Reviews with content warning for Misogyny - The Charm Offensive

Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun

39 reviews

kaitlinlovesbooks's review

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funny 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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kingrosereads's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.75

3.75/5 ⭐️

I want to start off my saying I really loved this book. It was such a cute romcom. I love Charlie as a character. He is so wholesome and amazing. And I love Dev so much. He’s just this big heart that just made me want the best for him. I have to start by saying the queer and mental health representation was really on point in the book. This is my second Bachelor-esque romcom, but my first queer one. I hate The Bachelor in real life, and I don’t watch any reality TV (aside from cooking shows and home improvement), but it’s clear now I love these kinds of books.

Okay so it’s pretty straight forward, Charlie is a tech genius who has a reputation for being hard to work with and even talked about as a “head case”. So his publicist/best friend, Parisa (love of my life right here), gets him on the dating show, Ever After, where 20 women will compete for his love. On this show, Dev, a producer, becomes Charlie’s handler. Almost from the start these two have this cute chemistry that had me melting. Dev is a hopeless romantic who has a rose colored view of the show whereas Charlie believes the show is fake and is only there to improve his image. As it turns out, Charlie has OCD and a panic disorder (but reading Charlie’s POV, I feel he might also be on the spectrum? Just so many of his mannerisms remind me of those I know with ASD, but it could just be overlap from his anxiety disorders) which is why he doesn’t like to be touched or forced into social situations. But Dev somehow is able to calm Charlie in such a beautiful and intimate way. Dev also deals with mental illness and has suffered with depression since childhood (he might also have ADHD). The two have opposite childhood experiences: Charlie’s family made his life miserable for being different and “difficult”, whereas Dev’s family was loving and supportive of him from his queerness to his mental health.

Obviously, as the show goes on it’s clear the two like each other and they act on those feelings despite contracts and threats of legal action. And the two begin learning about themselves individually and opening up to one another in ways they never did with anyone else. For a moment I was worried about the dependency between the two of them, but that works itself out in the end. By the last few episodes of the season, it’s very clear to Dev (who’s rose colored glasses have been shattered) that Ever After is problematic in more ways than one.

I found myself laughing and crying so much at this book just because I felt seen. Though Charlie doesn’t definitively define his sexuality, he dances around the idea that he’s demisexual or graysexual but definitely on the asexual spectrum. He’s never felt sexual attraction until Dev, but only ever tried dating women because that’s what he thought was expected of him. I too struggled with my identity as a demisexual woman (and omg the fact this book even said the word “biromantic” had me crying because it took me so long to find the right words for me). But also it’s the mental health representation that had me crying the most. I suffer from both anxiety and depression, and I just saw so many of my own thoughts in Charlie’s and Dev’s. Even though they’re fictional characters, it’s nice to know it’s not just me. I so appreciate that Dev and Charlie learn they’re deserving and worthy of love and not just romantic love but platonic and self love, too.

Several times throughout the book there’s mentions of Ever After’s issue with having a bisexual winner or a winner of color. It’s the idea of a non-heterosexual winner that gets most discussed in the book. There’s passing comments about the show’s blatant whiteness but the focus in mainly on its problem with heteronormativity. Though the message is clear without it being pointed out, a lot like in Hollywood (and other industries), the people behind the scenes tend to be people of color and the people on screen are white. Charlie, the Prince Charming, is white, most of the contestants are white, in fact, the only one of note is Angie and she’s also the bisexual contestant the show runners refuse to have win the contest. But behind the scenes you have asexual Skylar, a black woman, Jules who is bisexual and of East Asian descent, of course, Dev who’s gay and Indian-American, and even the powerhouse that is Parisa, as Charlie’s publicist, is pansexual and it’s briefly insinuated that she’s a brown Muslim woman. I mean it’s a clear reflection of how POC are always put in the background doing much of the work without being in the spotlight. And how companies will claim they’re tolerant and hire queer people, but they can’t really be out to the public.

I think this book does great at the queer representation, the ace rep, and mental health representation. But I don’t think it did a good job at representing an interracial relationship or Indian-American representation. And that’s not to say Dev’s parents couldn’t have been total hippies in the 1960s and are chill as parents just because they’re Indian. But there’s just no substance to Dev’s Indian identity. He talks about there aren’t people that look like him on TV and about how his script (which is supposed to be an Americanized Bollywood romcom [akin to the Americanized telenovela, Jane the Virgin]) about what it’s like to be Desi American and how no one will pick up the script because it’s brown and queer, but that’s it. It’s all like the bare minimum of the bare minimum. Just saying a character is Indian or Black or East Asian or Arab isn’t enough. There are cultural aspects and implications that differ from generic white Americans and their experience. I mean I appreciate that the novel points out the racism of Hollywood and white privilege, but if you’re gonna make the love interest a person of color, don’t make it so their character could easily be switched out with a white person without having to change anything to make the switch fit.

Overall, I think this is a cute queer romcom with great ace and mental health representation. I think it’s a decent try on the POC representation, but I’d like to see more than just “this character is not white” in future characters of colors Cochrun writes. It’s not enough to just have representation it has to be good representation. And not just physical representation it has to have the cultural rep too.

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jenny_librarian's review

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

This is what One to Watch tried to achieve, with way more diversity at every level, and so much better done!

