Decent romance!

This was fun, not a new favorite but cute.

Farzan feels like the ultimate fuckup in love, family life and professional life whilst drowning his feelings in wine and fries he meets David, a waiter at a trendy bar. They instantly click but have a lot of hurdles to turn a one night stand into something more.

Farzan’s inner voice was very annoying and very relatable.


Thanks to netgalley and Hachette audio for an alc

This is author Adib Khorram’s adult romance debut, and what an absolute delight it was to read! Farzan and David have one hot night together after a bit of mistaken identity. When helping each other is a way to meet their own personal career goals, time spent together suddenly turns scorching. But David is only meant to stick around temporarily…and Farzan will always call Kansas City home.
IHWHH was a read that kept me wanting more and more of their story. It was funny, sexy, refreshingly honest, and I LOVED that the case of mistaken identity was resolved with quick, adult-level communication and wasn’t a thing for the whole book. I highly recommend this to my fellow romance readers who love a story with well-rounded, interesting characters and plenty of heat,and for those (aka ME) who always want more of those stories set in the midwest! I received an advanced reading copy, receipt of which did not impact my review.

4.25 stars!

I loved so much about this books! Farzan and David had such amazing chemistry. I loved their love story. I also loved the storyline of Farzan who is taking over his parents Iranian restaurant but knowing nothing about running a restaurant. I loved his whole family and all of this little details in this book like how "My Big Fat Greek Weeding" is the movie that he says is the best representation of how his family is since there isn't a lot of representation of Iranian families in western media. I also loved David and his love of wine. This is a friends with benefits to lovers story, which isn't my favorite, but I loved it in this book. That was the perfect storyline for this couple and really worked for them.

Every time an author who has historically written YA switches to writing adult books one of two things usually happens. 1. The spice is weird. or 2. There is an overabundance of spice almost as if they are over compensating. I am happy that neither of those things really happened with this book. There was a heavy does of spice, but the spice was written very well and it never felt out of place.

The one thing I didn't love in this book was the pacing. This book felt like it was longer than it is. There were a handful of times where I felt slightly bored whole reading this book and I personally felt like 30-50 pages probably could have been edited out.

Thank you to Grand Central for sending me an e-ARC of this book. I had so much fun reading it!

"I’ll Have What He’s Having" by Adib Khorram is a delightful, heartwarming queer romcom that seamlessly blends romance, humor, and cultural exploration. I had the pleasure of receiving this e-book as an ARC from the publisher, and within the first twenty pages, I knew it was going to be a 5-star read.

Set against the backdrop of Kansas City, this contemporary MM romance introduces us to Farzan, a first-generation Iranian American who helps run his family's beloved restaurant. Nursing a broken heart, Farzan finds himself at a wine bar, where he meets David, a charismatic sommelier. David mistakes Farzan for a local food critic, Frank Allen, leading to a night of mistaken identity and steamy passion.

What follows is a story brimming with chemistry, humor, and the bittersweet realities of life and love. David is on the cusp of becoming a master sommelier, with ambitions that will take him far from Kansas City, while Farzan is deeply rooted in his family's business. Their decision to become "friends with benefits" adds a layer of complexity to their relationship, making you wonder how—or if—they'll navigate their diverging paths.

Khorram crafts a story rich in diversity, from the vibrant portrayal of Farzan’s Iranian heritage to the beautifully varied cast of queer characters. The food descriptions alone are worth reading; they are so mouthwateringly vivid that I found myself constantly googling the dishes mentioned.

"I’ll Have What He’s Having" is a tender exploration of love, culture, and the choices that define us. With its endearing characters and heartwarming narrative, this book is a must-read for anyone looking for a charming and spicy romance. Be sure to check it out when it releases on 8/27/24 - you won’t regret it!

I’ll Have What He’s Having by Adib Khorram
Contemporary diverse M-M romance. Alternating POV.
At thirty-seven, Farzan Alavi thinks his love life is a disaster after his most recent heartbreak. There are times he thinks his whole life is messed up and going nowhere. He’s not particularly happy being a substitute teacher but what are his options? When his two besties aren’t available for a night out, Farzan goes alone to the new restaurant and gets a table for one. He’s surprised by the flirting by the hot sommelier but he’s free and single and goes with it.
David Curtis is told that a famous and influential food critic is at the restaurant and he offers up a supreme bottle of wine. The two flirt through dinner and more. It’s only the next morning, both David and Farzan realize the error but they’ve had a great night and laugh it off.
When Farzan inherits his family’s bistro, he knows just the person to call to help improve the wine list and make the restaurant a destination. But their fun can only be short term. David is moving to Los Angeles. And even though they both start falling in love, their future doesn’t appear to be together.

