4.5/5 stars

I ADORED THIS BOOK. When I first received the ARC, I was thrilled as the cover and description really intrigued me. And I was not disappointed. This book is equal parts funny and insightful. At its heart, this book is a new adult rom-com; but Cochrun managed to squeeze important topics within the traditional format. I appreciated the Queer representation that went beyond gay men and extended to asexuality, bisexuality, pansexuality, demisexuality, graysexuality, and non-binary characters. The characters were never defined by their sexuality or gender, but rather as part of larger narratives about their role in the story.

Beyond sexuality, Cochrun does an amazing job with race representation (and not letting race define a character) and mental illness. While mental illness is at the core of the story, it never felt like characters were defined by their diagnosis or "weird" behaviours.

I also just loved the characters. Each character felt interesting and funny and like they were part of the story. I would honestly read sequels/prequels/interquels about any of the characters in the story (even Ryan).

This book is quite frankly incredible, you need to read it.

If Cochrun's next book isn't Daphne's story, I will start a one-women riot. I NEED to know more about her (and Angie too!) PLEASE!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for allowing me to red this ARC!

Ya'll. I am obsessed with this book. I stay up til four am straight up devouring it because I had to know what happened next, and it was worth every hour of sleep lost.

Charlie is a disgraced tech genius who is looking for a way to make a comeback. He doesn't believe in true love, or love at all, really, and yet he decides to participate in tv's most popular reality dating show Ever After (seriously, they're on season 37!), Charlie is awkward and stiff on camera, with no chemistry between himself or any of the women contestants, and nearly immediately regrets his decision to compete on the show.

Enter Dev, one of the show's producers. Dev loves love and is assigned with getting Charlie to look at least like he isn't going to bolt the minute the cameras start rolling. Despite dealing with a nasty breaking just six months prior, and still having to work with his ex, Dev is fantastic at his job. He goes above and beyond for Charlie, and he knows he can make him fall in love this season.

Only, what happens when it's not one of the contestants Charlie falls in love with?

The characters in this book are just absolutely amazing, oh my gosh. The cast is diverse, there are several different sexualities represented AND Dev and Charlie are not these shining, perfect princes themselves. They struggle with OCD and depression, respectively, and it's so nice to see it done in a way that people actually experience every day.

I wanted to scoop Charlie and Dev up and keep them in my pocket where no harm would ever come to them again. Seriously, I cannot wait for this book to release so I have people to scream about it with me.

Pre-order this. You won't regret it.

tw: anxiety, ocd, depression, homophobia, albeism

Charlie is a disgraced tech millionaire who does not believe in true love. Yet, he has signed on to be the next Prince Charming on the hit reality dating show, Ever After. He’s far from a suave romantic lead when faced with the twenty women fighting for his heart. He only agreed to be this seasons prince to rehabilitate his image in the tech industry.

Dev is assigned as Charlie’s handler when he comes across awkward and stiff on camera. As the most successful producer in Ever After history, Dev is always able to craft perfect love stories and the fairy tale endings he’s desired since he was ten years old.

Sparks fly when Dev works to bring Charlie out of his shell behind the scenes, and their connection grows as filming takes them to New Orleans, Germany, Bali, and the quintessential home town dates of the final three contestants. Charlie realizes that the chemistry he lacks with his female costars is felt with Dev ten times over. Dev and Charlie have both their careers and love on the line when they’re faced with whether to go for the Happy Ever After.


I absolutely adored this story, it quickly became my favorite romance of 2021! Charlie and Dev are so lovable even though they don’t believe they deserve their own happily ever after. This was queer cuteness with chemistry that just kept building.

The role that mental health played was written with such care and the struggles presented were always something to be loved for, and not in spite of, even if the characters didn’t recognize it themselves. No one was written as broken that needed fixing.

And wow, the sexuality representation is some of the best I’ve read in MLM romances. There is gay, bisexual, pansexual, lesbian, ace spectrum, and demisexual rep. This vast representation led to such organic conversations about sexuality, especially with those questioning how they identify.

I will be recommending this book to absolutely anyone that will listen. 5/5 and I’m already desperate for a second book from Alison Cochrun.


tw: panic attacks, depressive episode, biphobia, homophobia, ableism

Dev loves love, and for the best six years working on Ever After he has been able to be a part of other finding it. After a recent break up, he's still right back at it, killing at his job, and they have so much faith in his they make him the current Prince's handler. Charlie just wants his life back, he wants to work doing the one job he's ever known but he can't do this unless he can prove to his old business partner and the rest of the world that he is completely cool and completely fine. For this reason, he decides to be the next Prince on Ever After to look for his future princess on national television, Will Charlie be able to prove to everyone that he's enough, and that he's lovable just the way that he is? Will Dev spend his whole career helping everyone else find their happily ever after while he always sits on the sidelines playing it safe?

