A review by readerette
The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun

emotional 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

3.5

I really wanted to like this, with its diverse cast and mental health focus. But to me, it felt like the author was including "one of every kind" in terms of diversity just to make a point (the characters' gender, ethnic and sexual identities came up way too much, and sometimes that was the only thing you knew about a character). Way too much of the book was just about the childish antics of contestants on a reality show, and how a reality show is filmed. The mental health and self-discovery storylines took a hit in service of the reality show details, which really did nothing for me as a reader.

The best part for me was probably between 80% and 90% when the reality show stopped coming up so much and the characters could have some real conversations and real reflections on themselves.

I neither enjoyed nor hated this one. Perhaps the author's future work will be more balanced and focused.
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