Happy Book Birthday to the amazing Lavash At First Sight by Taleen Voskuni✨ Thank you so much to the lovely Chloe at Pan Macmillan for my beautiful copy! 💖

I absolutely loved reading Sorry, Bro last year and have been so excited for Taleen’s new book! I love her writing style so much and jumped at the opportunity to be able to read an early copy of this sapphic Romeo & Juliet-esque romance!

This was so freaking CUTE!! I loved the chemistry between Nazeli and Vanya, my heart was swooning all throughout this book! Their easy banter and instant connection was so beautiful to read! I really loved how they discovered that they they had so much in common and also made each other realise the important things in life whilst also trying to get to the bottom of the mysterious family rivalry! Both Nazeli & Vanya’s parents were so funny and really great side characters, I loved how this story highlights the importance of family!

The challenges for the food competition throughout the story were so much fun as well! I love a reality cooking competition (some of my favourite reality TV, especially Masterchef!) and all of the food sounded absolutely delicious! I love it when a book makes me snacky and I definitely want to try some Armenian dishes now because they sound so GOOD!

Lavash at First Sight is a funny and beautiful read that you’ll want to eat right up! This is the perfect book to read as we’re heading into summer! 💖

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the advance reader copy.

I think I went into this expecting more romance and less food competition.
I enjoyed seeing the Armenian cultural aspects and food.

This feels like it should be marketed as another genre and not a romance. There is a lot of food references and you definitely will feel hungry reading about all the cooking.

3 stars

Here's the thing... this book was fun.
I love the Armenian culture at the center of the story. It was beautiful and it left me so hungry because everything sounded so good😫
I also love the family aspects and how much our mcs care for their families.
The side characters were interesting, and for once, I was really interested in the workplace "drama" because it felt like something it could (and sadly does) happen.
Now... what this book was lacking - at least for me - was chemistry between our main characters. It was too fast but also too slow at the same time. Like the "I love yous" were too fast, but the actual building of their relationship was too slow, or it happened off the page, and that's why I didn't buy their relationship.
Still, this was a highly enjoyable read, and I recommend this.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book has two things I love, sapphics and food. For some reason, this didn't become my romance obsession of the year. The single POV felt limited and Nazeli's time at the company and her ex-boyfriend felt very rushed. No character felt particularly well developed and, honestly, the only part I enjoyed about this book was the food.

First and foremost, I can't agree with this book being advertised as a romance.

I liked the food competition, the rivalry between their parents, the Armenian culture. But the romance was such a let down, Vanya almost seemed like an after thought and not a genuine love interest. It was mostly about Nazeli's journey from a corporate job to working for her parents.

There was no intimacy between Nazeli and Vanya, very little chemistry, it seemed like their relationship developed way too quickly. There were only a few kisses, and they all seemed so rushed and came out of nowhere. This was closed door, and there was one instance of Nazeli suddenly talking about what happened the night before - but there was no built up to it whatsoever, and I was confused why the author chose to write it that way.

I also wasn't a fan of the writing style. It was first person POV, but very simple and informal, almost a word dumping, journal/diary style? It read a little like a memoir, which is not my thing.

Sadly this book just didn't work for me at all.

I devoured it & relished every single moment! (Like the puns? lol)

Stunning book with beautiful writing and gorgeous characters including the parents who are adorbs!

Vanya & Ellie are amazing. How they meet, the progression of their romance and so many beautiful interactions that made me smile, laugh and say “aww” a lot.
Again, I loved getting a tiny glimpse of Armenian culture. The language, food (of course) and family. It fills the story with so much love & warmth.
I also love the journey of self discovery Ellie goes on. Fully embracing who she is and understanding the need for the perfect work/life balance.