This book completely blew me away! I could not put it down and I cannot wait for the release date so everyone else can see what a beautiful story this is. I loved both Dev and Charlie. I think the alternating between perspectives gave us a really well rounded view of what was going on and the scene transcripts definitely provided us with some comic relief.

I think the portrayal of mental health in this story is so important, and I really like the way the author went about it, touching on OCD, anxiety, and depression. We see the ups and downs in life, and that we all deserve love, happiness, friendship, and compassion.

I don't think there was a single thing that I didn't like about this book. It was such a heartwarming story, full of representation and I know it's going to be one of my favorite books that I will read all year!

I loved this book so much, and I am so glad I got to read it ahead of the publication date through netgalley's eArc.
The perfect way to describe this book is what I imagine the Bachelor is like behind the scenes, mixed with Casey McQuiston's Red, White, and Royal Blue, which is one of the reasons I wanted to pick it up in the first place. The two leads, Dev and Charlie, are refreshing in the fact that they are both in need of self-growth, and both work on it throughout the book. Their character arcs work well together but are not dependent on their relationship. I was also thrilled by the issues this book discusses through the characters and those around them, such as mental health, homophobia, and self-love.
I loved the mix of diverse characters that Alison filled the book with, which I've happily noticed is getting more common in the books I've been reading. Dev and Charlie are very different in comparison, from their initial goals in life to the families that they were raised in, but the way Alison writes them is very cohesive and companionable. I loved both of them, and I liked having the two POVs throughout the story. Their friendships outside of their relationship with very fun to read, and I think really helped push the story along.
I read most of this book over the course of 6 hours, unable to sleep without continuing it, and I love having those kinds of experiences with books. It reminds me of one of the reasons why I fell in love with reading in the first place. Falling in love with characters and stories, and living out these romances in my mind.
This book doesn't come out until September, but once it does I think everyone should read it, especially those who are fans of RWB and who also like the idea of fairytale romances.
Please read it. I loved this book so much, and will definitely be rereading it.

Some books are gifts. You might have had a less than stellar day, a terrible week, or an awful pandemic, and you sit down with a romance that you don’t know much about and a few hours later the world has been transformed into a kinder, gentler, happier place. The Charm Offensive, by Alison Cochrun, is that kind of book.
The gist is that the star of a Bachelor-like reality series falls in love with his producer, rather than the women selected to be his bride. Pretty simple set up, right? But the problems facing the star, Charlie, and his producer, Dev, are anything but simple.
There is the inherent conflict that happens when Charlie and Dev fall for one another on a show that is geared towards a heteronormative HEA complete with women in gowns in a castle and a man they’re all competing for to be their prince.
But Cochrun doesn’t give us just another wry romcom that winks at the entertainment juggernaut that is The Bachelor and all the reasons we love to hate it. If she did, that would be fine.
Instead, like I said, this book is a gift. It treats the characters with such tenderness and respect that we fall in love with both of them – with all the characters, really. Charlie is on the verge of losing everything he’s always wanted because he is hiding his mental health issues, even though he receives treatment for them. Dev, on the other hand presents as being on top of everything – including his job as a producer on a show he’s always loved – despite his own unacknowledged problems. Neither man expected a deep and genuine love to come out of a reality tv experience, and the wonderful part is that as wonderful as their romantic love is, it doesn’t solve their problems. They solve their problems along with the help of their friends and family.
Cochrun is phenomenal at writing inclusively without being pedantic. Her description of Charlie’s slow awakening to his sexuality is empathetic, humorous, and unforgettable. The absolute delight Dev and Charlie take in each other is infectious and more than once I found myself smiling widely or holding my hand to my chest at something endearingly awkward or outrageous.
Quite simply, I loved this book. I loved Cochrun’s authorial voice, and I love how much she loved her characters. This book is a gift – go out and pass it on.

The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun is an awesome, witty, sassy, and perfect contemporary romance that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I am so glad I was able to read this book. The cover and synopsis drew me in, the wonderfully developed character cast, plot, and pacing kept me coming back for more.

I loved Dev and Charlie. Both come to the table with their own complicated pasts, hangups, insecurities, and imperfections. However, underneath it all both are lovable, likable, realistic, relatable, and charming. They have great chemistry, and both compliment each other remarkably well. Each seemed to help the other heal, move on, find purpose, and find a future within themselves and with one another. I love it when I get to see a healthy relationship.

The author did a great job with balancing out serious issues and diagnoses with humor, banter, wit, and wisdom. A great mix and a great ending.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Atria Books for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.

