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A review by vicktorea
The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
3.75
wonderful message ❤️
CW: mental illness (OCD, anxiety disorder, panic disorder, depression), mild queer discrimination
<u>what i liked</u>
- I loved the queer representation in this - it was very intersectional! Lots of queer rep with a MMC who was a gay POC; i loved that the author showed one of the MMC's discovering and exploring his sexuality and learning that it's okay not to have a label (or choose one that fits right away);
- Lots of representation surrounding mental health; i loved that the author showed the characters dealing with their mental illnesses - both their progress and setbacks! it felt very realistic!
- i really enjoyed the reality show aspect and the little behind-the-scenes takes we'd get from the cast - i loved how the majority of the women really liked each other even though they were all technically competing for one man;
- the romance between the MMCs was so sweet and tender - Charles showed so much growth during the entire novel and i loved that! We see him go from barely being able to touch anyone, to being so completly open and honest about his feelings with Dev and i loved that Dev was part of the process of helping Charles with this. His growth was more linear than Dev's - at first Dev seemed like the more put together of the two, but we soon learn that Dev is actually masking his depression very well. We see Dev completely fine at the beginning of the book, go through some states of his depression (that I kind of wish the booked delved into a bit more), then <i>seem</i> fine again.
- There was such a beautiful message surrounding love in this book. romantic love is not necessary to complete a person; happiness exists within ourselves and platonic love can be just as fulfilling as romantic love but the most rewarding kind of love is self-love. Love comes in a plethora of forms ❤️
<u>what i didn't like</u>
- the dreaded third act conflict.i didn't like how Dev shut Charles out towards the end - it made no sense to me. It would've been so easy for Dev and Charles to be together after the show and i didn't understand why Dev just checked out and decided he and Charles couldn't have a future. it was so incredibly frustrating (& a bit infuriating) and it felt like such a slap in the face to Charles who had never been able to be vulnerable with anyone until Dev.
Overall, a great diverse and sweet M/M romance with a resounding message that love comes in a magnitude of forms and our happiness is not dependent on one form unless it's the love we give ourselves 💛
I listened to this audiobook via Libby and liked the narration!
CW: mental illness (OCD, anxiety disorder, panic disorder, depression), mild queer discrimination
<u>what i liked</u>
- I loved the queer representation in this - it was very intersectional! Lots of queer rep with a MMC who was a gay POC; i loved that the author showed one of the MMC's discovering and exploring his sexuality and learning that it's okay not to have a label (or choose one that fits right away);
- Lots of representation surrounding mental health; i loved that the author showed the characters dealing with their mental illnesses - both their progress and setbacks! it felt very realistic!
- i really enjoyed the reality show aspect and the little behind-the-scenes takes we'd get from the cast - i loved how the majority of the women really liked each other even though they were all technically competing for one man;
- the romance between the MMCs was so sweet and tender - Charles showed so much growth during the entire novel and i loved that! We see him go from barely being able to touch anyone, to being so completly open and honest about his feelings with Dev and i loved that Dev was part of the process of helping Charles with this. His growth was more linear than Dev's - at first Dev seemed like the more put together of the two, but we soon learn that Dev is actually masking his depression very well. We see Dev completely fine at the beginning of the book, go through some states of his depression (that I kind of wish the booked delved into a bit more), then <i>seem</i> fine again.
- There was such a beautiful message surrounding love in this book. romantic love is not necessary to complete a person; happiness exists within ourselves and platonic love can be just as fulfilling as romantic love but the most rewarding kind of love is self-love. Love comes in a plethora of forms ❤️
<u>what i didn't like</u>
- the dreaded third act conflict.
Overall, a great diverse and sweet M/M romance with a resounding message that love comes in a magnitude of forms and our happiness is not dependent on one form unless it's the love we give ourselves 💛
I listened to this audiobook via Libby and liked the narration!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Biphobia, Homophobia, and Sexual content
Minor: Vomit