Charming as a Verb

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I have to say, I am such a fan of seeing more male friendships, where they openly share their emotions. Charming as a Verb really captured the pressures that teenagers face, particularly the children of immigrants.

Also, for how prominent dog-walking is in the synopsis, there is very little of it in the book and I would have liked to have heard more about this “less-than-honest” dog-walking business. It's also easy to get a grasp of his family's dynamic, especially with his enigmatic Uncle Lionel whose advice to Henri when he fucked up was If you're going to risk everything, don't get caught. I'm not sure what I was expecting, I just wanted this book to exceed my expectations when all it did was fulfill what I thought would happen in the first place. It isn't all light and fluffy though, as a decision made by one of our main protagonists turns the story on it's head.

This is a sharply funny and insightful novel about the countless hustles we have to keep from doing the hardest thing: being ourselves. I think it’s definitely one that can find its audience if you enjoy a rom-com that explores some more serious themes, but it just was not for me. Even though Halti messes up with his desperate attempts to get into Columbia, Corinne actually helps him to go for his true passion. But I would have wanted to learn more about Henri's culture and how his Haitian culture and American culture intertwine.

It becomes quite clear that his reasons for wanting to go to Columbia aren't as clear cut as we thought. I love how this felt like a love-letter to the streets of New York City, but ended up with a small footnote to Montreal too.I love books with depth and great character development so now your review has me even more excited. At first glance, Henri Haltiwanger (otherwise known as “Halti” or “HH”) seems to have life in the palm of his hand. Their first kiss Corinne just randomly jumps at him and kisses him and it talks about how she awkwardly bumps his chin with hers. The guy's running around all day—charming people, making it by with dog walking, running to his next engagement, and having a constant dialogue with himself in his head—and it's a lot.

Follows Henry, a charming Haitian teen whose easygoing personality masks his burning desire to go to his dream university.

Henri’s narrative swagger effortlessly charms the reader, but it’s his growing self-awareness that gives this delightful novel its depth… An intelligently narrated romance with plenty of witty banter and a diverse cast. Morris Award winner Philippe turns up the charm in his sophomore novel…From its dynamic, easy-to-love characters to the endearing prose, this novel easily embodies Henri's cultivated suaveness, and his unusually confident persona, bring a fresh perspective.