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mayakinsley's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Ableism
Moderate: Sexual assault
ellythequeen's review against another edition
hopeful
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The characters are lovable to an extent. The plot kind of fell through for me, and a part of me thinks the main couple should not be together. I did love the character development especially in parisa, the representation was so good and like something I've never seen before. Let's talk about real issues in the workplace and with media and it was even unpredictable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Homophobia, and Panic attacks/disorders
jourdenreads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Homophobia
dhwani's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
4.5
just finished this and am writing the review because yes i'm a huge forgetful mess and i know i would forget about it later. however, there is just so much that i want to talk about.
first of all, i don't know whether to rate it full 5 stars, keep it to 4.5 or reduce it to 4 altogether, so you might consider mine a 4.5 for now. of course, i would never hesitate to give a book 5/5 if i love it so much, but there is just something that i didn't completely like as well so yeah i'll be taking away a 0.5 for that.
before we proceed to the good part where i'll be GUSHING about this amazing book, i'd like to address something that i didn't find appealing. that is, Dev Deshpande as a character. as a person who is Marathi (Indian) (take this review as ownvoices), i didn't like how the character was portrayed with almost no part of him showing his (even the slightest) attachment to his desi-ness. His parents are said to be first gen immigrants, he says he wants to produce a desi queer romance and he's said to have brown skin and that's about it. and not to mention there is just ONE Indian food reference and it is vegetarian tikka masala.
although i know that maybe the character must not be having too close of a connection with his culture, i also think that as a POC main character, it was necessary to be shown. having a desi MAIN CHARACTER just for the name and not mentioning anything else about them is so meaningless. there were times when maybe if not constantly reminded of his skin colour, i would've completely forgotten that Dev was Indian. so what i've been trying to say here is that the author could've used some more research and i'll be happy if i get to see a better POC character in their future works.
coming to the part that i liked about the book, i have to say this has to be my most favourite queer joy book ever! i have not read a lot of them but my heart swells with love and yearning whenever i do and it's just to pure to know that being queer is amazing. i absolutely loved the ace-spec rep and the M/M romance, along with queer side characters and them getting stories of their own. there wasn't any character who was baseless or had no real role and was just standing by. NO. literally every character contributed to the story and i liked that so much!
ALSO DID I MENTION THIS IS ONE OF THOSE BOOKS THAT MAKE YOU FEEL YOU AREN'T READING?? i felt like i was there with the characters, feeling this attachment to them that i have rarely felt so strong.
also liked how the ex wasn't the evil doucheboy who loves to ruin his ex's stuff? at first when the ex was mentioned i was like ew here he comes he's going to ruin everything but by the end i ended up liking him too and understanding that some relationships don't work out and it's absolutely okay!
i liked the narrative based around mental health and how it is important and how loving someone else isn't going to magically cure you or make you healthy. the author intricately focused on how people view getting therapy or help as a weakness and how it has to change, i loved all of it so much.
in the end, i'm going to end this review while asking Parisa to be my life so yeah we'll probably end up falling in love, y'all have a good day though!
first of all, i don't know whether to rate it full 5 stars, keep it to 4.5 or reduce it to 4 altogether, so you might consider mine a 4.5 for now. of course, i would never hesitate to give a book 5/5 if i love it so much, but there is just something that i didn't completely like as well so yeah i'll be taking away a 0.5 for that.
before we proceed to the good part where i'll be GUSHING about this amazing book, i'd like to address something that i didn't find appealing. that is, Dev Deshpande as a character. as a person who is Marathi (Indian) (take this review as ownvoices), i didn't like how the character was portrayed with almost no part of him showing his (even the slightest) attachment to his desi-ness. His parents are said to be first gen immigrants, he says he wants to produce a desi queer romance and he's said to have brown skin and that's about it. and not to mention there is just ONE Indian food reference and it is vegetarian tikka masala.
although i know that maybe the character must not be having too close of a connection with his culture, i also think that as a POC main character, it was necessary to be shown. having a desi MAIN CHARACTER just for the name and not mentioning anything else about them is so meaningless. there were times when maybe if not constantly reminded of his skin colour, i would've completely forgotten that Dev was Indian. so what i've been trying to say here is that the author could've used some more research and i'll be happy if i get to see a better POC character in their future works.
coming to the part that i liked about the book, i have to say this has to be my most favourite queer joy book ever! i have not read a lot of them but my heart swells with love and yearning whenever i do and it's just to pure to know that being queer is amazing. i absolutely loved the ace-spec rep and the M/M romance, along with queer side characters and them getting stories of their own. there wasn't any character who was baseless or had no real role and was just standing by. NO. literally every character contributed to the story and i liked that so much!
ALSO DID I MENTION THIS IS ONE OF THOSE BOOKS THAT MAKE YOU FEEL YOU AREN'T READING?? i felt like i was there with the characters, feeling this attachment to them that i have rarely felt so strong.
also liked how the ex wasn't the evil doucheboy who loves to ruin his ex's stuff? at first when the ex was mentioned i was like ew here he comes he's going to ruin everything but by the end i ended up liking him too and understanding that some relationships don't work out and it's absolutely okay!
i liked the narrative based around mental health and how it is important and how loving someone else isn't going to magically cure you or make you healthy. the author intricately focused on how people view getting therapy or help as a weakness and how it has to change, i loved all of it so much.
in the end, i'm going to end this review while asking Parisa to be my life so yeah we'll probably end up falling in love, y'all have a good day though!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Acephobia/Arophobia, Alcohol, Biphobia, Cursing, Vomit, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Sexual content
Moderate: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Violence
Minor: Sexual content
bedtimesandbooks's review against another edition
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Alcohol, Biphobia, Bullying, Cursing, Homophobia, Mental illness, Vomit, Sexual content, Racism, and Panic attacks/disorders
imds's review against another edition
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Homophobia, and Ableism
jezebelligerent'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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Mental illness
Minor: Ableism, Alcohol, Biphobia, Homophobia, Misogyny, and Vomit
biblio_jordyn's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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 book was everything I needed and more.
