Our next book proves that cities are basically several small towns that happen to overlap: SORRY, BRO (Berkley, 354 pp., paperback, $17), by Taleen Voskuni, is a Sapphic love story set in the Armenian community of Northern California. Add a few steamy scenes and just the right amount of family angst, and you have a book impossible for me to resist.

The television reporter Nar Bedrossian, put off by her white boyfriend’s self-centered beer-hall proposal, has finally yielded to her mother’s urgings to date an Armenian boy. Only problem is, Nar finds an Armenian girl instead: Erebuni, the witchy, witty woman of her dreams, as well as one of the organizers of a huge Explore Armenia event. But dating Erebuni means coming out to her family, and Nar doesn’t think she can inhabit her identity both as a queer woman and an Armenian.

There’s a terrible Catch-22 for many writers: How do you depict your marginalized identity for a wider audience? There is no one solution, any more than there is one way to be queer or part of a culture. Here, since Explore Armenia was so central to the plot, Voskuni fills the book with details about food, history, dances, songs, etiquette, stereotypes, politics and even artistic motifs; each chapter opens with an Armenian proverb in both original and translation beneath a spray of pomegranate branches. The overall effect is celebratory and defiant, and it pairs beautifully with Nar’s journey to fully accept all her facets without blunting the edges.

I went into this expecting for it to be more romance than it was. I also wished that Trevor had been out of the picture sooner. I did appreciate the examination of sexuality and coming out in a culture that doesn't readily accept it. I felt this read more women's fiction and I do wish we had more resolution with her mom over some of the things she thought in support of her dad.

I learned a lot in this book about a culture I had previously not known much about, sorry. Amidst Nareh's journey of self discovery and finding new love. She decided to date within her culture and go to many of the events in her area. But instead of picking from the long list of eligible men that her mother has made for her. She is drawn to one woman at the events and can't seem to get her off her mind. She is bi but is not out to her family yet. This is part of her journey to accept herself despite societies and the expectations of her.
I like that this is set in the Bay Area they were traveling all over the Bay.

Thank you berkleyromance and netgalley for the e-ARC for the honest and voluntary review
Rating⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

What I Liked: The best part of this book for me was learning about Armenian culture and bringing to light some of the issues the community deals with. Voskuni deftly manages to balance serious topics, such as the Armenian genocide, with lighter moments. It never felt to me like I was reading a textbook or that the story was bogged down with unnecessary seriousness. Voskuni’s heritage and culture are clearly very important to her and the love she has for her community shines bright throughout this book. Most of the characters are wonderful, especially Eribuni. She is a kick ass character and my only gripe is that I wanted to learn more about her! I also can’t praise enough the storyline of coming out when you’re ready and living your authentic life, no matter what your family thinks or wants. This part of Nareh’s story was the most emotionally gratifying and I liked that Voskuni didn’t sugarcoat the very real reactions people can have to someone coming out.


What I Didn’t Like: I really struggled with two major things in this book. First, the main character, Nareh. I found it incredibly difficult to sympathize with her for most of this book. She is a doormat who lets other people walk all over her and influence her decisions. Every action she takes is done with the hope that her family won’t be disappointed or because it’s what would make her mom happy. I could possibly believe these motivations if she was younger but she’s 27 and still acted like she was 17. Having read some other reviews, children of first-generation immigrants seem to be identifying with Nareh so I fully realize this could be a “me” issue, but I found her to be a hard character to root for. Which brings me to my second major issue: the pacing. While I didn’t feel like the book was too long, it seemed like the setup took about 80% of the book and then the conflict and resolution took place in the last 20%. Without giving anything away, Nareh does something that really hurts Eribuni and instead of seeing how this impacts their relationship, it’s very quickly forgiven. This is especially maddening because Nareh does nothing to gain Eribuni’s trust back…in fact, she acts in a way that makes the entire situation worse! It was hard to believe that a conflict as large as what happened in this book could be resolved in a week or two.

Who Should Read It: People looking for more a woman’s journey book and less of a romance may want to try this one. Anyone looking to learn more about a culture they are unfamiliar with will also enjoy this one.

Review Wrap Up: I wanted to like this one more than I did, and that was due mostly to the issues with pacing and the main character Nareh. The end was too rushed and I found it hard to believe that the third act conflict would be resolved as quickly as it was. Although I struggled with liking Nareh, that is personal and other readers may not have the same issue. I recommend this book due to the strength of its overall story but the romance left me wanting more.

