Wow. I didn't like this and no one is more disappointed than me about that!! While I really liked David and all of the foodie vibes of this story, I could. not. STAND. Farzan. I wanted so badly to root for him but he was just so insufferable! I can forgive a character for miscommunication if I feel like their trauma/mental health issues justify it, but there was literally no reason for Farzan to be such a whiney little bitch. Also, how many times in one novel do I need to read the word "vetiver"? Because this was verging on too many.

Overall it definitely felt like a YA author trying unsuccessfully to do adult romance. I love his YA so I would definitely give his adult one more shot, but this was not it.

2.5 rounded up

Review 3.75⭐️
I'll Have What He's Having follows two protagonists over the age of 35. I really enjoyed seeing a more mature romance with the characters being a bit older than what they are in a typical romance novel. Farzan and David were very well written characters and I liked that it alternated between their POVs. However, I feel that because they were older, they were a bit set in their ways, which at times can be a little frustrating when it comes to romance. I did enjoy the diversity of side characters and loved the portrayal of Iranian culture and the amazing food descriptions. It was also fun seeing a queer romance take place somewhere else besides New York or Los Angeles. I really felt a connection to Kansas City because the characters were so well settled in the city.

I loved this book! It had just the right amount of spice & sweetness to satisfy me. Each character felt so real to me & I loved that it was set in Kansas City!

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this advanced copy.
The first adult novel from Adib Khorram, and it was so good

Thank you Netgalley and Forever for the review copy. This was my first read by this author, which was also their first adult romance novel. I loved how he incorporated food and culture into the story, right alongside the romance. There was definitely angst and emotion in their relationship, given that their professional paths were at a crossroads, but I also loved how there were lighthearted moments of humor to balance out the serious moments. I definitely felt attached to these characters as their story unfolded, empathizing with the highs and lows of their professional and personal rollercoasters. I look forward to reading more by this author!

lets start with the cover, I absolutely LOVE the cover on this book and it fits the characters and just the overall vibes perfectly! Now on to the book itself what a fun read! the characters felf very realistic and they had me feeling so many emotions good bad and everything in between. the plot felt unique and new overall making this book one I would highly recomend.

What a swoony, emotional and Beautiful romance!! It’s full of humor and heart and a wonderful story of people you won’t want to let go of at the end of the book.

Farzan is all out of dreams. He doesn’t know what he wants to do with his life anymore. He feels like he is a loser compared to his settled and successful family and friends.
But he is the “caretaker”, always there to help and support others. He is afraid to want too much because he always seems to mess things up.

David is ALL hopes and dreams. He has always known what he wants and goes all out to accomplish his dream of becoming a master sommelier.

“He came alive when he met Farzan. Wasn’t there some way to have both—to chase his dreams and keep Farzan? For Farzan, he’d have to try.”

I did not want this story to ever end! I really want more Farzan, David and their circle!
-5 Stars-

With its sweet and spicy romance and tart and tangy but meaningful life lessons, I’ll Have What He’s Having by Adib Khorram has successfully crafted the recipe of a delicious read.

I have to start off by talking about my favorite part of the book, which was all the incredible descriptions of Persian food. There were so many times that I wished I was at the table with Farzan and David, getting to eat all the amazing dishes that were lovingly prepared and lovingly described. I’m glad I read this book just for the mouthwatering food scenes alone. I don’t know much about wine, but David’s explanations and comments about wine were equally as intriguing and lush. I was introduced to two different areas of cuisine I wasn’t familiar with and I’m grateful for it.

Continuing with food, this book focuses on something I have a soft spot for in stories, which is the importance of food and cooking in connecting with yourself and others and in building and preserving community. It was clear that Shiraz Bistro wasn’t just another place to eat, or just Farzan’s parents’ restaurant, but a cornerstone of the Iranian community in Kansas City that represented a home away from home. Because of Shiraz Bistro’s history and importance, the determination and doubt Farzan has about taking over the restaurant was easy to empathize with as a reader. His struggles with self-confidence and pressure felt relatable and relevant.

