Such a fun adult debut from Adib Khorram!

Substitute teacher Farzan Alavi has a history of heartbreak, and a cure in wine and fries. So when he goes to Kansas City’s newest wine bar looking just for that, he is surprised when he is greeted with a VIP table and a hot sommelier, David Curtis, flirting with him all night long. After a one night stand and a case of mistaken identity, the two part, expecting to never see each other again. That all changes when Farzan offers to take over his parents’ Iranian restaurant and turns to David, the only person he knows in the industry, for help. The two agree to a mutually beneficial exchange: David will help Farzan with the logistics of running a restaurant, and Farzan will help David study for the master somm exam that will bring him more prestigious opportunities away from KC in only a few short months. With the spark of attraction still between the two of them, how can they make it work when their relationship has an end date?

Some things I absolutely adored were the ages of the main characters, the sexual chemistry, and Farzan and David’s inner circles. I loved that Farzan and David weren’t your typical hot young thing fresh out of college. I loved that they were slightly older, slightly more mature, slightly more scarred. I think it was necessary to how believable the story is, but I also appreciate when an author doesn’t get caught up trying to deliver the world yet another early-20s romance that will probably fall apart by their 30s — queer people are allowed to be sexy and flirty in their 30s! They had wonderful sexual chemistry that had even me blushing at times too, and it was central enough that it felt true to how the start of a romantic and sexual relationship is, without making the story smut strung along by minor plot points. Smut with character, indeed. I can’t finish off without talking about Farzan and David’s friends and family. Ramin and Arya are Farzan’s rock, both with their own struggles, both quintessential queer side characters. Jeri kills me with her butch energy, and even David’s friend in California is wonderful after everything! Everyone in this book is a joy.

While I rate the book positively overall and would highly recommend giving it a go, there are things I wish were different. First is the romantic chemistry between Farzan and David. I can see it! But it is built primarily on their sexual chemistry, and I wish there was more time dedicated to them building a non-sexual connection. Second: I think Khorram fell into a common pitfall when introducing his diverse cast of characters, which is overexplaining them. Several times throughout the book a minor, filler side character would be mentioned, and yet suddenly we would know everything about them and their coming out process (looking at you Spencer). It’s not wholly necessary, but it is also not a bad thing. I just wish every facet of these characters were revealed in a more subtle way that felt authentic to how we would learn about queer people or people of color in day-to-day life. We don’t have to know everything and that’s okay.

Kudos to Khorram for including everything the modern romance reader could need, and for somehow making me want to go to Kansas City. You are doing the impossible.