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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
3.5 ⭐️
idk how to explain it, i LOVED the characters (Dev altered my brain’s chemistry, he’s literally me i felt ATTACKED when it was explained how he felt and during the description of his depression
idk how to explain it, i LOVED the characters (Dev altered my brain’s chemistry, he’s literally me i felt ATTACKED when it was explained how he felt and during the description of his depression
emotional
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
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
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
Este livro foi uma grande surpresa!
Para além de não estar à espera de gostar dele tanto quanto gostei, também não estava à espera que abordasse tópicos tão importantes como a descoberta da sexualidade, as relações familiares e de amizade e as questões relacionadas com a saúde mental...
Tudo isto tornou esta leitura mil vezes melhor!
Para além de não estar à espera de gostar dele tanto quanto gostei, também não estava à espera que abordasse tópicos tão importantes como a descoberta da sexualidade, as relações familiares e de amizade e as questões relacionadas com a saúde mental...
Tudo isto tornou esta leitura mil vezes melhor!
This books just gave me a warm hug and some hot chocolate
DNF pag.26
Mi sono bastate 26 pagine per capire che questo libro non fa per me...non so se sia lo stile dell'autrice o la traduzione fatta male, ma l'ho trovato imbarazzante. Magari ci riprovo tra qualche mese perchè le recensioni sono alquanto positive, per il momento però è no!
Mi sono bastate 26 pagine per capire che questo libro non fa per me...non so se sia lo stile dell'autrice o la traduzione fatta male, ma l'ho trovato imbarazzante. Magari ci riprovo tra qualche mese perchè le recensioni sono alquanto positive, per il momento però è no!
I've given this an A- for both narration and content at AudioGals, so that's 4.5 stars rounded up
I defy anyone not to be completely charmed by Alison Cochrun’s The Charm Offensive. It’s a warm, witty romance that offers an insightful story of self-discovery featuring a pair of captivating, superbly crafted lead characters and a lively, wonderfully diverse secondary cast. It’s billed as a romantic comedy, but it’s so much more than that; I generally think of rom-coms as light-hearted and fairly insubstantial, and this certainly isn’t the latter. It’s most definitely romantic, and it packs plenty of gentle humour, but it’s got a more serious ‘feel’ than the average rom-com, taking a sensitive and nuanced approach to neurodiversity and mental health issues as the two protagonists figure out who they are and what they really want – and of course, fall in love along the way.
Dev Deshpande is a life-long romantic who, for the past six years, has worked as a producer on the reality dating show Ever After, crafting the perfect happy ending for his contestants. Despite the recent break-up of his long-term relationship, Dev still believes in fairy tales and happy endings and still wants the hearts and the flowers and the whole shebang for himself.
Charlie Winshaw agreed to be this season’s Prince Charming as part of an attempt to rehabilitate his image after he was ousted from the tech company he founded and acquired a reputation for being difficult to work with. He doesn’t believe in True Love, but… well, he can probably fake it for as long as it takes, right? Um – wrong. Charlie might be drop-dead gorgeous, but he has almost NO social skills, he dislikes being touched, he has an anxiety disorder and OCD, and has no real idea of what he’s signed up for. It becomes very quickly apparent that he’s bitten off more than he can chew.
When Charlie’s big entrance shows exactly how out of his depth he is, the show’s head producer decides that Dev – who is usually responsible for looking after the female contestants on the show – should switch jobs this season and be assigned to Charlie instead. After all, Dev knows exactly what’s needed, he’s fun, he’s easy to be around and he’s the best handler Ever After has ever had – it’s up to him to save the day (and the season) and turn this particular frog into a prince. Dev isn’t keen – and is even less so after Charlie expresses his scepticism about the existence of such a thing as true love – but Dev is up to the challenge.
So he sets about doing what he does best – making the fairy tale happen for the cameras and for Charlie and his “princess”. Dev’s belief in Happily Ever After and that love conquers all (despite the lack of those things in his own life) is what makes him so good as his job; he genuinely wants the contestants to find love and doesn’t share the cynicism about Ever After exhibited by some of his colleagues and the show’s critics. He’s done his research and he’s worked out which contestant is most likely to capture Charlie’s heart; he starts crafting their romance, working out when and how they should fall in love and move toward the on-air marriage proposal in the season finale. The lovely Daphne is perfect – beautiful, intelligent, charming and a thoroughly nice person – she’s surely any man’s perfect woman. The trouble is… she isn’t Charlie’s. And the more time Charlie spends with Dev, the more he gets to know him… the more Charlie suspects that there’s no such thing as a perfect woman as far as he’s concerned.
The Charm Offensive isn’t your typical gay/out-for-you story; it’s not that Charlie has never been attracted to a guy before, it’s that he’s never been attracted to anyone before. He’s wondered if maybe he’s asexual – although his feelings for Dev answer that question – and the way he questions and works his way through it all, eventually coming to the conclusion that he’s gay, is really well-done.
