I’ll Have What He’s Having is a sweet m/m romance that is cosy and chill but marred by an excess of mopiness towards the end. The worst thing I can say about this book is that it made me super hungry and that the minute I finished it I forgot all about it. It was pleasant and solidly written (barring too much repetition) but not especially memorable.

Farzan is a great cook, a skill he learned from growing up in his Iranian-American parents’ restaurant in Kansas City. However, he’s had several careers and several relationships and he feels adrift. David is an African-American sommelier in a different restaurant. He is pouring (LOL I crack myself up) all of his energy into studying for his master sommelier exam. After a brief Big Misunderstanding, they sort things out and become Friends With Benefits which we all know is not going to last because anyone who happily watches the Muppet Movie together on a date is bound to be together.

Incidentally, my Sacramento Public Library Romance Book Club, which you are all invited to join, felt strongly that we were robbed by not getting a list of Muppet Movies and their recommended wine pairings.

This book has several things that I liked, starting with characters who are just slightly older than the norm. Both protagonists are thirty-seven, which means that they are starting to think about middle age and about making some life-changing decisions with no backsies. They are young enough to be still figuring things out but old enough to feel pressure about settling into a path. It gives their career decisions a heft that wouldn’t exist if they were in their twenties.

I loved the themes of food, culture, and family, as well as the humor. I love it when people don’t take things too seriously during sex. I enjoyed Farzan bringing David soup when David gets sick and running into David’s mom who is also bringing soup. The dynamic of mutual care and support between Farzan and David was lovely. The book starts with a Big Misunderstanding but they resolve it very quickly and are able to laugh about it. As much as I loathe the Big Mis trope, I thought that the characters handled this situation with humor and maturity and that warmed me to them considerably.

One of the biggest problems I had with this book was repetition. For instance, in one of my favorite scenes, Farzan farts the first time they have sex, and they laugh about it, but not in a mean way, and then carry on. It’s a very human moment and I loved it. But then the farting or burping at awkward times became a running joke and it stopped being funny. Farzan’s parents supported his coming out! That’s great to hear – once! Hearing it over and over again was just irritating. In another structural gaffe, there are odd side details about people who never reappear or who, in the case of one side character’s dog, never appear at all. The narrative could have used some tightening over all.

Furthermore, anything the reader is told in this book will be told many, many times. For example, I also felt that Farzan spent too long whining and feeling sorry for himself. Farzan and David begin their relationship with the understanding that if and when David passes his test he will be leaving, probably for Los Angeles (the story is set in Kansas City). It’s understandable that as he becomes more and more involved with David, Farzan feels increasingly determined not to hold David back and increasingly sad about it.

I wanted him to communicate more clearly with David and stop having unrealistic expectations for himself at work.

This was a lovely read that didn’t ask too much of my emotions. It was comforting but forgettable. I could read a chapter, wander off, and not think of it again for a month…but when I did get around to picking it up, I instantly remembered how warm and fuzzy it was. One more run through the editing process might have cleaned this book up considerably. Hopefully the coming sequel will level up.