The premise and the story are cute, the writing could be a little simplistic sometimes and it read very slow. Even the action packed scenes during the competition lacked adrenaline.

Overall I’d recommend it for a queer romance with closed door scenes.

Ellie works with an office full of tech bros, so when her parents ask her to go to a food packaging convention, she goes for a change and to represent their food company.
While she’s there, she meets a handsome guy named Vanya, she’s excited. They’re bothered Armenian from the Bay Area!
Unfortunately, he turns out to belong to the family that’s her parent’s competitor and their biggest rival.
Ellie and Vanya must compete against each other for an advertising prize while their parents watch. Can they take their attraction to the next level?

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley, I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

*Lavash at First Sight* is the deliciously chaotic, enemies-to-lovers, food-filled romance you didn’t know you needed. Taleen Voskuni serves up a swoon-worthy love story with all the right ingredients: Nazeli, a fiercely loyal (and *way* overworked) Armenian-American tech whiz, falls hard for the effortlessly charming Vanya… whose parents just so happen to be her family's *sworn* enemies. Because, of course.

Cue the drama at a high-stakes Chicago food packaging conference, where professional rivalries, family expectations, and undeniable attraction collide. Between the witty banter, heartfelt family dynamics, and just the right amount of spice (in both the food *and* the romance), this book is a total treat. I devoured every page and can’t wait to see what Voskuni cooks up next!

I had to DNF this book. I thought one of the main characters was really annoying. Because of her, I really couldn’t continue. I love the diversity, and culture but the writing just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of Lavash at First Sight by Taleen Voskuni!

Lavesh at First Sight by Taleen Voskuni. This is the second book by this author and I don't think she is an author I will continue to read.

Taleen Voskuni is a beautiful writer and an integral voice in the romance community with her stunning work in Armenian + LBGTQ+ romances. Everything she does in representing the Armenian culture is gorgeous, thoughtful, and enormously informative within the community. Armenians are such a small race, and there isn't a lot of conversation about them, which makes Voskuni's novel even more rewarding. The plot for Lavash at First Sight features one of the most intriguing and unique narratives to date, keeping the story engaging from start to finish. It's also full of so many delicious food references that reading and eating Armenian food should go hand in hand. How she weaves in the importance and complexities of platonic, familial relationships is no small feat and part of the reason why both her novels are so special.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for an advance reader copy -- all opinions are my own.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Ugh, I loved this so much, even as it slowly simmered away and built up the tale gradually. Such a great read, can't wait to revisit it again.

I love a foodie romance, and Lavash at First Sight was such a cute sapphic story between Ellie and Anya, with delicious food descriptions, Armenian food and culture, and all the family drama that comes with rivaling family businesses.

Their chemistry was so good and I ate up their banter, and just loved the Chicago setting and all the delicious food had my mouth watering. I read in tandem with the audiobook and loved listening to the narration by Christine Mirzayan.

*many thanks to Berkley Romance, PRH audio, and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

This book was a surprising Sapphic romance. It's all about food, family dynamics and culture. I liked how strongly created the main characters are, and those well crafted scenes that makes this book an enjoyable read.

Is this predictable? Yes. Is this adorable? Also yes.

The romance isn't the main focus of the book, but it's heartwarming to see queer Armenian representation play out. The family drama and miscommunication are overblown in places, but it ended up being more fun than I thought it would be.

Thank you, Netgalley, the author, and Berkley Publishing for the gifted e-book! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this book if you like: LGBTQ representation, competition, family drama

Loveeeee. I loved Sorry Bro and this one is just as great. I love the competitive edge and the family drama added to it. I do wish there was a tad more romance, but this was a complex story. Very well done!

I love sapphic books so much!
This one was so cute, and had such great representation.
The characters were just so sweet, and so adorable.
This was just a really fun sapphic romance!

The book follows Nazeli “Ellie” Gregorian as she travels to a food packaging conference in Chicago to help her parents market their Armenian food company. While in Chicago, she meets stunning Vanya Simonian and can’t ignore their mutual attraction… but will spending time with Vanya jeopardize her commitment to work and distract her from helping her overbearing parents?

While this has a romance story line, I would say it leans more women’s fiction. A big chunk of the story is spent on Ellie’s troubles at work and navigating her relationship with her parents.

This was my first book with Armenian main characters, and I enjoyed learning more about the culture, traditions and family dynamics. The food competition added a fun twist to the story and made for some comical moments.

However, the romance in Lavash at First Sight left me wanting for more. Most of the book takes place in under one week during the competition. During her first day in Chicago, Ellie is still trying to get back together with her tech bro ex-booty call. Then boom, she meets Vanya, and all thoughts of her ex disappear, and it is full speed ahead. I think given the length of the book and the other plot points the author wanted to cover, there wasn’t enough time to fully develop an insta-love romance. It didn’t feel as genuine because Ellie went into the week still lusting over her ex.

Read if you like:
• Sapphic romances
• Books with complicated family dynamics
• Food and cooking competitions
• Steam level: closed door

Thank you to Berkley Romance for a finished copy of this title in exchange for an honest review; all thoughts are my own.

I can't resist a foodie romance, especially a queer one! I loved the food aspects, the reflection on queer Armenian identity, and the family dynamics. The romance could have used a little more attention — I feel like I didn't really get to know the love interest at all — but overall, a fun journey.

I need characters’ jobs to stop taking the forefront in what are supposed to be romances!! that is so incredibly boring and takes away from the romance plot. I was disappointed, especially since this is summarized as a star crossed lovers vibes. that posits tension, not snoozing!

Voskuni always writes such heartwarming, sweet, character-driven romances. I love reading about her queer Armenian heroines finding love, and this one did not disappoint!

The sophomore novel from Taleen Voskuni does not disappoint! I love this author and her contemporary sapphic romances! The characters feel so real and still so realistically messy with interesting motivations and desires. The family aspects of the novels also just feel so well done. I will truly read anything from Voskuni moving forward

Family drama, millennial coming-of-age story, with a cute modern-day romance in the mix.

I love books where the MC is in a generally long-term toxic situation and doesn’t realize it…could be at work, in a relationship, whatever. And then throughout the book, we see them have this moment of “oh! This is what work/relationships/life/etc COULD be like!” And then there’s a storyline that helps them work things out for themselves.

This is that. It was cute. The relationship was pretty basic, but man those dates sounded AMAZING tbh.

Overall a quick, light summer read.