Charming as a Verb

By Ben Philippe

From the award-winning author of The Field Guide to the North American Teenager comes a whip-smart and layered romantic comedy. Perfect for fans of Nicola Yoon and Jenny Han. 

Henri “Halti” Haltiwanger can charm just about anyone. 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. But his easy smiles mask a burning ambition to attend his dream college, Columbia University.

There is only one person who seems immune to Henri’s charms: his “intense” classmate and neighbor Corinne Troy. When she uncovers Henri’s less-than-honest dog-walking scheme, she blackmails him into helping her change her image at school. Henri agrees, seeing a potential upside for himself.

Soon what started as a mutual hustle turns into something more surprising than either of them ever bargained for. . . .

This is a sharply funny and insightful novel about the countless hustles we have to keep from doing the hardest thing: being ourselves.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Oct 13, 2020
• ISBN: 9780062824271

Ben Philippe

Ben Philippe is a New York–based writer and screenwriter, born in Haiti and raised in Montreal, Canada. He has a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University and an MFA in fiction and screenwriting from the Michener Center for Writers in Austin, Texas. He also teaches film studies and screenwriting at Barnard College. He is the author of the William C. Morris Award–winning novel The Field Guide to the North American Teenager. Find him online at www.benphilippe.com.

Reviews for Charming as a Verb

[ewyatt_16 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Halti (Henri Haltiwanger) is a senior at an exclusive New York prep school. He works hard to financially help his family with his dog walking business, full school schedule. He sees the advantages that privilege gives many of his classmates, especially when looking at his quest to gain entry into Columbia. After being blackmailed by intense classmate Corrine Troy, the two form a friendship and eventual romance. An entertaining read with a sense of humor that grapples with first love, ethical questions, following passions, managing expectations of parents and finding ones way into adulthood.

[fionaanne · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I very much wish I had not discovered Mr. Philippe until later in his career so there were a bunch of his books I hadn't read yet. *sigh*

[reader1009-863136 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

teen fiction (teen from Haitian immigrant family meets "intense" Black teen during their senior year)

Clever characters and engaging story

[fromthecomfychair · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Charming Henri Haltiwanger, son of Haitian immigrants, is a scholarship student at a posh private arts high school in Manhattan. He's very good at keeping it superficial and hiding his status from his rich classmates. To earn money, he creates a dog-walking website to make it look like a business, and not just a high school kid earning a few extra bucks. He's on the debate team, because he's a good talker, and popular with his classmates. Enter Corinne Troy, a student at FATE Academy and one of his neighbors in the apartment building where his Dad is the super. When he gets the gig as her Mom's dog-walker, Corinne, a super student whose social skills are low, does a little research and figures out that Henri's website is a sham. She blackmails him by trading social skills lessons for her silence about his "company."These are nice kids with loving parents. They're also kids who are on the Ivy League track and anxious about getting accepted to their dream schools. What starts as blackmail ends up as something else, and along the way, Henri makes a big mistake. I liked this story, though it could have been shorter, but I liked the resolution as well. I think it would appeal to teens who are like Henri, somewhere on the road to Ivy League admissions.

[deslivres5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was hoping to end my reading year with a fun and quick binge read and Charming as a Verb by Ben Philippe definitely fit the bill.This meet-cute YA romance set in NYC has Henri, a charismatic senior at an elite high school in NYC juggling high school, debate team, college admissions and his successful dog walking business. His world intersects in said meet-cute with Corinne, an intense/socially inept and quirky fellow senior at the same high school who also lives in Henri's building. I loved the character of Corinne!Friends and family member side characters are engaging and entertained me.I enjoyed this read which gave me unexpected Naruto references and some Haitian Creole as well!

[sjgirl-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I very much liked this, there were just certain things I wanted more of and others that didn’t feel quite as essential to the story.Henri made for a solid lead character, he makes some mistakes yet you like him anyway, he has a great friendship with Ming and he’s conflicted since what he really wants differs from what he believes his father wants him to do with his life. As much as I adore dogs, I don’t know that Henri being a dog walker really added much, I kind of wish that instead Henri had worked as an assistant to his building superintendent dad, that job still would have led him to Corinne while also offering more interactions with his dad which with their generational and cultural differences tended to be among the most compelling scenes in the book. Although this starts out giving off the impression that Henri might be a player, his romance with Corinne had a nice sweet feel to it throughout. As for Corinne herself, I loved her, I loved her bluntness and the way her mind works. With adult romance books I’m accustomed to hearing from both partners so I did crave some scenes from Corinne’s point of view. I would have happily traded the debate team scenes (fun but maybe not so necessary) for getting to know Corinne even better and witnessing some of the moments between just Corinne and her mom (also a fantastic character). I get that some authors and definitely some readers aren’t comfortable with alternating the point of view, still, I feel like this author would have handled the challenge of a second POV really well, given that he clearly he had such a strong sense of who Corinne is, crafting her into one my favorite characters of this year.

[hccpsk · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I liked Ben Philippe’s first book (Field Guide to the North American Teenager) and he continues that streak with Charming as a Verb. Henri Haltiwanger is busy--managing senior year at a prestigious New York City prep school, running his dog walking business, starring on the debate team, and charming his way through life with his trademark Smile. As with Field Guide, Philippe mixes just the right amount of teenage angst, romance, social justice issues, humor, and plot points that will resonate with a lot of YA readers. He shies away from making a real statement about students of color at elite schools, but captures some of the dual consciousness they experience, and he hits the college anxiety notes dead on. Charming as a Verb will be a great recommendation for readers of Ned Vizzini, Adam Silvera, and John Green.