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reader_in_the_meadow's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The 2021 novel Charming As A Verb by Haitin-Canadian writer Ben Philippe tells the story of Henri Haltiwanger, a teenager who hast too struggle with his own expectations of himself and the expectations of others and his first love.
The plot is build up around Henri, who is a student at FATE academy in New York. As every senior student he applies to colleges and tries to have fun all while having to make money, too. The story itself was not that hard understand to be honest. It was a pretty straightforward romance. But still, it was pretty interesting and nice to read.
The charcters in this book are diverse at least as far I can say. There is a BIPOC main charcter and love interest, an AAPI sidecharcter and a lesbian side character. The conflict between rich and normally payed people is shown quite well in this book, too.
However, as far as likeability goes, I had a hard time with some of the characters, because some showed major red flags and did things that are at least questionable.
However, they were written very well and each had a personality of their own.
The writing in this book mainly focuses on telling the plot, which makes it easy to read, even if you are not a native English speaker.
The story itself is told through Henri's eyes, which gives us inside into his mind and thought process.
Going forward, a thing I liked was that the book was very lighthearted and funny. I laughed so much while reading this and was so happy I did.
However a thing I really disliked was how some characters acted or behaved. Sure it makes sense from a storytelling point of view, but it was still not cool to read about.
To conclude, Philippe's book is a very well-written story about the struggles of teenagers and how they cope with them, and what love can do to change who you are.
It is definitely worth a read, however, please take note of the content warnings.
The plot is build up around Henri, who is a student at FATE academy in New York. As every senior student he applies to colleges and tries to have fun all while having to make money, too. The story itself was not that hard understand to be honest. It was a pretty straightforward romance. But still, it was pretty interesting and nice to read.
The charcters in this book are diverse at least as far I can say. There is a BIPOC main charcter and love interest, an AAPI sidecharcter and a lesbian side character. The conflict between rich and normally payed people is shown quite well in this book, too.
However, as far as likeability goes, I had a hard time with some of the characters, because some showed major red flags and did things that are at least questionable.
However, they were written very well and each had a personality of their own.
The writing in this book mainly focuses on telling the plot, which makes it easy to read, even if you are not a native English speaker.
The story itself is told through Henri's eyes, which gives us inside into his mind and thought process.
Going forward, a thing I liked was that the book was very lighthearted and funny. I laughed so much while reading this and was so happy I did.
However a thing I really disliked was how some characters acted or behaved. Sure it makes sense from a storytelling point of view, but it was still not cool to read about.
To conclude, Philippe's book is a very well-written story about the struggles of teenagers and how they cope with them, and what love can do to change who you are.
It is definitely worth a read, however, please take note of the content warnings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Cursing, Racism, Toxic friendship, and Vomit
katielaine_w's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Racism, and Sexual content
Minor: Toxic friendship
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