ARC Review: “The Charm Offensive” by Alison Cochrun

“The Charm Offensive” by Alison Cochrun

Publishing Date: September 7, 2021

Genre: Romance, LGBT, Contemporary, Fiction

Page Length: 320 pages (electronic review edition)

Synopsis:

Dev Deshpande has always believed in fairy tales. So it’s no wonder then that he’s spent his career crafting them on the long-running reality dating show Ever After. As the most successful producer in the franchise’s history, Dev always scripts the perfect love story for his contestants, even as his own love life crashes and burns. But then the show casts disgraced tech wunderkind Charlie Winshaw as its star.

Charlie is far from the romantic Prince Charming Ever After expects. He doesn’t believe in true love, and only agreed to the show as a last-ditch effort to rehabilitate his image. In front of the cameras, he’s a stiff, anxious mess with no idea how to date twenty women on national television. Behind the scenes, he’s cold, awkward, and emotionally closed-off.

As Dev fights to get Charlie to open up to the contestants on a whirlwind, worldwide tour, they begin to open up to each other, and Charlie realizes he has better chemistry with Dev than with any of his female co-stars. But even reality TV has a script, and in order to find to happily ever after, they’ll have to reconsider whose love story gets told. (description from Goodreads)

Review:

The Charm Offensive is a funny rom-com about Dev a producer who works on the set of the reality show, Ever After. Ever After can best be summed up as a mock version of the Bachelor tv-series except for a fairy tale aspect twist. However, Dev has a difficult time being the new season’s contestant handler, as Charles Winston is anything but what the press says about him. All the while he’s struggling with his ex, Ryan, working on set after their tumultuous breakup.

Charlie is actually quieter and anxiety-ridden than what he is portrayed in the media. He knows that being on Ever After is his last shot of saving his image so he can find work again because he’s deemed being hard to work with. The more we get to know him along with Dev and they both open up with their struggles with mental health issues. The hijinks that ensue on the set crack me up! And it mirrors a lot of tropes from dating reality shows in such a funny way.

What I love about this book is that not only is it comical but announce that has it’s more serious mama’s that talk about mental health struggles, sexuality, along with feeling lost in your career. Charlie doesn’t like for people to see him struggle with his OCD and panic attacks order and Dev is there to comfort him and openly listens to him. Dev is the first person to really ask what he needs when pretty much everyone else on set he’s only worried about what looks good for the cameras. Dev’s first impression of Charlie is not the best because he’s anything but with his image projects but he learns that he’s actually a very sweet and kind person and also likes appreciates that Charlie is opening honest with him about his work and being pushed into the limelight.

Dev also becomes more vulnerable over the course of the story and shares his struggles with depression and how it affected him through his life. I liked how this novel also points out the damage that these shows can do behind the scenes too. While it’s comedic and humourous I appreciated the heavier conversation in the novel. It was a feel-good romance with a cast of fun characters and the romance was sweet with some steam moments too. Watching Charlie and Dev connect and then become something more was heartwarming. This is a romance novel that will make you laugh out loud but also feels like a cozy read. If you enjoy rom-coms you’ll like reading The Charm Offensive.

Final Verdict: