I enjoyed Sorry, Bro, Taleen Voskuni’s first novel: the main character breaks up with a non-Armenian tech bro, falls in love with an Armenian woman, and struggles with her identity as a bisexual woman. What’s not to like? I also appreciated the opportunity to learn about Armenian culture and the Bay Area Armenian diaspora.

Unfortunately, Lavash at First Sight is not as good as Sorry, Bro for one simple reason: it is too short. I am actually not bothered by the fact that the plot follows the same sequence described in the previous paragraph. What I don’t think works is that the novel reads like an extended Before Sunrise/Roman Holiday situation in which the girl has to leave home to find love on vacation.

Of course, it isn’t really a vacation–Nazeli works for a Bay Area tech company, after all. (Yes, using PTO, but still having to do work is gross, and no one should do it.) The bulk of the novel takes place at PakCon, a food packaging convention for vendors and distributors. If that doesn’t sound very Jesse and Celine, that’s because it isn’t. In between scenes at PakCon, which features an old family rivalry (yes, there’s also some Montague and Capulet action in Lavash), Nazeli and Vanya tour some of Chicago’s sights while they get to know each other. To review, there are the plot beats of Sorry, Bro, PakCon and the reality-esque competition that occurs there, family rivalry, and a Roman Chicago holiday. As I said, Lavash at First Sight needs to be longer in order to support everything Voskuni wants to include.

Two quick asides:

1) If you like your novels on the shorter side, I understand; however, you’re not often going to see me suggest than an author cut/edit. Just write more stuff for me to read!

2) It is actually kind of a Roman holiday because there is a scene set in a Roman bath. No, really, there is.

Perhaps the bigger problem is that Before Sunrise and Roman Holiday don’t have HEAs. (They don’t, and I will not be taking questions.) The plot structure of those films won’t work in a romance novel if the expectation is an HEA. It seems like Voskuni knows this and inserts the family rivalry and the competition at the food convention to give the story a place to go, but those elements belie the breeziness of Nazeli and Vanya’s budding relationship. And while we’re on the subject of too much going in too little of a page count, here seems like a good point to bring up the fact that Lavash at First Sight is a fade to black romance.

To me, none of these elements go together. Again, I think more time was needed to knit everything together in the most successful way. I liked the story, and I would have liked it better if it had time to breathe.

One thing that I really appreciated about Lavash, however, is the way that Voskuni deals with cell phones. There are text message conversations in almost every book that I’ve read this year, so my reaction to what Voskuni does definitely merits notice. Okay, now I know how this is going to sound, but hear me out: I miss long phone calls. I’m talking about the phone calls that go on for so long that you actually run out of things to say and someone falls asleep. It’s not like cell phones and texting replaced those—if anything, emails and instant messaging did. Plus, you can still call someone on a cell phone, and you don’t even have to worry about phone cords anymore.

What I’m trying to say is that I learned what “dry texting” was a couple of months ago. I mean, I already knew what it was; I just didn’t know that there was a name for it. This will come as a surprise to no one, but I don’t usually write short texts. If I send a short text, I can guarantee that something has been edited out (probably either an aside that begins with the word “also” or has parentheses around it). And, sure, in terms of texting, some people can do a lot with a little. Within the first few chapters of Lavash, we’ve seen multiple exchanges between Nazeli and the tech bro. Not a spoiler alert: he’s not one of those people. Nazeli’s first text to Vanya, on the other hand: quality flirt.

The cell phone thing is a relatively small detail, but that small detail drew me in. In a genre that is well-known for its conventions and tropes, the small details are often what make us remember a novel or an author. If it isn’t completely clear by now, I wanted more from Lavash at First Sight. That said, I still recommend it, and I will happily read whatever Voskuni writes next.

This was marketed to me as a romance, which led me to dislike it quite a lot. I didn't love the writing style and found the romance very lacking and based entirely on insta-love. I also wasn't a fan of Ellie's "corporate girly" energy. That said, after talking with friends about this book, I think it could be successful if marketed as sapphic fiction that's part love letter to Chicago and part love letter to Armenian culture and food. The food competition was one of the best parts of the book!

Lavash at First Sight serves up a fun romantic comedy sprinkled with delicious food and sizzling chemistry. When tech-savvy Ellie Gregorian finds herself at a food packaging conference in Chicago, she meets the witty and charming Vanya Simonian. Sparks fly between them, but their budding romance is complicated by their families’ rivalry in the Armenian food industry. As Ellie and Vanya navigate their attraction while competing against each other, they must confront their parents’ suspicions and their own feelings, all while serving up a side of love.

As much as I love a foodie theme, I wish the author had focused a bit more on the romance side! It felt like Ellie and Vanya’s attraction to one another was the garnish of this quick read. It was still an overall good time, so I’d recommend it to those who like a good dollop of plot with their romance novels!

