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A review by therubyjailcell
The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun
emotional
funny
sad
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
5.0
i do not know how to explain how i feel, all my thoughts. i adored this book. it shattered my heart and soul. it put me back together. it gave me things to think about, but made things clearer. it made me laugh and cry and cry-laugh and laugh-cry.
i connected to charlie, and his mindset, and his perception of things, and how he spoke, behaved, so much. his anxiety, his clumsiness, his perception of himself and the world, his identity. i related to dev a lot too, his depression, his brain.
i felt seen, a lot, throughout the book. and at the same time, it was in such a wildly different setting than anything ive ever been through, it was so surprising to connect that much to something, yk what i mean?
it’s amazing, and i wouldve read it so much faster if work had allowed me that, because it was just so captivating, seeing them grow together, and evolve, and get better and worse and better again. but at the same time, i think it wouldve destroyed me to read it in one sitting the first time. it made me cry, so hard, over and over again, and i dont think there wouldve been enough tears if i had read and discovered it all at once.
imma need to reread it before i can actually formulate opinions and thoughts that sound coherent, but i can already say that i am obsessed and that i will read it a lot again and again as we go.
the writing style really really worked for me, as well, and i loved being able to follow both povs without it being too repetitive and thus actually following the story alongside them switching povs rather than seeing both on each little scenes. it was amazing.
and little shoutout to my sunshine for recommending this book, it was the best thing ever, and i adore you, and i love that you made me so hyped about this book bc it was exactly as hyped as i should’ve been, it was so good.
i connected to charlie, and his mindset, and his perception of things, and how he spoke, behaved, so much. his anxiety, his clumsiness, his perception of himself and the world, his identity. i related to dev a lot too, his depression, his brain.
i felt seen, a lot, throughout the book. and at the same time, it was in such a wildly different setting than anything ive ever been through, it was so surprising to connect that much to something, yk what i mean?
it’s amazing, and i wouldve read it so much faster if work had allowed me that, because it was just so captivating, seeing them grow together, and evolve, and get better and worse and better again. but at the same time, i think it wouldve destroyed me to read it in one sitting the first time. it made me cry, so hard, over and over again, and i dont think there wouldve been enough tears if i had read and discovered it all at once.
imma need to reread it before i can actually formulate opinions and thoughts that sound coherent, but i can already say that i am obsessed and that i will read it a lot again and again as we go.
the writing style really really worked for me, as well, and i loved being able to follow both povs without it being too repetitive and thus actually following the story alongside them switching povs rather than seeing both on each little scenes. it was amazing.
and little shoutout to my sunshine for recommending this book, it was the best thing ever, and i adore you, and i love that you made me so hyped about this book bc it was exactly as hyped as i should’ve been, it was so good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Homophobia
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Child abuse