Such a sweet 'coming of age' and trying to 'find herself' storyline. The story begins with Nar’s boyfriend proposing to her and she realises its not what she wants. The story focuses on the Armenian culture and trying to stay true to herself but also to fit in. With a great cast of characters, Armenian traditions and food, this makes the ideal escapism read.

I wish I liked this more than I did. I had really high hopes for it, but I could not stand Nareh, or her family.

While this is definitely a romance, it did lean more toward an adult coming of age with a strong romantic B Plot. This was more the story of Nar’s identity and relationship with her Armenian heritage and culture she’s shunned most of her life, and her repressed bisexuality.

Nar is definitely a messy, flawed protagonist. I appreciated how honest her narration is, even if there was a way too much told to the reader, but I’ve found that to be common with debuts. This is also written in first person, so we are very much completely in Nar’s head and reading her every thought most of the time. Not always needed and definitely not wanted for me, especially because she’s incredibly shallow and cycles through the same inner monologues in a way that made her read like she was a bratty, spoiled, fourteen-year-old. Any growth felt fake and solely for the sake of trying to impress her love interest rather than any actual self-development.

The writing itself also felt borderline juvenile at times—it was trying too hard to be funny and quirky/endearing (but humor is subjective and romcom humor has never been my type of humor). There was also a lot of references and commentary around eating that felt like it was veering into subconscious fatphobia left unchecked. It was very mid-2000s. Nar’s actions also really did not have me rooting for her.

The pacing was also quite off towards the end. Far too many threads get tangled and jump around in the last 20%. Conflicts are very quickly brought to a climax and then resolved (some just swept under the rug) just as quickly, if not quicker.

But, I did really like her love interest, Erebuni, and she honestly deserves way better than Nar, especially with what happens with the third act breakup. I also really liked the side characters not related to Nar. Erebuni and her group who Nar becomes a part of were all great characters and I enjoyed them when we got to see them. Definitely wished the characters and those relationships were fleshed out more.

Another thing I did actually like was the brief view into Armenian-American culture. I definitely have not seen many, much less read, books with Armenian characters and culture taking center stage. I personally only knew vaguely about the genocide and the political issues regarding Turkey, but as Nar reacquaints herself with the Armenian diaspora community around her, the reader is also introduced to some aspects of the culture and history. While Nar has her issues to work through with her relationship with her heritage, the author’s love and care for her culture still comes through. And I loved the Armenian idioms at the start of each chapter.

This really just wasn’t for me but if the premise interests you and you like romcoms that feature heavier topics, I’d say give it a try. I’m still going to keep an eye on Voskuni’s future work and see if maybe her next book might work for me better.

This may be a case of blurbing but this was alot different than what I thought it was going to be! Explores some deeper topics which I wasn’t expecting but appreciated

Thanks to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for the ARC.

I'd seen a lot of hype around Sorry, Bro and for me, it didn't disappoint. Nareh's story, coming to terms with her bisexuality whole confronting her family, job, fiance and culture really spoke to me as a queer woman. I recognised a lot of Nareh's feelings as feelings I've experienced myself. The romance with Erebuni was sweet and charming and well written, both characters felt comfortable to me.

The backdrop of the Explore Armenia was also really interesting to read about and allowed me to learn more about Armenian culture and the Armenian Genocide. It added another really interesting dimension to the story.

Overall, I really enjoyed Sorry, Bro and would recommend it to those looking for more f/f romances.

I really enjoyed this book, such an enjoyable sapphic love story. We follow Nar who's learning more about her cultural identity and hoping that her family accept her for who she is and who she loves.

I feel like it took me a bit to get fully invested into this book (mainly due to the language barrier and having to learn what things meant). However, I was quickly hooked, and couldn't put it down in the second half. Especially when we were hitting the third act break up… I'm not normally a huge fan, but the way in which it all went down was enjoyable, although, a little frustrating at the MC for the way in which she was handling things and wish she just ripped the plaster off quicker. But it was very much the push that Nar needed in her life, so overall I didn't mind it too much.

I enjoyed learning a lot about Armenian culture, food, and the genocide

— sapphic / LGBT+ romance
— own voice author

I absolutely loved reading this, I haven’t read ma my books at all on Armenian culture and this is definitely my first YA, I enjoyed learning about the food , the history and culture , I think the use of Nareh’s job as a reporter helped her rediscover her culture too, speaking of which I really like Nareh , I liked Erebuni a bit more, but together they were fantastic characters and a great couple.

I really loved the writing style , especially the breaking the fourth wall it’s so much fun and different from a lot of books I’ve read lately, I would definitely recommend this book, it’s full of fantastic themes such as self acceptance, self love, getting reconnected with your culture, obviously a great sapphic romance, what more could you want

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy in return for an honest opinion

2.5

I feel really bad for giving this book a lower rating but I have to be honest with myself and other readers. This one just wasn’t for me.

This book follows Nareh who is from a large Armenian family. After a disastrous proposal from her boyfriend Nareh is encouraged by her mother to go to some Explore Armenia events, events organised to bring awareness and celebrate Armenian culture, to meet Armenian men. Nareh has always felt that she is bisexual and when she falls for Erebuni, who has organised a lot of the events, things get complicated.