Taleen Voskuni is a talented writer, and she's done so well to showcase the perfect BIPOC queer romance.

From the beginning, I laughed and couldn't stop turning the pages to read more. You'll want to drop everything to follow Nar and Erebuni's swoon-worthy relationship because their voices are endearing and humorous. Nar's family, notably her mother, and the lovely exploration of Armenian culture were the icing on this flawless debut.

If you love food or want to know more about Armenian cuisine, please read this! I also found the discussion of sexuality and coming out to be quite significant. Taleen handled it with great care, which made it more authentic and lovely.

Thanks to Berkley Romance for sending me a gifted copy!

I am an admirer of representation growth within the array of romance novels that are published each year, and the premise of this title enticed me to pick this novel up. While I appreciated the set up of the story and much of the plot in general, I found the main character's people pleasing needs too off-putting when I hit a critical juncture of the book (about 71% in) to complete the story.

Debut author Taleen Voskuni delivers a delightfully queer and heartfelt love story with Sorry, Bro.

One of the things I loved about this book is how each chapter starts with an Armenian proverb. I happen to love proverbs; they can tell us so much about a culture and are often either disturbingly accurate, touching or hilarious. One of my favourites from this book was in chapter 8 - “I like him as much as I like smoke in my eyes.” Sooo relatable!

I didn’t know much about Armenian culture going into this book. Taleen did a great job of including many details highlighting the food, traditions and even some politics of this wonderful culture. I enjoyed learning through the eyes of Nar.

The romance between Nar and Erebuni is sweet, sexy and definitely swoon-worthy. I loved these two together. Their whole dynamic was just great. I loved how Taleen used Nar’s meetings with the Armenian men her mom selected for her to juxtapose how right Nar and Erebuni were for each other and how wrong all the men were.

Another thing I appreciated about this book is that the main character Nar is not out about being bisexual to her family, despite knowing this about herself for quite some time. This is an often overlooked or under-discussed facet of sexuality. Taleen is reminding us there is no right way or wrong way to be queer, and there is no time limit on it either.

Taleen is clearly still finding her voice, something I expect from a debut but still worth noting. Some passages feel almost more what I expect from literary fiction, lyrical and using a higher vocabulary. While I definitely welcome this writing style in romance, it sometimes felt at odds and inconsistent with other sections of the book. Like some parts had been more polished than others. I’m looking forward to more writing from Taleen to see how her style develops over time.

Thank you, Berkeley Romance for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A terrific read! I liked this not only for the love story between Nar and Erebani but also for the love story with Armenian culture. I learned so much even as I enjoyed the journey these two characters took. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Looking forward to more from Voskuni.

3.5/5 stars

Thank you so much to Berkley and Netgalley for the eARC provided!

I liked this novel a lot! I think it was a wonderful debut novel about navigating one's identity--both culturally and through sexuality. I thought the messages behind this book were really poignant and packed a punch emotionally, and I really related to the main characters Nareh and Erebuni and their journey.

Although I feel as though there wasn't as much of a focus on the main characters' chemistry, I believe that was because the story was framed more in a way where the main characters' journey towards their relationship was highlighted more (if that even makes sense). It didn't really take away from the story for me, though--it added a layer of depth that I really appreciated. All in all, this was a wonderful novel filled with nods to the wonderful Armenian culture that the characters and the author themselves share, and it was a wonderful story that gripped me and made me feel so many different emotions. The reason why I don't think this read was a five star read was because of the writing style--it isn't one that I meshed with, otherwise this book would have gotten a little bit of a higher rating from me.

What a delightful debut from Taleen Voskuni! Nar jumped off the page from the get-go, and her voice as a character was fully fleshed out from start to finish. This was such a loving, delicate, and powerful look at what it means to fully embrace and understand a heritage and community, including the more hurtful, painful, and traumatizing parts.

Something else I loved (which is not infrequently missing from other debuts, particularly debut romances) is that Voskuni was okay with putting actual obstacles in her protagonist's way — both internal and external — and having her not always make the best choices. She had to grow and evolve — and we as readers get to grow and evolve along with her.

