Reviews with content warning for Biphobia - The Charm Offensive

Super adorable romantic comedy with great LGBTQ+ and mental health representation! I loved their love from the beginning but from around halfway to the end I found Dev absolutely unbearable (and unrealistic with how dense he was about Charlie) which detracted from the romance a fair amount. It was 100% predictable but honestly rom coms usually are and that didn’t take away from my enjoyment because I don’t read a rom com for the plot twists. Overall recommend, I just wish Dev’s character had been worked on a bit more.

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alouette's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

such a charmingly sappy and also emotionally devastating novel!! it started out with the most lovely romantic comedy vibes and quickly built up into a heartbreakingly honest portrayal of mental illness. it's very clear that love won't solve all the hardships these characters are going through, but the characters (especially Dev and Charlie!) are able to lean on each other for support.

It doesn't need some catastrophic tragedy to turn the chemicals of his brain against him. Tiny tragedies are more than enough.

Dev and Charlie were so adorable within just the first chapter that i was grinning like a fool for most of the novel. the angst made me want to scream, which was an unexpectedly visceral reaction for me and showed just how invested i had gotten in these characters. the audiobook narrators were notably so amazing! every voice crack and "oh, love" and even the correct pronunciation of Dev's name throughout hit me right in the heart.

'Forever is never a guarantee. I don't know if I'm going to love them for the rest of my life, but I know right now, I can't imagine a future where I don't love them. And for me, that's enough.'

overall i'm just so happy that their privilege was acknowledged (including by themselves) but their feelings were never treated like less because of this. choose happy endings, my friends!

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oliviaangelixx's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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grayb14's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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criticalgayze's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

2022 was a lackluster reading year for me, so I knew I wanted to start my year with a reread, but I also wanted a book I could get through as a quick "win" to start my reading year. It felt like the perfect time to revisit Dev and Charlie.

Boy, was that a great decision.

These two are just absolutely beautiful humans surrounded by other absolutely beautiful humans, and the talk about mental health that Cochrun has them engage in is so crucial. Dev and I are also incredibly similar even if his type and mine are radically different.

If "joy" and "reality dating competition" are words that spark excitement for you, pick this one up.

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rayne_1906's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

3 hours 21 minutes - I absolutely loved this book. I loved the acespec representation and the depiction of mental health. All the characters, even the side characters and those only mentioned in brief sentences had so much personality, and the whole premise of the book kept me so engaged and entertained the whole time.

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hello_lovely13's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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paularize's review against another edition

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lighthearted fast-paced

Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

I didn’t expect to like this as much as I did! With most romance stories I struggle to buy the development of the relationship within the defined time but here it kind of made sense? It’s the nuanced discussions of mental health for me, they didn’t have to be so real with those (yeah fine ok I will start looking for a new therapist again).

The conversations around asexuality and demisexuality made me tear up every time and need more books like that so badly (also more than one aspec character in my silly little book? In this economy???)

I was going to give this five stars until Choices Were Made at the ending that were just really weird to me?

Like?? I’m sorry but it’s one thing to show up in the background of scenes accidentally but it’s an entire different thing to be deliberately edited into an entire season without consent and I just don’t buy the little thing he signed as an excuse.

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