I absolutely loved the attention this book brought to Armenian culture. This is an extreme unique book in that respect and I loved learning about the culture, the food (the food sounded incredible) and the historical events that were covered. This part of the book is what carried it for me and kept me reading. Nareh’s job as a reporter was also interesting to read about.

Unfortunately, I hated Nareh with a fiery passion. I’m sorry. She was so juvenile, selfish and shallow. Erebuni deserved so much better. Nareh repeatedly made decisions that would hurt others just to make her life easier and a lot of the plot points that could have been seen as character growth felt like a way to just impress Erebuni. Despite most of the backlash Nareh got in this book being her own fault we were apparently supposed to pity her. Erebuni was absolutely incredible, I loved her and although Nareh’s mother annoyed me at first she really tried hard and came through in the end.

At times I really enjoyed the writing style but then Nareh would address the reader directly all of a sudden and I honestly forgot she was in her late twenties many times because her character was written like a sixteen year old using the words “like” and “for the win” way too much. This might be shallow but I also really dislike the title.

I would still recommend this if you are interested in the premise, this book is by no means bad. I just didn’t have as much fun reading it as I thought.

Such an amazing debut! I loved this book, it was such a beautiful romance. I cant wait to read more by this author!

If you like your romance novels with a bit more to them than simply the romance — think, reconnecting with your culture, discovering yourself again outside of a relationship — then Sorry, Bro would be a book for you.

Nareh, finding herself on a relationship break after refusing her boyfriend’s surprise proposal, agrees to meet with Armenian men, as her mother has always wanted her to, only to instead meet Erebuni and, in a move that surprises no one (well…), fall for her.

The best part of this book is Nareh’s journey in rediscovering her culture. At the start of the book, she is somewhat reluctant to engage with it, in part due to her father’s views and in part because of her (thankfully ex-) boyfriend. In a moment of weakness, she agrees to do as her mother asks, and this puts her on a collision course with Erebuni, who is much more engaged in Armenian culture, and proves to be Nareh’s gateway into learning more. As such, she’s felt a little disconnected from it, which has been a primary reason that she hasn’t tried. But, through Erebuni’s eyes, she comes to see the beauty of it and what she’s been missing out on.

This kind of thing is what characterises my favourite romances — that it covers more than simply the romance, that really, the romance is almost just a catalyst for the protagonist’s development. So, honestly, it was inevitable I’d enjoy this one.

I really enjoyed learning so much about Armenian culture in this book; I thought everything was so interesting and you could really see the love the author has for her culture, which of course is always a beautiful thing. The story has a focus on the main character kind of rediscovering her love for her culture and celebrating it, and I really enjoyed this.

However, I think that with the rest of the book, there might have needed a bit of polishing up to do. The pacing was very inconsistent, particularly in the last 40-30% of the book. A LOT happens all at once, within the space of one chapter, there is so much going on, and then it slows all the way down again, and it just felt quite startling. There's also a fair amount of miscommunication in here, and while it might work with some books, in this one it just felt like a lazy plot device, because there was no reason for Nareh to not tell Erebuni about her technical engagement. Like she could have just explained it all at the beginning and everything would have been fine.

There was also a very very very iffy situation that happens at the point of the conflict, which is difficult to explain without spoilers, but essentially, Nareh throws Erebuni under the bus in an awful way and it doesn't really feel to me like that ever gets resolved? And at the point when that happened I just completely lost all love for Nareh because to me you do not ever do that to someone, like when her mum suggested it, she should have just said something else other than what she did do. Honestly, Erebuni deserved better.

Sorry Bro

There is f/f romance. There's self-acceptance, bisexuality , F/F relationships, great cultural representation, and the struggle to fit into their community.The Armenian representation was great !
Nar and Erebuni were my favourites. I couldn't wait to dive into the pages with them.
This is a fantastic read that is both humorous and uplifting.
This was a slow start for me, and I was required to explain a lot of words or phrases, but once it got going, it was really sweet. I was completely invested in Nar and Erebuni despite the fact that miscommunication is my LEAST favourite trope and I loved watching their relationship develop. There were a lot of memorable characters, and the writing kept the plot moving along nicely.

#NetGalley #bookstagram #bookreview #sorrybro #sapphic #culturalawareness #lgbtqi+

What do you think about when you hear about Armenia? Food? History? The Armenian Quarter in Jerusalem? The Kardashians?! I knew surprisingly little about Armenia before “Sorry, Bro”. My knowledge was limited to newspaper snippets and TV (yes, I know…). I’m glad that Voskuni managed to publish “Sorry, Bro”—because there are too many readers who could neither show you Armenia on a globe nor tell you a fact about it.

I really, really enjoyed reading this book. The story was a deep dive into what it means to be a foreigner and find out where you belong. Being an immigrant is about so much more than just speaking another language. Mannerism, body language, habits—our culture influences us in subtle ways, which means the local crowd will always know something is off. You may be able to pass, but when they get to know you, they realise you’re not from here. I emphasised with the MC deeply, and “Sorry, Bro” absolutely nails the immigrant experience.

