I’ll Have What He’s Having

Two men pair like food and fine wine in YA author Khorram’s thoroughly satisfying adult debut. Wine expert David Curtis, who is Black, hopes getting his master sommelier license will be his ticket out of Kansas City, Mo., where he feels stifled by the lack of work and dating opportunities. Then recently heartbroken Iranian American Farzan Alavi walks into Aspire, the restaurant where David works. A reservation misunderstanding means David mistakes Farzan for a restaurant critic and treats him to a flirty gourmet meal. Flattered, Farzan takes David home for some incredible sex—and then the truth comes out. They laugh it off, but both men relegate the encounter to a one-time hookup. Then Farzan’s parents announce they are retiring and closing the family’s Persian bistro, and Farzan, who is passionate about Persian food, buys it—and turns to David for help. David agrees to swap restaurant management tips for help studying for his sommelier test and a friends-with-benefits situationship. The men grow closer, but when David is offered a dream job in L.A., he must choose between his career and what he could have with Farzan. Khorram hits on a successful recipe that combines mouthwatering descriptions of Persian cuisine, passionate, supportive characters, and realistic—and often endearingly awkward—sex scenes. This is mouthwatering. Agent: Molly O’Neil, Root Literary. (Aug.)