I was in love with a good chunk of this novel, right about at the point of conflict, during which the main character makes a rushed and questionable choice which made me completely despise Nareh for the way she treated her love interest.
Nareh is trying to reconnect and rediscover her place within the Armenian-American community. She has a strained relationship with her mother and is constantly reminiscing on that with her late father. Loved the depiction of Nareh’s day to day activities with her family, every event she participated in Explore Armenia that showcased different aspects of the Armenian culture, and the presence of several other side characters that shaped the backdrop of Nareh’s experience. For me, this was more of a coming out story, more so than a rom-com/love story, as it felt like it was Nareh’s personal discovery in how she interacts and fits in her culture, while eventually being out as a bisexual woman. I understand and relate to her inner discussions stemming from real fears of disappointing, hurting, or losing and being abandoned by people who are dearest to her. That part of the book was special to me in a way that made me feel seen, as someone from a culture that actively erases the existence of anyone and anything that doesn’t appear perfectly heteronormative.
Despite all that (and all that would have made this book a five star read for me), the ending did give Nareh’s character a bitter taste. I appreciated the positive spin, the eventual acceptance, support and openness of the family and community. That truly brought me so much joy.

2.5

I really, really wanted to like this book. If it wasn’t promoted as a romcom, it would have been great. The romance between Nareh and Erebuni- at least the intimacy, was cringe-worthy. I wish that whole part was skipped all together. I can understand and appreciate an author not wanting to be too detailed when it comes to a sex scene. There are plenty of softcore porn scenes in lezfics that make me want to run the other way – but I don’t know how to even describe this. It felt like I was reading it upside down since it was quite difficult to decipher what these characters were even doing. It read like a completely new author took over just for this specific scene, and like every third word was left out. Comparing a gasp of pleasure and reaching your climax to a gasp of death? I think they did it wrong if that’s the case. Yep, I pretty much felt like I was transported to another world in the upside down that I had to get myself out of.

I loved the beautiful stories of family, and of the Armenian community and culture in California. Everything about Nareh’s world, Voskuni painted in vivid color. But when it came to Nareh herself, I just found a lack of maturity. Be it with her relationship with her boyfriend and why she was even with him all the way through his proposal, to her relationship with her Armenian heritage vs. Erebuni knowing exactly who she is, and not shying away from how activism and educating others on the Armenian genocide.

One thing that I found really annoying was the instant falling into bed together once it was confirmed that Nareh was interested in Pride month for a reason (interesting because this sets place in the Bay area, and I can guarantee more than just LGBT folks partake in Pride festivities). It fell too close to the ‘I like women, you like women, now we can be instantly liking women together’ trope. And then there was how Nareh came out to her family. I understand (especially with my own cultural background)- how it can be rough and scary even just thinking about coming out. But. With how it went down…Erebuni deserved better. Resolution between between Nareh and Erebuni was way too rushed for all the drama that ensued.

Overall this was a fun book to read. Yes there are some heavy topics, but it felt right with what community and rich culture this story is focused on. I think the story would have been a lot better if the romance with Erebuni was cut out (honestly, I think she deserves better- I loved her as a character)—and to leave the whole coming out to Nareh’s family as that without throwing a romance in the mix. The latter 40% of the book felt very rushed. There just really needed to be more communication. It started off as really fun, but then it branched off into something else.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The biggest takeaway I had from this book was the knowledge I gained about Armenian culture. I enjoyed how Sorry, Bro taught me more about Armenian culture through the descriptions of their foods and arts. It was also fun to read an Armenian proverb at the beginning of each chapter.

This book also did a great job of demonstrating how to educate individuals on the history surrounding certain events to stop making light of the event. For example, Nar commented on how the Armenian genocide was terrible, but nobody wants to be constantly reminded of it. Erebuni and Nar’s friends listened to her opinions, but then they took the opportunity to share with Nar the importance of the government and society acknowledging the genocide.

The characters in this book were relatable and made my heart warm. We have all been in situations like Nar's where we have said something that we immediately wish we could take back, but it allows us to grow and learn.

This sapphic romance featuring an Armenian-american woman was such a cute read!

I love how the main character deals with facing her culture, her sexuality, and her sexist and racist boss. She is afraid to change and makes mistakes, but in the end she shows true growth and the journey is authentic.

The middle of the book felt a bit slow, and I think the book could have been shorter overall.

But the romance was so sweet and sexy! All bedroom scenes were behind closed doors.

