Charming as a Verb by Ben Philippe (review)

As a Black son of Haitian immigrants growing up in New York City, seventeenyear-old Henri Haltiwanger sees life as a hustle, a series of parts he plays to win people over: popular scholarship student at a posh uptown private school, helpful neighborhood dog-walker, dutiful son destined to fulfill his parents' American dream. Henri, though, wants one role to be real: future student at Columbia. So when intense overachieving classmate, Corinne, threatens to blow the lid on his fake dog-walking agency unless he helps ramp up her social standing, Henri finds himself playing an unexpected new part: popularity mentor. Their short-term deal soon evolves into reticent friendship and potentially more, until a single desperate act to gain college admission threatens Henri's future, both at college and with Corinne, and forces him to wonder just who he is willing to charm and why. Henri's narrative swagger effortlessly charms the reader, but it's his growing self-awareness that gives this delightful novel its depth, gradually revealing layers beneath the practiced façade. His struggle with authentic identity reads as a universal truth, an all-too-real Black experience, and a tale unique to Henri himself. The plot, meanwhile, plays with the conventions of the make-over romcom in ways that are deeply satisfying, especially as Corinne emerges as more than a wallflower turned social butterfly. She's a confident, sassy smartass who is fully Henri's match, and reader hearts will flutter as they bicker their way to a mutually supportive relationship. This is a solid next step for fans of Yoon's Frankly in Love (BCCB 10/19), who appreciate an intelligently narrated romance with plenty of witty banter and a diverse cast.