🎧 I alternated between an ebook and an audiobook. The narration is performed by Shezi Sardar and Brent Billings who do a wonderful job with the emotional up and downs of the story. The passion, worry and heartbreak is all easy to hear and makes you feel like you are their friends and in the middle to the angst and love. I did increase the speed to 1.5 as that’s my most comfortable for reading along with a book at the same time and not be three pages ahead of the audio narration. The accents and voices really make these two men come alive. I’d highly recommend the audiobook version for this book.

Heartbreaking and sad as Farzan tries over and over to make the right choices. He’s confident in his cooking and manages the restaurant without a second thought, but doesn’t realize his impact. He knows he wants David to stay, but why would he? David has excellent prospects and a future in LA.
Don’t despair. It is a romance, but it’s going to take work and belief to come together.

I received this from book from NetGalley and the publisher Hachette Audio.

I’ll Have What He’s Having is the first book I have read by this author and I really liked it. I definitely want to read his other books now. I enjoyed both of the characters and their stories. They were great as individuals and together as a couple. Definitely would recommend to romance fans. It is a bit of instalove if you don’t like that but I think it’s enjoyable anyway!

This book overall was lovely. I had so much fun while reading this and seeing the relationship progress and how navigating your feelings after being let down so much in life.

I loved these two so much!!!!

I got an e-arc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

OMG this is romance perfection. It's champagne glasses and midnight cuddles.
Friends with benefits, a little fear of commitment, amazing steam and SIZZLING chemistry!

Love this dang book so much

I always enjoy a romance with food involved. I enjoyed the Iranian heritage that was a big element to the story and both Farzan and David were very likeable. The meet cute mistaken identity captured my interest from the first chapter.

I appreciate that both Farzan and David were in their 30s and their family added a fun element to the story. Their love was just a little too insta for me and the big run was miscommunication which I am not a fan of. Overall, I enjoyed this steamy MM romance.

Shezi Sardar and Brent Billings both did a great job with the narration and bringing the story to life.

Thank you @readforeverpub @hachetteaudio for a copy of this book.

4.5 stars

This was a really fun queer romance that felt really real. Maybe it was the real talk about embarrassing bodily functions at times or the adequate prep for certain sexual actions but there was only one thing in this whole book I had to slightly suspend my disbelief for (but even that really isn't too unbelievable, just highly unlikely to pass first try). I enjoyed both characters a lot and felt the author really developed the MCs incredibly before even starting the story.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

**Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this free digital review copy.**

This was a spicy (very spicy… I read my fair share of romances but this novel was a lot, and I skimmed several scenes) novel about a sommelier falling in love with a man who isn’t sure what he really wants out of life until his parents announce their retirement from the Persian restaurant they built from the ground up in Kansas City, MO. The meet-cute was gold, and the relationship developed in a really sweet way, with lots of support from family and friends. The descriptions of the food and wine were so good and made me want to eat a good meal. I also enjoyed that the characters were in their mid/late 30’s, which was just a bit older than I feel like my typical romance read stars are. And I loved that it was set in the Midwest instead of some big metropolitan city on the coast; I’ve never been to KC but do visit St. Louis sometimes and the vibes seemed similar. This was a spicy (very spicy… I read my fair share of romances but this novel was a lot, and I skimmed several scenes) novel about a sommelier falling in love with a man who isn’t sure what he really wants out of life until his parents announce their retirement from the Persian restaurant they built from the ground up in Kansas City, MO. The meet-cute was gold, and the relationship developed in a really sweet way, with lots of support from family and friends. The descriptions of the food and wine were so good and made me want to eat a good meal. I also enjoyed that the characters were in their mid/late 30’s, which was just a bit older than I feel like my typical romance read stars are. And I loved that it was set in the Midwest instead of some big metropolitan city on the coast; I’ve never been to KC but do visit St. Louis sometimes and the vibes seemed similar.

I'll Have What He's Having by Adib Khorram was a phenomenal story.
A story of self-discovery and going on a journey to finding who you truly are.
A sweet, sexy and fun story!

Farzan Alavi, son of immigrant Iranian restaurant owners, is down on his luck in life and in love. After being cancelled on for a third date, Farzan goes to a wine bar to drink away the pain. There, after some confusion about his name, the sommelier, David Curtis, thinks he is the local food critic. After he spends the night treating Farzan to the best wine and food pairings the bar offers, their chemistry is off the charts. After one night together, wherein everybody learns the truth of the name mishap, David and Farzan go their separate ways. However, fate, chance or what have you keeps pulling them back together.

