Book Review: The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun

The publisher of this book ran a promotion where if you made a free account for their e-reading app, you could choose an ebook to read for free. I'd had my eye on The Charm Offensive for a while, as it's a queer Bookstagram darling that features an ace-spec character, so I jumped at the chance. Here's the summary:

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.

It took me a bit to get into this book and adjust to the writing, but this was a fun and cute read with a lot of mental health discussion and representation.  I felt for Charlie being constantly overwhelmed by reality television and being unable to pretend to be a charming extrovert; I did one episode of a game show and it solidified for me that a career in reality television is not for my introverted self. I can't imagine trying to act happy and normal whilst dating 20 strangers and dealing with manufactured drama for several months! Charlie has severe social anxiety and OCD, which are not understood by most of the people in the show. Dev is the only one who kind of gets what's going on, and this helps them connect (the show making them cohabitate doesn't hurt either). Charlie quickly becomes dependent on Dev, and Dev finds he genuinely cares for Charlie; this is surprising to both of them, as are the feelings they develop for each other.

I felt that it was unrealistic for Dev to believe so strongly in love and happily-ever-afters when he's worked for a dating reality TV show for six years. Everything in those kinds of shows is fake. He's literally helping manufacture it behind the scenes! I also don't get how Charlie and his awesome assistant thought being on a reality dating show would rehabilitate Charlie's image so he can get work in his field, which is coding?? What does that have to do with anything? It's established almost immediately that Charlie doesn't like to be touched, but then after the first week or so Dev kept touching Charlie without asking/warning first and Charlie seemed to be okay with it? I also thought Dev's behavior and decisions towards the end were unnecessarily dramatic. So what if Charlie is supposed to get engaged to one of the women? Just keep it quiet until Charlie can legally break up with the winner. There is some miscommunication trope, I'm afraid.

Charlie not realizing he's gay makes sense in context of his being demisexual: if he is only sexually attracted to people he's in love with, and he's never been in love before, then he'd be ignorant of both aspects of his sexuality. Dev is also gay, and he appears to have ADHD as well as depression. 

Over all, I really enjoyed this book, and I liked that it had mental health as well as ace-spec representation. I'd recommend it to people who like their romance books to have depth and representation, but still make you kick your feet and giggle. This would be such a great rom-com movie.

Score: 4 out of 5 stars, 4 out of 5 chilies 🌶
Read in: September 19
From: Glose app
Status: deleting my Glose account later

See my aesthetics moodboard for The Charm Offensive!

Representation: Indian American, gay, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, anxiety, depression, demisexual/asexual spectrum, ADHD (not explicitly named), Black minor characters, Asian minor character(s), bisexual minor character(s), lesbian minor character(s)

Cover notes: Another cartoony romance novel cover. I'm not a huge fan of the style but what it's depicting is perfect.

Trigger warnings: ableism, homophobia, biphobia, depression, OCD, anxiety, racism, low self-esteem (possible internalized homophobia), being in the closet

Regency romance novels and favorite rereads

 Wow, it's been forever since I wrote a book review! Whoops 😬

 

The last read of July was The Nonesuch, a Regency romance by Georgette Heyer. Heyer was basically the author who made Regency romance novels a thing and has greatly impacted the genre (second only to Jane Austen herself, of course). This book is about the most popular rich gentleman in London buying a mansion in a small country town and getting to know everyone, and everyone freaking out and gossiping about him. A "nonesuch" appears to be the male version of the society's "diamond of the first water". The nonesuch brings his young titled cousin with him, and the most beautiful girl in town sets her eyes on him, while her governess catches the eyes of the nonesuch. If you love the characters and setting of a Regency English country town more than the main romantic pairings, you will love this book. I didn't mind this that much, but spending so much time with other characters over the romances was unexpected. The beautiful girl was so spoiled and a pain in the ass that I wanted to shake some sense into her. The drama she creates eclipses the other romantic pairing in this book, and the author doesn't help by telling rather than showing its progression. Overall, just fine. Recommended if you like Regency historical romance novels. 3.5 out of 5 stars, selling. No spice (just kisses). Trigger warnings: teen girl flirts with and is flirted with by adult men (early twenties and early/mid-thirties), horses being whipped mentions, era-typical sexism, era-typical classism, lookism

