★★★★
Taleen Voskuni’s Sorry, Bro is a witty, engaging story of love, identity, and balancing the needs of family and community with a desire for true love.
There’s much to enjoy about Sorry, Bro. The characters are charming, the culture is deep, and the romance is touching. Voskuni’s lively tale of Nar finding love, both with her partner and herself, is humorous and heartfelt. The author’s liberal application of her Armenian heritage breathed new life into some familiar rom-com tropes, especially the overbearing mother, and my family/community doesn’t accept me elements. By focusing as much on Nar finding herself and her community as it is on finding love, Voskuni crafted a delightful tale that is more than your ordinary girl-meets-girl romance. Nar is an endearing character, and her journey of discovering what her Armenian heritage means was fascinating. Voskuni’s sparkling prose was chef’s kiss.
This book contains extensive mentions of war and genocide. There is also homophobia/biphobia, sexism, and mentions of the death of a parent.