Charming as a Verb

Product Information

The book also addresses inequality in the system and how wealthier teens have access to certain advantages whilst applying for colleges. I laughed so much while listening to this (and the audiobook is brilliantly narrated by James Fouhey; his narration was AMAZING). He is a star debater and popular student at the prestigious FATE academy, the dutiful first-generation Haitian son, and the trusted dog walker for his wealthy New York City neighbors. Who doesn’t However, referring to his work and ambitions as a hustle does seem odd and ingenuine in a way.

Anyways, Charming as a Verb is about Henri, an ambitious child of Haitian immigrants and owner of fraudulent dog walking company. This book talks about a lot of hard hitting topics, such as parental pressure, being a first gen immigrant (Henry is a first gen Haitian American), college admissions and the unevenness of it all. I’m really excited to read a story by a Haitian author about a Haitian-American main character (because I’m Haitian-American) and the synopsis just makes me want to read it even more.

Generally, I appreciated the description of the school and Henri's frustration at the way rich people are still able to wield their advantages, even when the playing ground is seemingly fair. There is only one person who seems immune to Henri’s charms: his “intense” classmate and neighbor Corinne Troy. The ways wealth means more opportunities and the ways Henri doesn’t have the same possibilities, managing his dog walking, while his classmates have multiple tutors. It's pretty clear here who is the sun and who is the hapless, rotating planet with vague signs of intelligent life.

But one that illustrates its depths as Henri navigates being a first generation child of immigrants with their own dreams. Also, it’s a pity the romance feels like an insta-love, because that’s not what I expected based on the blurb.

A cringe-y, delightful rom-com about a boy who wants so deeply to get into Columbia he'll do some extremely unethical things and a girl who has the tools to blackmail that boy and who wants to lose the label attached to her as "intense. As he navigates the incredibly privileged school he goes to and the wealth, and opportunity, gap between his classmates. It has an adorable romance and relatable final-year scenarios that always made me miss high school, with enough charm and vulnerabilities from our main character Henry that made this book stood out.