Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun

137 reviews

alisasreads's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful medium-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

4.5

so cute, loved the diverse mental health & queer rep. the concept of this book is what got me interested and it was executed so well. a really nice and easy read, definitely the best queer romcom i've read so far.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

stacy837's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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

4.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

jasperdotpdf's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful 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

4.5

 „I can‘t.“ Dev‘s voice breaks. 
Charlie wants to put it back together. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

kelly_e's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-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

4.75

Title: The Charm Offensive
Author: Alison Cochrun
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Rating: 4.75
Pub Date: September 7, 2021

T H R E E • W O R D S

Delightful • Heartfelt • Witty

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Dev Deshpande has always believed in fairy tales and happily ever after. His job on the hit show Ever After allows him to write the perfect love story time and time again. However, his own love life is exactly the opposite.

The latest season casts disgraced tech wunderkind Charlie Winshaw as Prince Charming. Charlie is far from a romantic and only agreed to do the show in order to salvage his own image. Dev is tasked with being Charlie's handler, and must help him connect with the women. As they begin to spend more time together, they open up to one another.

💭 T H O U G H T S

The Charm Offensive was one of my 12 recommendation from 12 friends for 2022, and it didn't not disappoint! Alison Cochrun has delivered a heartwarming rom-com with so much depth.

What I like:
- Charlie and Dev. Individually - they were both flawed and realistic. And together - their supportive relationship was a breath of fresh air.
- the mental health representation. I felt seen in a variety of ways, and for that alone I appreciate what the author has done.
- the queer representation. The conversation on sexuality is everything. It is open, it is honest, it is inclusive.
- wit. The banter between not only the main characters but the secondary ones as well had me laughing out loud at various points.
- character growth. I am here for rom-coms with depth, and this one has it's fair share and then some.

What I didn't like:
- the reality show backdrop. I definitely could have done without it, but understand the appeal.
- the chapter length. In my opinion, the chapters could have easily been shorter.

The open conversations on mental health and sexuality are what make this book a pure gem. The theme of embracing who we are is one I don't find often enough in my reading life. Sometimes there are stories that are a hug in book form, and this was certainly one of those. Highly recommend this one, and I cannot wait to read Alison Cochrun's upcoming release Kiss Her Once For Me

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of The Bachelor/Bachelorette
• readers looking for queer and/or mental health representation
• anyone who likes rom-coms with Disney vibes

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"Sexuality isn't always a straight line from closeted to out-of-the-closet. You can take time to explore and evolve and figure out exactly what kind of queer you are, if that even matters to you."

"Labels can be nice sometimes. They can give us a language to understand ourselves and our hearts better."

"He doesn't often try to explain his mind to other people. On the rare occasions he does, other people don't tend to listen." 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

cateemma's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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

4.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

penguin_loves_reading's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional 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


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

headachesince03's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional relaxing 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

2.5


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

kynthebookworm's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny 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

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

saeruh's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

So GOOD. So funny that I actually laughed out loud more than a couple times, so sweet and romantic, and so simply charming. I loved how both of the main characters dealt with mental illness and it never made them less than or undeserving of them. I thought it was a really great of depression and anxiety (i personally have both so can only speak to those) as well as OCD and panic disorder! Loved the casual non-binary representation. I’m still not the biggest fan of the third act breakup in romance books so that would be my only dispute but I’m pretty sure I’ve never read one without that trope. Dev and Charlie were just so sweet together together, they really cared about one another. did make me cry at work 👍

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

asexualandriod's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful medium-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


Expand filter menu Content Warnings