Good Omens has been dominating my mindscape lately, as the second season came out in late July. I watched it, then watched the whole show all the way through, then turned to this book in desperation. There were so many little details I'd forgotten, and some random racist bits that made me cringe (the authors don't seem to be in favor of them, just describing middle-aged white English people behaviour. The Korean car having voice commands in bad English is suspect tho). There was other stuff I did wish had made it into the show, like the Brazilian man watching the Amazon rainforest grow back in/through his office building. Such a good book, and highly recommended. I made an Instagram post with (among other things) books from my top three authors, and put Good Omens to represent Neil Gaiman while also sneaking in Terry Pratchett. 4 stars, permanent collection. Trigger warnings: horror, body horror, murder?, a character is called a homophobic slur, racist English 'accents' of the Asian and Native American variety (the last one made by a white woman), everyday sexism

I read a couple of free romance novel ebooks while traveling, as I wanted something quick and easy to read. First up was The Footman and I, which was mostly a fun read. I liked that the heroine was a political activist in favor of poor rights, and she challenged the hero about a bill he wanted passed. I didn't like how she was 18 and he was 29, plus he was lying to her the entire time about being a servant. Overall a fun read, and I recommend it if you like Regency romance novels. It's currently still free via Barnes & Noble, so go check it out if you want. 3.5 stars, 4 out of 5 chilies 🌶  Trigger warnings: the aforementioned age gap, not asking for consent as is typical with this genre, male lead lies to female lead about his identity, period-typical sexism and classism, drunkenness

The second free romance novel ebook I read was The Spinster and the Rake, which is about a duke and a young lady forced to become engaged to avoid scandal when they're caught kissing (instant sexual attraction on both their parts, naturally). She has to take duchess lessons and they're so attracted to each other but his demeanor irks her as well. What I found interesting about this book was that the duke is autistic (the term is not used in the book due to the period) and the heroine is neurodivergent as well (less examined but I feel like she is). A lot of the way he is is because he's masking his autism from everyone and his fiance is disrupting his schedule and pressing his buttons. He's afraid she'll reject him and think him broken and she's afraid he'll never love and accept her. The book description says it's like My Fair Lady meets Pride and Prejudice, and while there are definite similarities, this book isn't them. As a fellow neurodivergent, I didn't like that she isn't really a spinster (just a young introvert uninterested in marriage) and he's not really a rake (he does have a history of bedding married women but it's not his defining quality and it barely comes up at all). I just don't buy instant sexual attraction and instant lust as plot catalysts (#i'mtooaceforthis). Anyway it's fine. 3 stars, 4 chilies. Trigger warnings: not asking for consent as is typical with this genre, suicide mentions, ableism, period-typical sexism, sex-shaming, and classism; alcohol mentions, financial scam and ruin

 I decided to reread Peter Pan, specifically the copy that I bought for 50 cents from my library's book sale, which is a facsimile of the first edition. The illustrations sadly look like mediocre-quality photocopies. I'd forgotten several details, like how Peter cries in his sleep, and how the Lost Boys all wear bear skins and are adopted by the Darlings at the end, and how the r*dsk*ns have Lost Boy scalps hanging from their belts. Peter Pan is always darker and more racist than you think. I'd also forgotten just how weirdly gendered the children's experience of Neverland is. I did remember Wendy being their mother, but that's literally all she did; the whole time she was sewing and darning and cleaning and cooking and singing to them, except for like two times where she's in danger and has to be rescued by Peter. Like, girl, have some adventures! You're going to be cleaning up and taking care of boys and men your whole life; you can do that at home! Like why is that play for her? I also don't really get why every female character was in love with Peter Pan when he's so dismissive of them and takes them for granted. He carves such a deep groove in Wendy's brain that she feels she's betrayed him by growing up and getting married. Girl, you are not a priority for him! Despite this, I cannot help but be moved by the last scene when they meet again and the story begins over again with Jane, her daughter. I suppose I'm one to talk since this story continues to be so important to me. I guess the best fairytale and fantasy stories are the ones that are deeply sad. 4.5 stars, permanent collection. Trigger warnings: murder, violence, racist Native American caricatures and slurs, Black character described in racist way, 1-handed amputee villain (ableist trope of disabled character being the bad guy), period-typical sexism and gender roles/gendered labor