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celestialg's review
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
5.0
A queer love story with a side of mental health challenges is something that can be so personal??? đ
This book is seriously so near and dear to my heart. There were moments of dialogue that could have been written by me because of how much they rang true.
My favorite read in a long time.
Content warning: Itâs a queer romance, but it also isnât an uber spicy book, but then again isnât a closed door romance. In my opinion, the love scenes are mature content, but not explicit. I would still consider it smut, however. Hope that helps lol
This book is seriously so near and dear to my heart. There were moments of dialogue that could have been written by me because of how much they rang true.
My favorite read in a long time.
Content warning: Itâs a queer romance, but it also isnât an uber spicy book, but then again isnât a closed door romance. In my opinion, the love scenes are mature content, but not explicit. I would still consider it smut, however. Hope that helps lol
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Ableism, Mental illness, and Outing
Moderate: Bullying and Domestic abuse
simkei's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Homophobia, Biphobia, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, and Outing
thesawyerbean's review against another edition
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
5.0
This was such a beautiful book. It is a story about finding yourself, friendship, love and realising yourself worthy of a happily ever after.
The writing was tender, but at the same time vivid, intense, gorgeous. The way they described each other was stunning, truly some of the best Iâve seen to properly portray love:
âIn this moment, in this light, his eyes remind Charlie of the dark wood Mendini violin he played in his high school orchestra, almost black around the strings, a well-loved umber brown on the edges of the lower bout. He loved that secondhand violin.â
An aspect I adored about this book was the amount of valuable representation in its characters and themes. Queer identities, a range of ethnicities, mental health discourse - all lovingly and sensitively included in a way that was uplifting and celebratory. The discussions on what it means to be queer were so affecting for me:
âLabels 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.â
The mental health discourse and the imperative emphasis on looking after your needs was such an important one to depict. Charlie learns to deal with and accept his OCD and anxiety diagnoses. Dev suffers with depression, and Cochrun does a fantastic job of describing the emotions and the despair in a poignant way.
âBurning that bright and that fiercely must be exhausting; no one can sustain it forever. Charlie wishes he could tell Dev itâs okay to flicker out sometimes. Itâs okay to tend to his own flame, to keep himself warm.â
I thoroughly enjoyed this. It felt so cozy and loving; the characters were extremely endearing, the story was high stakes, tense, thrilling and fundamentally delightful. I will leave you with a fabulous quote that makes me feel warm inside:
âHe didnât know it was possible to love Dev more, for love to become a bottomless well inside of him he could spend his whole life filling. Coming together with Dev in this new way makes the well inside of him pour over. It feels like an unzipping of his skin, as if heâs stepping outside this costume version of himself to become his actual selfâthat heâs discovering something true buried so deep he thought he would never reach that person, but there he is, and Dev is with him, holding his hand, guiding him through.â
The writing was tender, but at the same time vivid, intense, gorgeous. The way they described each other was stunning, truly some of the best Iâve seen to properly portray love:
âIn this moment, in this light, his eyes remind Charlie of the dark wood Mendini violin he played in his high school orchestra, almost black around the strings, a well-loved umber brown on the edges of the lower bout. He loved that secondhand violin.â
An aspect I adored about this book was the amount of valuable representation in its characters and themes. Queer identities, a range of ethnicities, mental health discourse - all lovingly and sensitively included in a way that was uplifting and celebratory. The discussions on what it means to be queer were so affecting for me:
âLabels 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.â
The mental health discourse and the imperative emphasis on looking after your needs was such an important one to depict. Charlie learns to deal with and accept his OCD and anxiety diagnoses. Dev suffers with depression, and Cochrun does a fantastic job of describing the emotions and the despair in a poignant way.
âBurning that bright and that fiercely must be exhausting; no one can sustain it forever. Charlie wishes he could tell Dev itâs okay to flicker out sometimes. Itâs okay to tend to his own flame, to keep himself warm.â
I thoroughly enjoyed this. It felt so cozy and loving; the characters were extremely endearing, the story was high stakes, tense, thrilling and fundamentally delightful. I will leave you with a fabulous quote that makes me feel warm inside:
âHe didnât know it was possible to love Dev more, for love to become a bottomless well inside of him he could spend his whole life filling. Coming together with Dev in this new way makes the well inside of him pour over. It feels like an unzipping of his skin, as if heâs stepping outside this costume version of himself to become his actual selfâthat heâs discovering something true buried so deep he thought he would never reach that person, but there he is, and Dev is with him, holding his hand, guiding him through.â
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Mental illness, Outing, Vomit, Alcohol, Biphobia, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Lesbophobia
frantic_vampire's review
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
5.0
WowâŚ. Just, wow. Holy crap did I love this book. I loved Dev and Charlie. I loved the blatant aspec rep, the queer rep, and the mental health rep. All of it was so good! Not to mention all the commentary on reality dating shows. I honestly donât know what else to say about The Charm Offensive other than I really, really loved it. I want to dive back into it and start a reread. If itâs not already clear, this book is getting a solid five stars. And Iâm just gonna go scream over this one in a corner.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Bullying, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Biphobia, Homophobia, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Vomit, Emotional abuse, Ableism, and Misogyny
thainerezende's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Reality tv and gay romance, that's it
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Homophobia and Outing
farah06's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I love charlie and dev and I love how they complement each other so perfectly â¤ď¸â¤ď¸â¤ď¸
Content Warnings
Graphic: Outing and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Homophobia
headachesince03's review
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia, Alcohol, Biphobia, Sexual content, Lesbophobia, Outing, Alcoholism, Classism, Racism, Abandonment, Child abuse, Cursing, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexism
jenny_librarian's review
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!
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!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness
Moderate: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Transphobia, Vomit, Outing, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Acephobia/Arophobia, Biphobia, and Bullying
Minor: Cursing, Dysphoria, Sexual content, Body shaming, Alcohol, and Sexual assault
readandfindout's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Style/writing: 3 stars
Themes: 4.5 stars
Characters: 4 stars
Plot: 2.5 stars
Themes: 4.5 stars
Characters: 4 stars
Plot: 2.5 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Ableism
Moderate: Vomit, Acephobia/Arophobia, Lesbophobia, Racism, Biphobia, Outing, and Gaslighting
Minor: Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Alcoholism, and Sexual harassment
theespressoedition's review against another edition
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 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:
âI donât know if the specific label is important to me.â âIt doesnât have to be,â she says, âand youâre not obligated to figure it out, or come out, or explain yourself to anyone, ever. But alsoââshe drops her hands from their spectrum and tucks an arm around his shoulderââlabels 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.
thatâs not how his depression works. Itâs not logical or reasonable. It doesnât 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!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Vomit, Cursing, and Mental illness
Moderate: Homophobia, Misogyny, Lesbophobia, and Outing