Okay so this book was pretty good honestly. There were a few lulls, which is to be expected. And I had never read anything by the author before so I went in completely blind other than the back cover. I am also in no way Armenian nor have any ties to Armenian culture so that was really interesting to learn about. But also lent itself to a bit of confusion at times and I couldn’t relate to the character on that level.

The characters themselves were super intriguing. Nar, the main character I felt I could relate to alot with her perfectionism and need for external validation. As someone who stayed in a relationship they shouldn’t have out of pure comfort I can totally relate. And I thought it was very believable that it was so hard for her to change and “defy” her family/culture. It was only her POV as well which isn’t my favorite for romances but it lent itself well to this one. And I was able to much better understand Nar and her motivation since the entire book was from her perspective. Also 100% stan her grandma, she killed it. Unsung hero of the entire book. I totally had a crush on Erebuni as well, loved her character. She was beyond understanding and so mature. Not toxic at all or perpetuating any weird stereotypes. Such a unique love interest.

The plot itself was good. I wouldn’t say the pacing was the best in the world. It did take me a little longer than usual to finish it just because it felt like it could’ve been a chapter or two shorter. Not in a bad way at all though, that’s just my personal opinion. I thought it was a very realistic plot though, super grounded in reality. Which I always appreciate but does lend itself to me taking longer to read as well just because of the violent second-hand embarassment from just how true the scenes ring. Like I could 100% picture these scenes playing out in real time. As I’ve mentioned before coming out plots are probably my least favorite queer trope in romances but I thought this one was quite well done. Her reason’s for being in the closet were super valid and it wasn’t like she was all of the sudden a super mega lesbian after kissing one girl. She had known she was bisexual for a long time so the progression of her coming out and relationship felt genuine. Although my one gripe is she did use the term “girl crush” which made me almost put the book down right there. Not a fan. But I’m glad I persisted past that obvious faux pas.

All in all I enjoyed this book. It wasn’t anything amazing or groundbreaking. But I loved the bisexual representation and the chance to learn about a culture I knew very little about. It is also not spicy at all which was a fun break from the highly smutty romance books I so often find myself reading. So if you love WLW romance but aren’t a smut person, then this book is for you. Very hopeless romantic-chic. I do recommend overall if you have a chance to check it out. It looks great on my bookshelf. Happy reading!