An amazing debut, queer novel.
This book def falls on the more women's fiction side of the women's fit to pure romance spectrum. But nonetheless it was truly moving.
I think it's refreshing to read BIPOC queer characters that remain closeted for various reasons. It feels real and relatable for so many in the like.
I also love the family feature of this book, the lovingly overbearing mother, and everything that comes with that. This was my first book with Armenian representation and I found it so enlightening, in the sense that as I laughed with the characters, I also absorbed something about a culture I do not know much about.
This has so many lessons on family loyalty, and the loyalty to yourself, to be true to yourself, I find this a deep and true lesson for many marginalized people.
The wit and humor had me laughing out loud so much as well, it was simply un-put-downable.

Beautiful, Sophisticated, Cultural, Perfect Example of Story Telling

This was my first ever Netgalley ARC. I applied because a love story about a closeted woman of Middle Eastern descent screams JUICY. I wanted the tea. I knew this would be a coming out story like no other and I was absolutely correct.

However, the title was deceiving or maybe I just made too many assumptions because Sorry Bro, for me implied comedy and light heartedness. And while YES there was a lot of comedic relief peppered throughout, as a whole, this is a deeply emotional journey filled with historical education/advocacy, cultural pressures and expectations, as our protagonist navigates a bit of an identity crisis.

While yes, the main focus of the story is about the fact that she's a closeted bisexual woman who has always presented as straight, a great deal of the story also explores her feelings as an outsider within her community and the exploration as to why and her actively changing her mind set and participation within said community.

I enjoyed this very much. This story left me feeling enlightened.

I would not recommend this to my smut readers, it's a slow burn and then it was fade to black.

If you are a fan of self-discovery, cultural exploration, and history then this would be perfect. Again, I can't get over how beautiful this story was. Think Eat Pray Love meets Sex In The City sprinkled with Insecure but with Middle Eastern people. LOL

I really enjoyed this book. I loved learning more about the Armenian diaspora and Armenian culture, something I haven’t really encountered in media before. I felt for Nar, but did find her a bit frustrating as a lead. There’s a lot of miscommunication/lack of disclosure that isn’t my favorite to read. However, the rest of the book made up for it, including the rich and delightful secondary characters.

Sorry, Bro is one of those books which is not afraid to explore the fear of coming out, the fact that the world conveniently forgets about atrocious acts, and our very hurtful mistakes. It explores these themes of identity and being Armenian-American, the sexism within the workplace, and Nar's fears about coming out. This one I think straddles the line more towards fiction with a romance story line - think like The Heart Principle - which I ended up loving. The exploration specifically of an Armenian-American identity and the process to re-claim and discover our identity resonated strongly with me. As a transracial adoptee, I've always had a complex relationship with my hyphenated identity. And seeing this explored in Sorry, Bro struck a chord.

Not only were tough topics discussed, the love story that was interwoven was brilliant. Nar has to learn to be herself. Her boyfriend of five years, and the man her father would have wanted to marry proposes to her in the worst way possible. Which makes her realize this isn’t what she wants.

Telling him they need to go on a break while he is away for a month, her mom convinces her to participate in a month long celebration called Explore Armenia that only happens every 3 years, to set her up with men from her community. On the first night Nareh meets the enchanting Erebuni. She helps her navigate the men at these events. But what Nar doesn’t expect is to start falling for this bewitching woman who is helping her both accept her sexuality and her Armenian heritage.

Voskuni tackled tough subjects like assimilating into American culture as immigrants, the genocide in Armenia and resulting diaspora, what it means to be a woman in a man dominated work place, and so much more. You see Nar go through being a part of her culture but also feeling so outside of it because her dad wanted more for her. This was done with such care and passion for her culture and tradition.

Cw
Genocide discussed
Outing
Homophobia
Misogyny
Biphobia
Alcohol
Grief
Sexism
Sexual harassment
Mild sexual content
Death of a parent off page
Toxic relationship

I was immediately drawn to this book, as a born and raised San Francisco Bay Area resident. A sunset with two women looking at the Golden Gate Bridge? How beautiful! But, you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, so thankfully, I didn't mind the book much either. I enjoyed the premise of the book - as an Asian bisexual whose parents, while supportive of out, kind of raised me in an environment where my end goal is to marry a man and be in a heterosexual relationship, so I didn't come out until I was in college, which was similar to Nareh's journey as well. I loved the found family aspect of this book, her relationship blooming with Erebuni, and sticking it to her misogynistic boss. I think where I didn't feel like this book did it completely for me, despite the drawing cover and premise, was so long. I kind of got tired of all of the internal monologue after a bit, and by the time I was drawn to the book, it was almost over. So, while I appreciated the book and the message it gave me, there were points I completely glossed over.