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rey_therese07's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexism, Misogyny, and Homophobia
Moderate: Biphobia, Vomit, and Blood
Minor: Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, and Religious bigotry
foreverinastory's review against another edition
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
This was so damn fun!!
Rep: white questioning demisexual gay male MC with OCD and anxiety, Desi gay male MC with depression, pansexual hijabi female side character, side WLW couple, nonbinary side character, queer Chinese female side character.
CWs: Alcohol consumption, homophobia/homomisia, mental illness (OCD, anxiety, depression), panic attacks, vomit. Moderate: blood, grief, racism, violence, past mentions of child abuse. Minor: Acephobia/Acemisia.
Rep: white questioning demisexual gay male MC with OCD and anxiety, Desi gay male MC with depression, pansexual hijabi female side character, side WLW couple, nonbinary side character, queer Chinese female side character.
CWs: Alcohol consumption, homophobia/homomisia, mental illness (OCD, anxiety, depression), panic attacks, vomit. Moderate: blood, grief, racism, violence, past mentions of child abuse. Minor: Acephobia/Acemisia.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Vomit
Moderate: Grief, Blood, Child abuse, Racism, and Sexual assault
Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia
tanouska's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
You can tell from the way it was written that the author is personally familiar with the mental ilnesses that occur in the book. They hit home hard, which was both nice (seeing something you(ve) struggle(d) with mentioned, but it also kicked my brain into a 'ah yes, I know how to feel like that' funk, which was less nice :P
Overall I really liked the book, the format with the episodes and the scenes at the end, and how diverse and queer the characters all were. The ace rep was also very well done and nice to see!
Overall I really liked the book, the format with the episodes and the scenes at the end, and how diverse and queer the characters all were. The ace rep was also very well done and nice to see!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Homophobia, Ableism, and Racism
decklededgess's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Trigger warnings: depression/depressive episode, OCD triggers, anxiety and panic attacks, harassment and manipulation, homophobia, racist microaggressions, sexual content, alcohol, sexual harassment
My opinion of this book treads a fine line. As a Bachelor franchise fan, I was thoroughly entertained by the producer manipulation exposé this book was attempting to be. Not to mention, I'm guessing this was likely inspired by Colton Underwood's season and what it could have been had he been given the chance to explore his own sexuality instead of a pre-written hetero fantasy. Since one of the producers was a romantic lead, I felt this book was a bit more sympathetic to the producer side of things. In the show, it's evident that the producers err on the side of abusive and manipulative instead of listening ears and while that's evident, the more toxic producers aren't even given a name. Instead the cast of characters are all queer folks who get a bit of a redemption arc. So overall, the Bachelor behind the scenes aspect is a bit more rose coloured glasses than I would expect but otherwise it's not too shabby.
As for the romance, I wasn't a big fan? It's pretty bland in the line of most romances. The author was balancing a forbidden romance, mental health issues, and critique of a reality tv show so it was perhaps too many eggs for this one basket.
I wasn't a big fan of Dev's characterization even if I did like his character overall. He's South Asian but there's no context for his identity save one paragraph about his parents' immigration to USA. And while South Asian folks can vary in their attachment to identity, I found that in Dev's case it was more a side effect of the white author writing a Desi character for the sake of having a non white lead.
The author's attention to mental health was probably the most successful aspect of this book. Charlie's OCD was written well and with respect, Dev's depression was also addressed appropriately. I'm not personally familiar with the nuances of these mental illnesses but I found at times that Charlie teetered the line of autistic and Dev was showing more signs of bipolar disorder than just depression alone. From a place of rudimentary familiarity with all four those were my observations.
Overall, fine.
My opinion of this book treads a fine line. As a Bachelor franchise fan, I was thoroughly entertained by the producer manipulation exposé this book was attempting to be. Not to mention, I'm guessing this was likely inspired by Colton Underwood's season and what it could have been had he been given the chance to explore his own sexuality instead of a pre-written hetero fantasy. Since one of the producers was a romantic lead, I felt this book was a bit more sympathetic to the producer side of things. In the show, it's evident that the producers err on the side of abusive and manipulative instead of listening ears and while that's evident, the more toxic producers aren't even given a name. Instead the cast of characters are all queer folks who get a bit of a redemption arc. So overall, the Bachelor behind the scenes aspect is a bit more rose coloured glasses than I would expect but otherwise it's not too shabby.
