A review by samarakroeger
The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun

emotional funny lighthearted reflective 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

4.5

this was everything I wanted Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble to be. the two books have so many similar elements but The Charm Offensive was just executed better on every front. This also featured my preferred romance narrative style - close third person from both parties (maybe it’s because it feels most like how you see a romcom?). 

I totally called the wlw subplot (and would totally read a book about Daphne!) and all the delightful queer rep was so joyful. the minute the main characters were introduced I immediately knew they were not neurotypical without anything being mentioned (just ND things) and the mental health rep in here was very solid. 

yes I did tear up at work while reading :)

I think there are some very valid criticisms to be made about the fact that not much effort was put into driving home Dev’s Indian heritage, but I would like to add that we don’t see that many details about Charlie’s old life/family/culture either. I don’t think where the characters come from/how they grew up was really meant to be a big part of the plot here and that’s fine. Clearly the focus was put on mental health and sexuality, which were both handled very well. 
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