The Charm Offensive

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.