Look, I could go on but I don’t write reviews giving away everything that happens, I prefer saying how it made me feel and simply put, I LOVED IT! This books is *Chefs kiss* 😉

Favourite aspects:
♥️ Adorable (kinda) Meet Cute (chapter 3) 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩
🧡 Nazeli’s Parents especially her Dad 😂
💛 Bi/Pan Representation 🏳️‍🌈
💚 Armenian culture 🇦🇲
💙 Competition 👩‍🍳⏲️
💜 Everything! 📚

There is a line about mouth bones that is cute & reflects how you feel about someone when you are falling in love but I’ll let you find that sweet moment 😁🦷

Think Masterchef meets Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly! 🍕♥️

My only issue … I prefer the US cover to the UK! lol
Taleen is an auto buy author. Whatever she writes next, the moment it’s announced, im preordering.

Thank you so much, NetGalley & Pan MacMillan, for inviting me to read an arc.
This is my honest review.

This book wasn’t quite what I was expecting. It felt less like a romance and more like a story about the importance of family and culture where there just happened to be a little almost ‘forbidden’ romance on the side.

I really enjoyed the completion aspect of it and it did leave me feeling a little hungry. I also really liked that it highlighted Armenian culture.

The romance aspect of it was lacking for me. I struggled to find any chemistry between Nazeli and Vanya and I found their conflict to be a bit unnecessary. The last section of the book also felt a little bit rushed as it tried to wrap everything up.

Overall, I thought it was a pleasant read.

thank you to the publishers for the arc.

I adored Lavash at First Sight and I do tend to be picky about romances, mostly because I find a lot of chemistry hard to buy in them but Ellie and Vanya were hilarious and adorable together. The dynamics between their families were also hilarious and I appreciate the fact that it didn't come across as a cliche 'rivals to lovers' plot. Lavash at First Sight also made me frequently hungry with the food descriptions so I'm going to blame it for me craving Armenian food for the next century.

I loved Sorry Bro, so I was excited to read Taleen Voskuni's next book. Unfortunately, the only thing to recommend it is Voskuni's charming style. The plot unfolds exactly as you expect. I just read the same story but with competing bakeries. I wish there had been something a little different about this book because in a few weeks it'll be muddled with all of the other versions of this same plot.

Expect to want to eat all the food!

Nazeli (known as Ellie to her American friends) loves a high-stress job, but after being dumped by her not-quite-boyfriend she agrees to go with her parents to a food packaging conference. There she meets Vanya, another Armenian women who she's instantly intrigued by.

I enjoyed reading about Armenian culture - there was lots about the food, but also some bits of history and other cultural references. It's a part of the world I know very little about so this was great.

Although this is described as a romance, for me it was a story about Nazeli that happened to include a romance plot. Things that played a bigger role than the romance included her parents' rivalry, her ridiculous workplace, and the bizarre competition setup. The single point of view really supported this feel.

This is a closed-door book - other than kissing there is nothing more than a reference of what Nazeli and Vanya get up to physically. I wish I'd known this going in, as it felt a little disjointed with where the story left off and joined back in.

To stick with the food theme, this book very much had all the ingredients that I like. For my personal taste the balance and presentation wasn't quite as appetising as expected. But everyone's taste is different.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'Lavash at First Sight' by Taleen at First Sight.

This is my second Taleen Voskuni and I loved this one so much more. The writing style was gorgeous and I loved all of the characters even when some of them frustrated me. I have to compliment the ending because although it wrapped the story up very quickly, I don't feel like it was a bad ending which is rare for books of this genre.

Nazeli "Ellie" has a good job in tech in California, a handsome white boyfriend and a great upcoming project she's excited for. She did not plan for said great boyfriend to end their relationship right before her decisive presentation in front of her boss. To take a break from everything, she goes to Chicago to help her parents in a food competition where she meets the charming Vanya. They're immediately drawn to each other and bond over their Armenian culture and their families' Lebanese-Armenian food business. But meeting the parents doesn't go as planned as they have been rivals for decades and will now compete for an ad slot at the Superbowl. A competition that will both draw the families closer and apart and unearth old animosities while the girls sneak around and grow fonder.