So why only 4 stars? While the book shines on many levels, I felt that the two main characters didn’t have enough “screen time”. We get a lot of background about the Armenian genocide and the book can be very heavy at times. It’s not a typical light-hearted romance as the characters face a lot of prejudice for their relationship and heritage. A bit more romance could have made the novel more appealing to a broader reading audience.

How do you remember 2015? Did it involve job hunting on LinkedIn? Mindless Instagram scrolling? The Homer-merges-with-hedge meme? The novel is set in 2015, but many pop culture references became popular much later (if you want to believe Wikipedia). I’m not sure why the author didn’t change the year to something more recent. It’s an odd choice that’s even alienating at times (I mean that was 8 years ago!), especially since the story reads like it’s set in 2023.

The bottom line: “Sorry, Bro” is a great LGBT read that focuses on exploring Armenian culture and heritage. Although heavy at times, it’s well worth your time. Taleen Voskuni is an author you should watch!

Enter her mother who wants Nar to settle down with a nice Armenia boy. Armed with a spreadsheet of Facebook-stalked men, she convinces Nar to attend 'Explore Armenia', a month-long festival of events in the city. But it’s not the parentally-approved playboy doctor or wealthy engineer who catches her eye - it’s Erebuni, a cool and intriguing young woman fully intouch with her heritage. Suddenly, with Erebuni as her guide, the events feel like far less of a chore, and much more of an adventure.

I really enjoyed this debut book by Taleen Voskuni.

Firstly I would like to mention how beautiful the cover is. Being an artist I love this minimalist very colorful type of art.

Erebuni's is a lovely, compassionate, soft natured and has a heart full of gold. Nareh's equally the same with wanted to also be the perfect daughter.

I probably wouldn't of put this as a rom com due to all the politics in the book, homophobia, sexism etc. It felt more like a cultural coming of age book.

It is beautifully written and I look forward to what comes next by Voskuni.

Such an amazing debut! I’m so glad I decided to pick it up because I loved it. Can’t wait for more from Taleen Voskuni!

This was a fun romance that dealt with sexuality and culture in a easy, nicely paced read. I learnt a lot about the Armenian culture while getting wrapped up in the cute romance and was rooting for Nar all the way through.

More rom- than -com, there were two main storylines in this book. There was the romance, between the main character Nareh and her love interest Erebuni, and then there was the journey Nareh went on with becoming more connected with her Armenian heritage.

I thought the author did a great job of not only intertwining those two threads, but making them a part of Nareh’s wider character growth. She really goes on an amazing journey throughout this book, and was a great example of how the difference aspects of someone’s character and identity intersect. It did take me a while to warm to her, but by the second half of the book I was fully rooting for her as she found her confidence and her voice.

Nareh’s family, particularly her mother and grandmother, were the unsung heroes of this book. I would love a whole book just on the grandmother’s life, every tidbit she came out with was brilliant! She also built up a good group of friends over the course of the story, although it would have been nice to have them fleshed out a little bit more.

Overall this was an enjoyable read, and I look forward to seeing what the author writes next!

I received a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.

Well. I’m hungry now.

I absolutely flew through this book! Thank you Netgalley and PanMacmillan for an ARC e-book copy of this book. There’s food. There’s f/f romance. There’s self-acceptance, Bi-rep (we love to see that), F/F relationship, AMAZING culture rep, and a struggle to fit into her community. The Armenian Representation was AMAZING!

This isn’t just a lighthearted read though. There is inner and outer homophobia, bi-phobia, war/genocide/, alcoholism, death of a parent, work place sexism, sexual content (not too xxx), and sexual harassment is mentioned. So be prepared. On the other side. It’s funny and romantic! Oh and did I mention food?

I love a good LGBTQ rom-com. There were parts in this that I found great and other parts where I was kind of "meh" about. I love the representation for the different cultures and how it was brought into the plot.

While advertised as a romcom this book is about Nareh's journey navigating and rediscovering her Armenian culture while being bisexual. It starts with Nareh getting proposed to by her well-to-do boyfriend which ends up with her questioning if she *really* wants to get married to him. Enter Erebuni, this stunning being, Nareh can't get enough of.

Coming from a non-white background there were plenty I could relate to, the fear of coming out and being judged the biggest of them all. Though there were plenty I enjoyed about this book, I loved learning about Nareh's culture and also the addition of an Armenian proverb before each chapter, I loved Erebuni & her crew.

Overall, for a debut this was a pretty good book, but I think with a few tweaks this could have been 5* worthy. I would have preferred, a page or two with all the Armenian phrases used and their English translations at the beginning, of course I could Google them but that means less time reading and getting disconnecting from the story. I also felt as though the supporting characters lacked a little depth, storywise I wished the MCs spent more time together especially because those scenes when they were together were my favourite to read and they had great chemistry. I'm here for the romance so I want to see the romance, though I don't think there was enough comedy for it to be classed as a romcom unfortunately and sometimes I struggled with the flow of the book but for a debut novel it can be overlooked.