I loved absolutely everything about this book except one thing: the miscommunication. I know this is how this kind of book is supposed to go, but I just hate when conflict stems from the fact that the main characters won't just sit down and talk. And that's saying a lot, considering a lot of the time Charlie and Dev spend together is them talking...

But apart from that, the sheer amount of diversity in this book was so refreshing for this kind of romcom. We got multiple queer identities (including a whooping TWO characters under the asexual umbrella!!!), neurodivergence and mental health issues being discussed, characters of colour in the forefront of the story... It just felt so good to read!

I have to say, however, that the trigger warnings for OCD, anxiety/panic attacks and depression are major in this book. If this is triggering, better skip it altogether. They hit quick and they hit hard. One of Charlie's panic attack almost caused me to have one. Good writing, but very much triggering.
Everyone else, though: READ. THIS. BOOK!

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theespressoedition's review against another edition

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emotional funny 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

5.0

THIS FREAKING BOOK. IS. SO. GOOD! (This review is not OwnVoices for the queer rep, but is for the anxiety/depression).

I was about to write "I don't know what took me so long," but then I realized that the book itself hasn't been out for an exorbitant amount of time. However, it still feels like it took too long for me to get to this because it was everything I wanted and needed in a romcom. I loved every second of it.

Yes, it's cheesy as heck. It's trope-y and a bit cringy at times, but in the best way possible. I loved every single one of the characters, the representation (both for the LGBTQ community and for mental health) was fantastic, and I even found myself tearing up a time or two.

Two quotes that stood out to me:

“I don’t know if the specific label is important to me.” “It doesn’t have to be,” she says, “and you’re not obligated to figure it out, or come out, or explain yourself to anyone, ever. But also”—she drops her hands from their spectrum and tucks an arm around his shoulder—“labels can be nice sometimes. They can give us a language to understand ourselves and our hearts better. And they can help us find a community and develop a sense of belonging.

that’s not how his depression works. It’s not logical or reasonable. It doesn’t need some catastrophic tragedy to turn the chemicals of his brain against him. Tiny tragedies are more than enough.

I feel as though those two quotes give a good idea of what the book feels like as far as the "heavier" topics go. It has a lot to do with Charlie figuring out his sexuality and Dev understanding his struggle with depression. But on top of those more tricky elements, there was also a ton of sweetness and, yes, charm.

The minute I closed the book, I wanted to start it all over again. And that's saying something when it comes to a romcom. I don't even like reality tv, but this book made me love the vibes (and I obviously appreciated the "calling out" of the problematic side of this kind of television).

Do yourself a favor and read this book!

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iamcupid_'s review

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adventurous emotional funny inspiring 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

5.0

I'm not sure how to start this review. Where do I even begin? There were so many things that I loved in this book. This book was perfect---more than, in fact. From the start, I was hooked. Like, totally hooked. There was no dull line in this book, like, it was so hard for me to put it down because every moment had me screaming and crying and feeling feelings. It's so hard to put into words how much I loved this book. If this book was a person, I would be trying to do everything to please them. I just love it so much. A new fave book. A new comfort book. I loved every second of reading this.

The thing that I kept thinking while reading this was that what really set this apart from other books I've read is that it really cared about everything/everyone else outside Dev and Charlie's love story. You have a lot of other POC characters, queer characters, all of them struggling with something else in their life. Even Ryan, who we---at least *I*---think was the common shitty ex turned out to be... not a shitty ex. The other characters were so fleshed out and I was so interested in them that I didn't even care when Dev or Charlie isn't in the scene. THIS is how you make romance. THIS is how you make a book. Every time I remember that this is a debut novel, I need a moment. THIS IS A DEBUT NOVEL????? Like. It was so perfect. How can a debut novel ve this good.

I really wasn't sure where the book was going because there were a lot of routes to take. Every guess I had that would happen didn't, instead something BETTER happened. The part where Dev got the Final Crown and I was internally screaming along with him >>>>>>>>>>

This book was also so cheesy but not in an Eastern Lights' (by Brittainy Cherry) way. Although it talked about mental health at length, it did not feel forced. It did not feel dramatacized for the sake of the book's romance. It did not become the thing that made the book interesting, although it grounded the story for me. I was crying at every scene because I saw myself in both Dev and Charlie. Because, yeah, sometimes the way your brain works makes you feel unloveable because you know it's not normal but this book said fuck normal, you deserve love no matter what you're struggling with and I just felt so understood. For the time I was reading this, I felt powerful. So, I'm saying this from the bottom of my heart, this was an amazing read.

With that being said, I am so ready for all the books Alison Cochrun would publish in the future. Consider me a fan.

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sami_leigh's review

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emotional funny hopeful tense medium-paced

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

4.0

As a longtime Bachelor Franchise fan I enjoyed the nods to every cringeworthy facet of these shows, as well as the honest depiction of what people can be pushed to; by reality TV, sure, but moreso by the inherent lack of reality in all of life. The bystander effect is rife, pretending to be someone else is safer than trusting the world with yourself, and I think so many people would relate to Dev’s assertion that people do prefer ‘fun Dev’ over reality sometimes. This novel portrays mental health with empathy and candour, delivering journeys of growth for its protagonists while subverting the typically superficial ‘happily ever after’ in favour of the notion that everyone deserves love, and the happily ever after they create for themselves. Third person limited dual POV spliced with cleverly constructed ‘story notes for editors’; all the character diversity to make your heart smile; and oh so many of our favourite tropes (workplace romance, one bed…)

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