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A review by lovelymisanthrope
The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
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
4.5
I have heard AMAZING things about this romance and have been waiting for the perfect time to pick it up.
"The Charm Offensive" follows Dev and Charlie. Charlie is a super sweet, kind of awkward guy that needs some good publicity. So, his team gets him to be the new Prince Charming on the latest season of the tv show "Ever After". Dev is a producer on "Ever After" and absolutely believes in true love and happily ever afters. He has spent his entire career working on this show because he wants everyone to see real love come to life. Dev is tasked with working with Charlie to get him camera ready during the duration of the show, and he quickly develops a crush on the gorgeous Charlie.
Not only does this story have an amazing, queer love story, but it has some of the best anxiety representation I have seen in a long time. Charlie suffers with crippling anxiety, along with OCD, and it really hinders all aspects of his life. Dev suffers with depression that sometimes makes it difficult for him to get out of bed. Despite these two fighting different battles, they are able to support each other and know what the other needs when they are really going through it. I loved seeing characters that did not question mental illness, and just silently picked up on the clues so they knew how to make the other fell more comfortable in the moment.
Charlie and Dev are both so pure hearted and I loved them together. They have so much in common, but they have a lot of differences. Where one is weak, the other is strong, and this makes them a force to be reckoned with when they stand together. Their love story was 100% believable from page one because they have amazing chemistry.
One thing I really appreciated about this story was it was not an easy love story for the characters. They faced real challenges (not strange made-up scenarios used for a plot point). They had to work at their love story, but it was not because they did not want it.
I 1000% recommend this story, and I look forward to reading more from Alison Cochrun in the future.
"The Charm Offensive" follows Dev and Charlie. Charlie is a super sweet, kind of awkward guy that needs some good publicity. So, his team gets him to be the new Prince Charming on the latest season of the tv show "Ever After". Dev is a producer on "Ever After" and absolutely believes in true love and happily ever afters. He has spent his entire career working on this show because he wants everyone to see real love come to life. Dev is tasked with working with Charlie to get him camera ready during the duration of the show, and he quickly develops a crush on the gorgeous Charlie.
Not only does this story have an amazing, queer love story, but it has some of the best anxiety representation I have seen in a long time. Charlie suffers with crippling anxiety, along with OCD, and it really hinders all aspects of his life. Dev suffers with depression that sometimes makes it difficult for him to get out of bed. Despite these two fighting different battles, they are able to support each other and know what the other needs when they are really going through it. I loved seeing characters that did not question mental illness, and just silently picked up on the clues so they knew how to make the other fell more comfortable in the moment.
Charlie and Dev are both so pure hearted and I loved them together. They have so much in common, but they have a lot of differences. Where one is weak, the other is strong, and this makes them a force to be reckoned with when they stand together. Their love story was 100% believable from page one because they have amazing chemistry.
One thing I really appreciated about this story was it was not an easy love story for the characters. They faced real challenges (not strange made-up scenarios used for a plot point). They had to work at their love story, but it was not because they did not want it.
I 1000% recommend this story, and I look forward to reading more from Alison Cochrun in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Mental illness
Moderate: Gaslighting
Minor: Sexual content