I loved this romance!! The somewhat of a meet disaster was so charming as one of the main characters thinks the other is a food critic, so wines and dines him all night. Against his best judgment, he also flirts with him and the attraction is mutual. Therefore, it’s almost a relief when the truth comes out that he’s just a regular guy that had an amazing night at a restaurant restaurant. From then on, I feel like this book explored what a committed relationship looks like to different people and how to be vulnerable. This comes through, especially with the narration because both of these voice actors did AMAZING jobs. I felt like the commitment-phobe MMC’s struggle come through in his dialogue and the absolute adorable yet teary opposite MC realizing what was the start of something to him was a presume one night stand to the other.

They each have personal work situations going on in their life and I found the sommelier storyline particularly interesting. Through this they develop a friends with benefits arrangement turned to catching feelings. And I was just completely along for the ride. This is cozy but there’s still angst and conflict, just a really well balanced romance and spicy!

Thank you to Hachette Audio for the ALC and forever for the ARC.

A one-night stand becomes so much more in this contemporary romance where sommelier David agrees to help substitute teacher Farzan with the family bistro he’s just inherited.

This is a really lovely contemporary romance featuring two characters who are figuring out what it means to follow their dreams and build a life that makes them truly happy, rather than one they feel obligated to.

Readers who enjoy romances that feel down-to-earth and feature characters that feel like they could be real people will be quickly swept up in David and Farzan's story.

Narrators Shezi Sardar and Brent Billings both did a great job with this one!

This was delightful and a lot spicier than I expected from a YA author's debut adult romance. Honestly, getting dual narration for an Achillean romance is a win and both were so perfectly cast. I highly recommend listening and I'll definitely be reading Adib's next adult novel.

Thanks to Hachette Audio and Netgalley for my copy to review.

✨ 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 had a smile on my face for so much of this book. I just loved watching David and Farzan and their love.

I do have to say that Farzan did frustrate me at times cause he found it so hard to receive all the love that he was given. He’s had some failures in his past and he’s really let that overtake him a little bit but I just adored his two best friends because they definitely let him know how loved and capable he was. He was deserving of good things and happiness, he just has to open himself to it.

I fell in love with this book from the meet cute. (It was a VERY good one!) Past that, I loved watching the growth in both David and Farzan. They’re both in transitional periods when they meet and while I’m obsessed with them finding love in each other, I also loved seeing them find love and fulfillment in their careers and their personal lives outside of each other. I just love them so much.

The audio was the perfect way to consume this. I’ve been struggling with reading so much this year but I just felt myself getting lost in this book. I loved it!

I’ll Have What He’s Having is a sweet and spicy romance that I absolutely adored. The story follows two leads both over the age of 35 which I loved because I don’t feel like we get very many romance books with “older” protagonists. Both leads were extremely well written and felt very accurate to their ages. Farzan’s inner insecurities regarding his lack of career goals and his place within his family were extremely relatable. David’s character was also written extremely well and was a great representation of a black gay male that didn’t fall into stereotypes.

I love how diverse the story was and how much care it was built with. It had a wonderful portrayal of Irian culture, food and relationships. I love that the book was set in Kansas City. I haven’t read many if any romances set there, especially queer romances and I loved seeing a different setting. I also loved how even though there is a lot of wine talk throughout the book given David’s profession, it never felt forced in.

This was my first book by Adib but it definitely won’t be my last. I loved this and loved the audio! Both narrators were great! Overall, this was a 4.75 for me!

Really enjoyed audiobook format of this one! Read in just a few days, I really connected to the characters and enjoyed the narrator as well! :)

I truly loved this one. It is an incredibly sweet love story between 2 queer men that has a foodie focus. It is pretty spicy, if you are looking for that! I was not, but the relationship was so well written, that I still loved it. I felt like some of the restaurant running plotline was a little bit too easy, but I was also rooting for these 2 so I'm ok with it lol.

I think they are really well-written, diverse characters and loved how much we got to know their friends and family. This was a low drama read & I am all about that. Thanks to NetGalley, Adib Khorram, and Hachette Audio for the chance to read and review. My opinions are my own.

4.5 stars!