Alison Cochrun has created a world that feels relevant and familiar, poking fun at the vagaries of reality TV while at the same time taking a hard look at the prejudices that still exist in the industry. But what really makes The Charm Offensive stand out from the crowd is its protagonists and the way they grow as people. Dev and Charlie are very real, with real flaws and real insecurities; they make mistakes and they make poor choices, but even though the lessons learned are sometimes painful, they DO learn and that growth is very clearly shown in the story as they use what they learn to inform their words and actions.
I can’t say that the story treads any new paths – but honestly, that doesn’t matter because you’ll fall in love with Dev and Charlie as they start to know and care for each other, coming to understand the different issues they each deal with every day – although in Dev’s case, he’s become so adept at hiding the truth from those around him and being “on” all the time – the “Fun Dev” everyone expects him to be – that it takes Charlie a little longer to realise that Dev is struggling, too. As both men are living with mental illness, this could have been a pretty heavy book, but it isn’t; the author handles the subject really well, not sugar-coating anything but not casting it in endless doom and gloom either. I very much appreciated that she shows that love is not a panacea – that at its very best it can make someone feel seen and understood and challenge them to care for themselves – and their partner(s) – better.
I absolutely loved this story (and the narration) but there’s just one thing that dinged the grade a little, which is that Dev is of Indian descent, but his culture makes pretty much no impact in the book whatsoever. Other than his name and a mention of Desi characters in a screenplay he’s writing, it seemed to me as though he could have been any ethnicity, and I couldn’t help feeling as though here was a missed opportunity.
I’ve listened to Vikas Adam a couple of times before and enjoyed his work, so I was pleased to have the opportunity to listen to him again, but Graham Halstead was a new name, and I’m always a bit apprehensive about trying an unknown narrator. But the moment he started speaking I heaved a huge sigh of relief as I realised that (under another name) he’s one of my favourites, so I knew I could just kick back and enjoy the story. Both performances are excellent – well-paced, well-differentiated and expressive, communicating an obvious sense of engagement with the material to the listener, and they each do a terrific job of fleshing out and enhancing the strong connection that develops between Dev and Charlie. Mr. Adam’s Dev is perfectly judged; he’s upbeat and charming with a great sense of humour, but as the story continues there’s a real sense that he’s trying too hard, and there’s a subtle edge to his voice in those moments. As Charlie, Mr. Halstead is equally good, pitching Charlie’s awkwardness and discomfort at the beginning just right and then showing his slowly growing confidence as he starts to fall for Dev and come out of his shell.
The Charm Offensive – which is, amazingly, a début novel! – was a fantastic listen all-round; a great story featuring two endearing, relatable leads and a gorgeous slow-burn romance all wrapped up in a couple of wonderful performances. Highly recommended.
This review originally appeared at AudioGals.
I defy anyone not to be completely charmed by Alison Cochrun’s The Charm Offensive. It’s a warm, witty romance that offers an insightful story of self-discovery featuring a pair of captivating, superbly crafted lead characters and a lively, wonderfully diverse secondary cast. It’s billed as a romantic comedy, but it’s so much more than that; I generally think of rom-coms as light-hearted and fairly insubstantial, and this certainly isn’t the latter. It’s most definitely romantic, and it packs plenty of gentle humour, but it’s got a more serious ‘feel’ than the average rom-com, taking a sensitive and nuanced approach to neurodiversity and mental health issues as the two protagonists figure out who they are and what they really want – and of course, fall in love along the way.
Dev Deshpande is a life-long romantic who, for the past six years, has worked as a producer on the reality dating show Ever After, crafting the perfect happy ending for his contestants. Despite the recent break-up of his long-term relationship, Dev still believes in fairy tales and happy endings and still wants the hearts and the flowers and the whole shebang for himself.
Charlie Winshaw agreed to be this season’s Prince Charming as part of an attempt to rehabilitate his image after he was ousted from the tech company he founded and acquired a reputation for being difficult to work with. He doesn’t believe in True Love, but… well, he can probably fake it for as long as it takes, right? Um – wrong. Charlie might be drop-dead gorgeous, but he has almost NO social skills, he dislikes being touched, he has an anxiety disorder and OCD, and has no real idea of what he’s signed up for. It becomes very quickly apparent that he’s bitten off more than he can chew.
When Charlie’s big entrance shows exactly how out of his depth he is, the show’s head producer decides that Dev – who is usually responsible for looking after the female contestants on the show – should switch jobs this season and be assigned to Charlie instead. After all, Dev knows exactly what’s needed, he’s fun, he’s easy to be around and he’s the best handler Ever After has ever had – it’s up to him to save the day (and the season) and turn this particular frog into a prince. Dev isn’t keen – and is even less so after Charlie expresses his scepticism about the existence of such a thing as true love – but Dev is up to the challenge.
