Charming as a Verb

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And just maybe, Henri needs some of the serious introspection that Corinne can provide. Does Henri really know what he wants out of life, or has he just been too busy to realize it? That interviewer turned out to be right, not only about Henri’s collegiate education, but also about his relationship with Corinne. Things did have a way of working out for both of them, but first, they had to suffer through the trial and error of new love. About being a charmer, Dale Carnegie says this, “Talk to someone about themselves and they’ll listen for hours.” Before long, “Cori” is actually pleasant to be around, and she and Halti start to lean on each other more and more, and share their personal challenges and fears. She helps Halti see what his dreams could be instead of what he thinks they must be, and they both let down their guard to let each other in.

Okay, so the premise of this book makes it sound like it's twisty, but it isn't! This is actually such a clever and charming book about how image matters, how we have to sometimes fight for what we want (and how people can get hurt along the way), and the weight of our parents' expectations and dreams (and how we can mistake them as our own). I found that I could relate to this book because I've started to list out universities for my potential Masters/ PhD (pls, someone let me do a PhD as an MBA graduate). Philippe perfectly describes the self-doubts, the fear that you might not be good enough, questioning what you're willing to do to make your goals come true. It's a question that shows up time and time again in the book. This book also does a great job exploring whether a specific path is chosen for prestige or for genuine reasons. As I'm questioning whether I even want a Phd or generally, to continue my education, it also felt like it hit close to home. Ahhhhh, how does one even make life choices, I need a binder like Corrinne There’s an abundance of dogs in this book because of Henri’s dog walking. Do you have any dogs you love in your own life? Do you have a favorite dog from this book, or are any of the dogs based on dogs you’ve met IRL?It’s getting late,” she says as she begins to gather her things. “I’m meeting my mom at the IFC Center for this retrospective.” That said, I really enjoyed the fact that academic pressure was explored so throughougly through Henri’s character. I really appreciated his arc when it came to accepting and moving past said pressure and realizing what he wanted to do with his life. I thought that was really well-developed and I appreciated the message that sent. I also thought the romance was cute and I liked that the main conflict in the romance didn’t hinge on miscommunication! I also thought the ending of it was really cute! But no single dog was plagiarized from my real life. The dogs of Charming are mostly a mishmash of pups I’ve observed around dog parks in the city. Although, the Upper West Side dog run at Riverside and 105th in Manhattan is more or less how I picture dog walker Henri’s primary dog walk. This book is a cute contemporary perfectly relatable for teens heading into their last year of highschool where college admission decisions and uncertainty about the future loom.

I didn’t like Henri as a narrator like his pov. He is genuinely a good character. He is nice and all but his perspective wasn’t. And his decisions in the book? I mean no one is perfect but dude that was immature. Corrine was probably my favorite character. She was fun and smart! But there were times when I just didn’t care. But she deserves better than Henri.Henri’s parents are immigrants from Haiti to New York City, and they play an important role in shaping his character. His mom is a go-getter who believes in following her passions and going after her dreams. Dad also once had big dreams, but the reality of supporting a family has meant life spent as the superintendent of the apartment building where the family lives. Henri inherits a little of both parents and is only too aware that his dad’s dreams have somehow become his. The pressure to attend Columbia and have a better life than that of his parents becomes an overriding theme of the novel. Eventually, Henri takes charge of his own life and realizes that the most important thing he can do after secondary school is understand himself and do what will make him happy. All in all, Charming as a Verb was as entrancing as the cover promised to be, showing the excruciating pressure teens are to start their futures right all while making me nostalgic for my own high school days. With a bunch of funny antics and adorable dogs in the mix, Philippe’s second novel is perfect for anyone needing moral support through their senior year or who wants to relive their own high school days. I want to say I would never con someone into trusting me, into liking me. But I do that, don’t I? That’s what I do all the time. Ben Philippe, Charming as a Verb The other thing that this book absolutely nailed was the discussion surrounding what it means to be yourself and how often you have to adapt and change your persona to fit within a certain type of group or appeal to professional people. Henri is many things—business savvy, charming, always on top of things—but he’s also someone who is very aware of the systemic racism and prestige that comes with old money and knowing the right people in your life. Henri does everything he can to come up on top and sometimes that means he can’t talk about his dream of designing sneakers and rather opt for a ‘safer’ discussion of future goals to appeal to Columbia. He has to make himself fit to accommodate others and that struggle accompanies him through his good and bad decisions.

At first glance, Henri Haltiwanger (otherwise known as “Halti” or “HH”) seems to have life in the palm of his hand. He’s first-generation American, the son of hard-working Haitian immigrants; he’s a good student at the prestigious FATE Academy, where he’s well-liked; and he runs a dog-walking business for upscale New Yorkers. As a fellow Gilmore Girls fan, I’m obsessed with your Gilmore opinions. Which season had the worst season finale? Do you think any characters from Charming as a Verb would absolutely love (or hate) GG? Now for the writing of this story, well, it's pretty good. I don't really have many complaints because this story is written in a way where you know what's happening, but you also know that it could have been written better. Some parts felt skipped because of the writing, so I didn't really enjoy that. I really wish that we could have had a dual POV with Corinne and Henri because I think it would have added so much more to the story. Maybe I'm saying this because I cared about Corinne more than Henri, but I just wanted to learn more about her life and get a glimpse of what's going on with her. I would greatly appreciate that.I really liked this book. I enjoy Ben Philippe’s storytelling (I enjoyed his first book, The Field Guide to the North American Teenager) and thought these characters were terrific. (I especially loved Halti’s bromance with his best friend, Ming.) Henri has an active social life and is on the debate team. He also has super supportive parents. Yet, he has his issues. For one, he won’t let anyone from school come to their tiny apartment. He’s also DESPERATE to get into Columbia just to fulfill his father’s dreams. Still he is a sincere character that many will root for. I also loved his friendship with Ming, who is a trans-racial adoptee and Henri’s best friend. I’m putting it out to the universe now. There’s nothing more I can do. I did my best. And if it’s not enough, then Princeton wasn’t for me, y’know?”