This book was so much fun and super cute. I actually dreamed about it the first night after starting it. A great representation of anxiety and OCD and how it can both isolate and connect us. I really enjoyed this book

As soon as I read the description, I knew it was a story I had to read, and boy oh boy, it did not disappoint. I am absolutely in love with everything about this book.

The Charm Offensive is a heartwarming, queer love story that follows Dev and Charlie as they attempt to navigate a supremely heterosexual environment, while being unapologetically in love with each other.

I don’t think I’ve ever connected with characters as much as I have with them. Charlie is neurodivergent, and Dev struggles with depression. The book captures their struggle with mental health as Charlie learns to accept that there’s nothing wrong with him, and Dev learns that it’s okay to trust others and accept help when he needs it. Their love for each other was so pure, and I wish I could experience it all over again for the first time.

This is a must-read! I will be recommending this book to everyone until they get sick of me. I’ve already preordered it. Seriously, I don’t have the vocabulary to explain the euphoria I have after finishing it. It’s just that good.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for providing me with this ARC.

Final Rating: 5 ⭐️

CW:
major: mental health issues, depression, OCD, anxiety, depressive episode
moderate: sexual content
minor: homophobia, biphobia, racist comments

Rep:
- Dev: Indian, Gay
- Charlie: Unconfirmed, mlm relationship
- Other: lesbian, bisexual, biromantic, asexual, nonbinary, pansexual

The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun is a queer love story that explores the question “What if the Bachelor accidentally fell in love with his handler rather than one of the 20 girls hired to compete for his affection?” and I loved every word of it. This is one of my new favorite books. The characters were incredibly well written and the story kept me so hooked that I read it in a day.

Dev and Charlie were so good as individuals and as a pair. They made me laugh, they made me yearn, they made me cry. Their love for each other felt real.

This book also has a great discussion about mental health. Charlie deals with accepting himself even when his OCD makes it hard for him and Dev is on his own journey learning how to take care of himself while dealing with depression.

If you like queer romcoms that also make you feel like you’re personally experiencing the events hand in hand with the characters, The Charm Offensive is for you.

First off, this book may be 368 pages, but I flew through it, only stopping so I can prolong my enjoyment of it. There was never a point where I felt like something was unnecessary or just filler. It was all purposeful and made the impact of the story that much better.
Mental health and so much effortless rep play a big role in the story-line, and it is handled with so much care.
Now these characters, they truly do live and breathe in these pages, every single one.
Speaking of our main couple- Dev and Charlie are so amazing. Their romance is so cute, but I also just loved them as their own separate characters.
Make sure to pick this up and let it brighten up your day, absolutely great.

Special thanks to Atria Books and Netgalley for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for an honest review.

Because this was comped with RWRB in the promotion materials I had high expectations, but I wasn't let down at all! Plot-wise it's really...nothing like RWRB, but the voices of both books were similar. It felt like hearing the story from a close, wise-cracking friend. I loved it in RWRB, and I loved it here too.

One of the best parts about The Charm Offensive is that it is just unapologetically queer. But what I loved about it the most is that it is unapologetically queer in a traditionally (and aggressively) white, heterosexual space: Reality TV. Cochrun does an excellent job of forcing her readers to open up, to see this love story for what it is despite where it is happening. And she tells us, over and over again, that this is realistic, that people of all types can and will fall in love wherever they are, and that it should be celebrated.

TCO also does a lot of work with being neurodivergent and having mental illnesses, which was great. There's a part where Jules, probably my favorite character, says something like "Everyone has a fucking therapist" when Dev is surprised that she has a therapist, which I found hysterical and just a perfect mirror to the millennial/gen z experience. We really do all have therapists (and for good reason, life fucks everyone up).

And of course, Dev and Charlie. I loved them. Their struggles were realistic. Their love was adorable. I received TCO through netgalley and devoured it in a night, because I just loved them. They're so good, and so messy. I don't think I've ever read a book that is this daring enough to really show their characters at their worst. And for it, when we see Dev and Charlie at their best, it's so, so special.

THIS BOOK IS EVERYTHING! I was excited about an LGBTQIA+ themed forbidden romance set within the world of a heteronormative reality dating show, but worried about the relationship possibly being more secretive (shaming) than celebratory. However, Alison Cochrun has done a fantastic and sensitive job of creating a world in which pure love does exist.

The Charm Offensive is the story of reality TV producer, Dev, who is reassigned to be a "handler" for the male contestant, Charlie. Almost immediately, the two bond, but the show's expectations and their life experiences create a complex tension and steamy chemistry that drives this novel forward. I love so many of the characters in this book and want each of them to get their own versions of happily ever after!

