The Charm Offensive

I didn't think some MM romance will feel as good as Red, White and Royal Blue to me anymore, but The Charm Offensive really managed to do that. It felt so nice, sweet and lovely and I would love to stay with Charlie and Dev forever, similar as I have it with Alex and Henry from RWRB. I can only recommend this one to everyone who loves a good MM romance. You just cannot be disappointed by this one.

i have no idea how to write a review for this book but you gotta start somewhere so here goes. this is officially now one of my all time faves.??
this book made me cry happy tears. like a lot of them. first of all, I loved all the mental health rep. And the rep in general actually. Charlie is also on the asexual spectrum and Dev is Indian!??
Dev put it best: this book is a queer party. Like almost everyone is queer?? And that means so fucking much to me.??
Charlie and Dev were literally so cute, I'm sending them my dentist's bills.??
THIS BOOK WAS ALSO REALLY FUCKING FUNNY WTF
I was a sobbing mess by the end of it tho. like how dare you make me feel so much?????
IT IS SO WELL WRITTEN ASDGHYGJUBNJ
I loved all the discussions that were had in this book and they're all really important.??
I LOVE PARISA AND JUNE AND SKYLAR AND EVEN RYAN.??
Also, that ending. Daphne's sapphic season spin off when???

i have no idea how to write a review for this book but you gotta start somewhere so here goes. this is officially now one of my all time faves. 
this book made me cry happy tears. like a lot of them. first of all, I loved all the mental health rep. And the rep in general actually. Charlie is also on the asexual spectrum and Dev is Indian! 
Dev put it best: this book is a queer party. Like almost everyone is queer?? And that means so fucking much to me. 
Charlie and Dev were literally so cute, I'm sending them my dentist's bills. 
THIS BOOK WAS ALSO REALLY FUCKING FUNNY WTF
I was a sobbing mess by the end of it tho. like how dare you make me feel so much??? 
IT IS SO WELL WRITTEN ASDGHYGJUBNJ
I loved all the discussions that were had in this book and they're all really important. 
I LOVE PARISA AND JUNE AND SKYLAR AND EVEN RYAN. 
Also, that ending. Daphne's sapphic season spin off when???

I'm actually having a hard time formulating all of the reasons why I loved this book, but here goes.

[EDIT: I tried to use a spoiler tag but apparently they don't work on mobile so I guess the whole review is getting hidden. Oh well. I am not about to ruin the ending of this book for anyone.]

- The way the mental health of the characters was gently worked into their personalities without entirely dominating their identity or being portrayed as their Character Flaw was so, so good. Both main characters had actual development arcs that felt real and right for them, and they had different ways of dealing with things that spoke to an actual difference in upbringing. I've read a lot of books recently where that kind of character work has been flat or just plain missing, so the depth of this one was especially wonderful to me.

- The sheer cuteness. It's marketed as a rom-com and it sure did deliver, but it also delivered on the other, non-romantic relationships. The support network and interpersonal development of the whole cast was so great.

- The social commentary. I definitely am not one to watch reality TV, especially the genre used as the backdrop of this story, but I really appreciated the angle that this plot took. SpoilerThe end did briefly make me think “No way, that would never happen,” but then I realized that's exactly why it needed to happen. If my default is to assume that a gay relationship would be unthinkable on reality TV, what does that say about society? As the author cited in the acknowledgements, “Paradox though it may seem . . . it is none the less true that Life imitates art far more than Art imitates life.” (Oscar Wilde) If our art shows that all relationships are valid and love is important, we can give life something to imitate.

- The feels. Obviously there was a lot of warm and fuzzy, but toward the end there was definitely some minor eye leakage. It was just impossible not to be invested in these characters and feel for them when things got rough.

- The writing. It was well-written, easy to read, and witty, which is obviously the best combo. All of the characters had fairly distinct voices and I highlighted so many things because they were just so hilarious. 10/10

So this was not a cohesive review at all but this book is potentially a new favorite and I will be returning to it, as well as keeping a sharp eye out for any books the author decides to publish in the future.

You know you still deserve to have this love story.

I want to start off this review and say that I am not a romance girly. Never have been, never will. Despite this, I really enjoyed this book and I think that's because of the themes of mental health. It's almost as if mental health is the main plot and romance is the subplot - my favourite type of books.

Stop pretending you're okay. You don't have to pretend with me.

I don't think happily ever after is something that happens to you. I think it's something you choose to do for yourself.

this book is a big bowl of vanilla ice cream with a dash of cinnamon. it's kinda bland, but features a few pops of uncommon subject matter that keep it just interesting enough to keep reading. it also straddles a line that'll make it very cute and charming to some and very cringe and corny to others. i didn't hate reading this, but i can't imagine i'll ever return to it.

This has got to be one of the most inclusive books I have ever read. I absolutely love what this book has done for mental health representation. Dev and Charlie are both suffering from mental health disorders and you are there alongside as they experience highs and lows. The characters just felt so real and genuine and it was so wonderful to see that in a book. I also loved the LGBTQ+ representation. It was a beautiful look into acceptance and self-discovery. Dev and Charlie were so sweet together. I really loved the reality tv aspect and how production notes were in between “weeks” of filming. It was cool to be involved with the behind the scenes of Ever After. 