Farzan as a main character was a joy to read as he slowly but surely grew more comfortable with himself. His and David’s respective self-growth journeys felt satisfying, and felt comforting as a reminder that no matter your age there’s always time to take chances and be true to yourself. And the chemistry between Farzan and David was spectacular. Their physical intimacy was equal to their emotional intimacy, and seeing their relationship build and solidify was a treat. I really enjoyed reading from both of their perspectives. I also really enjoyed getting to know the rest of the characters, too, including Farzan’s friends and family and David’s friends and family. Every character felt fleshed out with their own unique issues and successes, and everyone’s sense of humor made it easy to be charmed by them.

I decided to read I’ll Have What He’s Having because I loved a different book by the same author. I’m glad that I did, and reading it made me glad that the author’s also delving into adult fiction alongside young adult fiction. I’m looking forward to more books in the adult genre.

Big thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. 4.25/5 stars.

This book was sweet. I haven't read this author, but apparently usually writes YA, which is a bit surprising as this is steamy!

I did enjoy the characters and liked that, while a romance, we got to see their lives in addition to that.

Nothing particularly blew me away with this one, but it was still a fun, sweet, yet steamy read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever Pub for an ARC.

I did have what they were having and it was.... *chef's kiss*
I really enjoyed reading this and watching these two amazing characters come out of their shell and finally acknowledge their feelings.
My only complain here is that third-act breakup *shaking my tiny head*

Thanks to Forever and Netgalley for the ARC!

A very wholesome, fake identity romance that centers around the food industry, this book was sweet. I really enjoyed the sweet moments and also spicy times that occurred between the two main characters. I love all the queer stories I’ve read in a lot of books this year. It’s so wonderful.

Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram is one of my favorite books, so I was super excited to read another one of Khorram’s books. Unfortunately this one just wasn’t for me.

I had a hard time feeling connected to the characters and invested in the storyline. I also didn’t find myself rooting for Farzan and David. My favorite parts of the books were Farzan’s and David’s respective friendships with their friends. Otherwise, I just wasn’t interested through most of this sadly.

Thanks, Net Galley, for the copy!

After another disaster in love, Farzan commits to his go-to of great wine and fries to numb his heart at one of the newest wine bars in Kansas City. Unfortunately, the name he gave in the loud setting was also the name of the local food critic. Upon hearing this, the wine director, David, wines and dines Farzan to win over a good review. As the night wind downs, they end up together and the mix-up comes out. Not being in the same circles, they both thought that was it. However, as Farzan takes over his family’s bistro, he knew he needed help from an expert. David knew he needed a friend and certainly needed help studying for his upcoming master sommelier test. Agreeing to be just friends, they struck a deal to keep things business. When business starts mixing with pleasure, can Farzan and David keep things loose knowing David was soon leaving or do emotions begin to spell out disaster for their casual agreement?

One thing that made this one a bit fun for me was all of the reference to Kansas City, specifically everything mentioned about Country Club Plaza. I spent half a year there building a restaurant so it was a treat actually knowing what they were referencing each time. Farzan and David were great characters and thoroughly enjoyed their story from their initial meet cute to the grand gestures. This one had lots of steam and plenty of romance.

3.5 stars
This started off very strong. I was pretty much instantly charmed by the main characters (and the secondary characters.) There were so many things I really enjoyed about this book, especially the sense of place and being immersed in the restaurant and family settings and Persian culture and food. I also appreciated the care the author puts into being inclusive and thoughtful about how various people are represented and described.

I really wanted to love this book and I did enjoy it, but I found the pacing was off and there was a lot of repetition and I think those words could have been better served by better showing vs a lot of telling. Also the sex scenes seemed . . . educational? rather than emotional, which is a shame because I wanted to believe in the connection between the two main characters and that could have helped it level up and taken everything a bit deeper.

Again, I did enjoy this book and recommend it but I think some strong editing could have taken it up a notch. I'll also still go and check out the author's YA work, which I've heard such great things about.

