Title:
Sorry, Bro
Author:
Taleen Voskuni
Release Date:
January 31, 2023
Format:
E-Book
Genre:
Romance
Sub-Genre:
LGBTQ+
Rating:
Read-A-Likes:
Summary: When Nar’s non-Armenian boyfriend gets down on one knee and proposes to her in front of a room full of drunk San Francisco tech boys, she realizes it’s time to find someone who shares her idea of romance.
Enter her mother: armed with plenty of mom-guilt and a spreadsheet of Facebook-stalked Armenian men, she convinces Nar to attend Explore Armenia, a month-long series of events in the city. But it’s not the mom-approved playboy doctor or wealthy engineer who catches her eye—it’s Erebuni, a woman as equally immersed in the witchy arts as she is in preserving Armenian identity. Suddenly, with Erebuni as her wingwoman, the events feel like far less of a chore, and much more of an adventure. Who knew cooking up kuftes together could be so . . . sexy?
Erebuni helps Nar see the beauty of their shared culture and makes her feel understood in a way she never has before. But there’s one teeny problem: Nar’s not exactly out as bisexual. The clock is ticking on Nar’s double life—the closing event banquet is coming up, and her entire extended family will be there, along with Erebuni. Her worlds will inevitably collide, but Nar is determined to be brave, determined to claim her happiness: proudly Armenian, proudly bisexual, and proudly herself for the first time in her life.-From The StoryGraph
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 up about 80% of the book and 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.
The Spinster Librarian 