Thank you to Harper360YA for the ARC!
The first thing I thought when I saw the cover was a book that I hoped was about Black Love—I was right!
Themes: Friendship, identity, school, love, class
Henri Haltiwanger (everyone calls him Halti) is cool, popular, charming and a first generation Haitian son. He attends the prestigious FATE academy and walks dogs for New Yorks elite. His dream is to attend Columbia University. Halti isn't from a wealthy background but his easy smile helps him to fit in with his peers. But then Corinne Troy, his neighbour and classmate, blackmails him when she finds out his dog walking job isn't very legit. What does she want? To be popular!
I don't tend to find many romantic comedy books with Black protagonists so this was a breath of fresh air. I love Halti! He has that super easy swag and comes across so sure of himself. He's able to blend in with any situation whilst keep his not so privileged side of him a secret, even from his best friend Ming who has a sneaker fetish! Halti dreams of going Ivy League and is devastated when he flops his interview. It becomes quite clear that his reasons for wanting to go to Columbia aren't as clear cut as we thought. Really it's his dad's dream. As someone who was pushed to go to uni by a parent I can understand the pressure!
Corinne is hilarious! She is definitely intense and has no idea how she comes across but she has the best one liners. She tells it how it is which is a great contrast to Halti who is more aware of himself. I was rooting for them to get together and cheeered when they did. My fav scene is when she walks in on Halti and Evie at a party and it's a classic case of not reading the room! I do wish there was more of Evie as after the party, their relationship falls off and Evie disappears. I would have loved more scenes with Evie and Corinne.
Charming As A Verb is a great book for those trying to figure out the next steps after school—we've all been there. There's no bigger pressure than trying to please your parent. Even though Halti messes up with his desperate attempts to get into Columbia, Corinne actually helps him to go for his true passion. You'll read the book like damn where's my Halti?!
I look forward to reading more from Philippe and I hope there's a part two to Halti and Corinne.
5/5
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