If I had a dollar for the number of alcohol slash food centric new releases I’ve read this year, I’d have enough to buy my go-to drink at any bar near me. This seems to be a very popular plot premise this year, and this was definitely one of the best written in terms of food and wine. I haven’t had much experience with Persian food, but after reading the descriptions of all the food Farzan and his family make throughout the novel, I need to find a Persian restaurant ASAP. Unfortunately for me, I’m not even remotely a wine drinker, so I wasn’t quite as convinced to try all the wines described, but I’m sure for others that the descriptions were just as enticing,

While I enjoyed the plot, I just didn’t feel the chemistry between Farzan and David. Everything that happened between them was very insta-lust and insta-love. I think there was just too much going on in the plot. Most of the book is filled with Farzan’s new restaurant undertaking, David studying to be a master sommelier, and the standard getting to know each other scenes, but when coupled with the numerous sex scenes that I felt took up too much of the page count, there was just too much smushed into one book. Additionally, both men are in their mid- to late-thirties, which is always refreshing, but I felt both of them were very immature for their age, and their communication skills were lacking. 

I have read one other book by Adib Khorram this year- The Breakup Lists, which I loved. While this book definitely wasn’t my cup of tea, as admittedly I prefer my books to have as little spice as possible, the author is incredibly talented. The writing is excellent, and he has an amazing ability to describe things in such a way that you can almost feel it (or taste it in this case). I think I’ll spend my time working through his YA backlist for sure.

I enjoyed this sweet love story - especially the food and wine descriptions. While the main characters’ one-night stand comes after a mistaken identity, their relationship grows and changes both of their lives.

The side characters are great as well as the sense of place with Kansas City.

The main characters are relatable and come to realize how much they impacted each other’s lives.

Thanks to @netgalley and @readforeverpub providing the ARC.

4⭐️

I really loved reading Farzan and David’s story!! They both had really good support systems around them and the sexual and mental connection was pretty well balanced. More spicy than I thought it would be, but definitely not complaining. Farzan explaining rich Persian dishes and how his parents were a staple in the community warmed my heart so much. I need to read more by Adib!

E-ARC generously provided by Grand Central in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much!

4.5 stars. Bubbly as fizzy champagne and as familiar and heartwarming as a home cooked meal, I’ll Have What He’s Having is a delectable and surprisingly spicy adult romance from an author I continue to love.

4.75

Thank you Forever and NetGalley for the free eARC!

I'll Have What He’s Having is a gay, adult romance. David is studying for his master sommelier test, and Farzan is still searching for his life end goal.
After reading a bunch of romances I haven’t enjoyed, this was such a good romance. Both characters were wonderfully emotionally mature, and the romantic (and sexual) tension was excellent. I was squealing through most of the middle of the book.
And somehow we still had a third-act breakup (literally the only reason I didn’t give this book a full five stars).
I loved how driven the characters were to their goals, and I loved the restaurant settings. I would highly recommend to anyone who likes queer romances.

CW: alcohol; food; sexual content; mentions of racism

It's Hot Boy Sommelier Summer so GET READY!

Adib Khorram has broken into the adult romance world with this fantastic novel. Long-time fans of Adib Khorram and those just discovering his fantastic writing are going to LOVE I'll Have What He's Having. This story starts with a case of mistaken identity that soon takes the spiciest turn and then things explode.

The spice is one of the best things that stands out for me in this novel. Adib Khorram writes some passionate and spicy scenes. These were a drastic turn from what I have come to expect from his writing, but what a departure!! I loved it. Not to mention it added such a layer to the complexity of his characters. You get such an intimate picture of this couple and I think it just took the romance to the next level.

Speaking of the characters, Adib Khorram knows how to craft some complex and dynamic characters. From the supporting besties to the main characters, each character feels realistic to the story and the characters feel like they could easily be someone you meet on the street. This is a talent because some characters could only ever exist in the context of the pages that they were created. However, David and Farsan were some of the most adorable creations I have enjoyed reading. Their infusion of culture and family values just gave this story such a flavor. This story also deals with some heavier themes of imposter syndrome, which I think was done tactfully and beautifully. Getting to see the characters work through that barrier was inspiring.

The pace of this story is just RIGHT! It keeps it moving and the stakes are continually raised in a nice way that I think readers are going to connect with. I know readers are going to love it as much as I did! Can't wait for more in the adult variety from Adib Khorram!

I LOVED this book and it probably would have been a five-star read if not for the third-act break up. Yes, it is a popular trope, but this book did not need it. Besides that, I adored the love interests, Farazan and David, and how they were (mostly) mature and communicative. This is a romance that I can see being an absolute hit amongst readers once it is published.

I'll Have What He's Having follows Farzan, a middle aged Persian man living in Kansas City who helps run his family restaurant after a few failed attempts at finding a career in teaching. He meets David, successful wine sommelier on his journey to become Master Som and their chemistry immediately clicks.
Iloved so many things about this book but what I really want to highlight is the love story between two gay men in their late thirties. I'm trying to find more stories with this feature because the idea of finding the love of your life in your twenties has become all but obsolete to me. The rawness and reality of Farzan and David's love story made it so much more immersive, and I loved the depth that both MMC's family and friends had within the story. And the food. The food and wine were supporting characters all their own
Please read this adorable story! It's Adib Khorram's debut adult romance and I thoroughly enjoyed it.