The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun
The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun is the queer bachelor rom-com of your dreams. Dev Deshpande is a successful producer on Ever After, a show that manufactures love fit for reality tv. Even getting over the end of a six-year-long relationship with another producer on the show cannot stop him from crafting the perfect love story. They will need the best in the biz if they are going to sell tech superstar, Charlie Winshaw, to the public after his recent PR catastrophe. Charlie is awkward and shy with an 8-pack fueled by anxious situps. Not a natural reality tv star. But, if he wants a job in tech, he needs a complete rebranding, and this show is all he has. As Dev coaches Charlie through the season, their natural friendship eases into something truly extraordinary. Unfortunately, they are currently working for a heteronormative powerhouse that cannot be stopped by unscripted love behind the scenes. Or can it?
Let me get this out of the way. The book delivers on the promise of a Rom-Com. Everyone has a different sense of humor, but I was laughing aloud in public. The internal and character dialogue is uniquely witty and fun with a good mix of physical comedy thrown in to boot. To do so in a book that also tackles complex sexuality, race, harmful workplace dynamics, and the representation of mental health on and off-screen was pleasantly surprising.
Part of the book's success is due to our wonderful leads. Dev is good at his job because of his high emotional intelligence and likability. He is still dealing with a difficult breakup while coming to terms with what he wants from his future and how he wants to handle his depression moving forward. I thought it was nice to see the representation of a character with depression who didn't have a great traumatic past. While those stories are also valuable, experiences like Dev's are important too. Dev could empathize with Charlie and have patience for his anxiety. Taking pauses during filming, allowing Charlie to stop and recalibrate, and talking through what he wants and how those wants change help to build their early relationship. Charlie is a wonderful aspec character who is getting over losing a position at a company based on his technical work. I was delighted to come across a character discovering his place on the asexual spectrum. It helps that Charlie is an adorable tech nerd with a rough childhood who just wants a quiet night in and a puzzle.
Now, the female contestants, show staff, and friends in the novel are all gems. Cochrun has done a great job characterizing people with specific descriptors, gestures, and turns of phrases. I felt like I understood people's relationships and attitudes immediately. The book could have struggled drawing my interest to the female contestants in a storyline where none of the women will end up with our prince. Instead, I was totally committed to seeing the cast work through dates, trials, and unfortunate side conversations. The show draws you in, the cast is fun to read about, and the staff has interesting off-screen dynamics that pull it all together.
So yes, I do in fact love Dev and Charlie. Please give me this season of television. The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun is set to release on September 7, 2021. Thank you, Atria Books via NetGalley for providing the eARC of The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun in exchange for my honest review.