3.5/5 stars

For Adib Khorram’s first foray into adult lit, this was pretty good!

David and Farzan were lovable characters with a dynamic chemistry. I particularly enjoyed that they were older MCs that were still trying to figure things out. Not everyone has their life figured in their 30s and people *do* still grapple with things such as relationship shifts, aging parents, living up to expectations, work-life balance, and chasing your passions.

However, I think my favorite part was the focus on community. Khorram did an excellent job at highlighting how friends, family, and others play an integral part in someone’s support system.

That being said, something about this book fell short for me. I think it might be the writing style. It could become too descriptive and repetitive at times. The third act breakup also didn’t quite work for me, as I felt like it could have been solved with a short conversation between the two parties.

Overall, I quite enjoyed Khorram’s first adult novel and I’m excited to see what he does next.

I liked this and I liked them together. My thing is for the first half of the book they were trying to be friends with benefits and they are both in their late 30's. It's time for a relationship, be serious. Other than that I liked it.

I received an arc through netgalley.

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever, and Grand Central Publishing for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I have mixed feelings about this one. It took me longer than expected to really feel drawn into this book and the world it created. I almost DNF’ed it a few times but I’m glad I kept reading. I think this book was very sweet and easy to read but did have a few pacing issues.

Adib Khorram wrote about community in a way that I just wanted to keep having scenes with Farzan and his friends. And I think that’s where this book really shined.

This sommelier/chef romance was a delight to read! It's very sexy and full of good food and wine, complicated family, funny and supportive friends, joyful queerness, and a healthy appreciation for certain physique-flattering articles of clothing 😏

I hadn't read anything by Adib Khorram before this, although I knew he was best known for his YA novel, Darius The Great Is Not Okay, which I'd heard very positive things about. I'm definitely looking forward to digging into his previous books. (Update: I have now read Darius the Great Is Not Okay and it was excellent!)

* It's very sexy: I truly appreciated how realistic and authentic the sex scenes were, with plenty of humor and awkwardness and excellent communication.

* full of good food and wine: the flavors and sensory experiences of the restaurants were so evocative! I really wished I could be there, too!

✨ Review ✨ I'll Have What He's Having by Adib Khorram; Narrated by Shezi Sardar & Brent Billings

Thanks to Forever, Hachette Audio, and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

This book starts with a hillarious misunderstanding. Farzan, heartbroken, shows up at his favorite Kansas City wine bar to binge on wine and fries, his favorite grief food. There he meets David, a sommelier at the wine bar. However, Farzan gave the name Frank Allen at the door to simplify things, and David mistook him for famous food critic Frank Allen. They flirt, end up back at home together, and realize the mistake. They end up coming back together though and make a deal to help each other out -- Farzan helps David study for his master sommelier test and David helps Farzan figure out how to take over his family's restaurant.

I loved that both of the main characters were a little messy, full of just a little bit of chaos, and that made this story feel more authentic. Their continual attraction and grappling with their feelings and that attraction made this a lot of fun to read.

I enjoyed that it was set in Kansas City - somewhere different than the norm - and after a little bit of investigation, I'm excited to try out the wine and fries bar that inspired the author 🎉 .

The characters were in their 30s and grappling with all sorts of things like family, including aging parents, as well as changing friendships, chasing your dreams, and their own aging bodies. I really loved seeing these sorts of mid-life topics featured, but in a way that still felt so full of energy.

🎧 The audio narration for this was extraordinary. The narrators each provided such a great depiction of the whole vibe of their respective character and really brought the sultry energy of this book forward. Great audiobook!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5)
Genre: contemporary m/m romance
Setting: Kansas City
Length: 10 hours 4 minutes
Pub Date: August 27, 2024

Read this if you like:
⭕️ wine & fries
⭕️ delicious food descriptions
⭕️ romances with characters in their 30s

I really enjoyed the story. I liked how the author centered the characters culture and cultural differences to the story. It made it richer. The book was well written and you couldn't help but love the character.