The Charm Offensive: A Novel

The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun I really enjoyed this book and devoured it in ONE night! Loved the reality tv trope and thought this concept was timely considering The Bachelor alum Colton Underwood's coming out earlier this year. I also loved all the LGBTQIA+ representation -- gay, lesbian, bi, people of color, women in power -- we need more stories like this on the market. Disgraced tech millionaire, Charlie, is cast as the new love interest on a popular, long running reality dating show with the hopes of rehabbing his tarnished reputation. He soon realizes he has more chemistry with his male producer, Dev, then with any of his female co-stars. Charlie is such a precious main character -- so sweet, authentic and endearing on his journey to self discovery. I fell in love with his character right away. Both of the main characters are dealing with some pretty heavy mental health issues and I loved the way the author handled them. Mental health needs to be talked about and normalized. This is the first book I've read by the author but I will definitely be reading more. I think she may have setup another standalone romance novel at the end (is that just me being hopeful?) Check out The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun and be sure to get this standalone reality tv, workplace romance wherever you buy books! TAGS: fiction, romance, contemporary, LGBTQIA, mm romance, workplace romance, mental health, depression, ocd MY RATING: 4/5 Stars MY RATING SYSTEM: 1 star = I don't recommend the book 2 stars = I would not read the book again 3 stars = I enjoyed the book 4 stars = I liked the book and would recommend to others 5 stars = Everyone should read the book; I would read the book again & again *Thanks to Edelweiss, Alison Cochrun & Simon and Schuster for providing a free eARC in exchange for my honest review #Edelweiss #CharmOffensive @edelweiss_squad @AlisonCochrun @SSEdLib

The Charm Offensive is a book that I wanted to take a chance on given the blurb. I am SO glad I did, as this is definitely one of the best books I've read this year. I was drawn in from the beginning by its beauty, awkwardness and heart. Charles "Charlie" Winshaw is Prince Charming, the lead on Ever After, which is a Bachelor-style reality show. He's brilliant, awkward and gorgeous, which makes him the perfect lead. Dev Deshpande becomes Charlie's handler on set and Dev has always been a romantic at heart, so his position on the staff of the show feels like the perfect match for him. Both Charlie and Dev have their own issues they are dealing with. Neither of them has really ever been vulnerable enough with others to open up, but that changes when they begin to open up to one another. They both are struggling in different ways and we learn through these two amazing characters that taking care of ourselves (both physically and mentally) and leaning on those who care about us is a must even if it is difficult. It also shows that you have to learn to love yourself along your journey. Alison Cochrun did a an amazing job with this novel. I not only enjoyed Charlie and Dev and all that developed between the two of them, but the cast of characters who supported them were equally as endearing, unique and diverse. I really appreciated the focus on mental health in this book as well. It's not talked about nearly enough and it is so important. I highly recommend this book!

What a stunningly crafted story. SO much poignancy and heartache and vulnerability, presented with guileless humour and a light-handed narrative style. Some really complex, painful issues were explored with respect and intelligence.