Sorry, Bro is the story of Nar, an Armenian American woman after she turns down a proposal and begins to attend a program exploring her heritage in a bid to find a husband. There she meets Erebuni, another woman, and the two begin to fall in love. This was pitched as a rom-com sapphic romance, and honestly I think I’ll just call it a rom-cringe.

My biggest issue is two-fold, and part of that isn’t exactly the book’s fault. This is a single POV romance, and these almost never work for me (and many people I’ve found). Our main character comes across as very wrapped up in herself at the expense of everyone around her. The side characters, even the romantic interest feels very flat, and the romance feels insta-love if not worse. The strange obsession and fixation as well of Nar on Erebuni’s Wiccan belief and practices felt borderline fetish to me (as someone with a history with the religion). Again, it’s possible that this is by product of being trapped in Nar’s head, I didn’t like her. But it also could simply have been the writing. I’ll also say, some of the use of language in here was incredibly cringe. You shouldn’t have to reach for a good analogy or expression. Don’t get overly creative or it comes off as ‘yikes’.

The biggest issue for me though was the use of the history of the Armenian people. From the beginning Nar is exceptionally dismissive of her people’s history, though she does seem to love her family and their culture at large. For a book that is quick to establish that this is important the plot, and for it’s credit does so beautifully, I was immediately offput by her attitude. I’m not Armenian American but the approach the character takes early and carries through a lot of the first half of the book - at one point literally stating ‘genocides are such a bummer’ really bothered me as an outside perspective. Again, I’d like to reenforce author does a great job showing the beauty of the culture and family, however making the character ‘learn to appreciate her history’ which I believe was the goal here, was not done well. Instead leaving the reader feeling very uncomfortable with the main character even after she realizes she is clearly in the wrong.

There is also the unavoidable conversation to have with the fact that this author seems to take it upon herself to invade Reviewers and the Review spaces. I was half way through, struggling with the book and checking friends reviews when this was mentioned so be aware this yourself if you’re a reviewer. If you’re the author - don’t do that. I’m not going to repeat what should be common sense, but don’t do that.

All in all, not a good one for me. It’s possible it will work for others, and I genuinely hope so. But it was a huge miss, a big cringe fest and incredibly difficult to get through. I can’t say I recommend it.

Unfortunately I DNF this. But note, this could be your cup of tea! I was so read for a queer armenian story and this just wasn’t it.

The writing wasn’t very exciting or well done - it was all over the place, I clear, and not interesting. I honestly couldn’t like Nar - she was chaotic, misogynistic, so immature.. And I saw reviews from Armenian reviewers about the Armenian rep being extremely harmful. Also read it felt more women’s fiction than romance which is not for me at this moment.

You can imagine being at a baseball game. In between innings, the camera zooms in on a happy couple; suddenly, one of them drops to one knee with a proposal of marriage on the big screen. For Nareh, this scene plays out a little differently. Her long-time boyfriend proposes filming the entire thing in a dirty beer hall with a rival reporter, including her passing out.

Embarrassed and unsure of herself, she tells him no, just as he leaves for a three-week business trip. Newly kind of single, she gives into her mother's wishes to size up Armenian men at various Armenian festivals. Nervous before entering the first event by herself, a woman approaches and invites her to go in with her. Suddenly, the festivities are much more enjoyable. While scoping the men on her Mom's list, she is more interested in Erebuni, the organizer of many of these events. Nareh had a lot of girlfriends in college, and Trevor may still want to reconcile, but she needs to follow her heart despite the fallout that can happen from her family.

A beautiful and rich story filled with culture, sexual tensions, and love. This reminds me a lot of One Last Stop. Will the neurotic and self-critical young women get the girl of her dreams?

Sending my apologies for not being able to provide a review. I am unable to offer a review for this book - I had sent it to my kindle to read and the file did not download properly. Unfortunately the book has been archived and I'm unable to re-send it.

This was a nice and quick romance read. I really enjoyed the queer themes throughout and the characters journeys.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

Internalised misogyny and bad writing plus flippancy regarding the genocide is not something I signed up for. MC "not like other girls" in a sapphic book? Please no

I was late reading this one so I ended up listening to the finished copy via the audiobook from my library. I pushed through because it’s an advanced copy and it’s queer but the main character was super winey and it was really off putting. I liked the way things played out though. The lead make a huge mistake but instead of them just resolving things like magic, she really had to work to make amends. I also liked the Armenian culture that was referenced and her journey with that.

