I think a lot of us, as readers, look in specific corners of the library for our revelations. We sit with Plato in The Cave. We take road trips with Kerouac. We tell ourselves to transform alongside Kafka. We don’t necessarily expect ourselves to find our grand “Eureka” moments between the pages of a queer rom-com with a sherbet-colored cover and a reality TV show premise. And that, I think, is the magic of THE CHARM OFFENSIVE by Alison Cochrun.

The novel takes place on the set of a reality dating show called “Ever After,” where contestants compete for the hand of the show’s “prince” in a series of challenges and one-on-one dates. Dev Deshpande, one of the most successful producers in the program’s history, spends his career crafting fairy tale romances. As a firm believer in true love, Dev believes he has landed his dream job.

At least until the show casts tech genius Charlie Winshaw as their new prince.

"This book is special. It is sweet and funny, the way rom-com novels ought to be, but it’s also deeply honest about the human experience."

As cripplingly awkward as he is devastatingly handsome, Charlie is far from princely. In front of the cameras, he’s cold and distant. When the cameras stop rolling, he’s an emotional wreck. And somehow that’s Dev’s problem. However, as Dev coaches Charlie through forming connections with his co-stars, the two find that they have better chemistry together than Charlie does with any of the show’s contestants.

This book is special. It is sweet and funny, the way rom-com novels ought to be, but it’s also deeply honest about the human experience. It prompts a level of introspection uncommon for the genre and explores themes that conflict with classic fairy tale tropes, namely mental illness. Through the telling of this story, Cochrun has found a way to blur the line between romantic idealism and the all-too-real struggles that many readers cope with every day. For that reason, this is a book that any reader can find themselves in --- queer or straight, neurotypical or neurodivergent --- with a romance they can fantasize about.

Cochrun’s swoon-worthy scenes are balanced masterfully with thorough descriptions of full-blown panic attacks and depressive episodes. Similarly balanced is the focus on finding love externally and manifesting love within oneself, which can be equally daunting tasks. Through Dev and Charlie, we see what it means to engage in self-growth while showing up for someone who is struggling. Theirs is a romance readers can safely idealize. For example, the phrase “What do you need?” is used often throughout the book. While the question is coupled with the type of writing that hatches butterflies in bellies, it also serves as truly excellent modeling for anybody with a loved one who struggles with anxiety or depression.

For many of us, the books we read propel us into fantasy and escapism. Those more impressionable among us (no judgment) absorb our favorite parts of characters for as long as we can cling to them. This is not that kind of book. This is the type of book that breeds a great deal of inner peace. It’s the type of book that reminds you to schedule therapy, or to take medication, and to feel a sense of pride in taking care of yourself. It reminds readers, whoever they are and whatever they may struggle with, that they don’t need to cling to fantasies. They are already the main characters of their own stories, if they choose to be.

THE CHARM OFFENSIVE does for romance novels what "Ever After" does for its characters. It takes a genre that some of us might ordinarily scoff at, or look down upon, and reminds us of the raw and beautiful humanity just under the surface.