Adib Khorram's "I'll Have What He's Having" is a wonderful burst of queer joy. It is full to the brim with conversations about identity, finding love at 40, finding yourself, food, family, and wine. I enjoyed every minute of this book. You're going to want a snack while you read this book because it is teeming with descriptions of delicious eats and full-bodied wines. It sure made me hungry! I *loved* Farzan and David both as individuals and as a couple. Their chemistry is off the charts! One meet-cute night of mistaken identity pulls them together, and once they start with one another, they find it difficult to stop. Farzan has a penchant for failing. He is about to take over and expand his family's restaurant but is worried he will fail at that, too. He is close to his family, who means the world to him. David is singularly focused on becoming a master sommelier. He has been studying for months, working his way up the ladder with only this as his goal. As a result, his friendships and relationships have slipped through the cracks. When they find each other, they quickly realize their connection might be more than one night of fun. Farzan and David have such terrific rapport with one another. I appreciated their honest conversations (apart from the first initial mix-up). The spice is swoon-worthy, flirty, and extremely intimate. I am happy to read books about characters who are almost in their 40s and are still failing at life. I identify with that deeply (lol). I also loved that this book takes place in Kansas City. It was interesting to see a queer romance taking place in the middle of the United States, something I don't feel like we see represented enough in the genre. Shezi Sardar and Brent Billings bring these characters to life in a realistic, intimate way. I loved their voiceover work here. They work so well together! I can't wait to read Adib Khorram's next book!

Thank you to NetGalley, Adib Khorram, Hachette Audio, and Forever for the complimentary ALC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

Thank you to Adib Khorram, Forever, and NetGalley for an ALC of I’ll Have What He’s Having. All opinions are my own.

This book unfortunately wasn’t it for me for a few reasons. For starters, I don’t see where the chemistry is between the two MCs. They’re sexually attracted to each other, sure, but I don’t see where the romantic feelings and love developed. Additionally, Farzan’s immaturity and constant “woe is me” attitude grated on my nerves. I totally get the pressures of familiar expectations, but it felt like all he thought about was how much he hated those expectations. Every time something good happened, he basically just shot it down. I would have loved it if the book ended with him going to therapy and realizing he needed to change his perspective and develop healthy coping mechanisms but unfortunately that’s not what we got. The final plot based thing is more personal, but books that get so in the weeds about wine tasting drive me insane (I never want to read the words “mouth feel” or “notes of” again).

My second big issue that wasn’t plot related was with the narrators. There didn’t seem to be any communication between them for consistency in pronunciation or how voices would sound, which took me out of the moment every time a name was said differently or someone who had a deeper voice with one narrator had a high-pitched one for the other. The voices and tone used for the spicy scenes were also just so OTT that it gave me a bit of the ick.

This book did make me want to eat some Persian food though so that’s a bonus.

POV: dual third

You can expect: former teacher/current restaurant owner MMC, sommelier/wine manager MMC, mistaken identity, one night stand, friends with benefits, ONS to friends to lovers, situationship, family, fake dating, epilogue.

Rep: gay main and side characters, Iranian MMC, Black MMC, queer side, trans side.

Spice: 3/5

As someone who lives near Kansas City, it was really nice to read a romance set here!

The relationship dynamic didn’t end up working for me because I found it to be too instalusty. All the diverse representation was amazing to see though!

Loved the mentions of what it’s like to be BIPOC and queer in KC, Farzan’s local Iranian community, and David’s journey from thinking of KC as a temporary pit stop to something more. The nerdy touches like Simple and Clean were fun.

The two audiobook narrators fit well and I liked their distinctive voices. David’s narrator sounded kinda goofy when he was voicing other characters, but I could look past it.

Khorram made the switch from YA to adult fiction very smoothly. I enjoyed reading his grown-up characters who had adult problems, responsibilities, and the associated aches and pains.

Farzan and David were easy to root for and while many romance books share the premise "one person is looking for a serious relationship and the other isn't, therefore they are ultimately incompatible," this one resolves in a unique way that is well worth the read. There was a good blend of sweet and spicy moments, a fast-moving plot moving, and a likeable set of supporting characters.

This queer love story had me smiling from ear to ear and craving Iranian food! I absolutely loved it!

