The Charm Offensive
Alison Cochrun
Dev Deshpande believes in fairy tales and crafts them on a reality dating show. His own love life is a bit of a nightmare, but he can prepare his contestants for a happily ever after like no one else. His latest Prince Charming is a bit of a problem though – Charlie Winshaw doesn’t believe in true love, doesn’t want to love and is on the show to prove he’s normal. What does the happy ending look like for Dev and Charlie?
Charlie, you’re completely oblivious, and I love it! However, I really think you overestimated your chances of surviving on reality TV. Have you ever seen any of it? Are people really that oblivious? Dev, buddy, you weren’t doing yourself any favours either, and sometimes you really were a bit of an ass, even if you apologised for it later.
How on earth did Dev’s parents keep that a secret? Why didn’t they tell him? Yes, relationships should not fill holes in your soul. But, nothing wrong with having another human to share your life with. The depiction of mental illness was quite sensitive and it was nice to have something in adults (not young adults). Some aspects didn’t quite sit right for me, but I was willing to let it pass.
I’m not sure I really get the title of this novel, but ok! Maybe because Prince Charming is a thing? But why is it offensive? Is it offensive as in it smells, or that people are battling things out? Maybe the latter. I’m also not sure why I jumped into reading this novel, except that I find it hard to resist a gay love story with sufficient queer and diverse supporting characters! A novel set on a TV show where the contestants are supposed to find ‘true love’ in 3 months isn’t new (see Here for the right reasons and Can I steal you for a second).
I’m not going to reread this novel in the same way I do Helen Hoang’s romances, but I give it bonus points for addressing the importance of therapy. Having read several Alison Cochrun novels in a row, it’s getting a bit same-old, but that’s a me problem. 4 stars from me.
This book could have done with some ruthless editing. It takes FOREVER for anything to happen, and there’s a fair few things that don’t add anything to the plot line. I don’t find Arjun’s business trip to be relevant, nor is his boss’ somewhat insensitive behaviour. Did I honestly care about how many choc chip scones he bought? No.
Woah. The character development in this novel is exceptional. I’m actually ok with both of them acting like teenagers initially because there’s a lot of background to their behaviour. Logan goes from being an ass to being a bit less of an ass, and Rosemary goes from being tortured to being a little less tortured. Also, the final scenes of this novel almost made me cry. Joe buddy! I love you!
Many reviewers hated this book for the same reason I liked it! Thankfully, a lot of the text was dedicated to how the venture capitalists could support Stella’s Signature Scent start-up. There aren’t too many loooonnnngggg sex scenes that have them going at it like bunnies all night (and getting a blow by blow of the action). Does anyone read those $3X scenes and actually enjoy them? I’m also very over people saying ‘is it spicy?’ No, there’s no delicious cooking in this novel, just home-made mac’n’cheese.
This book lives up to its title by effectively condensing an MBA into a single volume. It provides a concise overview of many essential business topics. While it doesn’t delve deeply into each subject, it serves as an excellent starting point if you want to read just one business book on MBA concepts. This book is a valuable guide for beginners and equips you with the necessary information and tools to further your business education.
Sooo, it’s kind of like Hunger Games but a little less predictable because it’s not always obvious who needs to be the survivor, and who is going to win. I enjoyed the various powers that Kai got to play with, and I think more could have been done with it. Also, as if you’d fall for the illusionist twice…
This book offers an insightful look into the inner workings of the FBI, narrated through the lens of an experienced agent. It demonstrates how the following principles are fundamental not only to FBI operations but also to broader applications in business and personal life. The author delves into the Bureau’s adherence to the seven C’s:
I had high expectations for this book, hoping to find compelling case studies and valuable insights about women in the tech industry. While it does touch on those aspects, I found the book to be disorganized and lacking a clear structure. It begins with a captivating short story about GoldieBlox, which instantly grabbed my attention. However, this story is only briefly explored and not revisited until the very end, which left me eagerly waiting for more throughout but left me disappointed.
I approached this book with a sense of uncertainty, unsure whether it would be exceptionally good or disappointingly bad. To my delight, it turned out to be a truly commendable read, deserving a solid four stars. I was concerned that it might be overly centered on Navy SEAL anecdotes at the expense of practical business applications, but I found the abundance of such stories surprisingly captivating. Despite my initial reservations, the author successfully bridged the gap between the SEAL experiences and their relevance to the business world to create a compelling narrative.