Isn’t He Romantic?

After enjoying Adib Khorram‘s novel It Had to Be Him last year, I was excited to continue the Love on the Vine series. Arya gets his happily ever after in Isn’t He Romantic?. A self-proclaimed slut who’s never had a boyfriend in his nearly 40 years of life, Arya is suddenly roped into fake dating Ben, a cellist and newcomer to Kansas City. Ben just got out of a longterm relationship, but his ex keeps thinking they can rekindle things. Ben figures a new boyfriend should get his ex off his back. But all fake dating leads to real emotions, and Arya and Ben have a lot of personal issues to address in order to have a successful (real!) relationship.

What I Liked:

• Life lessons at (nearly) 40. This book tackles a lot of bigger issues: Arya is about to turn 40 and terrified of losing his youth, body, and appeal. Ben has already reached that milestone birthday without any fuss, but he’s still learning how to have hard conversations instead of, you know, fake dating guys instead. Arya has family issues he’s never addressed that have impacted his (in)ability to have romantic relationships. Despite being a lot, it never feels like too much here. The author navigates these topics with the weight they deserve, but balances it all out with humor and lots of spice.
• Queer community. Arya has two best friends who, like him, happen to be gay and Iranian: Farzan (from the first book in the series) and Ramin (from the second). They support each other through breakups and wedding planning, and they have weekly brunch where they say “Cheers, queers!” They’re also part of a bigger queer community in Kansas City. I enjoyed seeing Ben find his place and his people in his new home. He’s setting down roots and gaining a whole new group of friends.
• Culture, family, and work. Arya and Ben both have full lives beyond just each other. They each have certain strains with their parents, and they’re each navigating a changing work environment. Arya is also Iranian American, and while he loves some aspects of his culture, there are others that are at odds with who he is. I loved seeing such a rich world around both Ben and Arya. It made their relationship with each other feel more grounded.

Audiobook:

With its dual points of view, Isn’t He Romantic? gets two narrators: Rodd Cyrus and A.J. Ren. Both do a great job of capturing their respective characters’ personalities, as well as those of the many side characters. This audiobook was well done and held my interest from the first chapter through the last.

Final Thoughts

Isn’t He Romantic? is a wonderful continuation of the Love on the Vine series: Arya got the story he deserved, and I loved getting to know Ben alongside him. This is a joyous book about finding love—and yourself—at any age.

I still need to read the first book in this series, I’ll Have What He’s Having, and I look forward to more from Adib Khorram.

Special thanks to Forever, Hachette Audio, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Get the Book

You can buy Isn’t He Romantic? here – it’s available as a paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

Isn’t He Romantic? by Adib Khorram
Series	Love on the Vine (#3)
Audiobook Narrators	Rodd Cyrus; A.J. Ren
Audience	Adult
Genre	Contemporary Romance
Setting	Kansas City
Number of Pages	352
Format I Read	Audiobook & Ebook (NetGalley ARCs)
Original Publication Date	September 22, 2026
Publisher	Forever

Official Summary

To deter his ex, a lovelorn cellist starts a fake relationship with his one-night stand in this steamy, swoony fake dating romance from USA Today bestselling author Adib Khorram.

Arya’s always been a “one-and-done” man when it comes to romance—but with his friends all pairing up and the big 4-0 creeping ever closer, he’s starting to question his life choices. Especially when he discovers his latest hookup is the new committee chair for the charity ball Arya’s company is planning.

Ben’s plan to start over in Kansas City isn’t going so great. And having to spend lots of time with the one-night stand who ghosted him isn’t helping. Worse yet, when his ex-boyfriend shows up looking for a reunion, a panicked Ben claims he’s already moved on—with Arya.

Torn between staying professional and helping the man he can’t forget, Arya agrees to give Ben a hand, in exchange for Ben’s help landing a big client. But when the lines start to blur, they’ll have to decide if it’s time to change their tunes about love.