The food references were great and sounded delicious. I know some people are not the biggest fan of food romances but it is my sweet spot and especially when it is about Mediterranean food culture that I can relate too.

I do find the prose as simplistic as in Sorry Bro which was a source of annoyance back then and was still now. Similarly Nazeli seems really trapped in a horrible, useless tech job (it's not me, the book says that) without her reconsidering her life and job.

I really wanted to love this book but unfortunately it just wasn’t for me. I enjoyed the rival families competing against one another (although, it was a bit dry at times), The Armenian culture and the pressure to be successful explored by Nazeli. It was the romance that was lacking for me: I loved the characters and just wanted more of them. There’s a few closed door moments which I felt should have been counteracted with more on page romance. They fell hard and fast and more romance would have made their story more believable.

Thank you NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sticking to your culture and your identity is really important, knowing who you are and accepting that is always the best way to live. I have and always will stick by that.

Ok I think this book has finally shown me my romance niche which is 'people who like each other from the off and are forthright with their feelings' - does that have a name? I feel like that's a really basic type of romance to enjoy but this is one of the only books I've found that follows this trope.

Of course, there's the classic misunderstanding which could ruin everything moment but I just found the communication between Nazeli and Vanya really refreshing and enjoyable.

I loved learning about Armenian culture and food, the romance was well cute and best of all (for me) was no on page s*x (no shame to those who enjoy it but if that's what you're looking for this is not the book for you.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Lavash At First Sight is a romantic comedy novel about a woman who helps her parents with their Armenian food business at a food packaging conference, only to meet the daughter of her parents' rivals and fall for her. Nazeli works for a San Francisco tech company, but when her parents ask her to come with them to Chicago to help promote their business, she gives in, wanting to prove to her parents that they should listen to her advice. Once there, she meets Vanya, who seems amazing, until it turns out that Vanya's parents are enemies of her parents, due to some mysterious happening years before. As the competition unfolds, they must navigate their parents' feelings, wanting to win, and the attraction they feel for each other.

Like Voskuni's previous romcom, Sorry Bro, this is a novel that centres around Armenian American experiences, but this time there's also a conference competition and an old rivalry to get in the way. The concept is a fun one, and it was a bit different to the many romantic comedies that now seem to be set in a Bake Off style competition. How prevalent the competition itself is fluctuates, but it provides structure to the narrative, even whilst it is a bit ridiculous (but many elements in romcoms tend to be).

The book also has a lot of Nazeli's job, from the opening to the constant drama around her boss getting in touch with urgent work, and the ending does make all of this feel a bit flat, as after all that drama (and a lot of detail), it's not really that important. The romance itself is quite low key, despite being important to the narrative. It has a good set up, with some tension built up, but Vanya isn't really given enough space as a character, and again, the ending doesn't quite deliver, suddenly fixing things because it is needed for the narrative.

The descriptions of food in the book are great, and it definitely makes you hungry, but some of the more emotional moments were clumsy, with a lot of stating how Nazeli felt rather than showing things that displayed her feelings. Overall, this is a pretty fun book packed with Armenian food, but the ending didn't really work for me, rushing through things and not really engaging with the characters.

This is the exact type of romantic comedy that I love, I found it easy to read and wanted to see how they relationship developed.

An updated version of the Montagues and the Capulets, this charming tale explores what happens when two young women find themselves facing a magnetic attraction that is as strong as the utter revulsion that both sets of parents involved in this romance have for each other.

Ellie is coming off a bad breakup with an ex boyfriend who dumped her at work, and Vanya is supporting her parents to realise their American Dream of an ethnic food business.

Unfortunately, their parents end up being not only competitors in their food businesses, but also in seeking to win a special prize at the food packing conference that they are all attending. Needless to say, sparks fly in more ways than one...

This is a cute story with the added attractions of multiculturalism (Armenian families), diversity (female protagonists) and food preparation (lavash isn't all that's served up warm here) included in the content. A nice little amuse bouche (or perhaps a sharing platter would be a more appropriate metaphor!) for romance readers.