The book spoke about the spectrum of asexuality, disabilities, being compassionate, the idea of identity and how it’s not a race to find yours, friends that become family and love all the parts of you, and a romance that had me swooning from the moment it began. And if that doesn’t convince you? If you’re a dating reality show person, this gives us all those vibes.
Here are some quotes I loved:
For people who need support in their search for identity/belonging:
“You’re not obligated to figure it out, or come out, or explain yourself to anyone ever. But also labels can be nice sometimes. They can give us language to understand ourselves and our hearts better. And they can help us find a community and develop a sense of belonging.”
For people who have struggles with love:
“You’re deserving of a relationship in whatever way you want it.”
For those who care too much:
“He doesn’t have to be everything for everyone all the time.”
For people who are often too hard on themselves:
“You’re so good at seeing other people. I wish you could see yourself.”
For those with us with disabilities seen and unseen:
“Charlie hasn’t met many people like this— people who don’t make assumptions about you when they discover your brain also want work like theirs: people who don’t judge you; people who simply stay with you and ask what they can do to help.”
The book spoke about the spectrum of asexuality, disabilities, being compassionate, the idea of identity and how it’s not a race to find yours, friends that become family and love all the parts of you, and a romance that had me swooning from the moment it began. And if that doesn’t convince you? If you’re a dating reality show person, this gives us all those vibes.
Here are some quotes I loved:
For people who need support in their search for identity/belonging:
“You’re not obligated to figure it out, or come out, or explain yourself to anyone ever. But also labels can be nice sometimes. They can give us language to understand ourselves and our hearts better. And they can help us find a community and develop a sense of belonging.”
For people who have struggles with love:
“You’re deserving of a relationship in whatever way you want it.”
For those who care too much:
“He doesn’t have to be everything for everyone all the time.”
For people who are often too hard on themselves:
“You’re so good at seeing other people. I wish you could see yourself.”
For those with us with disabilities seen and unseen:
“Charlie hasn’t met many people like this— people who don’t make assumptions about you when they discover your brain also want work like theirs: people who don’t judge you; people who simply stay with you and ask what they can do to help.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Ableism, and Homophobia
emfass's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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
Perhaps I will come back later to leave a longer review, but for now: this book made me cry multiple times, more than any other romance has, but in the best way: for mental health rep, for aspec + queer rep, for allowing people to be with us in our darkest and messiest moments and helping us realize we deserve love then too, for the idea that every kind of love/orientation deserves to be recognized as valid and is worthy of being represented widely.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Alcohol, Biphobia, Bullying, Cursing, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Vomit
Moderate: Abandonment, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, and Violence
Minor: Religious bigotry
n_asyikin_'s review against another edition
challenging
emotional
lighthearted
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
3.5
A contemporary romance set in a background of a reality show where reality really catches up with our cast of characters.
I think it's important how the story depicted mental health issues especially in terms of the pervasiveness of ableism in our society. Being that it is a current default in society that often shaped internalized ableism, having the effects of ableism being portrayed set as a reminder of its cruelty.
Charlie's discovery of being in the ace spectrum spoke volume to me, personally. I think that compassion & acceptance seen between Dev & Charlie was necessary; the concept of being accepted for who you are consistent throughout this story.
That being said, there were certain aspects of the story that irked the pragmatics in me.Although Charlie was blacklisted in his industry, he was still a millionaire; I found the helplessness surrounding his situation, the dismissal over the power his wealth should bring as unbelievable really.
Although Cochrun did point out later on that 'love doesn't always provide miraculous cure', I thought that it was still a running theme in the story - which can be problematic. I get that Dev & Charlie were the stars of the story, but Dev's seeming magical ability to manage Charlie's anxiety and Charlie for Dev's depression implied that romantic partner should have innate ability to know-it-all which improve one's mental state. I personally found this idealism reductive of the efforts that go into managing chronic mental disorders. But perhaps I'm being pedantic.
I adored the analogies used by Cochrun, rather beautiful for a sweeping romance like this. Furthermore, I quite enjoy reading about the friendships shared between the characters; strong friendship is always a plus for me!
If you enjoy the drama & chaos that surrounds reality TV, you'll likely enjoy this book. The Charm Offensive was witty with a swoon-worthy romance set in the backdrop of self-discovery & self-acceptance.
I think it's important how the story depicted mental health issues especially in terms of the pervasiveness of ableism in our society. Being that it is a current default in society that often shaped internalized ableism, having the effects of ableism being portrayed set as a reminder of its cruelty.
Charlie's discovery of being in the ace spectrum spoke volume to me, personally. I think that compassion & acceptance seen between Dev & Charlie was necessary; the concept of being accepted for who you are consistent throughout this story.
That being said, there were certain aspects of the story that irked the pragmatics in me.
Although Cochrun did point out later on that 'love doesn't always provide miraculous cure', I thought that it was still a running theme in the story - which can be problematic. I get that Dev & Charlie were the stars of the story, but Dev's seeming magical ability to manage Charlie's anxiety and Charlie for Dev's depression implied that romantic partner should have innate ability to know-it-all which improve one's mental state.
I adored the analogies used by Cochrun, rather beautiful for a sweeping romance like this. Furthermore, I quite enjoy reading about the friendships shared between the characters; strong friendship is always a plus for me!
If you enjoy the drama & chaos that surrounds reality TV, you'll likely enjoy this book. The Charm Offensive was witty with a swoon-worthy romance set in the backdrop of self-discovery & self-acceptance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Vomit