A fun read about two people who have so much in common but then discover that their families are long time rivals. Sound familiar in the outline? Sure, it's a great trope going way back in time but unlike some of those stories, this blends Armenian culture, food, and a sapphic romance in a light and entertaining way that made me smile. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

I usually really love romances with a cooking competition element but sadly this book wasn't it for me. The book focused so heavily on the competition and rivalry that the romance seemed to just get lost. I felt like this could have been a really solid book if that romance had just a bit more time to flourish. I was sadly just disappointed by this one.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I really enjoyed Taleen Voskuni’s first book, and I had high hopes for her follow-up, Lavash at First Sight. Sadly, all hopes were dashed, and it’s a severe case of sophomore slump. And while, typically I’d DNF books if I felt they would be this bad, I inexplicably chose to stick this one out to the bitter end.
The writing is serviceable, and perhaps the only thing that kept me going. It’s not the best thing ever, but it’s not a grievance the way other aspects of the book are. Again, I have no idea what compelled me to keep going with this book.
The protagonist, Ellie, frustrated me. I can understand having complicated feelings about your heritage, and I can’t speak to what it is to be Armenian, but I still found her rather insufferable to spend the book with. There was a lot of drama with her ex and her job, and that also contributed to my dislike.
And Vanya was…there? Was this a romance? You could practically delete Vanya and it would make almost no difference.
And for a book with such a punny food title, I didn’t even get the large presence of food and family-restaurant rivalry to the extent I feel was promised.
It was just all-around bland and flavorless, and while I’m clearly in the minority, I suspect a lot of the people rating this highly might not be avid romance readers. I’d encourage anyone who’s interested to go through the reviews and/or read the book for themselves to come to their own conclusions.

Enjoyable Sapphic romance of two daughters and the rivalry between their parents, unknown to them.
Nazeli - deep in a work project with the hope of an impressive promotion, joins her parents at the annual PakCon in Chicago. She meets Vanya - also from the Bay area, yet they have never met. But their parents seem to know each other.
The women get to know each other while their parents sling cheap shots, both families desperate to win for their own reasons.
I really enjoyed this story!

This was such a fun read! It really has everything - food, culture, humor, family drama, reality TV-esc shenanigans, and ofc a swoon worthy sapphic romance!

Nazeli or “Ellie” is a rising star at her tech company and just landed a project that could catapult her to the director position she has been eyeing. But with a relentless boss, a workplace “ex” and a seemingly never ending workload she takes her parents up on an invite to a food packaging conference in Chicago to not only help promote their Armenian food company but to compete for an ad spot during the Super Bowl. What she wasn’t planning to do was meet Vanya. Another Armenian who just happens to be the daughter of Ellie’s parent’s decades old rivals. As their relationship and the competition heats up, so does the family drama.

The chemistry between Vanya and Nazeli was undeniable and their banter was perfection! I also enjoyed the food conference setting, and learning about Armenian culture! The ending was also super cute!

I went into this story thinking it would be a romance and I was pretty disappointed to discover that the romance plot line took a back seat. I could be mistaken about this being a romance and that would be on me to level set my expectations.

I can discuss the story outside of the romance because I did enjoy that. The convention and Super Bowl commercial competition aspect was unique. Add some family rivalry set in one of the best cities in the world (Chicago), and you have yourself a novel that is not only about family but about prioritizing ones self and family.

There is no denying how family centered this story was. As somebody who comes from a close knit family, I could relate to Nazeli and Vanya in how they support their family. I would say that this was the true heart of the novel with the romance between Nazeli and Vanya coming in second.

Unfortunately, this one wasn't for me. As much as I adored learning about Armenian history and culture through food, Ellie is so caught up in her heartbreak (with a guy who obviously didn't deserve her and wasn't worth the mental energy she gave him). That makes it all too difficult to connect with Ellie. Her exposition is awkward at times, too, with the addition of unnecessary details or commentary that drag the pacing. There was too much tell and not enough show. That only made her exhausting as a FMC, especially since the story is written in first-person.

Unfortunately, this isn't a romance as advertised, but more focused on the drama and competition. I was really hoping for so much more.
* Rival Families
* Queer / Sapphic Romance
* Bi & Pan FMCs
* Cooking Competition
* Banter
* Third Act Breakup

Thank you to Berkley Romance and Netgalley for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

After Ellie is broken up by her workplace boyfriend before a major presentation, she decides to travel with her parents to Chicago to help them market their Armenian food brand to a wider audience. Part of the conference they attend involves a competition whose grand prize is a Superbowl Commercial spot. At the conference, Ellie meets Vanya and they discover that their parents actually already know each other and are rivals. Though her mom forbids her to date Vanya, Ellie can't quite seem to let her go.

Read this for:
- Learning some Armenian history
- Queer Romance
- Cooking Competition
- Midwest setting (Chicago)
- Banter
- Insta Lust

My main complaint about this book is that it's being marketed as a romance and it just...really isn't. It's a family drama/women's fic with a romance in it. And that may seem like a minor difference but the romance girlies will know that it's not. But I do think it set me up with some expectations that just weren't met. Our two main characters barely spend any time on page together in the first 60% and most of the time they do throughout the book, it's with their families there as well. We get basically no depth from Vanya and honestly I feel like I couldn't tell you a single thing about her. For me, there's ultimately just too much focus on things outside of the relationship to call this a romance.

