FEBRUARY 2022 - AudioFile
Narrators Vikas Adam and Graham Halstead tackle a complex meet- cute romance that takes place on a reality-TV dating show. Adam portrays Dev Deshpande, producer of “Ever After,” a show similar to “The Bachelor.” Adam depicts Dev as a mix of dreamy and dramatic, showing his idealistic side and his love for the show. Adam’s flowing narration smooths out the author’s occasional didacticism. Halstead voices Charlie Winshaw, the show’s star and a tech genius who suffers from OCD and generalized anxiety. Halstead accurately represents Charlie’s stilted TV performance, hesitant speech, and withdrawn manner. Cassandra Campbell delivers the daily script updates, her voice creating needed contrast among the sections. With meticulous attention to Dev and Charlie’s singular romance, Adam and Halstead paint a lively picture of reality TV. C.A. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2022 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
07/05/2021
Cochrun probes the realities behind a fairy tale romance in her warmhearted if flawed debut. After awkward tech millionaire Charles Winshaw is ousted from his Silicon Valley company, he makes the improbable decision to rehabilitate his image by becoming the next star of Ever After, a Bachelor-style reality show. He’s not expecting to find real love with any of the women competing for his proposal, but he does discover a genuine connection with handsome producer Dev Deshpande, a hopeless romantic tasked with making Charlie seem more personable on camera. Their relationship deepens in secret as Dev coaches Charlie through filming, but their obligations to the show threaten their happy ending. Cochrun beautifully captures how inexperienced Charlie comes to recognize his feelings for Dev and takes great pains to portray her diverse cast of LGBTQ characters sensitively. She’s also scrupulous in portraying both Charlie’s and Dev’s struggles with mental health, though Charlie’s panic attacks during difficult social interactions or unexpected physical contact make the premise that he would choose to participate in a dating show even more dubious. And in order to achieve a twist ending, Cochrun arranges the denouement in a way that strains credulity. Nonetheless, readers seeking romance that prioritizes inclusive explorations of sexual identity and mental illness will treasure this. Agent: Bibi Lewis, Ethan Ellenberg Literary. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
Alison Cochrun’s debut is a gift, as fizzy and intoxicating as the champagne they ply reality dating contestants with... Charm Offensive is wondrous—a heart-in-your-throat romance that pulls you intractably into its orbit... Cochrun makes her debut with this title, but she proves amply to romance lovers that she's here for the right reasons. To quote a former Bachelorette, she did the damn thing. And then some.” —Entertainment Weekly
“Cochrun’s polished, smart, and delightful debut romance delivers all the quintessential feel-good moments of a great romcom... In between the meet-cute, quippy banter, and red-hot sexual chemistry, Cochrun also offers readers a thoughtful and caring exploration of gay love and the mental health struggles people with social anxiety and depression deal with every day.” —Booklist (starred review)
"Fans of 'The Bachelor' will fall in love with Cochrun’s sweet spin on a reality dating show....The Charm Offensive urges readers to scrutinize which love stories get told in Hollywood and pushes for a future where everyone gets to see themselves living happily ever after." —USA Today
"A swoon-worthy debut." —Harper's Bazaar
"The Charm Offensive is a heartwarming rom-com with unforgettable characters who will challenge you to see love in a new light. Set behind the scenes of the fictional TV show Ever After, Alison Cochrun is unafraid to flip reality TV's tired tropes into fresh storylines. With entertaining insight into how the happily-ever-after sausage gets made and nuanced discussions about mental health and sexuality, this witty, moving page-turner is nothing short of delightful. Networks would be wise to take cues from Cochrun's ode to reality TV romance."
—Hannah Orenstein, author of Head Over Heels
"This book is my new obsession. As a longtime (and long-suffering) Bachelor fan, I grinned at all the winks to the franchise, cheered at the subversions of reality TV tropes, and grew faint as Dev and Charlie danced closer to embracing their true feelings—and even truer selves. Heart-stoppingly romantic and radiantly empathetic." —Rachel Lynn Solomon, author of The Ex Talk
"The Charm Offensive will sweep you off your feet." —PopSugar
“[R]eaders seeking romance that prioritizes inclusive explorations of sexual identity and mental illness will treasure this.” —Publishers Weekly
“With its lush locales and LGBTQ and BIPOC representation, this novel shines, especially for readers underrepresented or underappreciated in mainstream romance. For fans of Kate Stayman-London’s One To Watch and Casey McQuiston’s Red, White & Royal Blue.” —Library Journal
“Alison Cochrun twines an earnest exploration of mental health and sexuality through a truly memorable love story... Cochrun’s clever behind-the-scenes glimpses of ‘Ever After’ will delight reality TV fans, but it’s The Charm Offensive’s tenderness and deep, believable emotion that will linger in readers’ hearts.” —BookPage (starred review)
“Perfect for fans of Casey McQuiston and Cat Sebastian . . . . The Charm Offensive is a funny, diverse, subversive romance that brings an unexpected happily ever after to a reality dating show.” —Shelf Awareness
“[N]ot just a fluffy LGBTQ+ rom-com. It starts out looking as though it might be a scathing satirical sendup of reality TV romance dating franchises, then subtly segues into a searing exploration of gender identity, sexism and mental health... The Charm Offensive succeeds in becoming an enthralling, entertaining and thought-provoking novel.” —Portland Oregonian
“This book is special. It is sweet and funny, the way rom-com novels ought to be, but it’s also deeply honest about the human experience.” —Book Reporter
Library Journal
07/01/2021
DEBUT Dev Deshpande has worked behind the scenes of Ever After for years, crafting perfect scripted love stories for television while his own love life is in shambles. Tasked with transforming the show's new awkward and closed-off star—an anxious, neurodivergent tech wunderkind—into reality TV's next Prince Charming, Dev throws himself into work. But getting Charlie Winshaw to open up on camera is harder than the muscles in Charlie's superhero physique. Dev will try anything—including fake dating and practice intimacy—to make it work. What will happen when Charlie starts falling in love with Dev instead of the women he's contractually obligated to woo? What will come of Dev opening up for the first time in his life? VERDICT With its lush locales and LGBTQ and BIPOC representation, this novel shines, especially for readers underrepresented or underappreciated in mainstream romance. For fans of Kate Stayman-London's One To Watch and Casey McQuiston's Red, White & Royal Blue.—Rachel Alexander, Peabody Inst. Lib., MA
FEBRUARY 2022 - AudioFile
Narrators Vikas Adam and Graham Halstead tackle a complex meet- cute romance that takes place on a reality-TV dating show. Adam portrays Dev Deshpande, producer of “Ever After,” a show similar to “The Bachelor.” Adam depicts Dev as a mix of dreamy and dramatic, showing his idealistic side and his love for the show. Adam’s flowing narration smooths out the author’s occasional didacticism. Halstead voices Charlie Winshaw, the show’s star and a tech genius who suffers from OCD and generalized anxiety. Halstead accurately represents Charlie’s stilted TV performance, hesitant speech, and withdrawn manner. Cassandra Campbell delivers the daily script updates, her voice creating needed contrast among the sections. With meticulous attention to Dev and Charlie’s singular romance, Adam and Halstead paint a lively picture of reality TV. C.A. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2022 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
