A really interesting chewy read, in any case, which I'd recommend if you like romance that makes you think and can live with disagreeing.

This is one of those books where the premise sounds amazing, but the execution was very meh. I was definitely expecting this one to be of a lighter tone since it is a romcom, but it's not. This story focuses more on ethnic identity (which is important) but rarely on the sapphic romance, which was a big bummer.

This was a little bit slow, but I did learn more than I expected a romance novel to ever teach me about the Armenian genocide.

A little slow and inconsistent for my taste -- but I'd be very willing to pick up another book by this author.

I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

Nar, who was just proposed to by her longtime boyfriend, has decided to embrace her Armenian culture post breakup. She attends a local event called Explore Armenia and there meets Erebuni. What starts out as friendship seems to become more before Nar knows how to process it.

So for me, this was a fantastic mix of learning and enjoyment. I didn't really know anything about Armenian culture before reading this title, but as I read it, learned a bit more. And ended up Googling more to give myself context.

Beyond this, I really enjoyed the friends to lovers arc of Nar and Erebuni. Realistically, I actually really found myself understand some of Nar's journey with her mother. Having been raised in a conservative religion, there were a lot of expectations about marriage and you can see that here in Nar's journey as well.

Overall, I really enjoy this and look forward to more from the author!

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

I sadly had to dnf this book, the writing style just wasn’t for me.

This was okay. That's probably the strongest feeling I had about it. I picked this up as an eARC (thanks, Netgalley!) ages ago, and only just finally got around to reading it.

Nar is pretty set in her life: boyfriend she feels lukewarm about, career she wishes she could do more with, and family that loves her as long as she doesn't do anything to set the Armenian-American community talking, culture she takes little interest in. Then her boyfriend proposes, and Nar decides to turn her life upside down. While she gives her boyfriend a wishy-washy answer that leaves them on uncertain terms, she tells her mother she's ready to start exploring Armenian men at Exploring Armenia, a cultural event that takes place every few years. But instead of meeting a nice Armenian man, she instead meets Erebuni, a passionate woman who shows Nar what it really means to be embrace her culture and her true self.

On paper, this sounded interesting. And the bits of Armenian culture were fascinating and well woven in! Except for the scene during Erebuni's genocide lecture. While I understand the intent - the attacking culture denying the genocide and flipping the script to point the finger at the Armenians - I feel like it was poorly handled. Not the content, to be clear, but the lead up and the aftermath. The entire event was isolated and a blip, with little impact aside from getting Nar to be more understanding of the genocide against her people.

The rest, though... Nar's wishy-washiness was awful. Not having a definitive break up, being non-committal in her responses to Trevor while he was in Germany, not letting Erebuni know anything that was going on, her defeatest attitude until she decides to show Erebuni that she isn't wishy-washy.... It just really rubbed me the wrong way. Erebuni so easily forgiving Nar also seemed extremely unrealistic considering she herself said communication and honesty were important to her.

Everything just simply wrapped up far too neatly with no consequences for Nar.

All in all: it was okay.

dnf @ 28%

This one was a bit of a bummer for me, since I was really looking forward to picking it up. And while I think it was a bummer for ME, I think it would be a great book for a ton of other people.

I absolutely loved all the Armenian cultural elements throughout. (It made me feel really homesick for the Greek side of my family!!) I think the author did a great job of incorporating those elements in a way that felt natural and immersive.

However, I was having a hard time connecting to the main character and the side characters -- and character connection is the main reason I come to romance novels. The story is also told in first-person, which is not my preferred POV for romance novels.

Overall, not for me, but definitely something that I think other readers might enjoy!

One of my favorite adult bi romance. It had such a strong voice and sense of self. The depth and care given to armenian culture and heritage was very appreciated.

Unfortunately, I found myself not much of a fan of the protagonist of this book; I ended up not finishing it. My favorite aspects were the depictions of the Armenian community and their gatherings, which reminded me a lot of my own culture, but the narrator was just not easy for me to root for.

https://lesbrary.com/sorry-bro-by-taleen-voskuni/

Taleen Voskuni’s promising sapphic debut packs more than your average meet-cute romance. Sorry, Bro follows an Armenian American woman’s quest to balance familial duty, identity, career aspirations, and, of course, love.