I highly recommend the audiobook narrated by South Asian actor, Shezi Sardar (whose narration for Farzan made me swoon every time given how sexy his voice is!) and Brent Billings.

I loved both the MC’s - Farzan and David.

Farzan’s insecurities were so relatable - I know very well how it feels to be the only single sibling in the family while your other siblings seem to be more successful in life. I also appreciated his passion for cooking and how he wanted to maintain his family’s legacy by taking over his parents’ restaurant. It was so heartwarming that he had such supportive friends and how accepting his family was.

I also enjoyed the plot device of having an expiration date for the romance given that David’s plan was to move away for a bigger, better opportunity once he passed his master sommelier test.

I loved how David’s idea of success changed, which shows how life goals can change over time.

I appreciated how their relationship evolved from being friends with benefits to falling in love. This romance novel was also very steamy! 🔥🔥🔥

This book is the perfect romcom and I enjoyed it very much! The characters fall in love a little too quickly for my standards, but they are really cute together and I like their relationship. And the spice is spicy!!!!!
I’m happy to have listen to the audiobook, the narrator is amazing!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

I'll Have What He's Having is a cute and spicy romance featuring two likable characters. David is studying for the master sommelier exam while Farzan is taking on more work at his family's bistro. The two enter into a friend's with benefits situation (though they, naturally, have feelings for each other).

I was excited to see that Adib Khorram wrote an adult romance, and I'd easily recommend this one. If I have a hangup, it's how Farzan's low self worth was handled. He sort of snaps out of it but I wondered if a more sustainable change was needed for him to avoid feeling so very low again.

I enjoyed the narration by Shezi Sardar and Brent Billings.

Overall this was pretty mid range for me. If it wasn't for the queer ownvoices aspect I very likely would have DNFd. The relationship between the two was just okay. It jumped from hookup to love a little fast though. I did really love the food and wine part!

As for the audio I really enjoyed one narrator but not the other. This made listening to David's POV chapters very hard for me. I just didn't like the voices he did for the other characters.

Overall, I know this will be a hit for many. For me it just didn't work as well.

3.5 Stas
That was SPIIICY
I didn’t particularly like the narrator of Farzan’s parts.

Otherwise that was a super cute story! I don’t know that I’ve ever read a romance that started as a situationship that doesn’t have any other tropes happening. I genuinely found all of the characters, even the side / minor ones super loveable too.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

What a good book! I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. This is a first by this author but will not be my last! I listened to this in one sitting because I just couldn’t put it down.

I read a handful of Adib’s YA books back in my YA days and so when I heard he was releasing an adult romance this year, I about lost my mind. I was so excited and I was lucky enough to receive an audio ARC of I’ll Have What He’s Having.

The book starts off with such a ridiculous premise that I couldn’t help being obsessed with. Farzan gives a white version of his name to the host at David’s restaurant… calling himself “Frank” he proceeds to have the best meal of his life… while everyone else in the restaurant is losing their shit because “Frank Allen” is a notorious food critic that David’s restaurant has been trying to lure in for months!

What follows is a night of David wine and dining Farzan while under the impression that he is this famous food critic. This leads to some light flirting… and eventually, a hookup.

This whole opening was so ridiculously charming that I was instantly hooked. It was so messy and ridiculous and once the two characters realized what happened, they have a good laugh about it.

There are a lot of references in this book to “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” and I think that’s an accurate description of the vibes you can expect from this book.

IHWHH felt like a cozy, low stress, romcom and I genuinely enjoyed myself. I hope Adib writes more in the adult romance genre because this was a strong debut!

Thank you to Forever for a digital galley as well as my beloved audio ARC.

Okay, first off, the narrators for this audio were absolute perfection. The characters were everythinggg! I loved how real they were, from the dorky references down to the gassy shenanigans during the steamy sessions haha. I think we have all suffered from imposter syndrome from time to time, especially when you have family members that are doing seemingly much better than you are. I loved how supportive everyone in their circles were, but also willing to call them out when Farzan and David are too in their heads for their own good! The communication between them was great (until it wasn't) and the ending wrapped everything up so beautifully. I can't wait to see if Adib writes about this circle of found family again!