I unfortunately had to DNF this book. I found the main character to be whiney and hard to read about. I tried to like this but I just can't bring myself to finish. I like that it's sapphic and the cover is cute though.

I struggled with this one. I just didn’t connect with our first FMC, Ellie. She’s Armenian, but basically is doing all she can to not be associated with her culture and heritage. An Americanized nickname, lives away from her family, works in tech, etc.

She meets Vanya, another Armenian, at this big food convention. And wow, surprise, their parents have rival companies. But there wasn’t much substance to their relationship, and I didn’t get any spark.

Look, Ellie fell asleep underneath her parents’ table at the food convention while working her laptop. HOW? I can’t get past that. That’s when I was done with Ellie and this book.

And thus, add another to the list of DNF 2024.

Lavash at First Sight is a delightful romcom about Ellie and Vanya, whose parents own competing Armenian food businesses. Both from California, they meet at a convention in Chicago, and are immediately attracted to each other, though Vanya is more carefree and Nazeli "Ellie" is running herself ragged trying to earn a promotion at a fast paced job that takes her for granted. Thank you so much to Berkley Books, Netgalley, and Taleen Voskuni for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

- LAVASH AT FIRST SIGHT had such promise but totally fell short for me. I loved the idea of PakCon - who doesn’t love a highly competitive niche industry story? and the idea of a story focused on two queer Armenian women. But all the elements felt sort of half-baked.
- Nazeli and Vanya’s romance didn’t have much to it. They virtually only ever talked about work and their parents, and Vanya didn’t so much have a personality as a small collection of details we’re told about her.
- The food competition was fun, but also a lot of the elements of it didn’t make any sense. Who was manning their booth while they were competing? Why was it being filmed? Why did just that one moment get shown on the screens for the rest of the competitors to see and nothing else ever?
- I can’t speak to the portrayal of Armenian culture, but the best thing about this book was the food descriptions. The dishes were showcased with such love, it made me want to hurry out and eat some myself.

Taleen Voskuni’s "Lavash at First Sight" nails it as her second novel, blending queerness with a deep dive into family vibes. It steps away from the teaching style of her first book, "Sorry, Bro," and lets the characters just be themselves, fully living out their complex identities without worrying about explaining things to anyone. It’s like "Sorry, Bro" was the intro, and "Lavash" is where things get real.

Set in Chicago during a food conference, the story is a sapphic spin on Romeo and Juliet, with two families alike in culture thrown into a mix of collaboration and rivalry in a cooking contest. The plot kicks off when Nazeli and Vanya meet, but their families’ old beef throws a wrench in things right from the start. As the cooking heats up, so does their chemistry, all while they try to keep things chill in front of their parents.

It’s a fun, heartwarming read about love, family, and culture, all served up with a side of humor and charm. Definitely a page-turner that’s easy to love.

I previously read Voskuni’s previous novel (Sorry, Bro), which has many similarities (good and bad) to this novel. I actually like Lavash at First Sight much more overall because I found the cooking competition aspect and family involvement super enjoyable. Both sets of Armenian parents were wonderful in different ways, and I liked seeing how Nazeli navigated their relationship alongside her romantic one.

The romance portion of the book, for me, was fine. There was pacing that made more sense to me than most romance books, and while there is the dreaded third act breakup, it makes perfect sense in the context of the story. More importantly, there are actual consequences to the actions that led to said break up and the romance doesn’t immediately pick back up again, which sat well with me. If you’re looking for something spicy, though, this book won’t have that. Sex scenes are present, but not a huge focus.

All that said, this novel suffers from much of the same weaknesses as its predecessor. There is a breakup with a boyfriend at the beginning that is periodically brought up but serves no real narrative purpose. It mostly felt like a way to signify Nazeli’s bisexual status to me, which was unnecessary. We could have just had Nazeli state that later. Additionally, there is a plot element of Nazeli having to balance her tech job with working with her parents and it just… was again, unnecessary. The book would have been just fine with her getting the time off and still worrying about her big project without her nagging boss. They detracted away from the main focus of the narrative and, honestly, felt too much like rehashed territory from Sorry, Bro.

Set primarily at a food packaging conference in Chicago, Lavash at First Sight is a sapphic rom-com that features two Armenian-American women who have each come to the conference to help their families.

When we first meet Ellie, she is tired of dealing with the stresses of her tech job. When her slightly overbearing but loving parents ask if she can come to Chicago and help them win an ad in the next Superbowl for their business, Ellie agrees, thinking it will be a nice break and change of scenery for her. She has no idea how life changing this trip will be for her until she arrives at the conference and meets Vanya.

Vanya is smart, sexy, beautiful, and a fellow Armenian-American, and Ellie is thoroughly enjoying her time getting to know her, that is, until she realizes that Vanya also happens to be the daughter of her parents’ sworn enemies and biggest rivals. Is there any way Ellie and Vanya can be together without ripping their families apart?