Nareh, a TV journalist in the San Francisco Bay Area, presents a polished persona on Instagram, but lacks self-assurance behind the scenes. She has not fully embraced her bisexuality, which she keeps a secret from her family, nor does she feel like a “real” Armenian with roots to her culture. Nareh’s identity crisis extends to her professional life. Constantly accepting the fluff assignments that her sexist, bigoted boss dumps on her, she holds her own journalistic talent in low esteem.

But when Trevor, her non-Armenian boyfriend of four years, pops the question in a crowded bar amid his tech bro buddies, Nareh has a moment of clarity. She no longer fits the mold that she’s created for herself. With Trevor leaving for a three-week business trip, Nareh asks for some space to reconsider their future.

Her mother has other plans for her. Armed with a spreadsheet of eligible Armenian bachelors, she urges Nareh to attend Explore Armenia, a weeks-long cultural convention that doubles as a singles meetup for Armenian American millennials across the Bay Area. A dutiful daughter, Nareh pep talks herself into showing up at the festivities, but no men strike her fancy, just one woman.

Nareh can’t look away from Erebuni, a chic, self-possessed woman who also happens to be an Explore Armenia board member with a day job at the Armenian Genocide Education Foundation. Erebuni not only pulls Nareh into her thrall, but also challenges her to investigate her Armenian heritage. Raised in a household where her late father aspired to white American ideals while her mother clung to Armenian culture, Nareh has until now failed to understand the impact of Armenia’s history on her family and the Armenian American community. As Nareh grows closer to Erebuni, she is forced to confront both her ambivalence about her ancestry as well as her bisexuality, which she fears will alienate her from the Armenian family she is just starting to better understand.

Voskuni does a beautiful job developing Nareh’s and Erebuni’s slow-simmering romance, which feels simultaneously familiar and refreshing. I rooted not only for their love, but for Nareh’s growth through the book as she carves a path that both empowers her and brings her closer to her family and greater community. I fell in love with Erebuni’s motley crew of Armenian American friends, who welcome Nareh into their fold and give her a newfound sense of belonging. Readers looking for steamy sex scenes won’t find them here—sex is broadly alluded to but remains Nareh’s and Erebuni’s little secret. But fans of this book will be happy to find that it is the first in a series: Lavash at First Sight hits shelves in 2024.

Content warnings: war, genocide, racism, sexism, homophobia/biphobia, death of a parent

I absolutely loved this book! The dynamic and relationships between the friends and the way they continuously supported each other no atter what. And watching the two main characters fall in love was cute and sweet. But this book was also emotional and dealt with the way our families can sometimes hold us to standards we can never reach.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me access to the free advanced digital copy of this book.

Sorry, Bro is an absolute incredible novel. This was my first ever romance and I am happy to say that it changed how I feel about the genre. Voskuni's debut knocked it out of the park and I cannot wait to read whatever she does next.

I wanted to like this one a lot because I haven't really read many books with Armenian culture but I did not like the romance and found the main female character very frustrating.

I had to dnf this book half of the way through. I had issues with the main character and plot. It was hard to get engaged with reading and the pacing as well.

Sorry, Bro is a beautiful story about rediscovering and embracing yourself. Nareh thought she had a perfect life until her boyfriend proposed, and it's not what she wanted. Now her mom wants her to attend Explore Armenia, a month-long series of events, and find the perfect Armenian man. The problem, she's met the perfect Armenian woman. This delightful romance explores not only embracing your culture but your whole identity as Nareh learns to be proudly Armenian, proudly bisexual, and proudly herself. I love it and would highly recommend.

This was such a fun book on so many levels, not only for the queer representation but the Armenian representation was A++ and made for a really interesting dynamic.

I really enjoyed this one! The romance was top-notch— Nareh and Erebuni had great chemistry, and I loved watching them come together. I loved all the Armenian culture woven through the story, and how a large part of Nareh’s personal narrative was her reconnecting with her Armenian roots.

All in all, this was a great f/f romance that I would definitely recommend!!