The Charm Offensive: A Novel

Written by Alison Cochrun

Narrated by Vikas Adam, Graham Halstead and Cassandra Campbell

A 2022 Audie Award Finalist

A MOST ANTICIPATED ROM-COM SELECTED BY * BUZZFEED * LGBTQ READS * BUSTLE * THE NERD DAILY * ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT * FROLIC MEDIA * AND MORE!

A BEST BOOK PICK BY * HARPER’​S BAZAAR * ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

“The Charm Offensive will sweep you off your feet.” —PopSugar

​​​​In this witty and heartwarming romantic comedy—reminiscent of Red, White & Royal Blue and One to Watch—an awkward tech wunderkind on a reality dating show goes off-script when sparks fly with his producer.

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 connect with 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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Sep 7, 2021
• ISBN: 9781797133867

Alison Cochrun

Alison Cochrun is a former high school English teacher and a current writer of queer love stories, including The Charm Offensive and Kiss Her Once for Me. She lives outside of Portland, Oregon, with two giant dogs, her small wife, and too many books. You can find her online at AlisonCochrun.com or on Instagram as @AlisonCochrun.

Reviews for The Charm Offensive

[Shannon O'Connor · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The best queer love story I’ve ever read! This is a MUST read book about found family, mental health, sexual identity and finding the love everyone deserves no matter their differences! Cannot recommend this book enough!!

[Courtney Boaz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This books is one of the cutest pieces of media I have ever consumed. This fairy tale of a love story is tender and plays with all of my favorite tropes (fake dating and there’s only one bed YES PLEASE). The characters are real and flawed and utterly precious. The concept of a behind the scenes exploration of dating reality TV is genius and executed so well. I’m not a reality TV person and this book made me want to binge watch every season of the Bachelor.

Also, the representation in this book was immaculate. As a queer asexual who discovered my identity in my late twenties, I felt so seen and was so thankful for how the book explained and portrayed the ace spectrum. It was so nice to see characters who didn’t have it all figured out early in life and for that to be validated.

Another beautiful thing this book does is normalized and realistically portray struggles with mental health. I felt like I learned more about myself as I read about the struggles the characters went through. The story shows the episodes, the coping strategies, the denial, the growth and the reality of loving someone with a mental illness.

This book will sit on my shelf of favorites and will undoubtedly become one of my comfort reads. It’s so much fun and touches on such important things. Yes, it’s a rom com and yes, it utilizes tropes but it takes a cute story and elevates it by tackling tough things too. You should definitely read this book.

[Morgan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent performance by both readers, funny and over the top but somehow believable anyway. A love letter to romcoms. Also a really good depiction of panic disorder. Loved it.

[Abigail Monterroso · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This story has forever changed the way I perceive love and mental health. It was really a beautiful journey that I would always treasure.

[Ivan Tiffany · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Heart leaps in a giddy whirl reading this. Beautiful! Awesome!

[Ina Schmidbauer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was positively surprised by this, to be honest, rather cheesy novel! There's a nice mix of different queer representation, which allows the characters to be characters with different characteristics and not just their queerness (e.g. including a few nonbinary characters without making their nonbinarity much of a focus). Same goes for mental illness, which is discussed, but does not define the specific characters. For me that was really refreshing and while the plot itself is rather cheesy, I'd very much recommend it for when you're feeling in the mood for just that! :)

[pedro ramírez · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wasn’t expecting this book based on a reality show about love to hit me hard but it did ? especially on how it speaks on mental health and advocates for people to use therapy — I’m inspired to get at that level of self care ???

[Jenna Vaughn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a good queer romance that touched on mental health and acceptance. ?

[Ezinwanyi1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was a slow burner romance but that’s because both of the leads tackled mental health issues as part of their journey towards love.
If you like the whole Bachelor franchise on tv, this book was set up like that. I disliked the show but it didn’t affect my take of Dev & Charlie. It only furthered my opinion of that ridiculous show. Yay for authors whi speak on therapy, meds and mental health without trivializing it.

[catZinca · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Surprising Book. I was Looking for fluff. Found some real Depth and life lessons. Thank you.

[ckaericher · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Literally the best book I've ever read in my life.

[Omar · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

this was cute and had great representation for mental health

[Rory · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This was so bad. I couldn’t connect with any of the characters and the plot was slow and boring. Sad too, this had so much potential

[Miranda Volturi · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Best book! I love all the characters. Perfect ending and romance on Point.

[Reiki Avitas Farrar · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The narrator is good but the story, especially in the ending was too dramatic

[anna · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Best romance novel in a while ! The author did an amazing job. I was hooked from the beginning.

