Bubbling up with Helena

• Title: One Week to Win the Chocolate Maker
• Author: Timothy Janovsky
• Publisher: Afterglow Books by Harlequin
• Release Date: 1/27/26
• Genre: Romance
• Age Range: Adult
• Rating: ★★★★
• Publisher’s Summary: The spiciest risks lead to the sweetest reward in this delicious, MM retelling of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Dario Cotogna has a problem. Per his late grandfather’s wishes, if Dario’s not married by his thirty-second birthday, his family’s chocolate empire will go to his philandering little brother. To make matters worse, Dario’s agoraphobia keeps him locked away from the rest of the world. How can he put himself out there and meet “the one” if he literally can’t put himself out there? The solution? A global competition. Five lucky contestants get an all-expenses-paid trip to Dario’s luxury Italian villa for a chance at becoming his lawfully wedded spouse. But aspiring tattoo artist Charlie Moore isn’t looking for love—he’s looking for a miracle. As his grandparents’ sole caregiver, he’s desperate to keep their bill collectors at bay. Marrying into the Amorina Chocolate fortune could save his family home from foreclosure. But when Charlie meets the brilliant heir, their attraction is instant—and very, very real. After a whirlwind week of wine, indulgence and temptation as spicy as it is sweet, will Dario and Charlie melt under the pressure…or find a love that’s truly worth savoring?

I’ve been lucky enough to receive ARCS of almost all of Timothy Janovsky’s books for the past few years. Thank you to Afterglow for making that happen once again here. One Week to Win the Chocolate Maker has Janovsky’s signature whimsy. Also, like his other books, it addresses the mental health of the main characters.

First of all, let me say that I didn’t process this was a Charlie and Chocolate Factory retelling until I read the publisher’s summary, but it certainly makes sense. Like Charlie Bucket, Charlie Moore lives in a small house with his parents and grandparents and wins a contest to visit a chocolate factory. The other contest winners don’t quite map onto Mike Teevee, Violet Beauregarde, Augustus Gloop, and Veruca Salt though.

It is clear from the beginning that Charlie is the only contest winner who has any chance with Dario. The rest of the contestants don’t seem particularly interested in him at all. One of them is already married with kids and just wants an Italian vacation, one of them is more focused on his music, and one of them ends up sleeping with an employee at the factory. Of course, the reader assumes that Charlie is going to be the one to win Dario’s heart, but it didn’t have to feel quite so obvious from the start.

Dario is agoraphobic, meaning that his anxiety prevents him from leaving his “safe spaces.” He confides in Charlie, who immediately supports him. I appreciated that the reader does get a glimpse of Dario’s anxious thoughts, and also into his recovery. He talks about and executes strategies from his therapist. It seems that Dario’s feelings for Charlie help him to overcome his agoraphobia. Mental health representation is so important, and I love that Janovsky is so committed to it in his writing.

The relationship dynamic between Charlie and Dario is particularly interesting because they both need something from one another. Charlie could use Dario’s money to save his family’s house, and Dario needs Charlie to marry him in order to get his inheritance. This makes the dynamic between them not feel uneven in a way that it could. Instead, it ends up feeling like a win-win. As Juliet says in & Juliet, “this could solve all of our problems.”

I continue to love Janovsky’s work, and I look forward to what’s next from him. Until then, you can find me eating chocolate and wishing I was in Italy at the Amorina chocolate factory.