A review by amartinios
The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun

lighthearted reflective 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

4.0

I have some conflicting feelings about this book. Overall, I like it, but the character of Dev also frustrated the hell out of me.

His narrow-minded view of true love / fairy tale love at times felt too much. Felt like nobody could conceivably be this dense about the reality of *Ever After*. I could relate to him on a mental health level, but the specific focus of his unhealthy feelings was something alien to me. So perhaps it is more that I couldn’t identify as fully with Dev as I could with others, mainly Charles. This results in a weird amalgam of mixed feelings surrounding the character of Dev, and the whole book by extension.


That said, the real strong point of this book that, to me, at least, sets it apart from the other M/M romcoms I have read, is the treatment of mental health.
The story deals with depression, denial about being depressed, living with OCD and panic attacks, an unsupportive and toxic family, feeling unloved and unworthy of love, "I can't be homophobic, I have many gay friends"-type homophobia,... As well as how characters, particularly the main characters, grow in understanding of the true nature of their respective mental health issues and how to deal with them.
Truly, bravo for the author to make these things such an integral part of the plot and the romance.

So overall, I really like this book; it has a lot going for it.
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