A review by bexi
The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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? It's complicated

4.0

I was originally going to give this 3.5 stars because at times the book felt too forced/on the nose. The second half was too drawn out and got a bit repetitive. The timeline and perspective were sometimes hard to folllow. And I wasn't crazy about how the final conflict was resolved. However, I really appreciated the mental health representation so I'm bumping it up to 4 stars.

As someone who has chronic depression and OCD (and likely an undiagnosed anxiety disorder), it was so nice to see the topics handled respectfully. Obviously I can't speak for an entire community because there are different types of depression/OCD/anxiety and people have different experiences, but generally speaking I thought it was accurate. I cried multiple times while reading this because I felt so seen, especially in regards to depression.

My favorite part of the book was how the author explored neurodivergency and love. My disorders have definitely made me feel unworthy of love, just like the main characters--and that includes platonic and familial love, not just romantic. It's so important for neurodivergent people to experience stories where the characters are loved not despite their disorders but are loved and accepted for who they are as a whole. 💜
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