Reviews with content warning for Cursing - The Charm Offensive

I was originally going to give this 3.5 stars because at times the book felt too forced/on the nose. The second half was too drawn out and got a bit repetitive. The timeline and perspective were sometimes hard to folllow. And I wasn't crazy about how the final conflict was resolved. However, I really appreciated the mental health representation so I'm bumping it up to 4 stars.

As someone who has chronic depression and OCD (and likely an undiagnosed anxiety disorder), it was so nice to see the topics handled respectfully. Obviously I can't speak for an entire community because there are different types of depression/OCD/anxiety and people have different experiences, but generally speaking I thought it was accurate. I cried multiple times while reading this because I felt so seen, especially in regards to depression.

My favorite part of the book was how the author explored neurodivergency and love. My disorders have definitely made me feel unworthy of love, just like the main characters--and that includes platonic and familial love, not just romantic. It's so important for neurodivergent people to experience stories where the characters are loved not despite their disorders but are loved and accepted for who they are as a whole. 💜

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bootsmom3's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative 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

5.0

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carbs666's review

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emotional funny 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

It took me ages to finally read this book but it is SO GOOD. I loved it from page 1. Both Dev and Charlie have such strong voices that make the book a pleasure to read. I felt like Cochrun very smoothly managed transitions between their perspectives while still keeping each POV distinct.

I am skeptical of rom coms because in my experience a lot of them are neither comedic nor romantic, but this book completely nails it. There's a strong opposites attract energy between Dev and Charlie that makes complete sense because they take the time and effort to try to understand and accommodate each other. There's a tenderness between them that rly draws a reader in.

While I do think this book handles sensitive/serious topics of homophobia and stigma surrounding mental illness very well, I also felt that all I really know about Charlie's life is the "bad stuff" that's happened to him because of his diagnosis.

That said, this is a lovely book that, at its core, is about to choosing yourself and doing the hard things to be a healthier version of you. This book tells readers to find and be themselves, and reinforces that we are all worthy of love.

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cady_sass's review

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challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad 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

Absolute perfection. Chefs kiss. Change nothing. The representation?! Immaculate. Multiple types of neurodivergence across multiple characters, people across the entire spectrum of sexuality across multiple characters, racial diversity throughout and a mixed race couple at the forefront? Oh, and of course a heart melting queer romance to boot. This is unREAL (rest in peace 🙏🏼) if it was remotely heartwarming and had any happy storylines. I can’t ask for more. 1000 stars.

I will actually fight someone over this book, don’t you dare come over here with your slander 🤣

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