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A review by jaelyn7
I'll Have What He's Having by Adib Khorram
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 - I would highly recommend I'll Have What He's Having to romance readers who like real-world issues interwoven into an open door romance story. I loved the protagonists and their respective journeys, but I felt like both the romance and central conflict needed more development.
What Worked for Me
Representation in the book was done so authentically! A lot of care was put into building both David and Farzan's identities, and I learned a bit about Iranian culture. Khorram did a good job highlighting Kansas City's strengths, which is not a location I'm familiar with. I enjoyed the comedic moments in the story, starting with the meet cute! I found myself laughing out loud at many points, especially the flirty banter between David and Farzan. Overall, I'll Have What He's Having was realistic, and I would not want the main storyline to change at all.
What Didn't Work for Me
Romance: While there were some scenes between David and Farzan that showed a relationship deeper than FWBs, I felt like dialogue surrounding passion, connection, and love centered almost exclusively around the sex scenes. I would have liked to see more of a balance, especially after they became official. Some of the issues discussed in the end should have been discussed earlier in the relationship, especially to really love someone. I felt like I was told multiple times about how much David and Farzan loved each other, but I prefer to see it to believe it.
Conflict Resolution/Ending: Regarding the conflict itself, this connects back to my previous point. If you're picking up the love of your life from the airport and you both have major life updates, why would you sit in the car in silence?! That aside, I liked the message of Farzan leaning on his friends for support and David realizing that his dream was to be with the person he loved. What I needed was more development of how we got from Point A to Point B. David only really needed a few more pages. I would have liked to see him give LA an honest try but come up feeling empty (and I would need to be more convinced that Farzan was the one). However, when Farzan broke down and started discussing how much of a failure he was, I felt like that needed MUCH more work than the friend intervention. I would prefer 1-2 sex scenes cut in exchange for more material on growth and development to give the storyline the depth it deserves.
3.5 - I would highly recommend I'll Have What He's Having to romance readers who like real-world issues interwoven into an open door romance story. I loved the protagonists and their respective journeys, but I felt like both the romance and central conflict needed more development.
What Worked for Me
Representation in the book was done so authentically! A lot of care was put into building both David and Farzan's identities, and I learned a bit about Iranian culture. Khorram did a good job highlighting Kansas City's strengths, which is not a location I'm familiar with. I enjoyed the comedic moments in the story, starting with the meet cute! I found myself laughing out loud at many points, especially the flirty banter between David and Farzan. Overall, I'll Have What He's Having was realistic, and I would not want the main storyline to change at all.
What Didn't Work for Me
Conflict Resolution/Ending: Regarding the conflict itself, this connects back to my previous point. If you're picking up the love of your life from the airport and you both have major life updates, why would you sit in the car in silence?! That aside, I liked the message of Farzan leaning on his friends for support and David realizing that his dream was to be with the person he loved. What I needed was more development of how we got from Point A to Point B. David only really needed a few more pages. I would have liked to see him give LA an honest try but come up feeling empty (and I would need to be more convinced that Farzan was the one). However, when Farzan broke down and started discussing how much of a failure he was, I felt like that needed MUCH more work than the friend intervention. I would prefer 1-2 sex scenes cut in exchange for more material on growth and development to give the storyline the depth it deserves.