A rom-com that captures the feeling of being a queer twentysomething figuring out what you want in a relationship and in life well.

I absolutely adored this book.

The writing was good, the jokes are funny, the cast of characters are interesting and have solid characterization. I love how much about Armenian culture and history is in this book. Our protag is Armenian, of course it should show in the story, AND it is done well. The use of all that background makes our characters feel real.

I really enjoyed this. The characters were great and well written. The romance was sweet and cute (kind of wish it was a little more than 'fade to black' though). I loved learning about Armenian culture as well - definitely want to try some of the food mentioned! Looking forward to what Voskuni comes out with next.

A really lovely romance, steeped in Armenian culture. The tension between Nareh and Erebuni is palpable on the page. Occasionally Nareh's somewhat fourth-wall-breaking voice got to me. It seemed a little out of place to be spoken to so directly. Even with that, I highly recommend and enjoyed this book.

Title: Sorry, Bro 3.15.23 scheduled post
Author: Taleen Voskuni
Summary: When Nareh Bedrossian’s non-Armenian boyfriend gets down on one knee and proposes to her in front of a room full of drunk San Francisco tech boys, she realizes it’s time to find someone who shares her idea of romance.
Enter her mother: armed with plenty of mom-guilt and a spreadsheet of Facebook-stalked Armenian men, she convinces Nar to attend Explore Armenia, a month-long series of events in the city. But it’s not the mom-approved playboy doctor or the wealthy engineer who catch Nar’s eye—it’s Erebuni, a woman as immersed in the witchy arts as she is in preserving Armenian identity. Suddenly, with Erebuni as her wingwoman, the events feel like far less of a chore, and much more of an adventure. Who knew cooking up kuftes together could be so . . . sexy?
Erebuni helps Nar see the beauty of their shared culture and makes her feel understood in a way she never has before. But there’s one teeny problem: Nar’s not exactly out as bisexual. The clock is ticking on her double life—the Explore Armenia closing banquet is coming up, and her entire extended family will be there, along with Erebuni. Her worlds will inevitably collide, but Nar is determined to be brave and to claim her happiness: proudly Armenian, proudly bisexual, and proudly herself for the first time in her life.
Review:
What I loved about this book: 1.) Learning about Armenian culture, which I, admittedly, know very little about. 2.) Main characters of color! I absolutely loved that this book is full of people of color! 3.) Bisexual focus. Bi-erasure is still a common thing, so I loved that this book puts bisexuality front and center.
Opportunity for improvement: 1.) It was important to the storyline but Nar was so frustrating at times! I just wanted her to do the right thing! 2.) That it was over so fast. This isn’t really a downside. The book was a fast read for me, but I loved the story and the author’s writing put me there in the story. I want more and cannot wait to see what Taleen Voskuni does next. Copy supplied by @netgalley
#queerbookstagram #lgbt #lgbtqia #queerrepresentationmatters #lgbtqbooks #bookstagram #queerbooks #books #bookstagrammer #booklover #booksofinstagram #bookish

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the advance reader copy; all opinions are my own!

What a beautiful story. Taleen poured so much heart and soul into this romance, and I'm in awe of how tender and viscerally real it felt. I rooted for `Nareh and Erebuni, and I rooted for their journey to happily ever after.

3.5 rounded up! I thought this was a very sweet love story, and I really enjoyed learning more about Armenian culture. But it fell a bit flat for me in some areas. I think there were too many plot points covered for a romance novel - we have Nar's budding sexuality, her relationship with her family, her ex-fiance, her new love interest, her identity around the Armenian genocide, her career.... just a few too many concepts thrown in here. Each one separately was good, but altogether it was too spread out. Also, I didn't realize this was a closed-door romance, sad lol. But I loved the setting in SF and the diversity, and I was happy with the ending!!

This book has my whole, entire heart. I loved the main character and her struggles to find a balance between embracing her culture and her family's roots and embracing herself. I loved how Voskuni interweaves these explorations of culture and history and the experience of being Armenian in the US into the love story as well. I swooned, I laughed, my heart ached, and I didn't want to put this story down!

A sweet and hopeful queer romance, full of second chances and family. Sorry, Bro follows Nar, an Armenian-American whose non-Armenian boyfriend just proposed to in a crowded bar full of drunk men. Realizing she needs to rethink her life, Nar agrees to meet a list of approved (Armenian) men her mother has put together. But, at the very first event she goes to, she meets Erebuni, a beautiful and politically strong woman who makes Nar swoon. It’s only then that she truly begins to embrace her Armenian identity and herself. There’s only one problem, Nar never told her family she’s bisexual and she’s not exactly sure her mom will take it well. As she navigates her secretive relationship and family expectations she begins to learn what it means to fight for what you want.