I had such a good time with this book! The story is well paced and just so easy to binge. I loved the chemistry between Vanya and Ellie and all of the forbidden love vibes of their relationship, as well as the drama and tension surrounding the two rival families. I also thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere of the competition, the glimpses into Armenian culture, and of course all of the delicious food descriptions!

The audiobook is narrated by Christine Mirzayan, who does a wonderful job bringing this story to life. I very much enjoyed my listening experience.

If you’re in the mood for a charming rom-com that also has a strong focus on family, be sure to check out Lavash at First Sight!

This was cute! It was closed door, and I do think this is one of those fluffy romances that would have benefited from some spice. I did love learning a bit about Armenian food and culture and the parents in this book were so so fun. Overall a very cute fluffy romance that makes for a quick read and palette cleanser.

Huge thank you to @berkleypub @berittalksbooks @thephdivabooks @dg_reads and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Star crossed love, well, more like families who are business rivals, but when Ellie and Vanya meet and sparks fly they don’t realize that. They met at a food packing conference where, a Super Bowl commercial is on the line as well as their families very businesses. They couldn’t believe how much they have in common. They were both from the same city, Armenian and families are in the food business, until they realize their families are sworn enemies. This was a fun one plus I love when a book is set in Chicago.

Ugh.... For the love of everything I really need people to stop over using the term rom-com. This is not a romance book. There is technically a romance and they get together in the end but there's no on page relationship happening. This is a family drama a slice of life competition book. It is way more about Armenian culture and cuisine and getting over family conflicts then it is about romance. Honestly this book is not good. I kind of liked it at first but the writing is just very Wattpad-y. Nothing is fleshed out and it's not super exciting. I feel like the only reason I finished this book is because I listened to the audiobook at 2.5x.

I am also a little bit hesitant about this author because of what I heard from Queer Armenian bookstagrammers about the representation in her first book. I don't know. I think this author is going to be a write-off for me and when I'm not going to read anything else from.

A very sweet story of two women finding their life passions as well as love for each other! A really enjoyable short read!

There is so much I loved about this book, I loved that the relationship didn’t feel forced and they had cute chemistry and were honest with each other, I loved the Armenian culture were taught and food, I loved her writing, and the overall plot. I got a little too lost in the competition, and felt it was a little more central than the relationship - which is fine! Just - I like a relationship to be more central, and more time in between and chapters with our FMCs. Overall it’s a 3.5 for me!

This one wasn’t bad or anything but I found t
Last 50% or so to just go so slowly for me and I really didn’t care about the characters at all.

The reality tv sort of setting was fun and learning about the Armenian food and culture.

But I don’t think I will return to this author. But I’m glad I tried!

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4.5⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: Contemporary romance 📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
A fun and entertaining read that will leave you hungry for more (see what I did there lol)

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Enemies to lovers
Armenian culture
Sapphic romance
Cooking competitions
Meet cutes
Strong family bonds
Character growth
Insta love
Closed door romance

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
All the food descriptions
Banter and feud between the two families

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
I wanted more romance, it fell a little flat for me

Twenty-seven-year-old Nazeli “Ellie” Gregorian is growing tired of her job and daily encounters with her ex-boyfriend. When her parents ask her to attend a food packaging conference in Chicago to promote their company and compete for a Superbowl ad slot, she jumps at the chance for a change. At the conference, Ellie meets Vanya Simonian, and they bond over their shared Armenian heritage and backgrounds, but their budding connection is threatened when it is revealed Vanya is the daughter of their rival. Despite their families' rivalry, Ellie and Vanya find themselves irresistibly drawn to each other while navigating the competitive pressures and their growing feelings.

I’m so happy to add this book to my collection. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this author’s work! I would recommend this book if you like:
🧡 Sapphic romance
🧡 Bi Rep
🧡 Armenian Rep
🧡 Cooking competition

This book was such a delicious read and the food mentioned had me drooling the entire time. I am kicking myself for letting this author's book sit on my shelf for so long, and I am looking forward to going back and reading her debut novel. I loved the Armenian representation and queer representation in this book. As well as the connections with their families. I was happy to see both FMC's find a way to work things out, and to see their bond grow. Such a cute story overall!

This queer romance has so many fun elements: rivalry, forbidden romance, competition, food, anti-capitalism sentiments, and cultural pride. This is such a fun ride, watching two women fall in love. It's so refreshing that both characters are out and neither of their brown parents are ashamed or shun them. This is the fun brown femme romance we deserve.

Not very spice, but the steaminess is made up with the intimacy and connection in the book. Can't wait for more from this author!]

I really loved the Romeo and Juliet/feuding families aspect of this book! It made the tension feel real and the stakes high. I love watching our two characters come together, but I also really enjoyed seeing Nazeli deal with her parents and work on that relationship. Taleen's books always make me hungry, and this one was no exception so have some tasty snacks on hand!