By iamsandykay on September 7, 2021 ( Leave a comment )

Book Review – The Charm Offensive

The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun book cover

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Book Description:

In this witty and heartwarming romantic comedy—reminiscent of Red, White & Royal Blue and One to Watch—an awkward tech wunderkind on a reality dating show goes off-script when sparks fly with his producer.

Dev Deshpande has always believed in fairy tales. So it’s no wonder then that he’s spent his career crafting them on the long-running reality dating show Ever After. As the most successful producer in the franchise’s history, Dev always scripts the perfect love story for his contestants, even as his own love life crashes and burns. But then the show casts disgraced tech wunderkind Charlie Winshaw as its star. Charlie is far from the romantic Prince Charming Ever After expects. He doesn’t believe in true love, and only agreed to the show as a last-ditch effort to rehabilitate his image. In front of the cameras, he’s a stiff, anxious mess with no idea how to date twenty women on national television. Behind the scenes, he’s cold, awkward, and emotionally closed-off. As Dev fights to get Charlie to open up to the contestants on a whirlwind, worldwide tour, they begin to open up to each other, and Charlie realizes he has better chemistry with Dev than with any of his female co-stars. But even reality TV has a script, and in order to find to happily ever after, they’ll have to reconsider whose love story gets told.

My Take:

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley and Atria Books.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.
All thoughts and opinions are my own.
#NetGalley

Amazing presentation of mental health and sexuality as spectrums.

Delivered in a gentle, open way, the spectrums of both mental health and sexuality are offered as possibilities for everyone. It is also made very clear that no one at any time needs to (or usually does) have their own stuff all sorted out. We are all figuring it out as we go. I also loved how the author stated that sometimes you don’t need to figure out your own labels at all, but sometimes those labels can be supportive in your journey.

An adorable romcom in the best way!

It’s been “reported” that romantic comedies died years ago. But you know what – they may have faded from the big screen a bit, but there is a reason we still love You’ve Got Mail, Notting Hill, 10 Things I Hate About You, and all the rest – they are just good.

This book fits in with those stories in the absolutely best ways that rom coms exist. Throughout this story you find all the things you need:

Super cringey: where you are about to die of secondhand embarrassment for the character.
Fear: wait – they are going to get together, right? Right?!?
Yelling at the characters: No, they love YOU, you idiot! Don’t pay attention to this misunderstanding!
Heart exploding with love and happiness for fictional characters when they do get their happily ever after.

To top it all off, the characters – main and side – are written so well, I want to be friends with every single one of them (except the villain, of course – they can go to hell).

The Final Verdict