Taleen Voskuni is the author of Sorry, Bro and Lavash at First Sight, forthcoming from Berkley in May 2024. Her work has appeared in Cleaver Magazine, The Bold Italic, Mic, and Cal Literature & Arts Magazine, and she was an Author Mentor Match Round 8 mentee. She graduated from UC Berkeley with a BA in English and lives in San Francisco, running a research company by day, parenting a spirited toddler by night, and writing when she can.
Katelyn Detweiler
Sparks fly between two women pitted against each other in this delectable new romantic comedy by Taleen Voskuni, author of Sorry, Bro.
Twenty-seven-year-old Nazeli “Ellie” Gregorian enjoys the prestige of her tech marketing job but hates the condescending Patagonia-clad tech bros, her micromanaging boss, and her ex-boyfriend, who she’s forced to work with every day. When Ellie’s lovingly overbearing parents ask her to attend PakCon–a food packaging conference in Chicago–to help promote their company and vie to win an ad slot in the Superbowl (no big deal), she’s eager for a brief change and a delicious distraction.
At the conference, she meets witty, devil-may-care Vanya Simonian. Ellie can’t believe how easy it is to talk to Vanya and how much they have in common–both Armenian! From the Bay Area! Whose families are into food! Their meet-cute is cut short, however, when Ellie’s parents recognize Vanya as the daughter of the owners of their greatest rival, whose mission (according to Ellie’s mother) is to whitewash and package Armenian food for the American health-food crowd.
Sworn as enemies, Ellie and Vanya must compete against each other under their suspicious parents’ scrutiny, all while their feelings for each other heat to sizzling temps.
Praise for Lavash at First Sight
“Voskuni writes a heartfelt, fade-to-black sapphic romance that focuses on Ellie’s Armenian-diaspora and queer communities.” —Library Journal
“A delectable contemporary romance.”—Kirkus
“Lavash at First Sight is a hilarious and heartwarming romance about finding your authentic self while celebrating where you came from. The chemistry between Ellie and Vanya sparked and sizzled–they were an absolute joy to read. Filled with forbidden love, family rivalry, and cooking competition shenanigans that will leave you with serious food cravings, I adored this deliciously sweet sapphic romance!” —Tori Anne Martin, USA Today– bestselling author of This Spells Disaster
“Lavash at First Sight is a heartfelt and dazzling love story that’s good enough to eat.” —Sarah Hawley, author of A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon
“Lavash at First Sight is a wonderfully lighthearted and loving look at family and identity, love and the importance of staying true to oneself. I just ate it up!” —Jenna Levine, USA Today Bestselling author of My Roommate is a Vampire
“I love Taleen Voskuni’s voice so much — the way she can craft a beautifully descriptive sentence and then follow it up with a sly bit of humor. Lavash at First Sight is Voskuni at the top of her game with clever, flirty banter between Nazeli and Vanya even while they have to deal with the very real pressures from their feuding families. I feel like I could’ve spent hours with them enjoying a cocktail and sparking off each other on a Chicago rooftop bar, and I wanted to eat every single food item described on the page. What a delight of a book!”—Alicia Thompson, USA Today bestselling author of With Love, from Cold World
Berkley
May 7, 2024
Adult
Romantic Comedy
JGLM
An Armenian-American woman rediscovers her roots and embraces who she really is in this vibrant and heartfelt queer rom-com by debut author Taleen Voskuni.
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, though—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.
Praise for Sorry, Bro
“Voskuni fills the book with details about [Armenian] food, history, dances, songs, etiquette, stereotypes, politics and even artistic motifs…The overall effect is celebratory and defiant, and it pairs beautifully with Nar’s journey to fully accept who she is.” —The New York Times Book Review
“Voskuni’s debut is equal parts comic, heartfelt, and profoundly rooted in Armenian culture, with a lead you’ll want to befriend and a romance you’ll want to cheer on in equal measure. A sparkling story about love, family, and identity.” —Kirkus, starred review
“With this radiantly ravishing debut, Voskuni beautifully illustrates the courage it can take to be your own true self and risk everything for love.” —Booklist, starred review
“Featuring a slow-burn, chemistry-driven relationship,
the book also beautifully depicts and celebrates Armenian culture
and traditions throughout the story.” —Library Journal
“Voskuni debuts with a bighearted queer rom-com uniquely inflected with Armenian American culture…This is a treat.” —Publishers Weekly
Berkley
January 31, 2023
Adult
Romantic Comedy
JGLM