I was throughly entertained by this family feud romance. Will make you crave Armenian food and a trip to Chicago.

So MUCH fun!

I loved everything about this book. Usually I'm a little wary of sophomore novels, but Voskuni hit all the right beats for me here. Rival families, bi/pan Sapphic women, food competition - I devoured every page.

I adore the cultural immersion and the way both families strive to keep it present in America. The romance is really cute, and the competition was fun to read. I can't wait to read Voskuni's next novel!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review!

One of my favorite romances of 2023 was Sorry, Bro. I was beyond excited to hear Taleen was back with another Queer Armenian story.

Ellie works in tech, exhausted by her ex who she works with and her relentless boss she decides to say yes to her parents invitation to attend a food packaging conference, in need of her to help promote their families company with hopes of gaining an ad spot in the Superbowl. What she wasn’t planning on was meeting Vanya also an Armenian from the Bay Area whose family is in the food industry also competing for ad space. To add to the fun… the families have been rivals for years but Ellie and Vanya’s attraction for one another is undeniable.

I was so looking forward to another SF setting but then quickly realized Taleen was taking us to Chicago and oh how wonderful does she paint the city through Ellie and Vanya’s time together. This book was so fun! I loved loved the the whole food conference/competition… Taleen’s food writing is mouthwatering and I enjoyed reading/learning more about Armenian culture. I adored Ellie and Vanya they had great chemistry, and banter! Oh and the last TWO chapters!!! Perfect ending.

I did win an ARC copy of this one but also had the pleasure of listening to a bit of the audio narrated by Christine Mirzayan and her narration was perfection!

Thank you Taleen for the giveaway arc win as well as Berkley & PRH audio!

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I lovely follow up to Voskuni’s wonderful debut! I very much enjoyed the banter, the setting, the family dynamics and the very relatable feeling of working at a job because it’s “impressive” instead of your passion. Nazreli’s boss suuuuuucked so hard but that was relatable as was the feud between the families. She and Vanuatu had great chemistry and I loved them together. Highly recommend

When I was thirty-nine pages in, I realized I was pre-sad that Lavash at First Sight would end in 188 pages.

The banter! The mother-daughter relationship! The hot dog eating contest! Once again, Taleen Voskuni has created a relatable, beautifully rendered narrative that was a damn delight to read.

Thank you to Berkley for sharing the ARC with me.

This was a good and quick read. I liked that both characters were Armenians and all the cultural references, especially the food description were so good. This is a queer romance but it's also the story of an Armenian woman in tech trying t find her way with her parent's business, and with her tech job. I enjoyed the cooking competition, family drama, and the romance for the most part. The main characters meet and have an instant connection before realizing that their parents are food rivals and don't want them together. both families are competing in a food competition and their relationship develops there. I liked the romance but I wanted more from it, it didn't feel as fully developed as I wanted it to be especially after the third-act breakup. Overall this was a nice read especially if you're looking for a quick read. Thank you Berkley for this arc!

Read for:
- Armenian Fmc's
- Queer romance
- Bisexual rep
- Food competitions
- Romcom

Lavash at First Sight is such a lovely queer romance! It's full of spice, forbidden romance, bi/pan representation, and also some more excellent sounding Armenian-Lebanese food. Taleen has done it again!

I interviewed her on my podcast about both Lavash (and previously had her on for Sorry, Bro) and she is such a wonderful woman to chat with. I'd interview her for all of her books if I could.

What a delight! As a fellow Armenian-American who works in tech, I always feel so seen when I read Voskuni's work. I loved how this book celebrated Armenian food and culture, while making me literally laugh out loud. With its witty banner, sparkling chemistry, and competition drama, Lavash at First Sight is tons of fun.

Thanks to Taleen Voskuni, Berkley, and NetGalley for the ARC!

dnf @ 27%


I'm so sad this one didn't work for me!! While I don't love first person limited POV for romance novels, I liked how this one started significantly more than the author's previous (& debut) novel. I found the characters easier to connect with, and the setup of the main characters' newfound interest in each other versus realizing their families were rivals was SO fun to read. However, I still wasn't loving it at that point. We then are told the cooking competition is actually more of a reality tv show, & that it takes place over the course of 4 or 5 days. Which then introduces tropes/circumstances I really, really don't like (reality tv & romance over the course of several days). So after trying a bit of that, I realized that this wasn't for me.

I def would recommend this book to people looking for sapphic romance who don't mind the parts that bugged me, & I am absolutely going to give this author one more go. But if my third novel with her doesn't work out, then maybe it is not meant to be.

Although this book felt like it skewed a little closer to women's fiction than romance — there was a much heavier emphasis on Ellie's family and the dynamics of the competition than on her secret relationship with Vanya — Voskuni continues to be a contemporary author who utterly enriches the genre for me. Her choice to tell her story from the Armenian POV ends up becoming such a breath of fresh air for me, and really expands my reading sphere as well as spotlights the types of cultures that so rarely take center stage in stories like this. Wherever Voskuni goes next, I'll surely follow.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this edition from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a fun, refreshing LGBTQ+ romance! I loved the banter of all the characters. I was laughing out loud all throughout the book!

I loved Ellie and Vanya! The conflict felt well handled and responded to by everyone and it was just lovely! Taleen Voskuni is officially on my must read list after this second hit!