The Charm Offensive

July 5, 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.

July 1, 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

Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from August 1, 2021
As a producer on the popular reality TV dating show Ever After, Dev Deshpande knows that some of the contestants might have ulterior motives, but Dev really does believe in the power of romance. So when the show's latest Prince Charming, millionaire tech geek Charlie Winshaw, challenges Dev with his very vocal denial of the reality of romantic happily-ever-afters, it's game on. Dev is now determined to not only turn Charlie into the show's latest dream date, but also to prove to him that true love really does exist. Cochrun's polished, smart, and delightful debut romance delivers all the quintessential feel-good moments of a great romcom, while at the same time giving a clever wink and a nod to the immense popularity of shows like The Bachelor. 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.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

August 1, 2021
As a producer on the popular reality TV dating show Ever After, Dev Deshpande knows that some of the contestants might have ulterior motives, but Dev really does believe in the power of romance. So when the show's latest Prince Charming, millionaire tech geek Charlie Winshaw, challenges Dev with his very vocal denial of the reality of romantic happily-ever-afters, it's game on. Dev is now determined to not only turn Charlie into the show's latest dream date, but also to prove to him that true love really does exist. Cochrun's polished, smart, and delightful debut romance delivers all the quintessential feel-good moments of a great romcom, while at the same time giving a clever wink and a nod to the immense popularity of shows like The Bachelor. 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.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.