Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
emotional
funny
hopeful
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:
Complicated
This book was so so so good!
Dev is a producer on reality TV’s hottest dating show, Ever After (literally The Bachelor). He believes that the show brings true love for its contestants and has devoted his life to making it happen, even as he ignores his own mental health and personal wellbeing.
Charlie is the “prince” of the new season of Ever After. He exudes an aura of competence and aloofness as the former wunderkid of the tech world, but, in reality, Charlie struggles with his anxiety and OCD. He’s desperate to win back the good graces of the tech world and he’ll even put himself through a fake dating show to show that he's capable of fitting in.
Dev ends up as Charlie’s handler, coach, and eventually... as something more~
I loved their relationship. I loved not only how the relationship developed, but how they themselves developed and grew individually. Both Charlie and Dev are flawed, realistically so. They needed to learn that their mental health isn’t something to hide away as something shameful, but something that they had to work on and learn that they aren’t as alone in experiencing as they once thought.
Their mental health wasn’t on the backburner as a card to whip out to make a Third Act Conflict happen, it was real and, in my opinion, it was taken seriously. There’s no one and done way to treat your differently-wired brain, it’s a matter of how the people around you are going to put the work in to understand you, accommodate you, and help you when you need it. It's also a matter of personal responsibility. Both of these lessons needed to be taught to Charlie and Dev. Charlie and Dev helped each other, they helped themselves, and they’re all the better for it. The Charm Offensive was one of those love stories that reminded me how much I love love and all the messiness and beauty that comes with it.
If I have to nitpick a few things, one was pacing. Since most of Dev’s and Charlie’s scenes take place in between filming the show, the pace slows and speeds around it. I personally wanted to see more of the Ever After show itself and the contestants. Other than two, Angie and Daphne, we don’t know basically anything about the others. Perhaps it’s a given that Bachelor fans know what’s happening already and that the only contestants who matter are the ones who make it to the finale. I’m kind of averse to reality TV, but I’m a big fan of stories that take place behind the scenes of reality TV productions (as it seems like I’m the only one I know who likes Lauren Conrad’s LA Candy series). I think I just personally wanted to see how grand the scale can get, but I understand that the main focus is Dev and Charlie.
I highly recommend this book. It was a cute read that I devoured in a day. (And I would be 200% down for a Daphne sequel~)
Dev is a producer on reality TV’s hottest dating show, Ever After (literally The Bachelor). He believes that the show brings true love for its contestants and has devoted his life to making it happen, even as he ignores his own mental health and personal wellbeing.
Charlie is the “prince” of the new season of Ever After. He exudes an aura of competence and aloofness as the former wunderkid of the tech world, but, in reality, Charlie struggles with his anxiety and OCD. He’s desperate to win back the good graces of the tech world and he’ll even put himself through a fake dating show to show that he's capable of fitting in.
Dev ends up as Charlie’s handler, coach, and eventually... as something more~
I loved their relationship. I loved not only how the relationship developed, but how they themselves developed and grew individually. Both Charlie and Dev are flawed, realistically so. They needed to learn that their mental health isn’t something to hide away as something shameful, but something that they had to work on and learn that they aren’t as alone in experiencing as they once thought.
Their mental health wasn’t on the backburner as a card to whip out to make a Third Act Conflict happen, it was real and, in my opinion, it was taken seriously. There’s no one and done way to treat your differently-wired brain, it’s a matter of how the people around you are going to put the work in to understand you, accommodate you, and help you when you need it. It's also a matter of personal responsibility. Both of these lessons needed to be taught to Charlie and Dev. Charlie and Dev helped each other, they helped themselves, and they’re all the better for it. The Charm Offensive was one of those love stories that reminded me how much I love love and all the messiness and beauty that comes with it.
If I have to nitpick a few things, one was pacing. Since most of Dev’s and Charlie’s scenes take place in between filming the show, the pace slows and speeds around it. I personally wanted to see more of the Ever After show itself and the contestants. Other than two, Angie and Daphne, we don’t know basically anything about the others. Perhaps it’s a given that Bachelor fans know what’s happening already and that the only contestants who matter are the ones who make it to the finale. I’m kind of averse to reality TV, but I’m a big fan of stories that take place behind the scenes of reality TV productions (as it seems like I’m the only one I know who likes Lauren Conrad’s LA Candy series). I think I just personally wanted to see how grand the scale can get, but I understand that the main focus is Dev and Charlie.
I highly recommend this book. It was a cute read that I devoured in a day. (And I would be 200% down for a Daphne sequel~)
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
Multiple, kick your feet, moments! May never watch the Bachelor franchise again bc of this book though
lighthearted
LOOOOOOVE THIS SO MUCH!! First of all I love the way the anxiety was written and I could very much relate to it. i also just love the mental health rep overall and I felt like I got very attached to the characters quickly which I always love. They were very likable and charming and relatable. They were so perfect for each other and had great chemistry. The storyline could be a bit trope-y but still unpredictable and original which I love! It was really fun reading about a story that takes place at a dating show and the whole concept of this book was really fun. I also looooved the queer representation and the conversations about asexuality and more
this was such a sweet book and I really enjoyed it. it wrapped up in a way I was so happy with.
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
I’m don’t like reality television so the premise was a bit meh for me. I did like the way mental health was talked about throughout however. I thought the ending dragged on a bit once Charlie decided he didn’t want to go back to his old job.
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
funny
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