The Charm Offensive

The Charm Offensive is a 2021 debut romantic comedy by American author Alison Cochrun. The novel follows Charlie Winshaw’s journey to repair his public image while appearing on the fictional reality dating show Ever After. Charlie falls in love with his producer, Dev Deshpande, highlighting LGBTQ+ Love and Representation and Personal Growth and Self-Acceptance, two of the novel’s central themes. A best book pick by both Harper’s Bazaar and Entertainment Weekly, The Charm Offensive was also a selection for The American Library Association’s Reading List.

This guide refers to the 2021 e-book edition published by Atria Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Content Warning: The source material includes discussions about mental health topics, including depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and panic disorder. This guide summarizes and analyzes these passages relating to the text’s themes.

Plot Summary

A limited third-person narrator introduces Charlie Winshaw and Dev Deshpande via alternating perspectives on the first night of filming the reality dating television show Ever After. Dev, recovering after a painful breakup with longtime boyfriend and co-worker, Ryan Parker, is reassigned to work as Charlie’s handler. The other producers find Charlie difficult, but Maureen Scott, the show’s creator, trusts Dev to coach Charlie into fulfilling the suave prince charming role.