Sorry, Bro is an ode to Armenian culture and an emotional journey of love and acceptance that is sure to make readers fly through the pages.

thank you to netgalley and berkley publishing group for giving me an e-arc in exchange for my honest thoughts :)

sorry, bro was the kind of book i stumbled upon accidentally and just wanted to read it so bad. the idea of a closeted Nar secretly pining after and eventually falling for Erebuni while her mom is trying her hardest to set her up with an Armenian man during the Explore Armenia was just so fun!! taleen voskuni really has a real talent for making her mc so real and lived. Nar was the kind of messy queer person that we need more of!! she struggled and hurt and ultimately came out. her story was just so beautifully done.

Sorry, Bro by Taleen Voskuni is a debut pitched as a heartfelt queer rom-com. While Sorry, Bro definitely had loving layers of Armenian-American culture and heritage folded into every page, it read more like a dramatic fiction coming-of-age story than a rom-com. There were also some character moments that made it hard for me to buy into the romance after they happened.

After turning down a proposal from her long-term boyfriend, Nar’s mother convinces her to attend a series of events called Explore Armenia, all with the aim of meeting an Armenian man. But Nar finds herself drawn to witchy Erebuni, who works as an educator about the Armenian genocide. But Nar isn’t out as bisexual, and eventually, her worlds will merge—one way or the other.

Romance can absolutely deal with heavy subjects; in fact, some of my favourite romance novels do. However, the romance in Sorry, Bro felt overshadowed by Nar’s journey of embracing her bisexuality and reconciling her queerness with her Armenian identity. Don’t get me wrong—this was a beautiful journey and one of my favourite parts of the novel. Her struggles and triumphs felt very real as well as the authenticity in centering the complex nuances of her experiences; it’s messy and imperfect and therefore so very human.

Erebuni was also fantastic and incredibly compassionate (though sometimes TOO compassionate) as a love interest. Her measured behavior, emotional intelligence, courage, and connectedness leaped off the page through Nar’s eyes. My challenge was that the romance between Erebuni felt rushed and, furthermore, Nar does some pretty reprehensible stuff to Erebuni that I would find very hard to forgive.

I still recommend picking this one with the caveat that, in my opinion, it is not a rom-com at all. But if you want a thought-provoking, complicated, discussion-generating romance read, Sorry, Bro fits the fill.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an advance review copy. All opinions are my own.

This book felt like a celebration of Armenian culture wrapped up in a standard romcom storyline. I loved reading all the little details about food, language, and coffee, and I thought the author did a good job of addressing more serious topics within the narrative. The romance itself was a little bland to me. Erubini was too perfect to be interesting and they fell in love too fast for me. However, I still think this is a good book that’s worth reading. Just don’t go into it expecting the romance to be the most compelling thing about it, because it really takes the backseat compared to the cultural and familial aspects of the story.

Ever come across a book that you have such mixed feelings about that you can’t decide on a rating?

Sorry, Bro was definitely that kind of book for me! On one hand, I loved learning more about Armenian culture and having this kind of representation is amazing and important. On the other hand…Nareh was not a great main character. Sure, she was complex and struggling with family pressure to marry a man while falling for a woman who might be the one, but some things she did were just downright shady.

The first thing that made me go ??? was that it wasn’t really clear in the beginning that her and her bf were actually broken up/taking a break. It seemed more like a “ok you just said no to my proposal so we’ll talk more when I get back from this convenient business trip”. In the end it didn’t matter, but it just felt weird.

The second (and most important) shady thing was how she was absolutely ready to let everyone think Erebuni was some kind of predator when her family caught them together. I get that she wanted to cover for herself and wasn’t ready to come out to her family, but it was truly messed up that she just agreed to their plan of telling everyone Erebuni came onto her and that she wanted nothing to do with her.

Erebuni was a redeeming factor of this book because she is honestly too pure for this world and deserved better than Nareh (even after all the character development, I’d still be holding a grudge tbh). She was incredibly understanding about Nar’s hesitancy to come out as bisexual and supportive the entire time, even when Nar betrayed her.

But it was still funny and cute and full of Armenian culture so I didn’t hate it!

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for this arc!