Rating: 4.5/5
Rounded down to 4 stars

This book... is wonderful and is so needed. Could it have been a better representation of Indian culture and characters? Yes, completely. Were all the women in the show carbon copies of one another and forgettable? Yes (although that definitely seems to be the point).

Mental health awareness and representation was fantastic. The natural and awkward cuteness of both Charlie and Dev. I loved that their initial sexual interaction wasn't forced. It felt entirely natural and good. Everything started slow and there was fear and worry involved (one of my complaints of other MM romance books–oh, I've never done anything with guys before... first time, let me do every gay thing there is to do!)

Charlie and Dev are adorable. Charlie is adorable and I think he deserves the world. I'm so happy that Dev did leave and choose himself for a couple months. I just really enjoyed this one. I loved that a major theme was being seen for who you really are, being wanted and chosen, and being someone that always, always reaches out to the other person.

My only complaints: I am tired of every single guy in romance novels being absolutely chiseled and perfectly muscled. Sure, it's attractive, I get it. But there is so much toxicity in the gay community and in everyday life, that it just doesn't feel like I can see myself–a gay, average dude–in these characters. I want this. I want the adorable moments with someone. I wish I could find a book that I can see myself in. I did enjoy that Dev mentioned that he doesn't usually like muscle dudes, but still, I just wish that I didn't feel like I had to have muscles upon muscles just to find love. I know that's not what the author is saying, but it definitely feels that way a lot.

Additionally, I would have liked more description of the sex scenes. Cause those are always hot. :) .

Their relationship was cute and all but this really wasnt for me because I haven't ever watched any sort of reality dating so I wasnt into all that at all but that's just my situation. My main gripe with the story was that as an indian if you changed the name of mc dev to Dave and made him white there wouldn't be any difference in his character so I felt the characterization of both the mcs was very shallow.

ummm wow?????????? this book perfectly and i mean PERFECTLY encapsulates me as a human being :')

although i can't speak on charlie's OCD, the representation of dev's depression really resonated with me and the depiction of what it's like to struggle with depression was really well done in this book in my opinion; i relate to dev heavily, not only because i struggle with depression, but because i'm a hopless romantic!

NOT TO MENTION I AM 10000% OBSESSED WITH REALITY TV!!!

charlie & dev's romance actually CURED ME. my 2 gay dads with a house in venice beach takin care of plants :') they're so perfect for each other & this book is perfect for me thank you very much!

ugh and the way you can just FEEL how real charlie & dev's love is & how deep it goes? everyone is deserving of that unconditional love. of their own happily ever after :')

the queer rep in this book just makes my little bi trans boy heart happy, i literally wanted to cry at times.

a masterpiece.

Tbh.. they seriously need to make a gay bachelor... i always say they need to make one with lesbians etc but then i remember the homophobic bitches out there!!! they would probably get the show cancelled and scream and yell like a damn baby! BUT I WANT A GAY BACHELOR!!! I WANT IT I WANT IT I WANT IT AHHHHHH.... THIS STORY WAS SO DARN CUTE!!!!!

I'm so glad i picked up this up and listened to it.... this is everything i wanted!!!!

now how the hell did i forget the characters names already?? I loved how they made the girl come out as a lesbian and now she going to find her princess ehifbhegrryefwrhfuyitgherwiyfsdiyx I LOVE IT I LOVE IT I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!

I will give credit where credit where credit is due—this book makes no qualms about what it is. Cheesy, sappy, silly romance between two gay dudes that could honestly work as a fanfiction if you tried hard enough. Just replace the names with your characters of choice. It has that over red white and royal blue, I'll tell you that much. I think what just irritated me and annoyed me to hell and beyond was the writing style. Every other page and every other conversation was some fucking GSA spiel about labels and their importance or mental health and so much of the cast of the book was clearly diverse for the sake of diversity. Dev being Indian doesn't impact him or his character in any way, and is about as relevant as the color of his underwear.

I do not understand how so many people love this book, and okay, sure, some books aren't meant for me, but the writing style for this book just infuriated me. If it wasn't some conversation about asexuality and neurodivergence, it was the attempts at being witty and funny that just felt flat. If it wasn't that, it was the random ass fucking metaphors (“his violin eyes” “hands spaced apart like she was building a small IKEA shelf”), and if it wasn't that, it was the way the characters just interacted with each other like every conversation was a Reddit thread or a twitter debate. Maybe people like that! I certainly didn't! Who even the fuck gives a shit! Dev could be a white gay dude and it wouldn't make a difference! You could cut out 30% of this book and nothing would change!

Still better than red white and royal blue tho so

The LGBTQ+ rep in this made my queer heart soar.

A sweet love modern love story that many will see themselves in. I so appreciate that we had characters of color and also many different mental health struggles were addressed (including OCD, Anxiety and Depression).

Heads up: if you are squeamish about vomit being talked about, it occurs multiple times in this one.