I especially appreciate the way the author has included a diverse group of queer characters, including those on the asexual spectrum without it being forced or a negative stereotype. Mental health also plays a large role in the storyline, and neurodiversity, including OCD, depression, and anxiety disorder is handled with care. This book could have gone off the rails with the wrong author, but Alison Cochrun skillfully delivers a beautiful love story. I highly recommend it!

Reality TV... blech. And what was with all the puking?!?

Okay, beyond the things that weren't my usual, I really enjoyed the diversity of the characters in this. Yes, Charlie was blond and blue-eyed, but he was SUPER neuro-divergent and had mass amounts of anxiety. Dev was solid, but had serious struggles with depression on the page and gave POC representation beautifully, advocating for DEI in Hollywood. The toxic Hollywood behind-the-scenes felt accurate, as did the redemption arc for the Bachelor-style show. Fans of Pitch Perfect will love this!

This is an absolutely wonderful book with heavy Red White and Royal Blue vibes. It has a likable cast of characters that includes real-world levels of diversity in areas such as sexuality, ethnicity, mental health, and neurodivergance. Even thought the story felt fairly straightforward with few unexpected twists and turns, it was still a delight to read and I plowed through it in a few short days because I couldn't put it down. The two main characters are both likable and highly relatable and they are surrounded by a cast of equally likable supporting characters who I felt lucky to get to know. I recommend this book to adult readers who like romance, lgbtq+ stories, behind the scenes looks at the reality television industry, and honest talks about mental health and sexuality.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I saw Rachel Lynn Solomon raving about this one and immediately requested. She was so so very right about this book.

CW: obsessive-compulsive disorder, severe anxiety, depression, biphobia, queerphobia, misogyny, mocking of mental health, episode of severe depression

I would recommend this book if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-friends to lovers
-close-proximity
-forbidden relationship
-practice/fake dating and hookups
-only one bed
-a bachelor like dating show
-amazing secondary characters

I adored this book. The effortless representation. It was so reflective of the real world. The spectrum that sexuality is, neurodiversity, the importance of mental health and normalizing it, platonic love, and the importance of the right of everyone to find and be loved for exactly who they are. This book is a big hug and I want everyone to have it so they can be hugged.

The first half had me cackling as Dev and Charlie fell for each other, both of them not realizing it at first. It was so sweet how they both saw and just accepted the other immediately. There was no second-guessing just an immediate giving of what the other needed. I loved how the show was used as a timeline and also a countdown of sorts that they would have to go their separate ways. This book was so smart, so effortless, such a joy. Watching these two quietly fall in love. Every touch, ever acknowledgment. And consent, so much freaking consent. So much tenderness, and feelings, and acceptance. I loved both Dev and Charlie's best friends and fully support spin-offs where they get their happily ever afters.

But the second half. It ripped my heart out in the best way, the beating heart of this book. The social commentary on dating shows and just the heteronormative expectations that the media continues to perpetuate is subtle until it's not and this book faces it head-on. It was such a journey reading Dev and Charlie both learn that they deserve love and to accept it. My heart was pounding until the very end for these two. So much happens in this book but it was never overwhelmed by it, at its heart is a beautiful love story and it sucks you in.

Please just read this book it is so beautiful and one of the best I've read this year.

Rating: 5
Steam: 2 (vague terms/descriptions)

4.5 stars

This is such a sweet story about Charlie, a tech whiz who's trying to repair his reputation by going on Ever After, a reality TV dating show, and Dev, his handler/producer, who's trying to move past the ending of a 6-year relationship with Ryan, another member of the show's crew. Both men are so sweet and so vulnerable and they both need to be loved but neither is sure they deserve it. Then, there's also the unhelpful fact that they are contractually obligated to stay away from each other. Charlie is required to choose a "princess" and propose to her by the end of filming and must stay engaged for at least 6 months. Dev is supposed to remain professional and not get involved with the talent. But, they are drawn to each other like moths to a flame and can't stay away.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in return for an honest review.

While I really liked the two main characters, what made my reading experience even better was the frame of a reality TV show.

I loved it! I read it in about 24 hours. This may be the first book I've read with multiple adult ace characters. You'll like this if you liked We Are Totally Normal by Naomi Kanakia, State of Us by Sean David Hutchinson, or Red White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston.

What a CHARMING book. I received an ARC through NETGalley and I was in the mood for a nice queer rom com. I have never been a fan of reality tv or the bachelor but I really enjoyed this book. The book was a sold 4 stars ⭐️ and I always give an extra star for asexual representation bringing it up to a grand 5 stars ✨. The characters were great, the story was cute, and I chuckled out loud more than once. Most importantly I greatly enjoyed the queer diversity in the book. I normally have to actively seek out a book with asexual representation and this one landed in my lap. Not only representation but having more than one character as asexual and having these characters have very different experiences from each other was so nice to see! I am now going to go preorder a physical copy of this book as should you.