maiakobabe's profile picture

maiakobabe 's review for:

The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun
4.0
funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes

An extremely fun queer romance set during the filming of a reality TV show. Producer Dev Deshpande believes in true love and fairytale endings, so he's been happy to find work on Ever After, a dating show with a fairytale twist. He initially clashes with Charlie Winshaw, the current Prince, who joined the show hoping to re-habilitate his image and get a job in tech. But both men have more in common than meets the eye, including struggles with mental health and a deep uncertainty about whether they deserve love. I was completely drawn in by these two gentle men slowly opening up to each other, and thought the conversations around mental heath, therapy, and depression were handled really well. This felt like a very modern and contemporary love story; the diversity of the cast served the narrative and the conversations about queer media representation felt timely.