Book Review: Charming Like Us

I just finished book 7 of 13 in the Like Us series by Krista & Becca Ritchie, Charming Like Us. I’m trying to complete this whole series before moving on to the new series, the Cobalt Empire series even though I already own the first book and have the second book preordered. I’m very excited for that series because I love the Cobalts, but I want to read everything in order so I have to finish the Like Us series first!

Charming Like Us is a little break from the Hales, Cobalts, and Meadows as the main characters and follows Oscar Oliveira and Jack Highland – both characters that have been side characters in the series so far. Oscar is one of the bodyguards – specifically Charlie Cobalt’s bodyguard – and Jack is one of the executive producers of “We are Calloway” the family’s reality show and usually the only person from the production team we ever meet or the family interacts with in all the books.

In the previous books, readers learn that Oscar has a crush on Jack and the two are flirty with each other, but Jack maintains that he is straight so Oscar has been trying to move on and not further make a fool out of himself, but Jack is always giving mixed signals. Now with Jack and Oscar being the main characters in this novel, we learn that while Jack has been straight for all his life, his attraction to Oscar is making him confused and question everything. He is physically attracted to Oscar and also really likes Oscar’s personality and him as a person. When Charlie declares that he wants a spinoff reality show and for Jack to follow him around for a docuseries focused on him, Jack and Oscar will have to spend a lot of time together. Not just in New York City or in Philadelphia, but wherever Charlie decides to go, often at the drop of a hat. Charlie barely likes being on the family’s show so they know he has ulterior motives to wanting his own show, but while they try to figure it out they’ll also have to be in close proximity while Jack navigates his confusion about his sexuality and his growing feelings for Oscar.

I really liked this book and loved Oscar and Jack. A lot of things in this series are a stretch of the imagination and unbelievable at times, but it’s fiction so I usually roll with it without much thought. I did think it was a little unbelievable that things progressed so quickly between Oscar and Jack when Jack was so confused one minute and then completely all in the next. But at the same time I appreciate that it wasn’t drawn out and we didn’t have to wait until the last 1/4 of the book to see Jack and Oscar together. One of my favorite parts of the book was getting to see more of Charlie though since Oscar is his bodyguard. He’s such an interesting and mysterious character and we get a glimpse of how tortured he is and how his father, Connor Cobalt, is one of the only people who he feels he can go to for help. I really hope we get his book in the Cobalt Empire series!

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