The Charm Offensive: A Novel

Product Information

a b Höhl, Christoph (April 18, 2018). "Hingabe und Zwang - Damien Done: Charm Offensive". Slam Alternative Music Magazine. No.97. p.55.

The Charm Offensivehas been on my radar for a while. I devoured this book in one day via audiobook. There were quite a few elements of the book that I enjoyed including the mental health representation. However, there was a certain element in this book that I struggled with. this is one of the most confusing books i've ever read. because i loathed the first half and then by the time the ending rolled around i found myself getting MILDLY teary. which ya know, is rare for a heartless bitch like me.Heisel, Scott (November 20, 2003). "Get some Rubbers for free". Punk News. Archived from the original on February 3, 2022 . Retrieved February 15, 2022. Charlie is far from the romantic Prince Charming Ever After expects. He doesn’t believe in true love, and only agreed to the show as a last-ditch effort to rehabilitate his image. In front of the cameras, he’s a stiff, anxious mess with no idea how to date 20 women on national television. Behind the scenes, he’s cold, awkward, and emotionally closed-off. We Just Got More Bad News". Defiance Records. March 3, 2002. Archived from the original on August 24, 2002 . Retrieved February 15, 2022. Charlie is starring on the show to get some positive publicity; it’s a pretty outrageous decision because he has never felt sexual attraction before, and he doesn’t actually want a partner. Dev is an assistant on the show who helps the talent behave naturally in front of the cameras. They hit it off. More than hit it off - they soon become close friends, and as their emotional relationship deepens, Charlie experiences sexual attraction for the first time. EDIT (Sept 9th 2021): As pointed out by a few readers, even if Dev's parents wanted to cultivate American values/cultures and move away from the Indian-ness, as argued by challengers, it should have been expanded briefly or at least touched upon a little bit! So, I let those who are reading this be the best judge of what you think is right.

I honestly was apprehensive going into this because I am a reader who likes first person but the author seamlessly used third person omniscient to show two points of view (dual pov but in third person). I loved how it was centered around the romance but showed personal growth and other struggle as well. The accurate and respectful representation of queer love and neurodivergent/mental illness wowed me. As someone who fits into both of those categories, it made me feel seen and represented in a way that isn't shameful or inaccurate. also reality shows as the plot of romcoms is becoming such a thing and i love it sm. i couldn’t stop reading this book, it ate and left zero crumbs & i ate that shit up The angst was overdone as though the author knew where they wanted to go, but not how to get there. So they just kept pulling us along on what felt like an unending trip until suddenly... it skipped ahead 3 months. 3 Months where we're shown what Dev's been doing. But he doesn't come across as better. However... he has to be to bring everything together, right? That didn't sell. It felt plastic and contrived and completely not believable. And the producer? She got off majorly considering how horrendous she was, what with not only her extreme phobia, but her desire to screw over anyone with mental health issues. I was not expecting this book being so good and complete, I thought it would be more of a cute story with no plot and a lot of fluffly. and yes it was cute but they dealt with such important issues and in such a right way. It just made me love the book and the characters even more.It’s outright unfortunate to see authors trying to be diverse for the sake of being diverse. PLEASE DONT MAKE YOUR CHARACTERS of a nationality/ethnicity/culture/religion when your book doesn’t even stop to have a basic conversation or introduction about any of those aspects. None. Zero. Nada. Nightspots: Blind Pig". Ann Arbor Observer. September 2018. Archived from the original on February 15, 2022 . Retrieved February 16, 2022. a b c Baetens, Melody (December 14, 2016). "UFO Factory". The Detroit News. Archived from the original on December 15, 2016 . Retrieved February 16, 2022. Also, Please also note that there can be different opinions amongst Indians, India-Americans, Indian-Diaspora or Maharashtrian readers. The thoughts and opinions are mentioned here are personal. Damien Moyal – vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, synthesizers, piano, percussion, drum programming

a b Kamiński, Karol (January 4, 2017). "Damien Done - Demos for Protection (2016)". Idioteq. Archived from the original on January 15, 2017 . Retrieved July 11, 2022. a b Moyal, Damien (September 15, 2017). "Damien Done - Primitive (Killing Joke)". Damien Done . Retrieved July 11, 2022– via Facebook. THIS WAS SO STINKING CUTE AND IT BROUGHT ME SUCH JOY! This is an adorable m/m romance where this guy Charlie is the star of this dating show that is very much like The Bachelor, and instead of falling for any of the girls on the show, he falls for the male producer, Dev. This book brought me the same giddy joy that Red, White, and Royal Blue did. It’s just so cute and made me smile so hard the whole time. Kihn, Austin (September 8, 2017). "Damien Done "Curious Thing" 7" EP". Mind Over Matter Records. Archived from the original on November 20, 2017 . Retrieved July 11, 2022.

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Finally, the ending is perfect. Not the HEA-type of excellent (of course there is a HEA), but the ideal closure of the storylines. Every foreshadowing hits get responses at the end: Charlie's job and Dev's dream, the meaning and the change of the show, and the interpretation of love and HEA. When I finished the book I just found that it's such a perfect circle. I am all in for the cute and palpable romance and adorable moments, but not at the cost of promising an Indian-American rep whilst spending ABSOLUTELY ZERO minute to consider how culture PLAYS an incredibly BIG part of who you are. I really, really thought that this would be that book that would finally be the kind of rep I had been looking for and kind of deserve but sadly it’s anything but that. 1 star for the romance and cute stuff. 1 star for character development. Half star for trying but failing miserably.