Charming as a Verb

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This is a sharply funny and insightful novel about the countless hustles we have to keep from doing the hardest thing: being ourselves. Instead, the author drops that arc early on, subsequently morphing the novel into a predictable rom-com. Balancing the FATE academy, his dog walking business, and his reputation for being probably the seventh most popular teen, he’s going places.

Today’s snarky young anti-hero instead looks like Norris, the black French Canadian boy in The Field Guide to the North American Teenager . And I would have truly enjoyed if there was more added to Henri's storyline of being Haitian-American because I think that would have added a lot more backstory and culture to this novel. I loved the characters of Henry and Corrinne's parents, their friends, and even the teachers at school.

This book was just what I wanted, and needed, to pick up, and I really enjoyed the audiobook version. While this might be a realistic portrayal, it seems to me that if the gender roles were switched, this would bug more people.

My favorite genre to read is contemporary realistic fiction, and I'll never say no to a graphic novel. Henri went to ____ college, he gets accepted by his parents after actually talking to them, and we see his relationship develop with Corinne. A witty, well-developed bildungsroman that presents a Black teenager carefully attempting to navigate systems that disproportionately disadvantage him.

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. Although this book was predictable at times, I found myself easily falling into this story, rooting for Henri much more than I expected to, and falling in love with his best friend Ming. That story had incredible characters, spectacular humor, and lots of emotional depth, and I saw all those elements on display in Charming as a Verb as well.