So he sets about doing what he does best – making the fairy tale happen for the cameras and for Charlie and his “princess”. Dev’s belief in Happily Ever After and that love conquers all (despite the lack of those things in his own life) is what makes him so good as his job; he genuinely wants the contestants to find love and doesn’t share the cynicism about Ever After exhibited by some of his colleagues and the show’s critics. He’s done his research and he’s worked out which contestant is most likely to capture Charlie’s heart; he starts crafting their romance, working out when and how they should fall in love and move toward the on-air marriage proposal in the season finale. The lovely Daphne is perfect – beautiful, intelligent, charming and a thoroughly nice person – she’s surely any man’s perfect woman. The trouble is… she isn’t Charlie’s. And the more time Charlie spends with Dev, the more he gets to know him… the more Charlie suspects that there’s no such thing as a perfect woman as far as he’s concerned.
The Charm Offensive isn’t your typical gay/out-for-you story; it’s not that Charlie has never been attracted to a guy before, it’s that he’s never been attracted to anyone before. He’s wondered if maybe he’s asexual – although his feelings for Dev answer that question – and the way he questions and works his way through it all, eventually coming to the conclusion that he’s gay, is really well-done.
Alison Cochrun has created a world that feels relevant and familiar, poking fun at the vagaries of reality TV while at the same time taking a hard look at the prejudices that still exist in the industry. But what really makes The Charm Offensive stand out from the crowd is its protagonists and the way they grow as people. Dev and Charlie are very real, with real flaws and real insecurities; they make mistakes and they make poor choices, but even though the lessons learned are sometimes painful, they DO learn and that growth is very clearly shown in the story as they use what they learn to inform their words and actions.
I can’t say that the story treads any new paths – but honestly, that doesn’t matter because you’ll fall in love with Dev and Charlie as they start to know and care for each other, coming to understand the different issues they each deal with every day – although in Dev’s case, he’s become so adept at hiding the truth from those around him and being “on” all the time – the “Fun Dev” everyone expects him to be – that it takes Charlie a little longer to realise that Dev is struggling, too. As both men are living with mental illness, this could have been a pretty heavy book, but it isn’t; the author handles the subject really well, not sugar-coating anything but not casting it in endless doom and gloom either. I very much appreciated that she shows that love is not a panacea – that at its very best it can make someone feel seen and understood and challenge them to care for themselves – and their partner(s) – better.
I absolutely loved this story (and the narration) but there’s just one thing that dinged the grade a little, which is that Dev is of Indian descent, but his culture makes pretty much no impact in the book whatsoever. Other than his name and a mention of Desi characters in a screenplay he’s writing, it seemed to me as though he could have been any ethnicity, and I couldn’t help feeling as though here was a missed opportunity.
I’ve listened to Vikas Adam a couple of times before and enjoyed his work, so I was pleased to have the opportunity to listen to him again, but Graham Halstead was a new name, and I’m always a bit apprehensive about trying an unknown narrator. But the moment he started speaking I heaved a huge sigh of relief as I realised that (under another name) he’s one of my favourites, so I knew I could just kick back and enjoy the story. Both performances are excellent – well-paced, well-differentiated and expressive, communicating an obvious sense of engagement with the material to the listener, and they each do a terrific job of fleshing out and enhancing the strong connection that develops between Dev and Charlie. Mr. Adam’s Dev is perfectly judged; he’s upbeat and charming with a great sense of humour, but as the story continues there’s a real sense that he’s trying too hard, and there’s a subtle edge to his voice in those moments. As Charlie, Mr. Halstead is equally good, pitching Charlie’s awkwardness and discomfort at the beginning just right and then showing his slowly growing confidence as he starts to fall for Dev and come out of his shell.
The Charm Offensive – which is, amazingly, a début novel! – was a fantastic listen all-round; a great story featuring two endearing, relatable leads and a gorgeous slow-burn romance all wrapped up in a couple of wonderful performances. Highly recommended.
This review originally appeared at AudioGals.
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book delivered so much. It had such a beautiful, wholesome romance, unpacked stigma about mental health, and showed the unrealistic expectations of reality tv. But to start with the characters. Each one felt so nuanced, made up of good and bad decisions, and capable of growth. I loved both Dev and Charlie, and both their points of view. It was easy to fall in love with Dev from the very first page, with his optimism and love of love. But in the end I think I liked Charlie more, with his touch aversion and how certain he was of his feelings despite everything. I also loved Charlie because he was able to see how toxic Ever After was, and called Dev out on how he enabled toxic behavior in the name of a good story. He also encouraged Dev to go to therapy, and overall made Dev a better person. Dev also helped Charlie come out of his shell and be himself. So overall they had such a strong romance, and I loved them together. My one critique was how quickly everything got resolved with the show and Maureen. But overall I loved this book!