The Charm Offensive (The Charm Offensive #1) by Alison Cochrun

Both Diane and Stephany recommended The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun, so it clearly behooved me to check it out. 

Dev is a producer on a dating reality television show called Ever After. The new "Prince Charming" is a tech guy named Charlie who was fired from his own company after some mental health challenges and he's only going on the show because he wants to work in tech again. While Dev truly believes in the ability of the show to help people find true love, Charlie is the opposite. Gradually Dev and Charlie start to develop feelings for one another as they spend more and more time together. 

Interesting characters: Huh. They're definitely characters with some challenges. Dev has untreated depression and Charlie has OCD and anxiety for sure. I also think that their relationships with their friends are interesting. So, yeah. I think they're interesting. (I also don't think I'd be friends with either of them. They're too...intense for me.)

Believable conflict: For sure. Charlie is just coming to terms with the fact that he has romantic feelings for another person, let alone a male person. Dev is worried he's going to lose his job because he's in a relationship with the talent. There's a lot going on here. I can see how they wouldn't immediately be diving into a relationship. 

Emotional tension: I think Cochrun did a nice job with this. Charlie is definitely unaware of his feelings and the impact of his actions a lot of the time. Dev is super protective of his own feelings. This tension is real and built up over the course of the novel. 

Happily ever after: Sure. I mean, I think they have a lot of couples therapy to do before they'll be 100% okay, but they can get there. 

I have some quibbles with a few things in this book, but I thought it was charming and fun. 4.5/5 stars

Lines of note:

Touching is never a joke to Charlie. He doesn’t hate it as a general rule, but he does prefer advance warning and for hand sanitizer to be involved. (location 189)

I laughed because this is totally my husband. At the beginning of the pandemic, everyone was freaking out because there was no Purell. Not us. 

Perhaps he’s better off hiding in a secluded cabin in the Sierra Nevada mountains away from all other humans. Perhaps he’ll learn to whittle. (location 366)

I have no idea why this made me laugh so hard. A tech guy just goes off to become a mountain man and whittle.

Jules sighs and reaches over to scratch his arm. (location 1408)

WTF does this mean? Do you scratch your friends' arms? What? How? This scratching of arms comes up repeatedly in this book!

"...Why have I let the world convince me I’m not enough without romance?” (location 3979)

Sort of interesting question about the way the world is structured.

Thank you to my therapist, Karen, because even though I could have done this without them, I am very glad I didn’t have to. Thank you for reminding me to stop and appreciate all the beautiful moments along the way. Queer-affirming therapists save lives, and the work you do for our community is valued beyond measure. (location 4456)

This was in the acknowledgements and I thought it was sort of sweet and a powerful statement for others to read. 

Hat mentions:

There's a whole hat scene.

“I truly did not think it was possible, but I stand corrected.” 
“You didn’t think what was possible?” 
“For you to be unattractive. But behold”—Dev flourishes his hands—“the power of the hat.”
Charlie rips the beanie off his head and is immediately assaulted by the ice breeze coming off the water...
It’s late July, and Charlie has to put the hat back on despite Dev’s mockery.
"You look bald," Dev observes. "Like, I knew your hair was your one of your best features, but i'm not sure I realized just how much it was doing for your face."
“You are aware of the fact that you’re also wearing a hat, right?” 
Dev cocks his head to the side. “Yes, but I happen to look incredible in a hat.” (location 3473)

This scene makes it seem a little bit mean-spirited, but it was kind of teasing.