[Ben Delatorre · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

So great! I love romance and this book hits all the right spots! Perfect
All the feels

[Sandra Muñoa · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was SOOOOOA CUTE. I loved it. Perfect fit for ace awareness week!!!! A total yes

[Emily Sweeney Basque · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

You know feeling you get when you brush someone’s hand the first time and your heart soars and you stomach tightens and you are excited and nervous and anticipating something amazing all at once? This book gave me all those feelings. I fell in love with these character - imperfections and all. I’m perfect romance style, the is a reassuring hug that makes your whole heart happy and will make ever reader feel affirmed.

[マリMary · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Sometimes you want to read a book that you sort of know how it will end. This is that kind of book, in the best of ways. So much different queer representation, people of color, real talk of mental illness. Absolutely beautiful. I love how the romance develops and the character development alongside it. Will read again!

[Bailie Mckay · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I was excited to read a bachelor themed book! Overall I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it. The ending left me with mixed emotions. I wish I read the physical book.

[Jamie Weiß · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was pure joy. (Okay, I did cry once or twice... But psssh!) The mental health and queer rep is amazing and honestly? Even the sex scenes were good, although I'm not a fan of those. This book is an adventure, one you don't want to miss out on as that!

[Allison Hawksley · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I needed a light hearted read with a happy ending and this was perfect for that

[Yvonne · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great story tackling mental health issues! Loved the protagonists and their growth.

[Jo McGregor · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was adorable - tons of representation of almost all kinds, witty banter, drama, cuteness, and so much discussion of mental health that I actually started cringing a little, because I'm British and in my late 30s so I'm still working on being able to talk about depression and anxiety etc without turning in on myself like an embarrassed snail. But it felt like an accurate portrayal, and of OCD, too, although it went a lot lighter on that. The ending was complete melodramatic bobbins but of course it was, it fit the narrative and was lovely.

I listened to the audio, which gave each of the two heroes their own narrator, and they were both fantastic. From Dev's point of view, Charlie sounded very like H. Jon Benjamin being Archer, which I found quite delightful, but they're such different characters that it wasn't too distracting. I think the weird intonation in the phrase 'mental health' was the only jarring thing, actually, and only because that phrase is repeated so often.

Definitely recommend this one; the spice level is quite low but it's very cute.

[Books Ilove · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved it! Dave & Charlie are amazing. A must listen.

[Jessica Millican · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Favorite book I read this year!!!! So cute and sweet. ❤️

[Kelly Brown · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Liked the book. Didnt like the audio, felt it was a documentary- an account of facts rather than a narrative.

[MarHasHobbies · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

People hyped it up so much (for me personaly) that when I read it and was like and? that's it? It's obvious what will happen at the end, characters were annoying in the middle of the book like come onnn when will SOMETHING, ANYTHING GOOD HAPPEN but no. They were repetetive spining in circles (maybe that was some kind of point that just flew over my head ).

[olga nyamakope · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Dev and Ever After
The story is very interesting except for the part where Dev sounds like life revolves and ends with the current season of the show. There is life after the show a long long life where what happens on the show doesn't have long term impact. I think Dev doesn't really believe in happily ever after at least not for himself. He believes in love in an abstract detached way.

Dev (As a Person)
I don't understand Dev, I have tried to but I can't. He sabotages his own happiness time after time. I can't relate. I am glad he sought therapy though he has major issues that would exhaust anyone. I am exhausted just reading. I liked the premise and I admire the time and effort the author took with the work she did a great job but characters in Romance Novels should not be as resistant to love and happiness as Dev. This went beyond just creating angst or challenges.

Charlie
We could see Charlie's weaknesses, his struggles and his growth throughout the story. He still went after what he wanted bravely in spite of all his challenges. He emerged a hero and an inspiration. Dev not so much.

Racial Representation
I read a review in which the reader complained about Dev's ethnicity not being explored more. As a person of colour. This is how I feel:
I think the author did perfectly by making Dev and his parents individuals rather than racial and cultural stereotypes. As a Black Reader. I actually prefer romances where the hero and hero or heroine are portrayed as they are- as individuals. Dev's parents are University Professors of Indian origin who love and support their son wholeheartedly and live an exciting and adventurous life. Dev is a gay man of Indian descent who is also a script writer and suffers from clinical depression. He is also a good firend and a considerate human being. We never for once forgot Dev and his family are Indian but we appreciated them more as individual rounded characters as opposed to stereotypes. The only thing I didn't like was in the audio narration the narrator pronounced Dave instead of Dev. As a person of colour I prefer this style of portrayal making it clear what the character's ethnicity is but highlighting his/her individuality more.

Final Rating
I would have given a higher rating but there was more angst than love and romance hehce 3.4 Stars ?