As for the romance, I wasn't a big fan? It's pretty bland in the line of most romances. The author was balancing a forbidden romance, mental health issues, and critique of a reality tv show so it was perhaps too many eggs for this one basket.
I wasn't a big fan of Dev's characterization even if I did like his character overall. He's South Asian but there's no context for his identity save one paragraph about his parents' immigration to USA. And while South Asian folks can vary in their attachment to identity, I found that in Dev's case it was more a side effect of the white author writing a Desi character for the sake of having a non white lead.
The author's attention to mental health was probably the most successful aspect of this book. Charlie's OCD was written well and with respect, Dev's depression was also addressed appropriately. I'm not personally familiar with the nuances of these mental illnesses but I found at times that Charlie teetered the line of autistic and Dev was showing more signs of bipolar disorder than just depression alone. From a place of rudimentary familiarity with all four those were my observations.
Overall, fine.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Homophobia, Racism, and Emotional abuse
kayles514's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Biphobia
Moderate: Racism and Sexual content
emma985's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness
Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia and Biphobia
Minor: Racism
janaireadsbooks's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Mental illness
Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia, Homophobia, Racism, and Biphobia
Minor: Abandonment
sfbookgirl's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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
5.0
Bachelor fans, I have a new must-read for you! I absolutely loved The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun. The book begins with Dev, one of the show’s producers who is assigned to be the Bachelor’s, Charlie’s, right-hand man. Charlie is a quiet, tech guy from Silicon Valley and finds the whole show uncomfortable.
As Dev urges Charlie to connect with the contestants, Charlie realizes he has more chemistry with Dev than he does with the 30 women pining after his heart. Cochrun perfectly intertwines the typical Bachelor environment with serious conversations about mental illnesses like anxiety and depression. I loved reading this book so much that I purposely put it down so I wouldn’t ever have to finish it. Of course, I did eventually finish it, but The Charm Offensive is one that definitely earns a spot on my favorite books of 2021 list.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content
Minor: Racism
treereads's review
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Minor: Homophobia and Racism
sapphicread's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
As soon as I read the description, I knew it was a story I had to read, and boy oh boy, it did not disappoint. I am absolutely in love with everything about this book.
The Charm Offensive is a heartwarming, queer love story that follows Dev and Charlie as they attempt to navigate a supremely heterosexual environment, while being unapologetically in love with each other.
I don’t think I’ve ever connected with characters as much as I have with them. Charlie is neurodivergent, and Dev struggles with depression. The book captures their struggle with mental health as Charlie learns to accept that there’s nothing wrong with him, and Dev learns that it’s okay to trust others and accept help when he needs it. Their love for each other was so pure, and I wish I could experience it all over again for the first time.
This is a must-read! I will be recommending this book to everyone until they get sick of me. I’ve already preordered it. Seriously, I don’t have the vocabulary to explain the euphoria I have after finishing it. It’s just that good.
Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for providing me with this ARC.
Final Rating: 5 ⭐️
CW:
major: mental health issues, depression, OCD, anxiety, depressive episode
moderate: sexual content
minor: homophobia, biphobia, racist comments
Rep:
- Dev: Indian, Gay
- Charlie: Unconfirmed, mlm relationship
- Other: lesbian, bisexual, biromantic, asexual, nonbinary, pansexual
The Charm Offensive is a heartwarming, queer love story that follows Dev and Charlie as they attempt to navigate a supremely heterosexual environment, while being unapologetically in love with each other.
I don’t think I’ve ever connected with characters as much as I have with them. Charlie is neurodivergent, and Dev struggles with depression. The book captures their struggle with mental health as Charlie learns to accept that there’s nothing wrong with him, and Dev learns that it’s okay to trust others and accept help when he needs it. Their love for each other was so pure, and I wish I could experience it all over again for the first time.
This is a must-read! I will be recommending this book to everyone until they get sick of me. I’ve already preordered it. Seriously, I don’t have the vocabulary to explain the euphoria I have after finishing it. It’s just that good.
Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for providing me with this ARC.
Final Rating: 5 ⭐️
CW:
major: mental health issues, depression, OCD, anxiety, depressive episode
moderate: sexual content
minor: homophobia, biphobia, racist comments
Rep:
- Dev: Indian, Gay
- Charlie: Unconfirmed, mlm relationship
- Other: lesbian, bisexual, biromantic, asexual, nonbinary, pansexual
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Ableism, Biphobia, Cursing, Homophobia, Racism, and Sexual content
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