. I cannot express enough that you need to read this NOW!!!!

I received this ARC from the publisher and Netgalley for my honest review.

TW: panic attacks, ableism, bi and homophobia

I read the description of this book and knew immediately I had to read it! I thought it would be like One to Watch crossed with Red White & Royal Blue and I was so right. This book is best summed up as: what if The Bachelor was gay and in love with his handler? This romance also has Indian American, gay, depression, GAD, OCD, and panic disorder representation in the main characters. Basically, nerdy but hot tech millionaire Charlie goes onto a dating tv show to fix his reputation where he meets Dev an openly gay handler on the show who is trying to make it as a screenwriter in LA. Hilarity and heartbreak ensure and it all ends in a Happily Ever After worthy of the TV show they work for. I seriously liked this book and I cannot wait to see what else Cochrun writes!

First and foremost, I loved the representation in this book. An Indian-American gay male with anxiety disorders? A Black lesbian? Black, Muslim, Chinese-American, bisexual, gay, OCD, Depression, anxiety, etc... It was all here and it was all represented to wonderfully and so well.

Dev is a producer for a television series called "Ever After", a reality show he loves desperately. For the latest season, his job is handler to "prince charming" Charlie Winshaw. However, Charlie is anything but a knight in shining armor - he's a cynic who doesn't believe in love.. which goes against everything Dev believes in. Dev helps Charlie open up and helps him with his anxiety and they share this emotional bond that neither were expecting. I just really loved every single person in this book, they made me feel seen, they made me feel strong, and they made me fall madly in love with them. The way this author writes just drew me in and had me up until 4 a.m. absolutely NEEDING to finish this book. This will definitely be a book I add to my bookshelves once it's released.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 & 𝘈𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘢 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘤 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸!!

When I initially requested this title, I was NOT expecting to find a new all time favorite romance. But that's exactly what happened. I've seen a ton of comparisons to One to Watch and Red White and Royal Blue, but this book is so special/unique it deserves to stand on its own. In short, this story follows Dev (a reality show producer who believes in happily ever afters) and Charlie (a tech wiz who doesn't think he can or deserves love). Charlie signs on as the newest prince in the bachelor-esque show "Ever After" in an attempt to rehab his image and get back to working in the tech world. When the team sees how awkward and uncomfortable Charlie is in front of the camera, Dev is assigned as Charlie's "handler" to help him through the process.

Let's just get the most important part out of the way. CHARLIE IS MY NEW FAVORITE ROMANCE HERO OF ALL TIME. Hands down. No questions about it. As someone who also has OCD and anxiety, I've never felt more seen by a main character in my life. Charlie is so endearing and grows so much throughout the story. His value of both his friendship and relationship with Dev is so touching. I also loved seeing both Charlie's own journey with his mental health but also his journey as being a support person for someone else struggling with their own mental health. Charlie is literally everything to me.

Mental health is such a big theme throughout this story, and I loved the way that it was handled both individually and within Charlie and Dev's relationship. I never felt like their mental health was ever trivialized or portrayed through rose-colored glasses, which is something I feel like often happens in books.

It was also so refreshing to read a book with such a diverse cast of characters. As always, I encourage readers to seek out own voice reviewers for a more accurate discussion about the accuracy of diversity and LGBT rep. I loved how the author took the time to provide education and normalization of topics that are often ignored or minimized in the world today (ie., asexuality).

All of that to say...I seriously can't wait to pick up a physical copy so I can re-read and annotate the heck out of it.

I could not put The Charm Offensive down. I expected to read a goofy gay rom-com that takes place during a Bachelor-esque dating show. Instead I got a deeply felt, sharply characterized and fiercely hilarious book about mental illness, sexual identity and the ickiness of reality television. Alison Cochrun's new novel is the first romance I've read that lives up to the legacy of Red, White and Royal Blue when it comes to colorful, creative queer romance. It's unforgettable.

Charm Offensive

This book was everything I love about a romance novel. The tender way Dev and Charlie fall for each other gave me butterflies often, whether they were laughing over puzzles or shoving each other against walls. The characters were perfect and I instantly loved them. They were real and flawed, and it was so easy to see how they’d fall for each other. I fell hard for Dev, with his penchant for working himself past his emotional limits and then crashing for days, his heart entirely too open. Charlie, so carefully guarded. I loved that the characters really saw each other. Alison Cochrun created such unique, real people with issues so deeply relatable to many readers. What’s more is that she created them within a story that is fantastical, fun, and has enough scorching moments of heat to keep you sighing. This book was one of my favourite reads of the year so far.