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A review by cozy_tea_reader
The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I really liked the idea of the book it being set around a hetero-normative reality dating show. I think at times it felt like I loved the idea of the book but often felt like the writing didn’t live up to the potential and that the representation of mental health often fed into stereotypes - especially the portrayal of OCD.
While I was glad the characters got their happy ending it felt like as a reader we were robbed from seeing a proper conclusion to Dev and Charlie’s romance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual content, Vomit, and Acephobia/Arophobia
Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Misogyny, and Racism
Minor: Eating disorder and Sexual assault
The book heavily discusses the mental health of its main characters and while I agree this should be de-stigmatised I don’t think this was a good representation of mental health problems particularly OCD.